From the airport to the first area

So after I got done talking to you guys on the phone we went and boarded the plane. It was a small Southwest plane with only 22 rows and we had 15 elders and 3 sisters so I thought I would for sure be sitting by at least one of them. I was wrong. I sat next to a man from Orlando who was flying to Phoenix and had a layover in Salt Lake. He was going to Phoenix for a conference because he is an ER doctor. He is also Roman Catholic and has been ever since he was young. I talked to him a little about the church and he said that he had heard somewhat about it from some in-laws and I guess his daughter's godmother is a member. I told him a little about Joseph Smith and the restoration and he said he had heard of him before. We then just chatted about life and what not and by the end of the flight, I had noticed that he was reading a book by George Orwell (something like that) so I pulled out the pocket size book of mormon I had purchased the day before (which I dearly loved) and said, 'so I see that you like reading. I'd like to leave you with this book that Joseph Smith translated which is about the ancient inhabitants of America.' He took it immediately and said he was very intrigued. It felt cool to pass out my first book of mormon, even though that's not much of an achievement.


The AP's and President and Sister Beck picked us up at the airport and took a few pictures. You've probably seen them on her blog already but it was fun to meet them for the first time. We then went back to the mission home, which is beautiful and extremely elaborate, and ate lunch, had one-on-one interviews with President Beck, and just sat around and slept. I fell asleep on the floor I was so tired. We then had a long orientation about all the rules for the mission and what was going to happen in the next couple days. About 70% of the mission is car/bike based and all of the cars are 2007 and newer. A lot of them are actually brand new which I thought was bizarre. We then ate an amazing dinner (nothing compared to what you cook though Mom) and had a testimony meeting afterwards. Then it was bed time and everyone got out all the air mattresses and slept quite well! The sun rises SO much earlier in Arizona. I thought I had overslept when I looked at the clock and it was only 5:30.

The next morning was transfer day and we went to the stake center to find out who our trainers would be. It was quite exciting waiting there for your name to be called and a lot of elders were freaking out. My companion's name is Elder Cichy, from Alberta, Canada and he reminds me 100% of Dylan. Seriously, same hair, countenance, height, the things he says, even their personalities are alike. But his voice reminds me of Matthew McConahey (however you spell it). He is so cool though. We get along really well and he is very knowledgeable in the gospel and the people love him. A member drove us to our home, which is with Brother Baird who is an awesome guy but we don't see much of him. He let me get unpacked and while I was unpacking, he informed me that Elder Brayden Henrie (one of my really good friends from back home) just happens to be in our district so I called him up and he didn't believe it was me at first, but he and his companion came over and visited for a bit. It is crazy to have a good friend live so close. After unpacking, we took the bikes out and street contacted. It was pretty nerve wracking at first and we would switch off starting the conversations. I can't wait untill I'm better at contacting people and teaching them lessons right on the spot. Elder Cichy saves me quite a bit haha. I can't wait to get to know the people better as well. But of course, only in time will that happen.

Today we were allowed to email because it was Memorial Day on Monday, which is when normal P-Day is. We woke up at six this morning to go play basketball till we had to be back for Personal and Companion study. We met Elder Henrie and his comp (Elder Otto) and then two other elders. It was a good way to start the day and get in shape. The two other elders told us of some service that they needed help with and they said it would only take about 20 minutes. Yeah, whatever. Eight elders walked into this lady's house which wreaked of smoke and took a few peeks around. There was junk, EVERYWHERE. And that is no exaggeration. Dogs, cd's, rabbit cages, dream catchers, TVs, computer monitors, childrens swimming pools, piles of pvc pipe, piles of wood, a random fire pit, just ANYTHING you can possibly think of was stashed in no organized manner whatsoever. She had a list for us too, which consisted of breaking up part of the wood roof that was piled under the tree in the back yard, spray the portable swimming pool out, weed eat all the 2 foot high weeds, build a thing she could hang her hundreds of clothes on out of the pvc pipe and two-by-fours, stack these crates of shoes so they could go to a yard sale, and then take apart all of the tv's so she could recycle the copper, plastic, and metal. It was crazy. It ended up taking us an hour and a half and we didn't even come close to getting half the list done. It was cool though and she agreed to allow the missionaries to come over next week and talk church things with her.

Now I am here writing. I hope all is well back home! I love you so much! I get an hour to email every Monday which is a lot better than what I had before. Grandma Georgia sent me an email and said that Dylan's homecoming was amazing. I know that it was, he is an amazing guy and there is no way I'm more prepared that he was. I feel so awkward and inadequate. I hope it gets better though. Its quite overwhelming.

Well let me know how things are going! Can't wait to hear from you in like four days! haha.

Until then.

Love,

Elder Mouritsen

P.S. Here's a poem I found that is 100% correct. (well kinda)

ARIZONA
The devil wanted a place on earth
Sort of a summer home.
A place to spend his vacation
whenever he wanted to roam.
So he picked out Arizona
A place both wretched and rough.
Where the climate was to his liking
And the cowboys hardened and tough.
He dried up the streams in the canyons
And ordered no rain to fall.
He dried up the lakes in the valleys,
Then baked and scorched it all.
Then over his barren desert
He transplanted shrubs from hell.
The cactus, thistle and prickly pear,
The climate suited them well.
Now,the home was much to his liking,
But animal life, he had none.
So he created crawling creatures,
That all mankind would shun.
First he made the Rattlesnake
With its forked poisonous tongue;
Taught it to strike and rattle
And how to swallow its young.
Then he made Scorpions and Lizards
And the ugly old Horned Toad.
He placed spiders of ever description
Under rocks by the side of the road.
Then he ordered the sun to shine hotter,
Hotter and hotter still.
Until even the cactus wilted,
And the old Horned Toad looked ill.
Then he gazed on his earthly kingdom
As any creater would.
He chuckled a little up his sleeve
And admitted that it was good.
Twas summer now and Satan lay,
By a prickly pear to rest.
The sweat rolled off his swarthy brow,
So he took off his coat and vest.
"By Golly," he finally panted,
"I did my job too well, I'm going
Back where I came from,
Arizona is hotter than Hell."
-Anonymous

I hope you enjoy that. Love you lots!

By the way, you should still send mail to the Mission Home instead of directly to Brother Baird's house so that it's not confusing if I get transfered. That way they will always know where I am.