MTC WEEK 1
Well hello there my wonderful family! Days 1, 2, 3 are in the past and I got much to tell you!
First off, thank you for the DearElders they made my day! Please communicate through that [www.dearelder.com] and this primarily so I can read your letters and then respond on Saturdays. Saturdays are my P-Days so you have something to look forward to.
Write me at: Elder Kyle Moore, ARG-BAN, NOV4, MTC MAIN CAMPUS. Unit 67. I hope I receive a few a week so I don't have to wait for Saturday's regular email!
Alright, recap of el last few days:
DAY 1
I showed up, Kelsey and I said goodbye (thank you Kelsey for everything (and Hutch and Gaylene)), took a quick picture and then I was off! They immediately took me to get my name tags and ID badges and keys. I have to have them on me at ALL times. The ID badges get me into my classrooms and my key gets me into my room. Also the badges let me eat! I then proceeded into my room; 6 beds, four desks, four closets. It actually works out really well. All the elders in my room are really cool and actually pretty clean. We are definitely BY FAR the cleanest. (We are pretty awesome).
Oh and Taylor, I sometimes wear the Elder Mas name tag so I don't have to wear my magnetic one or switch from coat to shirt, and my teachers love it, they say that that will work great. So thanks.
We then went to a libraryish area where I got this big bag of books and books. Most of them are Spanish practice books. Dictionaries, Preach my gospel and a bunch of pamphlets, and our own Spanish Scriptures. All about 15-20 pounds of stuff. (YIKES!) We can keep most of it in our class rooms though. From there we went to my classroom where I met my companion, Elder Lunt! He is a pretty cool guy. Pretty uplifting and funny. Also knows how to work, he is from Brigham , Utah. Oh! And another thing. I am the ONLY elder from Oregon that arrived this past week. I was on the plane with a Sister Gretchenbrock who was going in with me too. There are a couple other sisters too. Represent! Anyway, Elder Lunt is a good guy and we are gonna do well together. Already have.
We went to class then to fooooood! Food is okay. It's produced in mass quantities so it isn't absolutely AMAZING. I eat a lot healthier, they have great fruit always out.
After a couple more classes and then an immunization check. I had to get a flu shot, but nothing serious.
That night was AWFUL. Dad was right, you don't sleep a WINK. But it's not because of shell shock, it's because I absolutely FROZE. It was scout camp ALL over again. I put on jackets, and socks and pants but still froze plus there were no pine needles around to weave, so I was just plain out of luck.
DAY 2
Woke up at 6:20 and got showered and ready, the breakfast and ion?? class by 7:15. We are in the class for about 4 hours at a time, two times a day. It isn't bad at all. I have 2 teachers so far, Hermano Ralphs and Hermana Vawdrey. Hermana Vawdrey served in Argentina and has an AWESOME accent. No word on my VISA yet but I cannot wait till it comes. I am already VERY eager to get out and teach! Speaking of teaching, on day 2 we taught our first "investigator" in Spanish! It lasted about 15-20 minutes. I was surprised at how somewhat well I could recall words and verbs from high school. I had to fudge my way through the conversation. That's okay, because it was our first day and we decided to take Hermano Ralphs' challenge and not take notes! It took a lot of fea (faith). Don't get me wrong, it was still very hard… didn't speak fluently or flowy at all but I can already start to get a little hold on it, just barely. Also, another cool thing is that I am very interested in the language and already love it! Whether that's because of my mission call or because of the blessings in Heaven, you decide, but I know the answer. :) We do lots of Personal, Language, and Companion studying. It is awesome, because we can find an empty room and study and pray in peace as a companionship. Sometimes when I write in my journal I start to mix letters and words to sound more Spanish. For example instead of writing "the" I will write "el" or "la" or instead of "class" I will write "clase".
Food is still good. No problems! I love their salad of the day. Sometimes it gets very fancy like Alaskan Salmon Salad or something like that. Everything is pretty good.
We get work out time every day. I went for a run around campus with my companions and only lasted about one lap! I had to stop because I was LITERALLY immediately out of breath. And before you say "It's because your out of shape, forget it because I can run at least a mile without getting winded like that. It's because I totally forgot about the elevation change.
That night we met our Branch Presidency. Guess who it is?! President Monson! (Prophet Monson's nephew) Talks EXACTLY like him, its weird. Fast and slow, fast and slow. Then our other president is President Bradford, a real stickler for the specifics. Like buttoning the correct suit button, hands in the pockets while standing and talking and pins and belts and vests and stuff. It's awesome. I like him, he reminds me of a Kimball -- stern but loving. Anyway, they now know I play piano so I will be probably playing renditions of songs for prelude in meetings. (Thanks mom, I am already seeing the blessings).
Didn't sleep hardly at all the second night too. I froze. However last night (Friday night) I slept fantastic! I found an extra blanket in the closet and slept perfect.
DAY 3
The schedule is nearly the same, nothing much different happened yesterday. More lessons and more prayer in Spanish! A really cool thing is that if you hold open the door for other elders and sisters we all talk in our own language to express gratitude, so you hear Italian, Korean, Japanese, Swahili, Hmong, and all other unidentifiable languages. It's really cool to know that we are literally taking the gospel to all parts of the world.
DAY 4 (TODAY)
Today is my P-DAY so this is my usual day of emailing. My laundry is today too. Just doing a quick load to learn how. Later today we are going to the temple. I am excited to go for that. A new temple!
Anyways, that's about it! Things are going very well here and I feel assisted in every way, every day. I just have to continue on and pray for a VISA. Our district decided that EVERY Sunday, we are going to fast for our VISAs, I am not supposed to ask you guys to join in on special fasts but please pray for us!
Love to all! Please DearElder me anytime! I love receiving them. President Bradford said that although we are expected to leave everything behind and focus on the work, it does not mean that we need to be left alone from our families! :)
Love you all even more!
Elder Moore
