It's WORTH IT!!!!! (week 4)

HOLA Everyone! week four is here, and things are rather fantastic!

so i want to first point off how AMAZING the mtc is... it really is a place of learning and a home for the spirit.. they say that the mtc grounds are equivalent to that off the temple.. its is very sacred here, and i believe i am very privileged to be here. These past four weeks are nothing but the best memories and feelings for this place! 

so now to bring to light the food here..its amazingly good for cafeteria food.. so im gonna say this for all those moms who send there sons to the provo mtc.. your son is going to gain weight.. ha (sad truth) since being here ive gained almost 12 pounds.. YIKES! ha this food is just something else.. im not sure what though.. but dont worry, if your son works out he wont be fat.. so theres hope! but i eat a salad everyday, so there is the capability to eat healthy.. (but when you eat a salad, a cheeseburger, fries, and soup.. yea bad idea.. but story of my life..) 

i want to write to you guys a little differently from now one.. im gonna write in days.. like last tuesday i had a devotional. (the one where i sung consider the lillies) and we had a speaker named Daniel L. Johnson, who gave an amazing talk about know who god is.. now i thought about his talk afterwards, and he spoke about how we NEED to know god.. and i feel as missionaries, that we cant be hypocrites, we must seek out revelation and knowledge and then teach through the spirit. but we HAVE to know who god is if we ever expect someone to know for themselves based on our words.. so i studied that, and what a good experience! later that night one of the branch presidency councilors had a little discussion with our district about the fireside. just kinda recapping what we learned, and he said this during the discussion.. " you teach, what you are!" and i believe thats true 100% because we need to be disciples of christ, and in doing so, we will teach as disciples of christ!

WOW wensday was a FUN, CRAZY, STUPENDOUS kind of day! we started it off with service.. we get up at 6:30, go grab a sack breakfast... and then go do service from 7:30 to 8:45. and thats always the best part of my morning! because is there a better way to start off your morning than in service?? i think not.. haha after service we had a substitute teacher named "hermano pyllar" hes this super cool RM that went to our same mission!! (bahia blanca) but he was sooo high energy, and is a great teacher.. during his lesson we learned how to "rap" in spanish! talk about a fun lesson! that same day, we had our "main" teacher "hermana ferrell" teach us.. shes a RM who served in chile.. but it was here birthday, so we decorated the class, and all the girls wanted to go overboard.. so they went dumpster diving the night before.. and found old valentines day chocolates and hearts.. so they gave those too her.. (lol!!) but us guys came up with the idea to write our testimonies in a book of mormon and give it to her! and we wrote them in spanish! soo cool! wensday was such a great day!

thursday, i FINALLY had mexican food here.. like i have been DYING to eat mexican food again.. my arizona side has been crying for it.. so i got a enchilada with spanish rice, and beans, and you know the side of lettuce and tomato. haha so the enchilada tasted like a well done lasagna.. NOT GOOOD! haha it was soo dissapointing, and then the rice was blehh.. like this meal was soo unusual for the food here.. the beans were the only thing that i enjoyed.. all you arizonians wouldve cried with me.. haha but after lunch hermana ferrell taught us, and when we walked into the classroom and on our chalkboard was a quote that said " with men this is impossible, but with god all things are possible" this is from matthew 19:26.. and i know that we must always keep god close to us in how we live our lives.. when we have faith in him and our trust that he has a plan for us.. ALL things are possible! 

on Friday, i FINALLY made it to the book of alma!!! this is the fastest ive ever read the book of mormon! but man have i had some amazing experiences reading here.. (backtrack: i started over when i got here..) but i have been DIVING into the book of mormon since i got here and i love, love, LOVE the stories and the testimonies of christ that i have never noticed before.. i see things sooo differently now that im focusing and allowing the scriptures to get into my heart!  i challenge all of you to truly read the scriptures and FOCUS, and let the words stick with you! its sooo important to think about what you read, and to learn from the scriptures.. 

saturday! we had a big group discussion about faith in jesus christ.. and a quote came up in our discussion.. " dont dig up your doubts, that you planted in faith" when we put our faith in christ we need to stick with it.. storms will come and try to pull us out of our foundation that weve planted in christ, but dont lose faith just because you dont know as much as the prophet.. we need to have trust that there is a plan, and the faith to know that revelation comes to those who ask! 

i sure do love this gospel! im loving life as a missionary! im sooo excited to go to argentina in two weeks! i pray for all of you, and pictures are coming soon! love yea!

con amor, 

Elder Driggs!

me celebrating the falling of snow!!  look at all that on the mountains!

Hermana Ferrells birthday...this was the whole gang

Elder Justesens last day...we took a selfie

me in my big trenchcoat

me and Elder Way "striking a pose"

our district with two native elders

in my "mommas boy" shirt  (Stripling Warrior)

the snow on the mountains  LOVE IT!

last pic in the trench coats....haha!

Elder Blazzard, Elder Tew, and Elder Way taking pictures for "Mormon Missionaries Magazine" LOL!!

Halfway There!! (week 3)

so im 3 weeks into it and absolutley loving MTC life! i feel the blessings come day after day of being here surrounded by thousands of other servants of the lord who strengthen my testimony! being a missionary ROCKS!

so it was valentines day last saturday! man was i feeling the love! no i didnt get any CRAZY super mooshy gooshy lovey dovey packages like 90% of the missionaries.. but WHO CARES! im on a mission! :) i dont need that! i felt all the love you guys had for me! and what matters most is i felt the love my savior had for me! we had a REALLY good discussion on saturday about the love our savior has for us, and that its more important that we show love to him than to just feel love from others! so my heart was FULL of love!

we had a fireside like we normally do on sundays and tuesdays. and Stephen B. Allen spoke to us about companions and how important they are on a mission! man did that hit home for me! i get along with my companion for the most part but some days are defenitley harder than others.. but the reminders from the spirit that touched my heart were just sooo special too me! i hope all of you treat the people closest to you with love, even when its not easy! love is unconditional! 

this week my zone splits in half. when i first got here we had three districts in our zone, one native district, my district, and another group of spanish learning missionaries.. the natives left two weeks ago, and this week our other group leaves us!! its soo hard! you get sooo comfortable and close to the people here, and their your friends, and now this week theyre leaving! man am i gonna miss them! but im OVERLY excited for them! because theyre a great bunch and theyre gonna do AMAZING things for the lord! so its just gonna be our district after this wensday.. (only 8 of us)

so i started singing in the MTC choir up here! i forgot how much i loved choir! it is the coolest thing! theres probably a solid 3-400 of us that practice on sunday and tuesday nights, and then we sing on tuesdays.. last week we sung " nearer my god to thee" but it was a special arrangement, and that was just the sweetest thing to feel of the spirit and the love that comes when you sing that song! then this week we sung "consider the lillies" which is just BEAUTIFUL! i absolutley love that song now! im sad that i took for granted the spirit that music brings before my mission! it is the perfect tool to invite the spirit.LOVE IT!!! 

soo today it SNOWED!! not anything crazy just little flakes... but i totally FREAKED OUT!!! talk about a happy day! i sure do love the weather up here!! its sooo amazing!  and its been cold and windy, soo you could say im just loving it! 

i want you guys to know that missionary work isnt perfect, there is no perfect missionary.. but i know that through ALOT of prayers, and ALOT of scripture study, hard work, and lots of faith.. we can be the best darn missionaries out there! i heard this quote last night and wanted to share it with you. it goes " its not who you arent, its who you are!" -homefront

con amor, 

Elder Driggs!

Us on pday!  (in our pday clothes)  Me and my companion Elder Blazzard

My "missionary nametag"

outside our building...the "Addison Pratt" building

the building we live at

us guys walking up to go to the Provo Temple  (we were trying to get a "cool missionary pose".....thats how missionaries walk! haha!)  Elder Blazzard, Elder Driggs, Elder Way and Elder Tew

behind the Provo Temple

my district behind the Provo Temple...Hermana Martin, Elder Driggs, Hermana Littlefield, Elder Blazzard, Hermana Child, Elder Tew, Hermana Winn and Elder Way

our zone taking a pic behind the Provo Temple.....(the boys)  Elder Justesen, Elder Blazzard, Elder Tew, Elder Way, Elder Gwilliam, Elder Johnson, Elder Wilder and Elder Driggs  (the girls)  Hermana Fastidio, Hermana Rollins, Hermana Winn, Hermana Tanner and Hermana Child

me playing in the reflection pool!  haha!

me lifting the Provo Temple!!

muscle man!

this super cool Stake Center right next to the Provo Temple....its got a tower!!

at the Provo Temple

a pic at the famous "missionary world map"

Bahia Blanca Argentina here I come!!

pictures with the statues!!  sooo cool!

they are everywhere here!

Family Email 2 (week 2)

HOLA FAMILIA! (hi family)

this second week has been soo great! kinda long since im not getting amazing sleep! but the days are going by faster spanish is coming easier, and im getting along with my companion better! sooo life in general is pretty great!

i cant tell you guys how much it makes my day to recieve dear elders from you guys! some days those letters are all that gets me through hard days! i love you guys sooo much and thank you for putting time into thinking about me! i pray for you guys ALL THROUGHOUT THE DAY! You guys are the best and i couldnt do this mission without you guys!

my companions name is Elder Blazzard, hes from lewiston, idaho.. which is almost touching canada.. so hes way up top.. and he says lewiston is like the desert of idaho.. hes a bigger guy, and hes blonde.. super nice guy, very chill. i get along with him very well.. and hes super hick, like the way he talks you can totally tell hes like idahoan.. and hes super relaxed.. like he LOVES sleeping.. and he hates physical activity, well i shouldnt say hates. hes just not physically active.. more of just a guy who likes to sit at home and watch netflix all day long! so hes lots of fun, hes just kinda quiet not a big talker.. i just have to break him out of his shell..

so all the natives (the guys who already knew spanish..) left last week, so its only my district and one other district who is leaving next week.. my whole district except one set of sisters is going to bahia blanca.. the other sisters are going to comodora rivadavia.. the other district is leaving next week, so everyone in our district kinda got "promotions" in our callings.. like the guy who was our district leader, and him and his companion just got made zone leaders.. and my companion is the new district leader, and i got made SENIOR COMPANION!!! which isnt better than being the district leader, but im soo excited to have a calling kind of thing.. :) i love it! 

utah has been hot up here, the snow is barely even on the mountains. but today was soo great it rained and sprinkled a little bit.., and it was a beautiful overcast as we walked over to the provo temple.. and theres this super cool looking stake center that im going to eventually get a picture with.

spanish is getting better too, me and my companion practice all the time.. not that i sound great or even can form full sentences.. but im putting my faith in the lord!

i love you guys, and ill right back to you as soon as i get time! i need facewash, protein bars, more pday shirts.

quote: faith is not about everything turning out ok, its about it being ok no matter how things turn out! -brother oswald

Segundo Semanan! (Second Week!) (week 2)

HOLA EVERYONE! 

Ive made it to my second week! and i couldnt be happier! missionary life is finally sinking in, and the MTC is sooo much fun! having classes everyday is soo much better than school! yea it still has the "prison effect".. haha the weather up here has been fantastic!! well today has been! its been overcast all day, and it even started raining! which works to make perfect utah weather! gotta love the huge mountains behind the mtc!

sooo.. that whole spanish thing, well its coming along. i think its one of those things that the lord REALLY wants you to know, so youve gotta give it your all and put your faith to the test! like spanish aint easy! you would think being from arizona would make it easier since half the population speaks spanish.. but NOPE!! although even when i forget words and can only pray and say my testimony, i feel better because my companion is this great guy from a little town called lewiston, idaho. and hes got one of those funny hick accents, and spanish doesnt work with hick! so he has to literally say a word like 50 times! but i just encourage him and we say lots of prayers as a companionship to get better! spanish requires faith!

I cant even tell you guys how much i love getting letters and emails from all of you! you guys have brought like the biggest smiles!! i know and i can FEEL the support and the love from all of you as i diligently work hard as a missionary! you guys are like my #1 fans and i love all of you!

I want to tell you all how much i LOVE praying! as a missionary you probably pray like 20, maybe 50, no more like 2 TRILLION times a day! i think like a fifth of my day is dedicated to praying! as ive been a missionary i know that i cant do it alone, and especially with spanish. my testimony of prayer has increased my relationship with my savior sooo much! when i have loooong days, and im just tired, i have bad headaches, and you need someone to talk to. the first place to start is on your knees! my savior is always there for me! i can feel him sending angels to help me, and to ease my burdens! prayer is gonna be my saving grace! 

i LOVE tuesdays and sundays, because in the evenings we have devotionals where the whole mission meets in the gym and we all get to here AMAZING devotionals from general authorities, members of the 70, people who preside over mtc's, and just people with BEAUTIFUL testimonies! its just a night where you get to spiritually reenergize yourself because they have such a strong spirit with them! i take lots of notes so ill share lots of quotes in my letters soon! ill keep you guys in the loop! (i cant hog all the blessings!) 

the foods pretty good... if you like a hamburger everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!!! i cant even tell you guys how many chicken and cheeseburger sandwiches ive eaten! honestly its all good food for cafeteria food! and they have ranch and peanut butter here, so im definitley gonna survive.. but let me say this food is not what missionaries with uneasy stomaches should be eating!! haha but my favorite meal so far has got to be the biscuits and gravy! soo good!

sleeping is getting easier, but as a missionary you CONSTANTLY have a million things on your mind, and that stays there throughout the night.. so i can say im getting "some" sleep, but its hard.. im using the sleep spray to help relax my mind.. i know one of these days ill just pass out from sooo many nights of lack of sleep.. but its getting better! missionaries just think alot!

we just got a new investigator named "Raul" hes a young father who is investigating the church, and we can ONLY teach him in spanish. and we are more than capable of teaching him in spanish, BUT understanding his questions and what he has to say is a whole nether story. he talks like a MILLION miles an hour, and its hard to understand his spanish. we know he says things like 20 times, but when you dont understand the first five it doesnt help.. lol its bad, but its getting better! we meet with him on tuesdays and thursdays.

i promise i have TONS of pictures that will get to all of you soon! so just stay posted and theyre coming your way! you guys need to see all the fun up here!

im going to argentina on march 9th, so if you guys want to continue sending me letters or packages through dear elder, ill be here till then! so love you guys!

this was a quote that i heard last night from kelly mills. (hes the international director of mtcs.. so he takes care of EVERY mtc except provo!) but he gave a quote last night and this is how it goes 

" focus on the edges, and the center takes care of itself!" -kelly mills

i know that quote is talking about service, and how we need to lose ourselves when we help others! and by doing so our hearts will change, and we will bring christ into our lives, and in doing so we change because our hearts seek to follow christ and serve his children! i know my calling is to serve his children, and im going to do that will all my heart!


i love all of you guys!

Elder (ty) Driggs!

Ciao! (see yea)



The group flying out of Phoenix on January 28th to the Provo MTC.  Ty only knew the names of the Elders...back left to right.....Elder Bradshaw, Elder Way, Elder Marple, Elder Driggs and Elder Tingey

Elder Driggs and Elder Blazzard throwing missionary signs.....haha!

Elder Driggs and Elder Merkley....this is Steve's cousin...got a pic with him before he left for Brazil

Us guys taking a selfie in our classroom...we think we are cool!  Elder Driggs, Elder Blazzard, Elder Way and Elder Tew

Our last day with Elder Glasglow.....Elder Tew, Elder Driggs, Elder Glasglows companion (in the background ??) Elder Glasglow and Elder Way.....Elder Glasglow came with us from Arizona...he is serving in California

Me and Elder Blazzard taking a selfie in our classroom

Behind the Provo Temple....Elder Blazzard, Elder Driggs, Elder Tew, Elder Gwilliam, Elder Way, Elder Justesen, Elder Johnson and Elder Wilder....this was our zone.

Elder Way, Elder Tew, Elder Blazzard and Elder Driggs in front of the Provo Temple....the four roommates

MTC companions...Elder Blazzard and Elder Driggs

Family Letter (week 1)

Querido(dear) family,

i love you all sooo much! ive been missing you all like crazy! i got all your "dear elder" letters and those have helped me get through these first couple of days.. im not gonna lie, being a missionary and being here at the mtc isnt easy, and its been discouraging at times when the spanish hasnt been coming and when the days are long.. but ive been praying more in the past couple days for strength than i ever have in my life! i know my savior is real! I got to attend the provo temple today and we did a session and it was soo nice to be back in the temple! the provo celestial room is BEAUTIFUL! I wish you guys could see it!

mom: i miss your hugs! just to let you know so you dont worry theyve been feeding me. im doing good! and i promise ive showered EVERY night.. but the first couple nights i forgot to wear my shower sandals and the guys later told me you can get athletes foot if you dont wear them.. so im gonna wear them from now on.. its been crazy here.. mom i miss your cooking, and snuggles with you! but work hard on Isa! my mom is gonna be soo skinny and healthy when i get back! help dad too!! hes been eating alot of sweets! remember to take care of snibby! i LOVE YOU LOTS MOMMA BEAR! 

dad: i miss throwing the frisbee.. its been hard getting used to other people and not being fully comfortable to talk to the people im with.. but me and my companion have grown pretty close over the last couple days, hes super chill and he listens.. :) i know its because your humility and faith that youve been blessed with the job at the post office! im sooo proud of you pa! i had a thought the other day though, i think the lord waited to give you a job so that you could spend as much time with me and the family before i left and that brought us closer as a family, and now that im gone you can still spend time with the family and now you have an AMAZING job! i LOVE YOU PA!

grant: i hope school is going well buddy! i miss you like crazy! we have bunk beds here and its not the same.. i miss being able to look over and see my buddy! i hope soccer finished off strong! please work hard in school! and take advantage of spanish.. its not easy to learn.. and i know mr miller isnt an amazing teacher but work on it day by day.. it helps to say just a couple words in spanish everyday.. play lots of games for me! i miss being able to play games with you.. or even just watch you! get a killionaire for me! i LOVE YOU DAVIS!

lolly: man do i miss you yawo! i sure do miss dancing with you and our cheek kisses! please work hard in school, and dont let boys get to you too much.. please wait till your 16, then go on dates with boys.. i know you are a beautiful daughter of god, i love your testimony and who you are! ive been praying for you lots! have fun in high school, and keep good friends around you. good friends will keep your testimony strong and will help you through the hard times! i LOVE YOU YAWO!

cara: i miss you soo much snibby! i miss picking you up from school! dont forget to keep throwing the frisbee with dad! i hope school is going good for you bud! i miss my snibby hugs! remember when your scared or sad snibby that i love you, and that heavenly father loves you! dont get too tall while im gone, youre probably already taller than lolly by now.. haha i LOVE YOU CARA!

i send LOOOOOOTS of love to my FAVORITE family! i couldnt be more greatful for all of you! you guys have been soo perfect in preparing me for my mission! thank you guys for being strong enough to let me go on a mission! send me some of the family pictures(wallet size) and some of my mission pictures(wallet size).

con amor(with love) Elder Driggs!

ps mom i have bad news and good news.. good news ive been brushing my teeth 2-3 times everyday.. bad news i lost my retainer... please dont get mad at me.. i accidentally left it on my food tray and took it to the dishes.. if you cant get me another one thats ok. im sorry for being foolish. 

pss.. im gonna make you all PROUD!  

MTC Week 1 (week 1)

HOLA EVERYBODY!!

this week has been INCREDIBLE! so i made it too the provo mtc! after two flight delays, my flight being cancelled and sitting in the airport for 6 hours! but i made it to the mtc perfectly in time for dinner! the food here has been super good! like almost as good as moms cooking back home! its bad though, its not filling so you get seconds and thirds, but then it comes back an hour later and its the rest of the night on the toilet.. NOT FUN! i love it here in utah the weather is a calm cool 41 right now! soooo much better than arizona! and theres snow on the mountains! i totally love it! i miss arizona though! nothing like the superstition mountains!

so i got my companion, his names Elder Blazzard. like blizzard but Blazzard.. weve been great friends since the start! its been such an adventure here!! although the beds arent too great, but last night i actually slept through the whole night! miracles do happen!

the spanish hasnt been coming easy but i expected as much.. its hard learning a new language.. but last saturday i gave a WHOLE lesson in spanish.. it didnt go too great because i read the wrong scripture.. oooops! haha but im getting better i teach another investigator tomorrow! and im gonna do better this time!

yesterday was fast sunday and fasting from 6:30 in the morning till 5:30 at night was INCREDIBLE i was i could share with you guys exactly how strong i felt the spirit, it was beautiful. i felt soo much peace, and ive been learning soo much over the past couple of days! 

a quote that i learned last night from a devotional was " my mission is not the best two years of my life, but the best two years FOR my life!" i know that to be 100% true! just being here at the mtc for even less than a week has changed how ive felt the spirit, i know its taking time to get used to. but through LOTS of prayers, and my own testimony, and the love i feel from all you back home.. i know im gonna be just fine!

Elder Driggs

at the airport in Phoenix waiting for my flight.....off to the MTC!!

Elder Way, Elder Driggs, Elder Marple, Elder Tingey and Sister Shelley

I am flying over the Grand Canyon!!

landing in Salt Lake City!

me and another Elder on our way to Provo!   My first time flying!!

part of my zone behind the Provo Temple