The First Email Home!!

oh my gosh i can't even explain to you how nice it is to finally get to talk to you!! I miss everyone tons but the MTC is seriously so so so amazing! i love it so much! the spirit hasn't left since i got here! I guess i should start at the beginnning! as soon as you enter the mtc you walk into this room and it's just like the missionary army assembly line! they set you up with everything you need while you are here! You saw the host as he picked me up and i went through the line with him and he carried all of my luggage all the way to my room (which wasn't a small feat by any means!) we had enough time to drop off my stuff and just head straight to class! as soon as i got to class i watched a intro movie with a whole ton of rules and stuff like that! not to exciting but it was necessary! after that we got straight into portugese and it was amazing! i already feel so good with what i have learned! i'm not gonna lie at some times i think about how i only have 9 weeks to learn this and i have no idea how to even form much of my own freestyle sentence yet but it is still way awesome! after that we went to a big large group mtc orientation where the mission presidency and their wives all talked and it was amazing but out of no where elder jeffrey r holland walked in and at the end of president smith's talk he gave an impromptu talk like i have never heard in my life! imagine the same kind of mood as his last conference talk about the book of mormon but it was about missionary work this time! i have never felt the spirit so strong in my life! he said "this is not a fairy tale, we didn't make all of this up just to tease you and trick you all into being here! this gospel is real and so is this work!" i can't even explain the feeling in that room! just jaw dropping spirit! i could have walked on the spirit it was that strong!

now to answer some of your questions...i'll see if i remember most of them...

1. yes the food is extremely good here! they have the best salads i have ever ate and on top of that i can eat cereal every single meal!!! they even have blueberry muffin tops!!!

2. my "companheiro" is awesome! his name is elder anderson and he is from bluffdale utah! it's also very weird to be next to someone ALL the time! his personality is patience trying sometimes but he is a son of god that is trying to be the best he can! what else could i ask for!

3. Mom...the Tool program is here but we haven't yet got into it! this week's schedule is deifferent than all of my other weeks here will be bcause we are new! speaking of which my p day from now on will be friday so you can look for emails then.

4. as far as visas go...right now our zone leaders have been here for 13 weeks and we are only supposed to be here for 9. it's crazy they just aren't going through but we pray for them everyday! i also can say my prayers and testimony in portugese already! so amzing!

5. don't worry about the balance between writing too much and not writing! i can't even describe to you what the support has meant to me! i have recieved several letters and a couple packages already and they seriously make my day!

6. Now you can take this however you want but i hope you know me well enough to know that i am in this for the long haul and how much i love it here!....it is so so so so so tough sometimes! satan is a dirtbag as kenon would say! (send me his address by the way) anyway it is so hard here to keep going sometimes! but i was called by god to do god's work! i was forordained to this mission to help someone in need and i know that i am in the right spot regardless of how hard it gets!

I'm sure i didn't even touch some questions at all but i hope this will help you to know i am ok! thank you for the support! i will never be able to explain to you how much it means! feel free to cut whatever of this out you want and put it on the blog! i am so excited to be here! i can't stress that enough! i know this work really is great and marvelous! i feel the spirit so strong telling me what i need to do to be the best i ever can be! every single single single thing we do here at the mtc is working towards preaching this great and marvelous word! we run and workout everyday to stay in shape to preach it! we study and pray so we can teach it better! I promise you from the best point of view i think there could be that this word is going forward in every way! i have met so many people that i instantly love! i can't wait to fall in love with people in brazil! i hope it's closer to 9 weeks than 13 but i know God has his hand in ALL THINGS!

i can't even explain how much i love each of you! Cassi i miss you a lot! when i see the sisters here i think of you! you don't have to be perfect, just be inspiring! Ty, how's band? Mom i miss you! i love you so much! thank you for helping me get here and stay here! your letters mean the world! Dad, i hope you know that you can say things to me that no one else can and they impact me so hard! here's everyone's spiritual thought or what i found interesting this week! it's one of the 100's of things i have learned! Moroni 7: 13,16,19! that's how to know the spirit! I know that without any doubt in my mind! the spirit is real and this gospel is incredible and it is for every single person on this earth!

i love you so much! til next friday! keep the emails coming now but never forget hopw much these hand written letters have meant! i can't say i love you enough! give yoursleves a big hug from me! i love you so much! I would say god bless but i know he already does!

Love Elder Excell!!!

p.s......don't dis on my grammar! i did my best!!!