Brian's First Letter--11/17/04

Dear Family,

Well, it’s my first day and I’ve been here about 10 hours now. It’s pretty exciting and really fast moving. I haven’t wasted any time yet and I don’t think I’d even have a chance to if I wanted. The MTC is such a cool place, and everyone here is so committed to following the rules and getting along and loving everyone. My branch president is nice, (I already had an interview with him) and the APs said that our branch is really great and that there is good synergy. I don’t have any experience with them yet. I hope it is as good as it sounds.

My companion is really nice. He lived on a dairy farm in Rexburg and he seems like the Kind of Elder that will follow the rules. He seems really compromising as far as trivial things go, he should be easy to get along with.

Every week, we are expected to write a short talk, and our Sunday meetings are mostly just asking people to talk at a moment’s notice. This week’s topic is gratitude. I think it’s a pretty good idea because this way, everyone gets to add their five minutes and you get to hear more varied testimonies.

I am in District D. District B also is new today, but I haven’t met anyone from A or E yet. There are no sisters in my district, we just have 7 Elders. My companion and I live with two other Elders, and next door is a threesome. I’m pretty sure one of them will be leaving soon for another MTC. He is going to the Dominican Republic. The other two are going to Caracas, and all four of us in my room are going to Maracaibo.

I’m hearing a lot of Spanish in my residence Hall and in the cafeteria. I haven’t had any lessons yet, so I only understand things like “mi familia”, “dos otros hermanas” and “Salvador” and things like that. The easy stuff. I had a couple of meetings today. They were excellent. I took lots of notes. The Spirit is really strong here, everyone is trying hard to keep it that way. I haven’t seen any missionaries yet who really act like slackers, I like my district. I can’t wait to speak my language. One of the other Elders from my branch says that the teachers don’t teach as much as they used to, that we have to work harder if we want to learn. That’s probably good. Well, goodbye, I love you all.

Sincerely,
Elder Brian D. Harris

P.S. One of my roommates sticks silverware up his nose. I got a picture that I’ll send later.