Elder Poirier

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

MTC: Letter #2

Dear Family,

A couple things first: what's dad's work email, and WHY AREN'T YOU SENDING ME EMAILS?!! But I prefer letters b/c I can read them all week. Email is only 30 minutes on Tuesdays, but it'd be nice to have a few messages. I love you. So I've switched into the advanced spanish class which means a few things. 1) I have a new companion, Elder Midgley, who also switched into the advanced class. I miss my old district, the intermediate group, but I finally feel challenged. 2) I leave here now in about a week! It seems so soon compared to the expected 9 weeks. But since visas to Mexico are taking forever to get approved, I'm going to be temporarily reassigned to another mission, likely in the states! We had a health and safety meeting yesterday, and boy would it be nice to only have to worry about not doing tricks on the bike. Instead we're stressing about bats, birds, bugs, and diseases. Oh, and the water. I'm really enjoying myself here, but mostly because the days go by pretty quickly. It makes my day to get letters. General Conference was pretty cool. I meant to tell you that I couldn't try out for the choir because it had already been made when I arrived in the MTC. It would have been awesome if you could have seen me in the MTC choir at the Priesthood session though! I did see a few people I recognized from around here.

So I'm in the laundry room. I've written most things I wanted to say in the letters I just wrote. My new companion is Elder Midgley who is from Dallas Texas. He's going to serve in Quito Equador. He was a frat boy at USC! But we actually do get along because he's really laid back and I could persuade him to do anything I need to do. Again this keyboard is typing weird, so I'm not going to correct it from now on. So General Conference was really good. I heard that talk during the Priesthood session by the guy with an English accent. Suddenly I found myself thinking all about Harry Potter and didn't realiize what had triggered it. It was the English accent. SSoo I don't know if that was my favorite talk because it made me think of Harry or because it actually was a good talk. My companion leaves for Ecquador Monday at three AM. I can't wait to find out where I'll go! Apparently, and i just found this out, I'll have to come back to the MTC once I get my "promiso" or something. And then wait here until I actually leave for Mexico. So today we went to the temple and we got more group photos. But this is my new district. Spending all this time together really is making us close, but I still love and miss my old district.

So I do need a few things still, the rain coat/ winter coat. Bed bug suffocater. Sunglasses, sure, but cool ones. And my tie hanger, maybe two of them. They're in my closet. So I really wish that I could see you all every now and then. I cross the street to go to the temple or the field (before it was closed) and always hope to see Aleksi's carr. This keyboard sucks. Well, I don't know what more to say, but I hope that you all write me! And email me! And tell my friends to write me too!!

I really wish I had had the courage to tell my friends that I reeaally do know this church is the true church of Jesus Christ, restored on the Earth once more. The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. I encourage you all to find out for yourself if it is true! Read from the Book of Mormon, pray to know if it's true. Pay attention to how you feel. The Holy Ghost will manifest the truth of it to you. The Gospel makes me SO happy! And I know that it will bless the families of Mexico! If you have questions about what we believe, contact local missionaries on mormon.org!

I love you all!!! Miss you! and Blueberry-Pineapple Pina Colada Pie :(

Love,

Elder Mitchell Poirier!

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Letter 1: from the MTC

I have to be super quick, the rules to this are pretty dumb, but now I only have 19 minutes left. I am enjoying myself here at the MTC! The weather is beautiful and although everyone in my district complains about the food, I think it's delicious. What are they going to say when they have to eat the food of Equador and Mexico? I like my Spanish teachers, Hermano Alder and Hermana Hunt. Hermana Hunt is SO much like Patricia, particularly in personality and in style. She's really nice. I'm thinking though that tomorrow I'm going to take the test to be in the advanced class because my spanish is really good and i'd love to be out of here in only 2 and a half more weeks. If I stay in the intermediate class, I report to Mexico on Nov 22, but actually nobody's visas are working out for Mexico, so it'd probably be another two or three weeks at the MTC. Umm. No thanks. My companion's name is Elder Roden, from Colorado. He went to BYU for a year, plays basketball, and is really into weightlifting. He's pretty cool. We get along well. I really do like the other Elders in my district. Plus we have two sisters, and they actually are like having older sisters. One of them is going to serve in the Florida Tampa Mission! So we talk all about FL. She's gotta support the Gators, I told her. It's pretty hard having to plan every minute of your day, but it's really hard to do that with a companion. We don't always agree with how we should do things and what we should focus on. I feel like I'm not actually working hard here because my spanish is so good. So i really want to get into that advanced class. Unfortunately I'd have to switch districts. But I'd get a new companion, which would be pretty cool. What I like most about being here is seeing people from all over the world--Mongolia! Japan! Places in Africa that I've never heard of! Tonga! It's super cool! I really like spanish, but it'd be really cool to learn one of the other languages. Unfortunately I cannot send photos via the internet! But I'll have them printed and sent to you all. You can scan them on the computer if you want. We went to the temple today! It was really nice inside the Provo temple. And today we got to do laundry and I wrote TONS of letters! I love getting letters! The other elders in my district get really jealous!

Oh and Dad, we played shoot off!!! My idea. Everyone loves it and they're so surprised that I can get it in so easily. So far elders have had to eat chalk dust, chew an advil pill, and eat a fingerfull of toothpaste. None of those elders were me of course. I got some photos!

Mom, thanks for the letters and package! I can't wait for tomorrows letter! I'm trying to write as much as I can, but P-days are super busy also! Tonight we have a devotional, and rumor is that there will be a General Authority there because thiiss wweekend is General Conference!. Sorry this letter is so random and rushed! I hate tyypping against time. And this keyboard is weird. I LOVE you all!! Write mee!! I hope everything is going well at home! I miss the dogs!! And swimming! AAnndd Sherlock Holmes. But I'm busy here, and that's what I like. Wish me luck with the spanish class i want to get into! Hopefully I'll be sent to the states for a little bit until my visa comes!

Oh and I've seen David McDougall.

And Aleksi, Sergio from UF is here and we see each other all the timee!! It's nice to have another Gator in the middle of Provo!

Miss you!! Kiss Bentley for me!! Tell my friends to write me!

Thank you so much for the home I was raised in, for the Gospel I was ttaauught, and for the love I've been blessed with! I can't wait to baptize families in Mexico! I know that they can be as happy as our family is!

To my friends: Read the Book ooff MMormon!! It's how you can know for youself that this church is true! Pray to find out!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Passing Through

Before entering the MTC, Aleksi was able to pick up Mitch from the Salt Lake Airport and take him home for some lunch. They enjoyed a couple precious hours together before two years apart.