Dear Home (Family and Friends) 4/30-5/7/2009

4/30 - 10:20 pm New Plan! I'll write to you like I wrote to my journal, a little bit every night. .. Okay, most nights. We missionaries get pretty busy. Anyway, I feel bad for writing such a lousy letter. P-day was pretty rushed! But that's not gonna happen again. I'll make it easier for myself by writing something meaningful evey night.

5/1 - 10:11 pm Happy May Day! We had gym today. Gym is, by far, the craziest, funnest, - That's not a word, is it? Let's make that 'the most crazy, fun, and chaotic part of the MTC.' It's great. ^^ I played volleyball, like I usually do. I wonder if they have volleyball in Canada. probably not. Anyway, I got a 'Newbie Care Package' in the mail today. Thanks Mom! I can't wait to share it with my district. ^^

5/2 - 9:58 pm So, wanna know abut my district? District 21D consists of 8 Elders residing in two adjacent rooms. Elder Jons, our district leader; Elder Davidson, who loves the hymns and children's songs as much as I do; Elder Roth, an educationally no, I'll be honest, mentally challenged Canadian with a strong desire to be a good missionary; and elder Lee, who still seems to be a bit disconnected all live in room 335. I'll write about our room tomorrow night.

5/3 - 10:21 pm Or the day after. It's been a pretty long day. My district went to the temple today, and took a few good pictures. Fast and Testimony was good, too. We've got some great missionaries. ^^ We also watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration." It was kind of hard to follow, but we all knew the story already.

5/4 - 10:06 pm Now I don't really feel like writing about the other half of my District. I feel like I'd rather relieve a few concerns that some of you have had, and write about things in general. First of all, I got myself another pillow, so now everything about my sleeping arrangement is as adequate (sp) as possible. Second, I love the letters you've all been sending me. Please keep it up. ^^ The rest of my district is jealous of all the letters I get. = p (Note to Sariah: Your letters have been especially inspirational. I look forward to receiving your talk. (Note to Mom: Please don't worry about me so much. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but I'm but I'm fine. The MTC has me well taken care of, and the Lord has been keeping me happy and un-homesick. Yes, I miss you, but I'm also really glad I'm here.)

5/5 9:59 pm Lastly, I love the MTC. I'm learning a lot! And the Spirit is so amazingly srong here. I feel the influence of the Holy ghost every day. I'd write more enthusiastically, but I'm kinda tired. I'll write more tomorrow.

By the way, M. Russell Ballard gave a talk tonight. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve want to say Thank You for letting me come. And so do I.

5/6 - 10:00pm Does Dear Elder have a search feature? If it does, look for Elder Nathan Woodward. He's in the same District, room, and mailbox as me, and I KNOW he has a Dear Elder account.

5/7 - 9:14 am P- DAY! Now a bit of news. Under the direction of my branch president, I saw a dermatologist who recommended a different course of acne treatment. Why? Because while my other acne wash was good against breakouts, it didn't do much about the bumpiness, and we think it was making my face even more red. Therefore, the doctor prescribed a few surprisingly cheap medications which I have started using instead.

5/7 - 2:15pm Guess where I am right now. I'm in the computer lab, sitting in front of a big black email machine! So, why am I sitting here, writing a letter, rather than sending you all an email? You were right. Mom, I forgot your email address. And the Dear Elder letter with your email address on it is clear back at the residence. But don't worry, I'll get another chance to email ya'll while I'm doing laundry at 3o'clock. Pretty soon we'll go back to the residence, get our clothes and my letter, then go down to the laundry room where there are more computers.

**Mom here: I don't know what happened to that plan because I have not gotten an email. Did I give him my e-address wrong? or were all the computers being used? don't know. I will send him my e-address again in case he gets a chance to email in Canada.**

2:31 pm In the meantime, I'll try to wrap up my letter in time for the 3:15 letter pickup. If I can't get this letter in the mail by then, it won't get sent until tomorrow.

In room 337, my roommates are Elder Goodrich, a Modesto, CA native who loves jokes and riddles and burritos; Elder Woodward from Wales, who has a cool accent and a lot of knowledge about the scriptures; and my companion, Elder Kelly, a very friendly Hawaiian guy who seems to know just about half the people here. Okay, I exaggerate, but it seems like he's always saying 'Hi' to somebody.

2;45 Well, that's about all the detail I feel like going into right now, plus I'm running out of time, anyway. I love and miss you all. - Hugs everyone. - Hugs Mom again. - Be good, God Bless, and eat Ice Cream.

Love, Elder Andrew Robarts