Hey Everyone! I hope you are all doing fine without me. It must be tough not having anyone cool around the house anymore. Well, the first day was pretty crazy... Right when you guys dropped me off, I was sent through a line of stations that set me up with my name tag, books, etc.. I was then sent right to my classroom, where the teacher, Brother Meek, was speaking in Indonesian the entire time, and we began learning right there. I met my companion, Elder Costner, and the other 7 Elders (no sisters) in our District, making 9 total. We then had a few introduction courses and meetings which went over the rules of the MTC. Its pretty strict, even more so than I imagined. They also put the responsibility on you to wake up and follow schedule, which is pretty tough getting used to. We then went to our rooms early to unpack, and went to bed. I am on the top bunk, on a bed that was created in 1843 or so, (It squeaks so bad I can barely move) and we are on the top floor of the furthest building, with mold in the ceilings and showers that change from boiling hot to ice cold every 5 seconds. But other than feeling like I'm in boot camp, it is good.
The second day was rough getting up at 6:30, and putting on a suit. We went right to our classroom where we learn by the teacher completely in Indonesian. We write down as much as we can, but it mostly just slips right by! Our district is extremely cool though, and after just a few days, we were all way good friends. The teacher also scared us by saying that we were teaching a (fake) investigator completely in Indonesian on Friday. Insane. We worked our tails off preparing lessons and learning how to speak the right way so she could understand us. We then also had personal study time, which is nice, but with 9 guys in a room and no sisters, we get a bit rough and loud. But we are getting better! The food that day was also really good.
The third and fourth day were a bit rough since we had a ton of meetings for our Branch, Zone, and District, but we met a lot of cool people, and it was nice to learn about the future activities and speakers. We assigned a District Leader, who is Elder Johnson, and organized our Zone. The MTC is at capacity, so everything was extremely crowded and busy. We also had our first day of Gym on Friday. We mostly played basketball, which was a lot of fun, and really nice to get all the energy out of us. During Classroom time, our other teacher, Brother Miller talked a lot about what Indonesia will be like, and it got all of us really excited to go. The days thusfar were ridiculously long, but Friday wasn't too bad.
The fifth day was Sunday, and it was fast Sunday. So the night before, we all went to the vending machines and ate as much junk as we could to hold us over.... It didn't.... we had sacrament at 8, after personal study, and we were all pretty hungry then. Also, since it was fast Sunday, we had mission conference for two hours on really uncomfortable seats. Then, we finally had dinner. It was, by far the best meal I have had in a while. (no offense mom, I was just really hungry!) And then we all felt a lot better and more happy. For our fireside, we watched the birthday celebration of Thomas S. Monson. It was really cool to see, since it was the closest thing to entertainment we could get! It spoke of the story of his life, and praised his great qualities. It was very spiritual and uplifting.
Monday was my favorite so far. Weeks 2-8 of the MTC are the exact same, so I'm sure it will get old, but it was nice to get into routine. We were in the classroom for almost 8 hours throughout the day, so we learned a ton about the language and how to teach investigators. I studied really hard on how to say a prayer, and I got it! I memorized a prayer for our lesson later that day, and it really felt good. It shows how much you learn when you focus, and have the spirit with you. We worked our tails off that day, and it paid off.
Today is our first P-day, and it feels like Christmas! It honestly seems like we have been here for a month... It was really nice to go to the Temple, and it brought a peaceful feeling. Letters and packages are amazing to receive, so don't be afraid to send some!
I don't have too much more time, but I love all of you guys, and i miss you a ton!
Selamat Tingal!
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