Halfway There! Three Weeks to Go in the MTC

No pix this time... you will see why...Jordan is anxious to get out there and start talking to people. I hope he has had time to personally respond to any emails sent. Thank you so much for your support!

I appologize ahead of time for one the content of this update and two the length. Let me explain the 

situation really quick. All missionaries here rotate in and out every 3 weeks, so as of this week our group 

is officially the old group. Kinda weird cause I felt like I blinked a few times and that happened, but then 

again its not exactly that surprising when all the days are pretty much the same. I really really just want 

to get in the field... the mtc is just dragging on and on with the same exact schedule every week. 

PUT ME IN COACH. On the bright side I'm used to the food and our bathroom experiences have come 

to a screeching halt. We are all pretty happy about that and are happy... its a thing of the past. As far as

 pictures go for the remainder of my time here I will not send any more. There was a latino elder who 

left for his mission yesterday who didnt have money for a camera, so I decided he could probably get 

better use out of mine then i could. Hope he does well. In general I am so happy I am here and I love 

having the spirit almost 24/7. My testimony has grown as I have come to know my savior and I can't 

wait to see the joy I can bring to people in Iquitos. Thank you to all who have supported me over the 

years and I love every one of you. Know that the savior loves you all too. 

Until next week- Elder Grover

Two Weeks Down!

Here is Jordan's group letter. Keep in mind that our boy sends personal letters to us which 

contain a little more nitty-gritty, frustration, humility, and so on. He is experiencing a very

normal sense of inadequacy that people feel in the training center and out in the field. He 

realizes how far he needs to go, and how much he needs to still change. As his mother, I

perhaps know him best. I have complete faith that Elder Grover will return home changed, 

and in the meantime, become a better person and effective missionary. Our home has been

blessed with a sense of increased peace, and I know this is a reward for the sacrifice.

From Elder Grover:

So week two came and went and I have no idea how it did. It was honestly so fast 

that I can't distinguish one day from the next, so unfortunately I'm gonna stick with 

the give you a paragraph and hope it works approach. Classes are so long, mostly 

because its all in spanish and half the time I'm translating everything in my head.

 I get that spanish is an easier language to learn, but dangit it's so annoying! We now 

have two investigators we are teaching and Elder Cook and I are killing it. Whether

its me talking or him, we are seeming to make a ton of progeress with both. Of course 

as soon as I leave here it all going to be ten times harder and faster. Oh well, I will 

worry about it when it comes. Today we will be going to the temple and I'm super 

excited to see it. The food is the same, rice and some form of potato or chicken. 

Our bathroom adventures are still as eventful as ever, and I feel like I'm connected 

to a lot of random elders because of them... Its still amazing here and I'm loving 

almost every minute. It definitely is hard but I feel that in a few months when I 

look back i will see how far i will have come. 

I love you all so much and I look foward to next week when I can write again! Chao!

~Elder Grover

Paul says this soccer field is like a Ritz Carlton version compared to the ones he played on in Chile!

First Week!

Pictures taken at the Atlanta Airport, 22 Fine Men and Women heading down to Lima. Some will serve in Lima, some in Cusco (will they meet the llamas from Emperor's New Groove?) and a couple heading to Iquitos with Jordan! Check out the super petite gal- she will probably love it in Peru with all the tiny locals! 

Elder Grover with his companion, out on the town doing service. (Not sure what kind of service besides looking sort of tough/smiley.)

10/12/16 (Except from family letter) Yes i am still alive. wednesday is pday so sorry for the delay. I will try to reply to everyone but no promises because they really press you for time. also my spelling and grammar will terrible for the same reason (and maybe because I'm lazy). The work here is so much fun! I absolutely love serving the lord here and I can't wait to get out to the field. My compañeros nombre is Elder Cook and he was assigned to be the district leader, which means I'm totally like the first counselor. He is awesome and so is everyone in out 6 person bedroom, they are all so funny and unique and I love every one of them.  And no they are not all going to iquitos, its a mix with everyone. The weather in lima is AWESOME. its pretty much the same as up there... but then again its been a week!

Hello All! So apparently P-day is Wednesday... and I had no idea so sorry to my family for making you worry. These past couple days have already been incredible and the spirit here is topped only by the temple. Traveling was a breeze but long, both planes got delayed so it took a while. We ended up getting here at 3 in the morning. It was a rough first day. Throughout the rest of the week we all really were just getting adjusted and trying to be as comfortable as possible. The living situation is pretty good and the food takes some getting used to. I've decided rice is the bane of my existence because recently we have all been getting
the urge to visit the bathroom quite often. That part isn't fun but some really funny stories have come out of those experiences... I will not elaborate for the sake of my own sanity. The work has been so much fun. I remember alot more from my spanish classes than I thought I did and I am able to have very broken conversations with the Latinos. Speaking of the Latinos- they are simply awesome (and tiny). I think I may be the tallest one in the CCM (Mtc in spanish). The latinos are hilarious and they have some really cool stories too. Sunday was incredibly spiritual and a relief because all sunday lessons are in english. Today (Wednesday) we left the CCM for the first time for a service project and I found out that the Latinos really don't like it when you slap down a 50 sole bill for a small soda bottle (for the record it wasnt me).  That's really all that's happened of importance. The days are long but we get a lot done. Our schedules are all planned and we have classes for most of the day. For the sake of time, I'll have to cut it here, but before I go I want to testify of the truth of the gospel. Nothing has made me happier and I can't wait to share that with the people of Iquitos.

Until next time! Hasta Mañana.

Pre-Mission- The Excitement Begins

The day finally came to receive that large white envelope! We had a little donuts/milk gathering for an am opening ceremony. So fun to have everyone guess. I guessed "Madagasgar" since Jordan claimed he wanted to get "as far away from the family as possible" haha He finally opened it, and it seemed like just the perfect place to serve! 

Jordan had a wonderful farewell on 9/11/16, attended by wonderful friends from Thousand Oaks and fun friends from Corona. We had Peruvian Chicken Soup as part of a luncheon. We all felt lots of love and support!

Last hurrah at the beach right before our family "lost" a member for 2 years. 

Jordan was set apart as a missionary by President Aragon. It was a wonderful experience to share our testimonies as a family. The time soon came for Jordan to depart.

 Jordan's "mission application picture"... well, we didn't actually send this one. But it captured his playful personality.

Baylee had a very long hug at 4 AM. She took Jordan's leaving the hardest, feeling sad and weepy for a few days. He was such a fun brother! 

 

 Oh, my goodness... I installed a countdown app and quickly deleted it when I saw the insurmountable number of days!