I Will Unlock Photosynthesis

 ¡Hola Amigos!

I am already heading into my 3rd week in the Online MTC! Time has really gone by fast. I have gotten used to the MTC schedule finally which has made these days a breeze. Every day I wake up at 6:30 AM and work out. Then I eat breakfast and after that, I plan for the whole day. It is important to schedule everything I need to do for the day or I'll end up wasting my time doing random garbage. For example, my first week I had never even opened my planner which meant that whenever I got free time, instead of studying or memorizing, I just took a nap or whatever. That is no Bueno! I only have six weeks so I better study a lot. Now I literally plan every minute of my day, but don't worry, I still give myself time to relax and play the piano or something. Anyway, after daily planning, I have a Zoom meeting with my companion. It's called companion study and it's fun to start my day by studying with Elder Zuniga. Every day is different, sometimes we study scriptures or practice Español. Then I have classes with my district for the rest of the day! Yay!  

A picture of my whole district! We feel like a family already

Online MTC is basically zoom meetings all day. Everything is done through Zoom. Staring at a screen all day kind of gives me headaches but that is not really a big deal. Wednesdays however are my P-Day. P-Days are super awesome because I can take a break from Zoom and finally see sunlight. For those of you who don't know, P-Day stands for Preparation Day. Every week, I get one. I don't have any zoom meetings and I can spend the day with my family. I also do things like laundry and stuff to prepare for the week, hence the name. But there really isn't a whole lot to do so I basically just end up sitting outside staring at the sun. Maybe if I do that every P-Day, I will unlock photosynthesis. Since I get bored fast, I also study Spanish a lot on that day. So yeah, Wednesdays are pretty cool.

Another highlight of my day is group studies. I love group language study! I basically get to hang out with a small group in my district and study Spanish with them. We have a lot of fun in our group. I wish we could meet in person though... They're such cool people so these group studies are pretty much the highlight of my day.

My Español Study Group! We meet every day after lunch (I have no idea what Hermana Sellers is doing in that photo so don't ask)

However, this week was not all incredible. There was something very serious that happened recently that I feel prompted to share with you all. On the 1st of December, an Elder in my district lost his life. Elder Pope was in a terrible accident which resulted in him passing away from this life. It was all so very sudden and I am still sad about it. I felt close with Elder Pope and he was a good friend. His testimony was one of the strongest in the district and we shared many memories. When I heard the news of his death that morning, I couldn't contain my frustrations and emotions. No one saw this coming and there were so many things I wish I could have said to him. He was an incredible missionary. I suppose that Heavenly Father had a different agenda for him, a mission more important than any of us could imagine. I know one day I will be able to see this valiant Elder again in the kingdom of our Father. The reason I bring this unfortunate situation up with all of you is to ask for your prayers for the family of Elder Pope. They need much comfort at this time and I hope that you all could find the time to pray for them. The Pope family has so much faith and they know that one day they will be able to see their son again, but that knowledge still doesn't completely take away the pain of losing a loved one. So if you could have the Pope family in your prayers, that would be much appreciated.

A picture of Elder Pope in our Zoom meetings, before his passing

 

I used to think that missionaries were immortal. That I would be completely protected without a doubt. No one is guaranteed this luxury. But with that in mind, I will continue my work. I testify that this is the restored Church of Jesus Christ and that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel. It is true without a doubt in my mind and those who read it will gain the same testimony. Through Christ's atonement, we can be saved. There is a life after death and there is a purpose to why we are here on this earth. 

I love you all so very much and I love reading your emails to me. I am thankful that you all can be on this journey with me.

Elder Pack