MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: WEEK 1

October 11, 2017

Buenos días de Mexico City!

Well, this week has been pretty overwhelming. My first day was crazy and really rushed. The drive from the airport to the CCM (Centro Capacitacion Misional = MTC in Spanish) was pretty exciting. If there are traffic laws in Mexico, nobody follows them! Once we arrived, we were busy nonstop and given little time to email home, so sorry about the briefness of my first email. The first night we had a great devotional from President Eves about being diligent missionaries.

My companion is Elder Wheelwright from Blackfoot, Idaho. He is pretty cool and wants to be a lawyer, so that's kind of cool. It has been a little difficult for me to get used to being with someone else 24-7. Things are getting better, and he wants to do what's right. I am very blessed to have a companion who wants to be obedient.

Here in the CCM the official language is Spanglish. The Latinos are trying to learn English while they are here and the Americans are trying to learn Spanish, so Spanglish is a good compromise and seems to be the most effective. The gift of tongues is real, I'm surprised how much I've learned in only one week. I've already taught 4 "lessons" in Spanish and I can actually understand about 50% of what the Latino elders say.

All the other missionaries told me that week 1 is the most difficult. I hope so, because it was pretty rough adjusting to CCM life and being away from home. Every day has very spiritual times and very difficult times. It doesn't help that most missionaries just pretend like they have no problems. I was a little surprised at how many Elders don't seem to know why they are here. There are a lot who could care less about learning the Gospel or obeying mission rules. Sunday was my favorite day, because I felt the Spirit and didn't have to worry about a crazy schedule. My schedule from now on is a lot better and I'm feeling more comfortable every day.

The weather here is awesome! It rains every now and then, but the temperature is warm and comfortable. We eat our meals in El Comedor. There isn't a ton of variety, but the food is okay. It's about half American and half Mexican. However, the fruit drinks are great! My favorite is the apple soda. We spend most of our time in the classroom with our teacher Hermana Rodriguez. There we practice Spanish and learn more about the Gospel. She taught us how to pray in Spanish on Day 1 and I've been saying most of my public prayers and companionship prayers in Spanish ever since.

My district is awesome! One of the elders went home yesterday, but I know he made the right decision and I can't wait until he comes to Queretaro next year. I know I probably forget to include a lot of info, but I went to the temple today, so I don't have a ton of time. I loved reading all your emails, I'm sorry that I can't respond to all of them. I pray for you and I love you!

Elder Waite