Ayo what is up my people!

Okay I could literally go on forever this week was so crazy. Hahaha crazy how much you can get done in a week out here on the Mish, like we are putting in work out here, like straight ballin this first week. I'll start from Monday, so I got up at 3:30 and flew to new York and got to talk to my family and friends! That was so awesome!  This is for my family I love you guys so much and you are literally everything to me. God literally blesses families and I have come so much closer to my father in heaven and my savior in the past 4 weeks, and I love you guys so much. Read Alma 36 this week...kaler and cam and mom and dad, and everyone. I want you to know that your support means the world and I'm so happy right now.  I've settled in and it's awesome.  I pray for you guys everyday, continue to study the BOM everyday and pray. Prayer has changed my life and I can testify stronger than anything that God answers our prayers. The only thing I love more than prayer is my family and friends. Quick shout out to the Fine 9, to all the boys in the hood and the boys about to enter...Gav and Kan ball out!

Okay so the mission home was super awesome and I got the best dinner and breakfast and it just was awesome.  Then I went to mission office on Tuesday and got my comp and area. Drum roll please............,,,,..,,.,.,, so I'm in the Rego Park Queens area and yes its the most diverse place like ever, hahaha!  But it is dope and I'm starting to get used to it!  Like I don't think we all realize how lucky were are in Utah for everything and how awesome our ward is.  This place is a lot different and makes me grateful for what I have. Next my comp is a guy named Elder Asplund! He is a cool guy from Farmington Utah.  He's pretty short and super obedient hahahaha, but I'm super grateful for him.  He has got me off on a good foot and he has been out about 8 months.  He also trained elder Heiner. We don't have much in common and he bugs me a little but over all I'm satisfied.

We have been putting in the work tho this first week. It's weird to like look down and you have a tag on in new York and people look at you funny and it's pretty awesome! We have a couple people we are working with.  Joe was already here when I got here and he's been being taught for 6 years by missionaries and he knows more than I do hahaha.  He has serious word of wisdom issues, but we came up with a plan we are doing.  I showed him a calendar and we are attacking 1 problem at a time and I think we are gonna get him in a few months. He really connected with me and he plays guitar so we bonded over that and I showed him the one song I can play. The other guy is Shawn.  He was a referral we got from sisters and we got him on Wednesday and we have taught him twice, I will send you a picture of him.  He is a big black guy and idk what it is but big black guys love me.  Like we just talked NBA and like he knows Lamar odem...he grew up with him and he is just dope.  His sister is a member and he really wants the church. So I'm excited because we set a baptism date on March 4th so Shawn hopefully will be my first baptism.  We are working hard with him to get him ready, he is awesome!

This really has been an awesome week and it is way different than the MTC. Like way different and I miss my MTC friends so much.  It was so hard to say bye to VH on Tuesday I wanted to cry hahaha, but being out here is so awesome.  The first couple of days were hard but I'm finally starting to feel way good and happy! This is where I'm supposed to be and this is the Lord's work. Read the scriptures everyday and pray always it will change your life I know that. I met the ward yesterday and it's just crazy...it's nothing like Utah.   Idk how to explain but like 95 percent of people here are straight crazy like no joke! I took video of this 1 guy but I can't send videos which sucks. But yeah even ward members are crazy.  Last night on our way home this guy stopped us and starting telling us how we sucked cause we didn't respect Jesus and I was getting mad and elder asplund had to pull me away hahaha!  We accidently gave him a card and he's sent us like 10 texts with like YouTube links to his church videos hahahahahaha.

There is so much to tell and this is already long so I'll rap it up.  Best funny thing that happened this week is we were in an apartment building and the elevator opened up and a dog came out with no owner so we were like what the hahahaha. Lastly I eat pretty good!  We are getting fed tonight by a member.  We went to the store and it's cheap here so I just stalk up on food and I've been eating a lot...just like really easy quick food.  We went to Chipolte 1 night and that was so goooooood! I'm gonna grab some NYC pizza today, but the worst thing is my comp is gluetin free so he can't eat anything hahahaha sucks for him!

Anyway idk what else to write, such a good week and I'll send pics of my apartment it's nice! Love you all until next week!

Love,
Elder Imlay

                                                   

Today Koby left the MTC for New York.  The following are the letters we received over the next two days and some pictures.  Can't wait to see how his first week goes in New York.

Dear family of Elder Imlay,

We just want to send you a quick note to let you know that your missionary arrived safely in New York City today.  President and Sister Reynolds met them at the airport, will feed and visit with them, and then will send them all to bed to get some rest. Within a few days you will receive a letter from President and Sister Reynolds with a picture of your missionary.  Tomorrow they will receive instruction and will meet their new companions who have been chosen by inspiration to train them.

Thank you for entrusting your missionary to us in the New York New York South mission.  We so appreciate all you have done to get these missionaries to this point in their lives!

Sister Shapiro
Mission Secretary
New York New York South Mission


Dear family of Elder Imlay,

Sister Reynolds and I enjoyed meeting your son upon his arrival in the mission field. I have enclosed a picture of him with Sister Reynolds and me. He is a fine young Elder and it is our desire to do all that is within our power to care for him and help him become the finest missionary he can be.

The first few months in the mission field are often critical to the success of a missionary. For that reason, we encourage you to make your weekly letter and emails one that will lift and strengthen your son to assist in making this transition.

As a parent, we know that you are interested in your son's mission and have questions concerning policy and guidelines. Please read the attached document and hopefully it will resolve some of your questions and concerns. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sister Reynolds and I are genuinely excited to have your son serve with us here in New York. We love our missionaries and promise you that we will love and take care of your son.

Kind personal regards,

Gary R. Reynolds
Mission President

Aight what a week!

First things first, I did not escape the sickness and I've had a cold and sore throat for the past week. But it's all good because mom hooked me up with the drugs and I'm starting to feel better! This week was literally so awesome! I love it here and I love all the people around me and I love being zone leader so I can like be an example and help in anyway I can! I got so lucky with my comp elder VH.  We literally are so tight now like people ask all the time if we knew each other before the mission! It's gonna be really sad to leave all these people next Monday. The time has really gone so fast and I really can't believe I'm almost done here! So I guess the plan is I leave provo at 3:30 AM to go catch a flight from salt lake to Detroit and then to new York. So I will be calling you guys at like 6ish in the morning on Monday and then again in Detroit probably around noon.

Okay so what happened this week….there was a devotional last Tuesday and Neil L Anderson spoke and it was sooooooo dope! I know that the prophet and apostles are called of God and every chance I get to hear them is really such a blessing. So I'm not gonna lie we have so fun here and we mess around all the time and it's so funny….people are falling asleep in class and it's just lit.  I'll send you some pics! But my teaching skills have gone up so much, the first day I was like crap I'm screwed but literally me and VH are so good together and I'm confident we will baptize everyone in new York.  No I'm kidding but I really have come to love this work and I know as I teach with love and really care about the people I'm teaching, the spirit will get thru to them. I am so excited to get out in the field mostly because the food here at the MTC is getting a Lil old. But you know me I just throw it down anyway.  I've literally had be ask me so many times how I'm not fat cause I always get like 2 plates and like a salad or something hahahaha. Also I eat like an average of 4 donuts a day so that's cool. I'm super stoked for the food in new york!

Next I really loving getting mail like dear elder and stuff and normal letters and packages, those are awesome and make my day. Thanks so much for the package mom that was awesome and the treats were well needed! Also you guys are slacking on the sports updates, I know you were scared to tell me about the Hawks but I figured out from this other dude. But yeah how are the Utes doing in basketball?

Really I love you all so much and I pray for you guys every day. You guys are the best examples and I know I'm in the right place. It's a blessing to see ty and Jace every day. I love those guys and it's so sick to talk to them about everything! Also me and VH taught this guy named Theo thus week and he is such a G! I'll have to get a pic, but literally the first lesson we talked to him about like Kanye and basketball shoes for like 30 minutes and he just fell in love with us.  Then we had a 5 min lesson and invited him to be baptized and you know he accepted. It was way dope!

But to finish my email I'm gonna send some pics and the first couple is just a little example of what the MTC is like. Love you all until next week

-Elder Imlay

P.S Nobody can say my name right hahahaha

Elder Imlay and Elder VH with Theo (investigator)

Kanon just "accidentally" ran into Koby outside the MTC on his P-Day

Lots of sleeping going on in the MTC

Hello everyone so this was the craziest week of my life so far. I got to the MTC on Wednesday and the first hour we were getting rushed around and everything was so fast and then it hit me that I was here. The rest of that day and Thursday were so long and I'm not gonna lie I wanted to come home. But the spirit that is in this place is so strong and after the first couple days I started to freaking love this place. My comp is elder van haren and he is a strait up homie.  I love this guy and we instantly clicked he plays ball and we are way similar in all things. We got called to be zone leaders the 2nd day we were here and I was so stoked.  I love being a leader and our zone is cool I will put some pics, and my district is lit.

I'm not gonna lie again tho there are some weird people here but I'm learning to love everyone and it's actually really funny. I have learned so much about the gospel in this first week and I have progressed so much in my teaching and I can testify to you all that this church is true and that Jesus Christ made it possible to live with our heavenly father again. I love our prophet and apostles and I hope so bad one of them comes to the MTC! Literally tho I feel like I have known these people forever and being zone leader I get to know them even more. 

I see Jace and ty almost everyday and Karrisa as well.   Me and Jace live on the same floor so close to being in the same zone but not quite! I get to play ball most days but there has not been a lot of great players except my comp he is pretty good.  The dumbest thing about this place is you can't dunk. I was just trying throw down on some dudes but you aren't allowed. I guess I'll have to wait until new York. Haha haha.  Another rule here is you can't use slang like dude and bro and stuff, and I use those in like every sentence still so I guess I need to work on that but to be honest that's just how I talk ya know. 

Overall this place is lit and I love this church and the people.   I love all my friends that read this and write me all of you I love getting emails and letters. I can read my emails everyday I just can't respond! I love cam and Kaler so much so just keep balling out Bros and mom and dad you guys are literally the best love you so much 

Love Elder Imlay

Koby Jace and Ty at the MTC

Koby and Elder VH his companion