Costume Vote: An Elder in P-Day clothing, or a Sister Missionary Serial Killer

Elder Darcey's second email.

This week has gone by so fast, family!

People were right when they said that once a missionary makes it to his first Sunday, time flies. I no longer know what days we learned things or when we were where or anything. Time has literally flowed together into one big day.

I now understand what the apostles mean when they say that time is an earthly convenience. Once you are on the Lord's time, man's time no longer exists.

So I learned amazing things about Moroni yesterday (I think it was yesterday...) His writing suggests that he buried the gold plates multiple times as he repeatedly retrieved it to write more. Orson Hyde called him the "guardian spirit of America", the keeper of the plates for eternity and the Prince of America, who may have guided Columbus by dreams and camped with Washington during the Revolution.

According to Joseph Smith, Moroni dedicated the ground for the Manti, Salt Lake, St. George, Nauvoo, Jackson County, Kirtland, and Idaho Falls Temples and when found by six Lamanites in his extreme old age, he killed three before the fourth got him. Moroni is more important to us than we will ever know in this world.

I did not expect to learn so much in the MTC.

Now, back to the costume decision, Help me pick. The first seems fairly reasonable, but the second stems from the unconscious desire I must have to pick off sister missionaries. I nearly broke one's nose, while playing volleyball. I almost decapitated another during the game (she ducked). I tried to take out the kneecaps of another while at lunch. I am a menace without even trying. (My apologies in advance, Cami and Dia.)

I am out of time already, so I'll just finish. Mom, get me some photos of Aidan as Death and call Grandpa because he saw me at the temple.

Bye, I love you.

Elder Darcey

Password is Mission!

Mom,

The blog password is mission. [not anymore it isn't] It's now the 27th of October and I just got your first dearelder. It doesn't matter that you sent one the day before I got here. That one didn't count because I think it was written to Sister Darcey and I just got a carbon copy. And the drivers stuff and social security card doesn't count either because you had to send those.

I don't know why I haven't received the other five letters you sent. I think there must be another Elder Darcey here, or you sent it again to China.

That means, Atkinsons 6 + a package and Darceys 1, but who's keeping count?

I've been here exactly a week and a day and it's amazing how much I've learned and grown. Ask Dia if she knows Elder Wright or Elder Merrill serving in Hong Kong, as I am serving with their relatives. Elder Merrill is our branch president and Sis. Wright is in my district.

Here is my note to my home ward:

Hi Ward. I think about you and your love and support often. I don't miss any of you, and I think that's because I've been too busy and happy and spiritually blessed to miss anyone or anything. I don't even miss my family yet and I think it is because of all of the prayers on my behalf. I hope that you are all doing well.

Love, Elder Darcey

Samoan Choir Boys

Family:

It is still P-Day; and there's still no email, mail, letters, postcards from anybody. Oh Well.

I haven't really eaten yet; we decided to just eat sack lunches instead of getting clothes on and going to the cafeteria. Unfortunately, I found there's almost nothing I can eat in the sack lunch line. Add that to the fact that we missed breakfast because we were in the temple from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. -- and you get one hungry elder!

(LDS Temple in Samoa)

We've done laundry and are almost to dinner, but not for a few hours. I tried to get in a nap for a few hours after the temple, but all the Elders on the floor decided to use our room as the party area for one reason: Our zone leaders are leaving Wednesday, so they were released and who got called but our own district's Elders Ryan and Smith! So that's why we slam hosted the party. These elders are absolutely awesome for the job and together they are such amazing companions.

Last night Elder Finai and I sat in the Samoan section of the auditorium for the firesite. A couple of days before, Elder Finai had been needing to speak Samoan with some missionaries for practice so I went along because our companions were busy. Elder Finai was amazing at this task and I enjoyed just being in the room with them . This time, Elder Finai convinced me to join the Samoans singing group after the other Samoans asked him to bring me along because I was "cool." (All this said in Samoan, so I didn't know until later.) We sang Samoan songs and church songs in Samoan. it was amazing and spiritual and even though i didn't know most of anything that was said. I now know one word in Samoan: Talofa mans Hi.

4 hours pass...

Hi, I'm back, dinner was wonderful and still no letters. I got many plates of food and ate well, but there is no keeping up with eating with the Samoans. Ah Ha! My roomies just brought me a letter! A Dear Elder from... The Atkinsons! My cousins have officially sent me a letter sooner than my parents!

I'll write them personally, but let me say this is on the blog: (You are putting this on the blog, right?)

Thanks, Atkinsons, so much for those thoughts and prayers. I am so glad for all of you and pray for all of my family every night, and morning and every time inspiration strikes me.

I close with love to everyone, even those who haven't written me.

Elder Darcey

FUN FACTS about ALASKA

The Alaska Mission is the largest (LAND) mission in the church. Guam is bigger, but most of it is ocean.

Alaska is the Western-most and the Eastern-most state as well.

FROSTY FACTS

AND FOR THE KID COUSINS?

How Do You Kill Frosty the Snowman?

Stab him with an Icicicicicle! Weird spelling!

I would know the sharpness of an icicicicle as I am knowledgeable about all things sharp.

Birthday Scriptures

Before my mission I was searching for my birthday scripture and I found some irony:

All of my birthday scriptures are dark and scary. By the way, it's almost all of them. I'll start in the Bible and then more on to the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine in Covenants. (Mom, blog.) If the chapter doesn't go to 6 or the verses to 29, they're not listed.

Love to you, even who haven't yet written,

Elder Darcey

Exodus 6:29 Not bad, not good, Lord tells Moses to speak to Pharoah

Leviticus 6:29 Ditto Exodus, Priests eat.

Judges 6:29 Gideon has just desecrated an altar--Yes, one to Baal, but still...

1 Kings 6:29 Not bad, not good, Solomon's temple carvings so it does involve knives.

2 Kings Woman angry because they boiled and ate her kid. I know, creepy.

1 Chronicles lists the sons of Merar

2 Chronicles Yeah, death, pestilence, sores, grief visited to any man.

Job begs God to kill him

Proverbs Adultery

Jeremiah Jerusalem being destroyed - Not pretty.

Matthew Not even Solomon

Mark John the Baptist, corpses and tombs

Luke Cheek smacking and cloak sharing

Helaman Satan, Gadianton, works of darkness, secret murder.

3rd Nephi More Gadianton's, destroy and murder.

Ether Jared and his brother die. Enough said.

D&C 6:29 rejecting the gospel. yay.

Moses-forsworth themselves,hell. woopie.

And there you go, most are bad, none are inspirational. Hffmmmmpt.

FIRST P DAY

Parents, family, friends, anyone?

Yesterday was Sunday and today is P-Day! I'm writing a letter despite the lack of letters (or anything, really...) that have come my way. As the apostle said to the Elder who never received letters from family, "send letters anyway." So here I am, sitting on the floor of the laundry room, writing to my uncaring family in the hopes that someone, someday will remember poor, poor, Elder Darcey abandoned to the MTC.

Nah, just kidding, you all must be super busy with life and stuff. Is anybody else pregnant? How is Cami's mission prep going? Is Aidan doing any better in school? I hope so.

Hopefuly you will email me in a few minutes. I've already sent an email--respond please? Also send Dear Elders when you can. It's free and it's really great to get physical mail.

Elder Darcey

MTC = WILDFIRE

Family, Friends,

It's Sunday, and the days have passed like wildfire. It really is true what they say about this place: "A day passes in a week and the weeks pass like days."

My district really is the best in the MTC and we're not the only ones who think so. At the time of this writing (7 a.m.) we're the only district who've made it to personal study. Our group is so cool.

The class yesterday was amazing. Brother Bacon (our teacher) gave each of us a personal application of the Restoration (lesson 1) the spiritual manifestations were amazing; Bacon pulled up things about each of us that I swear he didn't know. Elder Y was really touched when he spoke to him about families. Elder F did the same about the Book of Mormon. I didn't even know that I had question or a fear until Bro. Bacon helped me find it. The spirit is so strong here, it's amazing.

I'm wrapping up now because my hand is done writing. Love to all, both here and online.

Elder Darcey

JUST MTC BUSINESS: Did you get my other letters?

• Have you sent mentholatum?
• Did you post ALASKA facts?
• How is Aidan doing at school?
• Has the peace promised to families worked yet: Are big and little cats friends yet?
• Is Dia coming home ever again??
• Did Gadafi really die,
• Who won the BYU game.
• Do people miss me?

Elder Darcey, again.

SECOND LETTER

Letter TWO (Family got it Tuesday)

Mom, and family,

Elder Darcey again. It's the end of the third day and we've been in class for 7+ hours today.

There is so much going on that I don't have enough time to email it all.

The MTC is amazing, truly one of the most inspriational places on earth. I am so glad to be here. I'm going to share some thing I've learned, (Mom, put them on the blog please).

First I came to a realization today: When we roleplay, we play, but when we pray, we really pray. We teach with the Spirit through having the Spirit. One more thing: The Lord knows all that every person has ever gone through and we as missionaries are representative of Christ. Connect the dots. We are obligated and entitled to learn investigators feelings to help them through the Spirit. Cool huh?

I need letters. I can't use an Ipod, so don't send it until I learn otherwise later.

Thanks, Love Elder Darcey

FIRST EMAIL!!

Family,

And still no one's sent me anything? Not that I'm missing you, but I expected a huge amount of stuff from what everyone was telling me. Have my letters even reached you guys yet? I've sent one almost every day.

Oh well. Let's just talk MTC. This place is amazing. There is such a continuous spirit here. On my first night here I simply thought: "This feels like home".

Moving in was fine. I didn't have any problems with getting places or finding people. My companion's name is Elder Yde. Yes, that's spelled correctly. It's pronounced like "Wide". He and the other two roommates are all going to Alaska with me. The other two are Elders Gardener and Finai. Elder Finai is incredible. He's from Australia, but is Samoan. He's got the huge body, the giant look, the tattoo and everything.

I've got the best district in the entire MTC--Bar None. In addition to the four of us, we've got Elders Ram (India, English speaking) and Smith (New Jersey) and Sisters Rivera (Alaska) and Wright (Jersey again). Our teacher is Brother Bacon, and he's amazing. Our classes are filled with the Spirit.

Me and the other elders get along great. You wouldn't recognise me from the "Terrified of people" that I always was. The spirit is continuously helping me, letting me meet new people and loving them instantly.

Food here is good. Like [the younger] Sister Darcey said to, I went and saw Diane-the cafeteria lady-on the first day. She hooked me up with all the great stuff. The food is alright, but there's never enough.

Like Sister Darcey, can I just go back and ask for more to be made for me for the next day or something? I'm always hungry nowadays.

I'll wrap this up so that I'll have enough time to read the Email that you will sent momentary. (hint hint).

I'll end with my love for this place. It's a place of amazing learning, where miracles occur every day, and where the Spirit is a constant companion. Love to everyone, and I'll talk to you later.

Again, just so you know, my P-days are Monday, so there.

Elder Darcey

FIRST CONTACT !!!

[LETTER ONE sent second day at the MTC yet not RECEIVED until four days later.]

Family:

It's my second day in the MTC; I'm never coming home. Sorry, but this place is great. I have an awesome companion and great roommates. All four of us in the room are headed to AK. I'll tell you more when I email.

Send me questions; They're easier to answer than making up stuff. My PD is on Monday, so plan for that.

Also, remember that I'm only an hour ahead of you, not twelve. Love Elder Darcey

...posted by the elder Sister Darcey

[P.S. YAY! Aidan worked electro-magic and reset the password!]

The Call

My RS got my call in the mail in Provo, July 5th. We took off, the cousins and me, and drove to my old dorm in Provo to pick the call up. Mom worried that we would never come back--we would open it, and then they would deliver me straight to the MTC!

I am unable to explain how cool getting the call was, but maybe you can tell by these photos and video. when mom finds them and puts them on.