P Day (20 days left in MTC)

Dear Everyone!!

Hey so ya, This has been one crazy week but a lot of fun at that. I will have a fun time today talking about stuff :)

So first off I have to talk about MTC ball. So dad, and if Coach reads this it'll be fun. So since I have been at the MTC these last couple of weeks we have decided to go inside to the gym a lot more. SO I have had a lot more opportunities to play some basketball. These last three weeks I have found some elders to plya with who are pretty athletic and a lot of fun to play with. So ya there is this guy though who is exactly like me. Only more of a shooter than a penetrator. Well ya, he's my same height, he is my same build and everything so long story short, it is pretty epic our battles because obviously we guard each other the whole time. Well, the other day they came up to me and were like "Dude we need you in the gym! This is our last gym time before we go and we gotta play!" So come I did.... and play I did :) Oh my gosh, I can't even explain it. It was probably the best 2v2 basketball I've ever played. It was hilarious, the guy who I guarded got so frustrated SO fast haha! So ya I stole the ball from him 3 or 4 times but that is not the good part. On two different occasions I isolated on the left side of the court and played him in some 1v1. Oh my, I don't know what was up with me yesterday but it was like the epitome of all my ball handling. My word, I just sat there and waited for him to make a mistake (jab, set his feet wrong, relax, whatever) and then I would blow past him. So on one occasion right after I stole the ball from him he wanted his revenge. Heheheheh, so I iso'ed left and just sat there dribbling the ball back and forth. Then this is about how it went down: I drove, crossed him over, he recovered, I crossed him over again, I drove a little more, stepped him back, he fell to the ground he was so off balance, and then I went and dunked the ball. ya..... he didn't appreciate that to much. But he was a good sport about it but still I could see it in his eyes he was MAD. Gah it was so fun. But yes, Dad, I thought you would appreciate that (Also I think that you should know that you were right, those cross trainers are not made for as much ball as I'm playing. I've lost 2 of the grips off of each shoe haha. But it's ok I like the shoes :)) So yes that was basketball :)

Oh ya, so uh... M. Russell Ballard came and talked to us the other day in devo. Ya that was totally sick! We have had 2 apostles talk to us and both talks have been amazing oh my goodness! I am so jealous of the power of spirit they have. Those men are genuinely amazing! GAH.

So let's see..... I guess I shall first say thanks to everyone that has written me! I am gonna try hard to write replies to all of you but know that if I don't get a chance to write you all it's not because I hate you or don't appreciate you I just have a lot of people to write. So please forgive my imperfectness I'm working on it but writing a lot of letters hurts my hand and ya..... I am exhausted so I kinda wanna get in an hour nap sometime so if you don't get a letter please forgive me.

Now to your questions Mamacita!

The new Korean learning program that I talked about last time is just the new way they are teaching Korean. With my 돈기 we started off the first day by learning how to read. We would do that every day for the first little bit before we startedd actually speaking and stuff. With this new group the started them off with a lot of ways to speak with just romanizations then they taught them how to read just barely. So they are little bit more speaking focused than we were. So I dunno I guess that's good but just looking back where we were our second week. Not even close to where they are. But I guess they are developing how to teach Korean better and better. So life goes on.

The tie buddies I did get. I have them and I have to admit I have not used them yet. I need to though (I sent a tie to get dry cleaned because I dipped it in soup, so instead of using the tie buddies I've just stopped eating soup.... I'm weird I know). I was however very grateful for the letter from Sarah and I actually re-read it like 2 days ago :). I actually went through a lot of my mail the other day (I have EVERY SINGLE LETTER that I have received). I am very appreciative to everyone it is really awesome to feel the support that I do from ya'll! So thank you so much, It really does make a day to go and see that I have people supporting me and wanting me to succeed. That is a huge comfort to me :).

Yes mother, I did try the face lotion. I love it! It makes it so my face doesn't BURN into a crumbled heap every time I try and use that Epiduo stuff. I may need to get some in Korea :). I am increasingly discovering that I get really dry really fast which makes me think that moving to a humid climate will be nice. (Although I've gotta say I lucked out weather wise. According to everyone I've talked to 데전 is so nice weather wise. Makes life quite nice for me :) So ya!

Kellie, I only play volleyball on times when I have early morning gym. It's too hot outside at 3 PM so we go inside and play basketball. Although on Saturdays I do have early gym (which is how ya'll saw me, again sorry I didn't stop and say hi) :(.

And last but not least yes I heard about the BYU vs Utah game. But here at the MTC they encourage us to be sperated from things of the world..... So, basically. WHY DOES BYU HAVE TO CRAP OUT IN GAMES THAT MATTER FOR THE PRIDE OF THE SCHOOL!?!?!?!??!?!!? Gah. Ok. My rant is over I can't go off on that right now haha.

So.... ya I'm pretty much just stoked to be here. Oh, so the hammer finally dropped and I gave a talk on Sunday. In Korean.... Ya I know... It was rough (to me anywho). I felt ok about it, but I guess that all that matters was that I bore my testimony as fervently as I could. President Shin's wife (A Korean lady) came up afterwards and gave me some pretty high praise on how well I spoke Korean and how well I read the scriptures but I am still nowhere near where I wish I was. But hey, if they say I'm doing alright, and if they are Korean, I guess I can't complain a whole lot. Just gotta keep studying I guess, although one thing I did appreciate that she said was that I had a Korean accent when I spoke Korean.

So apparently either:

A) She's lying to me to make me feel Good.

B) She's telling the truth.....

I dunno about ya'll but I am going to go with 2 Nephi 9:34 and say option B.... That may just be me though. I dunno

So ya, life at the MTC is same old same old. I don't really do a whole lot different from day to day. It's basically the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Just doing my thing ya know. But hey I will have to take a picture of all my 단어 (Vocab). It is pretty nuts, lots to study.

I wish Grandma a Happy Birthday! I know she's up there, I read her letter to me a couple days ago and I miss her but I know I'm gonna see her again and what a joy that is to my heart. In all my studying of the Plan of Salvation I think the most comforting thing to know is in Alma 40:11-12. I know she's happy, I know she's with God and I know that she is doing a marvelous work up there. Just knowing Grandma she would wanna be taking care of people. She did it so well :). I know she is watching over us and like she had said, she may just be being our Guardian Angel. Watching over us and taking care of us in a way that only a grandma/mother/wife can. She would want that I think. So ya, those are my thoughts :).

Well I have 20 days left in the USA. I am so excited to get over to Korea. I am so ready to actually do this (or so I think I dunno :)) So we'll see how fast these next days go by. Hopefully just as fast as the others :).

I guess I will leave ya'll with my testimony again. This time though I gotta do it in Korean. I need the practice:

저는 이복음이 잠되다는 것을 알고있어요. 저는 제 하늘애 계신 아버지를 사랑해요. 하나님 살고있시고 우리를 사랑하세요. 우리가 우리의 가족 같이 영원히 살을 수 있어요. 조셉스미스는 하나님 과 예수 그리스도를 보았고 몰몬경 번역했다는 것을 제가 알고있어요. 저는 예수 그리스도께서 우리의 죄를 위해 속죄했다는 것을 알고있습니다. 우리가 하나힘의 면전을 돌아갈수 있다는 것을 제가 알고있습니다. 이 모든 말씀 예수 그리스도의 이름으로 간증드림니다. 아멘.