MTC Last

So my flights:

Delta 242, leaves SLC at 11:15 AM 25 JUL arrives AM 8:05 AM 26 JUL
followed by:
Delta 9571 leaves AM 10:05 AM arrives TXL(Berlin) 11:20 AM

So yeah, I've got to be at the travel office at 8:00 - so that gives us 3 hours to get to the airport, through security, and onto the plane and all that - I feel like it usually takes forever, doesn't it? Anyhoodles, I was talking to some people in my district who got phone cards, but they only work in the states, so it'd have to be in Salt Lake - so I'll try to call you, I don't know what the time there will be like. so yuppers... so you can look for a call some time in there - I just would feel terrible if I wasn't able too... It'll probably be fine though... you probably know better than I do... mumble mumble mumble....\

So yeah, this week has been so crazy. The surreality is just getting weirder and weirder. With being done with fake investigators, with being done with normal class... it's all super krasy. I'm also just terrified. Yesterday was "In-field" training, and it was a full day of workshops and lecture, and we had these little packets that we had to fill in the blanks... it was kind of incredibly boring, but the stuff they were talking about was good... mostly it was a more condensed version of a lot of the stuff we've been talking about the whole time, and geared more directly to starting off and planning and working with members and stuff... stuff that I'll be doing in a couple days... whenever I think about it I just get super nervous and my stomach starts playing this game where it sees how many times it can fold itself in half. I don't like that game.

On Wednesday, we had the opportunity to be HOST missionaries, aka, the missionaries who pick up the new ones at the curb and show them a bit. It's sort of a full circle literary device. Anyhoodles - when I was standing out there waiting for people, I was ridiculously nervous. And when I say ridiculous, I mean entirely worthy of ridicule. And I was just thinking, "If I'm scared to death by new missionaries, how will I possibly be able to handle a German?" It's not a particularly comforting thought. But every time I actually approached a car, the new missionary came out, and all of the sudden all I was concerned about was helping them and making them feel comfortable, and ok with the shocking process. So I'm really trying to keep that in mind. The idea of real people is absolutely terrifying. Real real people aren't so bad. When I'm actually with them, and when I'm concentrating on how I can help them, there's no need to be afraid, and there's less of a tendency to be afraid. Just try telling that to my stomach.

Church is true! Love you,
-Elder Cloward