Surprise Picture

Austin's Missionary Companion had a doctors appointment today.  I nice person took their picture and texted it to us.  It was very nice, and a welcome surprise.

LETTERS FROM THE FIELD - Elder Austin Eichelberger - 1st P-Day

Today was Austin's first P-Day and he sent us an email.  If you want to send him a letter at the MTC he can receive it within 24 hours if you send it through http://www.dearelder.com/ (or you can email him, but he can't read email till p-day).  Register for an account on the website so you can track the status of the message, they print them daily and deliver them.  Contact me for any questions.

Here is Austin's email:

Well I'm here in the MTC. The language class is, can you guess, completely in spanish. The teacher maybe spoke two words in English the whole first lesson, but he speaks more and more Spanish as we learn. 

My companion is an amazing young man named Elder Shipley. Elder Shipley studied french in high school but speaks no Spanish and is serving in Mexico, Veracruz (the state). My district includes me, my companion Elder Shipley, and 7 sisters. Yeah its crazy. My zone/branch includes three districts the other two are all elders, one of these is leaving soon. 

I share a room with my companion and my zone leaders. I am the oldest in my room. On Friday we had our fist lesson with a investigator and its was of course all in spanish. We just got to know him and told him what we are all about. Well I did my companion speaks no Spanish but with each lesson we are both speaking more and more. it's weird I can almost completely understand what the investigator is saying at all times because of context but speaking it is the challenge. 

In the second lesson on Saturday we told our investigator Hermano Antonio L. about the restoration and we asked him to read and pray to know the Book of Mormon was true and the Joseph Smith was a prophet. His response was of course I'll read the book of Mormon and pray about it but why do I need to know Joseph Smith was a prophet? We sat there for 5 minutes at least while I tried to say what I wanted to say in Spanish and then we closed in prayer. 

Everyone said just make it to Sunday, well it came and I cried a lot the spirit was so strong and evening devotional was super great and spiritual we watched Characteristics of Christ by David A. Bednar and oh the spirit in the room I cried a lot that night Google it please! 

One Elder from another district has been here 8 almost 9 weeks! The normal is six so why did this happen? Basketball, dunking the ball broke his wrist. ouch. so he is still here and now is my companion too! yep i got a companionship of three! His name is Elder Peake and is great to have in lessons with investigators because he speaks Spanish so well! He helped us teach our new investigator Brain S. and Antonio very much and we committed Antonio to baptism. 

On Tuesday and Sunday we have choir if we so chose and of course I chose, yeah! We sang Praise to the Man in the Tuesday devotional and it was great! Went to the Provo temple this morning really early. Sleeping has been a problem because I CANNOT sleep with lights on and the zone leaders and their district are always up late. 

Anyway, you guys made me cry with those dear elders and please read and/or watch if you can find it the Characteristics of Christ and write down the feelings it makes you feel. Its great.

Love you all. 

P.S. please ask me any questions you have through dear elder. Also I leave tomorrow for the consulate here in Utah with my companion. Dad could you send me my sea-foam greenish tie that I bought for Junior Prom and the tie I got from Emilee for their wedding. everyone here has tie with great stories or great people behind them and makes me sad I left those two. 

Love you, Elder Eichelberger

LETTERS FROM THE FIELD - Elder Austin Eichelberger

We got a handwritten letter from Austin yesterday. His first P-Day is tomorrow, and he will be able to read emails then. If you need his email message me. They gave him time to write Thursday night to let us know he was doing well and when P-Day was. Here is a summary of his Letter:

His companion is Elder Shipley, he didn't say where he is from so hopefully he will let us know in his first email. Elder Shipley came in the same day Austin did, but will be going to the Mexico Veracruz Mission. They are sharing a room with their Zone Leaders, and Elder Shipley is the District Leader. The rest of their District is all Sister Missionaries going to Argentina.

He has seen and waved to, but not been able to talk to a Sister missionary who was in Madrigals with him at Cottonwood. He said an interesting thing about his companion is that he entered the MTC the same day as his girlfriend did for her mission, and he is supposed to "remind him to not hug her" 

He also reports that the food is great  and has challenged us to guess what his favorite gym activity is.....We are also guessing walking.

ENTERING THE FIELD - Elder Austin Eichelberger

Dropped Austin off at the MTC in Provo today. It's weird to think we won't see him for 2 years. After 6 weeks at the MTC he is Xalapa Mexico bound.