¡¡Hola!!

¿Comó estan? Estoy excelente! Esta semana, tenemos Elder Zwick del Setenta nos hablado. Fue super chivre. Ojalá, obteneremos Elder Holland durante Thanksgiving. Pero, cosas esta irando a la bien aquí. Lo siento para me Spanglish. It´s no como está irando a la entender it anyways. :) Pero, there is something I have to say in English. Probably the coolest thing that happened this week. In the MTC, we have these things called Narnia holes. These are places that missionaries will hide candy, toys, or whatever they want in there for the next missionaries that are in their room. Well, we didn´t know about this one Narnia hole that we had in our closet. So when we finally checked, we found over 40 cans of soda, a bag of tortilla chips, and a bunch of candy with a note attached to a box of Ritz! The missionary before us put that there for us to have and to make it bigger and better for when we leave. I will enclose a picture with this email. But yeah, that was awesome! Own progressing investigators that we are teaching are going really well too. I don´t remember if I said, but we are teaching our teachers who are acting as investigators. We now have a baptismal date for one of them, so that´s going great. Although, I am starting to get a little tired of this place. It´s fun, but very physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. Got only a couple of weeks left and I´ll be in the jungle. I´´m gonna miss the snow. It´´s actually snowing right now. The second time since we´ve been here. Well, that´s about it for this week! ¡Hasta proximo semana!

Con amor,
Elder Vogel

This week was pretty good. Not too much happened. Just the normal learning Spanish and learning how to teach. i can see my Spanish is getting better every single day though. I have a long way to go, but it's a loooooot better than it was a month ago. I think the most fin we have with the language is figuring out how to say a bunch of random phrases like: "Pues, Pues, Pues. Que tenemos aqui?" Which means: "Well, Well, Well. What do we have here?" It's a lot of fun translating different things into Spanish. So I heard the Disney bought Lucas Arts and they're making three new Star Wars movies. This can't be true... And I also heard that BYU stomped Georgia Tech! That's pretty crazy! Oh, so me and my companion have had our own room for a while since our last roommates left for the Guatemala MTC. Yesterday, we received an announcement that in this coming week, we're going to have two new roommates. I really liked having only the two of us in there. We both had two closets, double the drawers, and double the room. I just hope they're just as cool as our last roommates.
Slowly, but surely, all of my BYU fiends are leaving here to go out into the field. I have one more friend that I know of coming in next week, but that's it. It's pretty crazy watching everyone leave and going around the world. I just can't wait to get out of this place. It's becoming way too repetitive.
I also heard about the hurricane out that way. Hope everything is ok in Georgia. I heard it was pretty ridiculous.
And the General Authority that spoke to us this week was Don R. Clarke. It was a great talk. I just can't wait until Thanksgiving! There is talk that Jeffrey R. Holland might come! He hasn't been here since February, so he's due for another visit sometime soon. That will be the highlight of my MTC stay.

Well, until next week.

Love,
Elder Vogel

Yo!

So i kinda had a quiet week. the only real thing that happened is that Shayne M. Bowen of the Seventy talked to us for devotional. Don't know if you remember, but he talked to us at conference. But yeah, I'm still having a lot of fun. Two of my roommates are leaving next week with all of the Hermanas (Sisters) in my district to go to the Guatemala MTC....lucky. I forgot to say that we have a guy from belgium in our district. It's weird cuz he already knows dutch, french, and english and he's learning spanish. What's even weirder is that he's going to France. But he's probably the funniest guy here.
I'm learning more and more every day that I'm here. We got to teach some local members who volunteered their time to be taught. Of course we had to do it in Spanish. They are amazed at how much we already know for just being here for 2 weeks. It really goes to show that we really do have the gift of tongues. We are also teaching two "investigators." Our teachers are acting as an investigator and we get to teach them. In Spanish. It's so great seeing all the new missionaries come every week. Especially when you know a couple of them. Express my love to everyone!

Elder Vogel

The FIRST letter!

Hello!!!!

This is the first time I'm getting to email or really even write letters. We've just been extremely busy all the time. Everything here is great! My companion, Elder Cooper, is awesome. My district is awesome. My zone is awesome. This whole place is just so great! The food is really good, but it screws with my stomach. Today is my first P-day since I've been here, so it's the first time I've gotten to do laundry. With General Conference being this past weekend, it messed up our schedule so we couldn't do certain things. But Conference was awesome! I can't wait to see all the new missionaries that can go a year or even two years earlier!! Since it's so much closer for them now, they need to decide RIGHT NOW whether they are going.  This entire experience is just so great and I want them to feel the same way I do. The language is coming a lot better than I had expected. I can mostly understand what my teachers are saying and can somewhat come up with an intelligent answer. Hahaha We are the guinea pigs of the MTC. Before, everyone learning a new language had to teach a mock investigator in that language. We got to teach in English. Mainly to focus on what we were teaching and how we could better teach the investigator rather than focusing on the language.We also had the awesome opportunity on Tuesday to have Elder Bednar come and speak to us for our devotional! It was a really special experience for everyone. It's not often that a member of the twelve or first presidency come to talk to the missionaries. I see Graham every once in a while. I'm sure you've heard that he's doing really well. I've also seen Dillon and a buuuuuunch of the guys from my BYU ward. It's so awesome coming here and seeing all my friends and being able to make new ones. Hope everything is going well back in good ole Augusta, Georgia!!

Much love,

Elder Vogel

my roomates! the dark haired one is elder cooper, my companion

the native american is Elder sam

the blonde is elder gibson.

they are both going to el salvador

P.S. Remind everyone that they can send me letters FOR FREE on dearelder.com

Elder Alexander Vogel
Provo MTC Box #248
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604

A letter from the mama.

I will never forget the proud feeling I had when Sascha announced the fact that he was even going to go on a mission many m-a-n-y many months ago. Much has happened since then. 

I was very surprised about the call to Nicaragua and the spanish speaking part. And thrilled. Especially for him. I know he will do great things while serving the people there and teaching the Gospel by example. 

These past few months have been an emotional roller coaster ride for me. Good thing I love coasters! I am soo glad the shopping is almost done, and hopefully he will have everything he needs before leaving the MTC. Even though I detest shopping, I have really enjoyed that time with Sascha and Graham Lowry and his mom. Also am thrilled to have gotten to spend some time with just Sascha and his brother and I will really miss listening to the two play rockband or have a conversation even if it is about a video game. 

Looking at my Missionary last night, it took me back a ways... to when he went for his first day at Pre-K. He was so small and I wanted to hold him, keep him, protect him, so the mean kids couldn't hurt him. Keep him safe by my side. And Sascha just barreled in there and took everyones hearts by storm. I know he will do the same in Nicaragua with the people there! Sascha has charisma - that is his special gift. It makes him a natural leader, and hopefully he will use that gift wisely. He is a joy to be around and he always has a song in his heart. Love that about him! And I guess sometimes his heart is so full of music it flows out his mouth. Hehehe. He even has me thinking in lyrics 

Sascha/Elder Vogel
...you just left this morning and I love you so much it is beyond even my comprehension. I am sooooo proud of you. You are an amazing young man and I am so proud to be your mom. 
So here, in your honor is a mildly modified Disney lyric... fitted for the occasion... and yes.. I know it needs work but hey - it's my first time! 

Let's get down to business 
To teach Nicaraguans. 
Did they send me daughters 
When I asked for sons? 
You're the saddest bunch I've ever met, 
But you can bet before they're through, 
Elder they'll make a man out of you. 

Tranquil as a forest, 
But be on fire within. 
Once you make Christ your center, 
You are sure to win. 
You're a stumbling, lost and wretched lot 
And you haven't got a clue. 
Somehow He'll make an Elder out of you. 



Really, you are an Elder already! You are the gospel storm about to take Nicaragua 
Never forget...we love you bunches and - of course - pray for you 


Love, Mom

Final preparations before departure!

Before leaving for the experience of a lifetime, Elder Vogel packed in as many memories as possible. 

 Including none other than a Kayaking trip with the Mama and the Brother bear. 

 Families are forever.

 Then he got dressed up like a real missionary and was set apart on Tuesday, October 2nd by a brand new (week old) Stake President, President Squires. Joining with him in the priesthood circle were Mark Lowry, Ray Criswell, President Squires and Jared Anderson.

Siblings. Pretty much.

 Family. Pretty much.

 The Augusta Stake's newest missionary, and 2nd missionary set apart by Pres. Squires, Elder Vogel. 

Then it was time to make sure everything fit in the suitcase, which it did, even his 60 something ties! Quite an impressive collection, thank you to all those who contributed to the cause!

And come early morning, it was time to be leaving on a jet plane... 

And hit the MTC. Hit it so hard, it won't know what hit him. We're so proud and can't wait to hear of all his adventures. Return with honor, Elder Vogel! 

{Wait, how did these make it into the suitcase... hehe... what a mama}

Preparations being made...

Don't judge. Getting ready for a mission is enough to make a guy sleepy, ok?