Rise and Shout!

 

Cosmos and Greg, Marshall and Truman on row 1

By Greg: 

Today is Saturday, it is a special day, a day to get ready for Sunday.  We are going to wash our clothes, and brush our hair, so we will be ready for Sunday. It is also a fun day, for us.  Today is our “P” day.  The young missionaries stagger their preparation days and you can tell which ones are on their day because they are out of uniform for part of the day.

 

I don’t know if I have said enough about the food.  Last night they served Papa John’s pizza.  Hey, it was Friday night.  They were serving it out of boxes.  How many pizzas did they have to order to serve 2,700 hungry missionaries?  Imagine being on the other end of that phone order!

 

Debi, of course, has always chosen wisely and gone straight for the more healthy choice.  I have decided to sample the local fair.  I have had steak sandwiches, lots of different soups, cookies, a donut or two, and on Wednesday night they turned the salad bar into an ice cream bar. 

 

Yesterday Debi wanted to go down the hall and weigh herself.  They have a little room with a couple of exercise machines and a scale.  I think it is mostly used for weighing bags.  Well, she just had to know!  I convinced her to wear her clothes.  I reasoned with her that her African skirt and blouse did not really add to her weight.  She came back happy, so I am happy.

 

As part of the training here, we do a lot of role playing.  One day we were asked to meet another couple that played a less active member of the Church.  We all did so well with this situation.  I wondered why it seems that often we cannot share our love and testimonies with those we love the most.  Sometimes, love gets in the way of love.  Maybe someday it won’t, and everyone will know that we are children of a loving Father-in-Heaven and we are all his children and he wants us to be happy so he has provided a plan of happiness for us.  We are not trying to control anyone, or force them to be like us. We just love them.

 

We went to the BYU vs. Weber State football game with JB, Laura and boys.  Parley got sick so he and Laura went home early.  We had so much fun, but it was hot (get used to it Elder and Sister Haws).  The boys got to see Cosmos up close, and I let them wear my name tags.  For a while there were several Elder Haws’s.

 

We are packed and ready for our journey.  Our next post will be from Africa. Now a word from Debi.

 

By Debi:

Hello Everyone, 

 

We are having a great Saturday here at the MTC.  I had two loads of wash going and we are now writing to our loved ones.

 

This has been one of the most spiritual, demanding, exciting and exhausting weeks of my life.  All I can say is that the MTC is awesome. Right before we left home our son-in-law said, “I am jealous of you.  I wished I was on my way to the MTC.”  That was the first hint of what we were about to experience.

 

We have felt the spirit so strong here and my testimony has been strengthened so much that I feel like we can now go and be the kind of missionaries that we want to be for the Lord.  I have to say how blessed I am to have Greg as my companion.  He is an amazing missionary.  He is my strength and thankfully also my best friend.  We are so excited to spend the next two years together.

 

As a mother I wish every mother could be a fly on the wall and see what it is like inside the walls of the MTC.  I have walked and driven past here many times wondering what is happening inside.  The young missionaries all have smiles on their faces and seem so excited to be missionaries.  They have such a spirit about them and we have been lifted up by their enthusiasm for the work.  But I do have to say that each day I see a couple more Elders with broken arms or a broken leg on crutches or little wheeled carts.  I think their soccer, volleyball, and basketball games are a little more intense than they are supposed to be.  I asked one Elder what happened to his arm and he said that he was the goalie and reached out to stop a ball and it shattered his wrist.  Okay, that was some kind of a kick. 

 

We have also had a really good time watching the Elder’s receiving packages from home.  Everyone is gathered around them trying to see if there is something that can be shared with the District.  Moms, remember to send cookies.  It is the greatest thing here.  It is funny because they can have all the cookies they want at the cafeteria.  But homemade cookies made with love can never be beat.

 

We leave for Africa this Monday at 8:00.  Our flight is at about 11:00 am.  The butterflies are starting to flutter in my stomach.  I am trying to control them but I think they want to make a permanent residence.  I am so grateful for this experience at the MTC.  It has given me confidence and it has given me the excitement to be a missionary.

 

Look out Africa.  Here we come!