About to be a Panamanian

So this is my last few days here at the MTC in Utah. I leave for Panama Tuesday morning at 4 am so its going to be a long day. We land there around 8pm that night. This week has been really long here. We all received our flight plans last Friday and since then I haven't been able to focus at all. Just with wanting to start having cool experiences of my own. Not that I don't like it here, like we get all morning to study which I'm actually starting to like. but its just time to leave. So every night this week, Elder Keller in our district has party balloons so we fill one up as big as it gets and throw it off the apartment balcony symbolizing our last week in the MTC haha. I got to throw the balloon off on Tuesday night. Other than that this week has been the same as the others. Just a lot of thinking about the field and its weird because I thought I would be scared getting ready to be thrown out into panama but I couldn't be any more excited. The only thing I'm scared about is understanding the natives. in the MTC we have already learned basically how to speak perfect Spanish but all that's left is practicing and learning more words. Its crazy I've learned more Spanish in 1 month that I ever did in 4 years of Spanish at school. Yesterday we all tried to have a day of only Spanish but by lunch time we all wanted to tell jokes and have normal talk so we gave up. So this time next week I will officially be in the field and I can't wait.

1. Got Elder Miene back for when he took a pic of me sleeping 

2. Everyone Going to Panama

 

 

 

3. Playing with the a/c units and leaves

 

One week left in the MTC

So my letter is going to be a little short this week just because almost every day is the exact same. Wake up, study, eat, study, teach an "investigator" , study, eat, more study and then it is already time for bed. In between all of the studying and learning how could you not expect us to find something fun to do to take our minds off Spanish and all. So what we have invented, is leaf races. Yes leaf races. In the middle of all the apartments or classrooms there is a man-made stream that has a bit of speed to it. So each person picks their winning leaf to enter into the race and may the fastest leaf win haha. I've found that the freshly picked leaves tend to cut through the water faster than the dead leaves. Yes I know its dumb but if you know me, then you know being in a class room for more than an hour or so is torture, and we are in class for 16 hours. The second event we have is for height and duration of leaves. Outside the classes there are 2 A/C units with the fans on top side by side. So we take again a winning leave and throw them on the fan and see whose stays in the air the longest and goes the highest. Dead ones work better for that. Now I'm experimenting with the maple leaf tree seeds, the ones that start spinning when they fall, It's fun okay. So other than messing around last night I'd say one of my best friends that I've made here told us he's going home. I'm going to miss him and hope he'll be alright. This week our district has gotten into playing soccer during our gym time every day. We did earlier this morning also. Lucky for me I have an uncle I was able to learn from so its coming in handy. Never thought I would like soccer this much but hey at least when I come home I'll be in good shape. Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder David

 

 

1. View from the Provo Temple

 

 2. Provo Temple

3. Elder Gibby, then Elder Avery he is the funny Canadian and then me.

 

4. Provo Temple

5. The racing pond

6. The squad

Half Way There!

So this is my 3rd out of the 6 weeks.  I will be in the MTC and I have to say I can't wait to be out of here. But it stinks because I think this will be my favorite district I will have on my mission. So as you all can see from the picture someone posted of me sleeping I am working very hard haha. I guess skipping class so much is coming back to haunt me. So i'll explain the MTC a little real fast. All the Spanish speakers are on the west campus (which includes me) and it's not a building, it's two apartment complexes that are across the street from each other. One side has all the apartments where missionaries live and the other has all the classrooms which are just old apartments (that's where I was sleeping). The cafeteria is just a giant mobile room that we have our meals in and so is the mail office and book store. But I love it! In the middle of where the classrooms are, there is a running stream with a waterfall that they made for us to go sit on lawn chairs and study, my favorite thing to do is go sit there. I'll try and take a picture of it this week to show you. On Sunday nights we get to go to main campus to listen to a devotional and there is always an amazing speaker! I was chosen to sit in the front row for this week, probably because they want more attractive people in the front or something(; and after the devotional there usually is a movie or something playing! it is a good break from everything, haha. We watched legacy this week, it is a movie about the pioneers! Also on Tuesday nights we have devotionals as well so those are my favorite days other than p-day! After classes or devotionals we go back to our apartments at 9:20 and we all sit on the couch telling hilarious stories and telling jokes, and as some of you know I have plenty of those haha. But it is so nice to be able to unwind after everyday like that, and then the cycle begins again the next day. Spanish is coming along great. Yesterday in a lesson right in the middle of me teaching (all in Spanish of course) I was thinking how I was even saying some of the things that were coming out. it's still difficult so understand native speakers but I'm slowly getting better. So one of our 2 teachers, her name is Hermana Ashbey, and she's from Colorado, she says we are the funniest district she has ever had. Its a compliment. So that's all I can think of right now! I always just blank right when I look at the computer so I'll talk to you all next week! I love you all and have some fun for me if you can. haha.

Love Elder David 

1. Right before leaving the classroom to go to bed. On my left is Elder Avery who is the funniest Canadian i've ever     met and on my right is Elder Roan who is the oldest one in our district so we call him old man winter, haha. 

2. This was them last night eating lunchables while we were telling stories.

3. Story time again...

4. His laugh cracks me up!

5. Us walking to do laundry and email.

Weeks fly by here

So again another crazy busy week. We don't have time to do much other than study teach and eat. So this week we got another teacher on top of our first one. His name is Hermano Davis and he is so far my favorite thing about the MTC. Our other teacher is convinced he is one of the three Nephites.. haha. So his lessons are amazing. Other than that we have 3 meals a day, all you can eat but no one does because it's not that good. After lunch every day we have an hour of gym time to play basketball or workout. I've gone 3 or 4 times but I usually end up taking a nap instead, I'm so tired here. After gym we have class until 5 then we have dinner and after that class again til 9. We have to have lights out at 10:30 so in between then we go to the BYU creamery to get sodas and junk food and go back to the apartment to hangout and open letters and stuff. We usually mess around a lot . Elder Dahstrip (the BYU basketball player)  has gotten 17 packages while we have been here for 14 days. Crazy!! So last night our neighbor elders left there door unlocked before they got home, so we snuck in and hid until they found us and they freaked out. They just got here last week so they had no idea what was going on. It's been a good week. I'm starting to love Sundays and Tuesdays here because we get devotionals at the Marriott center and get to hear from general authorities and last week we got to listen to the director of 17 miracles, I loved it. This week flew by and I'm glad it did. I love you all!

-Elder David

1. First night here.

2. Elder Barker stuffing 18 normal marshmallows in his mouth.

3. Elder Dahstrips foot is bigger than his companions head. he's 6'10...

4. Our zone

5. Elder Morris who reminds me of Brock

6. Our district, I'm the 3rd shortest..

7. Mi compenero 

My First Week!!

So this was my first week here in the Provo MTC and holy crap it was busy. The first three days I had a migraine all day. It was rough. Sorry if there is any spelling mistakes we only have a little to email home on p-day. But so first my companion... he is awesome! But he was in band in high school so yeah you can just think about what that means. In our dorm there are 6 of us all going to Panama, the only people here going to Panama, and we get along way too well haha. One Elder has a full ride to byu for basketball when we gets home his name is Elder Dastrip so look up his stats for me. The food here isn't that bad! Some doesn't sit well but hey it tastes decent. So everyday we wake up at 6:30 and everyday we have 16 hours of class... 16 HOURS. It's hard but our teacher only speaks spanish so it helps a ton! We are already teaching full lessons in ALL SPANISH. It's crazy how much we can already say. So far I can pray, teach, bare testimony and make chistes or jokes in spanish. But I'm loving being here. everyone is so nice and we only speak spanish to eachother because our whole west wing is spanish, over 2,000 missionaries I think. So I told my mom I'm not going to be all spiritual in our emails but I lied. Being surrounded by all these amazing experiences makes it impossible not to. So this is my spiritual second of the week. All of you I'm sure know how much I love street bikes and that the first thing I do when I get home is get one and yes that is still the plan, but something weird happened when I was sitting in class on Friday. I was sitting there just thinking about my day with my scriptures on my desk. and when I had looked down at my table at my scriptures I didn't see scriptures anymore. I saw a street bike, the exact one I wanted and it seemed tangible like I could sit on it and touch it. At the time I just thought I was daydreaming, like I always do but when I thought about it later, it meant something more. For the next 2 years the scriptures are going to be my street bike. They will be my joy, and happiness. They will be my street bike when I need to clear my head and relax and even when I want to have some fun. They are my connection to Heavenly  Father and Jesus. I feel like this week alone has aged me 20 years on how hard I have to work, listen and be an example for the next 2 years, I am representing jesuocristo and it's going to be an amazing opportunity! 

The last thing I want to say it that there is a website called dear elder and you can send me messages for free, tell me how your day is and what your doing on it. They print them off like a letter and give them to us right after they are sent and I love them!  So send me one! And packages are accepted as well..haha

Thank all of you so much and I love you and I will write you again next Thursday!

-Elder David