A month has already come and gone...

Hello Family and Friends!

So i've been at the MTC for 4 weeks now. Crazy huh? Things are still good, but this has been an especially rough week...
I'd like to begin my letter shouting out to my cousin Taylor McBride who will be joining me here at the MTC in 2 weeks i believe? Here are a few words of wisdom:
1. Bring good shoes! So this week i rolled my ankle really bad playing basketball. Hundreds of missionaries have rolled their ankles playing all different kinds of sports; Four-square, volleyball, basketball, Soccer, and more. So bring really good shoes that will prevent you from rolling your ankle ok?
2. Bring lots of medicine with you. So the Swine Flu has been popping up every once in a while here at the MTC, but more serious is the amount of "regular" sicknesses here. Almost every member of my district has been seriously sick in the last couple weeks. The same goes for ALL missionaries here. The medical office here is booked full every day with appointments. MY companion has finally passed his cold and sore throat to me a little bit. It's no bueno! Haha so bring tons of medicine to make your days easier WHEN you get sick (not if, but when).
3. I don't know how many ties you are allowed to bring to your mission, but definitely bring more then 5. My paper said bring only 5, but that is nowhere near enough. Bring at least 7 to keep things interesting cuz everyone gets sick of their ties and trade all the time to keep their sanity. (I myself have not traded :S) Also, Zip-up ties are a BAD IDEA. They fall down way too easily and it's annoying to have to constantly fix them.
4. Bring TWO journals. Bring one journal for writing in at night, your "Missionary Journal" or whatever it's called. The other one is called your "Study Journal." This is the journal where you take notes in during devotionals, during personal study, during class, and during any kind of "study" activity. Also, they have a really nice bookstore here and plenty of different journals to choose from if you just wanna buy one here.
5. I am in Zone 38 District C. It's quite possible that you could be put into my zone or even into my room (probably not though). Which means we would be able to go to GYM together, eat meals together, and sit by each other at sacrament meeting, as well as other meetings. I live on the 4th floor of Building 15M and I go to class in 17M. I have dinner at 6:00 everyday as well. Remember all that so you can find me sometime!
6. Last word of advice. Start living the rules the minute you get here. Make your bed and clean up your room everyday (they do random room inspections all the time and you get a grade). Don't listen to ANY music (new rule at the MTC, not even Mo-Tab). Don't sneak food out of the cafeteria. Be on time to class and go to bed on time. Etc...etc... My companion and I were lucky enough to have roommates who helped us from day one and that made living it so much easier.
7. I love ya cuzzzz... See ya soon!

So yeah, that's my advice for Taylor. I have not seen Chad or David yet and I don't think they're in my zone unfortunately. I see more people I know each and everyday (Brock Perry, Marcus Oliver, and Hunter Poulsen from my high school is in my District, which i forgot to mention earlier). Yes, I rolled my ankle really really bad. Yes, I am kinda sick. Yes, I do blame my companion for it all ;) But hey, it's all good.
Lately in my scripture studies I've been studying 1st and 2nd Samuel in the Bible. It's way cool. The story of David goes on forever and is very interesting. My favorite chapter so far is 2 Sam 22. I think if you read everything before it, it makes it even more powerful though! The scriptures are so incredible and you can always find a way to apply them in your life.
I'm grateful to be here, I miss you all so much! Keep writing!

Love,
Elder Matthew D. Mooney