Vive España: The MTC: the days are packed

Wow. This past week has been some of the craziest experiences of my life. We've been studying, speaking, and conjugating Spanish for the past week like no other. The language is coming along great, but it is hard! We are in class for the majority of the day, except for gym time and lunch. Gym is great, they have volleyball, foursquare, and basketball, all inside these gigantic bubbles that they have created for the West campus gyms.

So I am on west campus. We have a lot more room than regular campus, but the food here is not nearly as good (on pday we go up and have lunch on main campus and they have a LOT better food, with an ice cream bar and everything). Today actually is pday, so we just got back from having lunch. I'm stuffed. normally on pdays, we have a lot of time to do laundry (mom, I have never appreciated you more than when I am doing my own laundry), and go to the temple. The Provo temple is incredible! we've had the opportunity to do proxy sealings (as children) and endowments. It's awesome.

But this week has been insane. On Sunday, I got to bless the sacrament in Spanish for the first time with my companion. It was a great experience. Really, really nerve wracking, but awesome. Elder Sterling, Sister Yardley, and I performed a special musical number in sacrament meeting as well. I played piano for "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing", while they sang a duet. A very, very cool experience. Also on Sunday, the branch President pulled me and my companion aside and asked us if we would be zone leaders. We've only been here two weeks so it's a little overwhelming everything that we need to do, but it is great. Today, we are showing around the new missionaries, and introducing ourselves to them. We were going to be their zone leaders for the rest of the time at the MTC, but I got a letter from the travel office yesterday that changed everything.

I am not going to be at the Provo MTC as of next Monday, August 25. I'm being transferred to the Spain MTC in Madrid. I know I should be happy, but to be honest, it's a little sad. I really like my district, and me and my companion had literally just barely created a vision for our zone and the way that we wanted to take it. Also, my companion is pretty much the coolest companion you could ask for. We get along really well and being zone leaders together would've been great. Example: I have been really sick this last week, and he has been a good sport, putting up with my constant coughing and going through about 5 boxes of tissues. He's actually going to Spain on his mission as well, but the the Madrid mission. He's not coming with me, because he's still waiting for his visa. But, I am very much excited to be getting to Spain, because there have been some missionaries that are getting reassigned to stateside missions while they wait for their visas, so I am very much blessed.

We are now teaching two investigators, both fake, but it is really cool and gets you so excited to finally go out and see how the gospel can and will bless peoples lives. The Spanish is hard, but I really do believe that the Spirit does provide what you need to say, when you need to say it. Especially now, realizing how little I actually know of Spanish, I am definitely relying so much on the Lord to get me through the lessons. Our teachers are the investigators, but the stories they use are from investigators on their missions, so by all means, it is not hard at all to think of the lessons as a real life scenario.

Life in the MTC is incredibly sheltered. Riding the bus to and from main campus often has just regular music playing. Not bad music, just regular music, and it feels weird. When you are completely surrounded by the spiritual energy that surrounds the MTC, and then you get out into the real world even just for a little bit, it makes you realize how cut off from the world you are. There's a rumor going around the MTC that Robin Williams is dead, and nobody can confirm it. It's driving everyone nuts.

Overall, this is a great experience. It's hard. VERY hard. It's definitely not something that you do if you don't want it, because going on a mission overwhelms you. I know because there have been multiple times when I have not wanted to get out of bed, not wanted to go to class for 10 hours, and just wanted to relax. But you can't, and that's why it's so important to have the Spirit with you 24/7. It helps you get through any worries, doubts, struggles, and laziness that you will have as a missionary. Personally, I think it's the most important thing you can prepare to do as a prospective missionary or for anyone. Learn to build your relationship with the Spirit. It is SO important. I do not know how I could have made it through these first few weeks at the MTC without it.

Thank you all for all that you do, for all the support you have given me, it really means so much. Anything, really that we get makes any missionaries day, so thank you!

Love you all,

Elder Weenig