First Real Email

So Tuesday was Elder Adams' first P-day. He took time to write a detailed letter about his adventures. As a mother, it is so comforting to hear that he is doing well, getting along with his companion(s) and learning many things. Tomorrow will mark his first complete week in the MTC...only 8 more to go. It will go so fast. If you feel inclined to send Elder Adams mail but don't want to pay for postage, I am sending care packages once a week and you are welcome to piggy back on my package. Just get it to me by Wednesday morning. Here's Chase's letter:

Thug life!

Hey, this is Starjesina Adams checking in from the wonderfully adventurous area that is the Provo MTC! Absolutely loving it here and am really excited for the next few weeks to come. Over-verbosity out of the way, this is a great place. I really enjoy the classes, my teachers, this beautiful language of Croatian, and especially my classmates and companions. Yes, companions. We were placed in a threesome on our first day because we had an Elder who was supposedly going to Serbia never actually show up. So now Starjesine Harris, Mulder and I form this wonderful crowd. So, you'll have to forgive any typos or things like that but I only get 30 minutes to do this and if not apparently, it doesn't send. Keep that in mind if you don't get a weekly e-mail at about this same time every week. There's a giant red ticker in my screen corner that is now at 23:50... Um, the Mission president said in order to combat this, try and send your e-mails through what is called Dear Elder. Ask Neder what that is all about because I got a letter from her. Saves me time reading on the compy, you know? totes

So, got dropped off, whisked through this whirl-wind adventure that was the first day, got a companion, and then was spoken at in Croatian only in class all day. It rocked. Apparently we are on the new learning schedule that is basically experimental at this point, but they've said that they've seen good results thus far. I mean, on day three we taught our progressing investigator, Urosh, in Croatian. We taught him about prayer and got to know him a little bit on that day, but have since quelled some misconceptions about Jesus Christ, described the Holy Ghost, taught him to pray, and given him a challenge to read Chapter 12 in Eter of the Mormonova Knjiga. So cool. Starjesina Harris and I are teaching companions and Mulder is with Sestra Black, our solo sister in our class. She is great and very upbeat. I really do like my class. So much fun. It actually is pretty cool because we went around the room and everyone in my class has had at least a little bit of foreign language study. We have latin, greek, arabic, german, japanese, spanish, portugeuse, french and italian students. Sestra Black is even a Com. D. major at the Y. We all have a lot in common and are just loving helping each other out.

I want to talk about Sunday cuz it was pretty cool. lawlz. Um, so we had a lot of meetings which were pretty decent, and no class which was a nice break, but the best part of it all was our Branch President's talk in Sacrament. Well, first we had two talks by random selection (we all have to prep a talk for Sunday, this one was on the Atonement) and then a musical number and then he spoke. His name is President Creer. Really great guy, loving, compasionate, understanding of a lot of the things that we are going through. I really liked it. Well, I guess the real best part of Sunday was the fireside. We had a guy talk about the wonder of Repentance and he took the word back to its root in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew and apparantly it's another fake word like Atonement and so is misleading. I'd always assumed that pain and sorrow went with it, but he talked about how exciting and joyful the whole thing can and should be because heck, we get to change! It's nice. Like. ya.

I absolutely loved your package that you sent! I actually got it yesterday, though I was given the slip to go pick it up on Saturday. Problem is, the post office here closes on Saturday at 2 o'clock. All other days it's open until 8, but not so on Saturday. Whatevuhs though. 'Course, you and CarolAnn have got to be in some weird competition because I also got a wonderful package of carmel brownies yesterday too. I used a package of them to bribe my District into liking my little evening devotional. Remind me to talk about my district... So ya, totally have been showered with mail and packages and just love. I love you guys. So much. :)

So my district. We are just the Slovenes and Croats led by a Slovene, Staresina Defreitas, who is fantastic. From Virginia, really great guy. His companion is Staresina Bateman. Looks like the Washington Batemans. No relationship. In the Croats there are Elders Marcek Armond Smith Bishop Harris Adams Mulder and Sestra Black. It's great. The Elders hang out for study and stuff and its really nice. We get along really well. In our Zone we have the Slovaks, Czechs, Bulgarians, Croats, Slovenes and Serbs. Our Branch also has some Jamaicans and Las Vegas'ns... So we're a little wide spread.

I get snail mail whenever it arrives twice a day and whatever Dear Elders are sent we get that day. Thanks so much for forwarding my letter from Kyra! What a kidder... :) I like mail. So. Ya.

I know basically like half of the people in the MTC from my student ward and just work and stuff. Elder Mulder is always on my case about my supposed popularity. I think it just peeves him because he's from Utah and knows like one person here maybe. But ya, I've seen Scott, Steele, and a ton of my friends from school. We see the Colombians and Russians and Hungarians everywhere. We have a good time joshing eachother.

So, Elder Mulder. I really like this man. Like, I really do. He and I just clicked and are able to just totally screw with eachother and laugh and at the same time be totally serious. It's way nice. He's a philosophe who knows basically everything about the Scriptures. He likes conspiracy theories in them and stuff like that. We just talk and talk and talk about everything and it's nice. Friend fo life fo sho. I really just want what's good for him and he for me. We like to play with what we know of the language and I like to listen and learn to everything he knows. Last night Starjesina Harris prayed for our companionship in croatian and we had a really strong sense of the Spirit and everything was nice and so I lost my composure a little bit. He just looked at me and asked if I'd be okay and then we stayed up for like another hour in the dark just talking about hopes and dreams and fears and everything that excites us and is happy. We are good for eachother.

I love it here, I am happy and doing well. Food stinks. Class is long. It is fantastic. I love you all and hope to keep you in my prayers and know that you will all do good wherever you are. Peace be upon you. Lovesies. :)

Starjesina Adams


Please keep Elder Adams in your prayers...specifically that the language will come to him quickly and that he will stay healthy. Thanks for following the blog. It is going to be a great adventure.