Hey family!! Our Preparation day is on Wednesday's here, and i've been busy all day.. These computers are terrible haha...... The keyboards do double periods and the enter key doesn't work.. So thats that...... Life is going great here.. The MTC is definately a busy place.. Our average daily routine is as follows.. Me and the other Elder's going to Jamaica get up thirty minutes early at six so that we can get our workout in (pushups, sit ups, and pull ups, and the occasional jump roping).. THen we get ready for the day, and breakfast is at 7.. Then we seriously spend all day learning and teaching out of preach my gospel.. Oh and we do have an hour for gym each day.. There is a huge field by the temple and a gym for us to use...... We play basically every sport.... We switch it up quite a bit.. Right now, Team Jamaica is the soccer champions (me and the three other Elders going to Jamaica).. :) There is an Elder from Alabama (Elder Mackey), and Elder from Canada (Elder Trumpet), and an Elder from Arizona (Elder Kartchner) I love them all.... They are great guys!! THe days here are really long, but we learn so much that it is totally worth being exhausted.. I'll admit that the first few days that I was here totally overwhelmed me.. I felt like I didn't know anything.. It was really an eye opener, but they said that is how every new Elder feels, and I am starting to get used to the routine.. I know that I truly am learning by the Spirit, because there is no way that I could learn this stuff this fast,and remember it on my own.. One thing we do here that helps a lot is to teach a ton!! We have "investigators" daily that we contact and teach the first lesson (that is what we are finishing up this week).. The first few times me and Elder Mackey (my companion) taught, we did terrible. We stuttered a lot, and it didn't go very well, then I was reading in preach my gospel at night and realized what we were doing wrong.. Preach My Gospel says that if you will really pay attention to the investigator, and not think of what you are going to say next, the Spirit will bring things to your mind to say.. The first few times teaching, we had totally just been thinking of what we were going to say, so we prayed and promised that we would try this promise, and asked God that he would bless us with his Spirit that we would know what to say.. It works.. THe lesson went amazing and what to say seriously popped into my mind when the investigator was talking to us.. It was great and really strengthened my confidence and testimony while teaching.. I am really starting to be able to teach by the Spirit.. I know that God hears and answers our prayers.. Oh also, we got to meet our new mission president.. We are getting a new one (President Hendricks).. Talking to him made me really excited to get to Jamaica and start to teach the people.. He's an awesome guy.. Well thats all I have time for now.. THe timers on this email time is intense.... It literally counts down.... Love everyone!! Dustan

First day in the MTC

Hey everyone, I don't have a lot of time to send an email today.. They are giving us a bit just to let you know we got here safe.. But ya, I got here safe and sound.... First day is almost over.. Things are going great.. Today we just did a bunch of new orientation things and practiced teaching.. It was actually really neat.. There are three other guys here going to Jamaica with me.. They are pretty cool.. I like them.. OH and the most random thing happened.. I sat down next to a guy at the airport in Salt Lake and we got to talking, and found out he was going to the MTC today too, and also going to the Jamaica Kingston mission.. It was pretty cool.. But ya, things are going great.. I'll email you more next week.. But love you guys.... write me!! :) Dustan.

Three days before the MTC

Hey everyone. This is the only post that i will actually be posting, because after Wednesday, my mom will be keeping this up for me. Today before church we took one last family picture, and I gave my farewell talk on Honoring the Priesthood in Sacrament meeting. And Wednesday, I report to the MTC at 1 p.m. My flight leaves St. Louis at 8 a.m. :) I get set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this Tuesday night. I am so excited and honored to be able to serve the Lord for two years. Well, keep following my blog, and I'll see everyone in two years. :) oh ya.... write me!!