Elder McKay Philip Pett: Big Money

WHATS UP FAM!!!

- so we play football/basketball in the mornings with B1 and B2 elders. It's a lot of fun. I was running for the end zone and as I dove over the imaginary pylon Elder McElvany tackled me midair and I flew into the end zone #StartPlayingUtahMan. Felt like Jereme Brooks in 08 vs Colorado state. (I'm a nurd. Wow.)

- later that Monday as we are playing basketball at the stake center I got the grand idea to jump up on the stage like I normally do. Completely forgot my left leg was still dead so my shin took out the edge of the stage. That was a lil embarrassing. #WhiteBoysCantJump

- move in day was this week. "By the beard of Zeus"... If you know what I mean. College... I miss it, not gonna lie. Got a pic with Champ Bobcat mascot). He doesn't have laser vision like Swoop but he's still alright.

- Saw Bukie! The girl from Nigeria! We saw her again and she wants the lessons. She's cool.

- we were helping some students move in one morning and it didn't go as long as we anticipated so we went to district meetings about an hour early... Elder Bennet made the grand discovery that if you detach the mic in the primary room it looks like a game show mic so... Things escalated quickly and I drew a wheel on the board and next thing I knew I was Bob Barker and Elder Bennet was spinning for BIG MONEY.

Then Elder McElvany took the mic and ran the game show and this went on for a while till the sisters walked in on us and gave the "what the fetch is wrong with you elders - this is why we can't have nice things" look to us.

- Elder McElvany is my Cody out here. Short, fast, buff, and freakin hilarious. I give him nick names depending on the event. When he dances in the pocket and scrambles for a touchdown in football = McElManziel, basketball = McBuckets, anytime I quote Ron Burgundy and he responds with "I love lamp" = McBrick Tamland. Our Ron Burgundy - Brick Tamland quoting unity is on point.

- biking one night and not much going on on campus, pretty dry. Elder Hunter said we should pray and I'm glad he did. Felt prompted to bike somewhere and we saw this guy wearing a SWEET Captain America shield backpack so our inner nerds exploded everywhere and we biked over. He and his 3 friends were from Turkey and just got here. They were awesome. We had a lot of fun talking with them. They even took a Book of Mormon and want to meet more with us. 2 of the girls saw us the next day at Catapalooza and were pumped to talk with us. It's an awesome group.

- The Zone is actually doing pretty well. Each companionship should have a baptism this transfer which is pretty awesome! They still make fun of me for being afraid of raptors but haters gonna hate.

- There was a big graphic map of the US in one of the MSU buildings and they are letting students color in parts of the US so I colored Utah red and drew a drum and feather on. #SorryJonny

- CATAPALOOZA was this week. Big opening event at MSU for clubs and stuff. Had pretty good success walking around and contacting. Talked to more people in about 5 minutes than I did all freshman year combined so #AchievementUnlocked. There were a few Jack wagons who wanted to throw down doctrinally but overall it was good.

- there was a CPR booth set up so I gave it a shot. I started singing "staying alive" and then pretty much quoted the entire Office - cpr scene in honor of Elder Christensen. The college girl working the booth was busting up laughing, the 2 EMT guys... not so much, so props to the girl for getting the reference. And no I did not cut the face off like what Dwight did. (YouTube the Office - CPR)

- softball team was practicing and a girl knocked one out and I yelled "DINGERS"... Also in honor of Elder Christensen.

- Dexter gave us a ride to the baptism in Townsend (about a hour out).

We show up and I ask how his dad is doing (his dad and I are on equal tiers of college football obsession) ... Dexter said he had a migraine and was asleep. I explained to Dexter that those are the pre season college football migraines and Dexter responds with the #ShotsFired of the week by saying "his body is preparing itself for all the heart break it'll face when the Cougars suck this year".

- after Jon's baptism we are chilling at Mariah's place. We were talking about languages and when I told em I know a little German #CelestialLanguage #TeamUchtdorf Mariah yelled at her grandma to come over who is from Germany to talk to me. I completely froze up and lost all knowledge of the language so that was rough. Afterwards Cache leans over and asks if I'll choke that bad talking to girls off my mission. #ShotsFired. Hopefully not cause we are still wanting to do Montana double dates.

This week rocked. Really don't even know what to say. Jon's baptism was awesome. A true blessing being able to see his testimony grow this last month. Mariah sang "Come Thou Fount" at his baptismal service and that was amazing. Told her she needs to do a hymn mix tape for the missionaries and she's down! A few of the YSA came too so that was fun, I'm just loving everyone out here. It's a family. I joked I wanted to baptize John Stockton when I found out I was coming here, instead I met an even cooler Jon and now we are brothers.

Also got to head out and see the Robisons last night. That was a great reunion. Brought back a lot of memories of last fall. Before we left I asked Brian if he wanted us to give the kids a blessing before they start school this week. That was another neat experience, I've really gotten close with that family the last year.

My testimony is founded on family. I know this gospel blesses families, I know that's what Heavenly Father wants us to have. My family probably isn't the most conventional Mormon family out there (#DirtyDisney) but we grew up with a home that was looking towards God. We had a worthy priesthood holder as our dad/@pettbryan and the most Christlike person I have ever met as my mom. There's a direct correlation there with how happy we were.

It's tough, cause you don't see your family out here. You kind of forget what that all feels like back home. I can sometimes feel that foundation going out from under me, I forget why I do this. Then you teach, you get close to families, both investigators and members, and you see that joy. And it reminds you of what you had. It reminds me why I have a testimony in the first place. It's all about family. If I don't ever understand more than that, that's all that I should need to know. The Book of Mormon, the priesthood, a Christ centered home, it's gonna lead to eternal happiness. How can that not be of God?

This is the real deal. This gospel is changing a lot of lives including mine. I love it. I still don't know everything, but what I do know is this gospel is the best shot we have at joy. As much as a I miss my family I'm grateful I can share that joy out here. Especially grateful for the family I have gained out here.

I love ya fam. I'll be listening for a "yell that rings through the mountains near and far" come Thursday night. Make 'em quit U-Boyz, uphold the legacy. We need one more good season for UReturn ;)

- Elder K

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