Semana 2

We were unsure what day to expect his next email. We guessed it would be Monday.
We checked our email accounts 20 times that day. (You think I'm exaggerating...)
Tuesday morning came and there it was! Semana 2...that means week 2. We thought
we were pretty smart to figure that out. So, here are his words. Enjoy!

"So much has happened this week! It started off with our travels. I ended up traveling with 18 elders and 2 sisters who are going to Oeste! (My mission) The flight to Atlanta went very well. I sat next to Elder Farah who is now my best friend at the MTC. He is from Alta and we chatted the whole way there. The layover in Atlanta was interesting. I consumed my last American meal, waited for a couple hours, and took off! The flight down to Chile was probably one of the worst I've been on! I sat next to a guy and this was our conversation. Me - Are you cold? The Thug dude - No Hablo Ingleis. For 9 hours of no sleep, I sat on the plane next to him. Hahaha we got off the plane and made it through customs, but at the bag check place, I managed to get all of the food we put in my suit case through.. (300) fine if I would have been caught.. Didn't know that. All the other Elders had theirs confiscated. SOOO.. now I'm the big man with the food. Besides a stranger trying to get me in his taxi, I made it there safely.

The cool part is that I am not staying at the CCM (MTC). I am staying at a place called Alcantra, which is an old Swiss Embassy. The first building purchased by the church in Chile. It is awesome. It takes us about 15 minutes each way, and that is the best part. I am in the best room in the house! 4 Elders to a shower.. As opposed to 8. However, the two room mates I have are pretty annoying. One of them eats cheetoes louder than any person I´ve ever met. Until about 12:30 in the morning. Every Night. So that gets old. They are also very weird, but Esta Bien. Also, everybody here is sick. I've managed to make it this far, but nobody makes it out of the MTC without getting a cough.

Each day is pretty much the same. We get up at 6:45. Study for 1 hour. Exercise for 45 minutes. Go to the MTC until about 10 at night. I have been working so hard on my Spanish, and it's amazing how far I have progressed. I was able to teach my first lesson completely in Spanish 2 days into the mission. Hopefully I continue to be able to learn the gospel and the language quickly. It's very hard work, and very draining. I'm working my butt off though!

The food. The bread and pears are good... Haha each meal is pretty much the same. Rice, noodles, or potatoes with some sort of chicken. Breakfast is yogurt and granola with a variety of other good stuff. Breakfast is good, but the lunches are already getting hard. Oh well. I'm eating a lot and trying to maintain good health!

The weather. It's pretty cold in the mornings, but the days are BEAUTIFUL. Perfect temperature. That has been the best part. The city is amazing. My classroom window has a perfect view of the Andes Mountains and the Santiago Skyline.. Not to mention the temple and a big Chilean flag. That makes the 9 hours of learning each day not so hard.

The highlight of the week for me was Sunday. (It's the very start of my P-Day, Tuesday mornings will be the time.) On Sunday we watched a video of Elder Bednar doing a MTC Devotional from January 2014. You guys should all watch it if you can. I was straight up crying when he started to bear his testimony of the BOM. It's true you guys! I can't wait to share it with the Chilean people. I just have a lot to learn first."

The top picture is one of Elder Clegg and his district. Hayden's companion is on his right.
The bottom picture shows all the Sisters and Elders staying at the Alcantra.