Letter :)

I'm sorry if I didn't email you back today..I'll be back on for a little tomorrow, try to reply to everyone, and send my weekly email! Sorry y'all life is busy.

-Elder Mitchell

(He didn't have time to email again, but we got this AMAZING letter in the mail a few days later...)

Typed, of course.

Mother/Family

What's up!! Sorry I never emailed on Tuesday...didn't have time :/ Hopefully you get this before Dad leaves because I didn't get to email him! 

That is CRAZY that Jake is running for SBO Pres.! He will do great no matter what happens :) Who is all running? Are you still planning on doing the "It takes a real MANE to lead the PRIDE". ? Cause I think that is funny! And perfect for WX too. When do we find out who wins and stuff? 

Is there any way Dad can avoid flying Malaysia Air? Sounds sketchy...he will be fine either way though. That's a crazy trip! Who else is going with him? I don't know many people that have been to Malaysia, if anyone haha, I didn't even know where it was, I had to look it up on the map, it took me a while haha. Glad he is busy though! That's definitely a good thing if he is busy with work. 

Glad the kids liked the package! Sorry for all the candy...that reminds me, did you ever get the package I sent for Christmas? I don't remember anyone saying anything about it, it was just a bunch of random crap. 

I don't give you much (spiritual stuff) to talk about in my emails haha, but I can definitely talk a little bit about those things because I literally experience them every day!

#1. The Change in my life

Well, that's easy! Everything about serving a mission has improved my life. I'm more mature, I actually have a solid testimony now, I know what happened in the Book of Mormon, I know what happened in the Bible too! I know pretty much what there is to know about our church, and why we do things the way we do. 

I'm a lot smarter too haha, my reading is crazy now, I retain a ridiculous amount of information. 3 hours of every day I just get to study! That is gonna help me a ton for college. Social skills improve a ton, there is no such thing as an awkward conversation anymore haha.

Those are just the temporal things though, my life has mostly changed from what I now know spiritually. Why I am here, who I am...an eternal perspective. It has given me more purpose and understanding in literally every aspect of my life. In that book you sent me by Elder Holland he says..."I've said all over this Church that my mission meant everything to me. I believe no young man ever went on a mission and had it affect him more than my mission affected me. This much I know: My mission has affected every conscious decision and aspect of my later life since those nineteenth through twenty-first years of my earlier life."    I feel the exact same way!

#2. How it's changed people I've worked with...that's also an easy one. Anytime someone decides to live the Gospel they are immediately blessed. Whether they realize that or not, and it's so obvious as an outsider and seeing what they don't have vs. when they do have it. I've seen a husband and a wife literally stop fighting and decide not to get divorced because of a message we shared with them. Or the Perreiras, who just got baptized. Ever since we have been teaching them just their quality of life has increased a ton. They are so much happier, they have more family unity, they have new friends, and a new purpose to life. The very first thing we teach people is 1. God is our loving Heavenly Father and 2. THE GOSPEL BLESSES FAMILIES. Read Preach My Gospel pg. 32

One of the biggest things you notice as a missionary is the difference between people that do have the Gospel vs. people that don't (or people that are living the principles). But every day you get home and just think "Wow, if that person just went to Church they would be so much better off."

I've also seen how blessed we are! And our whole community! So far out of the 2 places I have served our house would have been the nicest one in the whole city. No joke haha, it's ghetto around here. Utah is such a great place dang. The Lord helps me every day, all day. I pray constantly, and I'm always happy!! I read somewhere that probably the best thing you can do for your life is to read the scriptures and pray multiple times a day. Well, that's super true. 

Hope everything is just dandy as heck back home. I'm sure it is cause our family is probs #1 in the world! Like you don't even realize!!!!!!!!!!

I love you all, I miss you too, time is flying by though! Life is too short to just sit around, you have the choice to make every day a great one...agency homies. 

Love, Your son/brother

Elder Mitchell! :D