Pics from the MTC

Here are some pics Jake mailed to us. Sorry if they aren't as clear as they could be...the scanner wasn't working too well:)

Wednesday, December 30th Email

Hey How is everything going back in Arizona? Gosh I miss home so muchespecially now since Sam is coming home and Christmas is in two days! thisweek has been really tough on me! It truly is humbling when you cryyourself to sleep as a 19 year old kid! cause I have been doing that a lotthis week! I miss you all so much and you all mean the world to me! Soanyway how is everyone doing?! Kiea and Cory whats up! thanks for yourletters and Dear Elders I love them and it sounds like your both doingamazing! I think about you often and I thank you for everything you haveever done for me! Dano and Linds how are you two doing? How is work andlife going? Dano you have to keep me updated on sports and what not! I amdying without knowing how college ball is ending and what not! Please givemy sweetheart navy a kiss from me I miss her so much! Cami I wrote youanother letter so I hope you get it this week! I love you thanks for writingme every week I look forward to them! Kenna and Kai stay out of trouble Ilove you both! I read uncle johns letter and I loved it I also got therepackage and tell them thanks so much for the food and stuff and the fishinggame ha-ha I love it! All of my district started busting up laughing whenthe read wills letter about the yettis ha-ha they were dying and I waslaughing so hard ha-ha tell him thanks and tell him that there are a ton ofyettis who come out at night here ha!. Grandma I wrote you a letter todayso you will get it soon! I hope you have an amazing Christmas and know thatI will be thinking about you! I love you grandmas your amazing and my bestfriend! I hope all is well! write soon! MOM how are you! I looove gettingyour letters you make me laugh and smile with each and everyone one! Ha Ibet your freaking out right now with Sam getting in tomorrow ha-ha! As Isaid before take a deep breath and know he doesn't care what the house lookslike all he cares about is being with the family! But how was your week!?Write me soon and send me pics of kenna and kai as well I miss seeing them!Dad how are you? I am glad tithing settlement is over for you I bet thatwas so stressful! I think about you everyday! I sit in class sometimes andjust sit back and say to myself I wonder what my family is doing! Ha dad Idie in class I have to get up like every 10 min to stand up ha-ha but I amworking on it and its getting better! tell uncle john and aunt Tracy andthe little kids and Katie that I said hi and I love hearing from them! Itsgood that your kind of get a break for a little bit during the holidayseason! and I am glad your feeling better I love you so much thank you forbeing the best example for me! Ok so this week has been nuts! One of mybest friends here in the MTC Elder Unga his brother is the running back forBYU and he also Plays for BYU he is a lineman ha-ha he weighs 350 Pounds andhe bench presses 605! Ha yea he is a big boy he is going on his mission toHawaii and he wants me to come live with him after the mission here inProvo! He was all Shreeve I will get you tickets to every football game youwant and I am having my brother sign his gloves and wristbands for you! heis a stud and I love him to death me and him are so close! He reminds me ofwhat Uncle Johns companion would be like! K anyway Last night Elder NeilA. Anderson of the quorum of the twelve came and spoke at a fireside andgave a wonderful message about missionary work! truly the spirit was sostrong my feelings and emotions were on edge! After the fireside me elderunga were walking back to the room and Neil A. Anderson came up to me andelder unga cause it was snowing and we were standing in the snow he came upto me first and shook my hand and I swear I have never felt the spirit sostrongly in my entire life! He truly is called of god and one of hisprecious instruments! It was so amazing to meet an apostle of the lord andto feel of his love and charity for the missionaries was so real! It is anexperience I will never forget! I have been blessed beyond measure with mycircumstances in life and its taken me 19 years to realize the true meaningof Christmas and also about serving others! I know this Christmas will beone of the hardest ever cause ill be thinking about home but I know if Ilose myself in serving others and truly focus on the true meaning ofChristmas that I wont be homesick! I know I will forever remember these twoChristmases on my mission! Well Last night a few of my Tongan buddies wereleaving so we went to there room to sing to them and they all did the hakafor me and we all got pics together so you will all be able to see myPolynesian brothers! ha-ha I love all of them! Well the language is comingalong great! me and my comp gave the whole first discussion this week inDanish to an investigator and it went so well! the spirit was guiding us onwhat we needed to say and it was a great experience for the both of us! Ialso now have the Joseph smith first vision memorized in Danish! That tookme a while but its been a blessing and a humbling one trying to learn it!This language is truly beautiful and I cannot wait to be able to speak withthe people of Denmark in their native tongue! The mission truly does giveus the gift of tongues and the spirit is so tangible here I am in love withthe work and the people I get to associate with! I never knew you couldlove someone this fast but I love all my brothers here that I have met morethan I can explain! This is truly a blessing and I am so grateful for thisgospel and the way it has influenced my life! I wish you all a MERRYCHRISTMAS and I will be thinking and praying for all of you! Give Sam ahuge hug and a kiss from his little bro! By the way dad have same come onthat Tuesday and ill tell him about the temple and what not so we can getmore time then! I love you all so much and mom not a day goes by that Idon't kiss you goodnight! I think about you all the time and I love you all!the church is true and the work is so real and sweet! This gospel is such ablessing and I am so grateful I get to share it with others! I hope to hearfrom you all soon! I love you and miss you terribly but two years is nobiggie!! hugs and kisses from me!
Love elder Shreeve Jakey!!

Elder Shreeve's Christmas

We received a letter from Jake on Monday about his Christmas. He said he was homesick, as expected, but was able to hear Elder Perry speak. At lunchtime, he and his friend, Elder Mathews, noticed Elder Perry and his wife sitting down eating lunch. Jake, being the social bug that he is, decided to go up and introduce himself. He and Elder Mathews ended up eating lunch with Elder and Sister Perry. Such an amazing, once in a lifetime Christmas experience. We love our Jake and are so proud of him and his decision to serve. We were so happy to hear that he had a good experience on Christmas day and wasn't as homesick as he could've been. Much love to everyone who shares our love and support for our missionary.

December 2nd Email

Hey! so how is everyone doing!? I assume good because of all of the emailsand dear elders I get from you! I love them I love hearing what is going onand how everyone is doing! please keep sending them I look forward to themeveryday! I sent you all letters today with pictures so you should begetting those soon! So yeah ha-ha asu sucks what a shocker they would losethe big game but its ok! anyway this last week has been nuts! The languageis coming I mean its rough but I am learning something new everyday and thespirit is so strong here I love it! we have been teaching the firstdiscussion and now are moving on to the plan of salvation! I am stoked tostart this! I love teaching, but not so much teaching with words but withthe spirit its truly incredible! My comp and me and also my district areloving the work! we will soon be the only 6 members in our branch becauseall of the 14 dutch elders are leaving along with the 22 English speakingmissionaries this week and for 2 weeks it will only be us 6 elders and thebranch presidency ha-ha ill be having to give talks soon! I gave one onSunday to a member of the branch presidency his wife and 8 other elders! Iwas surprised I talked for about 25 min. and I prepared it all myself!Brother Chandler was impressed! I love him he is my favorite counselor! Ahhok so today I have to go to the hospital.....HA but not for me, its for mycomp. they think he fractured his heel because he fell off the bed thesecond night here! and he has been limping on it since that day so I havefelt so bad for him! he has a good spirit about it though and I love thatabout him! ha-ha its funny because everyone in my district has a girlfriendof like 3 years except me I am the only one in my district without agirlfriend! ya kind of sad on my part I guess but heck I don't have to beworrying about a girl like they do ha-ha! Ok so mom about sending me stuffwell I need a jacket ha-ha its freezing here and I didn't pack one uhh somemore shirts to play basketball in, some protein bars uhh ha-ha idk anythingyou think I may need ill be happy to get whatever! I love you so much momand dad thank you for all the emails and the dear elders I really appreciatethem! Sam gets home soon crazy and its his birthday today! man I miss him!Is he coming to see me here or what and is it going to be a surprise or whatcause I am kind of nervous for it! Anyway Grandma Hey thank you so much forthe pictures they are all hanging up in my room ha-ha all the elders alwayscome in and look at my family and cant believe that I am Japanese grandma Ithink about you everyday and I love you so much! I hope to hear from yousoon! Thanksgiving was tough I was so homesick then Elder Holland I missyou all so much and truly I am so sorry for anything I have ever done tohurt any of you cause in reality I would do anything for all of you! I loveyou all so much you mean the world to me! Dano and Lindsey and my sweetheartnavy! aahh how is she doing man I miss her cute smile! anyway ahh well mycomp says he and his address is the same as mine with the mailbox 143 justput his name on the box as Elder Steven Douglas Van Nevel he reallyappreciates all of this! CAMI dang girl first dance this weekend I amexcited for you you better write me and tell me how it goes! I sent you aletter today as well with some pictures inside I hope you get it soon! momkiea and grandma I sent a bunch of pics home so you can all look at them anddad I have one of me and elder hargrave give it to the priest quorum! dadNick wrote me but I don't have his address cause it was a dear elder so ifyou could send his address to me next time you write me I can write him backtell him I love him so much and thanks for everything! Dad your my hero andevery time I look at you I cant help but smile because without you I wouldnot be where I am today! I would not be the lords hands as feet as I amtoday! this is his work and I am so grateful to bring the people of Denmarkunto Christ and give them his gospel! thank you dad! Well anyway yeah inthe MTC I see Greg a lot he is doing good Brandon's room is right next tomine I see him and talk to him everyday! I love him! I see Connor Knoles alot ha-ha I ran into his sister at the temple on Sunday during my templewalk ha-ha it was so weird she told me she was going to call Nicole and tellher cause her and the Selks are good friends! Ahh I saw Michael free here! Ihad the opportunity to teach him the first discussion and also speak to himin Danish it was truly amazing I felt the spirit so strongly! I love it!This work is so true without a shadow of a doubt I was called by a prophetof god and I am so happy for that!ha-ha I think I am getting fat here ha-ha the food is eating my stomachalive ha I need to start like working out hard core ha-ha! anyway I needpictures like Christmas card and what not shoot at night all I do is want tosee all of you so pictures would be nice! ha-ha Uncle John and Aunt Tracywrote me they sound good I loved hearing from them! all the little kids sentme pictures ha it was fun to get that from them! Mom I miss you so much ahhits hard cause I cant call you or anything every night I close my eyes andkiss your cheek! I love you so much thank you for everything and sorry foreverything I ever did to make you mad or sad! I am finally getting used tothe schedule ha-ha a little bit ha its tough waking up early and going tosleep every night at 10:30 but its getting better they work you so hard hereahh I am like exhausted at the end of the day! I am in class like 10 hours aday and my class is so tiny! well I have to go time is almost up I love allof you so much and thanks for everything I am leaving right now to take ashuttle into Provo to the hospital ha this is going to be weird to leave themtc bubble as they call it! write me soon when you get your letters I sentyou! I love you all so much! tell Sam Happy birthday for me here is a kisson the cheek mom from me to you!

Love you

Jeg Elsker Dig

Love Elder Shreeve! (Jakey)

Jake's MTC Address

I will be updating this blog to keep everyone up to date on the latest and greatest with Jake's mission. I'll post his weekly emails and any pictures here. If you want to write him in the MTC, his address is:

Elder Jacob Shreeve
MTC Box 143
DEN-COP 0119
2005 North 900 East
Provo, UT 84604

We love you all and appreciate all of your love and support for our missionary.
-Sue