1st CCM e-mail - july 28th, 2010

Holy crap I am in Guatemala! \we landed in Guatemala at like 8 o clock so it was really dark and \i couldnt see anything. but when we got there it was pouring rain. the airport was nicer than I thought but there were buckets everywhere catching the raindrops leaking from the ceiling. The bus we rode on was really ghetto and had flames painted on it and the driver was crazy. his assistant wsa standing up next to the door which wsa open while we where going like 40 miles per hour. the CCM is actually pretty niice I like the food here way better! I saw my freind blake swapp from my ward at byu so that was cool. I heard that earlier on in the week they heard gunshots or something. I sahre a room with 8 latino missionaries and none of them speak english. I wish i could type more but my yeacher is telling me to go. so I will type mor later

2nd MTC e-mail July 20th, 2010

Hello

It was really cool to hear what has been going on down there. Me and my companion are working really hard. Are spanish is really good, we talk to alot of the Elders who have been here for like 6 weeks and they always get suprised ( and a little bit jealous) of of how well we speak considering we have only been here 2 weeks. I have finally gotten used to the routine here, I still love it alot. Me and my roomates are like the most popular room on in the district. Everynight the whole district goes into our room and "chills" with us because we are so cool. All of my roomates are going to my same mission and we all leave for the CCM on the 27 which is next tuesday! We have our travel plans and stuff already. We fly out on tuesday to dallas texas for a five hour layover than we fly straight to guatemala from there. I am so excited I cannot even wait. Those letters that you sent me about those Sisters that are at the CCM right now are really cool, I read them to all my roomies it is cool to get a preview of what is going on down there and what we should expect.

I had to get a Typhoid shot the other day, and Sometime in the future they are going to give me a nother Hepatitis B shot. They told me to send home a paper that you can use to see if the insurance will reimburce it or something so I will do that today.

I fave been taking pictures, I dont have enough time to e-mail them home. Plus the computers here are on super lockdown mode and you cant do anything on them exept email and go on LDS.org. But there is a station here were i can print pictures off of my camera, so Today I will do that and I will send home some pictures of my at the MTC.

Last Sunday was kind of interesting. We each had interviews with the Branch President. We all called it the "Hell Talk" because basically made us all feel really guilty and stuff in an effort for us to confess to stuff that would get us sent home. Fortunately I am still here so, hahaha. I also learned that on sunday the Brach presidency will call two suprise speakers in each sacrament meeting to give a 5 minute talk in spanish! It is so hilarious. Last sunday he called on an Elder who was terrible at spanish, it was really funny im not going to lie, even though I wouldnt have done any better.

But, anyways me and my companion, Elder Lydiksan, have been studying hard. We figured out that the best place to study is in the storage closet. It is the only place where you can have silence. Since I have been here at the MTC I have already seen several things in my patriachal blessing fulfill themselves, it is amazing.

OH yah, I totally forgot to bring like an adress book, so I totally can't write anyone. I guess thats ok, that just means that they have to write me first.

Anyways it was good to here from you guys, by the time you get my next e-mail I will be in Guatemala!

First MTC e-mail july 13th, 2010

Hola Familia!

Hello everybody! I'm totally just finished my first week at the MTC. It is the most amazing place ever! I have never felt the spirit so strongly before, I am just eating it up. Mi companion is Great we work really good together and we have really been working hard to learn spanish. My District is probably the best district in the whole wide world, we are all really good friends. I have been here 6 days and I can confidently say that I can now pray, bear my testimony, give a 5 minute talk, make a street contact and meet someone, and discuss the first lesson of the restoration in spanish. It is truly a miracle that we have been able to learn this language so well and so quickly. My prayers have definitly been answered and I know for a fact that everysingle missionary here is blessed with the gift of tounges it is nuts! The days are really long, but I dont really mind that much, learning spanish and the gospel is a really energizing thing. It is so refreshing to live the life of a missionary. This morning I shined my shoes for the first time, and it was probably one of the funnest things I have ever done, it seems kind of sad but that is what I look forward to on p-days. The food here is ok, its pretty much exactly the same as what I had at the Cannon center at BYU. Only two more weeks until I get to go to Guatemala! I cannot even begin to say how much I love it here at the MTC, it is the most awesome thing to be living with 2, 500 other 19 year old guys we are so funny! hahaha, as I was walking to the computer lab today I saw one elder walk straight into this pole, hahaha it was hilarious, even he was laughing. There is such a good spirit here. I dont think I can say that i have matured into a legit man yet but in time it will happen. Last night me and my roomies were laughing for like 20 minutes after lights out becuase of a really loud bodily function that I performed, it was legendary. Tommorow I get to teach my first lesson in spanish, my maestro has put my district on the fast track because we are all learning so fast. On saturday we are going to practice on volunteers that are going to pretend to be investigators, last saturday we got to observe other elders do the same thing. It was hilarious watching how bad they were! Even though I know I am going to be just as bad at teaching in spanish. I totally forgot to put my email on facebook can one of you guys do that, Gracias! Anyways I hope you guys are doing well, the Church is true! Yo se que el Evangelio de Jesucristo es verdadero, y Dios tiene un plan pare nosotros regrasar con El. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! IM on my flippin mission!