Week 2 in the MTC

WOW this week has flown by a lot faster than the first week! Aunt Andra and the Ingalls, NANA, The Salisburys, The Martins and the Iversons THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PACKAGES AND TREATS!!!  You can ask anyone here that receiving mail is like the highlights of the week! Fortunately I had all you guys to help me along this journey through the MTC!  

So man... you think you already have a strong testimony, and then you go to the MTC and it's like it grows exponentially everyday you are here.  

The Book of Mormon is soooooooo true!  A RECORD of people in ANCIENT AMERICA prophesying about JESUS CHRIST who is yet to come on a DIFFERENT CONTINENT and a perfectly similar gospel.  And when the MESSIAH comes they BEAR RECORD OF HIM!  

How can that not be true?  Answer, It just is mk.

I really love all the people here.  I saw Ladd King today!  I'm really gonna miss running into Jordan everyday and I will really miss my companions.  They are some really solid dudes.  

I am missing everyone, but you are way to busy to think about everyone.  

My spanish is leaps and bounds better than the first day here and even monday when I sent my last email!

Our last basically ("Real life investigator" where you actually go find people in a building and knock on their door and you have no idea who they are)  Said that I have a "very beautiful accent"  so at least I kindof sound like I know what Im doing.  Whether I'm saying the right things or not.  

The Gift of Tongues is the most amazing blessing,  there are times when I don't even have to think about the words I just open my mouth to bear my testimony and it will come out perfectly.  It has totally thrown me and my companions off, on multiple occasions!  

So tomorrow I take a plan at 10:05 for Mexico City, and so the next time I email I will be right in the heart of it.  

I'm kindof freaking out because I have never been on a plane or gone through an airport so pray for me that I get on the right plane! HAHAHA ...but seriously...

Although I have decided I kindof disliked being zone leader, due to having to deal with everyones problems and bickering, I think it has taught me a whole lot.  I'm a lot more patient than I was two weeks ago.  

I did have to get after one of the districts for being very disrespectful to the Sisters who were trying to study.  I didn't yell I just spoke very sternly and they have been one of the best districts since then.  We talked with the branch president after that and he said that it was a good thing I did that ...(so don't be mad at me mom!) haha  ...  because they needed to understand that they are on the LORDs time!

We have had some pretty good teachers,  except the other district in our zone has a hermana that I really dislike.  She blames all of the problems and lack of respect from HER CLASS on me and Elder Sosa!  When the only real time I ever know about any of this is when we have personal interviews with the other missionaries.  SHE NEEDS TO TAKE CONTROL OF HER OWN CLASS AND STOP BLAMING HER JOB OF ENCOURAGING HER STUDENTS TO BE MORE LIKE MISSIONARIES THAN ME AND MY COMPANION!

Enough of all the bad stuff that just makes me mad.  Holy Cow all the packages you guys sent were amazing!  I've had so much candy in the past week and a half I'm surprised I'm not like 200 pounds!  

You guys are all the best and hey... you guys that emailed me are super awesome too! Don't ever be afraid just to send me like a little hello or whatever! Anyway I hope I didn't make too many grammatical mistakes I really don't have a lot of time to edit and re-read all of this.

I am really looking forward to being in Mexico.  You guys are all the best. 

I love you all.

 

 Here is me roping the Cowboy toy with Elder Soto, its a hit here everybody gets WAYYYYY into it haha.  

 And my donuts from mom!

 Me and a Package of Chips and Salsa From NANA

 Me and Elder Olsen after Tuesday night devotional.

My Book of Mormon and all of the special scriptures that I have found so far!!!

 Me and Elder Max Mills 

  Me and Elder Cody Burnside at Breakfast

Me climbing the wall over Elder Soto, photo credit Elder Martinez

 Me and Elder Sosa, Zone leaders with Elder Fernandez and Malaga who will take over tomorrow when I leave

The other Elder Soto fell asleep so I took a pic of us.

 Elder Rey and I after Class.

 Elder King and I on our way to Breakfast

Our two Teachers for my district Hermano Puerto and Wortham, they are some really cool dudes.

Me taking down Elder Sosa in arm wrestling.

 HAHAH Im the only one looking at the Camera! Our Last District photo! I love these guys!

I have two great Companeros.

 

 

 

First week in the MTC

Hi everybody!

OK first off I wanna say thank you for the package and the CUPCAKES AND COOKIES!!!

(Sisters & Ingalls Family)

And if my spelling is wrong or sentences dont make a lot of sense its because we are working in so much spanish its weird to switch back. 

Anyway hey so the MTC is actually pretty great! I'm having a great time! The food is always good and there is a lot of it! The only thing is I have kindof been struggling sleeping so I'm pretty tired every morning but that's all good.  

Ok where to start...? So I am in a Trio with two other fluent guys, Elder  Rojelio Soto a short mma fighter from California who is headed to dallas, and Elder Derick Sosa from LV, headed to Oaxaca mexico just south of my mission.  Man those two are real blessings in my life they are super nice and are really good about helping me with my spanish.

Its not easy being the only "gringo",  (white guy) thats what they call me and non fluent Elder in our whole ZONE! Oh yeah so Elder Sosa and I are the Zone leaders here so I hear about everybodys problems and besides like sending anyone home,  we pretty much like... take care of everything.  

Lemme tell you I can speak spanish probably better than any of the kids who have been or will be here for six weeks but the speed that they speak with really changes the game. Its super frustrating because Im only understanding about half of everything but its all good! OH HOW I LOVE SPANISH! 

I dont know if its just the challenge of kindof learning some thing new or what but man, spanish is the bomb.

I am having a lot of fun and I am already starting to love hispanic people as I said I'm the only white kid in my zone.  

Im not going to admit I was a little scared to open the letters from Mom, Dad, and the girls because I was afraid I would get homesick, and even though I balled my eyes out while I was reading them I really am not ever homesick.  We are toooooo busy and I have to focus sooooo hard on spanish that I cant have my mind on anything else but the language and the gospel.  

Its funny everyone in the MTC like gets frustrated around us because when they ask us how long we have here and when we got here they get jealous.  Haha Im pretty lucky because the MTC is kindof like..... Not fun to be at.  Like what we are doing is fun but its all fake.  Like the teaching and everything is fake.  Learning everything is real, but like teaching isnt.  

So I will probably be able to email on Saturday too because it will be our P-Day too because I leave Sunday morning.  

So its really cool how much spirit is here.  There will be times when I dont even know what an investigator is saying and certain things will pop into my head to say or bear my testimony of and it will be exactly what they needed to hear.  

We have to cool teachers Hermana Richards and Hermana Piquasi our after noon teacher.  They are really cool.  Well I dont have a whole lot of time so I will email more Saturday.  

I love you all and hope you are all doing good! 

 My MTC companions Elder Rojelio Soto, Elder Derick Sosa and me

Lunch at the MTC

 My first packages

 Thanks fam!

  Elders in the zone

 AC Martin and I at the temple

Dropping Elder Basile off at the MTC