The first Week...

Hi!!!

I did get your dear elders and your packages!  Thank you so much! But are you guys TRYING to get me fat?!  haha I have shared stuff with my district so it is working out. I dont even know where to start!  This has been the most insane week of my life!  We were allowed to write letters the night we came because technically that was our P day so thats why Hill got a letter but I sent one to you too!  Im glad you guys had fun in Boise and got Jenni all moved in.  The MTC is amazing.  I can see why some people hate it but the only reason you can hate this place is if you dont want top be here and are too lazy to do the work.

So I will start with thursday.  It was SUCH a long day but very productive.  I am pretty sure I have been more productive this week than I was my entire first year of college with my school work haha.  So thursday night we met our branch presidency and had our interviews.  After everyone was interviewed he called me back in and called me to be the district leader.  There are 12 of us in my district.  I didnt think being a district leader in the MTC would have much to it except for just getting everyones mail every day.  On top of that I have a ton of extra meetings and leadership training things to go to and I also have to have meetings with elders who are homesick (which we have a couple) and companionships that dont get along. (Which we have a couple).  I have to conduct every class and meeting we have and teach district study twice a week so I have had a lot of extra stuff on my plate. But I honestly love doing it all!  Its funny because since I was called to be district leader everyone in the district asks me questions all day long assuming I am supposed to know haha when I have been here just as long as they have, but I am getting pretty good with answering their questions and getting them where they need to be. 

We have jumped right into teaching.  We struggled at the beginning of the week but now Elder Randall and I are getting pretty bomb at teaching and understanding what the investigator needs and being able to teach with the spirit. Our teachers play investigators and we also have 2 TRC's a week where we go into a room that looks just like a house and teach people. Some are members acting and some are real investigators and its insane because it feels so real and you can feel the spirit when you are with them and learn to love them even though its just role play.  We are teaching a old single man named Arnold and our first lesson with him went so great.  He is reading the book of Mormon, going to church and praying so we are going to ask him if he will be baptized next lesson, he seems like he really wants to. haha You probably think I'm weird telling you about role playing but I wish you could understand how real it feels.  We are also teaching an inactive who has been home from his mission for 2 years and stopped going to church.  You really have to go by the spirit when you teach inactives because you know they already know the material so its not like you can just teach them the first lesson again. 

At our fireside on Sunday we had a former mission and temple president talk to us and he said if you are not tired you're not being a very good missionary.  I am seriously exhausted every night so I must be doing something right! haha I love the firesides and devotionals we have, they are so helpful.

So like I told you in the letter my companion is Elder Randall. We see his dad and grandparents all the time so its like he hasnt even left home haha.  We get along pretty well which is good! He is one of those guys that kinda tries to be all professional and intellectual in his lessons which is frusterating because the investigators dont understand what he is talking about so I have to do a lot of defining haha but we are getting pretty good at teaching together.  My roommates are Elder Whitesell from South Carolina who is hilarious because of his accent.  Just picture Larry the cable guy reading the Book of Mormon and try not to laugh haha.   Elder Kay is awesome he is from Snowflake Arizona.  We have a lot in common so the 4 of us get along great. 

Its hard to remember what to tell you haha next time I need to write things down.

So I have 2 things I want you to send me. My pocket knife (its in my desk where the keyboard goes)  I always need a knife to open packages and letters but we have to use our keys.   Im gonna try to attach pictures now but I dont know if it will work.  Well I have no idea how to get my pictures on here im sorry! 

Love and miss you guys!!!

Elder Skalla