Week 3 in the MTC - Oh No - the CCM

Hola!!!!!

I'm doing great!! I'm getting stronger, physically and mentally, and spiritually. The last being the most important,  of course :) 

The work is... it’s coming. Practice teaches are hard sometimes. The language. ugh They all talk sooooo faaaaast its like catching every 3 or 4 words and then I have no idea what they just said. But that’s better than before when I had no idea what anyone was saying.  I’m not giving up on this. I'm practicing and studying all the time and I’m making progress so I know it'll all be ok :)

  

So um here are the last of the questions on the list. Took forever. :)

Are you in a casa or a dorm?

I'm in a casa!!!! Casa 36 :) 

How many rooms are there?

There are 5 rooms in our casa along with like a kitchen (nothing in it to use) and a like living room with the most uncomfortable couches I have ever sat on >.<

How many have to share a bathroom? Tell me about it.

Each room has a bathroom and out of 5 rooms only 4 are in use and there are 4 in a room. So four to a bathroom but we have the spare in room 5. So it’s never like we have to wait because if we had to other rooms would let us use theirs.

This picture was taken right after I got there and before my roommates got there.

How many roommates do you have?

I have 3 roommates. I room with Elder Moore, Elder Tilby and Elder Watchman. 

       

 Do you have any natives in your room? Tell me about them.

Nope no natives. Which is probably good because they don’t seem to understand that you put the toilet paper in the toilet and not in the garbage can. I feel so sorry for all the elders that have to explain that to them.

Mosquitoes ? 

Nope. I haven't been bitten yet. No idea why.

Are they as bad as I have read about? 

 Well I mean there are a lot of them but they don’t seem to really like my blood or the blood of my companion.

Do you use the net? 

Not a once have I used the net. Would it be ok if I gave it to Hermana Curtis and Hermana Hanson for while they are in Panama?? They'll have more need then I will/do.

How is your shoulder bag?

Totally rocking it!!! President Pratt said at this MTC we all have to wear them. But some missionaries use the backpacks they brought. Which totally makes sense since otherwise they would have to buy a bag from the store and they aren't very nice bags.

(Note the large shoulder bag)

I heard there was a crazy storm the first night you were there. Did you get soaked? 

No I had already gone and had dinner and I got to just chill through the storm that night. My 3 roommates weren’t so lucky. They got to the CCM at like 5 I think maybe 6, they had to run through the rain to get some cold gross pizza. It took forever for their shoes to dry out :/ 

Do you use your umbrella and/or rain coat?

Usually Yes. I have this problem where I forget it sometimes and then it dumps on us and so I hold the waterproof shoulder bag above my head. I look like an idiot but I stay pretty dry :)

What has been your favorite thing so far? 

ummm. That’s hard. We have so many fun things. We have lessons which we always dread but they are never as bad as we think they will be. Well except the first one we came out laughing because either we walked out laughing or we walked out crying.  It was not a good lesson. But they have been pretty awesome since then :)

 ummm Gym is always fun. I've been for a couple runs on the track and I’m getting  stronger and faster.

ummmmmmm. Additional Study Time after TALL. Thats always a blast. We have no teacher soooo sometimes we don’t always study. We just hang out and talk, and study, and talk, and then we just talk. We have decided to do better from now on :)

Me doing TALL (Technology Assisted Language Learning) I can record my voice saying words in Spanish and then listen to how it is suppose to be pronounced and try again.

Gym time in the rain (Elders Watchman, Moore, Grisham, Larkin  (front), Lots, Tilby, Gore and Eichers)

What is your least favorite?

Uhhh I don’t think I really have one. Unless it’s not being able to sleep. I wake up about every 2 hours every night, and with only 8 hour nights that really isn't helpful.  It’s pretty much the worst sleep night after night after night.  I can’t wait to get back to the states and be able to use my heavy blanket!!!!  (Zach’s mom made him a weighted blanket (it weighs 16 lbs!) it really helps him sleep much better.  It was too heavy & big to put in his suitcase.  We will mail it to him in California.)

How is your investigator doing? How are your lessons going?

Well at this point we have 2 investigators and they are progressing. The Hermano (Brother) is pretty easy. But the Hermana (Sister) is having some issues. They aren't actually related. I’ll explain this all in my answer for the next question.

Who is your favorite teacher?

I have a morning and a night teacher. Hermana Callejas is like one of the nicest people I have ever met. She tries so hard and she does an amazing job. It was her 26th birthday a couple days ago and we sang and got her candy. She is one of the sweetest and most sincere people I have ever met.

 Our night teacher, Hermano Vargas,  was our first investigator. He is the guy in glasses and the suit. He's really nice, always smiling, and super fun.

Hermano Vargas

So our teachers are our investigators and they angle our lessons towards the things we have to work on which is everything so basically they just angle them at us.

We are trying to get Hermano Vargas and Hermana Callejas on a date. They would just be super cute together. It’s probably not going to happen though :(

My favorite food is Pizza Martes!!! Best thing in the world. New missionaries and pizza :) soooo good!!!

Do you love singing in Spanish? 

Uhhhhh. I prefer English. Totally prefer English. In English all the words and notes line up. We have to squeeze multiple syllables onto one beat and it’s really, really hard sometimes.  But we make it work.

Is there a choir?

Yes there is a choir. And it’s the 12 missionaries in my district. Yay!! Nobody else seems to want to be in it :(

Did you have to give a talk on Sunday?

No talk yet. But I write one every week. It’s the scariest thing. But there is nothing so good as looking at the program and not seeing your name  :)

 Have you gotten sick from the water or food?

  I haven't yet but I don’t drink the tape water. They ship in a couple hundred 5 gallon bottles of water and every casa has a stand for them and so I drink out of those. But one of the girls in my District got a parasite and they are doing some tests on uh.. some samples to put it vaguely and not wanting to say exactly what they are testing.

What do you do during gym time?  How is your knee?

During gym we play a lot of Volleyball and Basket ball. I stink at basketball but I play my hardest I’m best at defense. But volleyball I’m pretty good at :) my knee is getting better. I run around and I went for a run a couple days ago and it didn’t start hurting until we were done and then I ran a tiny bit the next day and nothing. So I think its healing :)

Have you bought anything at the Tienda?

uhhhh. Presents for each of the girls, and uhhh on Monday i bought 10 rolls of sweet tarts.... uh and I bought a picture of Christ knocking at a door and a picture of the Mexico City Temple which I must say whoever cropped that photo is a master cropper because you can’t tell what’s actually around the temple! Crazy, scary México City!!! oh and a case for my scriptures and some tape to put up all the pictures you've sent in our room :)

I hope this answers a lot of your questions and I'll try to tell more next week!!!!

My companion needs a hair cut so I'll talk to you next week!!!! (Talk = email).

Love you all!!

Elder Gore

Elder Moore and Elder Gore at the Mexico City Temple