Hey everybody back home, my first week is over and I can’t tell if it went by fast or slow. It’s been a crazy experience though all around. I am learning Spanish left and right. There are a lot of people here in the MTC that only speak Spanish and it is fun to talk to them because it helps me learn the language better. It is a blessing to be here and its good fun for sure.
The Plane Ride: It was hard to get down here. Three different airplanes it took and It took 27 hours to get from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. I was by myself for a while, but I sat next to this girl on the plane named Virginia and she was a black Baptist Minister and was really cool. We talked a lot about religion and stuff and it was really fun. Then I finally started to meet some missionaries when I landed in Salt Lake and that was a cool experience, I finally wasn’t all by myself. I also saw David Gates there and that was awesome. The last face I saw of someone I actually knew haha. If you read this Brother Gates, thank you for all of your help. I then got on a plane to go to Atlanta and that was 6 hours and it took forever. I kept staring at the TV screen that showed us how far we were away from Atlanta. Then when I got to Atlanta I met all the missionaries that were also going to the Argentina MTC. There were probably 15 or 20 of us which was cool. Then we got on our flight to Argentina which was delayed for 2 hours, so it was a 12 hour flight from Atlanta to Argentina. The sun rise out of the airplane window was BEAUTIFUL. I wish I had pictures, but I don’t. We landed in Argentina though and got all my bags and all is well.
The MTC: In Spanish the MTC is the CCM. It is a little weird because a lot of us are from America and are used to calling it the MTC. My MTC President is President Openshaw. This dude is a wizard when it comes to scriptures. Anything you want to know he goes to the scriptures. Whether it is The Bible or the Book of Mormon or whatever he can pull it out like it is candy. There are only 93 people in this MTC compared to the MTC in Provo where there are like 8000. It is really small, but it is right next to the Buenos Aires Argentina temple which is a nice view from some windows. Some people here only speak Spanish and it is really fun to talk to them because it helps me learn a lot.
Classes and Companions: We got companions our first day at the MTC. I have two companions; one is Elder Huntsman and the other Elder Katzenbach. They are both from Utah and are the biggest goofballs here. There is no companionship at this MTC that is crazier than us. We have so much fun it is great. I love my companions and they are just great people. Take it over the top sometimes, but they know when to stop. The classes are 16 hours a day, which leaves only 8 hours left to sleep. I have two teachers Hermano Avila and Hermano Fioramante. They are cool guys and are really good at teaching. You are literally in class and stuff and then you eat and go back to class and then do physical activity and go back to class then eat and go back to class and then sleep and do it all again. I am up at 6 and I go to bed at 1030. It is quite the lifestyle, but they say a missionary who is not tired is not a good missionary, so at least I got that down.
Nicknames: I have so many nicknames it is ridiculous. I’ll start from the beginning. My first and main nickname is ICELAND. People have been calling me that for a while. All my companions do is call me Iceland. Whenever I don’t know something they say it is because I am from Iceland it is a joke. I’ve been called Ken by some girls because they think I look like the Barbie doll Ken doll. I’ve been called Joseph Smith because some people said I looked like Joseph Smith. My companions think I look like Dwight from the office so they call me Dwight. The Spanish missionaries think I look like Edward from Twilight. It is quite the joke. It has been one week and I already have a lot of nicknames.
Food: The food here is foreign so I have never eaten it before. Nothing like it is in the states. They make some weird stuff. Sometimes I don’t even eat haha.
My district: My district is pretty sweet. I’ve got 12 not including me in the district and we have a good old time. We have a little bit of everything in it, but they are almost all from parts of Utah. 9 out of 13 are at least from Utah. I tell them about Los Angeles and it is like a foreign world to them
Spanish: I’m getting pretty good at Spanish and I know it’s just the first week, but I am getting there. I swear I have learned more Spanish in here than I have all throughout high school. 6 hours of class will do that I guess.
Actividad Fisica: This is our sports time. Everyone plays soccer because I am in South America, but I like playing basketball so I play it instead with some of the North Americans. We ball up and it is fun. We can actually leave the MTC to go play, so it is nice.
Elder Cook: Yesterday we saw an Apostle speak in a room. Elder Cook who is an apostle of the Lord was there and he let us all shake his hand. I got to shake his hand!!! It was good. He really helped us learn. He said being an apostle is not easy and that we all have our challenges, but we can overcome those through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was a great talk and it was nice as a missionary to hear him relate to us.
I´m having lots of fun here and I am really excited to go out and serve the lord. I'm here for a reason and I know that I can help these people come unto Christ. I can’t wait. This is going to be the hardest and best two years of my life. I’m not here for fun or to travel and stuff I am here to help these people. Ayudar los personas! I want them to come unto Christ like I have. I will be rejected like crazy, but it will all be worth it.
To all my family and friends I love you all. I hope you all read this. I miss you all a bunch. Please don’t forget to write me please. I would love a letter from any of you it is pretty simple so Por Fa Vor escriba mi.
Write me. Hope all is well and that you are doing bueno.
I know this church is true and that the Book of Mormon is true. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Have great day’s friends.
Jordan Rice: Have fun in the Dominican Republic it will be awesome. I love you bud
Cody: Find a job and don’t waste your time. Exercises, read or just do something productive. Love you bud.
Baker’s Dozen: I hope you’re all doing well and I love you all. Keep the vibe alive. (I don’t know what that means, but I said it anyways.)
Family: I love you a lot. Just sayin.
Elder Jessop
