Monday, August 30, 2010

Alex's Second Letter from Chile & Pictures :)

Hola Everyone!

This week has been crazy! I spent like a total of 3 days in my actual sector. Elder You had leadership training 2 days and then I went on divisions with the zone leader and finally I had a greenie meeting in Maipu. So I spent a heck of a lot of time in Peñaflor. It was way cool though just seeing different stuff I guess. Well I will give you all a few highlights from my week.

On Sunday we ate lunch with the Algulars and hermano Algular has been sick and asked us for a blessing. So I have officially given my first anointing in the southern hemisphere. It was pretty smooth or anything but I got it out haha but it was just a way neat experience. Samuel was not at church on Sunday. I am so sad cause that means he can't be baptized for another month. He knows the church is true has a testimony and everything. We haven't been able to contact him so I am praying he has a legit excuse. Next weekend is stake conference and we are singing in the choir me and elder you. Hermana King is apparently talking in stake conference so I am excited for that. We do have a new investigator though. He is an evangelico pastor and saw one of the Hermanas in our ward reading a liahona and asked her all these questions about it. So we brought him a liahona the other day and told all about us. He thought we praised Moroni and Joseph smith and was all blown away that we are centered around Christ and wants us to come back this week so we have an appointment with him for Wednesday.

Elder You has been in the church now 4 years last Wednesday so I bought him some completos for his church birthday. He is the only member in his family and they actually didn't want him to go on a mission but they have warmed up to it. He is from San Mateo by San Francisco.

The only weirdish thing I have had I guess food wise is I had sliced pig face. It just tasted like baloni to me so it was fine. I had seconds. Haha yes I drink coke I am pretty sure I have only had water in the church and my house haha.

We were not able to go to the Mexican ladies house since we were gone like all week so we are trying to make another appointment with her but have yet to get in touch with her. There are 5 wards in the Peñaflor stake and only one ward in Malloco. From Malloco to get to the mission home we take a bus to Maipu and then the metro to Santiago in total it takes about an hour. My area there is people all jammed into one area and the rest is fields that is Malloco haha.

Elder Scott talked about teaching the truthfulness of the book of Mormon and marriage haha most of it was getting married when we get back not very applicable to me at this stage in my life haha. Also if it was in English that would have been cool. In my group of elders who got here elder nielson is on the coast, elder braddy is maipu, and the rest are in the metropolitan area, and of course I am in the campo. No I don't print your emails but I can if I wanted to.

One last cool story and I will finish up. On Friday we had a ward activity at the chapel. It was cool all about food storage and cool ways of being prepared for stuff. About halfway through this kid walks in and asks us how he can become a Mormon. I was like sweet deal haha. We told him the whole process and everything he was like awesome I would like to take the lessons. After awhile we asked where he lives... he lives outside of our sector! So we gave the other missionaries a golden reference. I guess all that matters is if he gets baptized and I wish him the best of luck. Well it was awesome to hear how everyone is doing and that all is well. I attached some photos for ya and hope you enjoy them!

Love,
Elder Leavitt

p.s. Tell ben and Brandon to make me CD´s with some good music on them, like gladiator and lord of the rings soundtracks something I can workout to or anything else they liked. I can listen to all church music and classical music

Alex with Santiago in the background. I'm assuming that's the day he arrived in Chile.

Alex in Malloco (I'm assuming this is his area)

Malloco Hub Cap Fence

Malloco Ward Emergency Preparedness Fair
(can you believe there is a guy there with a Raiders jacket?!!)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Alex's First Letter from Chile

Hola Family!

I am in Malloco which is in the Campo (or rural area) and I am stoked! First off, yes I have a ward and I cover only one. The retention down here in Chile is terrible so I am gonna be doing a lot of reactivation work. The Chileans talk sooo fast my biggest problem is understanding them. Everyone says when I talk in Spanish they can understand me which is good so that's not the big problem. I just don't know what they are saying it is so hard. And yes, they had me introduce myself so I just said where I am from that this is my first area and I am straight from the MTC. Then I shared my testimony with them and told them how excited I am to be here and I am ready to serve and get to work. When I first got to Chile I was not tired at all I was so ready to go and freaking pumped. I was the only one whose credit card didn't work so I had to pay with my own money which sucked (he's talking about his Visa). I talked to the financial guy and he said he will get back my money. Besides that the airport went smoothly and really did not take long at all. The people here in Chile love the missionaries so it was good. The tired thing hit me on Saturday all those hours and what not hit me all at once. I was dying on Saturday. When we came out our AP's were waiting for us. The mission president was stuck in traffic cause there was an accident on the freeway. But it was not long until they came. It's so funny, everyone thinks I am like the favorite because every time I have met them they are all like "Elder Leavitt!!!" Haha little do they know I have only met them just as much as they have.

My area is awesome. It is actually really big but it is all rural so everyone lives in a smaller area. Where everyone lives it would take a good 45 min walk from one side to the other. The temperature is perfect right now. It is still cooler but like all I need is a long sleeve shirt and I am good. I have had no need for a jacket yet. Me and my companion live in a gated community and in a duplex on one side so it is actually pretty nice. Of course all the buildings are old and worn down and not all the good quality but it could be way worse and I count my blessings. Elder adairs toilets cannot flush toilet paper so they put it in a bag so I am better off than him haha.

Holy smokes, never in a million years would I have honestly thought I would say eating next to Spanish is my biggest problem in the mission. The people here eat and feed us so much. Even if we are stopping by to say hi they will feed you and in Chile it is very offensive to one deny food and two not finish the food they give you. Every meal they have at least 3-4 courses, usually soup salad the main meal and then dessert. It is insane. The food is so delicious that is not the problem. The problem is I am getting so full! When you are full and cannot eat anymore you need to be very careful how you say it. The best way is saying "thanks I am satisfied" and then compliment their cooking haha. The big meal of the day is lunch which is around 1 or 2. Then they don't have dinner and have once which is at like 6 or 7. Now Alycia would be jealous because in Chile they have some of the best bread in the world and they have it with everything! Every single meal bread and a ton of it. The members are amazing, everyone is living in such humble circumstances but are so giving. When I said people feed you everywhere I go I mean it. Even if you are there and all they do is bring you a cookie cut in two and give it to us and then we have to eat it. People save up money so they can have a meal with us and save up their money so they can buy the missionaries cokes and you know there kids have like never had one. The people here are just amazing and I love them so much. They are really the prime example of serving your brother and all that. I just love them. Everyone says hola to each other on the side walks and what not it is just great to watch.

My first day here a couple of cool and weird things happened. One we went and bought me some cereal and some other food oh! quick interruption they don't have milk here or at least real milk its kinda weird but it is fine. Ok so we got me some food and on the way back this drunk Chilean walks up to us starts talking I shake his hand I would not let go! One I don't know Spanish so my comp translated and two I was scared he was gonna like stab me or something but at the end of the conversation this guy plants a big wet kiss on my hand! I had literally been in my area a total of like 20 minutes and a drunk Chilean kissed me. Then my first day we taught an investigator. We had an appointment already set up haha. I like didn't talk at all haha. But cool, we have this 19 year old investigating and we have a baptismal date set up for Sept 11. I really hope it goes through cause he is a great guy and really looking to change his life. I don't know if it is the same everywhere else but in my mission because the retention rate is so bad the investigator has to go to church 3 weeks in a row or they cant be baptized. If they miss one week they start over. I guess they just want to see that they are truly committed. Elder You is great, he has been so patient with me and is working with me. Me and him get along so well. I don't know if it is because he is from California too or what but we really are just laughing the whole time together and we get along great! He was baptized 4 years ago like in a couple weeks. He is awesome and I love him a ton! Dad that story about Tom was funny and I was not too scared to pìck him up (Tom is Alex's snake). The only time I refused to pick him up was when he bit my foot and I didn't want to put him back in the cage haha

Well I thought I would share some other cool experiences seeing now I have answered all your questions. Well what they said about the girls here being forward is true. It seems about everywhere I go they seem to be saying or cat calling something. I actually had a car whistle at me! This car full of girls drove by and they had programmed the car horn or something so it let out one big whistle it was insane haha but ya crazy! But a cool story one day last week me and Elder you went tracking or knocking doors. Which you don't actually knock because every house has a gate around it so you yell "ALLO" don't ask me why they say hello with a Spanish accent to get into someones house but they all do it and they answer phones like that it is really funny. But we were going around "alloing" peoples houses and this lady comes out. We are talking to her turns out she and her family just moved here from Mexico. We asked if we could come in and bless her house she got a little excited said we could so we went in. We asked if there was anything that her family needed or anything she wanted us to remember in the prayer. She told us and then we blessed her home. It was so cool. The spirit was so strong and I loved it! We set up an appointment to come by this week I think Wednesday and we are gonna teach her. It is so neat that as representatives of the Lord we can do things like this. That through his authority we can do as something as simple as blessing someones home having them feel the spirit and becoming more receptive to hearing the gospel. I am so happy to finally be hear in Chile, finally be able to serve the people I have been thinking about for a long time now and serve my lord and god. I am so excited for the time I can actually understand them haha but it is all good I have been here less than a week so I can't really start complaining yet haha. I Love you all and I miss you a ton but know I am working hard and loving it here! It is so beautiful here I cant even describe it haha.

Much Love from the Chile!

love,
Elder leavitt

HOLY SMOKES!!! I don't know how I forgot this I remembered right after I clicked send. But on Wednesday we went back to Santiago because Elder Richard G. Scott came to talk to our mission and one other. I was a little scared at first because I was pretty sure he is the one who talked at Brandon's mission if not then my bad. But guess who I saw there! Elder Crowley haha small world, but we took a picture together and everything so it was way neat to see him. We talked a little bit and just kinda caught up it was way cool! Well thought you would like to hear that haha (Elder Crowley is Alycia's brother-in-law and he is serving in the Chile Santiago Rancagua Mission. This really is a rare incident because typically different missions are not combined for anything and it's even more rare that Alex & Derrick would see each other - pretty cool!)

love,
Elder Leavitt

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

An Email and Picture from the Mission Field!!!

I checked my email about an hour ago and there was an email, picture & letter from Alex's mission president. I was soooooo excited!!!! They even sent a map showing the area he is serving in. It looks like it's not in the city (which was Fred's prediction) but it's not coastal where Alex was hoping it would be. It looks like he may be in the country which will be a perfect place to start :)
In the letter President King told us that they met the missionaries at the airport and then they gave them a brief tour of the beautiful city of Santiago. After that they arrived at the mission home where he interviewed Alex and gave him a priesthood blessing. Then he had a brief orientation to the mission with the assistants and office missionaries. They had a delicious lunch together and then he met his new companion. That afternoon he and his companion departed the mission home and headed to his first area of labor. Alex's companion is Elder You. He is in the picture with Alex & President & Sister King.

The picture below is of his area. Fred has put an "X" on his area. It's called 'Malloco'.



A Phonecall from Alex :)

Alex surprised me yesterday and in the afternoon I got a brief 10 minute phone call from the Salt Lake City airport. By the time they got to the airport, checked in and got something to eat that was all the time he had.

He was very excited as we talked on the phone. He didn't want to tell me too many stories because he wanted to wait until he called from Dallas when everyone would be home to talk. Unfortunately, when he called from Dallas he had just woke up, was still tired and not nearly as animated. He couldn't remember what he had wanted to share because there were SO many stories. He started to perk up before he had to leave to go and get something to eat. In total we talked about 30 mins.

His flight from Salt Lake to Dallas was delayed a bit and then his flight from Dallas to Santiago was delayed even more because of thunderstorms. Alex arrived in Santiago at 8 a.m. this morning. Fred was tracking his flight last night until we went to bed and then checked again this morning. Alex will get his Visa right at the airport - $130.

Here are the highlights of our conversation with him:

*He told us that from Monday through Wednesday of this week it will be the biggest group of missionaries that has ever left the MTC at one time. He said it was something like over 500 missionaries.

*He was proud to say that his luggage was not overweight. He said he left behind one deodorant and shampoo so he wouldn't be overweight. I had enough Chile mission mom's tell me that it's better to pay overweight fees at the airport than to have to ship big things over (shoes, etc.). We ordered and had an extra pair of shoes sent to him this week so we wouldn't have to pay an exorbitant price to mail them to him down the road when he needs them. Also, we'd be taking a chance he wouldn't get them and I guess it's hard to find big shoe sizes over there.

*As much as he loved his MTC experience he was very excited and happy to get going. He said he couldn't wait to get to Chile and start working.

*Alex has always said he didn't want to go to Mexico on his mission and he said it again but this time gave a different reason. He said that right now Mexico is not issuing Visa's for missionaries. Because of this the missionaries who are in the MTC are staying anywhere from 11+ weeks instead of 8. He told us that in the group going out this week there were 70 missionaries that were supposed to be going to different missions in Mexico who were reassigned State side while they wait for Visa's. There was a kid in his zone or a kid that he knew who was going to a mission in Mexico and had been in the MTC 14 weeks waiting for his Visa. They just reassigned him this week to Salt Lake City. Alex is glad he wasn't assigned to Mexico.

*He ate Quiznos at the SLC airport and said it was good to have some non-MTC cafeteria food. He really liked the food in the MTC but he said it was nice to have something different and something that wasn't chicken.

*Alex told us the time difference in Chile is 3 hours ahead. I checked and it is.

*He also told us that his teacher in the MTC who is from Chile said it takes about two weeks for letters to arrive. I just updated his mailing information to the right of the blog. It tells how to use the pouch mail, mail letters & packages and how to use DearElder. It's all different now that he's in Chile.

*He was hoping that because they were landing early in the day that they might get to go to the Santiago Temple for a session before they did anything else. I didn't have the heart to tell him that that would most likely not happen :)

*Every time we asked a question that could have been answered with a "yes" his reply was "si"

*He was excited to tell us that in the SLC airport he gave away a pass along card to probably the only non-LDS couple there (for some reason my kids always think that everyone in Utah is LDS). The couple was from Chicago. They were Catholic, they were very nice and they talked about the Bible for a bit while waiting to board their plane.

*He also had fun playing peek-a-boo with a little boy before he called and while we were talking.

That about sums up the conversation other than him asking all of us what we've been doing etc. He sent home a box yesterday that has pictures in it and once we get it I'll post some.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Alex's 17th and final letter from the MTC

Hola!

Well it is crazy I leave for the airport in 2 hours! I land in Texas at 6:30 so you can do all the adjusting of time and what not. So I have two stories for you all. First I had a way cool fireside on Sunday. We had 3 composers who are in the hymn book come talk to us about 1 of their favorite hymns they have in the hymn book and why or some cool story about how they were inspired to write it the way they did. It was really neat. I kept that one short because I know this one will be a little longer.

So coming into the MTC I promised myself that I was not gonna complain in my emails home or complain too much in my journals. I have loved the MTC but it is not always gonna be perfect and I knew that and so I promised myself I just wouldn't complain I would keep working and I know everything will turn out great. So one thing I have not told you all is that my companion and I have not been getting along. He gets upset really easy and he has gone literally a full 24 hours without talking to me. When he gets upset or something like that he completely shuts down and it has been something I have been struggling with the entire time in the MTC. I have had to plan lessons by myself and teach by myself because he just refused to work with me. Well I have been trying so hard to not get upset with him and just keep working and keep doing what I know I need to be doing. Well on Saturday night 3 days before we are leaving the MTC I was jumping into bed and there was a folded sheet of paper with my name on it saying it was from my companion. It was just one of those tender mercies from God because I know he knows how hard it has been for me. The letter was just full about how sorry he was for not opening up to me and how he really has only opened up to like 3 other people in his life. How he looks up to me because I am able to personally get to know anyone and just how in our time here in the MTC I have been an example for him and everything. I don't know if I believe everything he said about me is true because I definitely don't think I am as good as he says I am but whatever. It was just so neat to see that I was able to do something. I never forced him to do anything. I never really got mad at him I did once but nobody is perfect. It is I don't know how to explain it it was just really cool to be able to get that from him. I know that I was given my companion for a reason and I am basically 100% sure because I was needing to have to learn patience. I am one of the most impatient people on this earth and I have learned so much from this experience. I know that everything that is happening to me is helping me and building me to become a better missionary so I can more fully serve my lord and God. That I am also being prepared for after my mission so I can be a better student, a better employee, and a better Father and Husband. I am so happy for all the trials and events that will help me grow that I will have here in the near future. Well I am so excited to talk to you all today at the airport. Wish me luck and I love you all!


Love,
Elder Leavitt

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Alex's 16th letter from the MTC

Hola family!

Well this is my last Thursday email! I only have like 5 days left. I am just ready to go! My zone just got a new district yesterday. Speaking of yesterday it was a ton of fun we got to host again and so ya it was sweet. I didn't get like 7 again but it was still just a ton of fun. I had some stereo typical Mormon family it was awesome. So they pull up in one of those huge vans that have like 3 rows right. Parents hop out an aunt and an uncle hop out and then like 6 kids. The aunt has a video camera the uncle some huge camera like dads then the dad has another camera. It was insane! Worst part of it was there was not a single one of them that was not bawling! All of them including the aunt and uncle which was the weirdest part for me. He had his sisters refusing to let go of him and coming back for like 2nd and 3rd hugs and what not not it was just ridiculous haha. But overall I had a blast haha.

It is so exciting coming down to the final wire of things got called into the travel office telling us when we land we will need to pay a 130 dollar airport tax in Chile. (it's not really an airport tax it's his VISA) I was like holy smokes! Then they told us the church will cover it and they will give us debit cards pre loaded with the money. I am just excited. Happy Birthday DAD!! if you want to think about it this way I will be calling for your birthday next Tuesday. Hope you are having an awesome day. Mom Colton Stanger was a friend I made up at the U in my acting class he is awesome and tell I say thanks for the message and hope he is doing good. I think that would be tight if Mahonry could look me up and come see me and take me out to lunch haha of course he needs to bring me an investigator as well haha. Hey if you could do me a favor and get me Harrison's my lds mail address cause in Chile I will be able to keep in touch with other missionary buddies I am excited about that. If you could send these next few letters to the right people I would be forever grateful haha

Hey Alycia!

I am so sorry for taking so long to write back. It is just hard cause they only give me 30 mins to write and I am a terribly slow typer. Thank you so much for all the letters you have sent me here in the MTC, and you are funny sending letters with on word on it haha. I am glad to hear everything is going well in the blue house and that you get to go home! I am very jealous in that sense haha. I am sad you missed the sisters call you would have thought you could have had a fun time talking with them. Its alright they said they are gonna try again when they land in Oakland. If you want to know my flight leaves salt lake at 2:50 but i dont know when I will get there haha so sorry besides you will be in San Diego and I will talk to you on the phone! ok well I love you a ton and I can't wait to talk to you on Tuesday!

Love your little brother
Elder Alex Leavitt

Hey Kira!

I cannot remember if I had already thanked you for the donuts or not so I will do it again. Thank you so much for the donuts!! My district loves you haha. I shared them hope you don't mind there were just sooo many haha. I still have some there were so many. I am happy to hear that you had a good time back at home and your reunion was fun. I cant wait to go to mine one day so I can see who has gotten fat and who looks like what haha. That is so cool you have a chance to audition for another job what exactly is it for? I am glad you liked Marie, I do too haha. Sorry this is so short but I am just low on time in Chile they will be a little longer I promise :) I love you so much and will talk to you later.

I love you you little bro

Elder Alex Leavitt

Well sorry this is so short but the computer was weird and cut time from me. Luckily I get to email you on Tuesday right before I leave for the airport so yay! Ok I love you guys so much and cannot wait to hear and talk to you soon!

Love,

Elder Leavitt


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Alex's 15th letter from the MTC

I can hardly believe that Alex has only one more week in the MTC and that we only have two more emails from the MTC - CRAZY!!!

Hey Everyone!

No need to worries mom I sent the sweater and I have already received the long sleeved one back. I will be putting together a little package here to send home in a little bit. So ya I have already been thinking about it but thank you for the reminder. I already have about like 70 bucks or so from my farewell stuff so I don't think I will pull out anymore but ya money on the card would probably be nice. I sent the letter to Pres. King last week so it should hopefully get there before I do.

It is insane I leave here in 7 days. It is insane I am just getting so excited and need to get out of here haha. So this is how my day will go on Tuesday. I will probably email you guys right before I leave just because I can. I leave the MTC around 11:30, my flight leaves salt lake at 2:50 and we land in Dallas. Our flight leaves Dallas at 9:30 and I land in Santiago at 7:30 in the morning! From Texas to Chile it will be a 10 hour flight. They say we can call in Salt Lake and Dallas. Would you guys want me to call twice or just once and if so which time or airport would you want? I would think Dallas because we have a huge lay over and won't be as rushed but it is up to you.

I have seen an elder Millard haven't really talked to him. I am better friends with elder Roach who is going to the Vina Del Mar Chile mission and is actually from Del Mar in San Diego. Ya I am upset you didn't answer the phone and talk to my Hermana friends. They come up to me and are like your mom and your sister did not answer their phones. I was like, wow I told them you will be calling and I just assumed you would want to talk to some missionaries that I have seen and talked to for like the past 8 weeks and have all these cools stories about what we have done haha. It's ok though I think they said they will probably call you again when they get to Oakland. (Unfortunately we were out on Saturday morning when they called the house and I had my cell phone on silent. Alycia was at the lake. I was sad I missed their call.)

That is insane the Funn's are moving to D.C. but good for them. Do you know if Sydney got my letter I sent her? And that is really cool the Marie is coming to see you guys. I find it funny she can visit while I am in Chile but when I am there she can't but whatever that's fine haha.
Well it is insane how time flies, it seriously feels like I only got here last week it is insane. I have learned so much. Not just Spanish but a lot about me and who I am, and so much about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been thankful for everything that has been given me in my life, but being here I am seeing how blessed I really have been. I am so thankful to have had this gospel in my life. There are so many people walking around this world not knowing what their purpose in life is. They don't know they have a heavenly father that knows them and loves them. I had never truly realized how this knowledge has blessed me. How those two things alone have blessed me in my life. There is so much more I can talk about but really it is amazing to me. I am so ready and excited to head down to Chile here in 7 days and share what I know with them. That if I can just help one person realize why they are here help them realize that they have a heavenly father that loves more than they know and how they can work and return to live with him again receive eternal happiness and be saved in the Kingdom of Heaven. That alone would make my mission and I could walk away with no regrets. I am so happy to be a representative of Jesus Christ, I am so happy to be able to wear his name on my chest everyday. I am also happy to have Leavitt on my chest everyday. To be a walking example of those things that my parents have taught for 19 years. To be an example of morals and characteristics they have. I am so grateful for you and having you in my life and teaching me everything i know. I love you so much and there is nothing I could do to even come close for you always being there for me.

Love,

Elder Alexander Leavitt

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Alex's 14th letter from the MTC

Hola Familia!

Well yesterday was awesome! I hosted and holy smokes was it fun and somehow I did way more than everyone else. So I hosted 7 people while the majority got like 2 or 3. Maybe its because I am a little more forward than everyone else. While everyone hesitated a split second to see who was gonna grab the person or step up and host them I just went right in was like "hey welcome to the MTC!" haha talked with the parents and it was way fun. One family actually had me stand in their family pictures weird haha.

Yes I had both types of families while hosting. The first one they were dropping off their daughter and they opened the doors took out the luggage and they were not even gonna give her a hug till I reminded them that they were not gonna see her for 18 months. Then I get the family where they pull up bawling. The saddest part is that the dad was crying the most and he was one of those tough looking guys with like the beard and everything. I was like dang, but there I was with like a family of six people just crying insanely. Also to add to the awesomeness of this day it was raining!! It has been so flipping hot here I feel like dying but we had like thunder storms and it was so much fun. I may have gotten a tad bit soaked but it was way worth it. It was just way fun to get a break from my usual schedule and do something a little different.

If you wanted to know I hasted 4 sisters and 3 elders, one of the elders I hosted is going to the California Carlsbad mission! I do not remember his name sorry, but if I remember better he is a little bigger than most people so in a about 3 weeks start asking people who hosted them haha. So the sisters in my zone are going to the Oakland temple mission and this week are starting their visitor center training. So they handed us a bunch of referrals and give them peoples names and numbers and what not. I filled one out for with Alycia's name and number. I couldn't remember anyone elses number off the top of my head. So on Saturday she can be expecting a call from some sisters that I have known that are awesome. Maybe they can have a good chat no say but the sister who will call will know me so ya. I thought she would appreciate a nice call.
I am happy to hear everyone is doing well. Not much has happened in a day and what has happened I already told you about. I feel my Spanish is becoming way better than it has been but I know it is nowhere where it needs to be for me to talk to Chilean people. From what all the teachers and from everyone I meet that has been to Chile or knows anything about it, I guess Chileans are among the fastest Spanish speakers which scares me a little haha. But I guess when I get back in two years I can rip up on Brandon and Ben haha.

Well I love you guys and I can't wait to hear from you again and I know this is a short email so don't get upset haha Tuesdays will be longer. It is so weird in 12 days I am leaving for Chile. Oh and dad to answer your last question I am sure I will have way more time to email in Chile, also there is not word or note pad in the MTC. They have these things on crazy lock down so people don't do stupid stuff. Ok i love you all and will talk to you later!

Love,

Elder Leavitt

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Alex's 13th letter from the MTC

Hola Family!

Well I was so excited yesterday because when dear elders came I had 7 Dear elders! I was like wow people love me! Then I open them up and 5 were from mom haha. I was still super excited though so no worries.

That is really cool about Matt, he is a great guy. I am sad I didn't get to see him too much while I was in Salt Lake but ya he will be a great missionary. When does he leave? That is so crazy about Brandon's test! but I have no doubt he will be able to do well he is a stud. Ok that is so funny how Sydney calls you all the time just to talk. Last week I get a letter and it is from Sydney. She drew me a nice little picture it was awesome! So I am gonna write her back and draw her a picture I am excited haha. About my whole problem I had with peeing everywhere its not my fault bathrooms are so dang far away. I don't wanna get up from what I am doing and go to the bathroom jease haha and it was when me and Ben shared a room. (I'd better explain this. I told Alex in one of his letters how Kira had gone to get Landon out of his crib one morning and he had smeared poo all over himself, the crib the walls, you name it. I told him I was glad none of them had done that but reminded him of a little peeing problem he had when he was younger - I couldn't help myself :)

That is so neat Sarah gets to do that whole special needs things. I have always wanted to do something like that. Sarah will have the time of her life and will always be able to look back on that. I know it is not the same thing but when I coached that 5th grade basketball team and was able to watch them grow and progress it was so neat and amazingly rewarding.

And I am so bummed about Harrison! Parker came in last week and we were talking about that and we realized how I was gonna miss him by one day! But cool thing, I get to host tomorrow!! I am so excited! I get to be one of those missionaries that gets to steal the families son from them for the next two years. I am pumped! From how it goes you get to host the last two Wednesdays you have in the MTC.

Speaking of my letter to Kira have you watched those Mormon.org videos? If you haven't you should because they are awesome. Ok I have no idea what sweater directions you gave me. All I remember is if you asked if I had 2 short sleeves and I answered you haha, so ya tell them to me again if I missed something.

Marie is a little snot haha. She opened my letter early haha. Its ok though I had a feeling she would she has very little patience but I already knew that and I am ok with that because I am the same way. She actually sent me a dear elder tell me all about it. That is way funny you guys did that. But it was really sweet you remembered all that and got her stuff.

Yes, I Get the Ensign every month and president Uchtdorf's talk was awesome. Speaking of which he was here yesterday. I didn't see him but some people in my zone ran into him I guess. I am super jealous. And my companions name is Jordan Nielson.
Well I think I answered everything so now I have an awesome story! So last week I wrote about how in the TRC I had an investigator who was from Honduras she was a grandmother type age of a woman, she slurs her words like a mad man, has her own dialect of Spanish and native teachers here have a hard time understanding her. Well the Lord blessed us with her again haha. My heart literally sank when I saw her sitting in the room that had been assigned to us. We walk in and I let out a little Hola Pastora! That's her name. Don't ask me how I remembered it. She says Hi invites us in and to sit down and we just started talking. I have no idea how I was able to communicate with this woman. We taught her the whole plan of salvation in Spanish committed her to live the word of wisdom after explaining it all in Spanish, lesson ended she asked where we were serving and it was just so crazy. At one point in the lesson I see my teacher Hermano Pepper in the doorway and with a huge smile on his face gave us a huge thumbs up. It was such a neat experience to see how one week we did terrible but this past week I have worked twice as hard because I did not want that to happen again, and I know the Lord recognized that and helped us. Because I know even with how hard I worked that last week I would have never been able to communicate with that women without the Lord and the Spirits help. It is just a huge testimony booster of how God loves his missionaries and how he will bless us if we work hard. I am gonna work even harder because in 14 days I am heading to Chile. It is so crazy how fast things are going. I don't feel ready at all but I know that the Lord will help me. The district older than me left for Argentina yesterday. That includes the Elders writing Sarah. So now I am the oldest in the Zone. I really don't feel like I know enough to be the oldest it is insane. In the MTC I have probably been here longer than 90% of the missionaries. AHHH 2 WEEKS I am going crazy! It's like I am so excited to get out there go to Chile, but also super nervous cause I don't feel like I know enough. Hopefully in two weeks that will change. Well whatever happens I know the Lord is on my side. And as it says in one of my favorite scriptures in Deuteronomy 20:3-4 maybe 5. OK love ya bye!