Jan. 14, 2012 - My First MTC Mail!

My First MTC Email 

From:	<julien.froude@myldsmail.net>
To:	cfroude@att.net

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Hey Family!

This is my First MTC Email EVER!!! So let me explain how this email/p-day thing works so that you guys can know what's going on. So, today is my p-day cause it's our first week, but for the rest of the time I will have p-day on Friday. It's assigned for my district. We can't have all several hundred missionaries all doing email at the same time, right? I'm not going to worry about spelling and grammar cause I only have 25 minutes...so sorry Mom!!! Pasensyia!!!

Oh! Now back to my first few days. Bear with me this will be a pretty long story, and you'll appreciate the awesomeness!!! ASTIG! astig=awesome/cool

So, once I got out of the car, we took a few pictures and then the host missionary took me off to where I was supposed to go right? Well, it was really good he was making conversation with me cause I had some tears going...ya know how it is ;) Oh btw glad to hear you guys made it back safely...besides the ticket...haha…I’ll address that later. So continuing on...these past few days have been the busiest craziest and most mind boggling days ever. Once I stepped foot inside, it was from one station to the next, picture, id, badge, books, more books, to classroom. And it came to pass ;) that from then on our teacher spoke only Tagalog to us O.o oh my gosh! Not a single English word out of him besides some key phrases and such. But oh man!!! I'm already being fully immersed in the language.

Funny thing about our classroom is that we spend 15 hours in there a day! Lots and lots of studying, with classroom instruction and such. But then comes the best part. So while Brother Lopez (our teacher) spoke nothing but Tagalog to us, everyone else was so confused and being overwhelmed...however; I felt that I could understand most of what he was saying. It's as if the 19 years of listening to Tagalog suddenly came to my remembrance, and things are clicking well for me ^_^  I’m so thankful  for the Spirit and the gift of tongues (Nagpapasalamat po ako sa Espiritu Santo at sa kaloob mga wika) but, I can only reply in English or simple Tagalog. I'm okay with that…speaking will come in time. 15 minutes left.

With my companion, Elder McCoy

Ummm... So that was Day 1.  Let me tell you about my class/district. There are 5 people in my district. They are all going to Quezon City except for one who is going more south of us...I forgot what that mission was. No matter. Anyway my Companion is Elder McCoy from Lehi, Utah. He's 19 and a really funny guy. By that I mean I didn't know him well enough in day 1/2 to know when he was flat out lying with his great poker face. I've caught on now haha. Not lying about anything bad, just making me feel like I’m making a mistake about something about him. Like when  someone says he’s from Utah, he'd be like “No I’m not. That was the other guy.”  Haha.  Okay not important. 

Elders Rakuru, McCoy, Me, Wilde, Alofa'ae

Anyway, so the other guys in a threesome companionship in my district are, Elder Wilde from Placerville CA, Elder Rakuru from Fiji, and Elder Alofa'ae from New Zealand. They are all really great guys, and are learning Tagalog quickly. Elder Alofa'ae is the one going south. Anyway, it's interesting learning about MTC life, Fiji life, Samoan life, and Tagalog all at once.

Oh!!!! Big thing, I am the District leader of MTC branch 2 district D. :) The branch president called me two nights ago to fill the role. ^_^ I'm grateful to have the opportunity to lead. Everyone looks to me anyway, when we're in class if they don't know what the teacher says. 6 minutes left... I would translate for them.  So I’m helping them a lot with Tagalog. My companion says he's so lucky to be able to have me help him with Tagalog.

Oh!!! So dang... 4 minutes left. So much to say so little time. 

So, apparently, they gave us an investigator on our 3rd day and I’m like O.o?  It's so weird, she speaks Tagalog and we're to teach her in Tagalog. I thought it was someone from around here right? An actor or something...wrong! It was a real investigator!!! Aiza Mabalot from Baguio studying law and she came here for law school conference. She speaks no English at all!!! I was so shocked haha! But it was really good for us. What we had prepared wasn't enough eventho we spent a good 3 hours trying to prepare. It ended up us giving a few lines of gospel truth after getting to know her, and then me using what little Tagalog I can speak to try to explain what was going on. It was so hard, cause I knew what she was saying and asking. But I couldn’t reply to her or tell her what I wanted. I knew how to say it all in English but not Tagalog so I’ll work harder.

 Anyway. I'll write a letter because I have 20 seconds left. I love you all I'm doing fine, the food isn't too good but bearable. And I love you!!! Bye!!!

Mahal Kita,

Elder Froude ^_^