John's first full month of his mission was last month, September 2024. He flew out to Denver from Salt Lake City (not too long of a flight!) on Tuesday, September 3rd. I think at first it was a little hard--he really enjoyed the MTC and his district there, and he missed all of that. Missions are such an adjustment, one after another, and I greatly admire missionaries for dealing with these adjustments as they happen on a regular basis. I know that would be so hard for me, at least at first, because I don't like change. But John quickly settled into mission life after the first week or two of adjusting and he's been doing really well.
These were all of the incoming missionaries who arrived together. John is in the middle row, third in from the left. (Isn't he handsome! 😊)
With the Floyds, the mission president and his wife. From what I've heard, President Floyd is wonderful. I'm sure that Sister Floyd is as well.
This is one of the first pictures (if not the first) that John posted on Facebook from his mission. His first area is Grand Junction, a city in western Colorado that's pretty far away from Denver and mission headquarters.
Here's the brand new Grand Junction Colorado Temple! It will be dedicated in the spring. Isn't it beautiful? Just don't look too hard through the fence at the construction things that are there right now. 😄
This picture of John and his companion/trainer Elder Davis cracks me up.
One of the funny things John sends pictures of his food. He loves food.
He and Elder Davis made pork chops for dinner one night.
I don't know if this is the same pork chops or if they cooked them again on a different night. I like this picture because it shows what part of their apartment looks like.
Good old McDonald's!
He misses Fortnite 😂
This guy was one of John's favorite friends from his MTC district.
John says that he's almost an exact replica of one of his best friends from when we lived in Iowa (Craig). They aren't companions (maybe at some point they will be) but they're currently going to church in the same building; they're just serving in different wards.
I like the scenery pics John sends. It's more desert-like in Grand Junction than it is farther east in the state where ski country resides.
That scowl though 😆
I knew that John was going to love Colorado, at the very least because of its rugged and beautiful topography. It's right up his ally!
A few blasts from the recent past in the MTC...
This was John's district. It's the same group that started out in home MTC together on August 12th, meeting virtually for a week, and then they were all together in person at the actual MTC for two weeks. A few of them were going to the same mission as John and the others were going to missions in various places around the U.S.
John LOVED being able to see one of his BFFs, Conner, several times at the MTC. Conner was there for about nine weeks to learn Japanese before going to...Japan.
One of the things I like about John serving a mission is that he has to use Facebook on his mission, so I get to "see" him on there a lot more than ever before. I take screenshots of his Stories when I see them.
I'm so proud of John and the wonderful work he's doing. He's learning and growing a lot in the gospel, his testimony, and in important life skills. He's coming to care about people in a loving, caring, and Christlike way. Missions are awesome on so many levels, and I'm so thankful that he's serving one. He is exactly where he's supposed to be.
