Excited to sing in General Conference!

Over 3 weeks have passed since Elder Martin entered the MTC. He only has 2 weeks left and then he flies out October 13 to MEXICO! His past couple of letters continue to be full of enthusiasm for all he is experiencing. Here are a few paragraphs from his letters......
"It's Wednesday and things are great here at the MTC. I received your package. The single pair of dad's garment bottoms were probably unnecessary though. Just sayin'. (oops. I thought he left them) ...Tell Psarker thanks for the ties.(he sent Kade his favorite one) I needed them!..Our devotional last night was Elder Richard G. Scott who talked about the importance of communicating with God with real intent."...The following week Kade said "Our devotional speaker was Elder M. Russell Ballard. I was dead center, 6th row, No big deal or anything. He didn't even have a talk prepared, but it was incredible. He directly answered some of the questions that I had.
"There are a lot of cool things that happen at the MTC every day. My only complaint is that time is going by too fast. I just saw the new missionaries being dropped off today. It was sort of sad :( But, it's cool to see so many missionaries. Any missionaries going spanish speaking will come to the MTC west. There are about 200 people here. We have decided main campus is overrated, though the food is delicious. At MTC west ...(formerly know as RAINTREE apartments-THE apartments Mike and I met at)...we are outside more, have real apartments, and we have the Creamery and Brighams Landing....It is slowly shrinking though since the influx of missionaries is fluctuating down and they will close it soon."
"Oh and I was selected for sure to be in the General Conference choir as a baritone. Practices cut into class time, but it's worth it to get to sing in GC Priesthood session!!!!"    Kade had told us the week before that he thought he might get this opportunity. The missionaries also attended the dedication of the Ogden temple. It sounds like his Spanish is coming along a little better "Estoy aprendar muchos espanol."
"It's my last week as district leader. The cool older district in our zone left this week, and we get 6 new Elders to replace them today. I am going to the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City tomorrow morning to get my picture and thumbprints for my VISA. Hopefully everything works out. Some of the Argentine missionaries have been reassigned due to not receiving their VISAS."
Elder Martin ends his letters with a list of who wrote to him. Thank you all for your support. He really loves to hear from you! We sure miss him but are so happy he loves his mission so far. He made the comment that his life basically revolved around the gospel and food. It's no surprise he is loving it. Don't forget to watch for him singing during the Priesthood session. He said to tell you all Hi. and that the church is true! He also mentioned sending pictures soon. Can't wait!
-Stephanie




















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Worth waiting for!

Finally! Elder Martins first email came! And. it was well worth the wait. Elder Martin sounds good. He writes in such detail and with such humor, I am just going to quote some of his letter word for word.    

Hey, I'm alive! It's been a busy first week here but I made it! Also, Wednesdays are my p-days (the days he gets to check his email). Thanks for the package and the Dearelder letters. 

It's  a totally different environment here, I am still getting used to things. It's not as different as I thought it would be though. I got assigned to be companions with Elder Jeppsen from Tremonton/Garland! So far he is awesome. Im our first branch meeting, I got assigned to be district leader. That has added a little bit of pressure, but I am trying my best. THe Spanish missionaries are at the MTC west at Raintree and Wyview.  We were living at Wyview but then someone decided to get    *dramatic pause  *

BED BUGS! Elder M from UAE, from our distict broke out in a rash yesterday. Since he was from another country, he had arrived early and stayed somewhere else the first night, and got bitten by bedbugs. After going to the Dr., the verdict was we needed to  move out immediately, spray things down and wash all of our clothes. Long story short, we were moved into Raintree by 1 am this morning. We were treated like 

LEPERS, but hey at least I got free dry cleaning.

ok. so at the MTC they give you way too much food. It's pretty good too. But, oh man, I hope I leave this place at normal weight. Im learning lots of Spanish. Elder Meeks is my new teacher and he only speaks in Spanish. I guess it helps me learn faster but I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING. Right now we are teaching Gabby, and she only speaks to us in Spanish. It's crazy. I'm going on faith here, because honestly, who knows if I even make sense when I talk. 

I went to the temple today, and it was awesome. I'm so grateful for the gospel and the opportunity I have to serve the Lord. And, I have a great district! Hermanas Bunting, Stringfellow, and Anderson and Elders M, Lowry, Bragg, Haveron, Jeppsen and myself. I've only met two people going to Pachuca. It's awesome to see all the missionaries from different parts of the world. (buuuuttt a lot are from Utah)

Well, tell everyone at home I say hello! I miss you all and love you tons. The church is true!

                                                                                              Elder Kade Martin                                 

So glad he sounds so upbeat! Especially when he was probably itching all over just thinking he might get bedbugs........:) What a coincidence he is companions with Elder Jeppsen from Tremonton. We knew about him before Kade left. He graduated with Kooper, Kades cousin. They entered the MTC the same day and are both going to Pachuca the same time. What a blessing! 

 If you are wondering about the best way to write Kade, try Dearelder.com. They print the letters and deliver them within a day. Care packages too. The treats cost but the letters are free. The missionaries only have 30 minutes on p-day to read and respond to emails, so getting letters via dearelder or snail mail is actually preferred!

Thanks for your support! I'll try to post weekly. You are welcome to share too. :)
                Stephanie

SAYING GOODBYE....

Wednesday morning came quickly and early! Mike had given Kade a fathers blessing Tuesday night after he was set apart by President Hardy to be a full-time missionary. This helped us all be calm. Parker and Jackson said their goodbyes and we headed out the door. We met Erika and Jordan in Tremonton and headed south. Even though Kade said he wasn't hungry, we stopped at his favorite cheeseburger and vanilla shake place, IN-N-OUT.  He ate all of his food. 

We had a great opportunity on the way to Provo to speak with my cousin, Julie, who just happens to be very close friends with Kade's mission President and family. Brother and Sister Egbert grew up in Elko Nevada and normally live near St. George. Brother Egbert is a Captain for Southwest airlines, (who approved him to take a 3 year leave to serve his church and will allow him to continue his job when he returns) wow! Sister Egbert is....A NURSE! Yay! (IF Kade gets sick they can charter a plane and take care of him as they fly him back to the US)!  Haha. Only moms think up crazy scenarios like that! They have 3 daughters and are Mikes age (still young). This conversation was such a comfort to all of us! Kade was excited and will be in great hands. Thank you Julie for making time for us. 

 After we arrived in Provo, we drove Kade past the apartment complex Mike and I met at that was recently acquired by the MTC for additional housing. Of course he was excited about that...hahaha. Then we ended up at the Provo temple where we forced Kade to take some pictures and visited, and hugged. At 1:01,  (smile) Kade reminded us he wanted to be on time for arrival to the MTC and we drove across the street where we were instructed to unload and say goodbye in 2 1/2 minutes. 

Kade held his composure well though we could tell he was nervous. I looked around and marveled at the Elder and Sister missionaries who were also saying goodbyes to their families and met the nice missionary who would help Kade get settled inside. We all hugged Kade again, and Jordan thought to snap some pictures and really captured the emotion of the moment. 
Even though saying goodbye was hard, and we will miss him so much, we wouldn't want it any other way. Our hearts were full of gratitude for Kades courage and willingness to sacrifice many things to serve our Heavenly Father. We know for sure he has a strong testimony of the Savior and he made this choice to serve based on HIS testimony. We have watched him prepare for this day by studying the scriptures,  attending mission prep,  making good choices, and praying often. I have personally interrupted him on his knees many times. He is a great example to us and we know he will be a great missionary!
And then we got in the car and cried as we drove home. 

Post number 1.

Kade is packing today. We are running around doing lots of last minute errands. Bacon spezzi, Kade's favorite dish is on the menu for supper. YAY! We leave tomorrow, Wednesday the 3rd at 7:30 for Provo. It is hard to believe it's finally that time.