Jouyeux Nouvelle Annee (hope that's spelled almost right!)

Happy New Year Everyone,

Crazy week at the MTC! 

Christmas went really well last week. I did get all my letter time cut out so I was only able to send out one letter last week, but with the Temple closed this week, I had three extra hours to write letters! No need to fear, my letters and replies are coming. 

On Christmas, we had Greg Olsen come and give a great fireside talk. He's a painter that the Church commissions a lot and he has some amazing pictures of Christ. I would highly recommend taking a look at them if you've got the time (To Fro: one of my favorites is the one he has of Christ in Gethsemane... you should look for it. It's really cool! Just thought you should know). 

We also had a talent show (some very talented people! Playing the Ukelele behind the back, cool yo-yo stuff, funny piano numbers... it was a fun time!). At the end of the night, we were able to watch It's A Wonderful Life... in COLOR! What the?!?! Crazy seeing it in color... and I feel awful saying this, but watching it in color made it somewhat more interesting than usual. I love black and white movies so I hate saying it but it was true. Elder Ihalmo had never seen it, but when Jimmy Stewart's character was about to jump off the bridge, Elder Ihalmo started saying "jump, jump!" to which the district all laughed at him because it's something he would say. Everyone around us was looking at us and giving us weird faces for laughing at Elder Ihalmo... they thought we were laughing at the movie I guess. So yeah, Christmas was very enjoyable.

Some random Igloo on the way to the temple, so Elder Kunz and I pretended to do some "porte-a-porte"-ing of Elder Adams' new home! Elder Adam's is such a goofy guy but we all love him!

Other than that, this week has been pretty low key. Except... things have been getting pretty interesting at the MTC over the past 24 hours. Apparently, there is some form of the Flu virus going around. At least 20 people went to the hospital last night (including Soeur Allred and Soeur Hall) because they were throwing up. So, people are getting kinda freaked out over here. Some elders are walking around with flu masks and they keep announcing that we aren't allowed to give hugs or shake hands... or even touch our head with our hands! Apparently the Health Clinic had at least 100 people in it this morning so it's been getting pretty bad. But have no fear! Sienna, Keegan, and Adele know full well that I have a perfect immune system so I will not get sick! So yeah... make sure they remember that 

The District. Elder Seidl's mom sent some Martinelli's and we shared it with the district. Elder Seidl has been slowly hoarding paper cups during breakfast on Sundays so we would have stuff to drink the Martinelli's out of! Anyway, we just picked a random time and counted down from 10 and celebrated the new year with the district (this was like a 1/2 hour before the one in the dorm). It was pretty fun actually!

The full weeks of PVL haven't been too bad either... I think that's because most of the time we kind of forget that it's PVL, especially when our teachers speak English. It's still been pretty good practice. Can you believe that I am officially two weeks away from leaving for Benin?!? Pretty crazy if you ask me! Time has been flying bye... we should be getting our travel itinerary's later this week. I'll let you know next week (probably my last email from the USA for a while!) about my layovers and what not. 

Also interesting to note... I've been talking to the new Benin elders this week (there are 7 of them if I didn't say already)... and most of them, if not all of them, got their calls a whole month before I did. How lucky is it that I got my call a month later than they did but came into the MTC a whole 7 weeks before them? I think that's pretty cool! And really lucky to say the least! 

Hipster reflection picture for Sienna (it's of Elder Ihalmo)

Anyway... things have been going really well in class. I can tell my teaching is improving (in my lessons, that is) and it's pretty cool to see the progress I have been making. Some days have been pretty tough here, but it's been good overall. I am getting super itchy to get out to Africa though... argh... it's gonna be so cool! I'm tired of this snow too... in the two months I've been here, it has snowed more than it did the 8 months I was out here for school. Ridiculous! It snows just about every day and it is freezing! I'm ready for my sunny, 85 degree weather!!

So, I got to be going soon. Got some pictures to send off. Thanks to everyone who sent me their letters! This might be the last chance I have to reply to them here in the US. I think I'll have a lot more time to send people emails out in Benin/Togo so I'll probably be using more emails.

 So, the panorama is us celebrating the new years at 10:00 PM Mountain time... which means I was really celebrating the same time you were! I thought that was pretty cool... Elder Kunz's mom sent tons of new year celebration material and we all celebrated the "Philadelphia New Year" (everyone thought it was funny, but we couldn't stay up till midnight! But we had tons of fun and a big mess). Gotta admit, it felt cool when I thought about how you would be celebrating the new year the same time I was.

(This picture was borrowed from Elder Kunz!)

Vous me manquez et je vous aime! (I'm pretty sure I used manquer correctly, but if not, have Sur fix it before you post it!)

Elder Hawkins

P.S. Thanks for all the cool gifts from Christmas. I was just wondering... are there any other cool fro-y tips you could give me for the Lavender extract? I know how to use it for burns, but I remember fro saying it was pretty useful for other things too.

Elder Muldowney & Elder Hawkins.

Mongolia & Benin 

Finally got some pictures together! Pride of VF2 right there! 

Funny how we're going on the complete opposite sides of the map isn't it?!

Note from the Fro: First of all, I think it's fun not to correct his French because, well, it will be interesting to see how he progresses!  Happy Anniversary is really Bonne Année, but he'll figure that out by next year, I'm sure.  And about that "perfect immune system" (insert his siblings unison eyeroll here) ...it's true, he's got a pretty good immune system, doesn't get sick much.  But I know that virus is going around more than just the MTC!  Hope that "perfect" immune system holds up.  I will have to send him more uses for that Lavender oil right away!  Not that it cures the stomach flu mind you.  We also think it's funny he sends "hipster pics" to his sister Sienna.  He made fun of her and her obsession with Instagram all summer!  She's thinking about starting an IG account for HIM to post these pics in.  Too funny!  And last but not least.....14 DAYS?!!!  Last MTC email NEXT WEEK????  Trying really hard not to panic.  Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.  I know I can Fro this. ;)

Joyeux Noel!!

We did the classic abbey road picture going to the temple.... 

we're going to work on getting a better, more organized picture. 
Kind of awkward when people started taking pictures of us 
who weren't from our Branch/Zone!

IT'S CHRISTMAS!

What a crazy day so far! 

So, our Christmas/P-day extravaganza so far today has been pretty crazy. We tried to do our laundry today at 6:00 AM like we usually do so we avoid the lines. IT WAS JAMMED PACKED! People had been waking up at 4:30 to do their laundry. We just decided to see if we could do it during our free time today because there was no way we were waiting in that mess. Which is where I'm at right now! We decided to do our laundry rather than the Temple walk because everyone who has a P-day on Tuesday was pretty much told they have to make do with what they've got. Good thing I did too! I ended up being able to get one of the computers down here in the laundry room that doesn't have a timer on it and one that we can send pictures on! Since nobody gets to call home, they let every missionary have 20 mins to send an email. Which is great for everyone else, except for those who have P-Day today (since we get shorted 10 minutes). I didn't get many (or any) Christmas pictures however... but pictures are pictures nonetheless! 

So we got to hear some pretty cool things over the past few days. Last night, we had a Nativity fireside (a mix of recounting the Christmas story, singing Christmas songs, special musical numbers and so on). It was really cool and made you think about how humble the Lord's birth really was. Then we watched "A Christmas Carol" (it was kinda weird, from the 60s or 70s) but it was really good! Tonight we get to watch "It's a Wonderful Life"! At least that's one Christmas tradition I get to keep today. 

Today we had a very spiritual devotional. Elder Russell M. Nelson came and spoke to us. I was pretty excited because his Mormon Message (cue the FRO! Embed it!) on how Men's Hearts Will Fail Them. He talked a lot about how we should be enjoying missionary work as the field will be growing so much... they keep calling us the trainers to the new generation of younger missionaries. Thus, we have a big responsibility to show all this new, younger missionaries how do be great missionaries. Hmmm... where have I heard that before... being an example to the younger ones? 

Speaking of younger missionaries, I read about Abe Muldowny (sorry about the spelling!) being in the MTC last Wednesday and was trying to keep an eye out for him. The next day, I was in the bathroom (sorry, I can only recount the truth!) when I heard somebody's voice who sounded very much like him... so I come out of the bathroom, and lo and behold, it was ABE! AHHHH!!!! We were so excited!! Turns out his classroom is on the same floor as mine and he has a very similar schedule to mine, so we see each other at dinner and during gym a lot. We haven't been able to get a picture together yet, but I will definitely do that because VF2 needs to be represented! We talked a lot about being how the old ward was doing, what we had been doing since I moved, etc. etc. Anyway, what are the chances of that happening?! Mongolian and French on the same floor. Crazy stuff, isn't it?

Thanks for all the cool Christmas gifts. I love the pillow! It's pretty heavy but everyone is pretty jealous of it. The watch is pretty cool (the manual is huge and I have no idea how to use most of the functions). The hugeness and toughness of it definitely reeks Africa! And the shirts were... nice... haha just opening five of the same thing is always exciting! But, really it was very nice. And the head shaver thing looks pretty cool... not sure how my hair is going to turn out when I do it myself however... And thanks for all the treats too! We've found that everyone has gotten so much food here, from their parents and friends, that we're forcing people to take our candy and baked goods! So much food! 

We're pretty sure Elder Adam's has narcolepsy because he falls asleep all the time! 

He even admits he has no idea how it happens. Maybe it's a food coma?

The cards were really sweet too! Everyone got like one or two cards, and I had six so my whole district was shooting daggers at me! They were pretty jealous that I got one from Pixie too! Speaking of which, I'll be needing Jon's address to reply back to him. 

Anyway, things at the MTC are going great. Don't have a whole lot of time left (3 weeks or so)... the malaria pills aren't too bad that we got... they'll only burn our esophogus if we don't swallow them correctly so nbd, you know what I'm fro-in? 

So, I just wanted to leave a quick spiritual thought before I get going. We were reading in 1 Nephi about when Nephi sees the vision of Christ's birth and the angel tells him, "Knowest though the Condescension of God?" (Fro, If you could correct that spelling for me, that would be great!). And I've been thinking a lot about that. Christ, a God above all but the Father, came down to have a birth of the most humble means. He was the God that parted the Seas for Moses, allowed the Israelites to cross the Red Sea, and performed so many different miracles in the Old Testament. And this King, came down to be born as a baby in a manger. Not a hospital, not a warm home, not even a warm room... And this was for a being who would perform the most miraculous and most amazing act ever done in the history of the galaxies, the Atonement.

I invite everyone to think about Christ's purpose here on Earth, as that is the gift above all other gifts. Even though we might only think of Easter as being the day of remembering the Atonement, Christmas is the start of Christ's infinite gift to mankind. 

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I love you all and miss you with all my heart. Thank you for the many letters and the kind gifts I've gotten the past few days. I appreciate the support that I've gotten and even though this is my first Christmas away from my family, it is one I'll remember forever.

With Love,

Elder Hawkins

P.S. I hope Christine is doing well! I've been keeping her in my prayers over the past few weeks since I found out. Hoping for a quick recovery!

Oh and a hipster pic of my scriptures for Sienna. Instagram!

Note from the FRO: It was tough not getting a call from our Elder today, but were VERY happy to still get an email!  We are SO excited he gets to see Abe Muldowney whom he grew up with in the Valley Forge 2nd ward before we moved.  They haven't seen each other in a few years, so amazing that they end up on the same floor at the MTC! In reference to the Christmas card from Pixie, our good friend (ok, really, he's part of the family) Jon, wrote him a special card in the voice of Pixie the dog.  And I love that I get personal instructions on embedding videos and correcting spelling!  Oh so Trev.  We also got a handwritten letter in the mail from him on Christmas Eve. He admitted there are a few things he misses this time of year, like the sing-a-long Messiah, "That's one tradition I didn't really think I would miss until I got here." and "All the decorations Fro puts up every year.  I only have the stuff Sienna sent to me, which to be honest is more that enough for me, but doesn't quite compare to the Fro-dazzle!"  He makes me laugh!  But he also said, "I've been so blessed while I've been here at the MTC.  I feel like my testimony in Christ has grown 100x since I got here, which seems crazy since I thought I already had a really strong testimony of Christ before coming. I'm so grateful for this opportunity!" That's my boy.  We love you Trev! Merry Christmas.

Sienna, Pixie, Adele, Keegan....

missing their brother on Christmas morning