Jordan Paskett
11:04 AM (2 hours ago)
to me
hey everyone,
i don't even know where to start! there's been actually a lot that has gone on this past week, which really isn't a lot, but when nothing ever happens, when something does happen it's huge!
but i'm excited for your guy's Christmas! i really will miss hanging out with all the the family and stuff, as well as staying up all night playing video games and eating junk food! but i am pretty excited about Christmas here, surprisingly enough. so for Christmas Eve we get a little devotional thing at night, and then we get to watch the other side of heaven and get popcorn and stuff, which really isn't that cool, but when life is so monotonous, a movie and popcorn is a luxury! and then Christmas day we have lots of free time and stuff, so that's fun. plus we get an apostle come speak to us. funny enough, i saw brother and sister adams the other night, cause brother adams is gonna play the organ here, so i went and talked to them for a bit and they said they know who the speaker is but they wouldn't tell me. they did say that they know it isn't the prophet, which is kind of a bummer, but i'm still excited. i've heard that the prophet has never come to the mtc, at least president monson and hinckley, i don't know if it's true, but kinda weird if it is. and then that night we get to watch another movie, so really it's a boring Christmas, but i get excited for dumb things now, like i've bought some pens and it was crazy how fun it was. and ties as well, there are often little tie-caravans that go around at night, i haven't brought myself to trade any, but there are some nice ties out there! oh and another thing! i don't know when you read these, but on Christmas day, one of the brothers in our branch presidency, strangely enough he is president monson's nephew, is gonna call everyone's families Christmas day! so i gave him our house phone and dad's cell phone, i'm not sure when he'll call, but be looking out for it! and we also get time to write families, so i'll probably send another email on sunday.
that's way cool about brayden too! there are times where i can't help but think about the end of my mission and how it's gonna be. but then it's hard too cause i've only been here like 5 weeks so i still have a long ways to go! i really can't wait to get out there though. i definitely don't have a strong grasp on spanish, but i feel like if i got a native companion i could learn pretty quick. and we learn more every day about teaching, so i can still improve a lot there, but i just want it to be real now. we teach "investigators" two or three times a day now, which is good, we learn fast, but i want to teach real people now, even if i have to struggle for a few weeks. but i want to share some cool insight i've found in the last week. you've probably realized most of it, but it's still cool! so i was reading in Jesus the Christ, and it was talking about like the creation and the fall and stuff, and it says something to the effect of even though the devil has power to bruise thy heal, through the seed of the women will come the power to crush thy head, or something like that. but it goes on to say that it's significant that the promise was only made to the woman, not the man, and not the pair, but just the woman. and the only time a child has been born without a man, is Jesus Christ, so really he's the only one to overpower the devil, cool huh? also, i was reading in Moroni 7, and it says something like we need to "search diligently in the light of Christ," and we had a nice little discussion. it was mentioned what would happen if you changed "in" to something else, like "for," and why it is "in," but then i thought that when we search in the light of Christ, it's like a flashlight, and with that flashlight you see things in a good, eternal and perfected way. but say you look with the "light" of the Devil, you see things in a temporal, poor and flawed way. kind of interesting i thought. i've actually started reading the BOM in spanish, i read it out loud, and then read the same chapter in english, just cause i still don't know a lot, but i think it's helping.
so last friday, we got to leave campus again and go to the doctor cause my comp has an ear infection, but this time we got to take a van and we drove for like 5 minutes, which was actually super fun haha. so we were gone for like two hours, and it was sweet. he has to take a bunch of drugs and stuff, and might have to get tubes, so i don't think it's a huge deal, but in like 2 weeks we have to go back for a checkup so i'm pumped! but i do have kind of a cool story with that. he asked me to give him a blessing, and so i said yes and i gave him a blessing a few days ago. it went well i thought. i was super nervous though, cause i've never done it before and didn't know what to do! but afterward everyone said it was good and stuff, so it was pretty cool! but then i realized i still should get one from trev, maybe right before i actually leave, i'll have to talk to him.
and i really want to hear some more jazz stuff! someone got an article and i saw they signed josh howard, or at least are trying to. and david west to the pacers? and chris paul to the lakers, and then the clippers? and lamar odom to the mav's? i need to hear more about these things! i really want to know how the jazz are doing. and i really want to know how bad jimmer does haha.
but i think that's about it. i'm still gonna cheat on the computer and stop the clock. and i actually just learned a neat little trick, if you exit out of the window when you have less than a minute left, and then open it back up, the clock goes away, so i have unlimited time now! it's fine though, cause i just email while my clothes are being washed, so i'm not skipping anything. it's just free time.
but i've got a good spanish saying for you. see if you can figure out the english equivelant. there are probably some accent marks, but try it out. "a quien madruga, Dios le ayuda"
well things are tough, but ?vale la pena no? i'll survive. i hope you all have a good Christmas, have extra fun just for me! i hope all is well!
much love,
elder paskett
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 15, 2011
hey everyone,
i actually did get that package last night! it was a pleasant surprise for sure! course i could have used the jeans that morning, but it's all good :)
but yeah things are fine, it's definitely a struggle i won't lie, it's really hard to not feel like i'm behind or i should be doing better or something, but i'll endure, it's not too bad. but i've got some good elders in my district so it helps. we did just have 2 elders leave on tuesday, so now we only have 6 in our district. it was surprisingly hard to see them go. we're already pretty close as a district, and so we're all pretty good friends. it's kinda dumb though, cause they did the 3 week thing and then went to the guatemala mtc, i guess their mission is in guatemala, but still, i wanted to go there! haha but it's all good, i'll learn spanish soon enough anyway. i think i'll try to send some pictures today, i just need to figure out how many stamps i need, but be looking out for them.
we had a nice little devotional on sunday. the byu mens choir came and we just had like a musical devotional. i don't know if it's because i can't listen to normal music anymore, but i'm starting to like hymns a lot more. i went and sang with the choir on tuesday and it was a lot of fun. i'm sure i suck, but i'm starting to like it more. it's weird. but one choir guy shared some scriptures, and it made me decide i'm a D&C 46:14 kinda guy. i probably shouldn't be, but i guess it just means i still have room to grow, a lot actually. i don't really know how to explain it, other than it's just hard. but it's fine. also i heard a nice quote, i think it's in proverbs? but it says something like "you can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed." food for thought, take it how you will :)
i should probably mention some things about me and my comp. we had a bit of a disagreement the other day, mostly just about teaching and stuff. we both just have different teaching methods, and so a lot of the times one of us will think the lesson went good while the other would think it went bad. and for now neither of us really know what to do, so we're both trying to adjust. it has been going a little better though. we're always trying to teach according to the investigator's needs and adjust to their questions and stuff, but it's really hard when we can't speak any spanish. it'll come with time i'm sure, just gotta be patient!
on some good notes though, we have 6 elders in our room right? but wednesday morning one of them left for ohio, and on monday one leaves for vegas, so we'll only have 4 now! i slept on the bottom bunk last night, and you might not think that's very exciting, but the top bunk is like ten feet off the ground, and the lights are like 2 feet over your head, so the mornings are just terrible haha, so i was super pumped to get a bottom bunk.
i'm also super grateful for good teachers. we really think we have the best teachers in the mtc. they're both super funny, and we have a good time, but when we need to get serious they're good at bringing us back and teaching us what we need to know, so it's super helpful.
also, i'm tearing it up on the b-ball court haha. no not really, but it's a lot of fun to play here. everyone that plays is pretty good so it's a good competion level. i do for sure miss playing in the mornings though, we only get 50 minutes of gym, which goes by way fast and it's not long enough at all, but it's good to get some built up energy out.
and tomorrow is officially my one month period, but yesterday was 4 weeks, so i'm pretty happy about that. although i think we officially end up being here for 10 weeks, which is lame cause i already can't wait to get out of here haha, i mean it's fun and all, and i can't speak any spanish, but i'd just rather be out there. someday though.
oh and i guess i snore really loud, and so my roommates get really mad at me haha. they said they were like yelling at me and throwing stuff at me but i just slept right through it haha, it's bad. i don't know how to stop it though! i don't know why i told you that, but i feel like i never have any stories so that's about as exciting as it gets!
i'd really be happy just to get anything for christmas. elder petersen in my room did get some christmas lights, and i found a little christmas tree in the garbage...so we're pretty good there :) but anything else you want would be good. but don't make trevor too mad, i'll survive without getting anything. actually i was gonna get a stain stick thing, but they were like 4.50, we do get a 40% missionary discount on stuff here though, so things are actually super cheap, how much are they at home though? but i'm pretty sure i have tons of room in my suitcases, i think i'll be way underweight with those, so i can take a lot of stuff. sorry i don't have any suggestions, as of now i don't really need anything, so just whatever you think!
i think that's all i've got. i love hearing stuff from home! let me know how the jazz are gonna be doing! i hear they're playing the kings on like the 28th, so i'd like to know a play by play for that game! actually a little secret, we found a way to stop the clock on the computers, so now i don't have to use time reading the letters, we have to hold the mouse down in a certain spot, so i just stop the clock and read, and so you can write as much as you want :) but anyway i hope everythings going well at home! i hope lyce and chip survive, and i hope trev enjoys his wedding, and i hope karissa can share the bathroom for awhile! :)
much love,
elder paskett
hey everyone,
i actually did get that package last night! it was a pleasant surprise for sure! course i could have used the jeans that morning, but it's all good :)
but yeah things are fine, it's definitely a struggle i won't lie, it's really hard to not feel like i'm behind or i should be doing better or something, but i'll endure, it's not too bad. but i've got some good elders in my district so it helps. we did just have 2 elders leave on tuesday, so now we only have 6 in our district. it was surprisingly hard to see them go. we're already pretty close as a district, and so we're all pretty good friends. it's kinda dumb though, cause they did the 3 week thing and then went to the guatemala mtc, i guess their mission is in guatemala, but still, i wanted to go there! haha but it's all good, i'll learn spanish soon enough anyway. i think i'll try to send some pictures today, i just need to figure out how many stamps i need, but be looking out for them.
we had a nice little devotional on sunday. the byu mens choir came and we just had like a musical devotional. i don't know if it's because i can't listen to normal music anymore, but i'm starting to like hymns a lot more. i went and sang with the choir on tuesday and it was a lot of fun. i'm sure i suck, but i'm starting to like it more. it's weird. but one choir guy shared some scriptures, and it made me decide i'm a D&C 46:14 kinda guy. i probably shouldn't be, but i guess it just means i still have room to grow, a lot actually. i don't really know how to explain it, other than it's just hard. but it's fine. also i heard a nice quote, i think it's in proverbs? but it says something like "you can count the seeds in an apple, but you can't count the apples in a seed." food for thought, take it how you will :)
i should probably mention some things about me and my comp. we had a bit of a disagreement the other day, mostly just about teaching and stuff. we both just have different teaching methods, and so a lot of the times one of us will think the lesson went good while the other would think it went bad. and for now neither of us really know what to do, so we're both trying to adjust. it has been going a little better though. we're always trying to teach according to the investigator's needs and adjust to their questions and stuff, but it's really hard when we can't speak any spanish. it'll come with time i'm sure, just gotta be patient!
on some good notes though, we have 6 elders in our room right? but wednesday morning one of them left for ohio, and on monday one leaves for vegas, so we'll only have 4 now! i slept on the bottom bunk last night, and you might not think that's very exciting, but the top bunk is like ten feet off the ground, and the lights are like 2 feet over your head, so the mornings are just terrible haha, so i was super pumped to get a bottom bunk.
i'm also super grateful for good teachers. we really think we have the best teachers in the mtc. they're both super funny, and we have a good time, but when we need to get serious they're good at bringing us back and teaching us what we need to know, so it's super helpful.
also, i'm tearing it up on the b-ball court haha. no not really, but it's a lot of fun to play here. everyone that plays is pretty good so it's a good competion level. i do for sure miss playing in the mornings though, we only get 50 minutes of gym, which goes by way fast and it's not long enough at all, but it's good to get some built up energy out.
and tomorrow is officially my one month period, but yesterday was 4 weeks, so i'm pretty happy about that. although i think we officially end up being here for 10 weeks, which is lame cause i already can't wait to get out of here haha, i mean it's fun and all, and i can't speak any spanish, but i'd just rather be out there. someday though.
oh and i guess i snore really loud, and so my roommates get really mad at me haha. they said they were like yelling at me and throwing stuff at me but i just slept right through it haha, it's bad. i don't know how to stop it though! i don't know why i told you that, but i feel like i never have any stories so that's about as exciting as it gets!
i'd really be happy just to get anything for christmas. elder petersen in my room did get some christmas lights, and i found a little christmas tree in the garbage...so we're pretty good there :) but anything else you want would be good. but don't make trevor too mad, i'll survive without getting anything. actually i was gonna get a stain stick thing, but they were like 4.50, we do get a 40% missionary discount on stuff here though, so things are actually super cheap, how much are they at home though? but i'm pretty sure i have tons of room in my suitcases, i think i'll be way underweight with those, so i can take a lot of stuff. sorry i don't have any suggestions, as of now i don't really need anything, so just whatever you think!
i think that's all i've got. i love hearing stuff from home! let me know how the jazz are gonna be doing! i hear they're playing the kings on like the 28th, so i'd like to know a play by play for that game! actually a little secret, we found a way to stop the clock on the computers, so now i don't have to use time reading the letters, we have to hold the mouse down in a certain spot, so i just stop the clock and read, and so you can write as much as you want :) but anyway i hope everythings going well at home! i hope lyce and chip survive, and i hope trev enjoys his wedding, and i hope karissa can share the bathroom for awhile! :)
much love,
elder paskett
Saturday, December 10, 2011
December 7, 2011
hey everybody,
sometimes i am amazed at what day it is, even though it's thursday it feels like sunday was just two days ago, but then there are other times where it feels like i've been here for like 2 years already, but it's only been 3 weeks, i don't even really try keeping track of time anymore.
oh and i don't think i'll need those contacts, i think they're my last prescription so they're no good. thanks though.
spanish is rough. i kind of had a little breakdown like 3 days ago, where just nothing was going right and i didn't want to be here anymore. it's really hard cause i feel like everyone in my district is picking up spanish faster than me, and i'm just kinda stuck in a rut. but a few of them and me had a good heart to heart, and they kinda picked me up, so these last few days have been better. i think i have learned a lot though, it's just tough cause i feel like i should know more. it's all good though, it'll come with time. don't worry about me, i'm doing fine. i do have 6 elders in my room though, and it's no fun. the room is only built for 4, but i think november is just a bad month for people coming in, and they're doing construction in one of the residence halls so it's just packed everywhere. i sleep fine, i do have the worst bed in the room, top bunk in the back corner, but it's a good temp and everything so i'm fine. and i did have just a little cold, probably just from stress and stuff like that, but i'm over it now.
and i actually did see melody! it was crazy! we were on our way to the temple and were just waiting at the light when i saw her drive by! it's a lot of fun actually, we get to go through the temple every thursday, and it's just a really good experience to do it a lot. we get a temple walk on sundays too, where we just get to walk around the temple grounds, but it's starting to get really cold down here so not sure how much longer i'll want to do that.
yeah i keep looking for trev but haven't seen him for awhile. i think he works in the afternoon? so i'd only see him on mondays anyway, but i haven't seen him for like 2 weeks so i haven't seen that package yet!
and i would love to get some letters and whatnot, my box number is 342, i've sent you a hand written letter haven't i? so i think you should have my address and stuff. i have been meaning to go develop some pictures, i think we'll do that today, then i'll send you more info if you need it. i actually did get a package from the flynn's though! they're so nice. i wrote them back so i hope they got it.
we're getting better at teaching our investigators too. we're still learning, but are bouncing off each other better, and even got one investigator to be baptized last night! of course he's just our teacher and it's not real, but he plays along well and i don't think would have said yes if we did a poor job. we generally teach about once a day, so we get lots of practice in. and on fridays we have to teach like random investigators, people we haven't met before, and we just have to teach whatever we're told, so we don't have time to really prepare at all. it's actually really hard, mostly just cause we can't communicate anything since it's all in spanish, but we do our best.
well sorry i don't have any cool stories, i'm still looking for stuff to happen but nothing ever does haha. i don't know if you can but i'd love to know about some of my missionary friends and stuff. i'm getting along though. the mtc is definitely not a very fun place to be completely honest, but i'm learning a lot. i've got a good district and so we try to make things fun. i'll try to get some good stories here sometime. until then, i hope everyone has a good week!
much love,
elder paskett
sometimes i am amazed at what day it is, even though it's thursday it feels like sunday was just two days ago, but then there are other times where it feels like i've been here for like 2 years already, but it's only been 3 weeks, i don't even really try keeping track of time anymore.
oh and i don't think i'll need those contacts, i think they're my last prescription so they're no good. thanks though.
spanish is rough. i kind of had a little breakdown like 3 days ago, where just nothing was going right and i didn't want to be here anymore. it's really hard cause i feel like everyone in my district is picking up spanish faster than me, and i'm just kinda stuck in a rut. but a few of them and me had a good heart to heart, and they kinda picked me up, so these last few days have been better. i think i have learned a lot though, it's just tough cause i feel like i should know more. it's all good though, it'll come with time. don't worry about me, i'm doing fine. i do have 6 elders in my room though, and it's no fun. the room is only built for 4, but i think november is just a bad month for people coming in, and they're doing construction in one of the residence halls so it's just packed everywhere. i sleep fine, i do have the worst bed in the room, top bunk in the back corner, but it's a good temp and everything so i'm fine. and i did have just a little cold, probably just from stress and stuff like that, but i'm over it now.
and i actually did see melody! it was crazy! we were on our way to the temple and were just waiting at the light when i saw her drive by! it's a lot of fun actually, we get to go through the temple every thursday, and it's just a really good experience to do it a lot. we get a temple walk on sundays too, where we just get to walk around the temple grounds, but it's starting to get really cold down here so not sure how much longer i'll want to do that.
yeah i keep looking for trev but haven't seen him for awhile. i think he works in the afternoon? so i'd only see him on mondays anyway, but i haven't seen him for like 2 weeks so i haven't seen that package yet!
and i would love to get some letters and whatnot, my box number is 342, i've sent you a hand written letter haven't i? so i think you should have my address and stuff. i have been meaning to go develop some pictures, i think we'll do that today, then i'll send you more info if you need it. i actually did get a package from the flynn's though! they're so nice. i wrote them back so i hope they got it.
we're getting better at teaching our investigators too. we're still learning, but are bouncing off each other better, and even got one investigator to be baptized last night! of course he's just our teacher and it's not real, but he plays along well and i don't think would have said yes if we did a poor job. we generally teach about once a day, so we get lots of practice in. and on fridays we have to teach like random investigators, people we haven't met before, and we just have to teach whatever we're told, so we don't have time to really prepare at all. it's actually really hard, mostly just cause we can't communicate anything since it's all in spanish, but we do our best.
well sorry i don't have any cool stories, i'm still looking for stuff to happen but nothing ever does haha. i don't know if you can but i'd love to know about some of my missionary friends and stuff. i'm getting along though. the mtc is definitely not a very fun place to be completely honest, but i'm learning a lot. i've got a good district and so we try to make things fun. i'll try to get some good stories here sometime. until then, i hope everyone has a good week!
much love,
elder paskett
November 30, 2011
hey everybody!
it's always good to hear what's going on in the real world. i feel like i don't know anything anymore. i really want my teachers to give me the weather or something, just so i feel alive haha. funny story actually - so my comp was complaining about something in his ear, and he kept saying he couldn't hear and stuff, so we went to the doctor and found out he has an ear infection, so the doctor told him to go across the street to go get some medicine or whatever, so we got to leave campus and walk down the street to the little pharmacy. it felt so liberating! but also so wrong at the same time haha, we just walked down 9th east for like 30 minutes, and it was so weird being in the real world for a bit. we kept hoping we would see someone we knew but to no avail.
i should probably tell you a little bit about how things have been this last week. thanksgiving here was actually a lot better than i would have thought. i was starting to get sick, and just wasn't feeling good, so that was a bummer, but overall the day was pretty fun. in the morning we did a big humanitarian project for people in ethiopia, and it was actually pretty cool. we just made little kits for them. the cool thing was that we had elder russel m nelson come and speak to us that night. he said a lot of good things. between him and his wife, probably the two biggest things i needed were something along the lines of "after all you can do, the Lord goes to work" and doing things the Lord's way, not after the manner of men, kinda like nephi with the boat and all. i feel bad cause we also had d todd christofferson come, but i don't have my notes with me so i'm not sure i remember what he said, but they are inspired men for sure!
things with our new investigators are going pretty well. i think that's good to look back at where you've come from, cause at times i feel like i don't know any spanish at all, but really i'm able to communicate fairly well. of course there are times where i just have no idea what they're saying, but we're getting better at asking questions and explaining ourselves. we're also learning about how to teach, and it makes me realize how little i know. the church knows what its doing though, preach my gospel is huge. i really wish i would have studied it more before i came, and people would always tell me that, but what do you expect from a teenage boy?
one thing i decided i'd miss is bathroom readers. i'm not sure what to do with that time anymore! haha i guess i should probably read my scriptures more, i actually just started jesus the christ, and it's got some heavy but really interesting stuff in there.
good luck with trev too! i haven't seen him for awhile, well i guess i shouldn't ever see him haha, but he wasn't there on monday. he did mention a little about the lockout, so i would love to be updated on it. really just any information from the outside world is good haha.
and i really could use some jeans and some basketball shorts. we have service projects that we have to do every week and we can't wear shorts, so i've had to wear some slacks, and i would just rather not wear those when i don't have to haha. and i really can't figure out why i ran out of socks, i counted and i used 11 pairs since last thursday, and i have no idea how. i have a ton of laundry, but i wear the same suit and pants and shirt like everyday, so you would thing i would have no laundry, but i've got a lot. i'll need to figure that one out.
sorry i don't have a lot of stories to tell right now. we're in class all day and so there's really not much to tell. things are good though. hard, but good. it's a learning process. and i apoligize if i miss a question or something as well, i only have 30 minutes and so i have to cram in as much as i can, i'll do my best though.
i hope things are going well up there. let me know how things are.
much love,
elder paskett
it's always good to hear what's going on in the real world. i feel like i don't know anything anymore. i really want my teachers to give me the weather or something, just so i feel alive haha. funny story actually - so my comp was complaining about something in his ear, and he kept saying he couldn't hear and stuff, so we went to the doctor and found out he has an ear infection, so the doctor told him to go across the street to go get some medicine or whatever, so we got to leave campus and walk down the street to the little pharmacy. it felt so liberating! but also so wrong at the same time haha, we just walked down 9th east for like 30 minutes, and it was so weird being in the real world for a bit. we kept hoping we would see someone we knew but to no avail.
i should probably tell you a little bit about how things have been this last week. thanksgiving here was actually a lot better than i would have thought. i was starting to get sick, and just wasn't feeling good, so that was a bummer, but overall the day was pretty fun. in the morning we did a big humanitarian project for people in ethiopia, and it was actually pretty cool. we just made little kits for them. the cool thing was that we had elder russel m nelson come and speak to us that night. he said a lot of good things. between him and his wife, probably the two biggest things i needed were something along the lines of "after all you can do, the Lord goes to work" and doing things the Lord's way, not after the manner of men, kinda like nephi with the boat and all. i feel bad cause we also had d todd christofferson come, but i don't have my notes with me so i'm not sure i remember what he said, but they are inspired men for sure!
things with our new investigators are going pretty well. i think that's good to look back at where you've come from, cause at times i feel like i don't know any spanish at all, but really i'm able to communicate fairly well. of course there are times where i just have no idea what they're saying, but we're getting better at asking questions and explaining ourselves. we're also learning about how to teach, and it makes me realize how little i know. the church knows what its doing though, preach my gospel is huge. i really wish i would have studied it more before i came, and people would always tell me that, but what do you expect from a teenage boy?
one thing i decided i'd miss is bathroom readers. i'm not sure what to do with that time anymore! haha i guess i should probably read my scriptures more, i actually just started jesus the christ, and it's got some heavy but really interesting stuff in there.
good luck with trev too! i haven't seen him for awhile, well i guess i shouldn't ever see him haha, but he wasn't there on monday. he did mention a little about the lockout, so i would love to be updated on it. really just any information from the outside world is good haha.
and i really could use some jeans and some basketball shorts. we have service projects that we have to do every week and we can't wear shorts, so i've had to wear some slacks, and i would just rather not wear those when i don't have to haha. and i really can't figure out why i ran out of socks, i counted and i used 11 pairs since last thursday, and i have no idea how. i have a ton of laundry, but i wear the same suit and pants and shirt like everyday, so you would thing i would have no laundry, but i've got a lot. i'll need to figure that one out.
sorry i don't have a lot of stories to tell right now. we're in class all day and so there's really not much to tell. things are good though. hard, but good. it's a learning process. and i apoligize if i miss a question or something as well, i only have 30 minutes and so i have to cram in as much as i can, i'll do my best though.
i hope things are going well up there. let me know how things are.
much love,
elder paskett
November 24, 2011
hey everyone,
things are good so far down here. i'm a little bummed cause we don't get a pday because of thanksgiving, but we just get tons of personal time instead, so we can just do whatever we want, which will probably be sleep haha. i don't know why i'm so tired lately, i get plenty of sleep, except there is one elder in my room that snores and it sounds like a truck downshifting on the highway (name that comic!)
we did get to have an apostle come on tuesday. d todd christofferson came and he said some really good stuff. he talked a little about his mission and what he would do differently and stuff. we keep hearing over and over again to teach people, not lessons, and it's true. we have to teach "investigators," and i've noticed the times we actually ask him questions and mold the lesson to his needs, we get more done and get closer to fulfilling our purpose, which is to bring people closer to Christ. it's still super hard cause we have to do it in spanish, so we can't really communicate the point we want, but as long as the Spirit's there then he'll know in his heart what we're trying to teach.
i'm glad dad is getting something done too! :) haha just kidding, but no that's cool. i'm really pretty pumped to see how much the house is gonna change in two years. hopefully you guys don't move on me and pull an r.m.!
it is pretty dang hard, pardon my language :) but i'll admit there have been times where i would just rather be home. saturday especially, things just didn't go very well. but the Spirit always has something to say, and it seems every time someone speaks it's just for me and it's just what i needed to hear. at least it's enough to get me through the next day. but i know i just need to endure, and the Lord has promised he'll help so i shouldn't worry.
it's good to hear a few stories from home too. that's too bad caleb broke his leg, i guess he's just not as good as he thought! :) it's weird to think i won't see anyone today, i don't know if it's hit me that i really won't see anyone for two years. i don't really have time to think. from 7 30 in the morning to 8 45 at night i'm either in class for language or personal study. it's hard to always fill that time, but if i waste ten minutes every day, it'll add up over 9 weeks.
and i actually do need a pair of jeans, we can't wear shorts when we do service projects here, so i'd rather not wear slacks during service haha. and maybe a pair of basketball shorts? and a plain old t shirt? but trev says it's a big no no for him to bring me stuff, so i'll survive without them. i think we packed pretty well.
but really i'm good, things aren't too hard, just no time to myself. it's really not that fun to have a companion with me all the time, even to go to the bathroom haha. as much as i love elder clarke, some time to myself would be nice.
well not too much has happened in the last few days, sunday was really good, that picked me up, and tuesday as well, but the little saying is true, the days go by slow, but the weeks go by fast. i have no concept of time anymore, i barely know what day it is, so it's crazy that it's already thursday.
until next week,
love,
elder paskett
things are good so far down here. i'm a little bummed cause we don't get a pday because of thanksgiving, but we just get tons of personal time instead, so we can just do whatever we want, which will probably be sleep haha. i don't know why i'm so tired lately, i get plenty of sleep, except there is one elder in my room that snores and it sounds like a truck downshifting on the highway (name that comic!)
we did get to have an apostle come on tuesday. d todd christofferson came and he said some really good stuff. he talked a little about his mission and what he would do differently and stuff. we keep hearing over and over again to teach people, not lessons, and it's true. we have to teach "investigators," and i've noticed the times we actually ask him questions and mold the lesson to his needs, we get more done and get closer to fulfilling our purpose, which is to bring people closer to Christ. it's still super hard cause we have to do it in spanish, so we can't really communicate the point we want, but as long as the Spirit's there then he'll know in his heart what we're trying to teach.
i'm glad dad is getting something done too! :) haha just kidding, but no that's cool. i'm really pretty pumped to see how much the house is gonna change in two years. hopefully you guys don't move on me and pull an r.m.!
it is pretty dang hard, pardon my language :) but i'll admit there have been times where i would just rather be home. saturday especially, things just didn't go very well. but the Spirit always has something to say, and it seems every time someone speaks it's just for me and it's just what i needed to hear. at least it's enough to get me through the next day. but i know i just need to endure, and the Lord has promised he'll help so i shouldn't worry.
it's good to hear a few stories from home too. that's too bad caleb broke his leg, i guess he's just not as good as he thought! :) it's weird to think i won't see anyone today, i don't know if it's hit me that i really won't see anyone for two years. i don't really have time to think. from 7 30 in the morning to 8 45 at night i'm either in class for language or personal study. it's hard to always fill that time, but if i waste ten minutes every day, it'll add up over 9 weeks.
and i actually do need a pair of jeans, we can't wear shorts when we do service projects here, so i'd rather not wear slacks during service haha. and maybe a pair of basketball shorts? and a plain old t shirt? but trev says it's a big no no for him to bring me stuff, so i'll survive without them. i think we packed pretty well.
but really i'm good, things aren't too hard, just no time to myself. it's really not that fun to have a companion with me all the time, even to go to the bathroom haha. as much as i love elder clarke, some time to myself would be nice.
well not too much has happened in the last few days, sunday was really good, that picked me up, and tuesday as well, but the little saying is true, the days go by slow, but the weeks go by fast. i have no concept of time anymore, i barely know what day it is, so it's crazy that it's already thursday.
until next week,
love,
elder paskett
November 19, 2011
hey mom,
officially my pday is on thursday, but we got like a time to wash clothes and just kinda chill today, so expect them on thursday from now on. i actually just sent a letter today so i guess you're gonna get two here pretty quick.
things are good though. sorry if you get some repeats in this letter. food is actually not too bad. spanish is pretty rough, it's only been like 3 days but i feel like i'm behind. i'm doing my best to pray and have faith, but it's rough, i'm sure i'll get along though. we've been teaching an "investigator" and he only speaks spanish, at least only to us, so it's really tough getting a point across, so we'll see how tonight's lesson goes.
i hope i'm being a good elder haha, i'm trying to be everywhere on time and stuff, and be quiet during personal study. actually i should tell you, elder steve clarke is my first companion! cool huh? we were both pretty stoked when we saw that. he ended up being our district leader, and so i'm the senior companion. we both bounce ideas off each other and i think we'll do some good work.
i'm pretty sure i have all the garments i need, i'm sure i'm fine there. and i did realize i don't have a blanket, so i'm just using the extra sheet i have. it's not cold at all, and we have a thermostat in our room so we can change it. we have 6 elders in there, so it's super crowded. there's only supposed to be 4 so there's hardly any room. but we all survive. these last few days have been incredibly slow, i really have no idea how long i've been here at times. everyone says the days go by slow but the weeks go by fast, and i'm starting to realize that's true. and honestly, there are moments where i just don't want to be here and i don't know what i'm doing, but i'll endure. thousands have done this before me so why can't i?
we're busy all day. get up at 6 30, shower, and go right to class at 7. then we have breakfast, some personal study mixed in here and there, but we're literally in one classroom for like 8 or 9 hours a day. and it's all in spanish so it's terrible haha. we get gym 5 times a week, and it's already the best part of the day. basketball is fun, i do miss playing with dad and all those guys, but it's good playing with kids my age too.
i'm not really sure what else to say. at least for here we have a timer for only 30 minutes so i'm trying to fit in as much as i can. there's not too much to talk about after only 3 days, so i'm sure next week will be better. already getting letters seems like christmas, so tell everyone to write me and send me packages haha. elder farnsworth sent me one before my own family! but it's only been a few days so it's no big deal. i hear a good thing to use is dearelder, so you might want to look into that. i don't think i have time to explain it, and i don't even know how it works so you can learn better than me haha.
well i think that's about it, not much else to say. i'll have to come up with a good salutation like trev haha, but for now a basic one will suffice.
love you all
Elder Jordan Paskett
officially my pday is on thursday, but we got like a time to wash clothes and just kinda chill today, so expect them on thursday from now on. i actually just sent a letter today so i guess you're gonna get two here pretty quick.
things are good though. sorry if you get some repeats in this letter. food is actually not too bad. spanish is pretty rough, it's only been like 3 days but i feel like i'm behind. i'm doing my best to pray and have faith, but it's rough, i'm sure i'll get along though. we've been teaching an "investigator" and he only speaks spanish, at least only to us, so it's really tough getting a point across, so we'll see how tonight's lesson goes.
i hope i'm being a good elder haha, i'm trying to be everywhere on time and stuff, and be quiet during personal study. actually i should tell you, elder steve clarke is my first companion! cool huh? we were both pretty stoked when we saw that. he ended up being our district leader, and so i'm the senior companion. we both bounce ideas off each other and i think we'll do some good work.
i'm pretty sure i have all the garments i need, i'm sure i'm fine there. and i did realize i don't have a blanket, so i'm just using the extra sheet i have. it's not cold at all, and we have a thermostat in our room so we can change it. we have 6 elders in there, so it's super crowded. there's only supposed to be 4 so there's hardly any room. but we all survive. these last few days have been incredibly slow, i really have no idea how long i've been here at times. everyone says the days go by slow but the weeks go by fast, and i'm starting to realize that's true. and honestly, there are moments where i just don't want to be here and i don't know what i'm doing, but i'll endure. thousands have done this before me so why can't i?
we're busy all day. get up at 6 30, shower, and go right to class at 7. then we have breakfast, some personal study mixed in here and there, but we're literally in one classroom for like 8 or 9 hours a day. and it's all in spanish so it's terrible haha. we get gym 5 times a week, and it's already the best part of the day. basketball is fun, i do miss playing with dad and all those guys, but it's good playing with kids my age too.
i'm not really sure what else to say. at least for here we have a timer for only 30 minutes so i'm trying to fit in as much as i can. there's not too much to talk about after only 3 days, so i'm sure next week will be better. already getting letters seems like christmas, so tell everyone to write me and send me packages haha. elder farnsworth sent me one before my own family! but it's only been a few days so it's no big deal. i hear a good thing to use is dearelder, so you might want to look into that. i don't think i have time to explain it, and i don't even know how it works so you can learn better than me haha.
well i think that's about it, not much else to say. i'll have to come up with a good salutation like trev haha, but for now a basic one will suffice.
love you all
Elder Jordan Paskett
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