Monday, July 30

Dear family!

I'm still having an amazing time.  We got to go to the temple this morning. We were assigned the 630 session, and when we got back breakfast was closed so we have nothing to eat until 11:30.  I already filled one notebook all the way and am now working on the next.  Its kind of a journal and note taking thing.  The gyms just opened back up but I haven't been able to use them yet.  Volleyball on the sand courts is a lot of fun, and I might keep doing that if basketball is crowded.  Its not often I'm outside.  My district is still really fun; every teacher we have says they've never seen a district like ours.  I haven't taken many pictures at all.  The food is good, I love it.  A big group from our branch just left for Chicago this morning, so we will be getting some new people right next door.  I'm really excited to leave for Vegas.  I guess it'd be really nice if I could get some more socks.  Those ones from Kohls were good.  Some ties would always be cool.  And beef jerky.  Time is going by so fast, it's ridiculous.  I hope High adventure and EFY were fun.  In our branch I have an Elder Seibach with whom I have mutual cousins.  I don't know him real well but we've played volleyball a few times. 

Love you all,

Elder Pyron

Monday, July 23

Dear Family,

  Thank you so much for the letters! They've been great!  I'm having a great time here, I am so excited to go teach in Vegas! I don't really remember what things I said in my first letter so please forgive me if I repeat myself. Sorry I didn't get any pictures to you.  I'll probably send my SD card soon.  I feel like I've got the hang of this down, it already feels so normal.  Time goes so slow though, it feels like I've been here for weeks.  The foods all right, I mostly like all the fresh fruits I can get at every meal.  Unfortunately the gym has been closed for renovations, but beach volleyball is fun.  Even worse the temple up here is closed for a while, but we were still able to walk around it on Sunday.  My districts great, I think I mentioned that in my letter.  And dad, I have seen all of the Elders you mentioned; I see Hadley and Scott everyday.  When I first arrived I set goals for organization and note taking, and I am known as the most organized note taker in my district.  I have a 6x10 notebook that I have filled 50 pages with notes, thoughts, questions, and feelings.. with a glossary with 25 major gospel topics, and sticky tabs marking different questions, testimonies, and thoughts.  I have also begun a project of filling a few notebooks with my own 1-2 paragraph summaries of every chapter in the Book of Mormon.  I've got a ways to go, but I am very confident I can finish it, especially with the unbelievable amount of things I've already learned.  I am consistently running into scriptures that make me think, and I have done by far the best job in my life at looking them up, recording findings, learning through the Spirit, and recording everything.  I think that what I have had the most fun doing is finding Bible verses that completely outline the Plan of Salvation, the Fall, repentence, Atonement, Godhead, and a lot more.  I'm so shocked by how much there is in even just the Bible.  "True to the Faith" is one of my favorites and helps me a lot with certain things, but could you help me with a few things that I think the internet could do a lot faster?  Like maybe a timeline that marks major Bible events, including the apostasies, and has the Book of Mormon's major events as well?  an article that really covers the Law of Moses, an article on the history of the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants?  I don't have much time, and I realize Jesus the Christ and other books would be a great start on many of those things, but some of those things would be very much appreciated.  I never realized how easy it was to search and learn with scriptures, it is seriously mind blowing.  It is a lot of fun too, I get really caught up in it.  My grasp of the completeness of the gospel is amazing, it all fits together so perfectly.  Like almost every single scripture it seems.  I love you all.

Love you all,

Nathanael

Wednesday, July 18

Dear Family,

So after I was dropped off, my host took me to my room and I saw both Hadley and Miles...or Elder Faught and Adams.  They both told me I’m set if I can make it to Sunday.  I’ve seen tons of familiar faces, especially from BYU-I basketball, so a lot of head nods, and brief “Hey, where are you headed?”  So initially my host dropped me off in a classroom, and after we were all introduced it was noted I was the only one not headed to Eugene Oregon.  I was led to the Vegas West room, where I saw the faces of two friends.  Elder Parks, who is a mutual friend of Warren from school and I had actually ridden in his car and eaten with him in school…And my companion Elder Lane was my semester long partner in my first semester stats class.  He is from Colorado.  He’s a cool kid and I’m really lucky to have him as my companion.  In my new class not a single person is from Utah or Idaho.  I really enjoyed the new class and the Spirit was strong there.  I am and have been extremely excited to form bonds with people, where I can relate different aspects of the Gospel through my own experiences, to people of very different backgrounds, situations and trials.  The few times I have formed these relationships have been great, memorable experiences.  I told the group how excited I was to form those testimony building experiences and the joy they bring to both parties.  I found a possibly new favorite scripture that outlines the mind set I had coming into the MTC and am really excited to live it in my mission.  It is in Alma 31.  The classroom discussion we had was fun, and an Elder had found it was the hottest in state missions, an average of 2 degrees hotter than Phoenix.  That is so different than Novosibirsk.  My teacher said the Lord probably just wants me everywhere and I said I hope that that is what it is.  After we left class we went to a meeting with all new missionaries.  He called out states individually and Virginia had about 10, which is more than all states east of the Mississippi.  For Idaho he picked on random individuals to ask if they’ve ever picked potatoes, what time they get up to milk the cows, and if they’ve milked one in the past week. And it was ridiculous how many answered yes, 430am, and yes.  I just thought that was really funny.

I was starving during that meeting, but they promised that if we live by the mission rules we will return with no regrets and if not you will have regrets.  Lunch went smoothly; I got fed great and saw many more familiar faces.  I called it lunch, but it was really just a dinner at 415, so I’m hungry now.  Later we went to classes where we had about 100 people and a real investigator.  We had a rich, smart politician from Haiti who read about the church in an economics book and called Salt Lake.  I was able to volunteer and share things I learned from writing my farewell talk, about Alma 32:33 and faith as a choice and experiment.  He was a very smart and practical man, curious about wealth and unholy motives behind many religions, especially to the people of Haiti and the relationship with the commandment of tithing.  He was straightforward and could be intimidating, as he picked out missionaries at random to question, and was very difficult to answer.  He was a very well read politician with a lot of real life experience growing up in Haiti.  Hearing other missionaries and their struggles made me much more confident in my own knowledge of the Gospel and ability to recognize the needs of different people.  I am so confident and excited to serve in Las Vegas right now, and so far I love it here.  I have to go to bed soon, but I am very excited to hear from everyone.  A few more hangers, a manila envelope, more pens, a small note pad and granola bars/crackers/protein bars would be great.  And I mean a notebook about scripture size or a little bit bigger.  Temple pictures and tape would be nice as well.  Oh and a tie hanger.  Thanks for all you did in helping me prepare, and you all will be in my prayers.

Love,

Nathanael