First Email!

Dear Family,

This first week at the MTC has been fun.  We have been working hard all day and still struggle to want to go to bed at 10:30, because we stay up working so often.  My companion's name is Elder Bruggeman.  He is from South Jordan, UT.  He will serve in San Jose, California.  I expect you have gotten/will get my letter soon which I sent on Friday.  I need someone to print my immunization forms and send them to me.  They need to see that I need the second Hep A booster shot.  I need that ASAP.  With that, I wouldn't mind a lot of snacks, food and anything Jon or Matt think would be helpful for me to have here or in the field.  The food is okay, but I think it will cause me to gain weight.

I have had no problems here so far, but the language is very difficult.  The third day here, they set us up with a "non-member" (member) investigator who is white, but is surprisingly "from Vietnam".  Her name is Chi Suong.  Elder Bruggeman and I have been working hard to comprise lessons in Vietnamese to teach her about Prayer, the Atonement, and the Restoration.  We have set lofty language goals to push ourselves to learn fast and discover the most effective learning methods for ourselves.  We have two teachers here, Thay Kiet, and Thay Tuan.  They are great teachers who both speak fluent Vietnamese having served in Cambodia and Houston, South, respectively.  Elder Bruggeman has told me that he will be the 25th Vietnamese speaking elder in the San Jose mission.  Wow.  It is amazing how unique an opportunity he and I share in serving the Vietnamese people in California.

Our district is VERY small.  We have two elders and three sisters.  The three sisters- Chi Hays, Chi Fabricius, and Chi Yang will serve in the Cambodia Pnom Penh mission, but will not serve in Vietnam.  Vietnam is closed for white missionaries, and only has one pair of Elders of Vietnamese descent.  Elder Bruggeman is the Senior companion in our companionship, and I am the district leader.  He and I will alternate assignments every 3 or 4.5 weeks.  We went to the Provo Temple today, it was big and beautiful.  I can't imagine how big the Salt Lake temple is if Provo is only about half the size. We have had great weather.  I know Jon experienced a lot of "frisky" weather while he was in Brasil, but we don't have to worry about that here!

I have met the MTC president a few times.  He is a very great guy.  We had an awesome branch president, too, for four days until he was released.  He still taught me some great lessons which I intend to apply throughout the rest of my mission.  Our next branch president will be just as great, I'm sure.  We have a fireside tonight which will probably be spoken by an Apostle.  It will be great to have a full-time servant of the Lord in our presence.

Oh, I also need a four-generation pedigree chart for both Mom and Dad.  Grandma Edie gave me a chart which extended about five generations, but that was only to show my mission president that we have Bowens in our family tree, and if he's related, he may be able to connect a few generation gaps we are missing.

Please let me know how things are going back home!  I would love updates on Sicily, Ella, Delainey, Kaylee and Logan!  I hope Rosie has been able to get back to work after being upset.  Let her know they didn't kill me here, and that I won't die like she made it seem I would.

I need the addresses of Matt and Erin, Zac and Sarah, Grandma (Jueschke) Forrest/Ayotte, and Liz and Jesse.  Please be sure to include ZIP Codes!

PLEASE SEND PACKAGES.  I would like a nice interchangeable-color scripture marker.  Also I get hungry. And kind of jealous of seeing elders who were here for three weeks who left today that had packages upon packages from their friends and family. Food is greatly appreciated.  I get enough healthy food as it is, like apples (~4 a day,) and salads with oil and vinegar the way Five likes them.

Anyway, my companion and I have to go prepare for dinner.  Any packages, letters, packages, e-mails, or even packages (if you want) would be greatly appreciated!

Elder Remington Steele.