Feeling Better About Things

We got an email from Jare today. We all felt much better knowing his spirits are back up and he knows Washington is where he needs to be. Here is what he wrote about it:

" Well as you probably know by now, I have been temporarily reassigned to the Kennewick Washington mission. I found out yesterday and was devastated. Its okay though I trust that the lord has some need for me there. And we are really hoping that the visas come in soon. the lady at the travel office said that they are getting really close and she doesn't think we will be there for 2 months like the last elders. I really don't know anything except im going there on wednesday. if there is anything you find out about it i would love it because i'm just dying wondering what in the heck its going to be like. I have been preparing for India and now I have to redirect my thinking towards Americans. Well its the same message right."

I knew Jared wouldn't be down for too long. That' s just not him. He will do great in Washington. Here's some other stuff he wrote:

"Umm..things i might need... potatoe chips. that would be great. Everyone loves the food you guys send. I have so much that like people from all over come over to the box of food...All day we just have class and eat and class and gym and class and plan and journal and sleep. that is my life every day. I'm getting used to it though. I'm always exhausted though. 10:30-6:30 is not enough sleep for a working missionary. I bet it will be even harder when i get out into the field. I have lesson 1 down perfectly. I can pretty much adapt to anyone i teach and still get the main points of the lesson through. My teacher said me and my comp really taught towards his needs which was good. Lesson 2 is coming along pretty good. Its much easier to teach and now we are learning about the word of wisdom.

So i did choir once and then we decided that we were too busy so we stopped. I do sing a lot though. Like once before and after each class and in between. its a lot and i'm learning songs i have never even heard of. I'm not yet like the nerdy missionaries who sing on the sidewalk with their whole district. We made a district rule that we would never do that."

All in all, it sounds like he is doing great. One of the cutest things he wrote in a letter to Mom and Dad was, "Thanks for the letters. They really brighten my day--even when my day's already bright." Gotta love this missionary!

A Little Detour

Well, my parents got a call from Jared yesterday. It turns out that his Visa didn't come in time, so he is being reassigned to Kennewick, Washington until it gets here. He was pretty devastated when he talked to my parents. But this is where he needs to be for the time being. There is a reason for everything. Their entire district is actually waiting for their Visas, but the rest of them are not from Utah, so they are being sent to Sandy. The good news is that his companion is from Bountiful, so he and Jared are being sent to Washington together. The last batch of missionaries that were waiting for their Visas before they could go to India were waiting for over two months, but they don't think it will take that long this time. Pray that these boys will make it to India soon!

Letters All Around!

Well, it's been a great week for us. We FINALLY got an email from Jared yesterday, and then on Friday my parents got a letter. My mom called me to see if we got one, but I was disappointed to find no letter in the mail. But Saturday a letter came for Whit and guess what was also enclosed in her envelope...A letter for us! Everyone was so excited to hear from him. He sounds like he is doing so well. Everyone read everyone else's letters, which was great because each one had a little bit of different information.
He did tell us that the MTC food is not sitting with him too well. He's already lost a couple pounds. That kid can't afford to lose weight! And he also said that the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like months. I feel bad for the guys that actually are there for months! Here' something funny he told us...When they first got to the MTC, they got to watch this show called "The District." It's kinda like the LDS missionary version of MTV's The Real World. He said it got pretty intense! I would love to see that. But he has truly caught the spirit. It seems like he is already learning so much and really making the best out of his time in the MTC. He's so sweet to ask how the kids are doing and how everyone is doing back at home. He thanked us for our words of encouragement, and he told us he writes them down in his journal. He said he feels the spirit 24/7, and that it's a great feeling.
We're so glad he is doing so well! It makes us happy when he is happy, and he sounds truly happy. We'll keep the updates coming!

The First Email!

We got our first email from Jared on Thursday! It was a very long day for my mom. We were thinking the email would come sometime in the morning, but it did not come until like 4:30 in the afternoon! It was so good to hear from him. Here's a couple excerpts from his email:

"My comp is Elder Olsen from Bountiful Utah. He is a really funny guy. My district is way cool and we always have a good time. Probably too good of a time. They are always jealous because I get the most letters and packages.

We have gym for 45 min and pretty much class the rest. My p-days are Thursday and we got to go to the temple today. That was awesome and so relaxing. Plus the food is like 10 times better there than here. I see Taylor all the time and talk to him at lunch and dinner. I see Bryce T and Nate every so often.

We have had Jeffrey R. Holland, Bednar, Uchtdorf, Eyring, oh and Prez Monson come to us for devotional...hahah jk. But we have had some pretty good talks and one guy from the 70. The spirit is so strong here its amazing. I feel it all the time."

So, it sounds like he's the same old Fatty. He has still got his great sense of humor. It was so good to hear that he is doing so well and even having fun while feeling the spirit every moment. Hopefully we'll have more news coming soon!

The First Letter

Well, we got our first letter from Jared on Friday! We were so excited to hear from him. It was a short letter, but he wrote his first night there that the MTC was not as bad as he thought it would be. That's a good sign. His companion's name is Elder John Taylor Olson from Bountiful. He said he seemed like a cool guy. He said he missed and loved us, but he was keeping very busy. That's about all the letter said. But we will keep the updates coming as soon as we hear from him!

My Farewell--August 9. 2009