Dallon got his travel plans! He will be leaving next Monday for Chile. He leaves the MTC at 11:30 a.m. for a flight out of Salt Lake at 2:35 p.m. He will head to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and wait for a three hour layover. He then will fly out of Texas at 9:10 p.m. and arrive in Chile at 9:50 a.m. Chile time. It is going to be a long day, but he is ready and excited. His letter is mostly about getting everything ready to leave. This may be his last email until he arrives in Chile.
"I have scheduled appointments for a haircut, dry cleaning, orientations and so on, so it's going to be a busy week. There is so much that I need to do! This week is going to fly by. I am so excited to get out there and teach. I am amazed at how much I can say in Spanish. I want to share it with real people now and start contributing to something. I do love my experience at the MTC, but I am ready for a new chapter to begin in this adventure."
"The past week was great. Elder Nelsen and Elder Scott came and spoke to us. It was so cool to hear what they had to share. Elder Scott spoke about following the spirit. I want to be following the spirit all the time! I want the experiences that are possible by following the spirit. Also our quartet was selected to sing at the devotional next Sunday. I couldn't believe we got picked! It is pretty competitive, so we are all stoked!"
"Halloween was great! My district loved the Krispy Kreme donuts you sent and devoured them. ha ha We had a fun time here too. We went trick-o-treating in the dorms and I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time. One of my good friends, Elder Menendez, dressed up like a muslim, Elder Peterson was a pirate, and I was Elder Hill. All the sisters said I looked like a Ken Missionary doll. ha ha It was probably because I parted my hair...? Elder Menendez is a really big hispanic elder. He is absolutely hilarious and watches out for me. He is great! We also have a new elder in our district. He is Elder Huntsman. He went to Waterford with Sara and we know a lot of the same people. It has been fun talking with him about home. He and I have become great friends. I sure am going to miss a lot of missionaries here."
"This week we are doing a mock experience called "a week in the field". We have to teach twenty lessons and we don't have class anymore. It is fun but I would rather just get out there and teach, than pretend to here. ha ha But I am enjoying every last minute that I have here. There is a sister at the temple that loves me! ha ha Her name is Sister Larsen from Spanish Fork, Utah. It's nice having someone there that is excited to see me every time I go. Today was the last day that I will see her. She gave me her address. I thought it was cool that out of all the missionaries that volunteer at the temple, she asked me to write. I think a lot of the time God sends me his love through others."
"I have had lots of people write me but I don't think I will have time to respond to everyone. It makes me feel bad. I also really want to write a letter home to my brother and sisters. I miss them so much. I hope I'll be able to find some time today. If I don't have time, tell them I'm sorry I couldn't respond to their letters. I want to, it's just really hard to find the time, especially this week. I just want you all to know how much I love and are grateful for you. The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly phenomenal. We are so lucky. Don't ever doubt. I KNOW that Heavenly Father loves you. He has made it known to me in so many ways these past couple weeks."
"There's not a lot of really interesting stuff in this letter, but I'm about out of time. I am glad sometimes when I get to see you in my dreams. ha ha Speaking of dreams, I haven't slept very well because we got new roommates. I think I jinxed myself last week. They snore like crrrazies! Luckily last night, I hit the exhaustion point where I just passed out, so today I feel great! I am so excited to get out into the mission field! I think about you often and am doing my best every day."
Love, Elder Dallon Smith