David’s letter from July 6

David’s emails come on Tuesday’s which is his preparation day.  This letter is one of our favorites so far—ok, they’re all our favorites.  This is slightly edited to remove personal messages, but we especially appreciate his testimony:

I think this computer completely works. Awesome.

As most of you should know, I was called as the District Leader. This was supposed to last for four and a half weeks, but they released me on Sunday due to extenuating circumstances. Those circumstances being that they've asked my companion and I to serve as Zone Leaders. Basically that makes us the District Leaders of District Leaders. It'll be a lot of work, but I know that the Lord will give us the strength and wisdom to fulfill that calling.

The days here are starting to blur together. I've been writing a page in my journal every night, but lately it's been really hard to remember what happened earlier in the day. It doesn't feel like three weeks have passed, but it definitely is still daunting that I've got 101 left. No matter how you look at it, two years is a long time.

Although I say things like that from time to time, do not misunderstand me and think I do this work grudgingly. On the contrary, I have grown to love missionary work more than I ever thought possible. I mean, just think about it. We have the key to salvation. We have the authority of the priesthood, which was lost after Christ and His apostles died. We have the Book of Mormon, which is far more than powerful, irresputable evidence that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and that Christ visited the American continent. It contains the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a modern prophet who can receive revelation for the church directly from God. We know why we are here, where we came from, and where we're going. We know why families are important, and that they can be together forever. And most important of all, we know exactly how to receive personal guidance directly from our Father in Heaven. This is something that we don't think about often. We don't really know what we have. These are things that everyone is looking for, and we have them. I want you all to know that I, at least, somewhat recognize the glorious things we have. I have receive personal confirmation from God that this church, the Book of Mormon, and everything contained therein are true. I could never deny that, nor would I. The guidance and strength that I receive from the Lord are far too important in my everyday life. I couldn't make it without them.

As for the classes here, they've been great. Remind the boys again that it is literally work from the beginning of the day to the end. We don't generally receive homework, though, simply because there's no outside-of-class time to do it. But I'm learning a ton. Not much new as far as the gospel is concerned, which I suppose I can blame on being born in the church, but my testimony of this great work has grown even firmer. My Spanish is growing more than just about anything else. Tomorrow is our first of many days to come in which we are not allowed to speak English. We'll just have to see how that goes. I've already taught the first lesson a few times in Spanish, and it went pretty well.

Fun story really fast. Me and Elder Millett were contacting around the MTC and found some native Spanish speakers, which is crazy nerve-wracking. Anyway, it went okay, but then Elder Millett mixed up the words "casa" and "cama" toward the end, asking them if we could come by their beds later to teach them more. Way funny.

Let's see. I hope you got my pictures and such that I sent. And sorry I missed Stacey and Steven's birthdays! Happy Birthday! At least I remember that Julie's is coming up. I don't really have much I can send as a present, though. The MTC is pretty barren besides the candy bars and such you can get at the bookstore.

The people here are great. Everyone, with very very few exceptions, knows why they are here, and are willing to work. The spirit we feel here all the time is incredible. You all have to keep me up to date on what's happening at home, though. I'm glad to hear Michael's Eagle Project is finished. It'll be nice to be able to relax for a bit. A little advice for you boys, though: Things only get harder as you get older, so just get it done. It's not worth complaining about. Just enjoy how little work you have now. And if you think you've got a ton of work, just trust me. You have no idea what a ton of work is. If you really want proof, try doing your eagle project in Spanish.

I've only got a minute or so left, so I'll just finish by saying I love you all. Sorry I can't get individual emails out. I've heard that we have a lot more email time in the field, so I'll try to then. Thanks again for the love and support!

Elder Arrington

PS: You can ignore in my last email when I said we had too much candy. Thanks for the package!