4 DAYS UNTIL KOREA!!!

This week has certainly been the fastest and most exciting yet!  Korea is coming up so fast!  Last Friday, out 2 most 'veteran' districts got our flight plans in the mail!  So the districts are divided up basically into half and half of each going to Daejeon and Busan.  But on the flights to Korea, we all split up a bit.  We're divided into 4 different groups: 2 Daejeon and 2 Busan.  And each group is a mixture of the two different districts.  My group is Daejeon 1, and they work about like this:
 

D 1 - Report to the Travel Office 2:30AM Monday (Early!)  and fly to San Francisco, and from there to Seoul Incheon Airport

D 2 - Goes to SF as well, but flies out there 2 hours after us.  Then we're all on the same flight to Korea

B 1 - Another flight to SF a little after that.  Then a different flight (much later) to a different Korean airport closer to Busan.

B 2 - Flies to Dallas, TX.  And from there to Korea.  (That's a lot of flying!)

It's weird to think that those people I've spent literally ALL of my time with the past 2 months are about to go different directions!  I mean, relatively of course.  All going to Korea, but you know what I mean.  We're all super close and know all kinds of things about each other we forgot we had ever mentioned.

The other day, I was basically like a super hero; the usual routine.  After we finish eating in the cafeteria, we put our trays on a conveyor belt system that takes them back into the kitchen to get cleaned.  And as I was walking out of that alcove area where that happens, the sister next to be remembers "My sister's letter was on that tray!"  So I took off back in and snagged it off the tray right before it went back into the kitchen.  So that's a pretty cool story!

On Saturday we did our early morning service like we've done every week, and Elder Murdoch and I got to go and clean a neat little 'secret' office attached on the side of the building.  In the room were a bunch of different blue-prints and layouts of the MTC! Including the tunnels that run underneath! It probably wasn't as big of a deal as we made it seem, but it was still pretty sweet!

Since Sunday was Fast Sunday we had a special two hour mission conference.  And sitting in front of me the whole time was a certain Elder Gardner (for those of you who didn't read last weeks blog (shame shame) that's my cousin that just got here a week ago).  But I wasn't entirely sure it was him, but pretty confident.  You know the feeling.  So I didn't confirm until the end of the meeting.  But yeah, right behind my cousin for 2 hours!
 

Our devotional speaker that night was Kevin J. Worthen, the current president at BYU.  A very accomplished man of course (aren't they all?).  One thing the said that stood out to me was along these lines: "You received the authority of your calling when you were set apart.  But your power in the priesthood comes from keeping the covenants you've made with Heavenly Father."
 

On Tuesday night we heard from Elder Hathen (an Emeritus General Authority) and he and his wife talked about the power that we as missionaries can receive from the temple.  We are given power and protection as long as we're keeping our covenants and God's commandments.
 

We took our suits to the dry-cleaner drop-off on Monday, and should get them back tonight, so they look spiffy and clean for Korea.  On Tuesday was Elder Nybo's (in our district) birthday! So that was a fun time. He's an awesome elder; super diligent and dedicated to learning and doing his best!  We made him a birthday card and gave him a tie!
 

Yesterday we had our LAST Wednesday service at the MTC!  Mile-marker right there! Wow!  As we've been getting so close to heading out to the field, some of us have been focusing on trying to memorize the First Vision in Korean.  I've got the 1st verse down, and some of the 2nd, but it's tricky memorizing scriptures in another language!  But it's slowly but surely coming along!
 

 

Also on Wednesday, I saw another cousin of mine come into the MTC.  Kaylene Awerkamp!  We got a picture together- with Elder Murdoch included.  At the MTC, you can't have pictures with just an elder and a sister as 'a couple,' even if they're your cousin!  It was super cool to see her!  It's especially cool because this is the best place she could be! The MTC is just absolutely incredible!
 

But, next time you hear from me I'll be in Korea!  Stay safe wherever you are and keep being awesome!  Thanks for all of your support! Love you all!