Week 7 - Arrival in Mexico

Hey guys! I have like 5 minutes to write this!

My pdays are on Mondays now, cuz Im in mexico! The key boards are a little different here, so there will be some spelling mistakes haha 

well it is crazy here! but it reminds me a lot of sacramento! But there are some differences, the driving is insane, it smells funny, and no one speaks english haha there are a ton of stray dogs here, so thats fun! But the people are pretty nice! I just finish some in field trainning, and then had dinner, at a members home. and it was really good! I love it here! And I got a super awesome companion! Elder Cornejo! He is from santiago Chile! And he is learning english here too, so we help each other out! Well I gotta go now, but I will write more on monday! Have a great night! Love you guys!  

Week 7

Hola mi amigos!

so another long week here in the mtc! 

But it's my last! And Come monday I'll be in a different country where I won't know what anyone is saying! Awesome right?? hahaha 

I'm super excited to finally get to the mission field and get to know the people, and teach them about Jesus Christ! 

But then I'm scared at the same time haha we Skyped someone from Chile this week! It was cool! But She said something about catholics, families, and a river. That's all I understood, so It'll be interesting when I get there! 

But still super stoked! And It'll be an adventure! I can't wait to get out and finally get to work with people. There's nothing I can say that will scratch the surface on how the Gospel blesses everyone, and how the atonement can heal any pain, and help with any hardship in life. I really don't have much to say about it. It's just amazing, and it's as simple as that. No es facil, pedo es simple! 

So this past week we got about 700 new missionaries in! There's a ton!! But we didn't get a single missionary in our Zone, so after district 18C (my district) and the other one 18B, leave, it's just going to be 6 sister missionaries here! 

So our Zone went from nothing but 40 elders for a few months, so just 6 Sisters haha they're gonna have a fun Priesthood Meeting next week lol 

Nothing much else new here. All the snow melted, so I'm happy, and so are all the island and africa native, missionaries here haha 

It's kinda crazy that this is my ultimo dia de preparacion aqui! And today I've been limping around all day too haha! Last night we were playing soccer in the hallways again, but this time without shoes, and Elder Carreon ended up kicking me right on the bone on the side of my foot, with the ball of his foot! there was a really loud slap, and I could hardly walk because a sharp pain in my foot every time I put weight on it. But Today It's just a little sore, and I'm able to limp around on it with only a little pain. So It's not broken! whoo hoo! And Father like Son right! haha for those of you who don't know, my dad had a severe foot injury after falling 20 feet, so he limped around for a while when recovering haha but my recovery is only gonna take 2 days haha 

A few other things! 

1. I'm getting sooo white here! My tan is like completely gone! Back home when I was a lifeguard, my co workers would say I am black, because I was so tan! 

But now I'm starting to look like a pasty utah boy! NOOOOOOO!! Hopefully Mexico will change that haha 

2. We got our hot water back this week! Of course it had to be the week we leave! 

3. I'm super excited for mexico! I ;leave this monday at 3:30, and I'll get there later that day! 

4. you have no idea how happy it makes an Elder to get mail, and packages! 

5. send me emails! It'll take 6 weeks for letters to get to mexico, and I love getting emails from you guys! 

6. I had a dream about duck hunting with an Elder who also hunts. We had a great hunt haha can't wait to get back out there :P 

7. Every Member a Missionary - Thomas S Monson. 

This week I learned how essential it is for people to have friends help them come unto Christ! 

So go serve Christ and be a friend to someone who is in need! 

and help the missionaries, we can't help others, without the help of you. 

8. If you play an instrument, keep at it! I've discovered here that music is more precious than gold, And I wish I was better, so I could perform a musical number here! But the missionaries that do perform here are amazing and everybody loves it! 

9. Next email you'll get will be from mexico!! 

-Te Amo!! (I think that's how you say that haha) 

-Elder Elkins  

Week 6

Hey guys!

Another great week here! 

We got the first snow! 

and idk why everything has to be so dang cold! 

So it's snowing out side, and in our classroom, they have the AC going! WHY!? haha 

and the worst part about the cold, is our showers. So basically, They put us in the junkiest building here. Apparently there's rats on the bottom floor. and hot water doesn't exist in my building! It's been getting worse and worse, and finally we can't take showers in the morning without getting hypothermia. and there's like no water pressure in our building either. So you just gotta suffer through the cold water for a good 5 minutes. So we're just taking showers after gym now haha but oh well! the cold water makes for fun memories! and they are remodeling all the buildings here. So our buiding will go under construction, after I leave. 

Yesterday we had our last lesson with our first investigator... it was sad. Love that guy. His name was Jorge! and he's super awesome! But since I'm leaving in a week, we won't be able to meet with him again...

But I litterally just got my flight plans for mexico! I gotta leave the mtc at 3:30 am, and I'll be traveling all day! But it's exciting! But also kinda scary, cuz we also taught someone whos a native spanish speaker. She was from columbia, and we skyped her! But I couldn't understand anything! maybe 5 words... and she was laughing at me the whole time cuz I couldn't say anything in spanish.... 

so mexico should be fun. Oh and We've gotten some emails from a missionary that was in our zone a while ago! So he's been there for like 4 weeks now, but we got an email from him when he was out for only 2. and so in mexico, he hasn't talked to a single person, he's had people yell and throw stuff at him, and he's been chased! 

so Mexico sounds like a crazy place! I'm excited to go there!! haha And Don't worry mom, I'll be fine! The Lord protects his servants! But I'll probably have some crazy awesome stories when I get home! 

There's a lot of work to be done in mexico! The Gospel of Jesus Christ can change people for the better, his atonement can heal any pain, and any damage that has been done. Through him, we can start with clean slates, and be made whole. I know that families can be together forever, and that through the gospel, you can have the greatest peace and joy in this life, and in the eternal life to come! 

The Message we share as missionaries is so important, that despite persecution, and the dangers, we will go and work, so other people can have the same joy and peace that we have. If any of you don't have the atonement, and the gospel in your life, I invite you to search for it, and when you look for God, he will show himself to you, and he will bless you. 

There's not much else new here in the mtc, other than that. The days are still long and hard with lots of work to do here. But it's still a great place to be. I love being a missionary of Jesus Christ! 

I love seeing people that I teach here, become healed, and light and life comes back to their eyes! When we first me My friend Jorge, he didn't have any life in him, there wasn't any light in his eyes. But over the past few weeks, he started to smile, and laugh, there's a light the shine from him now, and it's an amzing thing to see that in someone! 

a few other things

1. I'm now in the oldest district in my zone, and we are getting a few newbies haha 

2. it's still supoer cold

3. Whenever we play soccer in the feild, and a school bus drives by, all the girls scream for us haha mormon girls love the missionaries! :P

4. only like 9 days until I'm in mexico! That's crazy! 

5. Miss you guys! stay strong! 

6. la vida no es facil, pero es simple. 

(life isn't easy, bit it's simple) 

May God be with you all 

-Elder Elkins 

Week 5



Hey guys!

Another great week here! 

We got the first snow! 

and idk why everything has to be so dang cold! 

So it's snowing out side, and in our classroom, they have the AC going! WHY!? haha 

and the worst part about the cold, is our showers. So basically, They put us in the junkiest building here. Apparently there's rats on the bottom floor. and hot water doesn't exist in my building! It's been getting worse and worse, and finally we can't take showers in the morning without getting hypothermia. and there's like no water pressure in our building either. So you just gotta suffer through the cold water for a good 5 minutes. So we're just taking showers after gym now haha but oh well! the cold water makes for fun memories! and they are remodeling all the buildings here. So our buiding will go under construction, after I leave. 

Yesterday we had our last lesson with our first investigator... it was sad. Love that guy. His name was Jorge! and he's super awesome! But since I'm leaving in a week, we won't be able to meet with him again...

But I litterally just got my flight plans for mexico! I gotta leave the mtc at 3:30 am, and I'll be traveling all day! But it's exciting! But also kinda scary, cuz we also taught someone whos a native spanish speaker. She was from columbia, and we skyped her! But I couldn't understand anything! maybe 5 words... and she was laughing at me the whole time cuz I couldn't say anything in spanish.... 

so mexico should be fun. Oh and We've gotten some emails from a missionary that was in our zone a while ago! So he's been there for like 4 weeks now, but we got an email from him when he was out for only 2. and so in mexico, he hasn't talked to a single person, he's had people yell and throw stuff at him, and he's been chased! 

so Mexico sounds like a crazy place! I'm excited to go there!! haha And Don't worry mom, I'll be fine! The Lord protects his servants! But I'll probably have some crazy awesome stories when I get home! 

There's a lot of work to be done in mexico! The Gospel of Jesus Christ can change people for the better, his atonement can heal any pain, and any damage that has been done. Through him, we can start with clean slates, and be made whole. I know that families can be together forever, and that through the gospel, you can have the greatest peace and joy in this life, and in the eternal life to come! 

The Message we share as missionaries is so important, that despite persecution, and the dangers, we will go and work, so other people can have the same joy and peace that we have. If any of you don't have the atonement, and the gospel in your life, I invite you to search for it, and when you look for God, he will show himself to you, and he will bless you. 

There's not much else new here in the mtc, other than that. The days are still long and hard with lots of work to do here. But it's still a great place to be. I love being a missionary of Jesus Christ! 

I love seeing people that I teach here, become healed, and light and life comes back to their eyes! When we first my My friend Jorge, he didn't have any life in him, there wasn't any light in his eyes. But over the past few weeks, he started to smile, and laugh, there's a light that shines from him now, and it's an amzing thing to see that in someone! 

a few other things

1. I'm now in the oldest district in my zone, and we are getting a few newbies haha 

2. it's still super cold

3. Whenever we play soccer in the feild, and a school bus drives by, all the girls scream for us haha mormon girls love the missionaries! :P

4. only like 9 days until I'm in mexico! That's crazy! 

5. Miss you guys! stay strong! 

6. la vida no es facil, pero es simple. 

(life isn't easy, bit it's simple) 

May God be with you all 

-Elder Elkins 

Week 4 Pictures from the MTC

 

Week 4

Hola Amigos!

Another great week! 

But kinda the same old stuff! 

But hey! I'm half way done with the MTC! 

 But another district is going to be leaving us next week, including elder Parkinson who is like one of my best freinds here! He's a crazy awesome swing dancer! And we're both having a hard time because we can't show off our crazy swing dancing move here! He's also a crazy awesome improv actor, the best I've ever seen! the past few nights, all the Elders would cram into his dorm and he would put on a show and they are some of the funniest things ever!!! We cry because we laugh so hard, and one elder pretty much threw up haha 

But the spirit of God is here with us, and we are his missionaries! This past week My companion and I had the greatest lesson we've ever had in the MTC! We taught our investigator, Jorge about how families can be together forever and how the gospel blesses families. The spirit was so strong and I was able to speak spanish!! Because God was there with was and the powers of heaven enabled us to teach with ease! It was so great! And Jorge (who is also our spanish teacher) said the lesson was perfect! He was so excited for us! And he said that no one could convince Jorge (his role play) that the Gospel and this church isn't God's here on the Earth! It was amazing! But I can't speak spanish at the moment because I'm not teaching an investigator at the moment. That's the really crazy part!! 

but I gotta go get a hair cut now, because I really need one! 

a couple otro cosas. 

1. I didn't get tackled on my birthday!

2. I was playing soccer, and then got the ball kicked right into my face which went numb, and then right after that I got hit by the ball in the spot that counts, so now I'm scared of soccer balls haha    

3. I almost Got killed by a samoan playing volleyball 

4.I can't wait for mexico!! 

Te Amo! 

-Elder Elkins