So a few interesting things happened this last week, and I
don't get much time to type a whole lot so I’m typing as fast as I can so I can
get most of it (if not all of it) down on paper. Since I have to write two separate
letters to my branch president, my time is cut quite short to write to all of
you back at home (or in Utah).
So as you who have been on missions may have already
figured out by the double letter thing to my president is that I have been called
to be Zone Leader. It's quite exciting but really crowds my schedule. I get to
welcome the new missionaries that come every Wednesday, teach them how to do a
lot of things, and if they have problems or questions, they can come talk to me
and discuss them. I also hold weekly meetings with my District Leaders (DL's)
and also with the branch presidency.
Since the MTC wants special musical numbers at almost every
meeting that has more than one zone attending, they are in desperate need of
accompanists so when I was playing with a small group of Elders from my
district, I heard them saying that if they didn't get an accompanist soon, they
wouldn't have enough to play for all of the meetings. So, I volunteered, and the
moment I did, they had me play a song to audition (I played
Remembrance from the album), play the song with my district, and then they had me accompany a
singing duet who were right after that. Then they told me that I was their most
talented accompanist, and then told me to find a solo church song or arrangement and
audition it for next week (I can hear you groaning and thinking...dad..."I hope he
knows what he's getting himself into"). The first song (with my
district) did well enough to be assigned to play at the departure devotional
Sunday afternoon and the Duet one got assigned to play at the Sunday Evening
Devotional. I'm pretty excited to play 'cause those are both pretty big
meetings where the majority, if not all of the MTC occupants attend.
Getting pictures to all of you while I’m at the MTC is
probably going to be impossible as the computers here are very restricted, I’m
surprised they let you move the mouse around.
My p-days are Friday at the MTC but if anyone wants to write
me a letter,
Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please
Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please
Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please
Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please
Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please (he had 1228 more pleases)
write me between that Same Friday and the next Monday. The
MTC gives me your letters in printed format no matter what and I don't have
time to read your letters and respond to them in the small window of time I
have to respond to them. So PLEASE write them between Friday and Monday
(Tuesday's okay, but any later starts becoming difficult).
If any of you have any questions for me, please ask them, I’m
happy to respond.
So let’s see...what's something all of you would like to
know?
I Know! How about my average day at the MTC? First we wake
up, then we eat breakfast, then we go to class for several hours. After class,
we get to eat lunch. After lunch, we go back to class. After several more hours
there, we get to have Dinner. After dinner, we go back to class until 9:30 when
we get to go back to our residences, do whatever until 10:30, then go to bed.
It's all pretty simple.
On P-days, it is so unstructured, that we almost always have
nothing to do. We do laundry and get to write letters while that's going on, go
to the temple in the afternoon, and then after dinner, we go to class for 3
more hours and then go back to our residences.
Sunday is the day where we have meetings, followed by
meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings,
followed by lunch, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by
meetings, followed by Dinner, followed by meetings, followed by meetings,
followed by meetings, followed by bed time.
And then the week starts over again, and well...not much
different happens.
I just want to thank you all for your support and wish you
all the very best, and remember: if you have questions, ask and ye shall
receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and MTC security will remove you from
the campus (so I wouldn't recommend doing that)
I love you all!
Elder Sands