Pics from Kyle

Kyle sent these pictures of his companion, roommates and district:

Elder Millward, Elder Ettinger - companions

Roommates: Elder Wallace, Elder Garfield, Elder Millward, Elder Ettinger

District: Elders Wallace, Garfield, Johnson, Anderson, Best, Lange, Rosengren, Ettinger, Millward

Email from Ames

     So im having alot of fun here. its been a blast. and im still learning lots. Although we only have thirty minutes to email so whatever i dont get finished here i will write home in a letter. 

Im glad your hike was fun. i got the post card in the mail yesterday and it was suuuper cool. i wish that i had my DSLR camera here but its all good. My new camerqa is treating me well. Speaking of cameras though, i Dropped my spare SD card in marens car on the way up. if i could get that from you maren that would be cool. or if i could just get my 4gb card from inside my DSLR that would be fine too. just so i can start sending home all my photos and what not. You guys can figure out which will be easier to do via text. cuz im not about to try and do it with letters :).

     I have gotten a couple letters from lindsley and she said that dad helped her dad give her a blessing. thats super cool. I actualy was able to give my first blessing yesterday. Elder Mortimer was worried about home and so he wanted a quick comfort blessing and he asked if i could give it to him. It was sooooo cool. like way fun experience. i didnt even think what to say once. all the words just came. so sweet. Also a kid im my district went to the heath center yesterday and he has a hernia so as a distric we all gave him a blessing that his up coming surgury could go well. AND my other companion Elder Wylie felt he had some phisical problems slowing him down here so i was able to anoint him and Elder Mortimer gave him the blessing. so i got to give and participate in three blessings yesterday. such a spiritual high!!

     Four Square is great!!!! i played for my first time yesterday because i have been playing alot of basketball and what not but it is for sure the funnest sport. everyone is so competitive and its just super fun because i feel like im pretty good. Got some fast Reflexes. During gym yesterday though this kid approched me, Elder Griffeths, and was all like " Do you have a club foot?" and i was like "Yes?" and he was like "ME TOO!" and i was like "WHAT?" haha. so we chatted a bit. he has had five surguries and he said most of which were done at primary childrens. he didnt go see peter stevens though. some other guy whos name i sorta recongnized, im sure dad will know who it is.

    Im going to try and adress all of moms questions but like i said i dont have a whole lot of time.

Church is awesome. the total block is only two hours :) and there is a devotional in the evening

There are also tuesday evening devotionals, last night we were spoken too by Russel M Neslon.... Yea super dope.

There are 9 Elders in my district, we have no sisters. I am in the only threesome.

Both kyle and i's PDay is on wendsday, so you will be getting an email from him sometime today. he is loving it here as much as i am.

We get to go to the temple every Pday which for me is today and next week.

Im leaving here on the 6th to go to Tucson, i dont have my travel itinerary yet but we know thats when we are leaving, so i only have a week and a half left of the MTC, i couldn't be more excited!!!

Classes and our scheduals are diffrent everyday. although they are the same from week to week.

As far as my back pack goes... I want it!! its pretty annoying carring everything because there are quite a few things... and i cant pack my hot sauce around to meals because when we leave in the morning we dont come back till the evening. thats how busy it is here. every minute is planned out.

     So we went to our first TRC (Teaching Resource Center) appointment yesterday. basicly it could be a member or a non member playing as an investigator. so we just knocked the door and did our shpeal. and we committed the lady to pray about our message and if the gospel was the right thing for her to do. we have a follow up appointment tomorrow :) So stoked.

Well im out of time to write. i will talk to you all soon

I love you all, Im doing great. I hope the house isnt too quite for you mom and dad :)

Love Elder Ettinger

 

PS hows the dog? Does he even realize Kyle and I are gone?

PPS. send some cookies soon. My Comps know you mom as the typical Utah Mormon mom who cooks good :)

PPPS sorry about the spelling. I dont have time to worry about it =/

Email from Kyle

My family,

 

The MTC is so awesome and full of the spirit like all the time, even when i eat! Last wednesday was a boring ice cream day, there was one day,not sure which day it was. where there was an ice cream bar. anyways, my companion is super awesome, his name is elder Millward and we have loads in common, so it rocks big time. my roomates are elder wallace, elder garfield, and millward and myself. Our district is like the bomb, we're for sure the coolest in the MTC. sadly one elder in our district left early. But, we're still pressing on! Today we got to go to the temple! We did initiatories! way fun and awesome!! The MTC is so much fun! i'm constantly smiling and having a good time!! My companion and myself might get a chance to be on the next "district" videos that the church puts out. Remember watching them at home? Anyways, i wish i could look up our blog and see how its going. Kimberli's family says they check it out pretty often. I love you all! And i enjoy being able to talk!! 

To answer Mom's questions... The days are mostly the same like a school shedule. but is slightly changed each time. like when gym is and study time stuff like that...The bed's suck because they're old nasty fleece blankets MEGA itchy!! Yes i got my shoes successfully! Thank you!! and they fit great!! um... sundays are just like...soak in the message days. Not any teaching time. we have church and a fireside.. elder russell M nielson spoke tuesday at the fireside. my Sweatshirt fits well! thank you! Love you lots mom! thank for the questions! love ya!!

Love, elder Kyle Ettinger

Ames' first letter to Maren

Dearest Maren,
The MTC is the dopest!! Ha The days are long, the work is hard, the food is not so much, and there is no free time...And I am So happy to be here!! No joke it's hard and what not, but it is so spiritual and just sooooo fun. My companions, yes I have two of them. A Tri-panionship. EPIC! Both Elder Wylie and Elder Mortimer are so fun to be with and both make me grow and both have different things to bring to the table I guess...I'm learning a lot. ANd am so excited to get out to Tucson. It's gonna be nuts dude! Anyway...I had a bowl of ice cream it's nothing special. Im trying not to get fat while I am in here as there are a lot of chubby wubbies. Haha. That's rude. But true. Anyway, I'm growing a lot both spiritually and emotionally. I get to see Kyle at least twice a day. His class is just down the hall and he comes to meals 30 min after me, lots of fun! Love you lots! Thanks for the support!
Love, Elder Ettinger

*I will probably not post all my letters but the chubby wubbies comment made me laugh way to much to not be shared. -Maren :)

1st Letters

Dear Mom and Dad,
The Mission President wanted us to write a brief letter to home and let you know we're doing good, we're well fed and we have a warm small itchy bed to sleep in.  They told us to keep this short due to the fact of only writing on p-day which is on Monday.  But this is the one exception I guess.  I love you lots!
It's good and fun.  My MTC companion's name is Elder Millward and he's from Utah.  He likes to do downhill biking and stuff like that.  Anyways, better get ready for bed and pray.  Love you guys!
                                                                                        Love, Elder Kyle Ettinger

P.S. I'll be writing on Monday :)  the usual writing day and mail day.


Mom and Dad,
Thanks for your first letters.  I was the only one in my district to get a letter on the first day.  And I got two!  Anyway, the MTC is lots of fun, but super challenging.  I have two companions:  Elder Wylie, he is from Canada and has been on a mission for two months in Vancouver waiting for his visa.  Also, his mother passed away two weeks ago yesterday, but he doesn't let it slow him down.  Elder Mortimer is from Wisconsin and is in the Air Force.  So we talk about planes :) We have taught "mock" investigators and it gets easier every time.  The food here ... not so good.  I mean it's edible, but it's not Mom's cooking.  Anyway. My p-day is Wednesday so I will start emailing then.  I'm doing great and so is Kyle.  I have seen him at least twice a day every day if not more:) So don't worry about us.
                                                                                          Lots of love, Elder Ettinger

P.S. I would like some pictures to hang up and to show people so I would like one family photo, that picture of Kyle and I walking away (if it looks good), and one long hair picture.... got to show the comps. THANKS!

... And They're Off

Wednesday morning, May 18 was cloudy in St. George as we headed off to Provo and the Missionary Training Center (MTC).  As we travelled north the weather got worse.  It was slow going through winterlike conditions.  Ames and Kyle were in Maren's car and slept through much of it while she drove with white knuckles.  So much for sibling bonding.

By the time we got to Provo it was just raining.  The storm had put us behind schedule, so we got our Brick Oven Pizza to go and ate it at Maren's apartment. Then to the MTC.  The missionaries that met us at the curb were excited to be welcoming twins. It's a quick and efficient process there.   We got our last hugs

...then off they went.

The Last Hurrahs

Ames and Kyle really packed in the fun the last couple of weeks before they left.  We took a trip to California where, 'the Captain', Uncle Tim took us to Catalina Island.  Kyle, Ames and Locke enjoyed three days of scuba diving.  They saw a ship wreck and lots of cool fish.

Kyle

Ames

The day before they left, they got to go flying with Ames at the controls much of the time. They flew over Zion, Kolob and St.George.  They saw beautiful sights, flew sideways, simulated a bombing mission, felt some g's and also experienced zero gravity.

Angel's Landing in Zion National Park

Ames, Locke, Kyle, Gary Hawes