Flight Plans

Hey Everyone!

Oh wow!  It has been a crazy week, but before I get into that let me just say...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got my flight plans to Africa!  :)  It's so awesome!  I leave the tenth and get there on the 12th, with a twelve hour layover in London :P.  I'm going to send a copy of the itinerary back home in the mail, so be expecting it.  l have most of the info on my flight and some info for you guys concerning the mission phone numbers, so some really good stuff and you will be able to figure out when I get where and at what times.  That's the main reason why I'm not writing too much about it.  So, yes, I am super excited.  On a side note, I am getting emails from my president in Mozambique, but they are mainly for all the elders who are serving in that area, so nothing too important yet.  With the baggage weight and things of that sort, I am only allowed to bring certain bags on the plane, but I have it handled because I will be leaving most of my shampoo and stuff that I can buy down there, here at the MTC.  I will not be leaving any luggage because I will not have to.  By the way, thanks for the awesome packing job!   I will be taking all the medical things that we packed because I don't want to take a chance on how much money I would have to pay to require those things.

I am coming up on my final week here at the MTC and I am really getting excited to leave.  The food hasn't been any better, but I guess I shouldn't complain because this might be the best area I will have on my entire mission.  I am also glad to hear about Reid's progress in school.  That is awesome. He can still ask me questions about some topics, if he wants and I will try to answer them if it's convenient for him. I am also excited about his interveiw at Flip-N-Out.  I know he will get the job.  He's a hard worker and they would have to be crazy not to. ha ha ha.  Bio-Chemistry sounds interesting and I think he will have fun in that.   It is also good to hear Alex is finally getting some sleep.  ha ha ha  It's good to hear everybody is doing so well and I am glad that Dad is taking to his calling. I guess this is the last week that I will receive steady mail that is guaranteed to get to me so if anybody is going to send any letters, tell them to do it now because in a week I can not promise anything.

This week I had the opportunity to host.  That's where you help welcome other new missionaries into the MTC. Basically, I got to be the missionary that met us at the curb when you guys dropped me off.  Let me tell you, I have never seen so many crying men in my life.  It was a little bit ridiculous.   I wanted to tell almost everyone I saw there that the Lord will take care of them and they should be writing you a letter in less than a week, telling you how great they're doing and when they will be leaving.  But it was an intense experience and it kind of helped me solidify the seriousness of our call to serve. I hope we get called to do it again this week because it was a lot of fun.  

I love that your are finding humor in the scriptures, Mom.  ha ha ha  That is awesome.  Sometimes I think if you don't enjoy what you're doing, your not doing it right.  ha ha But, yes, I have read that part about Enos and Jacob and it is very good.  I really like how Enos prays all day for an answer and I think that actually might be a good idea.  This week I finished the Book of Mormon and I started directly into the Doctrine and Covenants and I mean, wow, I think about how Mormon had to watch the destruction of his own people and not only that but he read about another.  After all that, what does he talk about???  Faith, hope and charity.  Words can not describe the amount of faith, hope, and charity he displayed just by writing those things.  If you get a chance and maybe if you feel discouraged, read Ether 12 and the final chapters of Moroni in the end of the Book of Mormon.  My heart goes out to him and not only that but I have learned so much from that part.  So, if you're going to read anything, read that.  It also brings me great joy that you are able to visit your sisters in the ward.  Too often members don't realize their full potential in helping missionaries and the work going forward and I know that you are being blessed because of the work you do for and with them.  It's like a talk by Elder Bednar that they only play here at the MTC.   You can't find it anywhere else except for here and I wish you could hear it because it is amazing.  It's on the character of Christ.  The basic principle is that at every time in Christ's life he turned out when the natural man in us would turn in.  He explained this by saying the natural man inside us is like the cookie monster in the fact that he wants every thing now and he is constantly turning inward.  Only when we turn outward do we better ourselves through helping others.  When you lose yourself in the work for others, you start to care less about what others think.  It is true in all aspects of life.  I urge you to look for these attributes in the scriptures for yourself.  Even on the cross he was turning outward  and told the two men next to him on the cross, giving them comfort saying, "Today we will be in paradise."  I know these things are true and they will greatly bless your life.  I know it has blessed my life.

Yes, if it is possible,  I would like an absentee ballot.  Also, how is the election race doing?  We don't get much info here and it's kind of hard to tell what's going on.  Grandma said that NBC news did a thing on Mormons and it was kind of one-sided from what she said.  Also, how is grandpa?  Is his back getting any better?  Is he actually letting it heal or is he just working through that? (Grandpa, don't do that, I need you standing up when I get back from my mission so I can give you a proper hug!  ha ha ha ).  

I love you all alot and wish you well.

Your elder,

Elder Proksch