Adam's first letter from the MTC!!!!

Hey there, family and friends! I´m shouting out to you all from Peru! It´s so weird to think that I´m in a completely different country than the rest of you guys are! The plane ride here was pretty swell. Long, but still swell. The MTC is pretty small, but they really know how to keep you busy. Luckily, I was taught by the best to accept work happily. Being at the MTC (also known as the CCM here in Peru) is hard work, but it´s definitely worth it! We have nearly nine hours a day of language and lesson studying, and the rest is either eating, getting ready for something, or physical activity (which, by the way, is AWESOME here). The Spanish is a pretty tough language, though. I didn´t realize how much I didn´t know until we started learning it. I have been told that my optimism is the reason I haven´t had a stress annurism yet (one of my district members complimented me on saying ´I´ll get it eventually! It´s going to happen!'.

 

My companion and district members are great, too! My companion's name is Elder Arns. He´s from Nephi and he, too, is going to Iquitos. He's kind of a shy, quiet guy, but he's a really great worker and has a good testimony. The other members of my district are hilarious! There are a countless number of inside jokes we have created (in just one week too! New record!)! The food down here is already getting me prepared for what I'll see down in Iquitos. Every breakfast, we have yogurt and eggs, and for lunch and dinner, we always have rice with either some chicken, beef, or fish (fish is the best), along with either a bowl of Jello, pudding, a brownie, or a McDonalds-style cone of frozen yogurt (which tastes absolutely divine).

 

My P-days are on Wednesdays, so expect emails on those days. This morning, we went to the Lima, Peru temple. Compared to the temples in Salt Lake and Bountiful, this one is super small. Afterwards, we went shopping around a little bit. I got myself a woolen tie with a llama on it! It's a tradition for missionaries to buy one of those kinds of ties, plus to buy a jersey of some random team and wear it on P-Days. I didn't buy a jersey this time, but I convinced myself I'd do it next time.

 

There are only a few times I've been outside of the MTC, whether it be for P-Day or Visa stuff. The roads and driving down here are insane! I'm surprised I haven't seen a crash at all down here yet! Navigating the roads down here is not for the faint of heart. At all. The air is pretty smoggy too, but it usually clears up in the afternoon. Other than that, Lima is pretty sweet! There are people everywhere and it's nearly impossible to be somewhere where something isn't happening. There are shops and street vendors everywhere, and some would even walk out into the intersections and sell snacks to those waiting for the light to turn green (the lights take pretty long down here).

 

Ever since I left on this mission, I could feel my ninja skills improving. I have caught almost everything when they're about to fall, as opposed to my clumsiness back home. I could feel myself changing already, and it's the good kind of change. I can feel my testimony growing stronger and stronger. For example, my testimony about prayer. A cool story, that one is:

 

 

 

So after a rough day of classes and messing up on Spanish (Saturday), I prayed that I would have an opportunity to study Spanish in a way that I could easily comprehend. The very next day (Sunday), right after sacrament meeting, Elder Arns and I were walking through the crowded hallways to walk up to our room and retrieve a couple of things for our next class. As we walked, an elder who was about 4 weeks out popped his head out of the classroom door. He ignored the other elders who walked by him, and as soon as we got to him, he asked:

 

''Hey, do you Elders know Spanish very well?''

 

Afraid that I would be asked to translate something for him, I said, ''Not very well, no. Sorry.''

 

He told us to wait for a moment, so we did. He walked back into the classroom and retrieved something from his shoulder bag. When he came out, we saw that he had a HUGE pile of Spanish flashcards--HUNDREDS of them--in his hands. ''I don't need these anymore and I don't want to throw them away. Will you Elders take them?'' he asked.

 

We agreed in a heartbeat. The flashcards have helped mightily! There's still a long way to go before I have the language down though. I still draw a blank look whenever one of the Latino Elders asks me something. But I'll get it eventually. I just need to practice harder.

 

In one of our classes, we watched a Mormon Message about the salvation and how Jesus gave his life for us. It made me think about the Elders and young men out there that have either chickened out and left early or decided not to go. Jesus gave his life for us--he bled from every pore. Bleeding from just one pore is enough to make you lose consciousness--can you imagine every single pore? He did that for us, so that our sins could be atoned for. He did it out of pure love for us. It made me realize that the least I could do in return is my absolute best and hardest work for him out in the field.

 

 

Anyways, how is everyone doing over there? I heard that the race was fun (give everyone who was in there a high-five for me)! How is school for all those who are in school? How is Dad doing in Turkey? Emily in China? Missy in Oregon? (Man, we're everywhere right now!) How is Katie doing? Now that I think about it, by the time I read your next email, most of you guys will be in Disneyland! Fun! Ride Space Mountain for me and take LOTS of pictures!

 

 

We only get an hour to write emails on the computers, so I should probably wrap this up. I just want to finish with a testimony that God hears and answers our prayers. I know he does. If he didn't, I don't think I'd even be here, along with at least 3/4 of the missionaries here. The power of prayer is magnificent, as it is our only way to communicate with the God who created us. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.