Thursday, October 1, 2009

Week 4 at the MTC


Wow, time flies here.  I think I say that every week lol.

It has been a buuuuuusy week.  We go to the TRC each week (the thing where members pose as investigators for us), and usually we do 15 minutes of some scenario in Spanish (this week it was helping somebody move, last week it was doing door to door contacts, etc) and then we teach in English for 35 minutes.  Well next Tuesday starts it ALL in Spanish!  I'm about to explode haha.  Keep working on that Spanish, Dad!

This week we've upped our Spanish-only speaking to all breakfasts and lunches, all meals on Mondays Wednesdays and Saturdays, and this Friday we're speaking ALL SPANISH ALL DAY.  Holy moly, I'm gonna go crazy haha.  We're actually pretty good for only being here 4 weeks.  It's not like nobody talks or anything, it's neat.  But this week is so so much, we're working really hard lol.  I enjoy the challenge.

Good news though (if it's true).  When I leave for Paraguay, I get to call home when I'm at the airport!  How awesome is that?!  I'll make sure to let you know of my flight plans and when I'll be at the airport so you make sure you're not busy.  Even if you're not home, I know your cell numbers still so I'll call your cell phones.  Cool, huh?!

I wrote some goals down for my mission and after my mission this week.  Just some of the things I want to do while I'm here and for when I get home.  Hopefully writing them down will give me some direction in getting them done!

This week I was released as District Leader.  I kinda yelled at one of the Elders in my district, and they said that wasn't how a DL should act.  Ok that's a lie, I'm totally kidding hahah.  We're just on a 3 week rotation, so every district switches DLs after 3 weeks.  Kinda a bummer, but it's nice to be able to have study time instead of going to meetings.


We do something kinda cool in our district though.  Every morning we're in class at 7:00am, and usually it's just personal study time.  But our district starts with a hymn and prayer, and then we read from the Book of Mormon together for about half an hour.  It's really helpful, it starts our day off with the Spirit and some district unity.  I like it.

They've also put back into place the "no handshakes/hugs/touching" rule.  It's flu season, and there must be some sick missionaries, so we're back to the no physical contact rule.  It's weird not to shake somebody's hand when you meet them or see them lol.

OH!  So at devotionals and firesides, there's a special place set aside for the Sign Language people to sit, and this week I was like right next to them.  I just watched them the whole time, it was so cool!!  Me and the elder next to me were trying to follow them and I learned a bunch of sign language haha.  Some of the sisters saw us and were laughing.  One of the sisters really is deaf though, and she saw us and laughed, so we went over and talked to her through her companion interpreting and stuff for a minute, it was really neat.

I can't email Jade, unfortunately.  I'm only allowed to email family, that's why I have to have you guys forward my emails to everybody.  Otherwise I could just email everybody instead of writing letters, it would be much faster and easier.  However, when I get to Paraguay, it may be different because the rules are up to your mission president.  So we'll see.

Thanks for sending my Paraguay address, now I can give it to my district and other friends here to keep in touch.  Could you send my other address also please?  It's the one for the pouch service, I think it's a Salt Lake address but I'm not sure.  I know it's a Utah address.  Dad should know which one it is.  There's only 3 addresses in there, one for the MTC one for Paraguay and then this last one I'm looking for.  That would be great, thanks!  And thanks for the extra labels, I need them!  I've already gone through a whole sheet of 30 labels!  Hahah.

It's ok about having to cancel my phone, I really don't mind.  Thank you so much for trying though.  I'll just get a new number and everything when I get back!

Dad you're so lucky you got to go watch Peyton Manning play!  I'm jealous, I like him.  Who won the game?  You might have told me, but I forgot.  Whoops.  I'm glad you got to go though.  Thanks for news from the outside world lol.  It's funny, we always try to get our 2 teachers to smuggle us fast food or snacks and stuff from outside the MTC  hahah, it's funny.  But not allowed.  One of my teachers, Hermano Soelberg, is such a stud.  He's a lady killer, that guy lol.  He got back from Argentina about a year ago.  He's so relaxed and laid back, kinda reminds me of Bryan lol.  We all joke about wanting to be "Soelberg studs" when we get home from our missions hahah.  We like our teachers.

Hermana Denker says thank you soooo so so much for your letters!  You should have seen her face light up when she saw she had mail.  You really made her day.  And you made her laugh too (I'm Tim's older cuter brother?  Really B?  When are you gonna wake up son?).  She was very appreciative.  You guys did a nice thing for a struggling missionary.  How we feel and our mood really affects how well we study, so because she was happy she got mail, what she studied that day could be the thing that changes somebody's life in her mission.  You had a hand in that.  Thank you so much, and she says thank you again.

Oh, a cool story for you real quick.  The MTC president told it to us in mission conference this past Sunday.  There was this boy named Billy, and Billy was just growing up and learning to talk.  His first words were "mama", "dada", and "hammer".  His favorite toy was his little plastic hammer, he took it everywhere.  He even smashed his parents' alarm clock with it.  Billy's dad decided that he was going to see just how much sense of self and independence Billy had, so he did an experiment one night.  It was time for bed, so as they were getting Billy ready, he said "Time for bed Billy, now take off your shoe and give it to daddy".  Billy took of his shoe, and happily gave it to his father.  "Ok, now take off your sock and give it to daddy".  Billy struggled a bit, and fell over backwards trying to get that sock off, but he did it and smiled triumphantly as he handed his sock to his father.  "Ok Billy, now take off your foot and give it to daddy".  Sure enough, Billy reached right for his foot and began trying to take it off.  He pulled and pulled and tried hard.  An inspiring thought came to him.  He looked up at his dad and said "hammer?".  He was willing to do anything to give his dad what he had asked for.  Just like Billy, we must be willing to be like a little child and submit to our Heavenly Father.

Out of time, til next week!

Love,
Elder moore

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