Last MTC Email

A few words from the MTC:
Things here are dwindling down for me.  I've got 6 days left.  I leave early next tuesday morning.  Heads up:  I can call home from the airport. I leave the MTC by bus around 5 am and will probably be at the airport from 6:15 until 7:45-ish.  This means that I will have a few minutes to (in accordance with the rules, it's okay to call home at the airport!) talk to you all.  Probably make sure Matt, Erin, Zac, Sarah, Liz, Jesse, Jon, Rosie, Hunter (If not at camp), Madi, Ella, Delainey, Sicily, Logan, and Kaylee are there.  I may have the chance to call Savannah real quick-like, too.  I'm not sure.  Of all the missionaries in the MTC leaving next week, I am the only one going to Anaheim, so I'll be flying by myself.  Let Grandma and Grandpa know, too.  I don't know if I'll have 5 minutes or 10 minutes or what, but I would like to talk to everyone if possible.  Probably 30 seconds each.  Of course make sure Mom and Dad are there, too.  :)

My companion leaves tomorrow.  That makes me the only Vietnamese elder in the MTC.   It feels crazy, but at the same time pretty awesome.  A few weeks ago I sent a letter to the Vietnamese elders in Anaheim.  Yesterday I received a nice package from them!  It was pretty cool and has made me even more excited to get down there.  My trainer will be Elder Leonard (whose viet name is Long) [Lisa! I'll be his companion!]  He is a way cool elder from what I've heard.  He is diligent and excited about the work.  Anyway, in the package, they sent me a few things:  Rambutans (exotic fruit), dried Jackfruit (another exotic fruit), an old Disneyland card (noted that it was not from a visit on the mission and we don't go there), a really cool book, and a nice letter, paired with about 12 to 15 pictures.
  The book.  It's a bound, published Vietnamese to English textbook which was created by two of the missionaries there, one of which will be my companion.  It is really impressive.  It has almost 200 pages.  They take the english lessons way serious there.  Crazy legitimate books, copyrighted and published; several classes a week with 150-200 people at every class.  Teaching all the time.  Eating good food all the time.  I'm excited for the opportunity to teach the people there.  The missionaries bring the Gospel into their english teaching.

I think that there are two areas in the mission for Vietnamese.  They are the south and the north.  I'll most likely be in the North.  I don't know what that means, but it sounds cool.

I don't know what else to say.  Things here are great.  The language is coming as much as it really can here.  I'll pick up so much more in California.  Really the only thing that can help me is repetition, helping me learn pronunciation of dipthongs and developing understandable tones.  My vocabulary should grow as this happens.


Elder Steele