Week 6 at the MTC

I've got another week down in the MTC, it is getting pretty crazy how fast the time goes by now. I have been here a while. The weeks are just flying now, and then I'll be flying to Paraguay. Less than 3 weeks from now. It is kind of cool to think about it because now I'm one of the elders that all of the new missionaries look up to because it seems like I have years worth of wisdom when really I was just in their shoes. I still remember when I got here how all the elders in my zone seemed like they were years older than me when they were all really my same age.
I'm super excited for tomorrow because new missionaries are coming in and that is always awesome. I get to host this time so its going to be pretty sweet.
Big news, we had Elder L. Tom Perry come to the MTC last week, it was pretty awesome, I love the spirit that an apostle can bring to the room, and the wisdom he was able to bring us was amazing. It is even more amazing the Lord has picked me to wear the same title as those amazing men. I want more than anything to be and stay worthy of this great calling of being a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I got my second haircut. A little update on my weight gain, I didn't stop eating whatever I want (I'm only here 3 more weeks, why stop now) and it seems I have hit my peak. I actually lost 1 pound this week which puts me at a solid 8 pound gain and if I'm lucky, like its looking, I won't gain any more. I really think I'll be alright though, I exercise for 50 minutes a day 5 days a week. Once I get on my mission I don't think I'll have to worry at all about gaining weight, plus I want to enjoy having this much food while I've got it.
My companion I've had for what seems like forever now, is from upstate California, around the Bay area. He's the oldest in his family of 3 children and is an awesome missionary. Sometimes he likes to goof around a little bit, but you can tell he has a sincere desire to do this work and he has a strong testimony of this gospel. He and I are actually a lot alike and so we get along really well. He had a job this summer selling motorcycles in California and so he always has these awesome tips on how to ask questions and how to get people to like you which I'm super grateful for because I've been able to learn a lot from him. I'm even more grateful though for his example with how much he cares about people.
For a couple of weeks, we have been a threesome companionship. My second companion, the one who lost his passport and returned to the MTC is a cool guy from upstate Nevada who did a year at the University there before he came on his mission. He doesn't really talk all that much. Sometimes it is hard. He really thinks about things before he says things, which I admire him for. This week especially there have been a few times when he just didn't want to do what we were doing and would sit and read his scriptures without saying a word to us no matter what we ask him. That has been hard, but I think it is getting better. I have been praying for the Lord to help me find ways to connect with him and maybe catch a little bit of what he is thinking sometimes. Other times he can be really funny, sometimes at night when we are going around he says some of the funniest things and we all have a really good time. I hope he can get back to the Domincan on time and his mission will be awesome for him.
My Spanish is coming along really well. We did the coolest thing this week, we killed Spanish! I spent a couple nights this week making a coffin out of cardboard and duct tape, it was sweet. It looks pretty legit too. I shared I bought an English dictionary and we ripped it all up and put it in the coffin. I had everyone in our district write their doubts about Spanish on some paper and put those in there too. Now that English is dead we only speak Spanish. Every night now I go up to the Latinos that live in my building and talk to them in Spanish. It's pretty fun and I've made some really good friends. They are all trying to learn English and I'm learning Spanish so we go back and forth talking to each other. So I'm not really worrying too much about my language. I know my Spanish will be okay by the time I leave here, and I'm super excited to learn Guaraní. One of the Latinos that lives in my building is actually from my mission and just got here last week so he has been teaching me some Guarani too.
I want to bear my testimony, I know this work is real and I know Jesus is my Savior and I know He is right here with me, helping me preach this gospel.