Sam's First Email!!!

                                                         Sat.  March 31, 2012                                                          

Hola mi familia y me amigos!

Everything is going great! It's weird... thinking about how I am the missionary in this impenetrable(?) MTC bubble. Very little comes in and very little goes out. We were actually honked at by a car today and I thought they were mad but then I realized that they were honking at us cuz WE'RE MISSIONARIES. Coool.

Thank you thank you for the letters, packages, and e-mails I have been getting. They're much appreciated. Let me just say this. We have 30 minutes on the computers for e-mailing only once a week and its sorta hard to read several different e-mails (all from family for those reading) and then answer to all cuz I can't really jump back and forth to read and reread the questions and whatnot. If you would like to write something to me for me to get in the middle of the week, send me a message through dearelder.com cuz those are printed everyday and we get them just after dinner. I won't be able to answer till p-days but it will make it easier for me cuz I'll get it earlier and have it in paper form. When you do e-mails, please consolidate to one. Muchas Gracias.

As for questions.....

MTC is awesome. It really is. We eat a TON. haha a lot of missionaries gain weight cuz it is 100 percent all you can eat for every meal and there are quite a few choices for each meal. My district and I have been talking about how much food/trash/wasted food/.....YEAH this place must go through every day. CRAZY. For conference, everyone at the mtc (i think) packed into one room and if I were to try to compare it to our churches gym I would say it was 15 times as big. YEAH. PACKED. So imagine how much food that is. But anyways, food is good. I'm liking it and eating a lot and eating good foods too. (promised I would!) My comp is Elder Chad Peters. Really awesome guy. We have several things in common... aka volleyball... annnd.. I dunno.. other stuff thats not like specific things but we get along well which is good. Haha he likes his caffine ... he brought a huge pack of drinks called like Ole' ? :) anywhoooo. We're good. My teachers are awesome too. Hermano Goodman, Hermano Frost, y Hermano.... can't remember the other one. I think the last one was kind of training.. so I don't think he'll be in with us as much which is a bummer cuz he explained stuff the best/we could understand him the best cuz OH YEAH... EVERYTHING IS IN ESPANIOL. Anyways.. :) We're all learning super quick cuz its requiring more of us so esta bien. BTW, my teachers do not use the spain accent because only me and my comp are going to spain. the other 8 guys in my district are going stateside. one to new mexico, the rest to north carolina, raleigh(?).

Which leads me to my next topic... my SICK district. Love my elders. Elders sanches, knott, chaffer(?), rich, bush, gonzales, goodwin, y eskelsen. Love them all and I think the companionships are about as perfect as they could be. I know the lords hand played a part in the companionships. Oh, kinda cool sidenote, we met with our branch presidency yesterday...? not sure.. everything is just a blurrr.... but we each told our story kinda and about ourselves and then had interviews and I was asked to be our district leader. Sweet! and they also announced senior comps. exciting.

David archuleta is not in my district but we have stuff scheduled at the same time so we see him a lot. A few elders in  my district were like...... i´m totally gonna blow him off if we are next to each other... I don´t want him to think he´s like special... :) which honestly does have some truth to it cuz he is just another elder but I went and said "Hi" to him once and shook his hand. He was super humble about it too so that's good. kinda weird to see him so often and so.. up close though. :)

REAL QUICK... I'm super out of time...

Hilary, Pres. Hollands talk was by far my fav. Tanner will appreciate that. :) Dad, I love the "news" you sent. Keep it coming. Mom, I disagree wholeheartedly with all those people that told me that language preparation before your mission doesn't really do much for you cuz you learn so fast... You asked me if I feel like it did help and IT DID SO MUCH. Almost all the guys in the district turn to me now with questions. :) its fun.. oh and plus, we already gave a 25ish minute lesson in espaniol... :/ hard but I freaking carried the team!! :) So Hilary, do as much, even if its just a little, studying as you can before you and and ADAM, MAH MAN! Keep going baby! You could have this whole language down by the time I get home. JUST DON'T STOP TRYING. Life lesson as well too........ :)

Adam, thanks for the e-mail with that text from Tanner. In next package, por favor send me any of those ties you don't want. We all wear ugly ties on Fridays so I need some ugly ones. :) SRY EYE JUSS BRAHHT PURTY ONEZ!

BTW, I was not in the mtc choir that sang the second session... we saw Archuleta but we've only been here like... 4 days so i don't know how he's already practiced enough to sing with them... anyways, I'm gonna start practicing with them asap. Also, I got your package. THANK YOU.

SO YOU KNOW... I feel your love. I feel your prayers. I appreciate the much needed assistance. KNOW that I am thinking about each of you as well. I was watching priesthood and one of the later speakers said something about "mom, dad, brothers, sisters" and I thought of each of you individually. I love you. Thank you for the support. Godspeed.

-Elder Norton