Hey everybody!
This week marks the halfway point of the MTC. Really on Wednesday was the exact half point so I'm a little bit over the halfway point now. But overall, it's all the same. Nothing really changes here. It's actually kinda boring sometimes, so us Elders have to find some way to entertain ourselves.
One of the games we play is called Spoons. We get a normal plastic spoon and we try to slip it into another Elder's belt loop without them noticing. Some of these guys walk around with spoons in their back belt loop for an entire meal time. Another game we play are "What Are The Odds." A person comes up with a dare and asks another what are the odds you'll .... and then they say the odds, like 1 out of 10. Then someone counts them down and they both have to say a number within those odds. If they say the same number then the person has to do it. I lost to my companion one time and he is a vegetarian. So, now I have to be a vegetarian for a day. Stuff like this really just keeps the MTC interesting rather than studying, teaching and classes all day.
Something very interesting did happen this week that is worth sharing. On Monday, my district had a "Solo Español" day. All we were allowed to do was speak Spanish and surprisingly it worked out great! I was able to speak most of the things I wanted to say. It wasn't much but it was still something and I was able to comprehend a lot of what people were saying, which is something I have been struggling with a lot. It was definitely a positive experience and boosted my confidence in speaking Spanish.
Another thing I enjoy here are Sundays. The MTC puts an extra effort into making Sunday special. There aren't any classes, no studying, and we get to listen to speakers and watch a movie! Sunday would be comparable to a Friday when it comes to school.
There are still things to do but it is nice and easy. Anyways, we almost always listen to some kind of General Authority. Then the movie is one of the really good church movies that I love. Last Sunday we watched "The Restoration" about Joseph Smith and his life. A few weeks ago we watched "The Testaments" which is my favorite!
Then we always have a Devotional on Tuesday. Sometimes it is local authority and other times its a talk by one of the Apostles. BTW Elder Holland is awesome.
So ya, I always look forward to Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. It's good that the days I enjoy are spread throughout the week. Then I look forward to Gym time daily. Pretty much every day during gym my zone plays beach volleyball. We actually have a big pit of sand with a volley ball net set up. It is so fun and everyone enjoys it.
So, about that Elder that I told you about last week, I was able to get things figured out with the help of a Sister in my district. The Sister had a great idea about what to do in order to fix the problem. During a District Meeting, I made the topic on Love. I discussed why Love was important as a missionary and I had everyone share their thoughts on why Love is important. Then I had everyone chose a scripture on Love. I talked about the Golden Rule of "Treat others the way you want to be treated" and this seemed to get through to him. I'm really grateful to that Sister for helping me out because it really helped not only him but all of us.
I did something very intuitive last night. I'm on the top bunk in my room so I have to constantly get up and down to get things. I decided I was tired of that so I went to the tienda, bought some tape, and used the cardboard from one of my packages to create a shelf. It works perfectly! I can keep my journal, some pens, my scriptures, and even some of my snacks up there. BEST IDEA EVER.
Overall, this week has been very boring. I haven't done much and nothing new has happened. It is all so routine it's scary. It just proves the saying, "Days feel like weeks, but weeks feel like days." It is so true. And congratulations to my cousin. He just finished his mission papers and will be joining the Armies of Helaman (or ranks of the missionaries, your choice).
I love you all, and I look forward to reading the emails you send every week. Its the greatest feeling in the world to be able to communicate with the ones you love. I never realized it until I got restricted to only doing it once a week.
P.S. sorry no new pics this week. like I said, nothing new happening.
Adios por una semana!
Love,
Elder Biehn
Elder Tayler Biehn
