October 30th, 2008 Letter

Mom & Dad!

My MTC experience is coming to an end. I feel like I've been here for years yet at the same time I feel like you just dropped me off yesterday.

Sorry about my departure date mix-up. I hope it won't be a problem. You won't have to take an entire day off Tuesday cuz I should just call you sometime early in the morning.

The pictures are of my district. One's of Elder Kemp and I at the temple. Actually they're all at the temple. What do you think of the power ranger pic and my victorious pose pic? Yeah glorious I know. Okay now look at my district picture. Top row: me, E. Darbro, E. Tate, E. Jensen, E. Clark, Sis. Maughan. Bottom row: E. Kemp, Sis. Choi, Sis. Grahn, Sis. Biggs, Sis. Stratford.

Yeah Elder Kemp's going to Long Beach with me. Hermana Choi & Elder Clark will be in Long Beach with me too.

I'm way excited to hear Hannah's recording! Hey Dad, Jenny Lewis is the lead singer of Rilo Kiley so I do have one of her CD's with that band. We saw them in concert so I think it's kind of funny you're getting into her music now. Lucinda Williams is pretty amazing so that's great you've discovered her.

A fourth Canadian came into our zone and he's from Alberta! I think his names Elder Prunell or something else that starts with a P. One of the Canadian Elders named Elder Irvine has a really strong accent and I heard him say "hoser" the other day! That made me very very happy.

I'm not nervous about the airport. Ian Thorley got to go to San Francisco to get his visa cuz France is weird and he said the people in the SLC airport treat the missionaries like celebrities. He's probably over-exaggerating...[sorry but...did I spell that right? Every letter I re-evaluate the digression of my English skills...] but he said someone bought him lunch.

I've been running a lot still and doing lots of sit-ups. I almost have a 4-pack! Progress! And my weight seems to have found a happy spot at 130.

Mom I know you don't want to hear this but I'm excited to go somewhere where there's more time and less competition for ironing clothes. To put it briefly I haven't got to iron very much. But that's why someone somewhere invented "wrinkle-free" eh? And I'm excited to go to the store and buy bleach. Bleach that's actually meant for whites at least.

I met another guy at the TRC who just returned from Long Beach! Despite what he said about Compton I'm still excited to check out Compton. And apparently Lakewood's a fun place too!

Well next time I'll be sending you a letter from California! I'll call you on Tuesday!

I LOVE YOU!

Love

Elder Tyler Lewis

October 30th, 2008 Letter to Hannah

Hannah!
Hola hermana! Thanks for the bundle of letters! They made my day. It sounds like you're learning lots of cool stuff in school. I'm not sure what a dioram is but I'd love one! Sounds like you've got a lot of Zelda to play! And unfortunately missionaries can't chew gum but thanks anyway!
So you almost got another puppy? That'd be way cool! I sure miss Rosie. And you. And Mom. And Dad. BUT I am really happy to be a missionary. Are you excited to get a phone call from me on Tuesday> I'm leaving on Tuesday now, not Monday, cuz that's just when the rest of the Long Beach missionaries are leaving I guess.
The MTC is kind of boring sometimes. This week's been way busy because Elder Kemp and I have been teaching TONS of lessons.
Today's the 30th so I guess tomorrow's Halloween. Nothing special about Halloween when you're a missionary. I think I'll wear my new brown sweater if it's cold enough. Missionaries can't wear sweaters with really bright colors. They need to be "conservative".
This week another apostle spoke at the Devotional: L. Tom Perry. So I've heard from 3 apostles at the MTC. Cool, Huh?
I heard an old man fart in the temple today. That was awkward. But I guess you can get away with it when you're that old.
Well next time I write you I'll be in CALIFORNIA! And I'm sure I'll have a lot more to tell you about then.
I LOVE YOU!
Love
Elder Tyler Lewis

October 30th, 2008 (Email)

Hey!
My plane leaves Tuesday November 4th at 8:20-ish in the morning! I'm almost out of here!
I'm way excited to associate with gangsters and not eat cafeteria food! This week Elder Kemp and I taught 32 lessons. The class goal was 50 lessons per companionship but that was causing frustrations and contention because it was getting in the way of people's studies so the Fifty has been shot down. Now we're just preparing to leave.
This morning I did a double session. 4 hours in the temple. And I didn't get to eat a celestial breakfast so if this email's short it's because 1. I'm starving and 2. this is my second attempt to write this email. I don't dig the MTC computers.
This week's Devotional featured L. Tom Perry! That's the 3rd apostle devotional! That'll be my last devotional so it definitely ended on a high note.
Well this is my last P-day here so I"ve got some laundry to do and some lunch to eat and some letters to write.
The Church is still true!
Love ya and Happy Halloween!
Elder Tyler Lewis

October 23rd, 2008 Letter

Dear Mom & Dad
Tendinitis?! Shitzu+Bulldog=?! Wow, those are two things I didn't know existed.
First off: 1. Money's all good. 2. Laundry's all good. 3. I don't think I need the face medicine stuff. But if I do I'll let you know.
So now that I can't have a beard I absolutely have to shave. What a joke. It's almost an every-day-deal now. I think it's cuz I'm around all this testosterone now. I do miss the ladies. At least the normal ones.
No there's not any mice inside the buildings...as far as I know. but they're defiantly all around the buildings.
That new teacher who served in Long Beach, Hermano Cat, said he got to serve on Catalina Island. He said he got to baptize people in the ocean! He said we'd be teaching 50/50 English/Spanish. That's way cool! Latin people have what missionaries call "believing blood" cuz they just kind of go with what you say with little need for explanation. And I 'm really excited to get immersed in the thug-life. I know I need to be really really careful but I'm still excited to have guardian angels in the form of gangsters. Compton's not supposed to be the most sketchy place. Hawaiian Gardens has that reputation now.
I got called to give a talk on Sunday about Hope. It was neat to give a Spanish talk for the first time.
This Sunday's devotional featured a member of the Seventy named Elder Mask. He gave a great talk about his grandfather who had to go serve a mission when he had a wife and a baby son. His grandma & grandpa loved Nephi because of his attitude: "I will go and do!"
Yeah I'm excited to leave before winter hits. I'm loving this Fall weather though. I'm wearing my fitted shirt today and I've had about 50 comments or something. It's like no one's seen plaid before. People did it because of the sweet buttons I guess.
Mom thanks for your thoughts on Elder Scott's talk. I definitely have a testimony that learning comes through trials too. Yours and Hannah's letter ended my mail-drought this week. And Dad I loved the blog entry. I hope your tendinitis heals.
Well now I'm going to write Brandon. Not much to say. Things are pretty...consistant...here at the MTC. I love being around more people who love Talmages Jesus the Christ. Did I tell you my district's the oldest for a couple of weeks now. Elders Tate & Jensen are Zone Leaders. I think I told you that already. Things should get more interesting in a couple of weeks. I get my flight plans TOMMORROW! Did I spell that right? Tomorrow? Tommorrow? Nope I spelled it wrong. English, why hast thou forsaken me?!
Love
Elder Tyler Lewis

October 23rd, 2008 Letter to Hannah

Dear Hannah,
That's so cool you're going to be a werewolf for Halloween! Here it sounds like my Zone's going to put the name Elder Lewis on their name tags since there's 4 Elder Lewis's now. Oh man that's sad a guy from Pink Floyd died, I hope it's not David Gilmour. I hope Rosie hasn't really forgotten me! That'd be so sad. I liked your song by the way! When you go to church on Sunday you should ask your teacher what Resurrection is.
Yes, I love rainbow chewy frogs! I used to eat them all the time in Jr. High. I just ate lots of rainbow chewy frogs and drank lots of Mountain Dew, and now I'm short.
A new teacher started working at the MTC named Hermano Cort. He just barely returned from his mission in Long Beach! He absolutely loved it there. Sounds like I'll be teaching lots of Spanish-speaking, English-speaking, and Gangster-speaking people. Do you know what the word Ghetto means? If you find out, that's pretty much where I'm going. It'll be SO MUCH FUN!
Well I'm still doing the same stuff. Class, Spanish, Cafeteria food, meetings, devotionals, laundry, temple, teaching. Nothing really changes here except for the people who come and go. My go-time is coming up real soon! Can't wait!
That's a "rip-off" your teacher doesn't do art! Oh well. Enjoy school as much as you can. School was fun.
I LOVE YOU HERMANA!
Love
Tyler