Well here at the MTC things are kind of odd. So first off,
being with a companion all the time is fun and all, ...but it's not. I'm such a
solitary person and I don't like to be with people really, but I guess I'll
have to get used to that. I would like to send home pictures that I have taken,
but the computers here are so restricted that it is near impossible to upload
anything from my camera. So if you would like to send me pictures, which I
would highly reccomend you do, they must be actual photographs sent through the
post office.
So day one I arrived here, picked up my language materials,
and went to class with Sensei Taylor! (Ben). He only speaks in Japanese which
is so frustrating but I guess it will help us learn better? So Japanese is
extremely difficult. I have successfully learned to pray, and I can also say
certain sentences like, I believe God answers our prayers, (Kamisama ga inori o
ukeru to shinjite imasu) Japanese is backwards of english where the verb comes
at the end of the sentence so like instead of saying "I am Elder
Pace", it is "Watashi wa Pace Choro desu". I guess it'll come
more naturally after a while but we'll see. Here is something I HATE about the
MTC. So in school, they will teach you all of the material before you have a
test, so that by the time you are tested, you can get 100% of the questions
right. Here at the MTC however, they test you after you know maybe 10% of the
material, so there is no possible way that you can pass! How intelligent of
them to structure it that way... Anyhow I have been struggling trying to keep
my cynicism from getting the best of me, but there are so many things that I
feel like they could improve. Yesterday Elder Sorensen and I taught our first
"Lesson" in Japanese (meaning I did all the work, wrote up the whole
lesson and Elder Sorensen said Konnichiwa at the beginning and Sayonara at the
end) Teaching these lessons teaches us nothing because we can't understand a
word ou investigator says to us, and can barely even say anything at all in
Japanese. It'd make much more sense if we were just taught to speak Japanese
and learn to understand before they just feed us to the wolves. I have just
decided to have fun with these lessons because otherwise I will stress out and
be bugged whenever things don't go exactly as I had expected.
My companion is Elder Sorensen, he is from Lehi, UT and went
to Pleasant Grove High School. He played soccer and has strawberry-blonde hair.
He also looks kind of a lot like a horny-toad... He also sleeps with this
stuffed Elephant his girlfriend gave him that is kind of gross. We named the
Elephant "Big Rhonda" He isn't quite as dilligent as I am but I guess
that is just something I will have to get used to as well. There are six elders
in my room and we're all going to southern Japan. Myself, Elder Sorensen, Elder
Kemp, Elder Mak, (Pronounced Mack), Elder Thurman and Elder Young. Elder Kemp
is 19, went to Brighton High and knows the Lambsons, is going to Kobe, and
loves skinny ties. He also is our district leader. Elder Mak is the comic
relief of my misison, he's going to Tokyo South, is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and
is a cross between Le Fou and Elder Calhoun from the best to years. He is the
only one in our room who isn't writing a girlfriend and I think it bothers him
when the others talk about theirs, his MTC ID card picture resembles very
closely the most hated man in the world, Adolf Hitler, he has managed to break
the shower handle, spill orange juice all over his shoes and socks, doesn't
brush his teeth that I know of, his belly shakes when he laughs, and he kind of
smells. Elder Thurman is from Heber City and is going to Tokyo South he also
knows the Seguras. I know the least about him but yeah. Elder Young is going to
tokyo south, lived most of his life in Russia and is ripped. He seriously could
break me like a chopstick if he wished.
Waking up at 6:30 hasn't been much of a problem, but when my
district stays up and talks fo hours after every night despite my requests that
they let me sleep, it gets harder to wake up. My companions do not like my
alarm clock, but it does the job and we all are fine after the first minute or
so after our ears stop ringing. I really do love my district and we get along
really well which is great.
The food..... it's sub par, but the chocolate milk is
excellent! Although Sundays food is severely lacking I hear so feel free to
send me food for when I will be hungry AKA every night at like 9 because for
some reason dinner is at 4:00... who's the genius who decided that?
My P-day for the next 9 weeks is Saturday which is when I
will write my emails and most of my letters. If people wish to write to me,
DearElder.com is the Shiz. It provides free same day delivery while I'm in the
MTC so it is great for the next 9 weeks! It's the same format as an email which
is really convinient for the sender because then they don't have to worry about
stamps or envelopes or anything! basically use DearElder.com! Also the little
kids that I know spend like 10 hours on the computer each day have no excuse
not to write me a quick letter! I promise I will write back either via email or
letter!
So here are the people I see at the MTC or think I see here.
Elder Cort Jackson I see a lot seeing as he is also going to
Japan and lives the floor below me. Elder Robbie Neff I see quite a bit. I also
see Elder Darrell Day, Elder Brandon Bitner, and Sister Sarah Howard? I actually
enjoy seeing people I know a lot more than I would've thought, I ran into Elder Nick
Liddell last night which was great! I always seem to see people like that at
times when I am frustrated or lonely or missing Mindy or my family and it helps
to lift my spirits.
Everyone here seems so happy, and I don't know why. I don't
feel the spirit here any more than anywhere else, and I am constantly reminded
how stupid I am and how terrible of a Japanese speaker I am. I don't get it!
Although everything seems hilarious here, it's like I am so starved for humor
that anything that is the least bit funny at all we will laugh at so much more
than we should.
Elder Sorensen is instant messaging his girlfriend right now
which I'm pretty sure isn't allowed but oh well. They're gross with all their
smiley faces btw. (never use smiley faces, ever! just a word for the wise) I'm
shocked to see how many Elders are just lazy, they sleep during study time, they
don't go to the temple, they don't wake up or go to bed on time... the list
goes on. I just feel like people can't expect to be blessed if they aren't
obedient duh!
Well, this is my life at the moment. Try not to miss me too much! I love you!
Jonathan,
Elder Pace
Pace Choro
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