Week 7 - October 27, 2011

Seven weeks? Already? Two sisters in my group got their travel plans to Argentina, so the rest of us domestic missionaries should be getting our travel plans any day now! Crazy!!! But super exciting too. The MTC has been a really good experience. I know I'm fortunate to have a great district, and we've really built good relationships with our teachers. That's atypical for some districts, so I hear. I got a letter from my Mission President this week. He said that we'll be spending the first night in the mission home, and doing some stuff there before meeting our companions the following day. It sort of freaks me out when I think about going to the field, but I'm also really excited too. I want to get to know people, and help them, not just teach my teachers and district members inside the MTC. I'm kinda scared about getting a bad trainer, but I figure they wouldn't be a trainer if they weren't any good. Anyway, I'll definitely let you know when I get my travel plans and if/when I can call you guys from the airport! I'm so excited to talk to you! :)

This week was good. On Sunday night, Elder M and I saw the MTC President, President Brown sitting with another district a few tables away. We decided to go sit by him since there were a few empty seats nearby. He started talking to us, and it turns out he grew up with Brother Spackman in TV ward. He asked me which part of Tucson I lived in, and I said the east side. He said his best friend lived over there with his wife, the Spackman's. Of course, I don't really know them, just the name, but I said they lived close and that we share a church building. The Mormon world is so small, isn't it? I don't know if I told you, but I actually met the daughter of one of my Institute teachers. I hadn't ever seen her at UA, but that's because for the last year she'd been at grad school in Missouri. But kinda funny, huh?

Anyway, I got to be a Host Elder this week. I was really excited to host because my host was so nice and helpful. He was so cheerful that I couldn't freak out for very long. Luckily the first elder I helped was super chill and excited. The sister I helped next was super cool and collected so that was easy. Then the next elder was put together, not freaking out at all, but totally got lost! What happens when you get dropped off is an elder takes you luggage and escorts you to the main building. He stands with you luggage outside while you go inside to get your ID card, your schedule, room key, etc. Then you meet back up with him outside and send him to get his books. Well, I never saw him after I sent him inside. Apparently I didn't give him good directions, because he just went right on to his classroom to meet his teachers and his district! So the head of scheduling came out (there was one other elder with a lost newbie), and said that out of 400 elders, losing two was too many. They're working on getting the system a little easier, because they just opened a new bookstore in a different building, and apparently they've had missionaries get lost. Anyway, it was still kinda fun to help out and do something different. We get to host next week, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Teaching is going well (mostly). Juan Carlos is getting baptized next week, so that's good. We're trying to finalize everything with him. Ivan still doesn't want to be baptized for any companionship, and that's rough. We don't really like teaching him. But teaching the Hermanas is really fun, because they're progressing, and we're using a bunch of Spanish and a bunch of teaching skills we didn't have for our other two investigators. Spanish is really coming along too. It's a lot of fun to use all of the stuff that you struggled with and have overcome. I was talking with some Sisters in my branch that have been here for 3 or 4 weeks, and I know I was just like them. But now I can see the way that I have progressed. I'm not perfect, that's for sure. But I know Tanner would be blown away if I could talk to him. I tried writing Kyle a little in Spanish, but that was really bad. Sorry, Kyle. It'll get better. Hahaha.

No general authority this week for Devotional or Fireside, but they were both good. There's something almost everyday that is so perfect to lift us up and keep us excited about the work. Sometimes I think about how much time I have left in my mission and it's a little nuts, but I know that getting into the field will change a lot of that. I know this is where I need to be, so it doesn't really matter anyway, right? It's sometimes weird to think about what's going on outside. Because there's no conception of time or space here, I always forget that life moves on out there.

La iglesia es verdadera! Dios vive, y nos ama!

Thanks for everything! :)

Much love,
Zac