FORWARD!!!

Dear Family that I love so much!

  I got my visa yesterday! So as you know (b/c I called you last night) I'm back at the MTC where there is SNOW! Crazy! I don't know how Aleksi lives a normal life with this weather! It's literally freezing cold! Thank goodness for sweaters and that coat. By the way, the gloves that you sent me were both right hands haha, so I left them in Tucson. Sister McCue joked with me that I needed one glove, just to cover my ugly scar hand. She says I'll never get married with it ahah. I loved saying goodbyes to Erika and Kassia (thank goodness Kassia had been sick and couldn't go to school). Kassia made me a card. This week I helped her name her new puppy. We decided on Toadette (after the Mario Kart video game). But actually Toadette decided. We put out three fingers, each representing a name (toad or princess peach or toadette). And on all three hands (mine, kassia's, and aryk's) the puppy licked toadette. I wish I could play with all these kids I am teaching, like I used to play with Emree, Rett, and Rye. PS Happy Birthday RITA!!! I wish i could send photos of the flan! I know that Sister McCue is going to. I'll send photos as soon as I can. Well, I also got to say goodbye to Ramon. I hope to keep in contact with him. Thank goodness I felt I should pack on Saturday, or else I wouldn't have had ANY time to say goodbye. Anyway, I'm super excited to be back in the MTC. Who gets to do that?! And it's SNOWING. I love it. I'm taking photos! Well. I love you all so much. I want you to know that I'm really loving being a missionary. On the plane here I was SO sad to leave Arizona, which really surprised me. I had such a wonderful experience there: good times and hard times. I really grew a lot and have already learned that this mission is as much for me as it is for those I come in contact with. This week I was pondering obedience. It's really hard to be 100% obedient. And then you see other disobedient missionaries who are having TONS of baptisms. You ask, "what's the deal?" But i figured it out. Obedience doesn't affect who you baptize, that's in Heavenly Father's control and plan. It affects whether you let Heavenly Father make you into the missionary, the man, that He wants you to be. Being in Arizona has really humbled me. I've learned patience and submissiveness. There were a few times where I literally felt like I'd been beat up- so humbled, just in tears. But then there were times where I was in tears on my knees in gratitude for all the Lord's mercies. I love this mission. I love the people. I know this church is true. I know that Heavenly Father loves me. He has a plan for me.

 I love you all!!!!!!

   Love,

     Elder Mitchell Poirier