Thursday, December 20, 2012
Last Week in the MTC!
Hello Everyone!
Greetings from cold and snowy Provo! I love it here I feel like I live in a snowflake. All of the trees and mountains are covered in snow and they are just lovely.
Yesterday, We got the chance to do more hosting which was really fun. I hosted 5 of the 725 new missionaries! They were really great and it was fun to try to remember seemingly 600 years ago when I went through that same hazy intense process. Being whisked from place to place and pushed into the deep end of missionary work. It is a really fun experience.
Well our districts are getting really excited as the date for our departure to Italy inches closer. We have a scheduled travel time of 25 hours with the time difference and we arrive in Milan at about 12:30 in the afternoon local time so 3 a.m. Washington time. Our flight leaves Salt Lake at 11:30 and our stops along the way will be Chicago and London. I'll try to call when I can. I've been itching to get out there especially since most of the districts on our classroom floor have already left and are in their fields respectively.
Congratulations Mom for getting the job at Morningside!!! Yay! I knew that you would! Also Congratulations to Gideon for getting a drivers liscence! Woot!
This week, Anziano MIller and I have started packing and getting squared away for our departure. The temple is closed today for the Holidays so I will be writing all the letters that I have been working on so everybody be on the lookout for those. We are getting haircuts and picking up drycleaning and trying to get all proper and spiffy like before we arrive.
Being on a mission is really fantastic! Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better experience. There are some times where it is hard, but the Lord carries us through. I am learning of the Love of the Lord and I am learning about patience and acceptance and forgiveness. The Lord is helping me immensely.
We have made fast friends with the missionaries who are going to Greece (all of whom are international...One from Finland, Two form France, One form England and the Other from Austria). Especially since the Greek Sisters are Sorella Ehorn's new residence companions since the Lithuanians left last week.
That is what I love about the MTC. The fact that there are so many people form so many places going to so many places learning any of the 64 languages offered at the MTC. And we are united by our common faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement for us. We are united by our hope in the future and in Eternity. That is the really beautiful thing.
I have some pictures to send too so they will be on their way too.
I am running low on time and I am a super slow typer.
I send you the regards, love, and best wishes of my district... notably Anziano Waters who was hovering over me and making sure that I wrote this.
Love always,
Anziano John Colin Cook
Greetings from cold and snowy Provo! I love it here I feel like I live in a snowflake. All of the trees and mountains are covered in snow and they are just lovely.
Yesterday, We got the chance to do more hosting which was really fun. I hosted 5 of the 725 new missionaries! They were really great and it was fun to try to remember seemingly 600 years ago when I went through that same hazy intense process. Being whisked from place to place and pushed into the deep end of missionary work. It is a really fun experience.
Well our districts are getting really excited as the date for our departure to Italy inches closer. We have a scheduled travel time of 25 hours with the time difference and we arrive in Milan at about 12:30 in the afternoon local time so 3 a.m. Washington time. Our flight leaves Salt Lake at 11:30 and our stops along the way will be Chicago and London. I'll try to call when I can. I've been itching to get out there especially since most of the districts on our classroom floor have already left and are in their fields respectively.
Congratulations Mom for getting the job at Morningside!!! Yay! I knew that you would! Also Congratulations to Gideon for getting a drivers liscence! Woot!
This week, Anziano MIller and I have started packing and getting squared away for our departure. The temple is closed today for the Holidays so I will be writing all the letters that I have been working on so everybody be on the lookout for those. We are getting haircuts and picking up drycleaning and trying to get all proper and spiffy like before we arrive.
Being on a mission is really fantastic! Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better experience. There are some times where it is hard, but the Lord carries us through. I am learning of the Love of the Lord and I am learning about patience and acceptance and forgiveness. The Lord is helping me immensely.
We have made fast friends with the missionaries who are going to Greece (all of whom are international...One from Finland, Two form France, One form England and the Other from Austria). Especially since the Greek Sisters are Sorella Ehorn's new residence companions since the Lithuanians left last week.
That is what I love about the MTC. The fact that there are so many people form so many places going to so many places learning any of the 64 languages offered at the MTC. And we are united by our common faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement for us. We are united by our hope in the future and in Eternity. That is the really beautiful thing.
I have some pictures to send too so they will be on their way too.
I am running low on time and I am a super slow typer.
I send you the regards, love, and best wishes of my district... notably Anziano Waters who was hovering over me and making sure that I wrote this.
Love always,
Anziano John Colin Cook
Monday, December 17, 2012
Salutazioni!
Hello Everyone! Salutazioni da Provo Utah,
I wanted to take a moment to tell everyone how much I love them and miss them! I hope all is well and that the weather there is nice. Here has been really great. We did get a little bit of snow, but not as much as last time and by now it has mostly all melted off. But it was great to be able to look out the window and see some flakes drifting down to the ground (which did you know takes nine whole minutes on average...I can't be sure how they know that, but I read it in a book once).
Yesterday we got the chance to be new missionary hosts which means that we are sort of the buddy for the new missionaries who arrive every wednesday. We take them to their classes and residences and to the bookstore to make sure that they get all of the materials they need. I also got the chance to host some early arrivals. The five missionaries that I hosted are going to Korea, Germany, England, South Carolina, and Ohio. They were all really great. Next week we are expecting 700+ new missionaries so I am probably going to get the chance to host again!
As the time is growing nearer and nearer for us to depart, I am getting more and more excited to experience Italy and bring them the Love of God and help them come unto Christ! I am growing every day in my testimony and in my love for our Saviour! Also I am getting really excited to leave the MTC! Last week, we recieved some travel plans that falsely indicated our departure on the 18th. To clear up all confusion, we are officially leaving the day after Christmas, the 26th. That is Salt Lake's official answer. It has been a long and confusing process trying to find out exactly when we are leaving but count on December 26th. Also that bring up a point to mention. Mom and dad, I dont know if you have heard about this, but the MTC doesn't have the capacity at this time for 2,500 missionaries to all call home on Christmas, but we are allowed to call home while we are travelling in the airports so please be by the phones on that day so I can call you! I will be travelling for almost 24 hours. Mom, do you think that you might be able to include some phone cards (1 international and one national?) so that I can call from a pay phone in the airports? I'll let you know more officially next week because we are getting our correct and official travel plans today in the Dinner post.
I love you all and I want you to know that. I am learning so much here about patience and unwavering and unconditional love both doing the best that I can to have it in my life for those around me and realizing that this is exactly the kind of love that the Savior has for me and all of his children. I know that everything here happens for a reason and that the Lord is preparing me in all things.
I love you all,
Anziano John Colin Cook
Thursday, December 6, 2012
December in the MTC
Dear Washington Family and Friends!
Love and Peace to you from the Provo MTC! It has been pretty great here especially since yesterday we had the wonderful chance to Welcome 18 new Anziani to the MTC! This also means that in three short weeks I will be leaving Provo and heading to Milan Italy! Time has absolutely flown here! I can't believe that 7 weeks have just gone by. I found out that we are all legal for Italian immigration standards! YAY!
Everything here is gearing up for Christmas! We have lights and a tree. And we had the pleasure of getting the broadcast from the first presidency. It was fantastic! Everybody should see it if they haven't already. I am seeing so many people leave the MTC and by Christmas (Including Anziano Criscenti and the Hungarians), it will be my turn. In a week and a half the Lithuanian sisters and the Georgians and Armenians are leaving so that leaves the Italians and the Papa Finns from all of the people I know. But I Am excited to spend Christmas with the Papa Finns. We have adopted each other.
How is everyone doing? I hope all is well at home. Any snow? We haven't had any here since the last time a couple of weeks ago.
One more quick thing we are playing this cool SYL (speak your language) game where a person has been secretly selected by the teachers to speak no English and then everyone has to guess who it is. We are doing pretty well with it.
All is well. I love you all!
Anziano John Colin Cook
Love and Peace to you from the Provo MTC! It has been pretty great here especially since yesterday we had the wonderful chance to Welcome 18 new Anziani to the MTC! This also means that in three short weeks I will be leaving Provo and heading to Milan Italy! Time has absolutely flown here! I can't believe that 7 weeks have just gone by. I found out that we are all legal for Italian immigration standards! YAY!
Everything here is gearing up for Christmas! We have lights and a tree. And we had the pleasure of getting the broadcast from the first presidency. It was fantastic! Everybody should see it if they haven't already. I am seeing so many people leave the MTC and by Christmas (Including Anziano Criscenti and the Hungarians), it will be my turn. In a week and a half the Lithuanian sisters and the Georgians and Armenians are leaving so that leaves the Italians and the Papa Finns from all of the people I know. But I Am excited to spend Christmas with the Papa Finns. We have adopted each other.
How is everyone doing? I hope all is well at home. Any snow? We haven't had any here since the last time a couple of weeks ago.
One more quick thing we are playing this cool SYL (speak your language) game where a person has been secretly selected by the teachers to speak no English and then everyone has to guess who it is. We are doing pretty well with it.
All is well. I love you all!
Anziano John Colin Cook
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