week one!

FINALLY IT'S P-Day!
First of all- Mom: I love you! Thank you so much for the letters every day! I honestly get choked up every time I read them.  I thought that I would be fine, but being away from home at school and being away from home on a mission are two completely different animals!
I took notes from all the letters you sent me so I could hopefully address all your questions
Mom: I am so glad that you were able to get that stinkin' wiki done! I know that you worked so hard on it and if your teacher doesn't give you a good grade, she deserves to suffer the wrath of God.  I am sorry you were feeling under the weather! I hope you feel better soon! tell Cameron I am so proud of him for doing so well on his math exam! He doesn't get that from me! Jennifer: Don't worry about not getting a blue ribbon! Science fairs are for nerds! Focus your efforts on worthwhile things like... interpretive dance...or sending me letters with pictures drawn on them!  Oh yea, I got the debit card! thanks
So I'll try to address the rest of your questions in this next part of the letter!
Week one is finally over! But I feel like I've been here forever! The first couple of days were really hard for me but I really had a change of heart on Sunday.  The speaker talked about "turbulence" and how we all go over turbulent times.  He invited some Elders to go up to the mic and talk about tough times they are experiencing.  I thought of how much i hated the food and how annoyed I was with the members of my zone.  But the first elder talked about how his dad had been gone for the last year because he was deployed and his dad got home the same day he left for the MTC.  He only got to see his dad for 3 hours before he left for Provo.  Then he got a letter from his mom saying that his dad deployed again for another year leaving her with his 3 little brothers.  The second elder said that the first letter he got in the MTC was from his parents saying that they were filing for divorce.  After these two elders spoke, I felt so guilty.  My troubles are so small compared to his.  I am truly blessed.
The food here sucks.  I would get the worst stomach aches so as I prayed for strength I prayed that the aches would go away.  I got some pretty simple revelation.  A clear "Well stop eating the food" came to my mind.  So the past few days I've only been eating cereal for all the meals.  Honey bunches of oats and frosted flakes are the from above.  I think of the Children of Israel and how stupid they were because they had to eat nasty manna for FORTY years before they were humbled! Man I ate one meal at the MTC and was humbled! Shoot!
I've seen quite a few friends from school and I have the same meal time as Amy Moffat so that is fun. I've also seen my buddy John Bennion a couple of times and that is always fun.
I've been studying the atonement lately and the more I study it the more I am filled with mixed emotions.  I've been so blessed in my life. The gospel has always been in my life and after being away from my family on am mission, with zero contact, I am filled with so much gozo(joy) that I will be with them forever! I am so excited to share the gospel and to let other children of God experience the peace and joy of knowing that our families are forever!  On the other end, the more I study the atonement, I feel so inadequate to be a representative of Jesus Christ.  He lived a perfect life and atoned for the sins of the world! What qualifies me to be his representative!
My biggest regret about coming on the mission is that I didn't bring any pictures. I was stupid to think "oh, well, I don't want to dwell on my friends" and not be focused.  But pictures of home keep you sane! so whoever is reading this, family, friends, random blogspot browser, please send me pictures!  I have seen first hand how stir crazy you can become while here in the MTC!  In the movie inception, the characters have a "totem" that lets them know if they are in reality of the fake world.  My totem is a blue shoe lace that used to tie my BYU blanket.  If I'm feeling down, I stroke it through my fingers and it takes me to my happy place.  There are some really strange elders here. I vow never to become that way.  It's embarrassing.
I find out if my visa has come through next week, so I know what I'm fasting for this Sunday!
The Spanish is actually going along very well.  I remember a lot of things and I'm pretty good at grammar.  The gift of tongues is actually working a little too well for me.  The other day I was trying to say that we needed to say something slower.  But I said it in German! everyone looked at me and was like...huh?  So not only am I remembering my Spanish, but I'm also remembering my long time dormant German!
My companion and I added up the hours we work a day and we are up 16 hours a day, with 14 of them in a single class room.  Please send me pictures, I don't want to go insane!
When I first got to the MTC they had us take a Christ like attribute exam and here are my numbers: It is out of 5.  Faith: 4.4 hope 4.0 Charity: 3.7 virtue 4.5 knowledge 4.2 patience: 4 humility 3.8 diligence 3.8 and obedience 4.7! Are you kidding me?! a 3.8 in humility! I should have gotten a 6!
Well my thirty minuets is about up.  I hope to hear from all of you because letters are the source of life.  If I don't get letters.  I will die.  For those that don't die, the food gets them.
Remember to always pray for strength.  We are weak, but He is strong and through Him we can accomplish all things.
Lots of Love,
Jason