Halfway at the CCM

Hey yall,

oh man, what a week. IM HALFWAY DONE AT THE CCM!!!!!! i finally got over being sick (thank heavens) and have way more energy now. So yeah, theres a girl in my district (Hermana Bokovoy) and her dad is the guy that used to be Sarah Street's institute teacher. she said some one that her dad knew knows me and told him how totally crazy i was, and i had no idea who it could have been, but Sarah Street definitely makes sense. We will be able to call in the airport on the way to ecuador, and i know it will be sometime on the 27th, but i don't know exactly what time. ill let you know once we get our travel plans. everything else is great here in mexico. we finally got our hot water heater fixed, and every week they make more and more improvements to make this a real mtc. the first generation is leaving next monday, so by the end of october i think they said we will be at full capacity and the second largest mtc in the world.

we magnet our nametags to the bedframe

So onto my crazy week. Fast sunday in the real world is spiritual. Fast sunday in the MTC will change your life. So we started out fasting on saturday after lunch. I thought it was going to be the longest 24 hours of my life. We started out in our afternoon class and we watched a movie about the atonement. (its weird to say atonement and not la expiacion) it was like a super intense one, with all these special effects of the crucifixion. I dont think ive really understood what it was like to really suffer for everyones sins. I still dont think i do, but it started to put it more in perspective. After the movie our teacher took my companion and I out of class to talk to us. Lately our lessons just havent been nearly as effective or spiritual. We tried to figure out why things were going the way they were. This teacher (Hermana Rivera) brings the spirit so strong all the time, so my companion and I both ended up bawling while we were talking to her....which is weird since i don't usually cry. But the MTC makes you cry....alot. although its never a sad crying. just like an overwhelming ball of emotions just coming out through your tear ducts. Anyways so we went back into class (still crying) and she had us read out loud this quote about how every missionary needs to have their "own morning in gethsemane". And how missionary work is hard because the atonement is hard. its only a minimally small fraction of it, but its still hard. But thats what makes us stronger. then we played volleyball with my district on saturday night instead of dinner. oh man, my district is SOO funny. ill probably take some pictures today and send them next week. we all get along so well and theres ALOT of giggling and volleyball here. then we just kinda went to sleep. Sunday morning we woke up, and usually we have to go to leadership meeting at 7 am since we are the sister trainers, but this week it was during relief society at 9 so we didnt have to go. which means i slept in till 7:30!!!! (i know im such a rebel) it was magical. relief society was really good, and the presidents wife taught about personal revelation. they used to work under elder holland as an area presidency in chile, so she had a bunch of cool stories about that. then we had study time and district meeting, which were pretty normal and then we had sacrament meeting. holy tolito, what a packed hour.  for our sacrament hymn we sang there is green hill far away, which got me thinking about mom-mom. So i bore my testimony about her and how i feel like shes my gaurdian angel or whatever you want to call it, and how she had us sing that song before she passed away. And how i never really understood why she liked it so much, but now that im starting to understand the atonement better, i get why its important. How we really do take the name of christ upon us during the sacrament and need to remember him always. it even made some of the elders cry, although i managed to hold it together. AND I DID IT ALL IN SPANISH. i thought it was pretty good, and my branch president seemed to understand so i don't think im doing to bad. i seriously am so grateful every day i already knew some before i got here. anywyas back to my story. So after sacrament meeting it was time for lunch again. now heres where things really get weird...are you ready? I WASNT EVEN HUNGRY. i know right. ive NEVER fasted before and not feel ravenous after. i felt like i could have fasted forever! its amazing how much the spirit can teach us, comfort us, and pretty much do everything else we need it to do. They always tell us how the gospel and the doctrine of christ can truly help EVERY person in EVERY situation. mind=blown.

okay done with all the churchy stuff.....then after lunch all of the latinos were taking pictures and saying goodbye cause they left yesterday. i hopped in a few of the pictures...

all the mexican elders that we played volleyball with, the one in the middle 

named elder avila is the who said "but i am brown"

Im kinda bummed because i got really close with alot of these sisters. hopefully i can come back in a few years and visit all of them.....but it probably wont ever happen. 

a few of the sisters came by before bed to say goodbye....hence the half pajamas

then yesterday we taught one of our investiagtors again and it went alot better. we planned better, studied harder and listened to the spirit more. after the lesson the same teacher held me back alone to have "the talk" that i get every year from every teacher about how i have so much potential and i need to harness all of my energy/ADD etc. i let her know this was not new information to me, but that i have been trying alot harder. i feel like i have improved alot, but well wait till i can get down to ecuador and get some sketchy OTC ridilin and see how that goes....i mean.....when in ecuador....

Funny story....so im friends with all the people that work in the tienda cause im a candy addict. I was talking to this one guy last week that im friends with and he told us that there was a few random tres leches cakes in the back of the comedor for whatever reason (which by the way i got the recipe for it from the comedor) and if we went around the back and asked for the boss man we could get a piece. so we walk up and knock on this sketchy back door and hes looks at us first like what the heck? but then  i explained that sergio (from the tienda) told us to come try the cake....so the guy just gave us the huge piece of tres leches cake and now were best friends. Yay for following sketchy advice to get some cake!!! what is my life?

Not much has happened here for p-day. just played some soccer and worked out, but its only noon so who knows what else will happen. Theres been some rumors floating around that Elder Holland might be coming tongiht for the devotional but i doubt it. Im having blast here and im kind of sad to know it will all be over in three weeks, but at the same time im stoked to get down to ecuador. its also crazy to think the next week ill be a full month into my mission.....mind=blown...again (that happens alot here). Other than that everything is hunky-dory and i couldnt imagine a better mtc experience. thanks to everyone for all the love and support!. also an extra shout out to kaylee to be the only person who i have recieved mail from! (finally) it only took about 2.5 weeks. i tried to send some pouch mail, but the dont have american stamps here, so i used mexican ones. well see how that ends up.  I also finally met Hermana Berrett (the one that used to work at the courtyard at jamestwon) so now theres 3 of us here going to quito north that i know of! woo!

BYE YALLL

3 more funny things

Number 1..we told them we wanted syrup for our waffles....so they gave us chocolate syrup

Number 2...every day i have to break into the computer lab with my credit card because no one knows where the key is (yay for being sketchy)

number 3...last night i accidentaly nailed some elder in his family jewels and i wrote a scripture inspried apology note abot the fruit of his loins.