Week three down and out here at the CCM! Holy cow, I'm halfway done here! You know, it's just like they say: here at the MTC, the days are weeks and the weeks are days. I can certainly testify to the truthfulness of that statement. Over 10 hours of class every day feels very, very long. But then a week goes by, then two, and you're just all like "What in the world is going on here?!" This last week has been really great. In fact, just a couple days ago I got myself all worked up and excited because I just realized - I can totally speak Spanish!! I mean, I'm far from fluent, but I totally am able to get my point across and understand others pretty well. The Latino Elders in my dorm are super cool guys. One of them, Elder Salazar, speaks so dang fast, though, that I just wanna die when he talks. But I heard the other day that even the other Latinos on campus don't understand him, so that calms my troubled heart a bit. He kept me and Elder Butterfield up until like midnight the other night describing to us all the different forms and variations of gangsters that like to chill in Mexico. Sounds like a pretty rough living, but to each their own... right? I think I'd rather be a missionary.
Anyway, funny story! Elder Packard, one of the dudes in my district, has this super lucky coin, right? It's some kind of two-pence piece that he's had for like years. If he ever drops it and it lands heads-down, he refuses to touch it until someone else picks it up for him, hence the crazy amount of luck this thing apparently posesses. Well like two days ago, Elder Packard decides to start licking it and stuff because he's super bored in class. And by some crazy stroke of luck (or lack thereof; maybe the coin ain't so lucky after all), he drops it in his mouth and swallows the thing whole!! It got stuck in his throat and he said it hurt somethig aweful. So he ran to the doctor and was told that he needs to eat something quick so that it'll drop into his stomach. So he had some lunch, and for the past couple days, we've all been waiting in constipation. I mean anticipation. He's determined to get it back. I'll keep you updated.
So on Saturday I got to give my first blessing in Spanish! We were doing an activity with another district of Latino Elders and Hermanas, and the guy I was paired up with wasn't really sitting well with the whole thing. Just seemed a little down. So my teacher came over and started wispering with him, and then abruptly turned to me and asked if I would give the kid a blessing! In Spanish, no less! So I was all stressed out 'cause I've only ever given like 4 blessings in my life, and certainly never in Spanish! I asked the poor kid what was wrong and he said the spirit was just gone. He didn't know what to do anymore. So we went into a room where a few of us could do it, and everything just flowed right out of me. I really have no idea what I said, but it's okay, because when I took my hands off of his head, he was just beaming. I've never had an experience like that before, and it was so cool to see the change the spirit can make in the lives of others, not to mention in the lives of missionaries!
Did I mention I'm a zone leader? No, I don't think I did. Yup, Elder Butterfield and I were called as zone leaders like two weeks ago, and it's going really well! It's really cool being able to get to know everyone in the zone and to be able to help them in any way that I can. I really like having that opportunity; it's a huge blessing!
Well I hope that you all have an absolutely fantastic week! Have a little mini prayer for Elder Packard in your heart, he's gonna need it!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Slavens
