Elliot's September 30 email

Here's the latest message from Elliot.

Hey family!

Everything is still going well here, I'm just prepping for singing in Priesthood session and Oklahoma in 11 days! I'm still having a good time and am already feeling the love that God has for the people in Oklahoma even though I don't know any of them yet!

Yes, I have seen Ian! He's doing really well it seems. So I'm definitely gonna try to organize an N1 picture to send home. It's just awesome how many from our ward are out right now.

That's crazy how hot it is though. It's actually really nice here in Utah right now, so no complaints. It is definitely tough being in a class most of the day, but I know that I need all the preparation I can get to get out there and try to help others feel the same happiness and joy that I have received from this gospel.

I'm actually running out of time as I'm typing, 1:20 left, but I will also send a letter home today. I've had some cool experiences in this past week that I want to share but no time to do it here.

I love you and thank God for you!

Love, Elder Elliot Adair

Pictures of Travis Beach

Elliot recently mentioned that he regularly sees Travis Beach at the MTC since they are on the same schedule.  Elliot and Travis have known each other for many years, both through church and school.  As of today, there are four missionaries from Newhall First Ward at the MTC - Elliot, Carlton Reininger, Travis Beach, and Ian Loveland, who reported just today.  I've posted pictures of all of them except Travis, so here are a couple of him.  His dad explained that the picture of Travis holding a Diet Coke just before reporting to the MTC is a family joke started by Travis's sister Amanda, who is currently on her mission in Brazil.  We sure miss all of these young men here at home but we'll get them back soon enough.

Elliot's September 23 letter

We received another letter from Elliot over the weekend.  Not a lot of news but he's very excited about singing in General Conference this coming weekend.  I realized after a recent post that the session in which he will be singing will not be broadcast on television.  We'll have to figure out a way to get a picture of him in the choir.

Here are a couple of pictures of Elliot's friend Ian Loveland, who reports to the MTC this Wednesday (I may have jumped the gun on his reporting date in a previous post).

 

And here's a copy of Elliot's letter.

Elder Elliot Adair, aka Coach Elliot of the OOII Sharks!

Before leaving on his mission, Elliot spent the the past two summers as an assistant coach for the Old Orchard II Sharks swim team in Valencia, California.  Some of the Shark family follow Elliot's blog and we wanted them to know how much he loved coaching the team.  Each of our kids swam with the Sharks when we lived in Valencia, so Elliot was delighted to return as a coach.  It was very important to him that he finish the 2010 swim season before leaving on his mission.  He loved working with all the kids.  He always told us how much fun he had at the practices, meets, and other events.  And he even got paid for it, which really helps since he is paying for his mission himself (with some help from his family).  Thanks to everyone associated with the OOII Sharks for giving him the opportunity to work with the team and for supporting him in his decision to devote two years of his life to serve on this mission.

Here are some fun pictures of Elliot as a Sharks coach, along with a more recent picture with Jason Garrison just before leaving for the MTC.

Elliot's September 23 email

Here's the latest news from the MTC.  Elliot's really happy that his friend Taylor Johnson is in his zone.  He has enjoyed having so many of his friends with him in the MTC.  They are a great group of young men.  Here's a picture of Elliot and Taylor just before Elliot left for the MTC:

I will try to post pictures of other of Elliot's friends who are with him in the MTC, including new arrivals Travis Beach and Ian Loveland.  Elliot gets to see Travis regularly since they are on the same schedule.

And the big news is that Elliot will be singing in the MTC choir at General Conference on October 2.  We'll warm up the DVR and try to figure out a way to capture an image to post on here.  Let's hope he gets a close-up!

Enough blathering.  Here's Elliot's email:

Hola familia!

So I guess this is the good news email. Elder Taylor Johnson is in the new district in my zone! So as zone leader I get to orient him and he lives just a few rooms down the hall from me! So you can tell his parents that I'll look out for him these next like 18 or so days.

Also, I MADE THE MTC CHOIR!! That means that I'll be heading to Salt Lake to sing during the Priesthood Session at General Conference! I'm really excited, have already had 2 practices and will be practicing everyday until the Session. So look out for me!

Elder Travis Beach is on the same schedule as me, meaning we have the same gym and meal times each day, so I'm able to see him everyday basically. And he's doing really well. It's just awesome to have so many friends here.

Entonces (so), everything is going well here at the MTC. Spanish is going very well. In fact I had a good 20 minute or so conversation this past week with a native Spanish speaker from Mexico! I've learned how to teach with no major problems in Spanish and it's really fun actualmente. I feel like my testimony has gotten way stronger and everyday that goes by I am more and more excited to get out to Oklahoma!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! You're awesome and have a great day tomorrow! 32 years old!

I love you all and hope everything is going well at home!

Les Amo!

Elder Elliot Adair

Elliot's September 16 email

Here's the latest news from Elliot in the MTC.

Hey Family!

 

Well, this past week me and my companion were called to be the zone leaders for our branch here in the MTC. That means I'm somewhat responsible for what's happening with 60 or so missionaries. It came as a bit of a surprise to me for sure, but it's all good. It's essentially a call to be an example to other missionaries. Just yesterday I took our new district around the MTC and showed them kinda what's happening. They all looked slightly terrified, but I'm sure I looked the same way coming in too lol.

 

Speaking of new missionaries, I saw Elder Travis Beach yesterday! He seems like he's doing well, maybe slightly overwhelmed a bit though. But if I can handle the MTC, no doubt he can too. So you can tell Brother and Sister Beach that he is alive and well.

 

I really feel like I've gotten into a grove here at the MTC. I find myself studying way more effectively and also am having way more fun. It's crazy though that I only have 3 weeks and 6 days left here (not that I'm counting or anything) before I'm thrown into the real deal. I feel like I don't have trouble expressing what I want to say in Spanish even in, or maybe especially in, teaching situations. Yesterday we had some volunteer "investigators" that we had a fake dinner with (in Spanish) and not only did it go okay, but we all had fun, and then left a good message from the scriptures. I dunno, it's just all going well for me here right now.

 

That's cool though Dad that you could be up here in Provo! Maybe you could like go outside the MTC and start yelling my name or something (chiste! or just kidding en español). But there is a chance that I may be in the missionary choir at the Priesthood session of General Conference. I don't know how likely it really is, but I'll let you know when I know so you maybe can look out for me.

 

And who's Alyssa's teacher? Tell them I said she could do makeups. Maybe that'll get her off the hook.

 

I hope your dance and everything else in your calling is going okay Mom! I know you got it! You're cool and people know it.

 

How are Kim and Keith doing? Just living the newlywed life in Provo.

 

Anyway, I hope everything is going okay and know that I am doing perfectly well here at the MTC. Thanks for everything!

 

Love,

Elder Elliot Adair

New pictures!

Elliot sent a few pictures to us over the weekend, several with unidentified friends and one with Carlton Reininger.  Here are a couple of the good ones.  If you want to see the rest, leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you a link to my Picasa web album.

Elliot's September 9 letter

Elliot wrote a great three-page letter the other day.  He has been in the MTC now for a full month, with another month to go before he reports to Oklahoma City.  His Spanish is coming along well, and more importantly, he is very excited about what he is doing and has a clear vision about the mission he has been called to serve.  He's dodging the flu.  With hundreds of young man and women all crammed together in a confined space, any hint of illness can be a real problem.

Today, Elliot's friends Ian Loveland and Justin Powell spoke in church.  Ian is preparing to serve a mission to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Justin just returned from his mission in Boston.  Another great pair of young men and powerful examples from the Newhall First Ward.  And another of Elliot's friends, Aaron Lee, sent a couple of pictures from his mission in Argentina.*  Aaron lived in Newhall, just about a block from us, for three years while his parents, Robert and Peggy Lee, presided over the San Fernando California mission.  Aaron has been out a year and looks like he's doing great.  Here's a picture of Aaron (left) and his companion with a birthday cake for Aaron's birthday.

* Oops!  Time for a correction, thanks to Peggy Lee.  Aaron is serving in the Peru Lima North Mission.  At least I had the right continent!

And here's a copy of Elliot's letter.

Elliot's September 2 letter

I just got a copy of Elliot's letter from a week ago.  We love his emails but there's something special about a handwritten letter.  He sent some pictures also.  I'll post some of the good ones in a couple of days.  Here's the letter.

Elliot's September 2 email

Elliot wrote home the other day but I've been a little slow in posting his email.  Here it is.  He's been in the MTC nearly a month and seems to enjoy it more and more as time goes on.  I heard a news report tonight on the radio about a serious of small earthquakes around Oklahoma City recently.  He should feel right at home if that continues!

Hola Familia!


See, I've already learned a lot of Spanish, like how to say "hello family!" Everything is still going well, and I'm just continuing to learn as best I can. We had a TRC last night, essentially a test of our ability to speak in Spanish and our ability to teach (a volunteer "investigator"), and it went really well. I felt like when I slowed down I was really able to say what the Spirit was telling me, and I could tell my companion was able to also. I definitely talked more though when it was the Spanish part. He isn't super confident in his Spanish yet, but he can speak it well. I'm just trying my best to help him and encourage him. He tells really good personal/spiritual stories when we teach and it's awesome. It's great to have experiences like that, it's super encouraging and makes me excited to go to Oklahoma. I just want to go and talk to people and tell them how they can be happy! But things are way fun here in the MTC and I'm trying to make the most of it.

Thanks for all the support from back home! Tell Alyssa thanks for figuring that out for me! I got her letter and am gonna write her back today. And thanks for figuring out my camera situation! I really do appreciate that. I've taken more pictures and am planning on mailing my SD card home and some other pictures that I took with another one of my cameras. Hopefully I'll have those sent out today too.

That's funny about your second grader though! It was way fun helping out this past summer with them. "Keep calm and carry on?" I think that's what the saying is.

Also I hope Natalie is excited for coming out here! She'll be awesome. Sister missionaries bring a spirit about them that Elders just can't. It's really impressive that she's made that decision and it'll bless many people.

Well, I hope everything at home is going okay! You all are awesome, just stay strong and know that I love you!

Tell everyone that I love them!

Love, Elder Elliot Adair

Elliot's August 26 letter home

Elliot wrote us a letter the same day as his last email, so there was not a lot of news.  He was excited that Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke at the MTC and he recounted some of Elder Holland's comments.  I especially liked his comments about missionary work being a battle.  Elliot quoted Elder Holland: "We're not shooting bullets, we're handing out bandages."  Elliot explained that these words made him very happy because "all I really wanna do is make other people happy.  And I hope that people will be willing to hear what I have to say."  Somehow, I think they will.  He also told us that Carlton Reininger's companion was in Elliot's student ward at BYU.  Small world.  Here is a copy of his letter.