Extra Extra- Read all about it!

Elder Marx sent out his weekly email on Friday. He was experiencing some computer technical difficulties, but here is some of what he had to say:

"This week has been pretty good.. We had this special speaker, maybe you've heard of him.. His name is Robert D Hales.. That's right, ROBERT D HALES! It was sweet.. He gave a wicked good talk and it was really powerful.."

Dallin says he has been having "Reunion Week" since he was running into lots of people he knows- old roommates, people from AZ, people from his wards at BYU, etc.

"My biggest problem is that I hear portuguese but naturally want to reply in German, its a pain.."

For those of you who didn't know, Dallin has taken classes in German and Arabic, so now throwing Portuguese into the mix must be challenging!

Dallin says learning Portuguese continues on slowly. He is struggling a bit with learning proper conjugations for the various verbs as well as structuring sentences correctly. However, reading the scriptures in Portuguese seems to be helping him and he remains optimistic. He sends his love to his family and especially to Molly, the family dog.

"I feel like my testimony has increased tenfold since I got here.. I always had faith and believed but when I get here I realized that to teach I had to know with an absolute certainty and I feel like my testimony has grown as a result of that...I'm doing well, I feel better than I have in a really long time..."

New Pictures

Looks like Dallin is having lots of fun in the MTC. Here are some pictures as proof:

Week 2 Is Through

"Has it only been two weeks? Well it feels much longer. Like a month. Or more. Seriously."

Another email from Dallin! He is doing well and had a great week (especially considering he got 2 packages). He and his district are meshing really well and have a great time together. They still study for 12 hours a day and Dallin can now say his prayers completely in Portuguese and testify without using a "cheat sheet".

"Its been A LOT of hard work here, we've been working on our portuguese like mad getting ready for TRC sessions. My comp (Elder Gagon) and I taught this volunteer the first lesson and we did really well. We were super stoked at the end of it. In two weeks though we have to teach the First Discussion in portugues so that will require about fifteen times more prayers blessings to get there."

Dallin described life in the MTC as a "roller coaster". He said some days it is easy to get very frustrated with the language and then on other days a missionary can bear testimony of the First Vision and bring him to tears.

"Some days its all I can do just to make it back to bed at night and others I am so stoked about everything I don't want to stop working. Its crazy."

Dallin got to go to the Provo Temple on Friday. He says it was a wonderful experience and he had some new insights about things he had never really thought of before. He says that he loves getting mail and DearElder.com letters (so lets send him some people!) He also sees some people he knows from AZ quite regularly so that is fun.

"My testimony is growing leaps and bounds and I know I'm where I need to be and I'm not too worried about my visa anymore (if it comes, it comes. if not I get to teach somewhere else instead). I'm content where I'm at and I am having a blast with my district."

Dallin's district is so close that they have all given each other nicknames. Apparently he is now known as Elder Sasquatch because "I'm large, muscular, hairy and have a similar disposition in the mornings." But Dallin says it is a fun nickname and it doesn't bother him at all.

p.s. Here are the instructions and necessary info so you can write a letter to Dallin on DearElder.com.

1. go to DearElder.com

2. click "write a letter"

3. choose "Provo MTC" and then "Write a Missionary"

4. fill out the information on the envelope (Dallin's box # is 277 and he is scheduled to depart July 27th. You don't have to worry about his mission code.)

5. enter your email address

6. write the letter and then send it!

Any letters written on DearElder.com that will be sent to the Provo MTC are FREE so you don't have to worry about paying anything. (That is why this website is so wonderful!) As long as you have the letter written by noon (UT time) Monday-Friday he will get the letter that day. If not he will usually just get it the next day. Have fun!

p.s.s. If you live in the Provo/Orem area and want to send a letter or package to the Provo MTC, you can take it to the UPS Store at 3214 N University Ave in Provo and they will do it for FREE. Letters are free and so are packages as long as they are 5 lbs. or less. Also, if you get it there to them by 2pm it is same day delivery. Yay UPS store!

First Week at the MTC - Conquered!

"I am having a blast here and I feel like I am growing tremendously here both spiritually and with my understanding of portugues and I know that I'm where I am supposed to be. I'm doing my absolute best to follow all the rules and its rewarding."

Dallin is doing really well at the MTC. He has survived most of his first week there and already we can tell he has grown a lot. Dallin says they study Portuguese upwards of 12 hours a day and by the end of the day he is T-I-R-E-D! He has started playing volleyball and he says that he is actually turning out to be pretty good at it. Dallin got the bottom bunk (which is a good thing considering how tall he is) and he is getting along really well with his companion. He has expressed multiple times his excitement at being on a mission and the reassurance he feels daily that he is where he needs to be. Dallin loves his district (as everyone in it is waiting for their visas) and he says that when they work together they all excel in their studies.

So far so good!

He Survived

Dallin got to send an email out to the parents tonight to let them know 1. he is in the right place and 2. that he is okay and surviving. His new companion is Elder Gagon from Sandy, UT and Dallin says he is "pretty chill". He says life is good so far and that he will send a longer email on his P-Day (by then he will be moved in and functioning on more than 4 hours of sleep).

Another random tid-bit he mentioned in his email: Dallin will be known as ELDER Marx because even in Portugese it is "elder". Apparently they can't translate "elder" properly so they got lazy and so now he is "just rolling with the ingles version".

(Elder Marx sounds so good anyways!)

pictures

First Day

Dallin officially reported into the Provo MTC today. We (the siblings and their spouses) dropped him off around 1pm. Although he was very tired from his early morning, plane flight, car rides, and the excitement of the day, he was very excited for this new experience. We fed him Cafe Rio, took pictures, and sent him on his way. He will be emailing the family either today or tomorrow on how he is doing, his mailing address, and any other tidbits he feels like sharing.