Austin's Missionary Journal

  Hey, everyone! I loved all the letters for home, and it sounded like you guys had an amazing Christmas! The gifts looked exciting, and I'm very thankful for all the gifts that were sent my way!  In  fact, this morning I was able to get and open up the Heuers' package, and I love it! I love the Legend  of  Zelda! ​Don't worry, it's blank, so it's appropriate for a mission Also, I want to write and say thank you to my family for the big assortment  of  things they gave me, like a new journal, William Joseph CD's (Love that music!), candy, etc. Thank you, Grandma and Papa Moe, for a new scarf! Wore it during the Christmas call home. Thanks for the package  of  goodies and rice krispie treats, Aunt Donelle! They were yummy! Everything I got  from  home just made Christmas away  from  everybody that much better. I loved spending the holiday with different members, and even Christmas Eve with an Investigator family! Yet, ...

  ... ugh... uuuuuuuuuuugggggggggghhhhh... If there was one thing anybody and everybody is talking about these days, it's star wars!!!!! Yeah, okay, I get it! It was a great movie that I'll have to miss out on for a while, okay? As soon as I open up my email, I'm just overrun with pictures  of  everybody  in  costume, Star wars shirts and a whole bunch  of  other stuff, like free tickets to early showings, how great it was, and yada yada yada. Oh well, on the plus side, who knows? I could be back home  in  time for the next installment and I'll be able to see the two  of  them without a year's wait  in  between. HAHA! I have the last laugh. But honestly, I'm not even sure what to write about  in  this letter, cause then I'll have nothing to talk about on Christmas morning. Oh yeah, so how the plan for Christmas morning is working over here is that Elder Hansen and I will be heading to our Ward Mission Leader's ho...

  Hey, family! Tis the season to be jolly! Christmas out here certainly is a bit interesting, but it sounds fun. This week, there isn't much  in  the way  of  celebrating, except for the Key Center Ward's Christmas Party. I'm really excited and looking forward for that, if it's anything like the Halloween Party I was here for, which was a ton  of  fun. But next week is definitely the big week I'm waiting for: On Tuesday, the 22nd, the mission is having a Christmas Party with EVERYONE, and it's going to be great; they'll have trees we can each bring an ornament for, they'll have a white elephant gift exchange (I've already got the gift I'm gonna bring), and they'll be giving out presents that came to the mission office  from  home! Plus, I'll be able to hang out with my MTC buddies there, so that's cool, too. But we can't forget about Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and, as the Canadians kindly put it, Boxing Day! Those three days,  ...

  Wow... number 6... I'm wondering if I should stop counting these or not. Anyways, hey family! How's everybody? Oh wait, that's a dumb question 'cause I just read a few letters  from  home, haha! I'm glad to hear how everyone is warming up for the holiday season, and also how Black Belt testing is getting on a roll. But wow, Ryan, already getting a job, a car, and an apartment? No rest for the weary, huh? Well, that's probably better than me, 'cause I figure when I come home  in  October  of  2017, the first thing I'll do is binge read all my books I left back there. Yeesh, who knew I'd really start to miss those lovable bindings  of  paper and ink? But I better get back to the present, so I can just watch everything fly by. So, something a bit sad happened  in  my district this week. One  of  the elders  from  a different ward, named Elder Pendergast, whom we a lovingly call "Pende", had to go home, due to depr...