first email we received on Feb 27, 2009

oi, como via (how are you). so i got my visa yesterday!! I'm flying out to brazil Tuesday. they said i can call home today and tell you guys but my email account just got set up so I thought I should use it anyway. i hate being away from computers its so hard to not try and find loop holes when i use the computers here too lol. like everything is locked down... no hot keys no right click no nothing. so I cant make batch files and stuff. so here at the mtc its way fun way fun. I learn alot. i have written alot of cool stuff to remember. i can teach the first lesson. we do a lot of teaching here. me and my companion teach the first lesson to people who volunteer here in the MTC. so the food is great they feed us well. tell mom that its cold here but not cold enough for me to wear sweaters or gloves. basketball here is what i look forward to everyday. it's so intense. oh we got to go to the temple today in Provo. it is an awesome temple. we did endowments. I sent home my endowment stuff. were not supposed to have it if we leave the country. missionaries get free rentals. well i need to go do laundry. I can call you guys when I get to Atlanta too in the airport. i have like 2 hours of wait time. i love ya dad. keep the business running.

Bumps and Miracles on the way to the MTC

Elder Arroyo left from Jackson to Atlanta at 6:40 am on Wednesday. We waited for his plane to leave but eventually left him to sit on his plane for what we later found out to be his first adventure on his mission. The flight didn't make it to Atlanta on time and he missed his connecting flight to Salt Lake. While there he met 4 missionaries returning home and they invited him to have lunch with them. Hours late, he finally arrived in Salt Lake and couldn't find his luggage and missed his express shuttle to the MTC. Standing alone amongst returning missionaries and not sure what to do Elder Arroyo is befriended by a stranger in the airport that asks where he is returning from. Elder Arroyo tells him that he is reporting for his first day and the stranger asks if he has called his parents to let them know that he has finally made it to his destination. Elder Arroyo responds that he thinks that is agianst the rules to call home. The stranger lets Elder Arroyo know that his ox is in the myer and that it is ok to call home. He lends him his cell phone and helps him to find his luggage being held behind the Delta counter.



The man that helped Elder Arroyo turned out to be Bro. Moore, a former member of his stake presidency, returning home from a business trip with his wife. He also served a mission in Brazil and gave Elder Arroyo some good council on his future mission there.



The man behind the counter helping Elder Arroyo find his luggage turned out to be from the Hattiesburg area and they talked about familiar places and the schools they attended.



I do believe that Heavenly father watches over our missionaries and keeps them safe.

Packed and ready to go

Elder Arroyo will report to the Provo MTC until his visa comes in then he will be off to Brazil.