First letter!!!!

So, as you've probably gathered from the subject, I have arrived safely in England! The flight to Atlanta was pretty boring, I must say. Once I got to the Atlanta airport and found my gate, I was greeted by about thirteen other Elders- they had all flown in from Salt Lake and were also going to the MTC. That was pretty cool, but it was weird being the only person from the east coast. We all went to exchange our money for British pounds... either we got a really bad deal or the American dollar simply doesn't hold that much value haha because I got like a pound for every two dollars. There was also a guy named Jesus on our flight who had served in the London mission and was going back to visit with his sister. He was awesome and gave us some advice and stuff. The flight to England itself was LONG. I was kind of bummed I didn't get to sit next to any of the other elders hahaha but that's okay, I slept almost the entire time! :) That being said, I was still pretty wiped when we landed in Manchester. Once you got into the Manchester airport, you could immidiately tell that we were not in America anymore- no restaurants or gift shops or anything! It was hard to believe. We then got our baggage and boarded a bus to Preston. The whole "drving on the left side of the road" thing might take a while to get used to! I was kind of internally freaking out just because it looked so strange haha also we drove past this giant building right off the highway for "indoor skydiving", soooo random!

 

Anyways, after about forty minutes of driving, we disembarked at the England MTC. We all went into a big room and met with the MTC President and he gave us a list of things we need to do. It's nice because you get to do things in whatever order you want, I'm really enjoying the flexibility. I have already met with the Mission President's wife and registered for the NHS but I still need to visit with the MTC President... but that's okay because I have like four hours to do that hahaha. Contrary to Elder Redd's advice, we actually get to take a nap today :) if we finish all of our tasks in a timely manner, that is. I actually don't know who my companion is yet, but there's this big meeting tonight where we find out so that should be sweet. There are two other Elders in my room and I recall one of them saying they were from Spain! (thought mom might find that interesting) The other guy in the room is from Utah. Actually, about two thirds of the people that reported today are from Utah haha I'm not sure if that's typical, but they all seemed like pretty cool guys. While I was talking to one of the Elders at the airport, I found out that he stayed in Budge as well! He lived on 3100 so he knows Keaton and Francis haha so yeah that's pretty awesome.

 

Right above my computer is a map of my mission, it shows all of the stakes, wards, and branches. My mission actually doesn't that many areas in London, but regardless all of the areas look interesting. Anyways, how are you guys doing? I want to hear everything! Also, friends: I wrote a few letters on the plane, but I don't have anyones address so write me so I can write you! I don't know how long it will take for the letters to get here though. We'll see I guess. Dad, do you think you could let me know how the Nats have done the last few games/what's happening in the NBA playoffs? I know those are petty things to think about, but hey, I'm curious! :)

 

Alright, well I have two and a half minutes left of computer time so I suppose I should wrap up. My P-days are on Tuesday so that's when you'll be hearing from me next. I love the England MTC- the spirit is strong and the scenery is beautiful! Oh, and the weather is rainy. Obviously.

 

Hope everyone/everything at home is splendid, I love you all.

 

Love,

Matthew