First Week at the MTC

Elder Croft's p-day (preparation day) is Tuesday and he sent us a nice letter. Here are some excerpts.

"I realized why it is that missionaries seem to want mail so much, it's our only contact with the outside world! I enjoy hearing about all you're doing..."

"There's been a lot going on here in the last week, and I've gotta say it feels like much longer than a week.... So those first few days were hard... The thing is there's no break, you're constantly working and studying, no time to relax etc. It was definitely a shift. However, around Sunday I started to get in the swing of the things, and now the days have all blended together, but already they're passing quickly! I feel like in this first week I've also changed a ton. I think I'm now much more Elder Croft, and I really like the missionary lifestyle. While it is tiring at times, in fact very tiring, it's all good. We wake up at 6:15, and now 6:00 every day, and we're in bed by 10:30 that night. We shower, go to class and do personal study, breakfast, gym, more class, more class, lunch, more class, some study time, and more class...."

"Oh, today I was also sick. I woke up feeling kind of gross, and when we went to the temple, it's a good thing we did initiatories and not a session, because I threw up... Thankfully I made it to the bathroom though...."

"Um, que mas, the week has been super spiritual, and Sunday at the devotional we sang "Armies of Helaman". It was crazy, I can't really describe it, but let's just say it has a lot more meaning now than it ever did. We also watched the Joseph Smith movie, and my new theme or mantra for this mission is "Shall we not go on in so great a cause!" My testimony has already grown a ton, and I can only imagine what it'll be like at week 9, let alone at the end of two years! My faith in God has also grown as I've been forced to lean on Him more and more. To learn the language, and trust that He can show us how to teach the people and recognize their needs. There is no way a missionary can do anything without the spirit and God's help. We'd just be a bunch of random guys in suits on street corners."

"In short, I'm adjusting, and the mission has in every way met my expectations of hard work, and spiritual strengthening and while the MTC does sometimes maybe feel a little like a prison, it's a wonderful place to learn and prepare to better serve eople in the field. Elder Andreasen and I get along well, and I have a feeling he'll be a good companion. We work hard, and we're committed to becoming the best we can be by following all the rules, etc. I'll continue to miss you guys, and thank you for all your prayer and support. good luck with school and life!"