First MTC Letters: July 21st and July 29th

July 21, 2015

Everyone,

They gave us a few minutes to write to tell you all that I am alive. There are 12 of us in my district, and my companion is Elder Baadsgaard. He is from Spanish Fork, and knows the Birds. We have 2 rooms in the corner of the building, and all of us get along really well. One elder will come tomorrow, so right know we only have 11 with us. My P-Day is Wednesday, so that is when you will get the full report.

Love,

AEdeste Francis

July 29, 2015

Everyone,

This week has been amazing and crazy. I started out on Wednesday at 1 pm. Within half an hour of arriving I was in my danish class learning how introduce myself. Everything that we have practiced at home sounds nothing like the real language. We have three amazing teachers. Brother Williamson who served five years ago, Sister Paulson who is from Denmark, and Brother Casper who served in Iceland 2 years ago. They are all really nice, and have helped us to understand their instructions without speaking English.

MTC or Bust!

Grandpa Joe drove, Uncle Dave took pictures, Ben couldn't wait, everyone else cried.

 Ben entered the Provo MTC on July 19th, 2015, twenty years after both his parents served missions.

The first group to leave on July 19th...

We said goodbye to Ben at 4:30am on Wednesday, July 22nd. His MTC date had miraculously been moved up from July 29th, due to a scheduling issue in Denmark. We were so grateful that we could all leave the same day. We left on a plane that morning to head to the World Scout Jamboree in Japan. 

The red apple van heads to the MTC with Elder Francis.

When we had told Ben the year before that we might be gone during his mission entrance time, he replied that he didn't want to wait to go on a mission. He would rather chance us being gone when we left, but we weren't! We were grateful to all leave the same day.

Farwell, Elder Francis!

The last few days before he left...

Farewell party with friends on Saturday night.

Ben spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday, July 19th. Speaking with him was Dallin Packer, his friend and neighbor going to the Uganda Mission. Ben and Dallin both did a remarkable job, bearing strong testimony of Jesus Christ and his atonement. They will both make great missionaries!

Desserts after his farewell talk.

The Final Days...

A few more milestones as the mission looms closer...

Ben graduated from Davis High!

Mission Prep

A few fun mission prep photos...

First stop at Mr. Mac

What about these shoes...

Acceptance Letter

Here's the letter Ben sent to the brethren accepting his mission call:

Dear Brethren:

I am excited for the opportunity to serve the Lord in the Denmark Copenhagen Mission and Region. This will be a great blessing in the lives of my family and friends as well as for myself. I want to help the Danish people come to know Jesus Christ, and the light that the gospel will bring into their lives. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ, and that he lives and atoned for all of our sins. I know that Joseph Smith restored the true church, and that President Thomas S. Monson is the current President of that church. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, and was translated by the power of the Holy Ghost through Joseph Smith. I believe in the power of attending Seminary, and the peace that it brings when I faithfully listen and learn from the teachers. I believe in the power of prayer and personal revelation. I know that temples are the houses of the Lord, and that saving covenants and ordinances are performed for the dead within them. Thank you for extending this call, and I am grateful to serve as a witness of our Savior Jesus Christ. Sincerely,

Elder Benjamin Francis

BenMark in Denmark

The younger kiddles initially had a difficult time remembering where Ben was called to serve, so we made up this rhyme to help them: BenMark is going to Denmark. It's perfect since Ben's middle name is Mark!

Today in church Ben announced his call in Sacrament meeting. Another teary moment! It was fun to have people congratulate him and us. We are grateful to have a worthy son.

For an early Sunday evening family night, the kiddles divided into buddy teams and did brief reports on Denmark and Iceland, colored flags, and taught us Danish words. We ended with "ice" cream for dessert. Here is a fun video Sariah and Avi made about Iceland: