He's Alive!...and Well.

This is my district this morning at the Provo Temple. Love you.

Look at my boy with his very own tag and everything!

After a long wait, we finally got an email from our missionary!  Apparently his P-day had been changed again to Thursday.  It was a good thing that I was still checking my email as frequently as I did, because I got to actually reply back and for with him for a while, asking questions and getting answers practically like instant messaging.  I am feeling SO good right now, and that photo of Alex and his district at the temple just this morning just made me bawl.  I'm sure I'll get used to seeing him as a missionary, but not just yet.

Here is a compilation of his emails today:

Hi mom and family and friends. I love you all and miss you guys so much already. So my P-days are now on Thursdays because before I was staying at the West Campus but they are closing it down in the next month or so. So we got move to the Main Campus. We love the West one better because it is more relaxed and everyone there is going on a Spanish speaking mission, so every time you walk around people speak in Spanish.  That was so cool. So on the first day after you dropped me off I went and got all my books and my name tag and took a bus to West Campus. I was only there for a week. We moved yesterday so that's why no email yesterday sorry.  I have a great companion named Elder Lyons he is from Connecticut. He is awesome he helps me with my weakness and I help him with his. We don't like it at Main because we all sleep in the same room. At West we had 3 rooms an bathroom and a living room and a kitchen. It was sweet there. 

Well my daily schedule is wake up, get ready go to breakfast, then have personal and companion study for three hours, them personal fitness, then lunch, then either teach a investigator or a class, then dinner or class or the investigator, then a zone prayer, then we get ready for bed. So that is my day. Our branch is #17, with President Doman. He is awesome guy. He has a strong testimony. Well on Sundays we have sacrament with only our branch. We sing a song in Spanish, then we say a prayer, then do the sacrament, then he picks four people to gave a small talk in Spanish. Then he and his wife bore their testimony for us. Then we end with a song and a prayer. For the rest of the day we have meetings and interviews. Last Sunday we went to Main Campus for the redecation of the Temple. The prophet spoke and Eyring and Bedner it was so awesome. One good thing about the Main Campus is they have better food and more food then at West. Every Tuesday and Sunday we either have someone come or a apostle come and speak to us. On Sunday it was M. Russel Ballard. He spoke on missionary work and he said we are servants of the Lord.  I am having a great time here. Hey mom my companion is wondering if you can make him some of that awesome luggage tags he loves them. He says thanks. Hey mom when are you sending me my scrapbook? Thanks. Love you all. I miss you all!

Thanks for the box of goodies!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all Dear Elder letters. Keep sending them & tell everyone about it. I love them. Have everyone send me one, all my bros and family.

We went to the temple this morning. At 7:10 we did a session. That picture was taken after. We go every Thursday in the morning. I got the packages two days latter but the were fine thanks a lot they were so good. Keep on sending me packages and Dear Elder please. I love them so much. Thanks.

The language is coming along. It is doing good. I am understanding a lot during class. I'm learning a lot. 

More awesome cinnamon rolls please and thank you. I will look for the package thanks. You are the best mom.  Everyone loves you for sending the cinnamon rolls.  Love you.

So, he is busy and happy and good.  He wants more cinnamon rolls delivered and he really seems to like getting those Dear Elder letters.

For anyone who doesn't know, you can send free daily mail to missionaries at the MTC by going to dearelder.com.  First you have to register, and you have to have the elder's unit # and leaving date (both are on their address). You just type what you want to say there on the website, and they will print it off and hand deliver it to their mailbox every day around noon.  No envelopes, no stamps, no waiting.  Of course, it is all one way, but it is so easy to send off a quick note that you are thinking of him, and I know they love having something in their mailboxes everyday.  It is such a great service!  So if you want to send Alex a quick note, it appears that he really loves them.

The cinnamon rolls come from Shirley's Bakery in Provo.  They deliver fresh baked treats to the MTC every morning. FYI, the number is 801-375-8020 if you ever want to send a new missionary a great surprise.  Looks like I'll be calling them today myself.  How can I not, after getting so much appreciation from him and his fellow elders?  (What some parents will do to make their kids popular, geez!)

These are the luggage tags he was referring to.  I wanted to make him something fun, but not too crafty or fru-fru since he is, you know, a guy. (No stamps or Cricut this time.)  So I just found some fun missionary memes and one for his mission on Pinterest and printed them off.  Then printed off his home address and mission address, and put them into luggage tags that are made for a heat laminators that I got at Staples.  I already had the laminator.  Easy, colorful, and durable (and manly).  I guess I'll now be making a set for his comp.