Last Week in the MTC

Mom, Karen and I got short letters from Brian on Monday, 1/25. He said he wrote everyone, but I haven't talked to the rest of the family. It was the first one I got, so I was pretty excited. He said the MTC was going well and he asked about the library renovation I'm doing at work. He said he has been working out a lot in the gym, so he'll look different when he gets back. He said that he hopes that his being there will help me grow and he hopes to see a change in me. We talked about this before he left and we agreed that we would both be changed for the better when he got back. He asked for pictures, so I'm working on his album this weekend, to be sent out in the next package from Mom. And that was about it.

He left the MTC on Wednesday, 1/27 and my parents got an email from the mission president on Thursday that he had arrived safely. There was a picture of Brian with the mission president and his wife. He looked a little tired, but good. The mission president is the guy who is in charge of all the missionaries in that area. His name is Steven Laney and he and his wife are on a mission of their own. Older couples are called to serve all over the world to be in charge of missions. So Brian had breakfast with them, an orientation, a testimony meeting, an interview with President Laney, lunch, a training session and he met his new companion. His new companion is Elder Cameron Boehning. A testimony meeting is where people (missionaries) take turns standing up and telling everyone that they believe the church is true and experiences that have brought them to that knowledge.

Elder Boehning is from Jonesboro, GA. There are quite a few boys from GA in Brian's mission. I only know this, because the SLC South Mission Alumni Website, has a list of current member serving. I keep Brian's profile up to date there. If you want to take a look the site is http://www.mission.net/utah/salt-lake-city/south/. The mission president also sent the address to the SLC South Mission blog that his office mantains http://utahslcsouthmission.blogspot.com/. There are lots of pictures, so hopefully we will get to see Brian in some of them.

All his letters should now be addressed as:

Elder Brian Noll
UTAH SALT LAKE CITY
SOUTH MISSION
8060 S 615 E
SANDY UT 84070