I want different food

Week 7-ish and I'm ready to leave for sure. The food just isn't doing the trick any more. And I'm tired of having the same smell as every other missionary. It's just not all that it's cracked up to be. The stinking English speaking missionaries: "Oh! I Love the food!! It's so good!!" Well I challenge them to eat it for 7 weeks and still say that.

Besides the food getting on my nerves, particularly the bland hamburgers every day, I'm doing good. And I'm really popular at lunch because I remember everything Jim Gaffigan has ever said and so I can quote all of his food jokes. It helps me forget about what I'm eating.

Anyway, I wont talk about the food anymore.

I taught in Spanish last week in the TRC with my companions Elder Bodily and Archibald. I felt it went really well. I found myself speaking better than I knew I could. My teacher thought that it seemed I talked the most, but he had to go between rooms with the other Elders in the district. I only taught one principle out of 8 in our lesson!! I say it's just because I actually expounded on what I said in Spanish, rather than just say "Joseph Smith was called as a prophet. He restored the church. Now we have the Book of Mormon." I can do way better than that and so I do. It is hard when teaching in a new language, and when you first start that's how it comes out. Very simple and plain. And the words of the gospel are simple and plain, but now that I'm getting better I can actually expound on it, ask questions and check for understanding, and just make sure that the investigator gets what's being taught. I'm super excited to get out of Provo and be humbled to find that I really can't speak Spanish at all. I'm praying for an awesome first companion that will show me the ropes and really knows his Spanish.

I'm really sad that at the bookstore that they are out of the canned cheese and Ritz that Elder Bodily and I have been having for our Cheese/Chess parties at night!!! They're all out!! And have been so for 7 days, and there's none in there right now and the store is going to be closed for 3 days because of Thanksgiving. I suffer for my service. In fact, they ran out of Ritz at the store first, and Elder Bodily and I made a deal with Hermano LeSeuer, our teacher, that if we spoke perfect Spanish for 24 hours he would buy us some Ritz. We did it and got a 10 bag box!!! We already ate them all. I truly am suffering here.

I am really looking forward to getting my flight plans on Monday. It has passed me by so fast!! But soon enough I will be out of Provo and finally doing what I came here to do, and what I've dreamt of doing since I was a little boy. I'm supposed to be leaving on the 10th! I hope that doesn't change. Some people get VISA problems. I sincerely hope that's not me.

I'm working as hard as I know how. I try not to waste any time. It helps to know that I'm paying for this . . . and that [mom and dad] are helping me pay for this . . . but mostly it just helps to know that this is the Lord's work for me. He wants me to be doing this and He wants me to do my best. The Savior is my motivation. He is my all. I spoke the other night with Elder Archibald about my philosophies on life. Everything I believe, all ties back to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We spoke of political ignorance, how sad it is that if people would just care and help each other then the WHOLE world would be a better place, etc. . . We talked about everything. But the last thing I said was "I love that the Atonement is infinite. The Atonement makes up for everything in life that isn't fair. The Lord is our judge. He doesn't compare us. He judges each and every one of us individually, based on who we are and what we did with what He gave us." If you don't believe me, see one of my favorite parables in Matthew 20. It's about the Labourers in the Vineyard. No matter when you end up working for the Lord, doesn't matter if I worked all day and someone else never came around until the last second of the Spirit Prison, we BOTH will receive the same "penny" from the Lord. And that penny is Eternal Life. God is fair. He loves us. He is just. I love my Savior Jesus Christ so much. I am doing my best to devote my life to serving Him. I bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ. That we are truly children of a God who loves us. If we have faith and do our best with what we have, all will be okay.

Take care! I love you all very much!!!

Sincerely,
Andy