Calvin's First Email

I have to preface this with a disclaimer: Calvin's emails are for us as a family. I share them here for all to enjoy, however if he has written the names of other missionaries, or families he is teaching, or other information "of a personal nature" about other people, I will edit that out to protect their privacy. I feel their right to privacy should be respected. The same goes with pictures of Calvin. If he has other missionaries in them, we will crop them out because first of all we don't have their permission to post the pictures, and second of all we want to protect their privacy. We have instructed Calvin to get as many photos as he can of just him so that we can post them on this blog. Also, if I add any commentary to the letters and emails I will put the commentary in the traditional [ ] brackets. Oh, and I will edit for typos and punctuation. I might miss some, but I do want this to be readable after all. *grin*

5 June, 2012

Hey its me!!!

Bonjour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am having such a fun time here at the MTC!!!!!! It's great! Mom, in answer to all your questions: Yes we are studying hard, or at least trying to. Dad, every day I think about Captn. Jean Luc Picard and Poiro and Captn. Moroni, and strive to live to those standards. I'm not always successful, but I try to do better. I did get a picture of my dork dot, and hope to get many others. I'm actually drawing many things that I see, so I'm keeping a record that way. There are 5 missionaries in our district. We also have 3 Sisters in our district. Yes districts are set up by language, and all of us are French speaking. My district is going to Lyon, France, Montreal, Canada, and maybe Paris, France. One Sister is going to Montreal Spanish speaking as well as French, but she is a native Spanish and English speaker. The food here is great, but I can only manage one plateful, as well as some fruit, salad and dessert. No, we don't have daily devotionals, but we do have to teach an "investigator" every day. Those are some of the best experiences we have each day. Gym is fun too. We only have language class, then teaching assignment and then maybe a workshop, the rest is study time. Eat sleep study, that's really how you're supposed to live here. No culture customs class. No they don't deliver messages on Sunday, but please still write. You know that scene in "The Best Two Years" [a movie that shows sort of what missionary life is like] where the Elders get their mail and the one rips open his letter with his teeth? I'm still picking paper scraps out of my teeth. PLEASE WRITE. It helps me get through each day!!!!!!!! It doesn't make me homesick at all.

Miranda: I can't write until P day. Please draw more pictures.

Chantal: CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sophie: I love you so much and love imagining your little hands on those letters that i hold.

Dad: I love you too, and want to be the best I can be! Miss you lots

MOMM: Love you soo much and can't wait to tell you all my stories.

LOVE

Elder Messinger

P.S. There is an Elder going to your mission. Watch for him, no Idea when he'll get there! [He actually arrived in our mission within a week of when Calvin wrote this, sadly he didn't come to the Greene Branch, but that's okay! He'll be here for 2 years so there's a good chance he will come to Greene!] LOVE YOU ALLL!!!!!!!!!

I should probably mention that I sign my emails and letters to Calvin "Love, MoMM" which stands for "Mother of a Mormon Missionary." If you don't understand this, see one of the beginning posts. *grin*