Week One

Hello family and friends!

My first week here at the MTC has been amazing! I love my district and branch. I have been put in the same branch as Elder Denney as well. My first week here at the MTC, I have already learned how to pray, bare testimony, and teach in spanish. On my third day here, my companion and I role played our first discussion in spanish. It went better than expected, but there were many awkward pauses. I am not sure if our investigator understood me or not, and I don't know what he got out of it, but we will be teaching him again on monday, and we already feel more prepared. I have definitely learned in the MTC, how important it is to rely on the lord and follow the promptings of the spirit. While teaching our investigator, there were several times when I had no idea what word to use, or how to phrase a sentence. During these times, the spirit prompted me on what word to use. The spirit here in the MTC is so strong.

The food here is pretty good. On wednesday and thursday we ate the leftovers from the mission president training which took place this week. It is amazing to know that the missionaries here are being trained at the same place as the mission presidents. This also added to the amazing spirit at the MTC. It is one of the most spiritual places in the world. My testimony about missionary work, and on relying on the lord has grown so much. To add to that, my district and I have become so close. We spend almost all of our time together every day. I know that the lord has blessed me with a district that would help me become the best missionary I can be. We continue to feed off of each other in order to make sure we are all growing in the gospel and learning our language.

One of the best things that I have seen this week would be the progress my companion is making. He has never taken spanish before in high school, so unlike the rest of us, he is starting from scratch. I have seen him progress so much over the past three days. I know that the lord will bless anyone who is willing, worthy, and obedient. My companion could get discouraged very easily, but he doesn't. He continues to work hard.

Se que el evangelio es verdado. Se que tenemos un Padre Celestial y el da nos su amor. Se que JesuCristo es Su hijo y Jesucrito es el Salvador de el mundo. Se que Jose Smith es un profeta de Dios y un discipulo de Dios. Se que Presidente Thomas S. Monson es profeta verdado de Dios. En el nombre de JesuCristo amen.