First week in the MTC!

Hola mi familia!

 

Im sorry i was not able to write home until today, its just that we can only email on our p-day (which is today) and they keep us so busy every other day theres no time to write any other time. I AM ALIVE and well, just to make things clear haha because i know mom will probably be freaking out. Im handwriting a couple letters today ill send of, so you guys should get them in a few days. Oh and Holly, i wanted to write you and curt a letter, but i didnt know if i should send it to your home address or to home, so if you want to dear elder me you adress or what not that would be appreciated. I did get all of your letters, and tell curt thanks for the encouragement about spanish as i neded it and i also liked tuckers drawing haha.

 

Well i dont know where to start, so much has happened in the past few days i couldnt possibly write it all in the 30 minutes i get to email, so here we go. So after you guys dropped me of, everything went well, i got on my flight and i found the shuttle service, and Elder Ellseworth (my boss' son who i met at the airport) actually rode on the same shuttle as me so that worked out really good. So when i got here to the MTC, it was like a crazy whirlwind. They took me to my room and i got all my study materials and showed me to my classroom (we stay in the same classroom the whole time we are here). So when i got to my classroom i was the first elder there in my district, and my teacher (Hermano Woodhouse) comes in and immediately starts talking to me in spanish. haha the look on my face was probably priceless, as i had no clue what was going on. well anyway after i got over that shock, the other members of my district started arriving, and i met my companion Elder Russell from South Jordan, Utah. He is a pretty cool kid although we have different personalities, and he likes to talk a lot, and as you already know, im not a huge talker, so its taken a lot of adjustment but its been good becuase if i dont know what to say in a lesson, he'll always pipe up so its a real blessing in that sense. Theres a total of 6 companionships or 12 elders in my district, 4 of us including me and Elder Russell are going to guatemala retalhuleu, and the other 8 are going to Chilie. My district is awesome, and we've gotten really close this past week and i feel like they're family, its going to be hard to leave them in a couple weeks when we go down to guatemala.

 

So pretty much after a few orientation activities and meetings, they put us straight to work. We wake up at 6:30 every morning, scamble for the shower, and we are pretty much in class learning something or eating until 10:30 at night when we go to bed. its crazy hard work and im exhausted every day. the days go on forever and i've felt like i've been here for weeks already, but im learning so much and its really exciting. Yes as i detailed before, they start speaking to us in spanish the first day, and that was obviously a little different especially because i didnt know what was going on at all the first couple days haha. We had to teach our first lesson to an investigator on friday night in spanish. Lets just say that it was a llittle nerve racking to say the least, because your supposed to give a 30 minute lesson and have a discussion all in spanish for thirty minutes. our first time was really bad because i didnt know how to say anything, but now we've taught a few more lessons and im actually able to have simple conversations with our investigator and teach her gospel principles as well as pray and bear a simple testimony in spanish. Its a miracle how much i've learned in just a week considering i had no spanish lessons before, and i know that god has blessed me so much and that through the spirit i have been able to learn and use the gift of tongues.

 

The mtc is crazy and its a lot of work, but i know that its where i need to be. i know its going to be a rough two years, but if i put my faith in the lord everything will work out. im having a ton of fun here, and i love the elders in my district like brothers and theres no way that i could come home now. I have been recieving everyones dear elder letters just in case you didnt know, and dearelder.com is really awesome and makes it easier for me to see and reply to your letters. Keep writing and ill do my best to respond! I only have 30 minutes, and im getting kicked off the computer right now, so ill have to send you guys a handwritten letter to say everything i didnt get to, but i know this gopsel is true, and i know that god is aware of each of us especially as i have been struggling to learn spanish and be a better companion. I have been blessed so much already, and i wish i could write more but i have to go. until next week Asta Luego!

 

Love,

 

Elder Henderson

 

P.S. If someone could forward this email to everyone who put thier email on the mailing list on facebook, that would be greatly appreciated. Love you all, i enjoy your letters!