Another Week!

¡Hola Everyone!

Another week has come and gone and to be honest, not a lot has really happened. Elder Harker and I are still excelling in the language and taught Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation) and the Palabra de Sabiduria at the TRC yesterday and received our highest spiritual rating yet (9 out of 10). It is so nice to know enough of the language so that you don't need to worry about how to say things. Rather, you can just focus on the points you want to teach. Our district has really been working hard to learn the language and all this last week we have been reviewing spanish grammer, vocab, and other crazy stuff to finish our CCM experience and prepare to head to the field. I can honestly say I have been truly blessed by Heavenly Father in this calling because I know I would never be able to speak as well as I can now (mind, it's still really rough but enough to be able to teach, read, and listen and know what I'm saying, reading, or hearing) without his help. This IS and inspired work! I have been able to pretty much convert to reading Predicad Mi Evangelio and no have to use Preach My Gospel. It's pretty amazing! :)

This week has been one of my hardest weeks here. There has been an Elder in my district that...To say the least...I really didn't understand why he came. He has been vulgar, aggressive, intimidating other elders (or the whole district for that matter), obnoxious, rude,...etc. Anyway, For the entirety of my time here in the MTC I have been trying to help him improve. Encouraging, correcting when needed, and sometimes just sitting down and listening. But, this week I hit the end of my patience rope. The vulgarity, rudeness, and blatant disrespect had hit an all time high and there was nothing I could do to bring it down. I eventually talked to my instructor during my weekly interview about it and, apparently, I wasn't the only one who had been struggling with the feelings I had. Hno. Kress sat down and talked to Elder Ray about it and...Well, the fire just got out of control. Elder Ray was mad...he became really aggressive and defensive at the same time and hit a point where he really shouldn't have gone. He confronted me in the dorm room that night and we talked about what was going on. I told him my feelings, he explained to me different things that were going on in his life, and for the first time since I have been here, I understood him. We were on the same page for the most part. Since that night, that night where I just sat and listened for most of the conversation, we haven't had any real problems. Sure there are still times where things happen and I think (C'Mon....) but the change that I have seen in him is remarkable. The downside of it is, his level of respect for our instructor is non-existent...He downright hates him. With time I know things will change, that his attitude will change. But in all truth and honesty, he should have allowed himself to change while he was here in the CCM where it is easier than in the field where the level of difficulty grows exponentially. But, I'm not one to judge. This was one of my coolest experiences here and am so glad I was able to go through it. I learned a lot (to say the very least :) ).

On another note, my district is officially the oldest district in the Zone! The district above us left over the last couple of days. We also have a new district coming in tomorrow. This will be the last district that we see while here in the MTC! It's so weird to think that... Anyway, we are also expecting our FLIGHT PLANS in the next couple of days!!! We are all super excited and crazy nervous. The amount of study and lesson teaching has gone up and our goals for Contacting Individuals and Teaching Lessons grew by huge numbers. It's fantastic here!!! And, on another happy note, the Zone presidency called Elder Harker and my shadow zone leaders on Sunday. We have about 5 days left and then we are officially released from our calling. It will be nice to have our last week here without any responsibility so we can just focus on studying and teaching as much as we can. It's crazy to think that, In 2 weeks, I'll be on a plane to the mission field...To preach this wonderful gospel to those who have been waiting for it. Waiting to receive the happiness it brings into their life.

But, my time is almost up. Just to mention a couple of things...well, just one mostly. I understand that there was a "Marvelous Cultural Event" this weekend with BYU's fabulous victory over OU!!! Here's to a hope that BYU can finish the season on fire!!!

Alrighty, I need to head. Know that I love you all, you are always in my prayers, and really enjoy getting your letters. Keep it up and I hope to hear from you all soon!!