My first real Pday

Hello all,

Wednesday was kind of wacky with seeing all the newbies showing up. A few missionaries in our zone who have been waiting for their visas to go to Mexico have been temporarily reassigned and have gone to different state side places to work while they wait for their visas. So they were very excited to finally get out of the MTC. This week has been pretty good. I get along great with my companion. A little bit about him, he's from California. He spent the previous year working for the Boys/Girls club in his area.

Today has been pretty good. We got to go to the temple as a district which was great, it really brought us closer. Speaking of my district I can't remember if I talked about it, there are 8 elderes and 3 hermanas. (Whit, at this point I have to express gratitude for you serving in a mission. You might not have realized it but from the Elders' perspective having Hermanas in your district is a huuuge blessing. It gives that much needed touch of a female presence. Makes a big difference.)

I get along really well with my roommates. We all have a lot in common and are always cracking each other up. Our room (I've taken pictures so you can see eventually) is set up with two bunk beds. Me and one elder are in one (I'm in the top bunk) and another elder and my companion are in the other. My companion is a very loud snorer and the rest of us in the room can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of how loud it is while we're trying to fall asleep.

My package got here yesterday, thanks mom. I was especially fond of the tie. So if ever you are wondering what to put into a package, when in doubt send ties (and maybe a ctr/hij ring, not the green plastic ones but something with some girth to it). They're the one aspect, ties, of the missionary's wardrobe that I have control of so it is very nice to have a variety. Maybe some bright colors, pinks, greens, purples, things like that. I've been fighting a bit of a cough the past few days, but other than that I have been absolutely fine health wise. So far the food has been mostly decent. We'll see how I feel in 8 weeks. It's funny, 8 weeks seems like it is forever away.

Almost once a day some kind of spiritual experience will happen and I'll be dying to get out and start teaching. In our district's class we have two teachers that alternate teaching us, one of them is out of town for the week and one of the subs that filled in for him was a good friend of mine from BYU, so that was pretty cool to see him again. He's from El Salvador and served in Chile. It was funny because at one point he asked me (in Spanish) why didn't you ever talk with me in Spanish back at school? I just had to say it wasn't personal, I had forgotten all my Spanish until a little over a week ago. It's crazy, each day I know more and more Spanish. And where I lack the ability to speak I make up for in the ability to understand. I can teach a lesson in Spanglish to an "investigator" who will only respond in Spanish and completely understand what's going on. Older Elderes have taught me and my companero in Spanish and we can understand them completely. The Lord definitely blesses missionaries.

This Sunday me, my companero and then three other elderes from my district (are singing in church), we're going to sing abide with me tis eventide acapella. We're also practicing to audition for the special musical number before an MTC devotional next Thursday. For that we will be singing a medley of Nearer My God to Thee. My companion is something of a musical prodigy. He has the voice of an angel, and plays the piano. He can't read music very well so he just plays hymns that he knows really well in whatever key and arrangement he thinks of on the spot. It is something to hear let me tell you.

At this point I am almost out of time. Thank you everyone who has written me, the letters have all been great.

Muchas gracia por sus oraciónes y carteles amable. Yo sé que Padre Celestial bendige los missioneros. Me testimonio es muy fuerza. Jesucristo es nuestra salvador y tiene mucho amor por nosotros. Oro por ustedes ye les amo mucho.

Love,
Elder Stephen Hunt Richards