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Friday, June 25, 2010

Week 4 - Still in the MTC

Hi Mom and everybody else,

I am glad to hear Michelle finally got her learners permit. Good for her!

Was the Meeker Days craft show the one where I cut my hand last year? if it is than its been a fast year. next friday is my halfway mark here in the MTC. I am here for a total of nine weeks.

Please tell Linda and Mario congratulations from about her baby.

So I kind of have a funny story. My comp and I were out in the hall by the stairs in our classroom doing language study and I had a rolly chair. So I was rolling around and I went to close to the stairs. and I started going over the stairs. Luckily I caught myself on the stairs. The chair went end over end down the stairs. It was a pretty close call wouldn’t you say?

Starting on Wednesday will be the new mission president seminar. The first presidency and most of the qourum of the twelve will be here. One of my teachers is going to be an usher. so we might have a chance to see some of them. Next Friday were are having this big fireside with them so I am really excited about that.

i was just looking at the picture with Mario and Linda’s family that you sent in my last email. Mario looks kind of tired and stressed. I wonder why? HA HA!.

Dads been good about writing me. He writes to me about twice a week. He keeps me up to date on sports. Can you have him or you tell me about the NBA finals because it is game seven. I sent dad a Father’s day card on Tuesday and I mailed some pictures home on Wednesday. You should be getting those anytime now if you havent got them already.

My language is coming along alright. I know just basic words. but its good.its coming.

On July 7th, there are more people coming into the MTC who are going to Mozambique. So thats really cool. I am excited for that.

My teacher who went to Italy on vacation, finally came back this week. He is awesome. He even went to Mozambique on his missions. Sometimes he tells us stories about what it is really like in Mozambique. T hey are super scary but they are getting me excited to get to Africa.

Today was the last time we will be able to go to the temple. It is undergoing some renovation and will be closed for about 5 weeks. It closes on the 21st. When I go to the temple it really makes me homesick and really makes me miss you guys a lot.

This week we got 44 new elders and sisters in our zone. There are now like 120 missionaries in our zone alone. We have the biggest zone in the whole MTC.

Well nothing really else happened this week. just class and eating. and I gotta get back to my laundry. Tell everybody “hello” for me. And especially tell Bella hello and that I miss her.

I love you all and miss you. Have a good week this week. Good luck at Meeker Days.

Love-
Elder Sirrine

Friday, June 11, 2010

Week 3 - It's All Good In The MTC

Hi Mom!

Como Vai? Tudo Bem?

Things are getting pretty restless here. Most days we wake up, gym, eat, study, eat, study, eat, than study more. At first I lost weight here but I weighed myself yesterday and I gained like two pounds. But I think I will lose it all when I get to Africa.

And yes mom, I am still getting along with my comp and my district. We all really get along. Did you know that this group of missionaries is the biggest ever to go to Mozambique. And that we are the biggest district in the whole MTC? Most of the other districts are usually about 8. And we have 14. It just shows the missionary work in Africa is growing! It is pretty awesome.

Thanks for getting my check for me. I have spent probably like $60 or so. I have bought a backpack to hold all my stuff in, laundry soap and stuff like that. I have also gotten a scripture case for my scriptures in english and portuguese. When I in the field part of my money thing will go for that stuff. so its not too bad. In Mozambique you can get a bunch of bananas for like 25 cents.

On Tuesdays we have a MTC wide fireside. And guess who came? Elder Robert D. Hales of the qourom of the twelve. It was awesome. He talked about obedience and the light of Christ. It was a really good talk. And I think either President Monson or someone from the first presidency are coming maybe end of June early July. Because the MTC is organizing a 36 voice choir. And they usually do not organize them unless someone from the first presidency. I really hope they do come because that would be really cool.

This week I am going to send home just my gray suit jacket. I am going to keep my pants. I am going to send it home because I only wear suits on Sundays, Tuesday nights for devotional and to and from the temple. I won’t need to have two for Africa because I am only going to wear a jacket like twice a month if that. So expect that soon. I am also sending home some pictures this week too as well as a card para pai por dia de pai on Sunday.

We have large group meetings once a week for better ways to teach people. And the guy who teaches it looks just AND sounds like Bill Murray. It’s hilarious! Here is a joke he said " What do Titanic and the sixth sense have in common? Icy dead people" Think about it.

The weather here has been good, but today it has been raining. So it’s nice. It reminds me of home. the langauge is coming along ok. Our teacher who has been on vacation is supposed to be back on Monday. Finally we will have two permanent teachers. Their names are sister olson who served in Portugal, and Brother Okasaki who served in Mozambique.

Well my time is about out so I got to go. Thank you for the package. I will have enough treats to last me forever. Haha!.

I love you guys and miss you. Tell everybody hi for me!!

Love
Elder Sirrine

Monday, June 7, 2010

Week 2 - Our schedule at the MTC

Hi Mom and everybody else,

You asked a little bit about our schedule at the MTC and here is what we do. So in the morning i usually have gym from 6:35 to 7:20. than we go take showers and get ready for the day. After that we get dressed and then we go to breakfast where we sit as a district. Then we have class till one where we than go to lunch till 1:45. Then back to class till six. Then on to dinner till 6:45. It seems like every other thing we do is eat but i actually think I have lost weight because i have been exercising every day. Then from 6:45 till nine we have our own personal study and then companion study. At nine as a companionship we plan for the next day. Then after that we hang out around our dorm as a district. At ten doors close and we write in our journals and stuff till ten thirty whan we go to sleep. That is our usual day here at the MTC. My language is coming along good. We are just now really getting into the language. We have two teachers. Their names are Brother Okasaki, he went to Mozambique too. And there is Sister Olson. She went to Portugal for her mission. Right now Brother Okasaki is in Italy with his family so we have had a sub. His name is Brother Flanigan but we call Irma Flanigina. There is suppose to be accents above the a in Irma and Flanigina. That means little sister Flanigan. We call him that because he looks as young as us. He is only 22. We have elders in our district older than him.
There is 14 Elders in our district total. We have the first Mexican to Mozambique so thats cool. My companion, the one who is from New Mexico, doesn't know our family at all.
So yeah those shot records I need to know the dates for are the MMR shots I got when I was a baby. Can you please send them as soon as possible. Otherwise I may need to get more shots.
I need like a little pillow. I have only one and it is no good. I also need mouthwash because here there are tiny little ones for the price of the big ones at like Walmart. So if i could get one of those it be nice. Everybody says I should get like a 4GB memory card that way I won’t always have to be mailing my cards home. There is a FedEx kinkos in Maputo so if I am every there, I am going to try to send mail from there.. Could you also pick up my paycheck from McDonald's. I am going to use that money for here and use the rest in Mozambique. so please can you pick it up? I would also love to get hand written letters sometimes too because if I got those, I think I would really like them.
Can you tell Bella I love her for me?
I had a chance to go through an endowment session today. It was really nice. Some of the peoples names we have had were like “ break it through the nos”, “dirty water”, and “bear eater”. It was actually pretty funny! I think they must have been Indian names.
So that is really it for this week. My time is getting low so I have to go. Tell everybody thanks for the dearelders letter. And that I say hi and that I love them. The letters really help me.
I love you guys a bunch and I miss you.

Love,
Elder Sirrine

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Week 1 - Settling in to the MTC

Hey mom and family,

I am doing good. I have sent you a letter with a piece of paper about my shots. I need my first date of my MMR shots within the next like week and a half. So yeah. I please need that soon. I sent a letter on friday. And I sent you another one too with some cords from my camera I don't need.

From now on my P-days are on Friday until I leave. I leave the MTC on July 26th so I’m going to be here approximately two months. People say I might be able to call whenever I am at a airport so you know I made it there. If we can I am going to so please be prepared for that.

I love it here. My companion is awesome. His name is Elder Hadlock. He is from New Mexico. My district is great. There are fourteen of us total going to Mozambique. In our residence hall there is probally like 30 or so other elders. We all are going on Portuguese speaking missions. Some to brazil and like 4 going to Cape Verde off the westcoast of Africa. So that’s cool. My companion and I are the only ones in our room. But we think whenever the new people come that speak Portuguse we might be sharing with them. The food here is alright. We go to the gym everyday except Sunday. I have been exercising everyday so far. We have three marines in our district so they have been helping me.

Please have people try and use dearelder.com. Everybody else have gotten like ten letters and packages and I only have gotten one from you and Matthew. and they all have gotten packages and I haven’t. So it makes me sad. So please tell people about it.

I was wondering if you could send me like a little pillow cause I only have a little one and its hard to sleep with.

So yeah. my langauge is coming along fine. I can almost bear my testimony in it and there is another thing thats in my letter.

Other than that nothing really else is going on. if you guys have questions just email me it or dearelder.com it and I’ll reply on Friday.

I love you guys so much. i miss you with all my heart and I'll see you guys later.

Love,
Elder Sirrine

Entering the MTC

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Pictures

The Mission Call

On January 22nd 2010 we opened Jacob's mission call as a family. We took wagers on where he would go and came up with all kinds of places like Texas, Florida, Germany, Holland and so on. We had no idea he would be going to:

Mozambique Maputo Mission

Wow! We are shocked and amazed! Way to go Jacob! You will be a great missionary.