Week 1- MTC

Hey all!!!

P-Day is Fridays in the morning with temple trips in the afternoon usually but today we have class instead because of General Conference. Man this week is going by a lot faster than I thought it would. To start off, I'll tell the story of the first day here. I left mom and dad and was overwhelmed with the spirit and calmed down straight away to stop crying. We went to a room to get our tags, our debit card to take out into the mission field (still haven't opened that letter yet), and got the key to my room, and the ID card for here at the MTC. Then we (my host and I) dropped off my luggage and went to class. I met my companion, Elder Hunt, who is from Ogden area. I met my district as well, I love all of them and we have gotten along so well. I room with Elder Julander and Elder Wride. They are going to the Santa Rosa, California. My entire district is actually going to the Santa Rosa, California mission except me and my companion. I thought we were the only two going to NYNYS. Then we went to our branch and found out there are 3 more elder going and a sister going with us to NYNYS. 

Classes are awesome here. They go by so fast but I learn a ton in them. I have had spiritual confirmations of the truthfulness of the gospel and I already understand how I am going to love the people of New York already. We started teaching Olivia (really my teacher role playing it) but she is so convincing I fell like it is real. We pray to help "Olivia" and her needs like it is real but I guess that is how they teach here. Our district is amazing. The first night we were here, we were supposed to meet with our zone leaders but the hadn't been assigned so we had like a mini devotional/testimony meeting within our district, getting to know each other better. There are so many trials that the Elders have gone through that I feel like my own life was a piece of cake almost. I love them for their example and willingness to serve the Lord to help me become better at loving others like Christ did. My companion said yesterday that he has already noticed how much I've improved since we first met and at that point, it hasn't even been a full 24 hours.  My testimony has double in size since I've got here and days go by fast like I said. I never knew how fast they would go by. I have personal study and companionship study everyday but it is different every day. Elder Hunt and I eat with our district and have gotten to know the zone we are in better last night when we went to our branch meeting. We met everyone there and had a formal testimony meeting where everyone shared their testimonies. The we got our assignments, Elder Lee and Elder Pepper are our Zone Leaders and they are serving in the Provo, UT mission!!! That is the third mission in our branch, the Santa Rosa, Provo, and New York South. Those are all the missions that are apart of our branch. There are 5 Sisters total in our mission with around 24 Elders. Our mission is the only one I think where we get to use iPads at the MTC to train with but they haven't come yet. They said they are working on that but these iPads stay here at the MTC and we get our real iPads out in the mission field when we get there. I have got letters from mom and dad and love them. I finally got mail before I started writing this so I got 2 letters in the mail and found 2 emails. Two from mom and two form dad. I was so excited to see them and it hasn't made me too homesick thankfully. I would be a mess if they did. Love you all and look forward to reading your letters. DearElder is the best way to reach me or to email me here. But Dear Elder comes to me that day while email is on P-Day. I have been told that we will be able to read emails everyday but not be able to respond to them. Until then, DearElder is best. I leave to go to New York on Monday, October 12. I don't have the time yet or travel details but they should come Monday. Again, love you all!!!!
-Elder Heaton