Email from Elder Lofthouse 12/22/14 First Week in Canada (with pictures!)

MTC Zone leaving for Canada

Part of my area goes into Saskatchewan, so this is me going back to Alberta

It's been a quite a wild ride since my last email everybody!!  It's been an awesome week and a half.  I finished up at the MTC and on December 16 my district and I got up a 1:30 in the morning.  We had to report to the travel office at2:30 in the morning.  It was great.  We got a whole 3 hours of sleep!!  It was great.  We then drove up from the MTC to the SLC airport, which is where we got on our flight.  We flew to San Fransisco, and then we flew to Edmonton.  It was awesome.  We got there and met President and Sister Mannion.  They are the best ever!  We had some lunch at a stake center in Edmonton and then we got some paperwork and stuff out of the way.  After that we got to go sleep at the mission home.  The next day is when we got to meet our trainers.  My trainer is Elder Larsen.  He's awesome!  We have soo much in common that it's great.  He loves star wars and played trumpet in Jazz band!!  It's incredible.  This last week was crazy!  Wednesday the 17 we got to our area which is Cherry Grove.  It's about 3 hours outside of Edmonton.  So it was quite a drive.  The first day I was here we split wood for about 4 hours.  There's not alot of teaching going on, but the service opportunities are through the roof!  We do have 3 solid investigators though which is good.  Church on sunday was cool.  The Cherry Grove ward reminds me a lot of my home ward.  They're all super good friends, and everybody knows everybody else.  We get fed almost every night here too.  The members here are great.  Speaking of members, Me and Elder Larsen are staying with at a members house!  The Willes.  They are the coolest older couple that i've ever met.  Brother Wille was in the Canadian Army!  He loves music, so when we're home getting ready for bed me Elder Larsen, and Brother Wille talk about music right til bed time. 

This is awesome.  I love doing the Lord's work.  I know that this is what i'm supposed to be doing.  I love it here.  I hope that everybody is doing well at home.   

This sign is awesome.  I'm not in Utah anymore.  Welcome to Canada.

Hugs and Handshakes

Elder Lofthouse

Email from Elder Lofthouse 12/10/14 First Week!

Hey everybody!!  How's life back home?  I'm absolutely loving this.  The best thing I've ever done is this.  Going on a mission is the best choice i've ever made.  We have full 16 hour days here, but all of it is worth it.  I've learned more here in a week than I have any other time in my life.  We've been able to teach 3 different investigators.  Me and My Companion, Elder Elliott ( who is from Canada by the way) have been able to jump in with both feet.  My poor companion has been struggling with the american food.  He's used the healthy Canadian stuff.  Elder Elliott is not used to this kind of greasy amazing food.  I can't wait to get to Canada!  My whole district is going to Edmonton!!  It's 7 elders (no sisters.....)  flying to Canada next tuesday.  This will be my only email from the MTC!  Next time you hear from me, i'll be in another country (sorta).  

I would just like all of you to know that I know that this is the true gospel.  I hope that I will be able to bring at least 1 person back to heavenly father.  I already feel a great love for the people of Edmonton, and I'm not even there yet!! I know that this gospel can help people everywhere.

Hugs and Handshakes

             Elder Lofthouse

Rusty Leaves for the MTC on Wednesday

Elder Russell Lofthouse leaves for the MTC on Wed. December 3, and will fly out to Edmonton, Canada just 13 days later! Check back here for his emails home.