June 11, 2011

Hola Parentals and others, : )

This is your hijo, Mason.  So I learned that my P-day isn't until next Thursday so don't expect an email until then.  I apologize for the long delay but I don't make the schedule.  Anyway, So I am on day 4 here and it seriously feels like month 4.  Everyday feels sooooo(etc.) long!  IT is packed with companionship study, personal study, language study, meals, gym time and a lot of it, a couple times a day.  But everyone says it goes a lot faster after the first week.  So I lied in my last letter.  Elder Miller and I are both going to Guatemala, but he is going to Guatemala City South while Elder Peterson and Elder Williams are going to the same mission in Honduras.  We got these stupid orange stickrs on our nametags because we were new and we finally got to take them off!  Happy Day! I've see a lot of amigos since I got here.  I've seen Elder LeBlanc and Elder Grosebeck.  I've seen some other friends from college.  It's cool but it's weird not being able to call them by their first name.  Or anybody calling me by my first name.  The people in my district are really cool.  Elder Adams is going to Honduras and his companion Elder Dye is going to Chile.  Elder Reich and his companion Elder Ruettinger are both going to Chile as well.  Elder Hardiman and his companion Elder Forrest are both going to Spain.  Very Cool.  In the other district, there are 2 elders going to Guatemala City Central with me, two are going to Spain and the rest are going state side Spanish speaking.  There are so many Spanish speaking missionaries here!  Almost more thatn English speaking.  My entire floor is going Spanish speaking.  It's pretty cool. I see quite a few missionaries going like weird foreign speaking like Ukrainian or Romanian.  It would be cool to learn a language like that but so useless.  I'm glad I'm going Spanish speaking.  The spirit here is very cool! So Many happy Jesus-loving missionaries.  It makes you happy to wake up every morning just to interact with them.  It's nice here but I can't wait to get into the field.  Patience is a virture I guess.  Oh well.  Please tell people to write me! Mail is like gold here.  Nobody has any connection whatsoever with the outside world.  So letters are the best.  Plus the buildings are so tall no one can even see the outside world.  It feels like a prison sort of, and not being able to call and only writing letters doesn't help at all. Or, just get peoples addresses for me so I can write them.  Can you get Aubrey's address for me please?  I need to write her back.  Anyway, I don't think I really need anything. Oh! except a thumbdrive.  Please.  One with a lot of memory.  If I send home an SD card and it gets lost or stolen, I want backups.  So yeah, and the calling card pro favor.  Well time to go do laundry and then back to studying. I love all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Elder Yates

P.S.  You can type this on the blog if you want. : ) Just a suggestion.

First Day at MTC

Hi Familia,

How are you?  I am good.  I just finished my first day in the MTC.  It is so hard.  I walked in and got my ID and got my badge/name tag.  Then I was escorted to my class and the spanish lesson began.  After that I went to like new missionary orientation.  We Got talked to by the MTC presidnet and his wilfe as well as the counselors and their wives.  It was cool and very spiritual. Then we went to dinner which was just like the Cannon Center.  It was good.  I saw some friends from college.  It is weird not calling them by their first name everyone is elder or sister somebody.  It is going to be weird to get used to that.  After dinner we went into these rooms and they put on role play scenarios and then they asked us to comment and take notes.  I saw Mithcell there, excuse me Elder LeBlanc.  Then we came back to our rooms and unpacked. Oh! My companion's name is Elder (Josh Allen) Peterson.  He is nice.  He is from Orem.  I share a room with Elders Williams and Miller.  Elder Miller and I are going to the same mission.  Elder Peterson is going to Honduras and so is Elder Williams, but to different missions.  Everyone is so nice here.  If you are new you get an orange sticker on your name tag so everyone knows you are new.  But everyone I walk by always said "Welcome Elder" it is pretty cool. The Spirit is very strong here, its nice.  Well it's almost 10:30 so I got to go to bed, but I am ready.  It's been a long day and I am exhausted.  I love you all and will talk to you later!

Love,
Elder Yates

February 24, 2011

February 24th is the day Mason received his mission call. He was scheduled to receive it the 16th, but Mason got word that it was going to be delayed a week. So on the 23rd, the same day his roommate Jack was scheduled to receive his mission call, Mason went out to the mailbox to see if it had come. Unfortunately for Mason, it hadn't come, but his roommate Jack's had.  The next day, Thursday, while taking a test, Mason got a text from Jack saying that his mission call had come. He hurried home and skyped us at home while he opened it. He was called to the Guatemala Guatemala City Central Mission! He was so excited. He was scheduled to enter the Provo MTC on June 8th and after 3 weeks, transfer to the Guatemala MTC. It is just the beginning of his crazy adventure!