Second Week

He sounds great! Hasn't caught the place on fire yet...


HEY EVERYBODY!!! :-D Howzit going? :-) So now I'm here to talk about whats been going on, and I'd like to go through a step by step thing of everything so far but that'd take too long so I'm just going to talk about parts :-) If you want specific information that I didn't include in my email then by all means mail me something :-D GO MAIL. Anyway, moving on

My first ever companions name is Elder Brigam James Merrill ( I apologize if I've already mentioned that), and guess what :-D He's a red head :-D First thought "GINGERS HAVE SOULS!!!" I didn't say it though, not until later because I wasn't aware if he'd be offended or not ;-D He's pretty cool :-) I do have to say that there's something to be apreciated about not being with somebody else constantly :-P But he's alright.
My schedule is like everything that I'd normally do in three days, packed into one, and it goes all week long :-P It's actually pretty cool because it makes the days fly by so fast :-) I've already been here more than a week :-D Its also a blessing because at the beginning since you just barely left home, you just don't have the time to feel home-sick, so that's a plus. I think that if I had had more free time then that would have been harder.
I have seen a ton of people from Grantsville here at the MTC :-) Brett Peterson, Trevor Burnside, Austin Gumucio, Gen Graff, Jake Roberts, Nolan Blackhurst, and last but certainly not least the one and only Tyler B. Davies :-D It's been cool seeing them around but its sad cuz we just do not have the time to hang out :-P But it's alright.
For excercise, everyday (except p-day and sunday) I go out to the gym and play volleyball. It's way fun and there are a lot of people here who are really good at it. I'm pretty accomplished at it, if I do say so myself . . . And I do :-D There are a ton of other things to do as well like basketball, soccer, softball, four square and even horse shoes :-) I usually play volleyball though.
My class (there is only one class that you ever go to) is fun, but we spend ALL DAY THERE :-P I'm learning a ton of stuff during this time and its crazy how much spanish you can learn, but it wears on you :-P We have two teachers or maestros, Hermana Burns and Hermano Twiggs, which is really easy to remember because you "Burns" "Twiggs" :-D fun stuff.
As I said, for Spanish I'm learning a ton. I can pray, testify, and pretty easily converse in spanish now with little or no problem. I just have to say "Mas despacio" a lot but I do fine :-D
. . . . . . . . . . I don't really know what to say :-P Seriously, mail me questions and I'll send letters out :-D I only have thirty minutes to type this up but just about the rest of my P-day, I can write whenever I want.

Shout out to Dalin Gomez, YOU'RE AWESOME!!! :-D Can't wait to see you some time in november, december :-D

Oh, I'd also like pictures too with the letters :-D Don't worry about making me homesick. Its always cool to look at the pictures I have right in between the end of my classes and my bedtime :-)

Well I'm done til next friday but until then make sure to stay cool and Be Happy :-D
Sincerely the one and only
Jamie McConnell

The First Letter

We received Jamie's first letter yesterday around 5PM. I've copied it below and he sounds great. Sam has posted the pictures of the MTC day on his Facebook account. He's more smart with computers and picture stuff than I am. Plus, he says more people will have better access to them as well. This is probably what we will do in the future once we get more pictures. Most of Jamie's friends on Facebook are Sam's friends too. Jamie did mention that his P-day is Friday if anyone was wondering. Anyway, here is the letter. Have a great week!


HEY EVERYBODY!! :-D Howzit going?! Its been crazy here for me the last couple of days :-P Not bad, just crazy. It's been so fast.

So to begin with I got out of the car for the last time with my family, and Yeah, it sucked. This Elder Ring guy's all smiles and stuff and he's grabbing my stuff and saying "I'll give you a few seconds" So then I give everybody the last hugs for two years and then I headed off :-P Never EVER want to do that again. Anyways, right after the Elder says I'll meet you outside of this building and he walks me in. Then I'm shuffled between like seven different rooms, getting several different pieces of paper and packages and finally they shove me outside. Then Elder Ring takes me to the dorm room where we have to hoist all my luggage up three flights of stairs (no elevator), which was not fun. I only had enough time to drop off my luggage before I had to go to my classroom and the whole other side of the MTC. There I got to watch this orintation video on how to do gym time properly and then I was sent off again. Finally i met my companion, Elder Brigham James Merrell, and I just got to say that he's awesome :-D We are almost always thinking about the same thing, and we both quote the same movies :-D He's really fun. Then went to this group meeting with the mission president and then after that we got food. The food here is great but I've been told that after the second week, that feeling wears off :-P Hopefully it won't for me. Then we went back to class and we had our first class which took about two hours. Then something else happened but for the life of me I cant remember, I'll look it up in my journal later. Eventually after a crazy long day that made us feel like we'd been here for three days, we headed back to our rooms. I unpacked everything (thanks for remembering my hat dad, and if Meri's gift was the diaper ointment then yes I found it, though I don't know what to do with it) and I took I shower and then went to bed. It was a crazy long day.

Unfortunately I can't seem to really remember the next two days but I'll be sure to type those in next time, or I'll just put them in letters if you really want to know. At the moment I have ten minutes to finish so I'm just going to put some information here.

If you really want specific stuff about whats going on, please send me a letter :-) I have a ton more time to write than to type and personally I like them better :-D If you want to email me the best way to do that is to send it through dearelder.com. The website will print off whatever you type into a letter and it'll be delivered to me I think the same day if you're early enough. Again I like letters better. :-D

Just my thoughts, I can't seem to speak or understand spanish when I'm agitated or worried about something :-P It's really weird because they have this rule about not reading letters in class and I did (only just the beginning) and right after my spanish was dead :-P Normally however I'm doing great with the language :-D

Finally how I feel. I'm fine :-) I miss you guys a lot (especially my family) but it's alright because we're way too busy to worry :-D These next two years will be fast and I'll be home before you or I know it :-D

To my family, I love you and I miss you a ton :-) Hang in there and make sure to write ;-)

Sincerely Elder James "Jamie" Farrell McConnell the IV

P.S. Be Happy

MTC Day!!!

We dropped off Jamie around 1pm surrounded by other grown people crying. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. So his mission is started and I couldn't be prouder or happier for Jamie!!!

Jamie Opening His Mission Call!

Here is a copy of Jamie and one of his best friends Kevin opening up their mission call back in January! It 's fun to look back at this video to see where it all began for them and their missions. You can view it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guHvQDrXHkA

Pics from Jamie's Going Away Party

Welcome to Jamie's Mission Blog

This blog will be filled with Elder Jamie McConnell's letters, pictures, etc from his mission for everyone to see. HIs mailing addresses are located on the right for those who would like to write him.