Josh's First Email!

6/10/2010

Hey Family!

Ive made it a whole entire week at the MTC! im so glad haha we are no longer the news guys at the MTC. My district is pretty amazing especially the sister missionaries! they are the ones who bring the spirit to class every day. Our days here at the MTC consist of waking up at 6 AM and studying and then we eat then we study then we eat then we go to class then we eat then we study some more! it makes for a very long 16 hour day. The food here is hit or miss, sometimes its good and sometimes its not so good haha. My copmanion is from Arlington Texas and if you were to meet him you would think he was out of the movie Friday Night Lights. He is about 6' 5 and 240 pounds so he makes me look small! Ive seen quite a few people that i know here, Terel Nichols lives a couple of floors below me and I got to see Greg Fish yesterday after he arrived and ive also talked to Brother and Sister Porter a few times. Im really liking it here at the MTC now that we are broken in. Our teacher gave us some very inspiring words that are written on the front of my folder, He told us to be a "hell shaking missionary district". I will keep that with me through all my mission to remind me to work hard and not to quit. I got to teach my first investigator yesterday and that went really really good. I was almost sick before we went in to teach the lesson because i was so nervous but i was able to feel the spirit and know what to say. We had the most amazing devotional on tuesday night! we had Elder Hales from the quorum of the 12 come and speak to us!!! it was the most uplifting experience of my life! so as of now im really liking the mtc and i cant wait to get out in the mission field! I wanted to tell everyone not to worry about me, ive have built up a testimony in only a week about prayer, i know that heavenly father loves me and cares about me because whenever i feel discouraged something amazing happens to let me know taht he cares. We missionaries are among the most prayed for people in the world so im positive the lord will keep us safe.
I love and miss all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
Elder Hancock (still sound really weird to me haha)