Hey there,
Firstly, thanks Gram for the Valentine's card I was the first to receive one in the District, winning! Thank you Sister Clawson and Meg - the package got here yesterday and I love the snacks for during class. Finally, thanks Mom for the pics of Lance, marathon stats, and your primary's letters. They all helped to lend some life to this prison.
Ok, now to answer some questions. Grace, yes people have broken the rules already, nothing serious, but it’s happened. I could give a lot of examples but I don’t have the time. Also, the week’s going as ever. There’s really not much a distinction between when the last week ended and when the new one began, just one large haze of weariness. Mom, the excitement is still the same as it was, just trying to get ready as soon as possible before being sent to the field. Apparently starting in March, missionaries being called Spanish speaking will only have 6 weeks in the MTC. I'm thanking my lucky stars I’m not them. My companion is fantastic! Imagine a younger, Mormon version of Papa and he’s what you get. The food is...edible. I won’t go into further detail. And concerning your last question about how the sleep is here. The first week it was horrible because the sheets they give us are pretty thin and our thermostat was being held together with a pin and paperclip, and the temp was stuck on 60. Once they fixed that it’s been fine.
So now onto the events of this week. Elder Mickel and I were called to bless the sacrament on Sunday. Normally that’s not a big deal but we had to do it in Spanish, worrying about pronunciation. I am proud to say I made it through the first time, and my life time record remains intact of never having to repeat the prayer. This last Tuesday was the 50th anniversary of the MTC. For weeks there had been rumors that the entire first presidency was coming. I doubted whether that would happen, but I knew we'd get someone big. Our district sang in the choir to ensure that we had seats for the devotional. I was so glad I did, the real line was huge! So we didn’t get the entire first presidency, but we did get Elder Holland (who shared a brief message and testimony) and Elder Nelson (who gave the main talk). Add another thing to my resume, singing for two general authorities. Elder Nelson, at the conclusion of the devotional, gave a dedicatory prayer for 5 buildings here that have been under renovation. Longest prayer of my life! I swear that sucker went for a good 10 minutes. I was kinda hoping Elder Holland would speak more, but what can you do? Can’t be picky when you get general authorities.
So I've ditched running here. Having perky missionaries yelling "you're in the zone" and other stuff over and over and over on that track, not to mention the tole my legs were taking because they never switch the directions, made me stop. There’s another gym, newer and hidden, in another building that hardly anyone goes to. They have fantastic bikes and row machines that I've switched over to, plus free weights. So now I’m in biking shape, and needless to say, I make it rain, when I’m biking in there.
Also, new development, I can listen to music again!!! The MTC rules say no music so for the past 3 weeks I've been tuneless and blue. However, Elder Dudley spoke with our branch president and was told it was alright if it remained quiet in our room and all the roommates didn’t mind it. So last night I got classical, and I was as giddy as a little boy for Christmas. Anywho, that’s about it. Keep the mail coming please ;)
Elder Harker
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