Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Week 3 – Part 2

Hello my family!

This week has been crazy! I've been running my mind like crazy learning about the Gospel, learning Spanish, and getting things done. My teachers actually are trying to see if I can be moved into the intermediate class which would completely change everything that I have gotten used to here.

Thank you for all of your awesome Dear Elders! and I look forward to that next package! :P

I have a letter in the mail for you that should be here sometime next week. I have some awesome temple pics that you guys will enjoy looking at.

Other than having Elder L. Tom Perry come and speak to us  everything hasn't been too crazy.

Just to underline what my day looks like:

  • 6:20AM wake up
  • 7:00 Class/ Service or Gym
  • 8:00 Breakfast
  • 8:45 Class
  • 1:00 Lunch
  • 1:45 class
  • 6:00 Dinner
  • 6:45 class
  • 9:00 Daily planning

There is Personal Study, companion study and MDT thrown in the mix in there somewhere. It's different from day to day, but yeah they keep us busy.

Can't think of what else to write about at the moment other than I'm loving life here and I'm excited to learn more. tty next week!

Week 3

(Posted by Richard’s Dad)

We sent Richard some questions this week, and he (quickly) answered them.  See below:

Dad’s Questions

  1. Are you getting all the DearElders I'm sending from your missionary friends?  Do you want to continue receiving them?  I'm planning to do it this way until you leave the MTC, then we'll re-evaluate.  For now, however, you should be averaging 1+ DearElder just from your mission buddies.  It will be expensive to send you 8 sheets of paper each week, so we may only put them in packages once you're in CA.
  2. Did you get the answer on whether your ldsmail email address is sharable with non-family members?
  3. Have your companions told your family about your blog (http://richardsmission.blogspot.com)?  They may want to do so, since there are several pictures of your companions up there
  4. How do you like the MTC choir?
  5. Share some experience while on the phone with investigators.  We'd love to hear about it.
  6. Do you have snow yet?

Richard’s Answers

  1. yes I'm getting all of the Dear Elders from my fellow missionaries! I'm very happy to get to hear how they are doing out in the field. So yes, please continue to send them
  2. Yes, my email is able to be distributed and I can be mailed, I just can't mail them back.
  3. I don't believe that I told my companions about my blog yet... but I can tell them about it and see if they think their parents would care to know.
  4. The MTC choir is enormous and is a pleasure to sing in.
  5. You should be getting my letter here pretty soon, you'll get some of my experiences from that.
  6. It has snowed during the past 2 days, but it hasn't begun to stick yet. Here's hoping... gotta change brb

Hopefully we’ll get some more substance soon :-)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Elder Mackelprang Has A Visitor

(From Richard’s Dad)

Brittany (Richard’s cousin) worked at the MTC and had a chance to visit Richard for a moment today.  She sent an email and a couple of pictures (included here) for you all…

Hi guys!

I stopped by to visit my old roommate who worked with me at the MTC and some old co-workers today. I got to see Richard, or should I say, Elder Mackelprang, for a few minutes. He is doing so well! He just glows. My friend, stopped by his classroom on Friday to find out what his schedule would be like for today so I could plan my visit accordingly, and she called me and said that he was just sitting in his room and diligently studying. She was really impressed with how dedicated he was. I can honestly say that I had the same impression as I visited him today. He is really excited about being a missionary! He said that the Spanish is coming fairly easily for him- mostly because he has already taken so much Spanish. They were considering moving him into an intermediate Spanish district after his second week here, but by that time it was too late to change everything.

He is learning so much about the scriptures and shared some of his great insight with me. What an example for all of us!! He said that he has been able to do lots of teaching in the Referral Center and has had quite a bit of success there. The Referral Center is such an amazing place.

He was about to leave to go to a "Teaching Appointment" when I arrived. That is where there is a teacher who role plays as an investigator and the missionaries practice teaching according to the needs of their investigators. I didn't have a lot of time with him because of that.

From what I can tell, he is doing extremely well. He is actually excited about the snow storm that we are expecting tomorrow (I, on the other hand, am not). It was really fun to see my "baby cousin" as a missionary. He is going to be incredible. You should be proud of him. His testimony shines through his eyes!!!

I have attached a few pictures. Forgive the quality- I only had my blackberry.

I hope that you are all doing well.

:) Britt

Here are the pictures:

image Britt, Elder Mackelprang, Elder Bingham, Elder Zufelt
image Elder Mackelprang, Elder Bingham, Elder Zufelt
image Britt & Elder Mackelprang

Thank you for the note and pictures, Brittany!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Oct 21 2009

hello everyone! just to answer the previous questions that my family had for me:

How do you like doing jumping jacks to the names of the apostles (or do they even do that any more)?

no we don't do the jumping jacks thing

How many times did you pray yesterday?  (I want to share this with my class to give them an idea of how different missionary life is).

I pray at very least about 12 times every day

What's the weather like now?

The weather has turned a little chillier here, but nothing uncomfortable.

What's a "day in the life" of Richard like now?

I'm in class approx. 13 hours everyday it was long during the first few days but now the time is zipping by me. It helps to have 50 minutes of Gym time which I rock out with hard-core missionary 4 square.

Do you have a place to weigh to track whether you're progressing or regressing?

I do have a way to track my weight, and I'm doing well at holding it down

What's the policy on giving out your email address?  I haven't shared that with anybody except immediate family (i.e. me, mom, Leah, Jenna, Josh).  Check with your ZL's to see who is allowed to email you, and I'll share it with them as well.

and I'm pretty sure that most people can email me, I just can't email them back... but I'll double check that one.


Well I've had many spiritual experiences and have heard many great messages from the Lord's servants from the Quorums of the Seventies, and it's helped me become more focused and helped me have more of an idea of how to effectively use the Lord's time.
I laughed when I read Dad's comment about what have I done with my name and what I've done with my time, because I used that story in a spiritual thought a few days ago.


Things are moving by so fast that even when I write in my journal it's hard to remember everything that has happened over the course of the day. I know about all the big meetings and events, but remembering all of the small meetings of people you know and things that set these days apart from each other.


I have met at least 7 people from my BYU days, and it's been really awesome to be able to sit back and talk to them about all that has happened, but only for a few moments, since we're almost always busy doing something.


My district is really interesting. I I'm one of the oldest Elders. The Sisters are older than me by default, but the way our district interacts with each other is funny. We all have fun joking around with each other and becoming closer friends. Oh, and you'll never guess where 7 out of the 11 people in our District is going. Tucson, Arizona Mission. How crazy is that! It's was funny to see and hear that they we're going to our Hometown. Don't get me wrong Cary is my Hometown too, and I always say that I'm from there, but Tucson is the town I was raised in so I'll always have both as my hometowns.

Tell Josh that things will get better, and the harder he works in school the faster time will fly until I'm home again. I guess that Leah and Jenna are doing pretty well if they haven't put up any complaints...


And I'm sorry that I'm not around to help out with the renovations of the house. Just make sure that you don't make things too hot for when I get home :P.


I hope things continue to get better at home. I still haven't gotten the package from you guys yet... hopefully soon. Tell the kids to dear elder me once in awhile, it's great to hear from you all. I'll have my journal with me next time to tell you more about my experiences here.


I know this church is true and that it will bless our lives and the lives of our families as we strive to do what the Lord has commanded us and I know that Joseph Smith is one of the Lord's prophets and that the Lord restored His true church through Joseph and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Richard’s Companions

(this post is by Richard’s Dad)

Richard mentioned that he has two companions: Elders Zufelt and Bingham.  Here are some pictures of them:

Elder Bingham

Elder Bingham is from Kayesville, UT.
Elder Zufelt Elder Zufelt is from Flagstaff, AZ.

Elder Mackelprang

And here’s Elder Mackelprang.

Richard Pictures

  (this post is by Richard’s Dad)

The family sent a few pictures of Richard from when he visited them in Mesa / Gilbert on his way to the MTC.  I thought I’d add there here for you all to see

This is Richard and Dixie at Aunt Diana’s house.  Sep. 28, 2009.  Dixie has been around since shortly after Richard was born.

Richard and Dixie

This is Richard and Daniel Mackelprang, Richard’s cousin at Aunt Diana’s house in Mesa.  The gazebo is brand new (as of this summer).  Sep 28, 2009. Richard and Daniel
Here Richard is at his Uncle Michael’s house practicing his electric guitar playing in Beatles Rock Band.  Kenny, Richard, Brandon in front, Grandpa and Stephen in the back.  Sep. 29, 2009. Richard and the Band
Richard and Taylum.  It looks like Taylum intends to use him as a drum.  Sep. 29, 2009.

Richard and Taylum 1

Richard and Taylum playing Rock Band.  Sep. 29, 2009. Richard and Taylum 2

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Again

Hello!


Yesterday we heard from Elder Evans from the 1st presidency of the seventy, or maybe it was just from the 1st quorum of the seventy... but he taught a really awesome lesson about having faith in the Lord and in using the BoM the way it was meant to be used in teaching investigators and how we need to trust the spirit to witness to them as they read in between appointments, and that if we look in the first couple of pages of the BoM in 1st Nephi we can find the doctrines we are teaching to our investigators! It rang true to me because it reminded me of my Patriarchal blessing and how it prompted me to focus my studies on the BoM and how it was meant for our day, and yes I did get my package, and I loved it, didn't get Matthew's letter though... I'll be getting a letter to you soon too.


Leah will love coming here, she'll probably be outnumbered 10 to 1 missionary-wise... but she'll love it here. They have good food here and I try my best to refrain from eating too much.


I can't think of what else that I would like to say except that I've seen lots of friends from my BYU dorm days! It's great to be able to see and talk with them again, but I gotta go bye!

hello part2

Well... It's great to hear that everything back there is going well and I hope things continue to improve. I hope Joshua feels a little bit better about me being gone, but I know that he'll still miss me. I hope Leah is doing well in School and is not getting too stressed out, and I hope that Jenna is learning to enjoy her Freshman year even if she's still adjusting to the fast pace of the teachings and the large load of homework.

Don't miss me too much! :P  I think that it's great that Dad has been doing even more yard work since I've been gone, just because I'll just get home and stand there gaping at everything that's changed when I get back. (For however long that I will be home... before going back to BYU)

Well I used up several minutes registering for my account, and for those who want to send me mail tell them to send it to: <<Address withheld - family use only>>. I'll do my best to get a couple of letters out today, but today's schedule is already scheduled to be pretty busy... we're going to the temple now so I'll have to send another one to you guys and one for you guys to forward to Kayla. (Yes it's allowed.) Adios! (Don't worry I'll tell you more about what's happened afterwards.)

Hello!

Well it's my first real P-Day this week! I've survived! No, I haven't had as bad an expeirence here like Elder Watkins did. I've enjoyed every minute of it, especially learning and teaching Spanish to my fello Elders and Sisters! I'm in a trio because one of the people that was supposed to show up never did. So I am with Elders Zufelt and Bingham. I love them both and we're getting to be good friends! I'm probably going to be sending several emails today so just keep an eye out!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Letter from Provo MTC Presidency

Dear family of Richard G Mackelprang,


We are pleased to inform you that your missionary has been safely checked in at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  We thank you for supporting your missionary and know that your family will be blessed as a result.


Your missionary's mailing address while at the MTC is:


Richard G Mackelprang
MTC Mailbox # 168
CA-SRO 1207
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793


Please note the following items:

  1. Your missionary's service began today.  Please do not arrange or request visits with your missionary, including meetings at the temple or in proximity to the MTC.
  2. All missionary mail must come through the US Mail or commercial delivery services.  Hand delivered items will NOT be accepted.  Do not send pizzas, fast foods, ice-cream, or any items that will spoil if they are not refrigerated within 24 hours.  Missionaries are not called out of class to receive packages, nor do they have access to a refrigerator.
  3. Communicate with your missionary weekly through letters sent to the above address or through the email account that the missionary will set up within the first two weeks.  This account is to be used by immediate family only.  Telephone calls for missionaries cannot be accepted.  Your missionary will correspond with you on his/her first preparation day.
  4. Families and friends should not plan to visit missionaries departing to their field of labor at the airport or MTC.

Should you need to communicate with the MTC call 801-422-2602.  Do not reply to this email.


Sincerely,


Provo MTC Presidency

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Richard’s New Home

(posted by Richard’s Dad)

Here is an image of the MTC that sits between BYU and the Provo Temple in Provo Utah.  Richard is in one of the buildings below.  The MTC is at 2005 N 900 E, Provo UT.  We’ll post contact information for sending email / letters / etc. soon.

Map picture

Here are a couple of the pictures we took when Richard flew off to see his friends and family last week before General Conference and reporting to the MTC:

Technorati Tags:

In The MTC


(this post is by Richard's Dad)


Richard sent me a chat at work today -- unfortunately I didn't have my chat window visible so I wasn't able to reply back to him, but here's what he said:


2:52 PM me: See you in 2 years! I love you!
2:53 PM bye!



(the me in this case was Richard).


I'll post versions of the emails that he sends to us here when we get them.  I'm also going to setup a feed to facebook so these same posts will appear there.

Note that this is a moderated blog - Elder Mackelprang neither reads or (directly) writes to this blog. This is done by his father.