Como le va? (How is it going?)

Sep 3, 2012 10:07 AM

Hola familia y amigos! (Hello family and friends!)   Holy Hannah bannana, I can't believe it's Septiembre (September)!  The days still fly by, and I'm having a hard time remembering everything that's been going on.  We've been working our tails off by studying like maniacs.  I was led to believe that at the MTC, more than six hours each day is spent studying the language.  Wrong!  We spend TOPS 3-4 hours.  Every other second of the day is geared in some way towards studying the doctrine or practicing teaching.  We had a bit of a hard time focusing the whole time this week, but we've still been doing awesome.  Hermano Hopoate is really proud of us.    We have two "new" investigators: Isabel and Marcos.  We've only taught Marcos once, but it went really well.  We've taught Isabel twice, and the last time was a real doozey.  We wound up teaching next to nothing of what we planned to.  Instead, we talked about how it's hard for her to have trust and faith in God when He took her son from her.  Fortunately, the spirit was very strong with us that day, since we were able to console her about it, and help her understand that through the gospel of Christ, we can be together as families forever, and that wanting to have faith is the first step.  My companion, Elder Jenkins, is a real life-saver during those kinds of situations.  It seems like he can pull a scripture out of thin air in any given moment to share.   Teaching in Spanish is difficult, because you know what you want to say, but you don't know how!  It's getting a lot better though.  This fast Sunday, I bore my testimony completely in Spanish, and I THINK I got the grammer mostly right.  It was fascinating to me that I've learned enough already to be able to share what I want to in Spanish.   I've met my cousin, Elder Jacob Clough, about thrice now, but I haven't had my camera on me in order to take a picture. :/  We have great fun exchanging "Hello Elder Clough!"s.  I've also met Elder Egbert, Elder Hayward, and unexpectedly, Elder Preston Williams from Syracuse High.  He's the district leader of the Jovenes: The new district.    I've been doing a lot more singing in the MTC than I have before.  Our district sings in the Choir at every practice we can, and we start every class time with a Spanish hymn.  For all the missionaries getting ready to go: Sing in the Choir.  It's one of the most amazing things we do here.  I love the way some of those are written.  Elder Ripley has also been setting up a boy-band style rendition of "Oh Holy Night" that the whole district sings in.  Me and Elder Summers sing low bass, and it's one of the coolest things I think I've ever done.  We've joked that in two years, we should come home and call our group "District C"  We've performed it for President Ricks; our branch president, and for our Maestra; Hermana Christiansen, who wants to record it.  I'll have it E-mailed back if we ever do that.   I've got another joke for you folks to try and figure out.    Que hace una pes? (What does a fish do?) Nada nada nada! (Nada can mean either nothing or he swims, so it is nothing, nothing, nothing or swims, swims, swims)   It's kinda weird, but it's hard to imagine life being anything except what I'm doing right now.  I'm so grateful to be out here, and I can't wait to be out in the field.  Yo se que el Evangelio de Jesuchristo es verdadero. (I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.)     Nos Vemos! (See you later)   Elder Clough   P.S. I'm having a hard time filling up the memory card to send home.  I want you all to see the pictures, esp. of Elder Jenkins and my district, but I'm working on it as fast as I can. Lo Siento! (Sorry)