Oh the MTC

Hey family!

Thanks ya'll for the Birthday wishes and candy which totally fills one of my drawers (I haven't eaten most of the stuff I brought with me.)

The MTC is going fairly decent. I'm much more better at español now and can improv (with the Spirit) like a boss. We've taught lessons about faith and baptism that we haven't prepared, but because we're prepared with other lessons the Lord provides. We did TRC yesterday which is where you teach actual people from the outside world. I absolutely loved it. There's a dramatic difference between teaching my teachers (who are actors) and actual people with real concerns in their life. I shared your story, Mom, of where you were able to push through the pain of fibromyalgia and run a half marathon as an example of enduring to the end despite our many afflictions in life. I think it really helped a Sister who we taught that had been sent home from the MTC seven weeks in because she was sickly. She was going to go to San Antonio Texas and is apparently expecting to be able to go out in May. It's pretty amazing what that seven weeks did with her Spanish, since she didn't take it in school but spoke it pretty dang fluently after seven weeks. Hopefully I can reach that level of Spanish ability by the end of my time here. The other people we taught in TRC were a little more difficult since they were less cooperative and didn't talk as much, but one was a native speaker from Chile so it was interesting to hear her speak Spanish. The other one was some guy who had gone on a mission. He told me a story that went totally over my head and I just nodded and said "have faith." But it was still good.

I've noticed that I have a bit of a gender bias. I love teaching sisters and being taught by Hermana Coller (my morning teacher.) But I really struggle with teaching men and I don't really like Hermano Fonda (my evening teacher.) I think it's mostly because he has ZERO sense of humor and seems a little too self-righteous. Hermana Coller laughs and makes joke and generally makes the time at the MTC more enjoyable. But I'm going to try and work better on that and look at all people as children of our Heavenly Father.

Somewhere else where my gender bias has peaked through is with my companion and district. They're all really great guys and all, but some are extremely self-righteous and others are just a little too full of themselves. I'm learning tolerance though and hopefully I'll be able to do better. Elder Blotter and I are really doing well teaching together and have some great unity as we're teaching (though not so much as we're planning.) Being a solo guy all my life has made working with somebody else much more difficult than I really expected it to be.

Two years seems like a long time right now. It feels like I've always been at the MTC and always will be, but the idea that I'll be able to eventually leave to the field gives me a great deal of hope. I just pray that I'll be able to get so lost in the work that time starts to fly and I'm able to stop worrying about how long I'll be out here for. It's weird and I've gotten a bit worldsick (and homesick of course.) It's just that my passions and stress relievers can't be used here in the mission field. I can't talk about politics because people in my district get all worked up about how ungodly my political views are and how I should want to control everyone's lives. I also can't read for fun or really make up stories like I used to do to lose myself in those. The book Jesus the Christ has really helped with that. It's one of the greatest books that I've ever read. I've been getting more out of that and the Doctrine and Covenants than I ever did just reading the scriptures dry. It's definitely made me more appreciative of the power granted to Eve and Mary and how motherhood is truly the weapon that crushed the head of the serpent. I don't remember the exact reference, but if you look in that book in the index for Eve it should be in about the third or fourth chapter. God gave women the power to destroy Satan and overturn the Fall. That's why Christ couldn't be born of a mortal man, but instead needed to be born of Deity and a righteous woman. Look it up. It's deep.

Well my times up, les amo con todo mi corazon. I miss you all so much and can't wait to see you again after my work is completed.

Love lots, Brayden (Elder Decker)