MTC Week 5 - cont.

This is the letter we got today in the mail, dated 7/23/08:

Mom and Dad,

This letter isn't going to be long. The temple opened back up so I lost about 2 hours of letter writing time. I got my hair cut and it isn't that short. Everyone said they just shave your head basically, but mine looks decent.

Ok first, yeah you can send me some of the pictures. I don't care which ones, just your favorites. I went up and took pictures with Charlie, Connors, Avery, Duffin, and Kyle on Sunday but Brett was a no show. So I didn't get to see him before he left. The last I saw him was at the map picture. He left me a note in my mailbox though so we said our goodbyes. I still see Kyle like every day. The hand sign we did in front of the temple Hermana Engebretsen told us means "AWESOME!!!" or to emphasize what you are saying. You make the sign at your chest and then move it in a straight line to your navel. Ask if you need more instruction on the matter.

So, I am not going to argue with you Dad about contacting the families of the other elders, because I know you are hyper like that. :) But Sabey's aren't answering because they are mission presidents in Ghana and barely have time for their son, let alone their son's roommate's parents. And if the others don't respond it is probably because their sons took the exact same pictures I did and sent them home just like I did.

So Hermana Engebretsen got a sub one night. Her name was Hermana Stevenson who just got back from Buenos Aires North in January. She spent like 30 minutes just showing us pictures and things like that. It was really cool. The whole city is in the North mission. So she had pictures of the Casa Rosada, and Eva Duarte's tomb, and la Boca, which is where the Tango dance originated. Also she had a picture of the first church building in South America, which is now a shoe factory, but the Church is trying to buy it back and restore it. Sadly, I won't get to see any of those, but I am excited anyway. Also she showed us her scripture covers, which were this awesome leather stuff with designs of Christ and Joseph Smith on them. It was AWESOME! She said the member who does them lives in my mission so I have to find him. But yes, Dad, I can get covers at the bookstore too. She also said you can pick pretty much any design you want. I want one.

Anyway this week we learned to command in Spanish. So it is time for another installment of Elder Gilmore's Spanish examples. This time I at least made an attempt to make them religious. Numero uno. !Arrepientase de sus pecados! (Repent of your sins!) !No me digan sobre sus pecados! (don't tell me about your sins!) And my personal favorite, !No seamos Catolicos! (Don't be Catholic!). I think they will be effective in the mission field, if used with the right tone of voice.

Also mention on the blog that in addition to Kasidy and Joseph, Emily Roskelley and Alex Greaves are also not forgotten. I KNOW THEY ARE ALIVE! It just is a matter of finding time to write to them. Anyways, I don't have much more time, but I feel I am forgetting something. Maybe you should send me a list of questions you need answered on Tuesdays in addition to all the letters, because I love getting the mail, but can never remember what was asked. Oh yeah, I didn't use my last 5 minutes of e-mail because Hno. Conde emailed me the wikipedia page for the official rules of 4 square, and I spent that time reading them, so now when someone argues with me in gym I will be able to do as the scriptures say and speak with, "Power and authority!"

OK, love you, thanks for everything! Diga me todas cosas de sus vidas por favor.

Love, Sean

translation: diga me todas cosas de sus vidas por favor, basically means: Tell me everything going on in your lives, please.