26 de Mayo 2010 

 Querido Familia, 

 Ok, so I was able to read the email, but I ran out of time before I could send one back. So I’m writing my letter this week, and I don’t know how sending this out to the family is going to work . . .I guess you could scan it or type it up if you want to, or something like that. 

 So, in my companionship/district (yes, we are a trio), there are only us three, and there is another district upstairs in the same situation, and I think there are others as well. Our “coordinating teacher” (or our teachers’ boss . . . I don’t know what he’s called) came to us and offered us the opportunity to join a new district of elders, who came in today. They’re going into the advanced Spanish though, so they’re only here for three weeks. We said we’d like to, and we’ll find out tomorrow if we can. “If” only because of all the other elders in our situation. If we do though, we’ll have structured classes again, but we’ll have to change zones and branches too. Which is too bad, because I really like our zone . . . Oh well, esta bien. 

 I haven’t been able to be a host for new missionaries because our P-Day is on Wednesday, and we go to the temple when the new elders are getting here. We could host if we wanted, but we’d have to give up our temple day. 

 Ok, so I’ve decided that Provo has the strangest weather ever! It SNOWED! In May! That’s crazy! It was really wet, heavy snow, and it made all the trees bend a whole lot. Several branches broke, and one tree fell completely over! Then yesterday and today it was bright and sunny and warm. Go figure . . . 

 I’ve been a little sick for the past few days, so today my companions made me go to the nurse (actually, E. Ripley is sick too, so we both went). She told us to stay in our room and rest, which we hadn’t been doing . . . and to not go to the temple, because older people that are there don’t need to get sick. And she gave us some salt to gargle . . . etc. I’m not that sick, but I just haven’t been getting any better. So today has helped. 

 It’s great to hear about what’s going on back home. It looks like ya’ll’re bein’ blessed! In the envelope, there are B-day letters for Esteban y Kevin, and a letter for Marissa. (It’s cheaper to send them all in the same envelope; just two stamps instead of four+.) 

 Kevin, make sure you’re taking Institute classes. You’re probably signed up because you mentioned Brother King last week, but Institute helps to prep for the mission. I would recommend: Book of Mormon, Missionary Prep., and then maybe Doctrine and Covenants or something like that. Also, make sure to read Preach My Gospel, and know what’s in there. Especially Chapter 3 with all the lessons. Make sure you know those.  

 Yeah, that’s all I can really think of. Just make the Gospel part of your daily life, and that can go for everyone, but especially those who are preparing for missions. Oh, and you can take Mission Prep more than once. There was one guy the first time I took it, who was on his fourth time; and you always learn something new. Brother Hyatt is an awesome teacher too! (if you’re going to DSC).  

 Well, that’s all for this week, so I’ll talk to you next week. 

Con Amor, 

Elder Gibson

Mi Querido Familia,

The district that got here after us is now in the field and the same half of our district is still in the MTC. All the ´younger´ élderes seem to think that being in the MTC would be just the worst thing in the world, but it´s really not that bad at all here. They don´t see that here they can learn how to speak more clearly... I´m not exactly sure how to say it... so in the field, the people will actually be able to understand them.

I have a native elder who writes to me in Spanish and that helps me a bunch.

That´s good that the family´s gettin´ together! That´s always fun!

Not much different happened this week, I don´t remember if I said this last week or not, but we have new teachers. One is from Paraguay and the other is American, but they´re pretty much just our tutors/progressing investigators. So that´s fun.

We decided that we´re like the grandpas in the MTC now... because the other district is gone now and we´re still the oldest ones here, but it´s fun. They all say how much they look up to us and stuff, I can remember how we looked up to the oldest districts when I was younger...

Well that´s all for this week. If I get my visa, you´ll get a call!

Con amor,
Élder Gibson

Hola familia!

So 16 days and still no word about the visas. We've become the wise old missionaries who the 'younger' missionaries look to for wisdom. We figured out that if we´re here next Wednesday, we´ll have spent 1/8 of our mission in the MTC. That´s a lot! We could have just learned Chinese instead! Ha ha! We only have one teacher now and her name is Hermana Da Silva. She's an international student going to UVU. She's from Paraguay, and I like her accent when she speaks Español.

Thats great to hear about all the good things happening at home! Especially with work, the yard and garden, and family life! Our zone fasted for our visas to come too. Hermana Miller got our whole zone together (even the newest elders who don´t really even know us (they´d been here for about three days)) and we knelt and began our fast right in the middle of the hall. It was pretty cool. Since we only have one teacher, we´ve let the other elders to ´sign up´ for tutoring or an appointment or whatever they need help with. It´s helped to keep us busy.

So for devotional a really awesome guy came. His name is Jeffrey R. Holland! When that man speaks, it´s powerful. Especially when he talks about missionaries. It was kind of like the talk he gave about the Book of Mormon last October, only it was about missionaries. It was incredible!

Everyone thinks that we´ll be getting our visas soon. So hopefully it will happen.

Not much more time...

con amor, 

Élder Gibson

¡Hola mi familia! 

 Yep, two weeks later, I´m still here at the good ol´ MTC. Three of the six in my district have gone on, but alas, I have been chosen to remain... Ok, anyway, one of each compañerismo is in México now, and so the three left are in a trio. (É´Beecher, É´Ripley, and myself) ¡Any day now! 

Hna. Weiss´ last day is today and then we´ll continue to have Hno. Murphy and we´ll get a nuevo maestro, Hno. ??? (I can´t remember his name right now...) I don´t remember if I said this or not but there are people here that remind me so much of people I know and Hna. Weiss is Aleisha. Her voice sounds just like her´s and if I´m not looking at her sometimes I get these crazy déjà vu... things, but it´s like Aleisha´s in the room and then there´s the other Élder Gibson who is Brian. I got a picture with him and I´ll send it soon. They look sooooo much alike! ¡Es Loco!  

The last two musical numbers, en los devocciónales, have been with harps. They´re pretty amazing instruments!  

That´s great that the weekend went well. Trips are always fun! Especially ¨when the family gets together after evening work is done...¨ ... or just anytime.

Oh, y Papá´s carta es en el camino. 

Con amor, 

Élder Gibsón 

(ok Gibson probably doesn´t have an ´ on the o...)