Collin arrives at the Ghana MTC



The first post!   This is Collin's Mom posting for him and this is the first post of my first blog, please be patient as I figure out how this all works.  The look of this blog isn't quite what I want it to look like yet, but I thought I should get this up and going and fix the look of it all later.

 



This is the badge that Collin will wear for the next two years

  January 23, 2013:  The night before Collin left.

 

January 24, 2013:  He is ready to go through security and be on his way.

 

One last look - might be blurry - but that is exactly how his Mom saw him.

 

It was fun to track his flights, first a 5 hour flight to JFK, a 5 hour layover, and then a 10 hour flight to Ghana.

 

January 25, 2013  He landed!  Thank you Delta Airlines!

 

He sent 2 emails on January 25th:

 

The first email: 

Mom,

I love you so much. I made it to the MTC. I  haven’t slept much but I’m okay.

I got here around noonish. so like 6 or 7am your time.  The people here talk so fast it’s so hard to understand, but when they slow down its understandable.  There were 6 Americans that met up in New York: one from Oregon, California, Arizona, Kentucky, and Virgina.  Well people are waiting for this computer.  

I love so much thanks for everything

Elder Park

The second email:

Alright I have a little bit more time to talk.  I had a lady come up to me at SEATAC and call me Elder, it was weird, totally not used to it yet. 

On the airplane I didn’t talk to anyone, it was weird but it was nice. Just to be by myself and sleep. When I got to New York I was lost, there was so many people and the place is huge!!! I ended up having to take a shuttle to a different terminal, then my gate was like in the random, hidden place in some forgotten corner, that’s where I met the other missionaries.  Elder Gherkins is from mesa Arizona, me and him instantly got along. Elder Dahlin is from California but I think his family is going to move either to Arizona or Texas, he's pretty funny too.  Elder Lemont is from just outside out Portland,  I thought he was going to be really weird when I first saw him but now that I know he him, he's hilarious.  Elder Roach( Virgina), well you know the guy from the best two years?(Elder Calhoun or whatever?) it’s his twin, awkward dude, but we love him!!! Hahaha Elder Roach and the other missionary Elder Barker (from Louisville) are no in our mission so they are the outcasts, haha just kidding. We all get along really well, we had 5 hours to kill so we got comfortable.  There are some more American missionaries coming from Salt Lake but there was some ice storm or something which caused them to be late.  

When Chris said to hold onto your bag and don’t let go, he was right. I think we had 4 guys trying to help. One came up to me and said, when people help -  you give tips.  I said I didn’t have anything and he walked away.   

My companion is not here yet but he is from either Ghana or Nigeria, I can’t remember.   The people driving here are INSANE!!! Adam and Katie would be sick in 2 minutes, but since I live with Dad, I’m prepared! ahahaha love you dad.  The vendors here will literally come to your window and stick their product in the car and start saying what it is. We just smile and say no. The MTC is tiny! the chapel and the computer room have AC so I like those rooms.

I have run out of time and have to go.

Love you all!

Elder Park

(FYI :  Chris is a return missionary from Sierre Leone that Collin has become friends with.  He told Collin a lot about the mission, what to expect, and gave him some good advice too.  He even invited us to his home to meet his family and see a video he had.  Many thanks to him and his family for a wonderful evening.)