May 4th, 2011

Hey! I hope everyone has been having a good week so far. Dad you better watch out, mom is going to just be living part time in Utah before you know it with all these grandchildren! haha. I got the package you sent mom and dad. Thanks so much! Claire is so beautiful! Keep sending me pics! haha. We aren't allowed to listen to music here in the MTC but I will definitely be putting that to use once I am in country. I was very disappointed when I found out that you can't listen to music here. Apparently, some elders brought Bob Marley and Jack Johnson a couple of years ago and thought that was uplifting music... haha. Anyways, thank you for that and all the cd's you've sent me! It has been another great week here in the MTC. I am loving life and even more, I love being a missionary! I get my flight plans tomorrow I think so next week I will be able to give you specifics on exactly what times I leave and what airports I will be going through. I am so excited! I have never been more anxious for anything in my entire life! haha. Something really cool that has happened this past week... another sister from Armenia got here last Wednesday. Her name is Sister Manukyan. Only thing is, she doesn't speak ANY english. haha. So the four of us Armenian speaking elders have been trying to sit by here at all of our meals. Its been such an amazing experience to talk to her. The other sister (Sister Harutsyunyan) spoke english so well that we would resort to english when we couldn't say anything but you can't do that with Sister Manukyan. I've had a couple funny experiences with her. The first time I met here, I walked up to her to say hi and after I said hey, I completely blanked! haha. I was like, oh crap. haha. She was speaking so fast and it was going in one ear and out the other. Luckily, I redeemed myself after that experience haha. Like I said, we try to sit with her at all of our meals and just talk to her. She is the only one here that speaks Armenian and her companion is Korean so we try to look out for her and make sure she is doing well. From what we can tell and what she has told us, she is loving it! I've been surprised at how much I understand her now and how much I can actually say to her. I'm so glad that I've had this wonderful opportunity. Its really helped me and blessed me a lot. Before she came I was nervous about getting to Armenia and about being able to speak once I get there. But I have come to realize that I need to stop worrying about the language. It was a good reminder that I haven't been called to speak the Armenian language, but I have been called to serve and to teach the Armenian people. I know that I have been called to Armenia for a reason. There is no doubt in my mind. And I know that God would never ask me to do anything He knew I wouldn't be able to do. At our devotional last night, Elder Ellis of the Seventy talked about faith. He had talked about all these stories from the scriptures about faith such as Ammon, Peter walking on water, and several others. But then he shared the story Elder Neilson told in Conference a couple years ago about the heart surgery he performed that had never been done before. And after he told it he looked at us and said, God knows the most advanced forms of heart surgery. Do you think he knows missionary? Do you think he knows your language? It was great. I've been thinking about that a lot. I know that God is well aware of all that is going on in each and every one of our lives. Like you have said dad, He IS in the details of our lives. And there is nothing that is placed before us that cannot be accomplished, so long as we have faith and trust in God. I know these things are true. You all are in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know how you all are doing! I love you all so much and I hope you all have an amazing week!

 

Love,

Elder Fairclough