Elder Canto's first letter as a missionary!!!

[* Keep this forever!
*Tell everyone I say hi & that I can email on the 13th!!!! ]

December 6, 2013

Dear Alissa,

         So much is happening so fast here at the MTC. The days are long, yet it  feels like there is not enough time to do anything some days! I am so busy here at the MTC. It's crazy, but I am loving it. I have 2 companions (surprise!) &  their names are Elder Brown & Elder Wilkie. All 3 of us are going to Joao Pessoa. There are 9 people in my district, & we all got here on December 4th, we're all learning Portuguese, & all  serving in Brazil (in 3 or 4 different missions). All 4 people in my district are Elders, no sisters.

         Today we had to teach a lesson IN PORTUGUESE to a guy named Rafael who was pretending to be an investigator. Let me start by saying... it was rough! Hah! We've barely been here for 2 whole days, & we had to teach a lesson in Portuguese. Imagine that. Lots & lots of mistakes, awkward pauses, laughing, flipping through Portuguese books, & apologizing. Rafael was very relaxed though, & he didn't criticize us or laugh at us, but he only spoke in Portuguese! So even when he responded to the things we had prepared to say to him, we had no idea what he was saying!

         Anyways, the MTC is crazy. So, I heard it takes 7-10 business days to send/receive mail... so idk [I don't know] how much sense there is in writing letters, but I can't use my email until next Friday, December 13th, so... I thought I'd try!

         I love you so much! I've been praying for you every day, & I am so grateful for what you wrote in my photo album, & I cried while I read it ♥ Thank you for making those photo albums with me. I love looking through them! It is so strange not being around you... I really miss you! I can't wait to write to you & hear from you on the 13th. It is so lame not being able to talk to you at all! I miss your voice & your wonderful presence! (& your beautiful face ☺) I hope that you are doing well & not missing me too much! Please write to me as soon as you can. I would love to hear from you. :) use dearelder.com, it's MUCH quicker. (You can also do a handwritten letter for fun if you want :) )

       So how was your last day in New York, your flight back to WA, seeing your family again after 11 months, & how is being around them again? Let me know how you're doing & what you're up to! Doesn't it feel strange being apart? I think so... but I am doing great, loving the MTC, wearing a missionary tag (SO COOL! haha,) loving my companions, my district, & Portuguese, & gospel study.

        It feels like I'm only going to be here for another week or something... & like I'm at a summer camp or something. It's surreal, or unreal, or whatever, thinking that this is my life for the next 2 years. It still has not hit me yet. It's crazy. It's also crazy to think that there is a life after the mission! (There is! & we're going to get married! ♥) (I promise, my [baby!] ) But yeah, I can't believe I'm here on a mission. I feel like these 2 years are going to fly by since I'm so busy all the time.

        I'm pretty sure I can call my family (or skype) on Christmas, so call my mom & plan that out for me please so that I can see you & talk to you! I love you, & I really am waiting for you for the next year & 361 days! ♥ (You better believe it!) I need to go to sleep now, it  took like 1 1/2 hours to write this letter! (but I did it for you, my [baby!!] )

With dearelder.com, the letters that people send to missionaries are delivered like regular mail to the missionaries. They just print them out & give them to us right away. Tell my family about it & post it on facebook for me | & then I will love you forever  ☺ (already did!)

I can't wait to hear from you! ☺