Standing In Holy Places

 

Hey everyone!!

 Okay I'll get to things but I just need to say this has been one of the best weeks.

 Period.

 Now that I've said that, let me tell you why.

 - Starting off with my setting apart, everything felt right. I don't remember most of the blessing, but I felt a *physical* feeling of warmth after my stake president began.

- On Monday we started zoom classes. And ended them. For those who I haven't told, because of Christmas, the church can't send missionaries to the MTC next week. They ended up sending everyone a week early, and we only had one day of Home-MTC. Even though it was one day, and even though my companion, Elder Lederer, was not present during the first classes and so I met him after all the other companionships (he's awesome though, we've had great conversations and laughs the whole week), all the teachers and workshops were very powerful. Much of our district had a good time getting to know each other before meeting in person.

- After a lot of unpacking and greeting my district in person (10 Elders, 4 Sisters) we had two awesome devotionals each with incredible stories of conversion and the character of Christ.

- We had our first district council meeting on Thursday. For those who don't know, that's when we go over general topics the district needs to discuss, setting up any plans, and generally checking in on eachother. This meeting was for getting to know each other better, and one of the prompts was to tell why we each decided to serve a mission.

 

I cannot describe to you how much this changed the spirit and dynamic of our group. Everyone had something important to contribute and a powerful testimony. There were some who were very open about struggles they had, sins committed, doubts and concerns. We all just opened up. The best way I can describe what happened is this: We spent a day and a half together as a district--missionaries who were united in the common goal of bringing the true gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. In a matter of minutes, we went from that to a family. We eat together at almost every meal, we all are comfortable talking with one another, and I feel like I'm really friends with each of these people.

 

- Continuing, the spirit is EVERYWHERE on this campus. When you take grounds dedicated by an apostle, fill it with dedicated buildings, and then put thousands of people with powerful testimonies (even if they don't know it) on top, it is somewhere the Holy Ghost wants to be.

-My teachers are awesome. Not only are they fun and engaging with the class, but they are also very effective in helping us learn how to introduce and explain the gospel to those who may not understand or do not believe.

- Also, the chocolate milk is dope.

 I don't have time tonight for a spiritual thought, but I will normally put a spiritual thought in here at the end (credit to Jack Leonard for that)

 I love you all, so does God, and I'll talk to you all next week!

 

Elder Hymas

Cade's Christmas

We started off December with an early Christmas for Cade since he would be leaving on the 13th. Christmas is not all that exciting when you are leaving on a mission-all you get is mission stuff, but we tried to make it as exciting as we could. Here he is wearing or holding every gift he got: a Moroni tie, a Moroni tie pin, a mountain tie clip, snazzy heated gloves, a mission bag, Moroni socks and stripling warrior socks, a framed picture of his family, a mission cookbook with all his favorite recipes and tickets to see Gentri in concert a few days later. (It was an Awesome concert!)

A few days later the MTC sent him a Christmas present in the mail…

On the 10th, Cade was set apart as a missionary. 

As soon as the Stake President finished the blessing, Cade whipped out his name tag, which he’d had in his pocket, and put it on. 

That night he needed to run his suit coat over to a seamstress for a quick fix. He took his companion, Elder Hymas, with him….

On the 11th he began his one day of at home MTC. 

On the 13th, we got up nice and early and dropped this handsome, talented, faithful, stalwart young man off at the Boise airport for his flight to the real MTC in Provo.

He found five other missionaries getting on the same flight and they all bonded before take off. A few hours later, he landed in Salt Lake where Allie picked him up and took him to breakfast with Reagan before dropping him off at the MTC.

I sent Allie a text when we dropped him at the airport that said, “Package delivered” This is the picture/text she sent back when she picked him up: “Package received”

We talked to him on his P-day a few days later and he was LOVING the MTC. He loves his district, his companion, the spirit, all of it. I was so relieved! On Christmas Eve he sent us a picture of what he got for his Christmas Eve gift this year…

Don’t ask me what he’s doing, but his tie has snowflakes on it. 

Santa sent him his stocking and his Christmas cereal as well. Elder Cook came an spoke to the missionaries that day and Cade sent us a picture of who he got to sing with at one of the many concerts/devotionals he got to go to on Christmas.

That’s Dallyn Vail Bayles for those who don’t know. He’s an amazing tenor who was on Broadway and in our ward in New Jersey. Here’s a video of one of my favorites that he sings:

We get to Zoom with Cade every week and that is really nice, I gotta say. His aunt took pity on him and made him some of her Christmas truffles, sent them home to Utah with Allie in a cooler, and then Allie found a company that delivers daily to the MTC, so he got a little late Christmas joy from home. He has had an amazing experience at the MTC and will fly out to Colorado on Friday, Jan. 5th. That’s when the rubber really meets the road. Can’t wait to see what awaits him in the mission field!