Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Week # 1 In the MTC




August 27, 2013

Dear people,

            My first day at the MTC was nuts. I got shipped off right from the get go. I grabbed probably 30 lbs. of Spanish study material. Then boarded a bus to the rest of the MTC campus. Everyone down here says this is way better than the main campus. Our apartment is really nice, we have 2 bunk beds, 1 shower, 1 sink, 1 stove that doesn’t work and 4 elders. It’s pretty cool here we had like 20 guys in our apartment last night just chillin with us. My companion is super cool, his name is Elder Bassett. He is from Centerville and went to View-Mont high. He played soccer for them! 4 out of the 6 guys in our district play soccer, super cool. Well I am writing this Thursday morning. We were told to turn the AC down to 60 because it is nice to come back to a super cold apartment. It was way to cold so we had to turn the heater on.

            We had 3 hours of Spanish study yesterday and it was crazy how much we learned, our teacher didn’t say a single word of English the whole time. So hard to understand him and IDK if he even knows English even though he is white. We give our first discussion in all Spanish on Friday. I’m scared to death. I am already getting good at Spanish but I still have so much to learn.

            The love you feel at the MTC is crazy everyone loves everyone and there is a real spirit here. I wish I could write more but I gotta go to the gym. But first I need to tell you how much I love all of you. You are amazing and I miss you. Please share this with family and friends.

Here is a list of supplies I need – a notebook or 2, envelopes and stamps, addresses for people so I can send letters.

Dear familia y amigos,
            Que paso! My Spanish is really coming along fast. It is crazy how fast you can learn something. It is really crazy here I spend about 8 hours en la classe es muy dificil por mi. I am struggling a little bit but I have faith it will get better! The food is great. I’m already getting bigger/fatter. I am eating all sorts of food trying to get used to the cow stomache soup that is famous down in ciudas de mexico. I really didn’t think that I would miss you punks all that much but I miss you guys more than you can imagine. Mom I would pay big money to snuggle with you. I miss your smell, you smelled so good always. Dad I miss you teasing me and always giving me a hard time and how much of a great example you were to me. I can’t express how much I love you. Victoria, baby girl, you literally have no clue how truly beautiful you are and you should never think anything different. You’re the nicest girl ever and are going to make one heck of a missionary and I miss you so mucho. Chip, my favorite brother, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for being such a jerk. I should have been way nicer. I miss how much we used to wrestle and how much we used to laugh and I can’t wait to wrestle the crap out of you when I get home.
            Now to all of my fiends. I don’t have time to write all of you but I never go a single moment without thinking about everything that has happened to me because of you guys. My thoughts are always about you and the experiences and memories I have shared with you guys. To all the ladies out there who are waiting for me, just don’t. JK I know there are no girls waiting por mi!
            But I want to let all the ladies know that I love them, but I love the work more right now. Sorry I love you all and because I love you, I want to leave with you my testimony that I know God lives and that His Son Jesus Christ really did come down to earth, to have a body and to give us the gift of the atonement so that if we use the gift we can return to live with him again and become gods ourselves. I know that Joseph Smith es una profeta, and that he translated the book of Mormon correctly and thus is the true word of God. I know that what I am doing here is Gods work and is going forward to matter what.

En el nombre de Jesu Christo Amen.

People please write me, I am lonely and I miss you.
With love, Elder Rodabough