Mi Familia

Hola! What's up? How's everything going?? This past week has been so awesome, but really hard. I'm learning tons of Spanish and Doctorine of Christ. I think I've finally got the schedule figured out and I'm used to getting up at 6:30 AM instead of 12:00 PM haha. It's been so nice to get the candy and food you've sent me! Oh and the hacky sack and shirt, I really liked that picture too it's the best to get pictures. That's one thing I really like, so send TONS of pictures. Sorry you haven't got any pictures from me, the printer for the pictures was broken. But they got it working so I should have some pictures printed by Thursday, and i'll mail them out to you that same day. It's been so awesome being in the MTC with all my friends not that I see them all the time but it's nice being able to see them and talk. The food in here is pretty good, it's like if you ate at Golden Coral everyday. Which I can imagine getting kind of old after a while but it's been nice so far. The district has all become really good friends, and we joke around all the time and have fun. The Spanish is coming slowly, but it's going to be kind of tough. The language actually seems a lot more practical then English. I can bear my testimony, pray, and get my message across to our "investigators" when me and my companion teach. I've found that you can't teach without the spirit es muy importante. The spirit prompts you what to say so it's pretty awesome! It was cool on Tuesday cause a General Authority came, Russell M. Nielson his talk was great. He joked around a lot, and it's cool to see the more human side to an Apostle of God. I've got some bad news about my Visa. So my companion recieved his travel plans to go to the Peru MTC last week, and I didn't. So today I went to the travel office and asked them if my Visa paperwork had gone through. I had heard from some other Elders that 40 Visa's for Peru were signed. But sadly she sad that I'm scheduled to leave the Provo MTC on November 16th :( it's kind of a bummer. But there's a chance that could change, I have a week til I'm supposed to leave and my Visa could come before then. So we'll see. There's some good new though, when I do leave to go to Peru I get to call home and we can talk for about an hour or longer depending on how much time I have and I'll let you guys know when I'll be calling and all that. And I can call when we arrive in Peru and talk for like 2 minutes just to tell you I got there safely. So that'll be cool! I miss everyone so much! I have pictures put up in the room of the family, and it's comforting to look at. It's weird to think you guys are like a 20 minute drive away ha. I don't know if I say this too much, but the spirit in the MTC is so strong everyday. You feel it in everything you do it's awesome. I'm so grateful you guys (: this opportunity is so awesome. Sometimes it's hard during personal study to stay perfectly focused, i'll sometimes zone out and just be staring into space. So I need to work on that. It's nice in the MTC cause during study times we get to study outside on benches and you can see the mountains and all the leaves changing, fall time is so pretty. And from our room we have an awesome view of the Temple and the canyon. Being outside though is relaxing. It's weird feeling like you can't leave the MTC, it's like spiritual prison. Oh yeah send me a hand written letter! It's the best getting written letters, not that I don't want to get Dear Elder's because I know those are convenient but send some hand written letters. And send pictures!! Bryce, how's the ladies and school treating ya? I'm going to write you a letter today. I loved the pictures from the little kids! The picture of the Indiana Jones ride was so awesome (: I miss our trip to Disneyland that was freaking fun. So you guys are going to do a service project for Peru during Christmas? That's awesome! Do you know what your going to do yet?? That'd be sweet. And your going to learn some Spanish? It's tough! Haha. Oh yeah I was going to ask if you could possibly send me a different set of scriptures or maybe get me new ones? Mine have stickers in a lot of the pages and I can't mark scriptures, could you maybe send me a black quad set? Sorry to ask that. Just whenever you can that'd be nice. I have my P-Days on Tuesday's so maybe we can set a time to E-mail back and forth? I'll write you in a letter what time I'm going to be on the computer. I'll definitely send some pictures on Thursday though! I'm out of time though :( write me! LOVE YOU!!!!!

-Elder Christopher Robin

P.S. Send some pictures of you playing pinball (:

Christopher's first letter :)

Hey!! Sorry I haven't e-mailed you guys yet, but today is my P-Day and we only get to e-mail on Tuesday. How's it going?? I thought I would e-mail you because I wasn't sure what mom's e-mail was. Did you guys get my letter? I think I sent it 3 days ago I can't remember. How's school going Bryce? Are the chicks treating you good? Fill me in! I'm so busy in the MTC it's crazy! Not a second of time is wasted, we always have something planned. But I think I'm getting used to the schedule and waking up at 6:30, although I definitely miss sleeping in til 12 ha. I am loving it here, my companion and my district are the coolest elders. Everyone gets along good so it's been really cool. I learn so much everyday, when I look back at the first day I got here to now it's crazy how much you learn. I can pray and bear my testimony in Spanish, and we taught our third lesson to our "investigator" yesterday in full spanish. It's still kind of hard to get across what you want to say but the spirit guides you with that. You really have to rely on the spirit to touch your investigators, making sure and testifying of what you know is true is very important. It's what will bring the spirit to the lesson. Every Tuesday night there's a devotional and a general authority comes, and there's been a lot of talk that it's going to be la profeta but that seems a little crazy. The past two weeks Elder Holland and Elder Ballard have come and spoke. So who knows. Thanks so much for the packages mom! Those shoes, the book on Peru, the notebooks, sunglasses, and yo-yo are going to be so nice to have. How's everything going at home? I really liked the Dear Elder's i've got from you guys! Joel and Evan, thanks so much for the Dear Elder that was so nice hearing from you (: I hope you guys are liking the basketball hoop! To answer your questions, I love it in here, we've played a lot of basketball and some soccer, sadly I don't get to ride a bike :'( you guys got a new fishing pole? You had better catch some big ol' trout and send some pictures, and I'm hoping that I get to fish in Peru that'd be so awesome. That was fun going fishing up at Silver Lake and at Solitude. It feels so surreal that I'm on my mission, I can't even believe it. The time after you guys dropped me off til Sunday felt like it took forever, it felt like I had been here for 3 weeks and not 3 days! But time has started to pick up and I think it has to do with the fact that you have to get used to the schedule and everything. How's the pinball? I loved playing pinball with you guys I miss playing them, hopefully by the time you guys get back you'll have Medieval Madness? Haha. Did you guys watch the U of U game, I didn't here about the game til yesterday. Correct me if I'm wrong but U of U: 54 BYU:10? That's so awesome, I thought it'd be a closer game than that. It's funny because it's like were leaving in our own little town where you don't hear about anything that goes on in the outside world. I don't even feel like i'm in Provo. I've seen Josh, Craig, Kash, Zach Myers, and kids from high school you wouldn't know but it's been so awesome seeing my friends again. Josh and I are in the same residency/dorm building but on different floors but we hang out and talk a lot, it's the best. It's sometimes so crazy in the dorm rooms, we have a good time. All the Elders are so funny. I want to print off some pictures and send them to you guys but the printer here is busted, but I should have some pictures sent to you guys in the next week I think. Also I guess a lot of the Elders and Hermanas that are going to Peru haven't been getting their visas to go to the Peru MTC, so it made me nervous that my visa won't come and i'll be staying in the Provo MTC until I head out to Chiclayo. But I'm hoping and praying it comes in on time! I was thinking a lot about the night I got set apart as a missionary and how spiritual is was, such a cool experience. The blessing that Pat gave me has been very helpful to me, I was a little confused as to why he said "forget your family" and it made me feel horrible to think that. I think of you guys everyday, and love you very much. I know that through obedience and faith that you'll be blessed and protected. The main thing I worry about is that you'll all be safe when I get back but I know that Heavenly Father will protect you guys as well as me in my endevors on my mission. I pray for you guys every night and morning. That letter that mom wrote that was from Ava was so awesome and spirtual, thanks for that mom. I got 5 minutes left to write. Make sure and send me some pictures of the family! I want to see pictures of you guys doing fun stuff without me haha! I was thinking how awesome it will be if you guys come down to Peru to pick me up when my two years is up, how cool would that be? I'm so excited to get to know the people on a more personal level and love them. Even our fake investigator that we have I find myself caring a lot for him, and then I remind myself he isn't even a real person haha. So far this has been the best experience, I can't even explain enough. It's so weird and cool to have to worry about nothing but what you're here for. I can say I definitely feel family members watching out for me daily, and I feel that comfort. It's so awesome. I've got 1:10 minutes left but I love you guys sooooo much! <3 Don't forget to write, Yo se que la iglesia es verdad!

-Elder Christopher :D

Official Missionary!

Saying see ya later...