Monday, April 1, 2013

Mission life in the MTC

This is a long one because he wrote to all of us individually this week and I thought I would share each letter.

Dear Mom, 

Easter here was awesome, we had a massive sacrament meeting and it was way cool, over 3000 missionaries getting the sacrament at once. 

Overall the food has started to repeat so it is kind of not tasting as good anymore...  I have gained a total of 6 pounds :/, although my companion has gained 20!! Things are fun here, Spanish is going well, and so far I have taught about 11 lessons to investigators.  It is really hard but easy at the same time, the spirit is great here. 
 
I mostly play volleyball at gym time and am rockin it!!! Oh yea.  

I fell asleep in a devotional the other day because my companion had to get up and use the bathroom twice in the night... now I know how dad feels hahaha. 
 
I wish I could see the fox it must be so cool.  

I have received four nicknames, they are as follows. 1 The Bard: they call me this because I tell really good stories I guess.  It has gotten to the point where it is like telling bedtime stories to 5 year olds, half the time they give me a topic and I make up a story, it is funny. 2 Maverick: I was singing danger zone and they said that since I am like a cowboy to them it sounds cowboyish, it is kind of ridiculous... 3. Pacman: this is simply for my last name... 4. The Boy Scout: they call me this because I got my Eagle at such a young age and I am like the biggest outdoor nut to them... They are all just city slickers. Anyway, it is fun here.  

Sister Romans in my district, she is the one I talked about. (She is the one whose father is a fireman). The reason I brought her up is because she and I have a lot in common, except she is chicken over some weird stuff... for example she is afraid of birds... weird. Anyway life here is good... loads of fun. Well Love you Mom and read Matt 11: 28, I think is what it is.

Love Elder Paxman
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Bailee!!!!!

How are things?? It is cool here and I mix drinks together.  

One of the things I wanted to talk about was Sister Wallentine, she knows you from Weber and she knows Kyle.... Her name sounded so familiar. Anyway thought I would mention that I met her. 

Sorry this is going to be short I only have like 5 min left. I am in the choir here at the MTC.  You and the family need to watch the pieces of stuff between conferences... because one has us singing in it and I might be on there so Watch it!!!! Spanish is going well I can now talk to someone a little hahaha, well "it’s all good" here and things are tons of fun. Oh and a guy from West Yellowstone works here, he was the one that sang "How do you like me now." I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but I see him every once in a while. 

Tell everyone I love them so much and that I am going to start Hand writing messages just to get in the practice, so make sure Brooklyn doesn’t feel left out because I am going to hand write her. My hand writing stinks though. 

Love Elder Benjamin Paxman, brother, and loving servant.

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Hey Hopper, (Brooklyn) so the CCM (MTC in Spanish) is going pretty great, one thing you will enjoy is this one time me and my companions were going on a temple walk and all of the sudden we look on the grass and there is this bunny!! A bunny, it was like a magical creature, we took a solid ten minutes taking pictures with a freaking bunny, it was sad. Things are going really well here other than us being weird. 
There is an elder in our district that is really good at art he took 15 min in class and drew a tree that was intense. 
We have been having fun and learning a lot of stuff here. I would type in Spanish but my grammar isn’t that great.  The food isn’t tasting so good and it makes all of us gassy... except me!! So it bites.
All around we have been teaching 3 investigators.  A bunch of people want pictures of all sorts of stuff from home, so if you and mom could get pictures of tons of stuff that would be great.  The sisters want one of me when I am like 6, like the one grandma has of me, so find that.  They all really liked the picture you sent me already. With any pics you send me make sure that you have copies.  
One of our teachers named Brother Hollstead is a really really good acapella singer he and his buddies started the UVU group that is equal to vocal point and he helps vocal point when they need it. He has had a lot of fun.  I am desperate for mail so make sure that it is on Facebook that I want mail and put my address on there because everyone here gets like 3 letters a day and I get maybe 3 a week... it is really sad.   You would like some of the sisters in my district you would get along with them. Well my time is running out so make sure to hand write me or dearelder.com  works too.
List for package.
Cologne: either Black or Bleu de Chanelle,
Note cards... A lot of them
Bouncy Balls
Photos lots of them
Addresses of people who want hand written letters.
Tell everyone that I can email anyone now
Good pens
Lead for my pencils they are .7
Quotes, lots of them from people I like and just good ones. Funny and serious have mom and dad assist, that’s about it.

Love Ben
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Dear Dad,

Yes the Easter holiday here was great!! We had a special devotional where they passed the sacrament to the entire MTC, it was really cool, over 3000 missionaries getting the sacrament all at once. After which the Presiding Bishop of the Presiding church bishopric talked to us.  It was a really good talk.  He is from France. Overall Easter was great here in the MTC. I got to watch a movie here called the Characters of Christ... I wish you could all watch it, it is a talk that Elder Bednar gives to the MTC about the "Character of Christ".  To everyone’s knowledge you can only see it here and it is one of the most amazing talks I have heard in a long time.  

I am the only missionary I have met so far that is going to Indianapolis, Indiana Spanish speaking, it is really odd, but cool at the same time.   

We now get an hour on the computer so I am trying to include pictures that me and my companion took. I am hoping I can send them in e-mail so we are going to try it out... if not I am still going to send an SD card home here soon, even though it only has about 200 photos on it. I am going to give you an explanation of my companion... 

To start he is tall like 6 foot 5, he kind of looks like Clark Kent, oh and I had him read all this so he approves.  He is awesome and we already did something stupid of course... I took pictures.  But, pretty much we were given a toddlers bowling set with like 6 pins.  The ball wasn’t working to well so a genius member in our district (he is from the military base on Okinawa), anyway he decided to use an un-opened frosting can to bowl with... Yea... It wasn’t the brightest idea. The first 2 bowls went ok and then after about 5, I went in the room to grab something and all of the sudden I hear this HOLY COW!!!  I come running out and the frosting can had exploded and sprayed chocolate frosting all over the hallway, so far it has gone undiscovered, but it took us at least 2 and a half hours on our p day to clean it up... Morons... Anyway back to my companion, we gave him the nickname of "The Taker" he has a habit of stealing everything,(I’m pretty sure this means taking/hiding in a joking way) like for example one day I couldn't find my nametag anywhere and I asked him if he knew where it was... (We are given two by the way) and all of the sudden I look at his shirt and wouldn't you know he jacked my name tag!!! The bugger.  I had to explain to him what a season was... like summer winter fall kind of a thing. I love him, overall though and he is pretty awesome. He is strong in the spirit too. 

So that’s how life is in the MTC. Well I have to go change over my laundry. I might start writing some hand written letters just to get in the practice of it... Well tell everyone I love them and to have fun. Read D&C Section 6 or 11 both some of my favorites. Oh and sorry my email was way short last time I had like 5 seconds left and had to just end it.

Love, Elder Benjamin Paxman, your son.
 
The bowling with frosting story had me shaking my head.  I guess they are still 18 and 19 year old boys. :) I did wonder who sent them a bowling set?...;)

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