Week 2 Complete: Letter from David

Dear Family, (and who ever reads this!)  

Thank you all for the letters! I got them all from Mom, dad, julie and brandon, and Wendi and of course Katie. haha Brandon thanks for your letter. 

There are pretty bizarre kids, i mean elders, here but my district is pretty normal for the most part. except for this one kid. He is the most cockyiest kid i have ever met in my life. everybody wants to just tell him to shut up. No one can feel the spirit when he's talking. Its like he' s trying to impress someone by being a missionary. idk. 

But my comp. is pretty cool, he's like me we quote movies and songs all the time. we're becoming like best friends now. Youre right I am getting bombarded with spanish but im learn a crap ton of it. Thank you for the pictures! I hung them up!

Julie thank you sweet girl for your letter! Im glad your learning and using what i write home about. Especially about humility. Thats cool that you have improved in dance thats aweome! I once again aced your little spanish test! but you messed up on some spanish actually haha keep working hard in school and dance!

Dad thanks for your letter! I sent you one like on saturday? i dont know. You'll hopefully get it soon. But mom already sent me Jesus the Christ but thank you! Im glad you and the whole family are staying in contact with Katie! I love that and so grateful for you guys for talking with her. That makes me feel a lot better.  

That would be awesome if you could update your books. You should do that!. Your right letters here on the mission ARE oxygen!   Everyone here in my district are getting letters but im getting the most haha mostly because of my sweet katie haha.

I'm taking my usana dont worry!  I sent my memory card with my pictures to katie. she should email them to you!

Mom I miss you! and i miss all of you guys!  Thats crazy youre putting christmas stuff up! I kinda forgot about christmas actually. It doesn't even seem like christmas here, besides they have lights up in some places.

And that I study for 9 hours a day. Thats not even a joke. I have 2 class times both 3 hours each where I "learn" spanish then 3 more extra hours where I do personal study time then another hour for language study time haha so 10 hours a day. My wieght gain has actually....gone down! I've lost 3 pounds so im back to where I started at 185. Just stopped drinking soda for every meal. Now i drink apple juice in the morning and poweraide the rest of the meals! 

My days here are pretty much the same. wake up at 6:30 except for my P -day. I wake up at 5:30 so we can do laundry before everyone else so then we can have a 5 hour nap in the afternoon when we actually have time to wash our clothes. I love all you guys so much! I really do. Being here away from everyone makes me love you all more!

Since the last time I wrote you guys a lot has happened. I wrote you guys at 6 in the morning last waiting for my laundry. But I went to the temple later that day. It was amazing! I fasted that morning because before then I have had a HARD time missing Katie A LOT. It was killing me inside. she means the world to me and I didnt want to lose her. But I fasted so I would recieve an answer if she would wait or not. And I DID recieve an answer! 

It was the most real, profound answer I have ever had! It helped me a lot thats for sure. Katie has already told you like you have said mom. so im not going to write it. But it was the most real thing ever.

Well friday I cant really remember what we did. all the days are like the same. They start to blend together. Saturday we have service time. And our district has to clean a dorm building. And my comp. and I had to clean the pubic/butt hair from the shower drains in the whole building! It was freaking nasty I about threw up haha! Well anyways on Sunday it starts out the same as any other day. But then I have like 4 meeting cause Im district leader. It kinda sucks but there cool at the same time. I learn a lot in them. 

Then we have preisthood then sacrament ( which is all in spanish) haha They randomly choose whos speaking like 5 minutes before they have to speak so you have to prepare a talk in spanish. So i did but i didnt get chosen. On sunday night we had a devotional. The BYU mens Choir came and sang the whole time but through out some songs someone from the choir would share a little something from their mission. 

Monday we got 2 new investigators to teach..which they both are our teachers. But my comp. and I taught one on monday, It went alright,. I can understand spanish a lot more now so thats good. We just taught him the first lesson. 

Then tuesday we had to teach the other investigator in the afternoon.  But that morning I wanted to be able to say the 1st vision in spanish so it would be more powerful. So I studied it for like 2 hours and I got it done..in spanish. I said it during the lesson and I felt the spirit so strongly when i was speaking spanish! it was awesome, I just had to look at the scriptures once cause i forgot one word which was sanalando which means he pointed. 

But after class m teacher came up to me and said " holy cow good job on the 1st vision. I felt the spirit" I asked him if i pronounced everything correctly. He said most of the words but a few of them were wrong but he still understood it. haha thats okay ill get it soon enough. Yestrerday was a good day except for the morning. It was pretty rough. I woke up and ALL i was thinking about was Katie. I was missing her like crazy. I just wanted to cry but I had to hold it in. It was so hard! We had breakfast then class. I was on the verge of crying the whole time. I was missing her a lot! But halfway through class my teacher started talking about faith. I started listening. He had us read the bible dictionary about faith. what it said helped me a lot.

"Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of god that he gives to his saints." then I wrote a question down "How can I increase my faith?" then I started writing down my thoughts and feelings. here there are.

In my patriarticle blessing it talks about how I will be called, prepared to go forth and preside over the saints in zion. It says I will do this because I showed exceeding faith in my savior in my heavenly home. I desire for the great faith that I once had in heaven. Im striving for it. I have faith heavenly father will watch over katie while Im gone and I have faith in katie. I know we are going to get married! Becasue of my hope and faith that we will get married and faith in christ, I saw a glimpse of our future together. I believe Heavenly father showed me that so I know for a fact so I dont have to worry. SO I can focus on the work, His work. Help people recieve and have what I want for myself. Which is to be sealed to the love of my life forever, for all time and eternity. To live with my family in happiness and rightousness in the sight of god. I have faith God will help me accomplish this if I help him first with helping other people hear/ have this amazing gospel.

Here at the MTC, Im on an emotional roller coaster. Im really happy and cant wait to teach people. Im doing well with spanish. Then sometimes Im on the verge of crying because I miss katie so much. I want to be sealed to her already. I want to start my life with her already. But thinking about all that, Im being selfish. I want the blessings of this gospel for my family, and my future family. But thats not what its about. I need to help god by helping other families that dont know about this gospel. Who dont have the blessing you can get from this gospel. I need to serve the Lord first, then He WILL help me out with my own life with Katie and my future family.

That was what i wrote down! 

Well family and katie and wendi and whoever else!   I love you all! I'll write next week! please write me too!

Love, 
Elder McNamara



If you wish to send David a letter, here is his address:

Elder David McNamara
MTC Mailbox #105
Mex-Tamp 0128
2005 N  1900 E
Provo, UT  84604