I have arrived!!!

Oi from the MotherLand!!!!
     How's everyone doing?! I finally arrived in Angola after two days of flying and layovers!! It's so nice to finally be here and be able to get started. We arrived at about 5 am. There was a slight rain and super humid. My clothes started sticking to me as soon as I got off the plane. But it's not too bad.
     First impressions of Angola: Luanda is huge!!! There are some super nice buildings and there are also some that are falling apart. There are people everywhere, walking, sitting, talking. We get some pretty funny looks haha, I don't know if its cause of our suit and tie or cause we're white....
     Right now we're sitting in President and Sister Thompson's apartment. It's actually really nice. Sister Thompson made us fruit, muffins, and cereal for breakfast. After this, we're going to take a little nap, thank heavens! And then we get to meet our companions and get started! My companion's name is Elder Hobbs and we're serving in Luanda Dois!!!!
     I made it safely! It's gonna take some getting use to, but I'm stoked! You all are in my prayers. I love you all so much!

With Love from the MotherLand,
Elder Money

MotherLand Here I Come!!

Oi Familia!
    
Two more days and I'm off to the MOTHERLAND!!!! Sooo stoked!!!
I love the MTC, but I'm ready to get out. I've been here 10 weeks
which is like ancient. I feel like a veteran. Except I met an Elder
yesterday who has been here for a year and a half!!! he's in the
referral MTC mission so he sits on the computer all day. That would
be tough. So yeah I'm ready to leave. So some big news!!! Maybe
you guys already know... But I was looking on LDS.org yesterday
and there was a link that said 58 new missions being created. So
I clicked on it and at the top of the list is Angola!!!!!!!!!!! So that'll
be way cool! I don't know when, but it will become it's own mission!
I'm nervous about the language, and getting sick, but I'm so stoked!
I'm almost all packed... one of my suitcases weighs 49 lbs and the
other weighs about 67 hahaha. So we'll see about that.
"Every day does come." And here it is!! I'm going to Angola haha.
It still doesn't seem real. I can't wait to email you all and tell you
all about it.
Oh my gosh... I got the pics of Charlie.... She is the cutest thing ever!
Ahhh I can't stand it. And steaz energy drink hahahahaha. I've got all
the elders here to say steaz.
We fly from here to Dallas, to London, To Angola. We have a 12 hour
layover in London so hopefully we get to go out of the airport and walk
around!! that'd be sooo sick!
Love you guys so much!!!!
Love,
Elder Money

Last week of the MTC!!!

Oi Familia!!
How's it going?! I hope everything is good and you all had a happy valentines day!!
One Week til i reach the "MotherLand"!!!! I'm so Stoked! Africa here i come!!!!!!!!!!:):):):):)
I'm gonna miss the MTC but I'm ready to leave. It's getting sooooo crowded. There's
3,000+ missionaries here now, which is a record. and it's suppose to double by July or
august. Boa Sorte to all the Elders and sisters coming in :) So this week has been kinda
sad! Most of our district has left... Elder Anderson, Lant, and Lamkin, who were all suppose
to go to Brazil, didn't get their visas so they got reassigned. Elder Lamkin got reassigned
to Philadelphia Pennsylvania mission, Elder Lant got reassigned to Salt lake hahahahaha
and Elder Anderson (who was like my best friend in the MTC) got reassigned to Provo
hahahahahahahahaha. We kept joking that he wouldn't need a car but that they'd just drop
off a bike and he'd ride out the front gate. but it was sad to see him leave. then Another
elder, Elder Horne had to go home because he needs surgery on his knee. its been bugging
him ever since he got here and he's already had surgery once.... he's a big kid 6'8!!! so he
went home. and then the other three, Elder Shumway, Elder Williams, and Elder Bishop
left to Portugal. So its just me Elder Cummings, Elder Fontaine, And Elder Merkley. We're
ready to leave.... It's exciting, but I'm nervous at the same time. I start taking my Malaria
pills tomorrow :/ so that'll be fun. Hopefully i don't get sick! Love You All!!!! you're in my
prayers!!

Message of the week: "See others as they may become, not as they are" -Thomas S. Monson.


Love,
Elder Money

2 weeks left!!!

Hey peeps,
     2 weeks left in the MTC!!! I've learned to love the MTC. the devotionals are the best.
Our teachers are awesome! same with our branch presidency and our branch. I love my
district we all get along great. come Monday, 8 out of the 12 Elders in our district are
leaving. 4 of them are going to Portugal. 3 of them are going to Brazil. and 1, my companion
is going to Cabo verde. He leaves Tuesday, which means i get two p-days next week!!!
haha woohoo!!! i'm not sure how that will quite work out but yeah. then it will just be me,
Elder Cummings, Elder Fontaine, and Elder Merkley. so that will be kinda fun for one week.
But other than that, not a lot is going on! oh! except to deal with all the new missionaries,
they're putting two more beds in each room!!! so our room now has 6 beds!!!! but only 4
closets. we get to host again tomorrow. (that was awesome that you saw a pic of me
hosting haha, what are the chances! you should send it to me:)) So we'll either get 2 new
Elders in our room either tomorrow or next Wednesday.
     Here's some advice for 'The Spartans', or anyone going on a mission:
1. Don't focus on things at home. Leave it all behind. Focus on your work and it will make
it so much easier for you. I think the number one problem in the MTC is homesickness.
2. If you have a girlfriend, get rid of her haha. sad, but true. There are so many Elders who
miss their girlfriends and it just makes it that much harder.
3. Lose your pride. There are gonna be Elders that you're going to want to punch in the face
hahaha trust me, i know. But you have to remember that they chose to serve a mission
just like you and you both have the same purpose. usually they mean well.
4. This goes along the lines of 2 and 3, but one of our speakers said Leave any 'extra' baggage
at home. meaning girlfriends, problems, worthiness issues, anything like that. Make sure
you take care of it before you get home. He went on to say the only baggage you should bring,
are the 2-3 suitcases you'll take with you.
5. The MTC stands for "Make The Change". You should be different when you come home from
your mission. David A. Bednar talks about this in one of his talks called "recognizing the Spirit"
he says 'There is a difference between serving a mission, and becoming a missionary. If you go
home and are doing the exact same thing you were before you left your mission, you did not
become a missionary but simply served a mission." Make sure you become a missionary, not just
serve a mission.
6. Last thing, Make sure its your decision to serve. Don't let people pressure you into serving.
You should serve because you want to. Because the Gospel makes you happy and you want others
to have that same happiness. Make sure you're serving for the right reasons.
7. one more thing, bring a dictionary in your language to English, the ones they give you here, aren't
that great. and it will help you a ton.
I hope this helps!! just some things I've learned while being here. I love you all so much!!! thanks for
the letters and packages. the support is awesome! it makes it so much easier to know that I have
family and friends who support me! oh and if you guys wanna see an awesome scripture, read
Mormon 2:4. not words of Mormon, Book of Mormon :) love you guys and thank you Trish/mark and
fam! i loved the letters, i got them and read them. thanks for the scripts!!! I wanted something like that.
I'm in the laundry room right now, wearing my ninja disguise shirt. and the Elders here love it haha.
it gave them all a good laugh:) love you guys!!! tchau!!!

Hey y'all:)

Hey everyone!
     So not a lot has happened this week... so this letter won't be very long!
One of the elders in our district, Elder Cummings, started having stomach
pains. He said he thinks he might have appendicitis, which was kind of
random. then our teacher told him he thought that he should go to the
hospital. so he did. and it turns out that he did have appendicitis! and had
he waited two days, it would have ruptured. So that was a blessing that
he got there in time. Always obey the promptings of the Spirit.
     I jammed my finger playing basketball :( some guys get all the luck ;)
We got a new elder this past week. His name is Elder Merkley. He came to
the MTC about 9 months ago and went home after a week. But now he's back
out and in our district. He's going to Angola. so He'll be leaving on the 25th
with me and Elder Fontaine.
     Lets see what else.... Some elders from our zone leave today which is
sad. I love those guys. they're going to serve in Demoines, Iowa until they
get their visas. then to Brasil.
     We kinda got in trouble this week for pranks haha. Me and Elder Nelson
put an alarm clock in some elders' room in the vent! haha we set the alarm
for 2 am. then we put another one in the next night in their closet and set the
alarm for 2 am. the next night, we were in our residence, and i was in another
room and i walk out into the hall and it stinks wayyyyy bad!!!! i go walking into
my room and it is even worse!! its coming from our room!!! they put a stink
bomb in our room hahaha. it stunk but only for that night. either that, or I'm use
to it by now. but our zone leaders got mad at us but we didn't mind too much
haha we thought it was funny.
     Me and some other elders have started a new club at the MTC... to be in it,
you have to have crocs. so far there's two of us:) Me and Elder Shumway. he's
in my district so that's who the pic is of.

Love you guys! I miss you! keep emailing and writing me! :) Adeus!

I forgot a couple of things:) haha
one is that sisters are taking over the MTC!!! they
are everywhere!! Its ridiculous. and we're only
getting more. Tomorrow we get to be hosts for
the new missionaries. Last week we had 700 come.
This week 1500!!!! its insane!!! and more and more
of them are sisters! I'm glad there aren't any sisters
in Angola.... Just a distraction haha
second is that I've gained 13 lbs!!! hahaha I guess
I'm stalking up for the MotherLand. And that's about
it:) love you guys!