I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. First off, I am timed on the computer. I get 30 minutes every Tuesday! I have 18:45 left. So I apologize if I cannot respond to everyone's email! I'll try my best.
Anyway, SO much has happened in just a week! I literally can't keep time straight! Sometimes I think something happened days ago when it really happened that same morning. We are so busy all the time! We never stop studying, learning, eating, etc. My schedule at the MTC is pretty basic. We have about 4 to 5 hours a day that we are to split up into personal study time, companion study time, language study time, etc. My two teachers Hermana Alverez, who served in Chile, and Hermano Gneiting, who served in Buenos Aires West, both spend about 3 1/2 hours with us each day, teaching us lessons. For the first few days it was mostly introductory lessons but starting yesterday (Monday) we really got into the swing of things. And we have fifty minutes of gym time at a scheduled time every day which is really fun.
The first day was the absolute longest day of my life. It lasted an eternity and I was exhausted all day. The next day was similar but, slowly, the days have started to speed up as I got used to this schedule. BUT I LOVE IT. The spirit here is so strong. I am learning every second of every day. The Spanish seems very overwhelming at the moment but when I see Elders that have been here 8 weeks speaking in spanish at almost all times, I know that it is possible. Elder Howard and I have discovered some very effective ways to study, using Predicad Mi Evangelio, and through that, I have begun to be able to read the scriptures and mostly understand everything! It has also helped in understanding my teachers, who speak ONLY Spanish (unless they absolutely have to speak English). But it is slowly coming. At this point, we have worked on praying and bearing testimony in Spanish. And almost everything I learned in school came right back.
The MTC is awesome though because it is so cool to walk around the halls, which are filled with Elders and Sisters (and I am surprised that there are way more Sisters than I thought), all of which are speaking different languages! It is very diverse! On Sunday we had a huge Mission Conference during which the entire MTC Presidency and their wives spoke. I was so furiously taking notes that I thought my hand may fall off. And then later, we had a fireside (the conference was only for fast sunday) and the Provo Temple President spoke. He was very powerful and his stories were very interesting!
My district drives me absolutely crazy though because no one knows how to focus. Elder Howard is awesome though. We are alike in soooo many ways. Everything from our height to our humor! We get along very well and I am grateful to have him as my companion. I was scared that I would end up with someone I can't stand but the Lord knows me well and Elder Howard is just the kind of person I need right now. His example is a great thing for me to have.
Well I only have two minutes left, I feel like I have not written enough but we are so busy every day that I can't keep it all straight! Thank you, family, all for your emails and your kind words of advice. I'll try to respond to everyone next week! I am doing well, learning a lot, and know I am where I belong. I love you more than you can even understand and I will keep you all in my prayers.
Love,
Elder Garrison
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