This week in Provo

This week's update will include information from an email Josh sent as well as a letter he wrote to us that we got yesterday.

First, his email that he wanted passed on to everyone:

Hey everyone
So far I've only been able to hear one apostle talk. It was Elder Bednar. But since this week is the week where all the new mission presidents are here for training, I heard that apostles will be walking around the MTC and that Tuesday's devotional is now going to be this Friday and the Prophet is going to speak. That will be so awesome.

Just a pre-sorry. Since I've started learning Hungarian I spell wrong sometimes, like "prophet" is "profet" and stuff like that. It's weird.

Well I've got 5 weeks done today and still have a few days short of 6 left. Ah, I want to be out in Hungary right now. Tomorrow is the TRC day, which is where we go practice teaching, and recently returned missionaries volunteer to help. So we teach them, but tomorrow is the first time where it's all Hungarian. No English at all. csok magyarol. ugh. I now see why this is one of, if not the hardest, language to learn. Well it's coming slowly but surely.
One of my teachers told us what our first day will be like.
We will basically get to Budapest and go to the mission home with the same group you were in the MTC with and then you will go to some hill/mountain that has a statue, I'll get the story straight before I tell you all that story, but we basically go up there and look at all of Budapest. I can't wait to see that.
Well, everyone needs to write me. You look so forward to mail because you have almost nothing else to look forward to.

My address is:
Elder Josh Hosch
MTC mailbox #127
Hun-Bud 0803
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Bye love you all except you Tim, lol

In his letter he was excited about the fact that the ancient ones, or in Hungarian they are called Osi's, are going to be heading to Hungary on Monday (June 22nd, which is now past). The Osi's are the missionaries who have been there the longest. Then the next group will leave for Hungary two weeks later and Josh's group, which all entered May 20th, will be the Osi's and they will get kici's, or "small ones". It's sort of like in high school when at first you're the freshmen and then you move up through and eventually become the seniors...he and his group are about to become seniors! Just one more group and then Josh's will be the next to fly to Hungary.

He's having a pretty good time, he said it's fun when you start learning the basics of the language and teaching the Hungarian people (he doesn't feel quite so lost). They still can't play much basketball, they can play a speed game and 21 but there's still a worry over the swine flu so they don't want a lot of contact. Josh said he doesn't know if he's grown but can touch his forehead on the basketball rim (I'm assuming when he jumps). I hope he's careful, I can just picture him knocking himself out or something by smacking his head on the basketball rim...

Josh's email at the MTC is magasman@myldsmail.net. (magas in Hungarian means tall one.) If you can't or won't write any other way, then write him on that...he said he's not getting a lot of mail other than his family and he desperately wants to hear from his friends and neighbors and loved ones. It would be better if you wrote through dearelder.com so it wouldn't take up his computer time to read emails, but if you have to email him directly at his magasman@myldsmail.net address it would be better than not writing him. You're also free to email to me at cyndihosch@cox.net and I'll get it to him.

Let's recap:

regular mail
dear elder email system
magasman@myldsmail.net email address
email me and I'll forward it to him

Lots of ways to write, no excuses!!

Josh is scheduled to be in the MTC about 75 days and he's almost at his halfway point, it will go quickly from here for him. He also said 2 guys that were on his high school volleyball team are now in the MTC, too, that is fun that he knows more people there. He already knew Taylor Buerger from York, PA who has now flown to Kobe, Japan...it's great to know somebody in there!

Christmas comes early in the MTC

I was up in Utah over the first weekend in June because my best friend's daughter was getting baptized. While there, we went shopping for a package of goodies to send to Josh. We went to Sam's Club, Costco, and Walmart...and my friend Rachel got Josh HUGE packages of:

Pringle's snack packs
Lay's chips, variety of flavors
gum
Twizzler's
individually wrapped, iced sugar cookies
sleeves of little powdered doughnuts
individually wrapped muffins
M & M's (the HUGE bag)
Oreo cookies (I think...there's so much it's hard to remember!)
and
beef jerky

And I'm talking about HUGE packages of each item...not just a sample!

Josh emailed on Wednesday and said that the "small" package from Aunt Rachel arrived...and it was like Christmas! He got a call from the mail room and was asked to come down and get it because it was too big for the lady in the mail room to deal with!! I'm sure he was wondering what in the world could be there...and when he got it and opened it he just kept pulling one thing out after another. We all wish we could have watched him the whole time to see his reactions. Maybe he took pictures, if so we'll post them when we get them. Communication seems slow even though he can email weekly and write, etc.

If you've been on a mission you might remember the MTC experience...if you went foreign you probably remember that after a few weeks you were ready to GO. Josh has a while left but is already anxious to get going! Ken said they teach you about your country and language and get you so excited to go that it's all you want to do...and yet there's so much to learn and it takes time. He's having some incredible experiences, though, which he keeps saying over and over again. He knows he's in the right place for him at this time.

Keep writing him a lot, he needs the moral support from everyone. Feel free to send him pictures!!! I'm not sure he needs many treats, though...HAHA!

By the way, May 20-August 3rd is a little over 10 weeks. Josh is nearing his 5th week...so he's almost halfway through his MTC experience.

Letter from Josh

We received a letter from Josh about his day on Tuesday, June 9...

"Wow is all I can say. Mom, I don't know how great your birthday was but your birthday was awesome for me.
It started off as any other Tuesday with gym at 6:30 am and class all day with the exception of eating, but then we had our Tuesday night devotional.
Dad I can't thank you enough for encouraging me to sing in the MTC choir. Like normal we practiced before dinner, then went to eat. After eating we returned to the building/gym where they were holding the devotional. People arrive early for good seats, but being in the choir you get in every time, so we can still show up only 15 minutes early and get great seats. Well since people show up like 30-45 minutes early, we sang until 7. About 5 min before we started, a man got up to the stand and said "we usually don't stand to sing the songs of Zion (then he raised his brow) except for when a general authority walks in." Then almost 10 seconds after we started singing, everyone stood up and I looked down and Elder David A. Bednar walked and started to sing with us. Never before have I felt so amazing about seeing someone with authority like that. You know I've met famous people. When I met Donovan McNabb, even for the 2nd time, didn't compare--just the power I felt as Elder Bednar walked in was incredible. Just the respect that I and all the other missionaries have for who he is and what he represents made me really think, how can this not be absolutely true?? Then, near the end of his talk he spoke about how the spirit he feels is the same that we do. So as we talked about it afterward, I thought, even if we dont' talk to somebody, they still might see us on the street and just like I looked at Elder Bednar and thought it was amazing who he is and what he represents, that the person that looks at me as I walk by might feel the same and it might be memorable because of who I am and who I represent. I know that was a long sentence.
Well, anyway, he is a great and funny guy. He has incredible stories."


He goes on to write some personal things to me and Ken and continues to ask for letters from his friends and he especially wants pictures!!

This week in Provo

Missionaries are allowed to fly now despite the swine flu at the MTC, so our friend's son was able to leave for Japan today (Kobe). We haven't heard any more news about sick missionaries so hopefully things are getting back to normal around there.

Josh is feeling pretty cooped up and wishing gym class was longer, he releases stress and/or frustration by being active and 50 minutes a day isn't enough. There were some restrictions on playing basketball since there'd be some contact; just another precaution to keep from spreading illness. There hasn't been word yet if that's lifted but may go on as long as there's a threat of spreading the swine flu or other flus in there.

They do have some fun, Josh and his roommates apparently made videos where they act out being super heroes or something equally goofy. He's been drawing a lot, which as you probably know is one way he LOVES to pass time. He draws on paper, the chalk boards, anywhere he can.

He's learning Hungarian so well; in just 3 weeks he's learned so much. He's able to say a prayer, bear his testimony, make introductions, teach some of the discussions, and more. It's an incredible accomplishment that's part of the magic at the MTC.

He misses playing his guitar; our neighbors can attest to the fact that he'd often just go into his room and play away in his own world. He actually told Ken he now regrets not being able to play the piano...I hope you all heard that!! If you're taking lessons practice a lot and don't stop!

He really is doing well, he's just missing some things that allow him to blow off steam. He continues to want even more letters and to hear from his friends and loved ones. Write him a lot while we can take advantage of the dearelder.com website and write him daily for free. If you're having any trouble using it just let me know!!

This week:

We got letters from Josh, he is now writing to us in Hungarian! He said the language is extremely difficult but he's getting it, he just wishes he was learning it as easily as he learned German. He said they are going from sunup to sundown there and it's really exhausting but also exhilirating. Yes, my boy used the word exhilirating and not "sick" or "cool" or "sweet"...He said he wishes they had just a bit more down time to feel a little more rested.

We should have pictures from him soon, he's going to mail his memory card to us and we'll post pictures as we get them.

He has gotten letters people emailed him through www.dearelder.com. Now that the excitement of getting there and getting started is wearing down, he's more and more anxious to get to Hungary. He misses the comfort of his family around him and especially his brothers. The other missionaries are really cool and they get along well but of course it's not the same as his brothers.

One of the guys in his room was sick...let's hope he's not one of the missionaries with the flu or swine flu. I hate to think of those young guys getting sick out there. I think Josh is feeling lonesome and would love to hear from everyone, especially his friends. Actually I think he NEEDS to hear from his friends. What he's doing is really difficult and takes all he's got, he needs lots of support.

It's really difficult to read his writing in Hungarian, partly because he wrote with a fine-tip marker on thin paper on both sides...and partly because I don't know Hungarian, I can't even try to figure things out. But here is some of what he wrote:

Jo napot.
Em Hosch Elder. Vagyok, es o Kubricky Elder. Hogy hivnak? Honnan Jottel misszionariusok vagyonk Jezus Krisztus Egyhazatol Szeretnink talalkozni reled es tobbet beszelni Jezus Krisztusrol, es eserelhetnunk telefonszamokat.
-Most jo? Vagy mas alkalomman?
Jobb a litvege vagy litkoznap?
Jobb dele-tt, dilutuu, vagy este?
Szeretenk talakozni_______ (insert day of the week)
Monday: Hetfon
Tuesday: Kedden
Wednesday: Szerdan
Thursday: csutortokey
Friday: penteken
Saturday: szombaton
Sunday: vasarnapon

Koszonom szepan.

So ok...WOW. And you guys should see all the dots and dashes and slashes, etc over the vowels...this is nuts! I probably typed some of this wrong so all you Hungarian experts out there can tell me how it's supposed to be, I'm sure he did it correctly and I'm the one who read it wrong. :)


The Missionary Training Center (MTC) experience is very different, for those of you who haven't gone or aren't members;

The MTC is simply a place of learning. It's pretty exciting, actually, there are over 50 languages being taught 24/7/365. At any given time there are an average of 2,000 missionaries in the training center where Josh is...but there are 17 MTCs around the world and an average of 10,000 missionaries go through the 17 MTCs a year. The church sends missionaries to over 140 countries around the world. Mission areas are organized geographically. There are over 350 different missions. Where Josh will be going, the entire country is encompassed by only one mission-some missions cross over national borders. {Ken went to the Germany-Munich mission and served part of his time in Austria.} Missions are mainly about teaching people about our church's beliefs, but it's also a time when these young men and women completely and totally forget themselves and devote their time and energy to others. If they are learning another language they spend 8-10 weeks in the MTC learning the language and culture of their mission area. Josh went in on May 20th and is supposed to go to Hungary on our about August 3. {If they are going to a mission where they don't need to learn a new language they are there for about 2 weeks.}
Because 8-10 weeks isn't that long to learn another language, the studying is intense and goes on 6 days a week. They get a day called "preparation day" or "P-day". That will continue throughout their mission and it's the day they take care of personal business; laundry, shopping, cooking, writing home, etc. Josh's p-day right now is on Wednesdays, which is why we get emails from him on Wednesdays, he usually emails while doing his laundry. He can write letters any time of the week during breaks or whatever. Today I got to email him from my cell phone while we sat in the MVD getting Jeremy's driver's license-and it was almost like texting because he was sitting at the computer in Provo answering me right away. It was great! He did tell me he got the package we sent of fudge and Vienna Sausages (what a combination) and some of the things he left behind, like his camera battery charger, etc.

So that's about it for this week. Because his p-days are on Wednesdays that's probably the days I'll be updating.

Swine Flu at the MTC

Well, here's a news release about what's going on in the MTC.

SALT LAKE CITY 1 June 2009 Parents of missionaries entering the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, are being asked to pay particular attention to the physical condition of their missionary sons and daughters and to delay their arrival at the training center if they show any signs of illness.

The caution comes on the news that three missionaries at the MTC have been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus and another 17 have tested positive for the type A flu virus.

The affected missionaries have been isolated from the rest of the approximately 2,000 missionaries currently residing at the MTC and are being cared for by the center’s medical staff until they pose no medical risk to others. All are expected to make a full recovery, and their parents have been notified.

Parents and family members coming to drop off missionaries at the MTC this week are also being notified that only missionaries will be allowed inside the buildings. This is to prevent additional exposure to the missionaries from outside sources.

Elder Richard G. Hinckley, executive director of the Missionary Department, said: “As always, the well-being of our missionaries is our top priority. We are erring on the side of caution and taking all necessary steps to ensure they are in a healthy environment. The MTC medical staff is following an established protocol designed to deal effectively with issues related to communicable diseases.”

As a preventative measure, missionaries scheduled to depart from the MTC to missionary assignments are being delayed a week to ensure they are free from illness.

I got that from www.newsroom.lds.org. If Josh were to get sick we'd be notified right away and he just emailed quickly (he'll email more later today) and is fine. When I hear more from Josh it will be posted right away!

I have a friend who lives in Provo and not too long ago she got sicker than she's ever been in her life; and it was the flu. Not the swine flu, but it was very bad...so the flu up there is pretty strong this season. Here's hoping all stays well with everyone there!

2,000 missionaries in there at once? Wow...