Week 003 - The Spoon of Glory

Sounds like you are killin it in big ole Texas. Love you guys. 

This week has been fantastic. Slowly and slowly the MTC seems to be getting better and better, and faster and faster. It's way cool here because you're always feeling the spirit everywhere, especially during gym time. Always need it in there. But it's super cool. And I'm really starting to realize the potential with the gift of tongues. Like no joke, it happens. But only like when you're bearing your testimony or bringing the spirit into a lesson. Everything else is total mayhem. But who knows, I am learning Spanish for 9 hours a day, so technically I should be getting better anyways. The good thing though, is that every one understands us. Which apparently is really good for your first two weeks. 

We are teaching 4 people now, all members who are acting like they aren't, but surprisingly really good at playing off as nonmembers. Teaching is totally technique though. You go in there, find their week spot, bring in the spirt, then make them cry like a baby. Then pull out the big guns, "Queirara baptizarse". Then they want it so bad they can't say no. We actually taught this member, who acted like a member, so we just gave her a basic lesson, like when the missionaries come over to eat. But when we came out she said that was one of the best MTC lessons she's ever had. Then she was wacked out of her mind when she found out that we have only been here for two weeks. So that was pretty good and uplifting to hear, cause I was thinking we were behind on our Spanish. She also went on a mission to Argentina and taught us some really important words like Che=dude Capo=cool, and Ranuca Gato=Groove Cat. We are killin this Spanish thing. 

I'm starting to get more and more along with my companion, especially when he started singing "Most beautiful girl in the room" by Flight of the Concords. And of course I joined in, and no joke, killed it. 

That story about Emma and Katie losing the gas cap is so funny, because I totally did the same thing with the Passat. Except I didn't tell you guys. I actually put plastic wrap around the gas tube and searched for days for a gas cap that fits. Autozone ended up coming in clutch. 

I did end up finding the king of kings Matt Simmons and the tall of talls Max Pothier. It's so easy to spot out Max, actually it's so easy to spot out his whole district who are all tall. Matt's so funny because there's only a small amount of Russians, and they all sit next to each other in this boxed area next to the window in the cafeteria. I went to sit with him, and he says they call the side that opens up to the cafeteria "the iron curtain", and that the French speakers are trying to get in. But they won't let that happen. What's funny is that it wasnt a joke, and there is some rivalry with the French speakers. 

So I totally brought my slick yo yo with me here, and have been learning some sweet tricks. But one kid in the other dorm sees me with it and wants to try it out. Three days later we hear some yo yo party next door, and see 6 kids all with the same exact yo yo. They will never master my spin moves. 

We just had a new district join our zone (Neuve Carne), but they all don't know how to talk. I think they are just mixing up the MTC with a prison, and are scared out of their minds. It does kinda feel like that when there is a deep voiced guy on the speaker every night saying "Its quiet time". They should totally just play Closing Time instead. I'll put that in the worker request jar next time I see one. 

So every week we have to write a talk for sacrament meeting in Spanish, and two people get randomly called up on Sundays. It's so we have 6 talks ready in Argentina. But it's totally like that moment in Hunger Games where the pink chick picks the names out of the jar, and your heart is pounding until you hear it's someone elses name. I haven't been asked to come up yet, but it could be anytime. And if you don't have a talk, you just go up and embarress yourself. I'm just waiting to see that happen to someone. 

So I'll give you what you've been waiting for, the update on four square. Thank you Katie for the idea. Now whoever ends up in the king square, at the end of gym time, gets "the spoon" (a spoon from the cafeteria) until the next time. A whole 24 hours of Glory. I don't have the glory currently. But a lot of times people suck at seeing where the ball is hit, or who is actually out, so we just yell "line battle" and the two people have to play to the death. Line battles are hyped. Actually four square in general is getting more hyped. But because of that, all of sudden a huge amount of people are thinking "what's going on, whats all the ruckus?" So now we have this huge line at four square, and everytime you get out, you wait 5-8 min to get back in. The line is pretty hyped though, so that's fun. It's super funny because it's just four square. It's kinda the loophole to competitiveness, because we are not really supposed to make games like basketball competitive. But you can in four square, because it's four square. 

Recently we've found that the coolest song to sing in Spanish is "Tengo gozo in mi Alma hoy" (There is sunshine in my soul today). Sing it in Spanish and you can't stop. So we sing that almost everytime. Almost don't even need the himno book. I can tell that the Hermanas are getting sick of it. 

I can't believe you're watching the new X-Files without me. No I don't want to make you wait two years. Super lame though, that after 5 years of waiting for new X-files, that they decided to play them two weeks into my mission. 

So update on the fridge, it turns out we can't get the fridge from our zone leaders, because they have been transferred to another zone and another building, for breaking RULE 33 (flirtin with the ladies). So the guys who have it now, are keeping it no matter what. But we learned that if you have food allergies you can get a fridge for your special foods. And since "Gluten Free" is such a big hit these days, I asked elder Streueling to take one for the team and try it out. We'll see how it goes. Probably won't work. 

Here's a little insight I got from the scriptures this week.  Read 2 Kings 2: 23-24, and you'll never make fun of bald people again. 

I love you guys and miss you. Caio.