Hi Family,
I sent you a letter with travel info on it and more. But I am afraid
the mail won’t make it to you before I leave. So here is the info.
I have to be at the MTC travel office at 9pm Sunday night. So I do get to
call you at the airport Sunday night and it will probably be around 10 or 11 pm.
I have a calling card that I bought here at the book store. So I am
covered on the money situation for it. Here is the info on the
flights. I leave here at 1:00 am and arrive in Atlanta at 6:28am.
Then I leave Atlanta at 7:25 am and arrive in Pittsburgh at 9:02am Monday
morning. My flights numbers are SLC to ATL Delta 2324 and ATL to Pit Delta
1383. So there is that info. Please
Dear Elder me asap so I know you got this message. Like I said I sent you
a letter with more info on other things about my stay here over the past few
weeks. I just was not sure if it would make it in time.
Love you,
Elder Muir
An additional letter coming in the mail was great news for this fresh missionary mom who hadn't heard anything from her missionary for 7 days :) Let's just say that getting the mail is now the high and low of my day...fantastic if there is a little cream envelope and heartbreaking when there's not.
I knew the mail should only take 1 day to arrive from Provo so I waited and waited for the mail to come on Friday. Dave got the mail and of course told me there was nothing but junk; however, he likes to pull at my heartstrings and overactive tear ducts. Indeed, there was a coveted cream envelope, but Dave didn't realize the letter was addressed to him. It was a Father's Day greeting just for him and it was the best gift that he got.
June 13, 2013
Dear Dad,
This is your Father's Day card/letter. You may get it before Sunday and you may get it after. I really don't care when you open it either.
So this has been one of the most challenging weeks of my life. I honestly don't know how you survived puking all night in the MTC (side note is that Dave got really sick from eating turkey tetrazzini at the MTC or so he says :) and he warned Zach to stay away from it). I would have wanted out immediately. But I know since you stuck through it that is why you became such a great missionary.
I know we may not always see eye to eye, but I truly look up to you as a great example in my life. I love how you magnify your calling and honor your priesthood. I really love how you do those two things.
Ultimately, you are the greatest father I could ever ask for. Thanks for your great example!!!
SO HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Love,
Elder Muir
It was great to hear from Elder Muir and Dave was touched by the letter. I, on the other hand, was elated because I knew that was not the letter that he referred to in his email. I knew there would be something else with a little more info coming in the mail tomorrow :) The letters were both dated June 13th but somehow they got separated in the mail...go figure.
June 13, 2013
Dear Family,
Well I have survived the first week. As you probably have seen in the email, I have had a lot of up's and down's which you probably figured I would. I have also struggled a little with getting out of my comfort zone. But I know over time it will get better. Elder L (companion) has been awesome. but sometimes he is really slow @ getting ready or eating dinner. That makes it hard sometimes to be on time to things. Unfortunately, I sometimes am homesick but I think I was expecting that and you probably were too. Elder L & Elder W are the other elders in our room. Elder L is a cousin to the J's in our ward. I was reminded of that when you told me they were moving. Everybody in our zone is going to Pittsburgh. Yesterday the elders in our district gave a sister in our district a blessing because she was really struggling with homesickness, that was really cool.
I want to know how you are holding up with no one home and how it went after you dropped me off at the MTC. I'm glad Derek is enjoying Germany. Honestly, sometimes I feel like this is prison because you can't really see outside much. Like I said before, we went to the MTC for the first time in history for the devotional. Look it up on KSL, you'll probably see the story there because all the news people were here because it was historic. I saw Elder W from our ward at dinner last night and he seemed like he was doing good.
I love you and miss you and can't wait to hear your voices on Sunday night even though it will be short. Also no more packages with food, I have tons left and I don't really have time to eat it. You can send stuff when I get to PA. I just don't want to pack anymore than I have to. I love you!!!
Love, Elder Muir
xoxoxo
P.S. Also, the walk to the Marriott Center was awesome because I could see the valley.
It was great to hear from him; however, I was a little worried that talking to him on Sunday night might make him more homesick and I didn't want that to happen and it's hard to tell how he's really feeling through a letter. However, at least he didn't tell us that he had asked for a blessing to help him with his homesickness so it couldn't be that bad....right??? As far as holding up goes, we are holding up and yes it is lonely in our house right now. Megan went to girls' camp for 4 days last week and it was really lonely. She is the one that is really suffering and has decided that being an only child is not all that it might have been cracked up to be. Luckily, the ride home from the MTC wasn't too bad because we immediately had to start focusing on getting ready to get Derek out the door and to the airport the next morning at 6:30 am. He headed to Germany for 3 weeks for a school foreign exchange trip. As we told Zach, staying busy is the best cure for homesickness and we've been very busy at our house for the past 2 weeks. Our busy stuff is mostly over now and summer can officially start; however, it's just plain WEIRD!!! Never though our nest would empty so quickly, but we are 2 weeks down, only 102 weeks to go...YIPEE!!! In 2 weeks will be able to start singing 99 weeks of the mission left as our countdown....and then we'll have to start over again. Life is good!
