Hey everyone! Its just been another pretty normal week in the MTC, but I guess a couple cool things happened.
First Elder Fausett and I got to go to Babylon! It was awesome. He had some teeth that were bothering him, so we got to go to a dentist in Provo. It was so awesome, we got to ride in a van, and see all kinds of cool things about the world. Everyone we saw at the dentist's office wanted to talk to us and be really nice to us because we are missionaries, so that was really cool. So in reality it was a pretty boring trip, but compared to what we have in here it was awesome.
Also very importantly, especially for Danica, is that I scored a goal in soccer on Monday, it was definitely the nonspiritual highlight of my MTC experience. It's really hard to score when there are like 40 people on each team so I was really excited and I did a huge knee slide to celebrate. It was a pretty lucky goal, I was just hanging out in front of the goal and someone kicked in an awesome cross, it was kind of awkwardly bouncing and I just poked it in past the goalie, but I'll take it.
I got a package from Grandma McCoy, thank you so much Grandma, I love you!
I also got a letter from Wid (Elder Topham's 4 year old cousin) that had some of the best, most specific questions I have received thus far. I really like those, because then I know exactly what to write back about. In my letter back to him I described all of the intricacies of the MTC garbage and recycling system, so that was actually really fun.
Elder McClellan got here this week so that has been really fun. It's really cool because he lives basically directly above me, so we can see each other sometimes during the last hour of the day. He's doing really well. His comp. is British. Also there are only 4 Slovak speakers so he has a really small class, compared to our 12 jammed into a little room.
This week for our district goal we picked 3 days when we were only allowed to speak Russian for the entire days. It was really hard. We don't know enough to communicate everything yet, so that made it especially tough. I imagine that we are probably going to increase the number of days for the next week.
The pictures that you sent from the vacation are awesome. It looks like you all had so much fun, I don't know about dad's scruff though.
We see President and Sister Gibbons around a lot here. It was both of their birthdays this week so Sister Sanford, already dutifully fulfilling her sister missionary role, made a really cutsie card with a picture of all the Novo Missionaries on it and had us all sign it. So we set up a special time to meet them and give them that card. It was fun, I really like them.
It's very monotonous around here, but we've all managed to make it fun in our own little ways to stay sane. There are a bunch of little things that we find to be really fun that I don't think an outsider will truly understand but I will try to explain them anyway. I already talked about our 4th of July fist pump celebration. We have those occasionally on special occasions like holidays, or when missionaries are leaving, or someones inherited calendar had an illegible scribble on that certain day, we felt it was worth celebrating. Also, in each of the rooms are these places that missionaries have dubbed "narnia holes" they are really fun. It looks like there used to be an outlet in the wall there or something, but now its just covered with a metal plate, but the screws are really loose so its easy just to swing it open by hand. Whenever new missionaries come we are always really excited to inform them about and help them check their Narnia holes because you never know what kind of surprises that previous missionaries left for you in there. Anything from candy, notes, toys, all kinds of stuff. We are already preparing things to fill our Narnia holes with for the next group of Elders.
We have a full P-day each week. At least one that lasts until dinner. We have TRC right after dinner so that stinks. That's when you teach the volunteers. It makes it kinda hard to relax on the P-day because you want to study for it. But only a little, not too hard to relax. When the temple was open we would always be really rushed to finish all of our letters on time, with laundry and everything, but with no temple we have plenty of time. I usually have time to workout hard on P-day with my ultra TNT fitness cables and to study some things. I've been getting a lot stronger and bigger. I'm gonna weigh myself when they open up the gym, but I am very optimistic. People who have seen me before the MTC with my shirt off like Tanner and Kyle have noticed a difference, so that's good.
Anyway love you all
-Elder Topham
