Brother Johnson teaches me Cebuano!

My district!

Well dear elder is awesome!  You guys should send lots of letters through that, and you should tell family too if you haven't. So ya, grandpa was pretty emotional right as he left me on the curb, lol, i have never seen grandpa like that that I can remember. Oh my goodness about you and aunt amy crying, lol, I'm glad you have her though to hang with now!!!  And that sounds good about the house?  I bet kaden isn't too thrilled about that!!! hahaha, and Ivy, oh dear she hasn't learned to text yet.  How are those phones doing???? Oh my crap about that storm, I love storms so much!  Why did it have to happen right after I left, its a good thing it happened when it did though, oh my goodness!!!! hahaha, but ya i bet Zach was freaking out inside, if he wasn't crying lol.

So when I got to the MTC, they took me straight to class after dropping off my stuff, and when I walked in, all that Brother Johnson, my teacher, said was in Cebuano, so we had no idea what he was saying, it was so crazy to experience that and think that we will be learning that. Its been one week now, and I can speak Cebuano somewhat, I can bare testimony, pray, ask to commit, sorta talk, and we are just learning to make our own sentences now. So a couple days in, me and my companion had to already teach and investigator in Cebuano!!! It was ridiculous, but we did it and I think it went well. After that we set up another appointment and taught him again, and taught him how to pray and committed him to baptism. It was pretty cool!!!!! All in Cebuano!!!!! Since then we have just been getting ready to teach more. So me and my companion decided we were going to sing in the choir, and so we did and it was so awesome. So loud, and the spirit was so strong.  And we were told some amazing stuff during it. Then on tuesday we got to sing in a devotional and the guy who talked to us was and old man who was once a general authority, and he was the one who had "the other side of heaven" movie made after him. Not sure if you have seen that one, but it is a disney movie made about his mission to Tonga. The spirit is so strong here. Basketball is awesome. Not everyone can play, but a few can, and we get some good games going. We have gym space to play everyday for 50 minutes where we can do that!! The gym is so nice, literally a day before I got to the MTC, they redid the floors, and the gym is a huge gym with 8 "half court" places to play, then they have a four square area and volley ball area. And a track around up top and its all in door. He is a skinny tall samoan and he is just so athletic. The food is great, it is really good and theres lots of it. They serve lots of different stuff. Fries, burgers, onion rings, Mexican food, potatoes and chicken, ect., and all you can drink of pretty much anything. I see sterling 4 times a day, we have gym and meals together, and sometimes other times, like p day we have the same temple slot. My roommates rock, they are all easy to get along with, it is fun. Any way i have to go for this week, send me lots of dearelders!!

Love Elder Schnoor

First Letter

So Branden is off and was so excited to go.  Grandma said that he didn't even look back.  We have just received our first letter from him!  I can't tell you how excited I was for that.  The best way to get in touch with him right now is through www.dearelder.com  Make an account for yourself and then you can send your letter to him.  Branden only has an hour to read mail and reply to them on his P-day.  If you send a letter to him through DearElder.com he will receive a printed copy during the week and can read them and then have his full hour to reply when the time comes.  You will have to enter his unit # (51), his mission (PHI-CEBE) and his Departure Date (Sep 04)



Dear family, 

I cant believe the time of my mission is here. It is so weird, it still hasn't fully hit me. i have a letter coming to explain more of the first day, but I can explain about the MTC. so when i got here, i got dropped off at the front by grandma and grandpa, then I was lead by a missionary who was sorta my guide to different buildings to pick up my cebuana and other missionary stuff. Then we dropped off our stuff in our rooms and I was off to class. As soon as I got to class, I walked in and the teacher didn't speak any language for the entire day. Just the odd word, so we all just starred a lot! and that was most of my first day. 

Yesterday I finally got to see sterling. It was at breakfast and we saw each other across the cafeteria and we both smiled. Every time we see each other now, which is 4-5 times a day for meals, in the gym and sometimes just other places, we can't help but smile. The MTC is pretty big. It has around probably 20 buildings, each either class rooms or sleeping dorms. Then one is a giant gym with several courts, and one with the cafeteria, and devotional bigger rooms. 

My room I have 3 other elders with me, my companion is Elder Geauque, from Idaho, and the other companionship in our room is Elder Lewis and elder Remer. Our district has nine, and the most foreign guy is Elder Ah Choo Koon, from Samoa. It is pretty awesome here, the spirit is really strong and I am soo busy learning all this different stuff. The language is honestly ridiculous, maayo means good, and taga asa ka means where are you from. So in reply I say Taga Canada ko. But thats just a small taste. 

 My address and info is 

Elder Branden Jason Schnoor

SEP04 PHI-CEBE

2007 N 900 E Unit 51

Provo UT 84602

We are district H, zone 45, and I am here for 6 weeks until september 4!

Tell me how things are going. I am limited with time and have told you most, its all pretty much just crazy here. My letter will tell you a bit more. My P day is Friday and i think in the afternoon is when I will be able to mostly reply. And of course any advice you can give me, I am just a bit overwhelmed right now. 

Love

Elder Schnoor

Ok I have more time, so my branch president is President Pearce, and he is so nice, especially his wife! We are not allowed to chew gum on our missions, and I got to go to the temple this morning. The temple was amazing, although we only stayed in one room. We got to see the newest video, so that means there are now 4 temple videos. The spirit was awesome, and the temple was beautiful!! I also have like 12 hours of learning the language a day almost, or that's what they told us. I am seriously missing everybody, its so hard to leave and its only day three so I can't believe there are like 700 more or whatever still!!! My district is nine people, and four of us are going to cebu, the other four an island over. And there are like no canadians here, I have met like 5. Sterling and me, another guy from lethbridge, a cardston guy and a few others from Toronto over. Anyway I have to go, love you all lots!!!!!!

Elder Schnoor

It's official! I'm a missionary!

Well, today is the day I am taking off. I can't believe it is already here, it feels like just last week I opened up my call. I leave this afternoon to Cardston, then early in the morning I leave for Utah!!! The worst part of this though is saying good bye. I am going to miss my family and friends soooo much, but I can't wait till I get to the MTC. I just need to survive the full day drive down with no phone or iPod, i think i will probably sleep a lot. I got my first email back from my friend Sterling the other day and he told me that literally ten minutes after I get dropped off at the curb at the MTC I will be in a new language training class already learning how to speak Cebuana. I am very excited to learn to speak it and how to be a missionary.