First Email Letter from MTC - August 10, 2018

Hey everyone, 

Sorry it has taken me so long to email I've been a little busy lately. The first few days were really stressful but after that the days have been really easy. The days go slow and the weeks go really fast. It's only been 9 days and I've already gained such a better testimony of the gospel and a great desire to share it with everyone.  It's also a lot of fun, I already sprained my ankle playing basketball which didn't really surprise me. The elders I've met have all been super cool and I've made a bunch of super cool new friends. I miss y'all and would love to hear what a y'all are up to and the questions you have for me.

Love Elder West

Mission T-Shirt - August 10, 2018

At the MTC, missionaries can get t-shirts of their mission. Mike is really excited about getting one for his mission.

Missionary Plaque - August 05, 2018

Mike's missionary plaque arrived and is displayed in the entryway of our Ward Building in Fargo. Looks awesome!

Haircut and District Picture - August 04, 2018

Mike's hair was too long before going into the MTC and he thought it would be better to get it cut there because they knew how they wanted it. Here is Mike with his first missionary haircut:

While in the MTC the missionaries are organized in districts which consist of 12 missionaries. His district has 8 Elders (male) and 4 Sisters (females) with a total of 24 missionaries in a zone. He told us that his district is "super cool" and that they are already great friends. Here is a picture of Mike and his district (this is a better picture to see his new haircut):

Sprained Ankle - August 03, 2018

Mike already found the doctor's office at the MTC. He sprained his ankle while playing basketball during is preparation day. Preparation day (or P Day as it is often referred to) is a missionary’s once a week chance to do big shopping trips, play sports, do laundry and write letters home to family and friends.  Preparation day is the one day a week in which missionaries get a break from their usual schedule of proselytizing.  It is called preparation day because it is designed to help missionaries prepare physically for the week ahead. He was on crutches for a couple of days but he is already off of them and doing well.

MTC Drop Off - August 01, 2018

Mike was dropped off at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Missionary Training Center (MTC) on August 1st, 2018 in Provo, UT. He will be serving in the California - Irvine Mission for 2 years. He will spend almost 3 weeks in the MTC preparing to serve. We drove him out from Fargo, ND to drop him off. Here he is on his first day at the MTC:

He is assigned a missionary companion while at the MTC. His first companion is Elder Grindstaff from New Orleans, LA. Both will be serving in the California - Irvine Mission when they leave the MTC.  Here is a picture of Elder West and Elder Grindstaff: