August 13, 2013

Home:

Thank you so much for the letters!  It is awesome getting one every day!  Oh, I am the district leader now!  I am understanding 90% of everything.  My whole district considers me as the second teacher.  Cool, huh?

I got two letters from Maryann!  She sent them before I got into the MTC, so they were just chilling in the mailbox.

Cool story!  Everyone has been telling us that the first two days are terribly long and SUCKETH!  They weren't bad whatsoever!  I LOVE CHINESE!  I'd HATE being a Spanish missionary (sorry!).

We taught our first real investigator today!  My comp. and I did the best out of our district (he still doesn't understand a lick of it, but he does memorize phrases and words well). 

I gotta go to bed now!  My companion is my height and weighs a whopping 40 pounds less!  He loves LONG DISTANCE SLOW RUNNING! (Yuck.  I made a deal with him.  Choir for gym.  He is so easy going he would have let me have gym anyway.)

I will respond to your letters when I can!  Keep the Dear Elders coming!  THEY ROCK!  Cheers!  Love, Kelley

FIRST WEEK WAPPAH! August 12, 2013

Okay sorry I had to send two emails with pictures... There is a limit on how many pictures I can have per email. WEAK, RIGHT!?

I will now begin to describe my many adventures (or lack, thereof) of my first week.

Ahem.

Do I have your attention?

Tai hao le! (Excellent!)

Alright so this week was not NEARLY as bad as all the old MTC veterans told me it would be. Yeah, I have studied more than I have ever in my life, but believe it or not, IT WAS NOT TORTURE. Studying Chinese is ACTUALLY FUN! Who knew, right?! I love the language! I can't imagine being a Portuguese or Spanish elder. Chinese is just too cool, ya know? Alright so my district... There is a picture of us in the attached images somewhere... We have three sisters (a tri companionship) and 6 elders. My companion is Elder Johnson. We are the most OPPOSITE people you could think of! We get along fantastically though! He is extremely quiet and meek. I love him. Oh did I mention he is a cardio bunny? Yeah, so we go to the gym and he hits the bikes while I hit the weights. We have only been able to go once though... We will be able to go much more this week!

Okay so there was this incredible talk, Character of Christ, which YOU ALL NEED TO SEE! It is by David Bednar. I highly highly recommend it (yeah, this is coming from a kid who DETESTS watching talks soooo.... it means a bunch that I am saying it is so flippin awesome).

The food is awesome. Seriously. I get about two plates of meat, one plate of vegetables, one plate of carbs, and two glasses of milk at every meal. (For breakfast this morning, I had 8 eggs, a whole wheat bagel, two pieces of sausage, a little bit of potatoes-- just a little bit for flavor-- and three cups of milk. Yeah baby, yeah!)

I eat the most by far out of the whole district! (Should I be proud of that? Because I am.)

I am well taken care of here.

Alright sooo my investigator sessions? AWESOME! My language is flowing back to me like I got thrown into the Niagara Falls of language. The Chinese gods have smiled upon me this week.

Mrs. Fisher would be proud.

(Oh PS could you send me her email pweeaase? She is the Chinese teacher at Saugus High)

I understood about 85% of my investigator during the first session, and 95% during the second. We taught him how to pray (he said the prayer-- Booyah) and got him to commit to read the introduction. My companion and I feel like Chinese STUD MUFFINS. (Uh, stud rice rolls?)

Seriously.

Power hour, baby.

I ran into a few people I know! Most of them are from college, so I don't think you'd know any of them (not that I remember their names anyway...)

I ran into Maryann! Took some pictures. That was pretty sweet.

Oh, coolest thing ever.... She taught me the best thing.

Oi means hello in Portuguese.

"OI!"

Is that not the coolest thing EVER?

Chinese is still cooler though, just sayin.

Okay party people, I must be going now!

Take it easy, DEAR ELDER ME PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!

I love those! I WILL WRITE YOU BACK!

Thank you for all the love and support!

See ya next week!

ZAI JIAN! WO AI NI!
ugu

Pictures from FIRST WEEK WAPPAH!

PDay with companion!

Elder Valentine with MTC companion, Elder Johnson 

 MTC District

 

 

Kel meets Maryanne

Kelley runs into Maryann (his girlfriend) at the MTC.

August 10, 2013

Dear Home:

Familia!  Okay, so the MTC...my companion is really quiet.  We get a long GREAT.  Well, I like him a lot.  I don't know if he thinks I am too loud or overbearing though.  Ha Ha.

I am seriously TEARING IT UP HERE.  The Valentine name is getting around already!  We were doing a  mass-joint visit with an investigator.  Everyone was stumped on what to say because this lady was confounding them with  philosophy.  I raised my hand and KICKED HER PHILOSOPHY BUTT (in a nice way) and she agreed to read and pray and take a step in faith.  Afterward, the director asked her what thoughts she had on how the conversation went.  She pointed to me and said, "I really liked what this Elder said.  He knows what he's doing."  (Other missionaries were trying to tell her our faith and she told us she didn't care about Mormon faith--I simply told her it doesn't matter what the label is on the information we are showing her.  I invited her to take a leap of faith with us and read the things which were taught and pray with us to know if these things were true.  I told her she had absolutely nothing to lose.  She then agreed.  WINNER.)

As I was walking out, people were saying stuff like, "That Elder Valentine is a beast."  He He He.

Oh, I also won the last scenerio too.  (There were 50+ missionaries is there).  The Valentine name will be famous yet! 

My companion does not know a lick of Chinese.  I am teaching him all I know.  He is, in a way, my son.  I feel as if I am training him in the ways of awesomeness.  He and I have agreed to run the MTC.  We will dominate.

I am enjoying the MTC!  Erm, last night I had a sick feeling in my stomach about being here for 2 years.  I just need to make it to Sunday, I guess.

I ran into Maryann!  We took some cute pictures.

My P-Day is Monday!  I will tell you who my branch leader is when he is called today!  I love you all!  DEAR ELDER MEEEE!

Cheers!

Love,

Elder Valentine

Entering the MTC

Kel and sister, Sophie, right before entering the MTC. 

This is Sophie, Kel, and Aunt Lori right before he entered the MTC.  Aunt Lori was kind enough to pick Kel up from the Salt Lake Airport and bring him to Provo so that Sophie could see him before he entered.  They all had a great time going to lunch and hanging out at Lori's house.  August 7, 2013

Burbank Airport

The fam dropping Kel off at the Burbank Airport for his new adventure!  From L to R:  Suzanne, Gary, Kel, Marianne, Rachel  Keltner (cousin), and Scott.  He is so excited!