The Missionary Farewell Tie and Bryce's latest email

Noah Jewkes wearing the Missionary Farewell Tie at his mission farewell on August 11, 2013

Elder Noah Jewkes leaves for the Denmark Copenhagen Mission on August 14, 2013

This tie has been worn by many Bingham High friends at their farewell 

 Elder Rodabough received this tie from his Scout Master Alan Jackson who wore it in the 1970"s

The tie lives on. I'm so glad it has!!! I was super worried yesterday for some reason about it and I’m glad to see that it's still going strong or at least I hope it is.  Do you know how many signatures it has on the back?

That article puts things into a somewhat better perspective than some of the elders think. While the CCM can hold over 1000 missionaries, President Pratt says that we'll probably receive upwards of 1,200 missionaries by the time I leave.  Today we receive not only the missionaries assigned to Benemerito, but now Peru and Argentina--probably around 200 of them. Peru and Argentina MTC's are over capacity and we're getting the overflows.  Less food for us. Thanks again for the cliff bars. I sold some to the other elders in our Casa and made some good Pesos.

But yeah I know the guy who wrote the article! His daughter is Carla Swenson and I went to Bingham Ball with her my junior year. He walked up to me as I was getting juice in the Comedor and he said, "Hi Bryce I'm here because Mr. Hicks wanted an article in the Prospector about all the Bingham boys down here." I laughed and didn't recognize him at first but then I did. He sat with me and my district for the next couple meals and took a couple of pictures of us.  He sent them to Carla who then put them on Twitter and I hear it's all the rage between Bingham and Hillcrest. (Elder Adams went to Hillcrest and was SBO President.) 

This week has been a doosey. At the beginning I was feeling super confident in my Spanish and my teaching skills, but this week has been a trial for me. Yesterday I had a real humbling experience while teaching.  Elder Marchello and I were teaching one of our investigators, Eliana, and I wasn't sure exactly what was going on in the lesson, but I was doing my best.  Suddenly I had the strongest impression to read from Moroni 8 about infant baptism. But like I said I wasn't sure what was going on in the lesson so I sat there hesitating to share. I never got around to it.  After the lesson I told Elder Marchello about this and he told me that's exactly what Eliana needed to hear.  I felt terrible. It weighted on me the rest of the day.  I may not know what's being said in the lesson, but El Espiritu does.  I won't ignore a prompting while I teach ever again.  The spirit knows what people need, and I can try my best to know. But I must rely on El Espiritu santo to tell them what the Lord wants them to know.

Let me just say that I've gotten much more organized and clean in the past few weeks.  I went over to the house where Elder Clark, Jordan, Jones, and Owen are staying and it was a mess. I asked them to clean it up so that they can have more room for the spirit. 

Elder Christensen had us do a squat workout where we did over 260 body weight squats and I haven't been able to walk for two days. Today is much better but hot diggity, I'm still limping a little bit. Hermana De La Vega likes to make fun of us when we kneel down to pray or walk anywhere. She thinks she's so funny. 

I'm sorry I don't have much to write.  This week has been hard, but I'm optimistic for this coming one.  We get to go to the temple for the first time today, and I look forward to seeing how the veil pans out. Spanish sessions are interesting I hear.  But I'll love it I bet. I really just need to be close as I possibly can to the Lord. I need some help.  Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, you are always in mine :) 

Yo sé que Thomas S. Monson es un profeta. Yo amo el Evangelio de Jesucristu. Estoy Agredecido por la oportunidad to be here in the CCM.  (Doing my best to do it in spanish) Yo sé que José smith es un profeta.  La Iglesia de Jesucristu de los Santos de Los Ültimos Dios es verdad.  En el nombre De Jesucristo Amen.