Todas Español

We're now in our last week of the MTC, which is crazy to think about. By my next email, I'll be in a country I've never been to before and probably confused out of my mind. Here's the rundown of what happened in my last full MTC week:

Saturday

In the morning, we planned to play volleyball, but once we got there, some people wanted to play spikeball instead, so they did that the entire time. But Hermana Faalaleiga still really wanted to play volleyball, so she gave me and some others time to practice. It was really funny because she's from Samoa, and apparently, they play volleyball a lot there because she was very passionate. Also, Elder Holden and I thought we had another Helping Others appointment, so we left class early to go to it. Turns out I had actually scheduled it for the week after by accident, but even though we didn't end up teaching, Elder Holden and I thought it would be funny to still tell everyone that we taught a fire lesson in Spanish. We're taking this one to our graves!

Sunday

It was a pretty typical Sunday with Elders Quorum, Sacrament, and our weekly Devotional. But it ended up being Elder Holden and my last week as MTC zone leaders because we got released right after church. We're supposed to train the new zone leaders on what they're supposed to do, but it's honestly so easy I don't think they'll need much help, especially since Holden and I didn’t even get training. But we told them we'd help them next Sunday and to let us know if they have questions.

Monday

Typical day on Monday. Just the usual classes and lots of studying. All I remember is that it was raining outside, and there was a double rainbow. Pretty cool. Also, I’ve developed a bad habit of going to our building's vending machine and getting Graham Canyon BYU Creamery ice cream every night. It's my way of rewarding myself after long days of studying, but I’m ashamed of how much money I’ve spent on that vending machine.

Tuesday

We started SYL (Speak Your Language) on Tuesday, which basically means we're not supposed to speak any more English until we leave the MTC. Everybody has been a lot quieter since it started. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it's frustrating not being able to say what you want without using Google Translate. Also, we’ve started speaking English in our dorms, which we’re technically not supposed to, but it’s all good. SYL has been super helpful, though, especially since I've been thinking in Spanish with the tiny bit I know just because it's 24/7.

Wednesday

Interesting day because everyone besides me, Holden, McIntyre, and Hermana Faalaleiga had to pick up their visas at UVU. I don't exactly know why they had to go to UVU, but it made class very empty since it was just the four of us. Also, McIntyre had a fever, so he just slept during class, and I don't blame him. It was obviously a pretty uneventful class until Hermana Sanchez wanted us to create a lesson specifically for her real-life need, which we’d give to her one-on-one (and still in Spanish, of course). I thought it was interesting that she had us do that. I don’t know how I felt about my lesson, but it is what it is. Also, Holden and I had to leave early from our last class because he was getting a fever too. It was a pretty interesting day.

Thursday

Our district was dropping like flies. McIntyre and Holden were in bed with their fevers, so I was on an exchange with Taylor for the day. Elder Larson is also sick, but not enough to stay in bed. Then one of the Hermanas sprained her ankle and has been wearing a boot and had to go to the doctor to get it checked. Another Hermana also had to leave class early because she got a fever. I don’t know what I’m doing to get extra blessings of health, but I’m going to keep doing it. Elder Day and I are the only ones who haven't been sick in bed at any point in the MTC.

Friday

This morning, we had a workshop about preparing for the mission field. Usually, the workshops aren't the best, but this one was definitely my favorite. They had all the workshop leaders act in a kind of play about serving a mission, and it was super entertaining and pretty funny. Then they'd have intermissions discussing what we could learn from it. It was actually pretty cool, so I’m glad I went.

TLDR: Last week in the MTC is pretty crazy, especially since we can only speak Spanish.

Spiritual Thought: I just finished the Book of Mormon this week, and it is so powerful. I can testify that it contains many powerful truths. Go read Moroni 10; it’s a powerful way to end such a good book.

That's all I have this week, and I'm sure I'll have a lot more next week when I'm actually in Peru. I hope everyone's doing well! Love you all!

-Élder Mitchell IV

Photos:
The District
(Sorry to get political)
The classic MTC photo
What personal study looks like when you have a fever
Our caricatures




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