I've Been Whitewashed!!!

Hola,

It feels like forever since I last wrote home. I have been whitewashed to Redwood City, CA. FIrst off, let me say that I love it here. It is amazing.

The first day after arriving in California was very long. It involved a lot of meetings and training at the mission office in San Jose. It was nice to finally leave Provo. I could tell when I got off the plane and saw the grey clouds and felt the humidity that I was in the right place. After all of the training on my first day we were then shipped off to Redwood City. It's a fairly urban city way up on the penninsula. I'm about as far north as you can go in my mission. If we go any farther north, we enter the Oakland mission. My companion is Elder Tidwell from Colorado. He's amazing and has some of the best Spanish I've ever heard. The investigators and contacts constantly comment on it which helps us to set return appointments.

Now, about being whitewashed. Let me say, it is a very interesting experience. I realize how important it is to have a well kept area book and how wonderful referrals are. Please give referrals to the missionaries. I know its scary, but people are much more accepting of the gospel than you would expect. Also please feed the missionaries we love it. On that note, I'm so glad I'm in California because we get to experience a wide variety of Latin culture. Our ward has many members from El Salvador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, and a few from Brazil. This leads to a varied experience at every appointment. So far we have had Mole from Mexico, Papusas from El Salvador, and PB and J for the night we didn't have an appointment. Because we have been whitewashed into an area we have almost no investigators in our books. As such, we have been doing alomost all finding. It is beggining to pay off because we already have thirteen return appointments set for this week. That's the potential for thirteen new investigators.

About my Spanish. I'm amazed, I understand almost all of the Spanish that I have heard. My speaking still has a long way to go, but I have many opportunites to practice. It's amazing how much Heavenly Father blesses missionaries when they need to communicate with people.

About the area. I'm in a very diverse city near Palo Alto. The trick is finding the pockets with all of the Latinos. This can be tricky at times, but we manage. I had the opportunity to go on exchange with the English speaking elders on Stanford. I makes me realize how grateful I am to work with Latinos.

I love you all. I'm so grateful to be here. I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. Good luck back home. I'll let you know more next week.

Love,

Elder Badger

"I Want That"

Hola familia,

I apolgize that my last email didn't go through last week. The email service that we are required to use is a bit temperamental. I'm excited to be departing the MTC exactly two weeks from today. Next week I should have my travel plans and will share with you the itenerary. I can't wait to get out in the real world with real investigators, real air, and real work. I've done a fair amount of teaching over the phone and role playing, but nothing will be better than actual missionary experience.

In fact, I currently have two investigators progressing towards baptisim. It has been amazing; both investigators, Andrea and Carolyn, comitted to being baptized the first time I contacted them. There really are people waiting to hear the gospel. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call. We even have a few sayings for these type of people. One is escogido, which means elect. Another phrase coined in our district is the "I want thats." Make sure you say it with a southern drawl because that was how it was said the first time we heard it over the phone. A member of my district, Elder Wilkins from Maine, called a lady who he challenged to being baptized. She said that she had already been baptized as a baptist. He then explained the importance of proper priesthood authority and its role in baptism. She was a little surprised that she hadn't heard it before and simply said, "I want that." He then talked about the blessings that would come to her life for making this decision. She said, "I want that, too." Talk about prepared. She now is set to be baptized on the 28th by the missionaries in Alabama.

I hope all is well on the homeward front. Things are good here. I still find it very strange to run into people from BYU. Even weirder is running into people I dated at one point. Buenos Suerte back home. If anyone wants to update me about the Olympics the update would be much appreciated.

Love,

Elder Badger

Delusions of Girlfriends

Hola,

Greetings from week six of the MTC. I can't believe it's been that long. Already, we have begun practicing a musical number to perform immediately prior to our departure. Even more exciting is the fact that the only district senior to us is leaving this week. This means we're on the top of the totem pole and get to host new missionaries tomorrow.

Now for my observation of the week; delusions are part of being a missionary. As I've watched missionaries talk about girls they've left behind, I have noticed peculiar growth in the strenght of their respective relationships. Observe the following pattern. Week 1: Elder Dear John says he was smart and decided not to leave a girl. Week 2: Elder Dear John says he has girls that are friends he will write. Week 3: There is potential to be more than friends after the mission. Week 4:She's not waiting, but they will date when he returns. Week 5: she's waiting but dating in the meantime. Week 6: She wouldn't date anyone else. Week 7: They're probably getting married. As you can see, my district is entering week 7. Wish us luck. Just be glad I'm only at the week 1.5 stage. FHEESTERS and home teachees make up the point five.

Another update for the week. Our favorite game to play is a Spanish game called "El Rey." You shoul look it up because I probably won't do it justice. It involves a circle of chairs with a king chair followed by a queen chair and then a one, two, three, and so forth chair. It begins with El Rey. He says: "El Rey quiere casarse con LA REINA" La reina: "con LA REINA" El Rey: "Si, y entonces con quien?" La Reina: "con el DOS" and then it continues as it is passed around in that manner. If you laugh, you are demoted to the lowest ranking seat, in our case 14. It soon turns into a game of funny voices and faces as we try to make someone laugh. I'm currently the owner of "La Reina," but the king will soon be dethroned.

Have a great Valentine's Day

Con Amor,

Elder Badger

Half way There

Hola,

I'm halfway there. I now have exactly four weeks until I board a plane for San Jose. I can't wait until I can finish hearing about baptizing without getting my feet wet. Even though they keep us under lock and key, I have begun to teach an elderly lady over the phone. I was able to teach her the whole first lesson over the phone. She even committed to being baptized. The only problem is... she still doesn't have a Book of Mormon...yet. The missionaries in Alabama are supposed to contact her so they can get her to read it. It's pretty exciting. Also, you will be pleased to learn that I have made referral center calls to people in Lakewood. All three calls ended in answering machines, but I knew that if they were home they would have been escogido.

Mom, you'll have to tell your cousin Deena know I ran into Elder Horton. I think we have the same gym.

Now to learn about the most dangerous place for missionaries. Brother Vasquez has taught us that the most dangerous place for a missionary is at church. It is at church that the "devils in skirts" are able to corner you. This was apparent this week as we had to help protect an elder in our district from a Hermana Satana. She is a very good conversationalist, which makes her very bad for elders. Needless to say, being a missionary reminds me of the days when girls had cooties.

This week my Spanish has been progressing in leaps and bounds. I have learned that memorizing scriptures can be very helpful for applying complex grammar principles because it allows me to have an instant reference available in my head. So far, I have memorized my purpose as a missionary, the first vision, Doctrine and Covenants 4, and the first four Articles of Faith. It's been paying off because I am now able to teach the first two lessons in Spanish.

I've really been clad to receive Grandpa's letters, especially his last one about Grandma. It really made me realize how a mission can change the lives of the converts, the lives of the members and the missionaries.

In other news, I have become the pianist for our zone's priesthood meeting. I think I play one of the liveliest renditions of Hope of Israel in the entire MTC. Sister Feller would be proud. Also, I have begun to lead a musical number composed of the missionaries in my district. I have been working to arrange the song "Nearer My God to Thee" using both accapella voices and piano. It's pretty simple, but will be perfect for our last sacrament meeting before we leave the MTC.

Love,

Elder Badger

Devine Devotionals

Hola,

Another amazing week has come and gone. I've heard some amazing speakers and learned a lot form their teachings. I must say, my parable of the 10 missionaries proved itself useful last Tuesday. Elder Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke to us on the basic principles of the Restored Gospel. He reminded me of the simplicity of the Gospel. I love hearing apostles speak because I always feel strongly that God really does love his children and has blessed our lives with a church modeled after Christ's church. Sunday night we were blessed to hear from Sister Susan Easton Black. She knows more about the prophet Joseph Smith than anyone else I've ever met. Hearing her speak reminded me of religion classes at BYU. Although these classes had difficult tests, I forgot how much I actually enjoyed these types of lectures. It was nice to hear about Joseph Smith's life leading up to the First Vision. Like most good professors, she ended when we were still eager to hear more.

In less exciting news, our district was a little sad to see the native speaking district leave. They entered the same day as us, but were only in the MTC for three weeks. I will miss the opportunity to practice my Spanish.

We also have begun to challenge ourselves by speaking "solamente en Espanol." We do this during specific class periods. If someone speaks in English they get a yellow card. If they speak in English a second time they get a red card and have to bring candy for the entire class the next day. Yesterday, four red cards were passed out. Fortunately, I have yet to receive so much as a yellow card.

Please let anyone that wishes to write me know that DearElder or snailmail is currently superior to email because it is free and I can read them during the week. This gives allows me to use my thirty minutes of email time for more writing and less reading.

A little about P-day... P-day begins at 6:30 AM like another day. We get up, do some personal study, grab breakfast, study more, then attend the temple at 10 AM. We then return to the campus for lunch, laundry and letter writing. At 5:15 P-day ends with choir practice. Finally, at 7 we conclude the day with a devotional from someone such as Elder Perry or another well known member of the church. It's amazing how fast this day goes. We use every minute. It really is a day of preparation though. It enables us to go through the other six days without having to worry about things like laundry.

I hope all is well and feel blessed to be serving at this time. I know that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing at this time. I'm anxious to enter the field and begin applying all of the things they teach us at the MTC. Love you all.

Love,

Elder Badger

Time's a Flyin'

Greetings from the MTC,

Another week already. This week I've been blessed with the opportunity to sing in the MTC choir. I'm not sure it's my companion Elder Louk's favorite activity, but I drag him along anyway. I have to help him to sing in tune; fortunately, he needs less help each time we practice. There are benefits to the choir, all of which can be explained in a parable I've written. This is how I've convinced Elder Louk that choir is a good thing.

Once there were ten missionaries in the MTC. There were five always ready, always smart, always make-the-Elders-pale-in-comparison Sister Missionaries. There were also ive Elders who... well.... when compared to the Sisters they were paled (what a weird phrase anyway). The sisters, knowing that general authorities frequently speak at the MTC firesides were prepared with note cards, scriptures, "Preach My Gospel", and spots in the choir. As the hour of the fireside drew near the sisters took their place in the choir near the general authorities. The five elders being unprepared, sauntered in with only their scriptures. Unfortunately, the auditorium was full and the five unwise elders were forced to watch from the overflow.

As you can see, this parable would make an effective teaching tool. I'm even considering adapting it to teach a gospel principle, maybe about the Savior's coming. What do you think?

In other news, my Spanish is progressing. I find it to be much easier if I don't think about it as much and just open my mouth (imagine that). I find reading the Book of Mormon to be very helpful as I am able to accurately translate much of what is being said. It is way different to learn Spanish in the MTC when compared to high school. Any word is fair game. My limited vocabulary is frustrating for someone as verbally inclined as myself.

About my district... My district is amazing. We have 8 Elders and 4 Hermanas. Our district includes quite a few missions. We have two going to San Jose, Elder Louk and myself, and three going to the same mission in Chile. The rest are going to far flung places such as Guatemala, Honduras, and Montreal. The rest of my zone is comprised of Advanced districts, which is made up of native speakers that only stay in the MTC for 3 weeks. The rest are intermediate missionaries like myself.

Our teachers: Our favorite teacher is Hermano Vasquez. He is a five foot nothing Honduran that has the best accent we have ever heard. I tried to explain to him what a badger was, even using the Spanish word, Tejón, to help. The nearest I can come to explaining it is a cross between a large black and white squirrel without a big tail and a skunk. Even better is the way he pronounces it. Our favorite thing for him to say in English is. "Jolly Rancher, Badger!" which sounds more like "Holy ransher Bashjer!" I wish I could say more, but we only get a half hour on the computer. I also wish I could send pictures, but the computers here won't let you even if you have a cable.

Buena Suerte,

Elder Badger

"MTC Four Square is Cut-Throat"

Hola mi familia,

First off, you wouldn't believe how competitive the four square is at this place. It's the nearest thing to tennis at the MTC, but we play like its Wimbledon.

You wouldn't believe the week I've been having. This week reminds me of something Brother Bott said in my mission prep class at BYU. He said, "The mission is equivalent to 50 years of regular life. The highs are higher and the lows are lower." Already, I feel as if I've spent a month in the MTC. It's a little bit of an adjustment because your whole day is entirely planned out for you. Despite the rigid schedule, they encourage you to plan as a zone to plan what you plan as a district to plan what you do as a companionship to plan what you do as a missionary. Needless to say, it leaves little time to do the things you actually plan to do. I joke a little because Elder Louk and I have had no trouble meeting our commitments and goals despite all of the planning.

My Spanish is progressing rapidly, which is very good because I have been placed in an intermediate Spanish district. Our sacrament meeting is entirely in Spanish. Fortunately, Elder Louk and I are working hard and helping each other a lot. Our district has a goal to speak entirely in Spanish by February 1st. I think we can do it. I have already begun to pray in Spanish; I find it to be very difficult, but helpful.

I just got your letters yesterday. It was nice to here from guys. I expected Mom to have a few questions. I'll answer them briefly in the order she asked them. No we aren't full time Spanish yet. I've run into a few people I know, such as Elder Albright and a girl I know from school. My companion is named Elder Louk. He went to BYU-I this fall. He's from Chicago and he's turning 19 in February. We're both working hard to be obedient and grow spiritually. He helps me a lot with my Spanish and I help him to stay on task and focus which is something we both need since we both like to talk a lot. I'm decent at interpreting written texts, but need to relearn how to conjugate. Last night we struggled with por vs. para. No one understood what Hermano Vasques meant.

More about our teachers... We have two teachers, a Hermano Anderson and a Hermano Vasquez. Both served in Guatemala, but Hermano Anderson is from St. Louis and Hermano Vasquez is from Honduras. Learning from a native speaker is very helpful. Both teachers are amazing and can talk a million miles a minute. This helps my interpreting skills a lot. Hermano Vasquez talks the fastest and reminds me of my friend Luis from BYU.

Anyway, I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve in the San Jose Mission. I'm eager to begin teaching a gospel I know to be true and desire all of the help from the Lord he is willing to give me. I'm grateful for the healing power of the atonement and its ability to change lives. I feel blessed to be one of the few people on this Earth teaching the true word of God. I hope that I can serve diligently and be an instrument in God's hands.

Con Amor,

Elder Badger

P.S. If anyone would like to dearelder me Spanish letter I would appreciate the opportunity to practice writing in Spanish.