2-27-2013

Hey there everybody! I'm in my last week here at the MTC, and I'm so excited to get out, I'm soooo tired of being here. My companions are not like me at all, so we get on each others nerves all the time, so its teaching us patience, but at the same time I'm just done haha. I've also for the last few days been really sick, and I had to stay at the residence for a whole day because I threw up like 10 times. But today I'm feeling a lot better, so I think it was just a quick stomach flu. And, for our last devotional, guess who we had?! An apostle!!! We had Elder M. Russell Ballard! It was way cool, and I learned so many things from his talk, about how to be a good missionary and about how to come closer to Christ. It was way sweet, and he blessed us apostolicly at the end, and we all stood up and waved, haha. My Spanish is still coming along fine, and I got to test myself a  little bit at the temple today. After we had our last temple breakfast there, we were asked to help in the laundry room. The lady and the man who were instructing us noticed that we had on our SPANISH missionary tags, so they started talking to us real fast. I understood most of what they were saying and was able to talk back without too many errors, so it was cool.

I want everyone to know that I know that this gospel is true, and that I know Joseph Smith restored the gospel on the earth, and that the Book of Mormon is true. Also, I want everyone to know that, even in the MTC probably even more so, Satan tempts you like no other. It's been hard here, and it's been so challenging, but I have loved for the most part my experience here. I know that I'm as ready as I'll be for the field, and I know that the field is ready for me (:

Sorry that this letter is short, but really, there isn't too much to say. I fly out on Tuesday, March 5th. I report to the travel office at 4 am, and then start the flying at 7 am. I fly to Detroit first, then I fly to Westchester NY. I land in New York at 4 pm. It will be a long day, haha, but supposedly the mission home is quite fantastic. I just want a regular nights sleep haha, most don't sleep well here.

I love everybody, thank you for those who have written me and sent me things it helps a lot and lets me know that I have family and friends who care about me (:

Love,

Elder Mitchell Buckley