8/04/2011

Hey guys.

I love it when you write. it honestly makes my day. The MTC is a fun place my companion and my district are the best people in the world.  My compainion is Elder Johnson from ogden utah, he went to weber state last year and to bonneville high before that.  My district is amazing, they are all so funny and all have the spirit with them all the time.  time here goes by so slow but at the same time it flies.  The first day they threw us in to the swing of things and had us learning to speak spanish. Our second day we taught an investegator in spanish and we struggled but sometimes it went well. we didn't really know how to answer her most of the time.  We have taught her three times since and is has been amazing. I know that the third time that we taught her we were teaching with the spirit because we both knew what to say, after we got done teaching we got inside the doorway and hugged eachother. I might just be an old sole but i have cried more here then i have before. 
    they just shove food down us here, yall were right when you said you could eat as much as you want here.  Hanging out with a lot of guys all the time isn't my cup of tea but its not that bad.  I alwasy get the best nights sleep and i think it is because my roomate elder despain works out with me every night.  Every day we get gym time to play basketball or softball or whatever we want for an hour, so i have been balling it up with the uncoordinated elders!!! haha
    It is a small world because our Zone Leader is elder dubois. When i was in the Dominican i went on splits with his older brother.  It is crazy how many people i know in here and how awesome it is that we all wanted to do the same thing.  Sefa leaves the Mtc next week and im excited for him. Lets see.... Sundays are really long but they hit you with the spirit here. I think i appreciate music more now then i ever have because i only get to hear it every so offen.  Praying in spanish seems more heartfelt then praying in english now and bearing my tesimony in spanish is awesome.  We try and converse with as many people as we can to tesify to them.  its funny because the potugese speaking elders always come and talk to us and we can kind of understand them.  Um the language seems to be coming along just fine for the first week, my comp and i seem to understand most everyone that talks to us just dont really know how talk back HAHA its funny because we just stand there stumped.
     My teacher is Brother Jarman, he served in spain and has the ugliest lispt when he speaks spanish.  I love love love learning spansih, i can't wait to come home and be able to speak to dad ( and maybe david) and all the other natives of provo utah.  I have only been out a week and feel experienced so i can 't wait to get out in the feild and out of this box they keep us in. 
    Dad thank you so much for your testimony it was awesome and am so glad you shared it with me.  I had a feeling that you were going to be released that night, but im sorry that it did happen. I don't know how you feel about it but from what i know you served in a way that pleased a lot of people including the big man. its terrible to here about Larry, i feel for his family and wish them the best. 
    Momma thank you so much for taking care of things that i negelected to do before i left.  I'm sure that the MTC will get me set up just fine as they have done to many elders before me.  Im glad that the Siblings are doing great but whats up with the toilet bowl!!! thats terrible. 
    Let me know what else is going on out there because i feel as if im caged in .  Im not sure if we will be able to go down to the DR in three weeks but there is still a chance.  I guess it has been way full because it is so small . 9 weeks in here seems kind of impossible and think that i will be able to learn more quickly in an enviorment that i can 't speak english in. 
   OH OH hey will yall send me like three pair of my white nike long socks that are in my closet???? please! and my black jordan shorts also in my closet. Also some pomade because my hair will eventually get out of control because i supposedly we're not to shave our heads. and toe nail clippers. ha sorry there is just a lot of things that i think i will need before i get into the feild. 
     I need email addresses as well, and like staci and lindsays home addresses because i already know where dave and bris live!! ha. I just want to be able to write personal letters because we have more time to write letters then we do to write emails, we only have 30 minutes to email but we get a couple hours to write. 
   Im glad im on a mission and i am grateful for all you guys have done for me.  Keep writing please!!!!!!!

para simpre con Dios!
LOVE ELDER GRINER