Week 4 - 2-20-2013

Hey there everybody! (: Alive and kicking in the MTC! It's been a crazy 4 weeks, been learning so much about the gospel and about Spanish. Thank you to all those who have been reading my letters and my emails, it means a lot! (: I have two more full weeks to go as of today, it's a crazy feeling. I'm ready to get the heck outta dodge, and embrace New York, but at the same time its a little bit of a nerve wracking feeling. My Spanish is coming along decently well, I'm starting to get the hang of talking normally-ish in Spanish, and I get all the concepts on paper, but applying them while you're talking is super difficult. The investigators I have been teaching are all over the board as well. Dxxx (name withheld) has like, a ton of problems that you normally wouldn't think of, like getting in a spat with the bishop of the nearby ward and just having a lot of anger issues and some addiction problems as well, it's hard to teach and resolve things like that. But I haven't been getting discouraged at all, it's all been a wonderful experience. I think the thing I'm most ready for is regular food, the food here is quite unhealthy and gross haha! Also, I'm ready for the real world again. Being in here for a long time with the same people all the time makes you SPAZ OUT. Like, for example the other day, My two companions (I'm in a tri-companionship because the one Elder switched his mission to English-speaking) walked into the room with me all at the same time and randomly we just laughed for about 5 minutes straight, as hard as we could, and then we just stopped and didn't even say anything, ha ha ha, ohh man. But everything is still pretty great, choir is fantastic, the speakers from the seventy have all been good, and even better, Connor Ervin comes in today and then Landon Boren does as well. I'll get to see them (most likely) before I go and that is going to make me so happy. I've seen Tyrel Flake a lot as well, like a lot, that's been a comfort too.

I have still been losing weight, haha, I'm up to like 12 pounds lost or something like that. Feels pretty good! And I got a haircut, but they wouldn't let me cut it how I normally would. So I left the top a little long, and might even try to style it. It'd be a new thing, but hey, why not right? And getting along with the companions is still a little bit of a challenge, but we are growing closer together, so that's good. And as far as the new set of beds in our room, we didn't get Elders in them, so it's just been three, but today in the afternoon we shall see if we get them. If not, I'll be sad haha, I'd rather them fill the beds than leave them set up in our room empty, but it's whatever. (: I'm never down in here, always happy. I know that's better, it's been helping out a lot to have a good attitude.

I already love the people in my mission, and I desire so bad to go out and serve them, and to bring them this amazing restored gospel. I myself have already changed so much, and if I can change my life and devote it solely to the Lord and His work, and be happy, I know I can successfully teach the gospel in Spanish. I know that this church is true, and the Joseph Smith knelt in the grove and prayed and sought to know the truth, and that he received it and brought it back to the earth as an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Have a fantastic day!

Elder Buckley, your son, Mitch Man <3