NY Trip and sorry about the late email

Sent July 110th at night after realizing he didn't get my 1st email...

Dear James,

It appears I was writing you an email while you were writing me an email. So you might not have got it until after you sent yours. I didn't get a chance to write you until Thursday morning(Joseph was on the computer). So you'll probably get 3 emails next Thursday morning because I will try to write you when I get back from NY from my parents house. I haven't heard about Ben, but sister Clawson is going to stop by and drop off something for me to bring up to you at the MTC, so I'll ask her. My birthday was pretty good, we went out to eat lunch at My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then in the evening I went to the temple with Dan Cuny to do initiatories and then he took me out for dessert and to the dance. Crystal bought me some gourmet chocolate covered pretzels which everyone helped me eat and a cute potted Gerbera daisy plant.

Jacque is getting baptized on August 23rd, she just called me today! I need to get a copy of the Church News. My parents get it so I'll see if I can locate it when I get there. I can always order a copy from the church distribution center. Kathy Finuf says your teacher told you the Ewoks on Star Wars speak Mongolian....is that true, not that I could tell the difference, but if it's true when you get back we'll let you translate for us....

I know you will make lots of friends in Mongolia- it was part of your blessing from Pres Jones. Your group of missionaries going to Mongolia look like a great bunch of Elders. It will be cool to hear your experiences when you get to Mongolia. I haven't posted any pictures to the blog yet, but will do it soon. I heard some Elders in Mongolia post to there own blog, so you might be able to post from there. Let me know and I will give you the sign in information.

Got to get packing.

Keep the fire burning!

Love Always,

mom

Sent July 16th: Dear Elder James, ( I know it should be Elder Cappuccio, but just for me it's Elder James)

So we had our big little trip to New York, just got back late last night. The Phantom of the Opera was definitely the highlight of the trip. We saw a few sights like Times Square, Ground Zero, the Manhattan Temple, the Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Station, Empire State Building( but didn't go up to the top), walked around Central Park, visited China Town and Little Italy, took the Staten Island Ferry out and back to see the city lights and the Statue of Liberty, took a tour of the UN, visited the NY library and Metropolitan Museum of Art, went Swing Dancing in a club on Saturday night, crossed over the Brooklyn bridge in a Taxi because our legs were to tired to want to walk that late at night, rode the Subway(Metro) and a few buses with the crowds, but still walked a lot( with the crowds!), ate some NY Cheesecake at the famous Juniors, real NY Pizza, Deli sandwiches and pastries, and stood in a long line to get Ice cream at supposedly famous Brooklyn Ice cream place( Amy says Cold Stone is better, but this place had to turn people away, because they closed at 10pm and the line was still out the door!). I hope we did enough walking to make up for the indulgences, my feet and legs feel like I did. I got shin splints and blisters and Amy's hamstrings were really sore. If we had more time there were a few more things we could have done, but then I would have spent more money...I hope Amy wasn't too annoyed that I didn't spend more money....I backed out of the Empire State Building view from the top, I got a little uneasy about it being a big tourist trap and waste of money and time as we were standing in line with a zillion other people to see what NY looks like from really high up. It would have cost $40 and I just imagined seeing a bunch of tall buildings and smog and thought it was a waste of time. When I went with Crystal to Switzerland, we rode a Tram to the top of one of the mountains and didn't see much because of the clouds, but at least we got a Tram ride up the mountain with beautiful views before we hit the cloud layer. Being packed like sardines in an elevator going up 100 floors just didn't sound like fun. So anyway the trip to New York was amazing, we learned a lot, saw so much in a short 3 days, took some cool pictures and basically had a great time.

So, I have noticed you have a ton of stuff you have left at my parents home. Can you tell what stuff you want me to take back to Chandler and what stuff I can just leave here until you come back to school. I figured you probably don't need the coats, so I hung them up in the closet. You have some dress pants and shirts, should I bring those down? What clothes do you want to leave here? The bedding can probably stay. How about your lacrosse bag? What about the Amp? you mi ght want to practice some guitar when you get back before school starts.... anyway if you can give me a few ideas on the matter, that would be helpful.

I found the Church News with your picture and showed everyone. =) My parents get the Church News and had saved their back issues and had a copy. Do you want me to mail you a copy? There were some good articles in there. I read a few issues on the plane ride. I read the articles about setting the Mission Presidents apart and teaching them how to be good leaders for the missionaries that are in their charge. It was a good article for me, because it showed how much the Prophet, General Authorities and Church leaders care about you, the individual missionary, and want to help you in anyway they can.

Do you have the email from your mission president saved on your computer? I didn't save it and need their address and phone numbers. I know you are in best place and am excited for you to preach the Gospel to the people in Mongolia in a few weeks. We miss you but are so inspired by your letters and example.

Keep the fire burning always,

love always,

mom

Missing Home but ready to see his New Home in Mongolia

Alllllrighty, well I'll just pretend you sent me an e-mail for me to respond to. :) haha i'm just teasing. Сайн байн уу? It is really hard to type in Mongolian cuz the keyboard is not on here and you just have to guess till you get it right! Anyways, I did get your package. Thank you! That candy was seriously gone by the end of the day despite the fact that it all had melted egregiously. We took it out of the bag and placed it on the heat register to cool. The beef jerky is almost gone but I hid the rest so I could enjoy it in the solitude of my residence hall.

It's been another great week at the MTC. I hope you had a happy birthday! I sent pictures home along with my old name tags. We got our new, all Mongolian nametags and they are SWEET. Now no one but the Mongolians and people that already know me know what my name tag says. I like it. Oh, and I forgot to tell you but for that singing thing I did, I ended up in the Church news from a week or so back. page 6. haha, you know it's big when it's in the church news right? anyways...

Elder Fisher is already gone! It was awesome to have him here but now he is out doing what he's supposed to be doing and I'm really excited for him. He told me something about Ben being on crutches? Do you know anything about that? I'm going to write him anyways so we'll see. Oh, and Elder Spencer Quinn is here now! I've run into him a couple times and it seems like he's doing great here. He's only here for three weeks and then he's off to Spain to the MTC there.

Whenever I get on the computer to write an e-mail it's like everything I remember about the week slips out. It's probably because I keep seeing the ticking clock at the top of my screen and it unnerves me.

starting at the end of this week, our class is going to be speaking nothing but Mongolian and I am excited/worried. I can speak Mongolian alright, and I know a good amount of grammar rules and vocab, but do I have enough to speak nothing but Mongolian? I'll find out soon i guess! Anyways, over the past week I've started to love the Mongolian language so much more. As I understand more bits and pieces, I just look toward the day when I can speak it fluently and I can't wait. The teachers said that if you can speak the language well you'll make so many friends with the Mongolians and that being their friend is one of the biggest contributions to bringing them to the Gospel. That's kind of the position you're in Mom. You're friends with Jackie then you just nudge them along on the right path. Maybe sometimes they need more than a nudge, but maybe sometimes that's exactly what they need. The good thing is, we don't have to make that decision by ourselves. The Spirit is there if we invite it and he will guide us in the best course of action.

So, next week we could very well get our Travel Plans which is very exciting. We finish out this week, then we have two more full weeks and then the week we leave. Can you believe it? I sure can't. I've started to feel as if this MTC experience is my mission and i'm about to finish it and go home. Maybe in a lot of ways I will be going home though. Mongolia will be my home for the rest of these next two years and I hope and pray it feels just like home.

One thing that I've been thinking about while I'm up here is just ho important family is. In fact, I've had a lot of regrets about not spending as much time with you all when I had the opportunity. I think back to the times when I had the choice of spending time with the family and spending time with my friends and wish I hadn't chosen friends. I really miss you all. I miss your smiles and your sad crying faces when I beat you in fooseball. :) Most of all, I just miss being in the house with you. Sometimes it's on the computer with one of you at my side or its eating dinner or its out in the street trying to catch Hopper or Phantom. Whatever it is, I miss it. So I actually want to apologize for that. For not spending as much time with the family. Being on a mission definitely chages priorities and makes you realize the truly important things. and YOU, my family, are the most important to me! So, I'm sorry. If I could rewind, I definitely would make different choices and spend more time with you.

However, I'm here on a mission and this is where I need to be, so there no coming home to spend time with ya. But, I know one thing that we both could do to feel of each other's presences more. If we will both strive our best to cherish the scriptures, to read from them each and every day and to read lovingly, not grudgingly, I know that we'll be able to feel together as a family. That's what this Gospel does, it brings families together for time and eternity. And reading the Book of Mormon will accopmish that in more ways than we can imagine. It's kind of hard to imagine that huh? That a book could do so much for a family both here and in the eternities. However, I testify, as one that has been blessed to experience it's wonderful truths day after day, the Book of Mormon is powerful. It is God's true, pure, restored Word. It points to Christ at all times, that constantly flowing fountain of everlasting life. I urge you Mom, Dad, Crystal, Amy, Joseph, Cali, and anyone else who reads this; go to the Book of Mormon, read it's teachings. And once you've read them, live them! That is the way it was intended to be! If we could just live all that the Book of Mormon taught us, what a wonderful place this would be.

Family, I love you so very much. I've come to a deeper realization of that. I also love my Savior immensly. He is the way and the means wherein we can acheive exaltation and eternal life. I know it, and I know that there is no other way. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and I know that is was translated by a chosen prophet of God, Jospeh Smith. I know that the priesthood was restored through him and that I now hold that priesthood. I know that all the keys of the priesthood are in the hands of President Monson who presides over this Church on the earth. It is true, I feel it and i know it. I hope everything is going well with all of you and I hope to hear from you soon. I will probably write some letters to the family as well. Have a fun summer vacation!

~Elder James Cappuccio

Blessed and Busy

This was sent July 10th( probably about the same time he was sending his email to me...)

Dear Elder James,

I love getting your letters and emails. Serving a mission to Mongolia doesn't just bless the people you are teaching or associating with, it also helps and inspires us at home to hear from you and know you are doing a great work. Cali bore her testimony on Sunday and mentioned that she didn't cry when you left on your mission, because she knew you were doing the right thing and she would be sad if you didn't go on a mission. I know I am getting extra help with work, because I have been doing much better on my commissions since you started your mission.

I met elder Finuf's mother yesterday after work. She is very cool and we shared pictures and a few stories. I'll have to admit she is more on the ball than me. She already sent a package to mongolia with normal food, so when Elder Finuf gets there he will have something to eat. She was worried the traditional food would be too weird and he would starve to death. I am glad I sent you some goodies while at the MTC to fatten you up before you leave, because you won't probably have a package waiting for you when you get there. I am leaving tomorrow on vacation and don't have time to put anything together. You won't mind eating a little Sheep's head will you? =) I hear the Yak milk is nasty too, but I'm sure you will survive....let me know if there is anything in particular you want sent.

Keep the fire burning!

Love always,

mom

Month 3 in MTC-still loving it!

Hello again! Well, it's the 3rd of July and hot air balloons are filling the sky here in Provo. It's really cool to see. Our expected departure date is the 28th of july so technically we have 25 days left here! But who's counting, right? It was really nice to get that e-mail from Tyler and to hear about his experiences. I've been able to talk to him a couple of times up here and it is so good to hear and see how well he's doing. I'm sure he's going to be an amazing missionary. He leaves this upcoming week which is sad, but I'm happy for him. This wednesday a few new Elders came in that I knew. Elder (Robbie) Low from my BYU ward and then Elder (Spencer) Quinn. It was really good to see Elder Quinn in the MTC, he looked really excited to be here and I can't wait to hear how he changes Spain as he goes there. He is great. So, my time as Zone Leader is just about up. This past Sunday, our branch presidency told us that we would be released this upcoming Sunday in order to give opportunities to other missionaries to serve. It has been a great experience. One thing that has stood out in my experience as a zone leader is that everyone has something to learn from. Each one of the missionaries in our zone has some sort of quality that helps me and by getting to know each one of them, I grow tremendously. Now i have the opportunity to learn from our other elders as they take leadership roles. Elder Finuf (my companion) and I have also decided that with our extra time we're really going to pick up our studying and learning. Elder Finuf is amazing. he is such a great companion. We definitely have different personalities but we are both very driven and motivated. This past week we have been waking up at 6AM instead of 630 in order to have more time. As soon as we are dressed and ready, we head down to our classroom and we usually pick up an extra 30 minutes of studying which comes in handy. His mom asked for your cell phone number so I gave it to him to give to her. You should probably expect a call sometime soon! Uhm, so about those girls camp letters, I still haven't gotten them! so yea, I don't know what's up with that, but maybe they just didn't make it. I'm writing this in the morning so they could still be getting here but its kinda funny to know that somewhere out there there are a bunch of letters meant for you and they just aren't here. Anyways, in case I haven't mentioned this to you before, I LOVE the Missionary Training Center. It's one of the best places ever. Everyday we learn more new things. The language is continuing to progress and I am excited with anticipation for the day when I get to speak with the people of Mongolia. As for the political situation in Mongolia, our teacher from there told us a little bit last night. Apparently the old communist party won the elections and so there were riots in the streets; 4 people were killed, 20 policemen were hospitalized, and a government building was burned down. It was really shocking to hear because we had just heard all these things about how wonderful Mongolian people are. It is sad to hear that they are having this trouble. She said that we shouldn't be worried about our visa situation but that we should pray for the people. So that is what we are doing. The other day I was able to talk to Aca Mcdonald again. After about a month or so it was hard to remember where to start from and I was hoping that he had taken my invitation to read the Book of Mormon more seriously but when I called he was in 2 Nephi. He is a man that is very interesting in the historical/geographical aspects of religious material and uses it as a sort of verification for himself. So i worked with him to identify some of the things I knew to validate its authenticity. Next we got into how those facts eventually fade and you must have faith to carry you the rest of the way. This eventually led into our ideas on salvation. He is of the belief that salvation comes after having faith in Christ and then through your salvation you just naturally do good works. I tried to explain to him the need for works before you can expect salvation and I used some scriptures in James. We ran out of time but I gave him two chapters in Alma to read that talk a bit about how our faith works within us and how our role fits in with Christ's Atonement because that was one of the things that we disagreed on the most. It was really good to talk to him again, and i care a great deal about him. I just hope and pray that I might be able to communicate our gospel in a way that he can truly feel the Spirit of the message. I'm calling him in two weeks so we'll see how that goes! We had Elder J. Richard Clark speak at our Devotional on Tuesday and it was so good. He gave us his "SKWASH" formula for being a good missionary. It was: Spirituality, Knowledge, Work, Attitude, Skills, Habits. The part that impressed me the most was Attitude. He told a story about a Russian train worker that accidentally locked himself inside a refrigerator car. No one could hear him and so he figured he would just be left in there to die. As he slowly passed away, he wrote out words on the inside of the car. He would say things like, "getting colder" "still colder" "these may be my last words". Things like that. When someone finally opened the freezer car, they fould him dead. The sad thing was, the refrigerator car was malfunctioning so the temperature in there was only 57 degrees. He could have easily survived if it wasn't for his preconceiived notion of what would happen in that car. That has so much import fir all of us wherever we are. Our attitude largely determines how we will do in any arena. Mental Attitude accounts more for success than Mental Ability. Well, I don't have much time left. But in closing I just want to say how very grateful I am for you and the family. I love each one of you so much. I absolutely know that this Gospel is the true Gospel. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a called prophet of God and that Jesus Christ stands at the head of this church. I know that by following Christ's footsteps in Faith, Works, and Covenants we can live with our families and with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. It is a possiblity for all of us. God did not send any of us down here to fail. Each one of us has something great to do if we will just go to the Father and find out from Him what that is. At the time, my job is to teach the Mongolian people His Word, and I am grateful for the chance. Once again I love you all and I hope everything is going good for you. Love, Elder Cappuccio

Love from home

James, I just sent you a package today with some contacts, goodies and a letter. you probably won't get until Tuesday. I hope you have a good Fourth of July even though you are in the MTC. We won't be up in Utah until the 11th and then me and Amy are flying to NY right away.? Cali wanted to know if we could go by and see you in the MTC and I told her we couldn't, We miss you but are so proud of your great example.I got a lot of responses back from people I forwarded your email to, but haven't had a chance to read them yet. I heard from someone that there was some problems in Mongolia about the election, have you heard anything about that? I haven't had time to check the news. I don't have much time right now, but I wil email you later. I hope you got some email and mail from others because I didn't get my stuff mailed until today. Keep the fire burning! Love always, mom