Hola Familia!
It has been a LONG week here at the MTC! I will not lie, the first day was extremely difficult- all of the new changes and responsibilties we had seemed like they were never going to stop! Once you get here you jump right in to workshops, classes, and actually teaching "investigotoars" of the gospel. As for the language- you need to speak it alll the time. Its funny because no own in my district knows a lot of Spanish, but because of my jr. high and college classes I know a lot of the basics. So the language is not what I am worried about like a lot of the Elders out here. Homesickness got the better of me when I put our family picture up along with finding the photo of Kye in my back pocket of my backpack.But, I did pray that first night that everything would be O.K. and that I would not miss you guys sooo much. The next morning was fantastic, not to be mean or careless but I didn't feel homesick at all.
My companion's name is Elder Horton from Pocatello, Idaho. He is a funny querky Elder who reminds me sooo much of Tanner Satchwell. He kind of looks like him, but he reminds me of him more in his mannerisms. He is a great Elder!
Our district is very cool! We have 12 elders total with 11 going to the Asuncion, Paraguay Mission and 1 elder (from American Samoa) leaving for Uruguay Montevideo. I think I have all there names down:
Elder Whaley - Don't know where he's from
Elder Oberg - Bountiful, UT
Elder Costantino - Fruit Heights, UT
Elder Anderson - Mesa, AZ
*Elder Martinez - Kaysville, UT
*Elder Horton - Pocatello, ID
*Elder Calvert- Denver Colorado
*Elder Polivea- American Samoa
Elder Hauser- St. Johns, AZ
Elder Bybee- Gilbert, AZ
Elder Wistensen- Cedar Hills, UT
Elder Schouten- Centerville, UT
*Means we are share the same room- four to a room, two bunks, four closets, and four desks.
I have a lot of stuff! You should be getting a letter or two from me this coming week, sorry they are short but I didn't have a lot of time to write them. When I got here they had hangers, all the bedding, irons, ironing boards, and a lot of the stuff I could have just got at the bookstore. I am known to be the local "pharmacist" in my district seeing how I have double of every vitamin, mineral, and supplement you could imagine ;) But I would rather have it that way then come here to the MTC with only one suitcase- ELder Calavert & Elder Polievia both had their suitcases lost from the airlines! Fun huh!
Everything is going well here though, we get told that the first week is always the hardest. Everyone in my district feels like we have been here for months if not years! Another thing, they feed us very well here- we never go hungry, but because dad has asked me in all my letters- YES we fart all the time. I don't think I have gone to bed without everyone in our room just letting them ripp! :)
We have a fairly new branch president- President Nelson. From what I here he is very different from the other Branch President. We met him two nights ago and he is extremely STRICT! It's funny though, our zone leaders and districts leaders aren't rebellious, but the give us some slack. Don't worry the slack I'm talking about is just little things that I still do, but the other elders have a hard time adjusting to- exactly 10:15 quiet time, 6:30 wakeup, as long as everyone makes it to their meetings by 7 and goes to bed by 10:30 they don't care.They are hilarious and have made the time here at least a little bit more bareable.
I can't figure out how to attach pictures through the mail yet, but I will send you some next week in the mail.
I love you all, keep writing me letters- they keep me going even if its just a sentence or too.
Hasta Leugo!
-Elder Martinez
