The First Letter (November 11, 2010 -email)

What we've been waiting for!!!!!
A LETTER FINALLY CAME!!!!!
Elder Waite's first letter!


Hey there Family!!

I have been waiting for this time all week! The MTC is great, there is so much i want to tell you... I dont know where to start. Things were great right from the start, after I left you guys I went in and got my name tags, keys, ect.... Then I went and got my books and was taken to my room. Then we went to our class room and were told to read this huge black binder with all the rules. After everyone got to our room we all introduced ourselves and sang "Love One Another" in spanish. The spirit was so strong, right then I knew we were in good hands. We had class for a while and then went to dinner. I didn't meet my companion until after dinner... He is cool, his name is Elder Robertson, From St. George. He's kinda a goofy son of a gun but i like him.

On Thursday we met our Branch Presidency, and they called someone to be the district leader. Guess who it was... me! pretty crazy. Its a tough job, its mostly just glorified babysitting. I think we have a good district. We are all really close. Those first days until Sunday were pretty rough, but sunday was really good. I bore my testimony in spanish! It was pretty legit.

I really like our roomates. Elder Fe'ao (he is half samoan and half tongan... he's huge) and Elder Eyre. Me and Elder Fe'ao are pretty good buddys. Me and him haven't been sleeping very good. The second night we were here I was up around 3 and so was he, so we just talked for the rest of the night. That has happened almost every night since then, for some reason we both just don't really sleep very good. but its cool, when we talk like that he says "thanks for choppin it up with me". i love him.

I'm not sick anymore which is good, those first couple of days were rough but i survived!

I have learned a couple of things since ive been here...
1- I really need to work on my stupid face. when someone is talking to me in spanish i'm sure i look really dumb.. but i can't understand what they are saying!
2-I am really grateful for the holy ghost. Its great to have the spirit here all the time.
3- I really really love mail! Thanks to everyone for anything you send!
4- I am a really slow typer, my time is almost gone :(

I can't wait to hear where mariah is going on her mission! I can't dissagree more with sister cook now, the sisters have a great spirit and i love them! I saw Elder Smart and Elder Holliday and delivered both their packages.
I hate to ask you  something but could you send me some pictures? i dont have any and i especially want some of the fam
love eld

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hello Family,

    Several of you have asked that we tell about our day on Wednesday, so here are a few of the details.  

    First of all, we went to meet with the stake president at 9:00 on Tuesday night to have him set apart.  President Keller asked Camden to ask someone to bear their testimonies of which he picked Adin and I.  After setting him apart, he asked Camden to bear his.  It was very touching and the spirit was very strong.  The girls all had a pretty hard time through it all and bawled buckets.  ( Mariah was not there, as she was meeting with her stake president in Rexburg at the time).

    On Wednesday morning we all got up early and got ready to go.  Just before we walked out the door, Adin gave Camden a father's blessing.  It must be a wonderful thing to be a father and be able to lay your hands on your son's head and bless him with wonderful promises.    After that, Adin and Camden each consecrated a couple vials of oil.   

    We had a nice ride down to Provo.  I had printed a really good letter from Cody (Todd's son on a mission in Zimbabwe)  and read it to everyone.  Adin had taken the "Missionary Experience" story from Grandpa Blacker which we also read. 

    After getting to Provo we went to eat lunch at the BYU Creamery.  We had some time, so then went to the Provo temple where we took pictures, gave Camden hugs, and told him goodbye.  Camden was just a little teary there, whilst the girls were all sobbing uncontrollably.  At the appointed time, we all got in the car and drove across the street to the MTC.  They had missionaries all lining the curb waiting to greet us and take our boy away.  They had signs placed every few feet with numbers on them.  They directed us to pull into slot # 3.  I had the camera in my hand and set it down on the dash board so I could get out and help get luggage out.  There were only two suitcases, so by the time I got to the back of the van, Adin and Camden already had them out.  Camden gave me one more quick hug, I remembered the camera and ran to the front of the van to get it, turned around and he was gone.  It all happened that fast.  I have attached the only picture we got.  He is wheeling the suitcase clear up by the construction.  It was really odd compared to how we used to take missionaries to the MTC.  It was so fast, that it really was less painful.  I am glad that we had time and were not in a rush so that we could go to the temple and spend some time.

    After he left, there was an older sister who talked to the girls on the sidewalk and assured them that they were going to take good care of Camden.  She said they were going to have ice cream sundays for dinner and they had gotten chocolate donuts for lunch.  She also said, "look at all of these happy elders.  I promise you that in two weeks your brother is  going to be one of these laughing happy elders standing here ready to greet the new missionaries."  

    Camden was already one of the happy elders.  He was grinning from ear to ear when we dropped him off.  He was so excited.  I had such a feeling of peace as we drove away.  In Camden's testimony the night before he said that he already felt different after being set apart.  By the time we dropped him off, he had already been a missionary for 16 hours and he was ready to get going at being a missionary. This is what we have prayed and worked and hoped for for nineteen years.  What an awesome experience.  

       From the MTC we went to the Monte L. Bean Museum on BYU campus.  It is a really neat museum with all kinds of animals on display.  This time they had quite a display on bees.  We then went back to the creamery for ice cream.  Since Camden was getting ice cream sundaes for dinner, we needed ice cream didn't we.   We got home about 8:00 that night.

    In all, it was a very nice day.  I have thought of Camden every minute since we dropped him off, wondering what he is doing, what he is eating, what he is learning, etc., etc., etc.  We can hardly wait to get his first letter.

    Yesterday, the doorbell rang and it was the florist dropping off a big boquet of flowers.  The card read "To Eve Waite and Hannah, Maren, Hallie, Sadie, and Little Janie -- What a wonderful missionary you have raised.  You're incredible daughters of God.  With much love, President Dax Keller."  What a neat way to deal with a bunch of blubbering females after setting their missionary apart. 

    We have had quite a few people call to see how we are doing and if we are okay.  We are definately okay.   We are only three days into it, but I just love knowing that we now have a missionary.  I appreciate all of you who have been interested in knowing the details of our big day.  We love you all.

Eve