From MTC to Greenie

So last p-day when we went to the temple something amazing happened! I saw Jeri! She started tearing up so I had to get out of there because I would have too! Some of the guys got on me for hugging but I was just like bro it’s my sister there isn’t nothing in the rule book that says you can’t hug family. They were fine after that.

So I was super nervous to go into the field. More so than when I entered the MTC. I think I was just about as homesick leaving the MTC than I was leaving home! Crazy I know but we developed good friendships at the MTC. That night we were joking around how much I was called on to pray. I just told everyone that when I got married I was going to send everyone a picture of my trophy wife so that they would all be depressed. It was funny because they all agreed.

Monday night was probably the best lesson I've had and it was with a different person. I was with Elder Duncanson and Brother Picket was teaching us. When I think or thought about judgment day I always thought about it as good tallies against bad tallies and the bad tallies getting erased by repentance. But with Picket he explained to us that it's not so much that but more like if our progression is going up instead of staying the same. As long as we are truly striving to be better we should be good.

But over all I had great teachers. It was funny though throughout my last days at the MTC, I was just getting really fed up with Ponnada. Every single time, and I'm not kidding, that I thought badly of him and his stupidity and questioning God why he would put me with such an idiot, my nose started bleeding.  That happened about 5 times ha-ha. Then I realized that I needed to humble myself. So every time a thought like that would come into my head I pushed it away as fast as I could because I didn’t need to lose any more blood ha-ha.

So the Tuesday we were to leave the MTC we needed to be at the bus at 3:30 am. We woke up at 3:30 am... I don’t think I have ever gotten dressed and packed so fast. But, it was all good. The bus hadn’t even gotten there yet. But that was just the beginning of the stress. Boarding onto the plane after the layover in Phoenix, Ponnada was nowhere to be found. He had gone off with another elder. Shocker I know. All I could think about was how President Manion was going to tear me apart if he didn’t make it. So Duncanson, Brevard, and myself said a quick prayer and no joke 5 seconds before the closed the door, he showed up. He was talking to his family for over 3 hours combined that day. Never in my life did I want to strangle somebody so hard.

So we arrived in Canada and we met our trainers. I got Elder Taylor from Idaho and he is an awesome trainer! I feel like I can learn a lot from him so that’s good. He's been out 9 months. But he had a meeting so I went with another elder for a while that day so I didn’t really get to meet him till that night. But for lunch I got a donair because I heard they were good and they were! For dinner we went to McDonalds so you bet my stomach paid me back for that combo! I also got a package from Grandma and Grandpa that day filled with food! So we didn’t have to do any shopping. WE were happy.

In the morning for workouts, we go the gym with a bunch of other missionaries and play a bunch of sports in the gym. It's legit! So much fun and it wakes me up.

Elder Holland spoke about 10 minutes in a stake but we weren’t invited because we weren’t in that stake. That was kind of stupid but whatever. I also have to play the piano for district meetings... and the days are super long because we have to walk everywhere. Our area got switched to a walking bussing area but they didn’t get us passes because it was so close to the end of the month. But we should get them today.

Saturday we helped a family move. It reminded me of working at Padgett’s so it was weird when she gave us donuts because usually I just got paid for it. Later that night we ate dinner at the Harvey’s. It was very interesting ha-ha. He is a super cool guy around 30 and they gave me a greenie meal. Everything was green. He took a picture and made it the picture on the front of the program for church! I had to give a talk about why I came on a mission and when I introduced myself I said I was the beautiful face on the front of their programs. Later I found out that only 6 of those programs were made... so that was kind of awkward.

And after church we had choir because we got drafted into it. I wanted to shoot myself. And it is already so freakin cold! It snowed yesterday for the first time and it is -6 today. Celsius of course because it would be too easy to use F in Canada. But it’s fun here and the ward is super cool. If you want to send me anything make sure my first name is on it because there are 2 elder Thompsons. They almost sent my package to an outlying area. Oh and I’m in Mill Woods. It’s the southeast part of the city. And I am in the Meadows 1st ward. I’m such a greenie.

Keep it real,

Elder Thompson