Week 5

Dear Familia,
Cómo estan ustedes? I hope everything is going well. Just so you know, anyone in our
family can email me, including extended relatives I think. Anyways on with the weekly letter:

Well this was my last week as District Leader. My companion Elder Spencer is now the new DL.
We had a fourth elder for a couple days last week, but he got his visa delayed, and so he is
going to Cleaveland, Ohio for a transfer until his visa gets here. I'm pretty nervous that
the same thing will happen to me because I got my papers turned in so late, I figure whatever
happens happens though. I still think it would be a good Idea to pray for me to get my visa
on time though. So we were in 2 companionship district for a while, and now were back in a
trio, so it is Elder Spencer, Elder Mackay and I now.

I got your letter. I'm so glad you made Sam go to youth conference, because you made me go all
4 years. I sent some stuff home that you should be getting this week. Thanks for finding the
neck extenders, I hope they arent expensive, because if they are just make some and I'll sew
them on. I still have like 5 shirts that I haven't even opened yet, but I figure I will once
I get down there. Just so you know I took some money out of my account, and I'm going to take
like $100 more this next week, because I want to make sure I have cash before my Checking card
expires on my birthday, because you are supposed to have a fair bit of traveling cash when you
go, and My travel plans should be getting here in 2 weeks. I only have 1 month till I fly out
to El Salvador. My scheduled departure date is Monday April 12, 2010, and lets hope it doesn't
get pushed back. It was cool to get a letter from Elder Stapely, all the way from Manaus,
Brazil.

My ankle is fine now, I can play basketball and run and everything without a problem. We are
teaching in Spanish for the First time in the TRC this week. We have taught in spanish before,
but only in practices like in class or with other districts. I don't like the TRC at all lol.
It stresses me out thinking about it, even though we aren't graded, and nothing in it really
matters, it still feels lke a test for me. All of our buddies that we made the first weeks
have gone out to the field now, so we are getting to be one of the more senior districts. We
still are doing just fine though. Going on a mission is actually a lot of fun, You can have
fun with your companions and your district while still getting all your work done. The MTC is
a really spiritual place though, and you can feel the spirit a lot when you teach, and when
others teach you.

One of the things that we did for our last district meeting was that I had everyone in the
class go around think of one or more people that they wished they had shared the gospel with
while they were back home. It was a very good experience, and one of the things I realized
was that if we could all have the level of personal care and interest in our investigators that
we do in the friends that we spoke about back home, I believe a lot of people could be touched,
because when it is personal, and the people really know that you care about them and want them
to have the gospel, then you are able to bring the spirit to what you say, and people will feel
that. That's probably the most spiritual thing that happened this week. I guess thats all you
really want to hear about lol. There is a very strong spirit at the MTC, especially as a
missionary, there is no denying that. But its not the most interesting thing for me to talk
about all the time. When people's lives are being changed instead of just a bunch of
missionaries feeling the spirit I think that is what I would be much more interested in writing
about.

Anyways, lemme see, whats a good funny story that we have for today...hmmm... Well there is this
new district, and all the people in it are just a little wierd. And we were out in the hall, I
was in the bathroom, and the rest of my district was in the hall, anyways I come out, and go to
get a drink, and the wierd district's room is behind me. So I didn't see it, but Elder Pyne
and Elder Mackay saw it: One of the hermanas in the wierd district was standing in the door
way, she stuck out her tounge at us, turned and then licked the doorway......It was just
really wierd, and almost everything they do is a little wierd.. But this just creeped us out a
little bit. But hey anything to get a laugh out of is great! lol.

Today we went to the temple, and I got a chance to do Sealings, We had done 4 sessions in a row
and were starting to get tired of it... but anyways We went in to do sealings with a couple old old old

people, and we ended up being in there for like sooo long, but it was a good experience. I never had

a chance to do that before. Something funny happened on the way home, We were about to get to

crosswalk, and a BYU security guy rode up to us on a bike and said, "Theres a guy on the corner up

here passing out anti-mormon stuff so just ignore him, he is a payed 'protestor'." It was pretty wierd

We just told him that we weren't interested and kept walking, I hope everyone else did the same, the

MTC even sets up trashcans to throw away the papers if they hand you one. haha kinda strange to

see that kind of stuff, but they do that at the temple open houses too.

Don't have much else, tell people they can write me and I'll answer them! Make sure my address is

up on the bulliten board! Anyways, I hope everything is cool out in the bay, It keeps snowing out

here and stuff. But yeah I'm always open for packages and letters! I will look into sending a letter

to president Westover, as well as Bishop eventually. Tell them they can always read my letters on

the blog. They might not want to with all the talk of body functions hehe. Well I sent some pictures

today so you should get them soon, there are a few little messages to people too.

Asalamalaikim, much love,

Elder Joseph Lopez DeVictoria