Week 3: MTC

Thats scary about Cameron! Hope all goes well for him! And I'll be sending home my journal and my memory card so you can read stuff I left out and see stuff too. But its been great, so much stuff has happened! Its hard to speak English sometimes cause I've been speaking so much Tagalog! lol

Russell M. Nelson came and talked to us! That was so cool! And Ted Gibbons and we met the new president of the Philippines.... well the new mission pres.! And then we had the talent show. I wasn't feelin so great and right now my throat is killing me. But its alright, I'll live.

I haven't seen Greg yet either, but I saw a picture of him in the TRC room, where you practice on "investigators". Im still loving the MTC!! It never ceases to amaze me!!

Yes, I got your package! Thank you for that! I haven't gotten your other package yet, and I got another one from the Sorensens. The Grahams sent me a letter, and the Williams sent me one, too! I wrote them all back and now I'm writing the Sorensens. Christmas here was so much fun! We all gathered in one room and put all our gifts under one tree, and I did our family tradition, where I told everyone to go outside and one by one to come inside and say their name, where they're from and where they're going! You guys will watch it... its so funny!

Christmas was amazing! The talent show was so funny! We had a couple of elders from Russia get up there and sing Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" but they changed it to MTC style, "you missionary now" haha... its soo funny! I got the whole thing! And there were a bunch of amazing singers! It was incredible! And some guys played the song that Jon Schmidt played, and he played the keys with his elbow or head! You'll hear and see it. Ok, and Mom when I get back be prepared to teach me piano, and get a violin and a cello, cause I really want to play those and learn how to play them.

Dads letter made me laugh! Thats great Ruby got sausage grease on her food lol but she looks so cute! haha I hope she's still alive when I get back, but if she's not, I'll probably be used to eating dog by then lol j/k But ya, everythings been going great here!

And tell thank you to Sis. Hardy! I could understand 99% of it haha! Its so cool! I love this language! I can't wait to be fluent! It'll be so cool! I'll speak Tagalog everyday to you guys and I'll send a book home! You guys better be fluent when I come back! And I can't wait to talk to Sis. Hardy! Well, at the end of my MTC experience. I'll send my journal and my memory card and you'll see everything I wrote! It'll be fun and it'll be sad, but I hope you all had a great Maligayang Pasko! Mahal po Kayo! :) Hope you're all doing fine. And I can't believe Chan is in drivers ed haha! Its so weird and it feels like I've been here for months!

But, alas, its only been a few weeks. . .and theres a Filipino district leaving today! So we'll be the middle district! And then there won't be another district coming in until we're senior district! So not for a while. . .but ya I love you all and hope you are doing fine. And haha I remember using your razor, lol Dad. Haha... well this letter is very unorganized lol but anyways! Love you all! Hope Austin is having fun at Fred Meyer! And love Cameron too! Ingat po! :)

And can you tell people not send messages to this email, just dear elder me, send that dear elder thing to their email, in my stead, ya so just tell them to dear elder please and thank you!! :D

Oh ya one more thing, could you do me a huge favor! could you ask Tess Ames if she can ask her husband if he could retire and sign his football jersey! i have an Elder here is the BIGGEST fan of him haha and it would be so cool if he got his jersey and if it was signed, so let me know wats up! that would be so cool let me know! k thanks love you guys and tell tess i would love her even more lol! :)

2nd week, in the MTC

Wow that all sounds great! Oh and before I forget mom could you send my basketball shoes? I don't care which ones, but the shoes I have are a little too big and my feet keep sliding inside them.

They have a thermostat inside [the room] so I could change that if i wanted to to make it warmer, and the microfiber towel is absolutely amazing! I love it! And yes, I got the pants like 3 min after I sent my last message, and my shoes are great, both of them work amazing! I have class like 16 hours a day but I love em. We're learning tagalog so fast its crazy! I've learned more tagalog then I have in all the years I took french! Its so crazy!

Me and my companion are doing great! Oh and last night Ted Gibbons came to the MTC to give a devotional about Joseph Smith's life, through the doctor, (I think Richards, I can't remember), but it was amazing! Then after that, I watched a movie about Joseph Smith and that was way cool. I haven't seen that one. And how are we related to Hyrum Smith again? On the geneaology chart, you stopped right before him and I told Ted Gibbons we were related and he said, "oh, through which son?'. . .and I didn't have that down.

Oh and also on my facebook page can you write as my status to tell people to dear elder me? haha... and tell them how, and go to Blake Halvorsen is going on a mission and just post the same thing on that wall? Thank you! :)

I love getting letters and the package cant wait! I'm the only one in my residency that hasn't gotten one yet! lol. But its actually snowing right now, its pretty crazy, and I'm doing my laundry. I think I'm gonna get on about this time every morning, I'm not sure...depends whether or not I want to get up this early every day.

Thats way cool Adam is going to Brazil! So many people! geez.

But ya, well I'm gonna take off! I'll write hopefully this week again for Christmas! Oh and write this on Sis. Hardy's wall:

Kami ay mga misyonero, sa simbahan si JesuCristo ng mga banal ng mga huling araw, puwede po ba kaming magbahagi ng mensahe sa inyo tungkol kay JesuCristo! [Translation: We are missionaries, the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, can we please you to share the message about Jesus Christ] :) she'll love that haha well i'm gonna take off love you!! :D talk to you this week :)

Oh and can you send me like a sweater vest too, or something like that, cause its also pretty cold here! :) dont care what it looks like, just want something warm for now, and then I'll leave stuff for aunt m. or uncle ron! so ya! thank you :)

In the MTC and loving it!!

OMGOSH THE MTC IS SUCH A BLAST I LOVE IT SO MUCH!! I'M GONNA [GAIN] WEIGHT BUT I DONT CARE CAUSE ITS SO MUCH FUN!!! WOOO!! haha the mtc is soo super fun! My companion is from Stephenville, Texas and and he plays sports so thats way good. I was excited about that. He's crazy smart! Everyone in my residience hall is smart, (and don't call them dorms, I guess some people get offended. . .lol)

Anyways the language is going great, I love it so much. Tagalog is such a beautiful language, and its way fun to listen to, I'm sending a letter that has some other stuff, too, so if I leave something out then you'll get it in my letter, so don't get discouraged.

We went to the temple today at 7 in the morning! Its so crazy how early I get up: 6:30, shower and toiletries stuff, then go to breakfast; then like 16 hours of class, and lunch and dinner and meetings and interviews and firesides and films... its crazy! Its only been 5 freakin' days and it feels like I've been here for weeks. . . and i'm gonna copy this letter to Cameron. . .sorry Cam I'm not sending you a letter. . .:( . .

Also, ya I saw Kirtley and no, Greg. I saw Elder Rodarte! That was super cool, and I got the dear elder letter and showed it off to all my other elder friends, and then the next day they all got packages and letters and stuff lol... but no big deal.

Oh and I won't be calling for Christmas, idk why... don't ask me. Oh, actually I do, a million missionaries and like 4 phones. . .so ya its crazy. . .but if you're gonna send a package after the 22nd, thats when they stop coming until like January, so if you do send one like a week or two early, just in case.

And my Companion Elder Taylor, hes way cool. Without him I would be way behind. He is such an example to me, even though hes 5'5 and 100 pounds. lol But its cool, I like him and Elder Bolen looks just like Cameron and sounds like him too, its way funny.

And then there's a guy from the RM where they are having the lesson, and the guy who has to give the lesson who doesn't have the lesson, asks the RM (Kirby), to read, and said "take your time"... Well, there's an elder here that looks like him! Just thought Id' tell you! haha

And man, the MTC here is super hard! Holy cow, I'm reading all the time, taking notes all time, gaining weight like none other! Its crazy, but its fun! I'm not really missing home too much because the people here are so inviting and accepting and everyone here encourages people so I've been having fun hours on end and I'm so excited to be here! And I talked to my zone president, or something... the guy in charge of all the kids. He said there's a good chance that Cameron can't come here, so I'll have to see him some time later. But if not, 4 years isn't that big of a deal lol.

Well I'm doing good here. Oh, send my big knee brace. My osgood schlotter is acting up. I bought a little strap thing here cause I could hardly walk, so ya. And Facebook, you can go on, but don't click on my friend requests and stuff so I can see how many there are when I come back lol!!

And my room buddies are Elder Hanson Bolen (looks like Cameron) and Taylor he looks like "House", on the tv series "House" lol! Its funny! Oh and Rosetta Stone sucked lol! Really, it did not help at all. The only thing I learned was colors, food, animals, and good morning....thats all I've used so far. Everything else, no. . .bad. . .and the letters? I'll get to em soon lol!! If i can find the cards lol!!

P-day so far is good. Just doin' my laundry and stuff right now. And I have to SYL (Speak Your Language) to everyone, then translate later if they didn't understand. So that's crazy helpful.

The pants didn't come so I'll check. I think they called my name, but wasn't sure, I was in gym. My teachers are amazing! I love em! Bro. Mansfield and Buchner, they are way cool. But I only got like a few minutes left, so I'll write next week!! Love ya all!!

Love Elder Halvorsen

Some Phrases in tagalo:

pinakamakapangyarihan, (all mighty), nakakapagpgbagabag, (bothersome), panamapalatayo, (faith). lol I say them everyday! haha But I'll write more in tagalog later! love ya all

Elder Blake Robert Halvorsen

Blake is officially an Elder, and I'm officially the mom of two missionaries!! It's an exciting time for our family as Blake went into the MTC on Dec. 8th, 2010!

Blake was set apart as an Elder by President Frank Rodarte, Jr. on Friday, Dec. 3rd, at the home of Frank Sr. and Shirley Rodarte, his mom and dad, whom he was setting apart later that evening for THEIR mission to Buckley!! We love the Rodarte family!

We (Blake and Mom) left Dec. 4th and flew to Salt Lake were we met some folks for a session at the Salt Lake Temple! (I had lost my wallet in between getting the rental car and driving to the temple, but it all ended up well!) The session was great and so many wonderful people came to support Blake. Two former elders who had served in our ward, Chris Luke and Nathaneal Read, Helen Babcock-Bingham, Darcy (Smith) Papenfuss, and Rachae Read (Elder Reads mom). It was so beautiful. I had forgotten how amazing the SL Temple was! Temple Square was all lit up for Christmas and we stopped to take a few pictures!

Darcy Papenfuss, Helen Babcock-Bingham, Mom, Elder Blake Halvorsen, Nathaneal Read

Nathaneal Read, Elder Blake Halvorsen

We all went to dinner at Sawadee's in Salt Lake, a great Thai restaurant, where Greg Allen (another former elder who served in our ward) met us and the rest of Darcy's family! It was a great night.

Mac and Rachae Read

Helen Babcock-Bingham and Elder Blake Halvorsen

Chris Luke, Elder Blake Halvorsen, Greg Allen

The Papenfuss Family: Tim, Darcy, Colby and Jordan

We dropped Helen off to her place in Murray and visited with Helen and Loke Bingham and had a wonderful time there! Elder Blake Halvorsen, Helen and Loke Bingham

We then headed to Draper to stay with Brad and Gaylene Halvorsen. Went to church with them the next morning and took some pictures by the Draper Temple!

Elder Blake Halvorsen and Mom

Next, we were off to Orem that afternoon. Stopped to visit another recently returned missionary who had served with Cameron in the Ivory Coast, and then headed to Ron and Denieces for the evening and overnight.

Monday found Blake and I doing some last minute shopping at the Missionary Mall in Orem, going to Wienerschnitzel for a hot dog and heading to Ace and Marilyns for dinner and overnight.

Tuesday, Blake woke up with a queazy stomach and fever. Needless to say, he spent the entire in bed with the flu. Finally around 5, we got the car loaded and headed to Provo to stay with Dave and Denise, where some friends of Blakes from Buckley came over to say a final good-bye. We ordered pizza and they had great time talking.

Wednesday, still feeling a little dizzy and light-headed, Blake managed to get a shower in and get his belongings securely packed in his suitcases. We headed to the Olive Garden with Ron, Dave and Denise, for his last lunch with family and then a 1:00pm report time to the MTC!

We took pictures, talked and then it was time for the "drop-off". I could see the excitement in Blake's eyes and knew he was as ready as he'd ever be for this new journey in his life!! It made me excited for him and easier to say "good-bye" because I knew he was willing and ready to do this! I will miss him, but I know he's in good hands!

I'm excited to get our first email from him! Hopefully sometime today.

Farewell Talk

Blake did a beautiful job giving his farewell talk in Sacrament meeting this past Sunday. (Nov. 28th) He spoke on gratitude and bore a wonderful testimony of his feelings towards the Savior, family, and the work he is about to embark on. We were so blessed to be able to have his Grandfather here to listen to it. Grandpa Halvorsen., who turned 90 this October, is huge on expressing gratitude and he was pleased with Blake's words. Later that evening, we held Austin and Chandler's Eagle Scout Court of Honor and afterwards, had Blake's Farewell Open house. So proud of all of my boys and have so much to be thankful for!

Blake goes to the Temple!!

Mike and I took Blake for his endowment session through the Seattle Temple on Nov. 20th, 2010. It was a great day! We left for the temple at 9ish am. and went through the 11:30 session. Jennifer and Kory Custer and Kevin Durrant joined us for the session. I watched Blake as he participated for the first time in this sacred event. He was peaceful and calm and loved the experience of making beautiful and meaning covenants with his Father in Heaven. The best day a parent could ask for.

The Custers and Halvorsens

Kevin Durrant and us.

Afterwards, we met Thessa and Russ Hardy at "Seafood City" in Tukwila. Sis. Hardy has been wanting to take our family there as it is primarily a Philippine-type market/eatery. She was like a kid in a candy shop and we had a wonderful time looking at all the foods and taking in the sights, smells and sounds of what life will be like for Blake for the next two years.

Eating at the Filipino cafe in "Seafood City"

Russ Hardy and Kevin Durrant

Blake holding a package of pigs feet! Bon appetite!!

Thessa and Russ Hardy. Kevin Durrant.

Blake holding chicken feet, another filipino staple. Down the hatch, Blake! :)

Chandler oogling a carton of pigs blood. Almost like something you would see on "Fear Factor".

Blake's call came!!!

It's official! Our second son has been called to labor in the Baguio Philippines mission. He will learn the Tagalog language. He received his call on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010. Soon we will be documenting his journey, letters and emails!! We are so happy for him. Cameron and Blake's mission will overlap by a couple of months, but we're hoping that Cameron will be able to see Blake before he actually flies out to the Philippines! We are so proud of you, Blake!

MORE TO COME!!