June 11, 2011

Hola Parentals and others, : )

This is your hijo, Mason.  So I learned that my P-day isn't until next Thursday so don't expect an email until then.  I apologize for the long delay but I don't make the schedule.  Anyway, So I am on day 4 here and it seriously feels like month 4.  Everyday feels sooooo(etc.) long!  IT is packed with companionship study, personal study, language study, meals, gym time and a lot of it, a couple times a day.  But everyone says it goes a lot faster after the first week.  So I lied in my last letter.  Elder Miller and I are both going to Guatemala, but he is going to Guatemala City South while Elder Peterson and Elder Williams are going to the same mission in Honduras.  We got these stupid orange stickrs on our nametags because we were new and we finally got to take them off!  Happy Day! I've see a lot of amigos since I got here.  I've seen Elder LeBlanc and Elder Grosebeck.  I've seen some other friends from college.  It's cool but it's weird not being able to call them by their first name.  Or anybody calling me by my first name.  The people in my district are really cool.  Elder Adams is going to Honduras and his companion Elder Dye is going to Chile.  Elder Reich and his companion Elder Ruettinger are both going to Chile as well.  Elder Hardiman and his companion Elder Forrest are both going to Spain.  Very Cool.  In the other district, there are 2 elders going to Guatemala City Central with me, two are going to Spain and the rest are going state side Spanish speaking.  There are so many Spanish speaking missionaries here!  Almost more thatn English speaking.  My entire floor is going Spanish speaking.  It's pretty cool. I see quite a few missionaries going like weird foreign speaking like Ukrainian or Romanian.  It would be cool to learn a language like that but so useless.  I'm glad I'm going Spanish speaking.  The spirit here is very cool! So Many happy Jesus-loving missionaries.  It makes you happy to wake up every morning just to interact with them.  It's nice here but I can't wait to get into the field.  Patience is a virture I guess.  Oh well.  Please tell people to write me! Mail is like gold here.  Nobody has any connection whatsoever with the outside world.  So letters are the best.  Plus the buildings are so tall no one can even see the outside world.  It feels like a prison sort of, and not being able to call and only writing letters doesn't help at all. Or, just get peoples addresses for me so I can write them.  Can you get Aubrey's address for me please?  I need to write her back.  Anyway, I don't think I really need anything. Oh! except a thumbdrive.  Please.  One with a lot of memory.  If I send home an SD card and it gets lost or stolen, I want backups.  So yeah, and the calling card pro favor.  Well time to go do laundry and then back to studying. I love all of you and hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Elder Yates

P.S.  You can type this on the blog if you want. : ) Just a suggestion.