Elder Michael Eliason: Week 3: Getting Ready to Leave the MTC and arriving in Arkansas.

Here at the MTC it's been quite a long week, we have had lots of new experiences with TRCs and we have also had lots of class time.

This week I was able to host the new missionaries coming in, I hosted seven of them and it was really fun!

Elder Wilde and I taught priesthood this Sunday on the creation, the fall, and moral agency. It went very well, we think that everyone was able to gain something from the lesson, including ourselves.

Yesterday we had infield orientation which went from 8 AM to 5:30 PM, it was long but worth it. We learned about the doctrine of Christ, goals and planning, finding, and working with members, all relating to what I will be doing in the field!

I leave on July 19 at 3:30 in the morning, I have a flight at 7 in the morning and then at 1 in the afternoon with a layover in Atlanta Georgia. We then will arrive at Fayetteville Arkansas at around three or 4 PM. After that we will have around a 2 hour drive to Bentonville, Arkansas. The total travel time should be around seven hours, but with all of the layovers it will be a very long day.

I love you and miss you, but I know that I am doingthe right thing right now.

Love, Elder Eliason

July 19, 2017
We (immediate family) were able to speak with Michael briefly about 6:30am thanks to the kindness of a stranger (Rick Hammond) that, when thanked, said "It was absolutely my pleasure. I love traveling through Salt Lake and seeing the new missionaries heading out. I got the opportunity to visit with him for a few minutes this morning. I think they're all a little nervous for the unknown but excited as well. The short opportunity I had to chat with him I think he's going to make a fantastic missionary."