Week 4 in the MTC

I can’t believe it's December already! It doesn’t feel like December here. :)‏ I’m going to try to type like crazy so I can tell you more fun things I’ve done and learned since my last check-in. To start, here are some funny things that have happened lately here at the CCM:

- During a practice lesson with mi companion, I accidentally said, "through the atonement of Christ, you can repent of your fish" instead of "your sins". Lol! The words in Spanish are so similar! (Pescados=fish & Pecados=sins)

- You know the little Mexican tune that says, "la cucaracha, la cucaracha!"? Well, that little catchy tune is about cockroaches. Weird.

 - In a talk that L. Tom Perry gave to us missionaries just recently, it was funny because he said the apostles have noticed a difference in the pictures the sisters send in for mission applications compared to the ones the elders send in. The guys photos are very simple and plain, and snapshot-ish, while the sisters photos look professional, and like we all went to the beauty parlor before taking the picture. He said the church has so many lovely young women. Lol! It was funnier the way he said it, but yea, its kind of true. haha!

Cool Scripture Cases

Me & My Companion at the MTC

Missionaries at MTC

Missionaries at MTC

OKAY, now some random facts:

- One of mi hermanas said I should watch "One Crazy Summer" sometime once I get home, since I like the movie "Better Off Dead" - She said it is really similar & funny, and I think she said she liked it a little more than Better Off Dead. So I just thought I'd send on the info for you guys, in case you were interested. :)

- So, do you guys remember when we got the missionary from Mexico a couple years ago? And we asked how to say, "Whats up, homie G?!" in Spanish. Well, he said "Que pasa, Homie G" which translated means "What happens, Homie G?!" just kinda interesting and fun. :)

- Apparently, our night teacher told us that they don’t really teach grammar in Mexican schools too much. They basically all just learn the correct ways to use and speak Spanish by listening to others and reading! Weird, huh?

- Also random, but I got my purple winter jacket dry-cleaned here for 4 dollars. Is that a good price? How much does it usually cost at home? (When I got it back though, the gold tinted buttons had turned a grungy, blotchy bronze. So, I don't know what happened there, but oh well. A little sad, but at least it was cheap.)

OKAY! Now some spiritual stuff:

- I read a really good talk this week. You guys should all read it. It was called "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence" by Jeffery R. Holland. Here is a little teaser quote to give you guys an idea of how good it is... ;) 

"Don’t give in. Certainly don't give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. {Satan} He wants everyone to be miserable like unto himself. {The sayings goes, 'Misery like company', right?} Face your doubts. Master your fears. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence.' Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you." 

So yeah, it’s a really good talk. Read it. It was given at BYU in 1999, so hopefully that will help you find it.

- Also, kind of a neat scripture is Alma 42:24 in the Book of Mormon. In a small way, it helps to prove the truth of the book. (Not completely, of course, but it's still cool.) And that is because in the scripture, it gives a gender to inanimate things. It assigns mercy as a female, and justice as a male. It's really neat b/c in English, we don’t really do that. So it would not have made sense for Joseph Smith to put that in there. But, in the Spanish language as well as in the Hebrew language, it makes complete sense b/c everything is assigned a gender! Idk, just kinda a neat little thought.

Thanks to everyone for your emails! They make me so happy! :D I love checking my inbox & seeing it full!