Travel Day

Today was the big travel day. I got a small email this morning telling me that they were leaving the MTC at about 10:00 and that Colton would call about noon. He called just after noon and I conferenced Mom, Molly and Matt in on the conversation.

Colton's companion's name is Garrett Craney. When we ask him what he had been learning he told us to get a copy of "Preach My Gospel" and study chapter 3 and we would know. He told us that the devotionals he got to enjoy, one was an area 70 and the other was someone who sits on the board at the MTC.

Colton's itinerary is that he traveled to Denver leaving SLC at about 1:45 and getting into Denver about 2:45. They left Denver about 5:15 and are flying to Frankfurt Germany tonight. They arrive there at about 11:30 am. They have an hour layover and then fly straight to India and arrive there about 1:45 a.m. on Christmas Eve.

Colton is doing great. He says that he has learned tons but it sounds like it has deepened his understanding more than anything and he has been extremely busy.

After he got to Denver, he called back and I got to talk to him for a little longer. He told me that they got to go to the temple a couple of times. He has gained about 3 lbs eating the MTC food. The best experience he had though was in the RC (Referal Center). This is where they take the calls from the Pass-along cards. He told me that he answered the phone and it was a single woman from Idaho. She had a son in high school and he had early morning seminary. Her husband had left her for another woman and she was about 31 or so. He said that the son's Guidance Counselor at the school was mad because the boy had early morning seminary and he didn't think that the kid needed to be in seminary zero hour and he was giving the kid a hard time. So the mom felt prompted to go to the counselor and bear her testimony to him, so she did. The next day, there was a knock at her door and there stood the counselor with her son whom he had pulled out of math and the counselor wanted to know more about the gospel. Apparently he is now taking the discussions.

I hope I got all of that right. I am not sure what Colton saw in the situation but it really touched him and he felt very blessed to have been able to talk to the woman. On the way to Denver, Colton gave the kid next to him a pass-along card and was pretty excited about that as well. As I talked with Colton, I finally said to him, you are kind of chomping at the bit aren't you? and he answered, "Mom, I can hardly wait to get there and get going!" It was obvious that he is anxious to be about his work and is excited to serve. Colton loved the plane ride and was really excited about that experience. There are 8 missionaries including Colton on their way to India today.

Colton said that in the MTC, the other Elders in his district were on their way to the Peoria, Illinois mission and he told them to look up Scofield's and that that is where his grandmother had served her mission. They seemed to be excited to know someone who had been there a little. I told him once again that if he will email me with all of your answers I will place them here so that all can read them.