1. First Letter Home

Hello family and friends. Today is my first day in the MTC and I am so tired. The flight was nine and a half hours and very uncomfortable but the MTC is amazing. We have had one language class and a Preparing to Teach class. The language is similar to Spanish but the pronunciation is very difficult. Apparently my version of the Missionary Purpose was not very accurate so I have to re-memorize it. I really enjoyed the class though and our main teacher doesn't speak English at all. I learned more in one hour than I learned in two weeks of Spanish in high school. I love the way the spirit is present even in a language class. In our other class, they brought in an actual investigator with a set of missionaries. We were able to listen to the first half of the lesson and then after learning the investigator's situation were asked to complete the lesson as a class. I have never felt so inadequately prepared. Fortunately the spirit was very strong and some of my fellow Elders were able to provide great insight to the lesson.

Well, they only gave us 10 minutes and that is almost up. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon. Hopefully next weeks letter will be a bit longer. I could talk for hours just about today.

Love,

Elder Andrew Jacobson

P.S. There is no spell check so I definately misspelled some things. Love you

I used to have a week left. Now, my mission has started and I have been turning my mound of supplies into several organized stacks. But I wanted to recap the last couple days of preparation. I had a wonderful time at the temple on Tuesday with my Mom, Dad, and Bryan. We did sealings for several of our ancestors. I love the sacred spiritual feeling that comes from any temple visit. Further in the week, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit before Bryan and I left. We toured San Antonio's river walk and visited a mirror maze. I had such a blast with my brothers playing tag in the maze and racing through the mission impossible laser challenge. High score of 5 seconds when we threw a shoe and .8 seconds when we used two people.Texas de Brazil gave us a high quality taste of Brazilian food. Although, I will probably not get anything that good on my mission. I will always keep my card on the green side to continue getting more cuts. Yummy, filet with bacon. We gave talks again on Sunday. Bryan-What A Boss. He gave a talk without a script to test his faith in the spirit. What an awesome first companion!

    I am still at home but this is my first preparation day and I was instructed to write a letter to my family. I love you all and will be missing you soon. I know my letters will get longer and longer as I get more homesick. I hope Daniel enjoys the empty room and Aubrey enjoys less bugging. And Mom and Dad will save on electricity and food. I can't wait to tell you stories of the MTC. 

Love, 

Elder Jacobson (Andrew)

12 Days to Go

Well, I have all of my things packed. Life is kinda boring right now. Bryan and I have been playing games together and watching lord of the rings. I'm super excited. I still don't have word of my visa. I should hear within the week.  I think San Antonio is preparing me for the weather in Brazil. Well.....I'll post again soon. Bye