06 July 2012

Fri 7/6/2012 11:52 AM

First week!!!
So I am writing you today because the computers have not been working with all the construction going on, but normally I will write Wednesdays - that is my P-day.  I leave here like August 27th, I think.  I am doing great. Honestly, that first weekend was the hardest weekend of my entire life and I just wanted to go home.  But Sunday was amazing and I felt the spirit the most I have ever felt it in my life, during sacrament meeting.  I actually bore my testimony! Can you believe it?!
Anyway, this place is awesome! I am learning so much and I actually read and study, it’s weird haha.  My companion is amazing. We are so alike and get along so well.  We have the best companionship here.  We are always helping each other out and just having a good time.  I couldn’t ask for better.  My district is amazing too.  There are 10 Elders and 1 Hermana in my district.  We all get along so well, it’s amazing.  There is only like one kid I don’t like but my companion and I are trying to love him.  So every day, we get 1 hour to play outside. We play soccer with the Latinos, or basketball, or ping pong, or volleyball. It’s pretty ghetto but fun!
  
We talk to the Latinos so much and it is really helping our Spanish out a lot.  I love them! They are the nicest kids ever and so funny! Every night we are laughing our heads off in our room because the Latinos are funny.  We teach them English as well.  I know everyone here, that’s how small it is, but I absolutely love it.
 
The weather: it is more on the cold side, but, basically, it’s either raining or super nice outside and the sunrises are beautiful.
So tomorrow, Saturday, for about 6 hours, they take us into the city and just drop us off.  My companion and I will proselyte for that long.  Seeing we barely know Spanish, this could be very interesting.  By the way, I am really starting to understand Spanish. I love it.  Anyway, I am so excited to see the city and get out and about!   It will be so fun!  They do this every Saturday.  Also, the first 6 weeks of my mission I have Elder Dickson as my companion, and the last 3 weeks, I will have a Latino companion. Should be crazy.  The temple is so beautiful, well, on the outside - I haven’t seen the inside yet.
The food isn’t really too bad at all. Some things I have no idea what I am eating, but it’s still pretty good.  We have a lot of meat and I actually like the food.  Other than the 3 meals, pretty much, I snack on fruit all day.  Bananas and apples, all day.  So far, everything I brought is working out fine for me, I think.
 
The MTC is great.  The bathrooms are nice and the rooms aren’t bad.  I can take pictures every 3 Sundays. I have only had 2 cold showers (because of construction) and the power goes off a few times a day, but they have generators so it’s only for a few seconds really.
 
I have learned some Guarani from the Paraguay Elders here too.  I will give you a lesson.  Take the “u” sound from sun.  So like.. uh... and this is how you say water.  Uh.  Weird, huh?  So far so good! I honestly just want to go to Paraguay, but, hey, the days are going by really fast when I look back at them, so that’s good, right?  I don’t know what else to tell you.  I don’t really have time.  I will have to answer some questions next week. Love you all! Thanks for your support!  Hopefully, I will get letters soon, or maybe I will never get them, we may never know.

-Elder Rigby III