Hey everybody!                                                                                             October 5, 2012
How has everybody been doing this week?! Thanks Momma for the brownies! Mmm I love 'em. Yeah like Dad said I was the brownie boy this week. I sent G&G Kitchen a thank you letter just barely today, but man I loved that package too. I shared the sheet of brownies with my district/zone and they all loved it. Grandpa sent me a really cool Cabela's tool/knife that will come in handy for sure. I love you and miss you all. Oh I got Tyler's email! I'm added you email to the senders list Tyler, so you should get this too. I LOVED hearing from you!! Sounds like you're doing great just living the busy college life. I don't have time this week to reply the way I want to, so I'll work on a letter or email and respond in the next couple of weeks :) You're a stud Ty. Anyway thank you again for all of your continued support and prayers.

Well I'm going strong on my 8th week at the MTC already. Like all of you have said: it is just blazing by. I can't believe it. I have some BIG news!! A lot happened this week. So on Tuesday we were sitting in class just doing the usual when the intercom buzzed in our hall way (when the buzzer rings in your hallway you know its going to be news about something cool). So our district all went really quiet as we listened the the lady say: "would Elder Allred, Elder Dougherty, Elder Astle, and.....Elder Kitchen come down to the Travel Office to get their Visas!!" Our whole district freaked out! "YEAAHH" So all the Elders going the Puebla got their visas (the Lord heard and answered our prayers!). It was a good day. Pheww. We went to the Travel Office and were told that we'd be taking a shuttle up the the Mexican Consulate in SLC the next day (Wednesday). So Dad, I was up in Salt Lake on Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m. We were pretty close haha. At the Consulate we just had to get a picture and they had to scan our index finger. Now if that isn't enough cool news the very next day (Thursday) in our mailbox we all got our travel plans! We will be leaving on time (Oct. 15th) our flight is at 12:36 pm with United Airlines and we land in Houston at 4:36 pm. We then leave Houston at 5:54 pm and head for Puebla Mexico and are expected to arrive at 8:03 pm!! This just got real! Wow. I'll be in Mexico in a week from Tuesday. We'll be traveling in a group of 4 (all the Puebla Elders) together so that's nice. Well I though you'd all like to hear that :) I'm super excited!

Anyway I don't have a whole lot of time left to write, but I'll try and answer some questions. Oh Mom you asked if the district or zone changes? Well our district does not change at all so that's nice, but our zone is obviously changing as Elders come and go. Oh and thank you Mom, Dad, and Tyler for sharing all that is going on. I love to hear about it :) Mom it sounds like everything is going well with school. Dad you made me chuckle quite a few times in your letter. I hope you survive in the "house full of women." Tell Jami and Kaylee to heed to the words of Pres. Utchdorf when he says: "Just stop it." (with the fighting). Don't worry sisters I still love you! Just think of how much more Our Father in Heaven loves you and how he does not want us to have contention. I know its hard, but give it your best effort. Anyway Dad sounds like you're training a top shape hunting dog ha. Tell Kit hi for me, oh and Jazzi and Zoe (that's if Jazzi hasn't kicked the can yet) ha. You mentioned Conference Weekend!! I'm excited. We actually have class canceled all day long so that we can study and watch conference. We get to watch all the sessions on Sunday too, its going to be great. There is something I want you all to think about that I learned this week and that I am going to do tomorrow too. When Jesus told his 12 disciples before hand that it would be one of them that would betray him in the future they all came to him with much concern asking: "Lord is it I?" That needs to be our attitude as we listen to the prophets and apostles during General Conference. As they speak, don't say to yourself: "man this talk would be really good for Joe (random) he sure needs to hear this." No. Rather listen and ask yourself this question in your heart as did Christ's apostles: "Lord is it I?" When we do this we leave room for improvement and growth. We are all not perfect and have many things we could work on, believe me I do too. But as we look forward to the Savior and his example, while listening and heeding to the words of a living prophet, we can all improve. I know the will of the Lord is spoken through prophets. Conference is going to be great! I love and miss all of you so much. Keep working hard :) you are all great examples to me. I'll leave with a quote because I'm becoming quite the quote kind of guy now haha: "It's easier to be a character, then you have character" -Neil A. Maxwell

Until next week,

Elder Kitchen