Elder Corey Miles - Ethiopia Addis Ababa Mission: WK 1

I'll admit I'm feeling a little pressure though, I know how missionary letters are. I need to set a strong standard with this first one. Gotta make this email interesting because it might determine whether or not some of you keep reading the rest..........just kidding. There's a lot to talk about so I'll keep it as brief as possible!

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to go through the Temple, try Ethiopian food, and get set apart all in one day! It was a little bit hectic but it's a day I'll never forget. All of it together made for an awesome experience and I felt the spirit, with the peace and joy it brings, the whole way through (although my opinion on Ethiopian food is still up in the air. Hopefully it's an acquired taste).

I've been in the MTC for just over a week now and I'm absolutely loving it! My district is the Malachi district and we're all going to Ethiopia speaking Amharic. There are 6 elders (including me) from the US and a sister from South Africa who joined us about a week in. They found a companion for her from Uganda that'll join us soon. My companion is Elder Lyman from West Jordan and he's a beast! He's so sincere and ready to serve. Plus, he's a connoisseur of memes so props to him for that. He T-posed on the first day and at that point I knew I'd like him haha.

My two teachers are Brother Osei-Tutu from Ghana and Wendim Beyene from Ethiopia! They are spiritual giants and great teachers. I get so much from them every day. They are also hilarious so that makes for a good time. Wendim Beyene is our Amharic instructor and my goodness the language is so different. But lemme tell you the gift of tongues is definitely real as I've learned so much already. At this point I can read and write in the alphabet and have a decent amount of useful phrases under my belt. I'm excited how it progresses moving on.