Christmas in the MTC

Hey everyone,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It sounds like you all had a good Christmas. I'm really glad you got those movies so I can watch them when I get back. And Kadin that wand thing sounds pretty cool too. Nothing sounds better than a new roof for Christmas. That's probably the best present you guys got haha. Ok probably not. That doesn't sound too fun. All of us St. George elders have been hearing about the rain down there. It sounds like there was a ton of water but everything was ok because they were prepared. If ye are prepared ye shall not fear. Oh before I forget, I need Jeff and Jen's address. They sent me a package and I need to write them back. They gave me a whole box of fresh mangoes. Not just the dried mangoes from Costco, but the real fruit. It's so good. Also have you heard anything about my license? I'm pretty sure it should be done by now. Maybe check up on that if you get a chance.

Well Christmas in the MTC is awesome! We had a little Christmas tree set up in our room and we put all of our packages and gifts underneath it. On Christmas Eve we set it up in the middle of our room and piled all of our stuff under it. It was awesome. We woke up Christmas morning and got ready like normal and then opened all of our gifts. Please tell the deacons quorum thank you for the package. They sent me a whole bag of dried mangoes, peanut M&M's, candy, a hacky sack, a tennis ball, and letters. It was really nice. I also got some Christmas cards from some of the ward members. Those helped make my Christmas special. On Christmas Eve, we got to watch Mr. Kruger's Christmas and eat popcorn. That was fun. Then on Christmas morning we had a missionary talent show. It was awesome. There were some hilarious performances. Jesse you'll appreciate this. Two elders sang "Tribute" by Jack Black but changed the words to missionary work. It was so sweet. After that we had our Christmas dinner for lunch. It wasn't too bad, but I was full from all the mangoes and M&M's and food I got. Anyway after that we had a devotional. Russel M. Nelson and his wife spoke. He is such a good speaker and he knows so much about the gospel. After that we had our sack lunch dinner in our rooms. Just a humble sandwhich and chips, but once again I was still full from the food I had been eating all day. Then we had a fireside. It wasn't a typical fireside. Two guys that volunteer here acted out "A Christmas Carol." They were really good. But we did have a special guest. Elder Nelson decided to stay and watch the fireside too. So we got to see him again that day. Then the next day we had a special Priesthood meeting. Elder Nelson came and spoke to us. Again. All he used was his scriptures. He talked about the gathering of Isreal and our role in that. He taught us a lot. It was definately one of the best Christmases I've ever had, if not the best. It was nice to kind of forget about the stress of missionary work and the classes and just enjoy the weekend. I now know what the Christmas spirit is and the true meaning of Christmas. To be honest, I didn't really miss you guys. Well I did. A little. But I'm with my other family here. Thanks for all the prayers and support. Give the Dorius family my love this weekend. Enjoy the holidays. Talk to you next year.

Love, Elder Dorius