1/24/18
Weeks like days and days like weeks.
Super happy to hear from all of you guys today, email time is always something to look forward to. Everything is going well here, the saying that in the MTC days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days is true. The new MTC President is really good, he speaks slow enough Spanish that you can actually understand some of the stuff that he says. Spanish is the main language spoken here, the majority of the people here speak Spanish, some English and a couple that speak Ketchee (not really sure how to spell that) (Mom note: looked it up, spelled K’iche’ and it is a Mayan language in Guatemala). I'm glad that people are getting better from being sick, that's never fun.
That's awesome that Will and Mariam are coming up for a while, it will be a good experience for g ma to be able to help with the dress. Hopefully the ring didn't break the bank! Just kidding, I'm glad that they are moving forward with making plans. I hope that the higher ups for this company really does have some flexibility for Kylie being able to head to Peru a little later so she can spend some time with Erika before having to go. I think that it is awesome that it is in the mountains of Peru where Kylie will be going.
The weather here really is amazing and I often think of the weather at home :), mainly when we are outside studying and trying to teach the restoration in Spanish. The language is coming along but it will take some time.
There are some really good elders here, the Latinos are awesome, there is this one elder that always calls me Bruno Marks. One night I was wearing a BYU shirt and he was wearing a BYU sweatshirt so when he sees me he either says “ah Bruno Marks”, or “oh, my BYU twin”.
Next week a lot of missionaries are leaving the MTC so those of us who get to stay are going to the Zoo and Wendy's, so I will get to email on Tuesday next week. I hear that for 10 quetz, so like a $1.50, you can feed a giraffe from a big platform, but you have to be there at the right time, so we will see if I get to do that of not.
There is an Elder here who's name is Elder Soto, he plays the piano beautifully and it reminds me of listening to Kylie play. He does an amazing job but in my mind and heart Kylie is da best. :)
This last week we had the worst meal yet! I'm not really sure how to describe it, cold firm potatoes covered in chopped red peppers with way too much mayo. Then a sandwich which was on a huge roll that was crunchy around the outside, and on the sandwich was way to much mayo with some white iceberg, and the meat was perro. Just kidding! Not actually dog but that was the joke. Then to make things worse, part way through the dinner one of the teachers heated up fish in the microwave and made the whole place smell like fish! So that was the low for the week! :) For the most part though the food has been really good.
The schedule is a grind, and is super busy but great. The full sixteen hour day is filled with all sorts of things to do. One of the favorite things for me is when we have devotionals. On Sunday we watched a devotional that Elder Holland gave in 2011 in the Provo MTC that was super powerful. It was at the same time that Preach My Gospel was being introduced, so he talked about that for a while, but also talked about why they were changing the missionary program. On of the biggest things that they were trying to stop was when people get home from their missions and then decide that the church is not true for some reason. He spoke of the Saviors love that he has for His children and how He wants us to be happy, and he talked a little about the Saviors earthy ministry. We sang "Because I Have been Given Much, I Too Must Give". You should read the lyrics to this hymn. While singing it, I was thinking about the Love of the Savior and all of the things that he did for us, all of the truly selfless acts of love that he decided to do. It almost makes me tear up thinking about the song now. Elder Holland closed his talk by saying something along the lines of how it breaks his heart, and how it beaks the Saviors heart when one of his children leave the church, so don't you dare even think about getting home from your mission and then deciding that the church isn't true!
We do go the temple every P day in the morning and it is amazing, the temple is super small but really beautiful, made of only white marble. The temple is always peaceful and amazing.
With love, your brother and son,
Elder Marks
P.S Please go for the Pats:)
Weeks like days and days like weeks.
Super happy to hear from all of you guys today, email time is always something to look forward to. Everything is going well here, the saying that in the MTC days feel like weeks and weeks feel like days is true. The new MTC President is really good, he speaks slow enough Spanish that you can actually understand some of the stuff that he says. Spanish is the main language spoken here, the majority of the people here speak Spanish, some English and a couple that speak Ketchee (not really sure how to spell that) (Mom note: looked it up, spelled K’iche’ and it is a Mayan language in Guatemala). I'm glad that people are getting better from being sick, that's never fun.
That's awesome that Will and Mariam are coming up for a while, it will be a good experience for g ma to be able to help with the dress. Hopefully the ring didn't break the bank! Just kidding, I'm glad that they are moving forward with making plans. I hope that the higher ups for this company really does have some flexibility for Kylie being able to head to Peru a little later so she can spend some time with Erika before having to go. I think that it is awesome that it is in the mountains of Peru where Kylie will be going.
The weather here really is amazing and I often think of the weather at home :), mainly when we are outside studying and trying to teach the restoration in Spanish. The language is coming along but it will take some time.
There are some really good elders here, the Latinos are awesome, there is this one elder that always calls me Bruno Marks. One night I was wearing a BYU shirt and he was wearing a BYU sweatshirt so when he sees me he either says “ah Bruno Marks”, or “oh, my BYU twin”.
Next week a lot of missionaries are leaving the MTC so those of us who get to stay are going to the Zoo and Wendy's, so I will get to email on Tuesday next week. I hear that for 10 quetz, so like a $1.50, you can feed a giraffe from a big platform, but you have to be there at the right time, so we will see if I get to do that of not.
There is an Elder here who's name is Elder Soto, he plays the piano beautifully and it reminds me of listening to Kylie play. He does an amazing job but in my mind and heart Kylie is da best. :)
This last week we had the worst meal yet! I'm not really sure how to describe it, cold firm potatoes covered in chopped red peppers with way too much mayo. Then a sandwich which was on a huge roll that was crunchy around the outside, and on the sandwich was way to much mayo with some white iceberg, and the meat was perro. Just kidding! Not actually dog but that was the joke. Then to make things worse, part way through the dinner one of the teachers heated up fish in the microwave and made the whole place smell like fish! So that was the low for the week! :) For the most part though the food has been really good.
The schedule is a grind, and is super busy but great. The full sixteen hour day is filled with all sorts of things to do. One of the favorite things for me is when we have devotionals. On Sunday we watched a devotional that Elder Holland gave in 2011 in the Provo MTC that was super powerful. It was at the same time that Preach My Gospel was being introduced, so he talked about that for a while, but also talked about why they were changing the missionary program. On of the biggest things that they were trying to stop was when people get home from their missions and then decide that the church is not true for some reason. He spoke of the Saviors love that he has for His children and how He wants us to be happy, and he talked a little about the Saviors earthy ministry. We sang "Because I Have been Given Much, I Too Must Give". You should read the lyrics to this hymn. While singing it, I was thinking about the Love of the Savior and all of the things that he did for us, all of the truly selfless acts of love that he decided to do. It almost makes me tear up thinking about the song now. Elder Holland closed his talk by saying something along the lines of how it breaks his heart, and how it beaks the Saviors heart when one of his children leave the church, so don't you dare even think about getting home from your mission and then deciding that the church isn't true!
We do go the temple every P day in the morning and it is amazing, the temple is super small but really beautiful, made of only white marble. The temple is always peaceful and amazing.
With love, your brother and son,
Elder Marks
P.S Please go for the Pats:)