Hopefully Mom can translate that for you guys....but it
basically explains all the fun phrases that we come up with using our limited
Spanish! Life here in Utah is pretty good! The time really does go by in such a
strange way here. The days really do seem like weeks but the weeks do pass like
days! I'm not sure how much you've heard but this week there were around 9 or
10 fires here in the Salt Lake/Provo area! Lots of times we've walked outside
and you can see smoke in the sky or smell it. There was a big fire in Draper
the other day that made the mountains look like volcanoes (since its directly
on the other side). Its really a strange feeling to hear about things outside
the MTC!
The 4th of July was fun! We had a 4th of July program with a local
Judge as a speaker along with some musical numbers and performances. While we
were waiting to start, the MTC President's wife led us in Once There Was A Snowman,
Popcorn Popping, and a few other Primary Favorites. I think that's about the
loudest those songs have ever been sung and I've never seen a group of people
more excited to sing anything before in my life. It was fun. Afterward we got
to walk around the MTC campus to where we could see the fireworks from BYU's
football stadium! It was pretty sweet and we were all excited to have a break
from the normal schedule and do something out of the ordinary.
Sunday for our
devotional we had a Williard Richards impersonator come and give a speech
on the life of Joseph Smith! I learned so much about both individuals. By far,
the thing that's changed most about me in the MTC is my testimony of Joseph
Smith! I've grown to love him so much more and he's for sure one of my heroes!
He did so much for this world! For the closing song we sang Praise to the Man
and about halfway through the first verse people began to stand. Being in a
room with 2000+ missionaries singing that hymn was such a powerful experience.
The spirit was so strong. I can't wait to share the message of the Restoration
with the people of Texas. Joseph's life is such a remarkable story and there's
so much we can learn from it.
After the devotional we watched the Kirtland film
and I had a good time filling the other members of my district in on some of
the Ohio details! For service this week Elder Tarr and I were among the
lucky ones who got to clean toilets....no worries though...it didn't turn out to
be all that bad. For gym this week we played a lot of basketball and
soccer...and its always a great time just to let off some stress and just move
around for a while. This past week we also started teaching 2 new
"investigators" and we'll be teaching members tonight in the TRC. I
still see Elder Cadden, Elder Smith, Elder Steele, and most my BYU friends at
least once a day and I see Elder Stott a whole lot since his class is on the
same floor as mine. As far as Spanish, we spend a lot of time studying specific
grammar principles with specific lessons (for example....preterit vs.
imperfect/ telling the first vision). Our district memorized Section 4 in
Spanish this past week! It takes a while to recite the whole thing! Thanks so
much Mom and Dad for your Dear Elders...they really do make my day! I also got
a letter from Anna Salens which was really exciting too! One of my good friends that I've met here is Elder
Fuentes. He's from El Salvador and is going to be serving Spanish speaking in
Elder Steele's mission (Anaheim!). Our first normal Sunday last week went pretty
well...It was interesting not being on a block schedule. Sundays are nice
because you have a lot of time to do personal study! The foods
still pretty manageable but I'm starting to get excited for something that
doesn't come from under a heat lamp. This week Elder Tarr and I are memorizing 2
Nephi 2:6-8 in Spanish and English...so if you guys wanna join us your welcome
to do so! I really do like the seclusion you have though in the MTC....it
allows you to focus ALL your time and efforts on missionary work and learning.
Even after a few short weeks I can see how much harder it would be if
missionaries could talk to their families all the time or read about things
unrelated to missionary work. Yo se que esto es de Dios y que El nos ama y hace
todos cosas a bendecirnos!
Se amo todos!
Se amo todos!
Con amor,
Elder Cook
Elder Cook
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