First Week! Here we go......

Hey everyone it is great getting all of your emails. I love reading about all of the things going on at home. I cannot respond to them all but words cannot describe how great of a support is to get your emails. Keep sending them. I will try answering all of them in here. 

Note to Mom: Three things. First, I am not going to do two separate emails, one for the blog and one for the family. I do not have enough time. If there is something you want to filter out for the blog, that will be great. Second, I do not know my login for Central Bank. I do not think I have ever set it up. Third, I am really sorry about this one. I only have three pics. We got off the plane and went straight to the MTC. The flight and customs all went well. Once we got to the MTC, we learned we could not take any pictures until p day from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Well guess when I am writing this email. That is right. 9 a.m. So i have had no time to take pictures. I am going to take plenty today to make up for it next week. Sorry. I love you!

The MTC is absolutely fantastic! I have learned so much and I cannot wait to learn more! My companion is Elder Myers from Mendon. We met him at the airport and took a picture with him. He was in the gray suit. He is our district leader. He is a such a loving, intelligent, and Christlike companion. I am so blessed to have him as my first companion. 

(Me and my companion Elder Myers. We have already done some many great things and it is only been a week. 

I cannot wait to see what the next 5 hold for us)

The food here is awesome. I have to be really careful or I am going to get really fat. People told me that the Chilean bread would get me fat. They were right but the ice cream and Chilean pastries will get me first. We get free ice cream every lunch and dinner and we have been told that they are super expensive in the field so we try to enjoy it as much as possible. 

Spanish, well, I have a love and hate relationship with Spanish. I love speaking it, hearing it, and learning tons of new vocabulary and grammar each day. But it is really frustrating when I cannot say what I want to say. But I know that as I pray, put in the work, and trust in the Lord, Spanish will come to me as well as the gift of tongues. I am already surprised how far I have come. I have already memorized the missionary purpose, the First Vision, and Moroni 10:5. I love Spanish!

With Spanish or learning any language, you have to be willing to laugh at yourself for your mistakes. Take for example a sister who wanted to say Elder I like your desk to one of my roommates. Instead, she said Elder, I like your body. We laughed so hard when we heard about this and we have been laughing ever since. 

In my opinion, the Chile MTC is very different from other MTCs. For example, we can actually leave the MTC and go into the city. After email time, I am going with Myers to Lider(The Chile version of Walmart) and explore Santiago. I go to the temple later this afternoon so I will let you know how that goes next week. Every morning when I wake up, I can look out the window and see the temple. It is such a lovely reminder of why I am here and what I am going to do.

I have two investigators. Their names are Raphael and Priscila. I teach them once each day. They are just my teachers acting as investigators but it is so cool how I can still feel the Spirit and recognize how I can help them meet their needs. Teaching them really helps me know what parts of the gospel I should study, the Spanish I need to learn, and how I can improve my teaching skills. All in all, it is awesome!

Mom will be happy to hear that I have many opportunities to play the piano. There are two districts of English speakers that are here for 6 weeks and I am the only one that can play piano. I will be playing tonight at the devotional for the entire MTC. So, thanks Mom. You were right...again. 

Now I want to bear my testimony. For those preparing to leave on missions including Mason who just left, I want to tell you about something.

The MTC is REALLY HARD. 

Ok some of you may be like Elder, it is called Missionary WORK. Of course it is going to be hard. You are right. But nothing can really tell you how hard it is going to be until you enter the MTC or field. When I first got here, I had some bad homesickness. I was exhausted and depressed. The first few days were rough because it was mostly orientation. Here in the MTC, I have never been more tired. I have never been more homesick. Have I cried yet? No but there are times I have come very close. I have never been on a more emotional roller coaster. 

But...

I have never learned more about the gospel than here at the MTC. I have never felt the Spirit more then at the MTC. I have never felt more of the love God has for me and for all of his children than here at the MTC. I have never grown more as a missionary and as a person than I have at the MTC. 

So is a mission hard? Yes but it is absolutely worth it. We are involved in a work far greater than ourselves.When I first got here, I would look out the window into the city with fear. Now I look out the window and sat Just you wait, Santiago. Just you wait.

Love you all,

Landon

P.S. Elder Myers has a friend that leaves for the Provo MTC today and is going to the same mission Koleton is. They might meet up. It is a small world.

 (Another is of all my materials. I got Spanish scriptures, a Spanish dictionary, a Spanish Preach MY Gospel, 3 Spanish MTC designed books for learning Spanish, my study journal, and much much more)

(Somewhat decent selfies. Ok only one is somewhat decent. The others stink. But I have two years to work on it!)