Week #3 At the MTC!

So yeah, I went to the temple today.
We get up at 4:30 to do laundry so that explains why I sent pictures that early.

4:30 am...too early for laundry?

my banana

 Brother Collette still works here. I told him to try and teach our in-field orientation.

the famous Elder Collete who served his mission in Montreal years ago, taught me how to play the church organ.

  I'm now realizing that we got approximately 2 and a half weeks left at the MTC and it's kind of crazy thinking about it. It's getting so busy here especially because of President Monson's revelation for younger missionaries. The lines at the cafeteria are "constipated" (Elder Risenmay's way of saying blocked-up). It's totally true. We gotta wake up at 6 just to take a shower. Well at least I do. I don't like waiting for the showers and on top of that, by 6:30, we got no hot water so it's like taking a shower with ice!

So this week has been slightly interesting. This monday, our zone leaders are finally going to Laoag so on Sunday, we had to call new zone leaders. I kept making jokes that it would be Elder Risenmay and Elder Larson, or Elder Erikson and Elder Castillo, figuring that since Elder del Rosario was newly called as District Leader that we would in no way be called as zone leaders. And I was totally wrong!

President Anderson, our branch president, stopped us on the stairs on the way to lunch and told us he's calling us as the new zone leaders. I know its nothing like a real zone leader in the field, but its going to be a good experience. Right now, it just means more meetings and more meetings. For the next few days, me and Elder del Rosario are going to have to greet all the new missionaries coming in and welcome them and give them the whole break down and tour of the MTC.


So last week, for practice, we had to teach the 2nd lesson to another companionship in another branch and pretend they were investigators. We had to teach purely in Tagalog. Well everything we teach is only in Tagalog. So after we taught them the lesson, we had to switch. So I took on the role as an old filipino man. Everyone in my district calls me lolo now because I imitate old people really well like with doing mano and well.. old people maneurisms. So as they were teaching us, they asked lolo "What do you think happens after this life?" so I basically told them "Uhhh... Hindi ko alam... kasi Atheist ako... kaya... YOLO!" And the two missionaries and my companion couldn't stop laughing. (Maybe only Jordan and Alex will understand that one). Also, last week, all the elders decided to get our names engraved in our Tagalog triple combinations. We didn't think that through at all because we all didn't have scriptures for our lessons for about 3 days. So that's as funny as it gets.

 

Okay, so tell dad when the all the new missionaries come in that he should look out for my jacket. I found missionaries who will be serving in the Montreal Quebec Mission so I donated my jacket to a missionary who felt he didn't need to buy one and that he should save his money for something important. I'm happy that I could help him out.

my oreo cookie

 

Other than all those interesting little things, there's not much that really goes on in the MTC. I'll have better stories while I'm in the Philippines. I figure I'll just take lots of photos for the time being. I've been eating so much here that I didn't gain any weight. Weird huh? Oh well, keep writing me. It's better you all send me Dear Elders that way I can have a nice long email to send you guys. Oh and for the Balikbayan box, talk to my friend Felipe from the YSA, he really wants to do it too.

 

As for my Tagalog, I'm finding its coming along really well. Nakakagamit ako ng sentences pero short lang at maraming Taglish. I finally learnt the first vision in tagalog. Took one whole day memorizing it. It was fun. Anyways, tell my brothers to write me (DearElders, I only check my emails weekly)! I miss and love you all! Take care!

 

Love,

Elder Morales