Elder Henze is alive & well! He's written me a couple letters & emails now, and I was planning on deferring the opportunity of blogging the first in-MTC update to my parents, but they've been busy sending letters & care packages and haven't gotten around to it & I just can't wait any longer! (That was a huge sentence...sorry).
Spencer is having a good time in the MTC. As expected, his first couple days were rough, but his companion Elder Ford supplied him with some life-saving ibuprofen the first day, and their friendship has been coming along great since.
Hopefully I don't get in trouble for sharing too much, but I wanted to include this excerpt from the first email he sent us:
" I'm doing really good here. It's been a tough adjustment but it gets easier every day. I feel like I belong here and this is what I'm supposed to be doing so that helps a lot. The spirit is extremely strong here and its been nice to be in its presence for such a long period of time. my teachers are really nice and helpful. mi miestro's name is Hermano Tatioka, and mi Miestra's name is Hermana Harrell. our district has decided she's pretty cute so thats always a plus :) The district gets along really well all except for the kid everyone hates named Elder Borque (sounds like bork). We've all tried multiple times to include him and have gone out of our way to be nice to him but he's just selfrighteous. It's been pretty hard to deal with but It's getting better. Doing role playing and teaching fake investigators at the Teaching Recource Center has humbled him quite a bit."Teaching is hard. I have a hard time getting through a whole lesson in one "appointment" cuz there's sooo much in each one. and trying to teach and chat with these mock investigators in spanish is redic. our first appointment had a lot of silence :) AWKWARD! oh well. the language is coming along pretty well. the teachers are really good here and no doubt the spirit is helping me out a lot."
Since that letter, Spence sent me a couple hand-written letters about the day-to-day of his experiences. He loves his companion's sense of humor (so do I after hearing the stories) & they seem to be getting along great. As far as Elder Borque goes, Spence said he's been trying to be nicer to the guy, & for the most part its going pretty well.
I can already tell that Spencer is learning and growing a lot, and I'm very proud of him and excited about what he's doing!
I've been trying to contain that excitement, but can hardly help myself sometimes. When I go shopping (grocery or otherwise) I find myself pausing frequently & thinking to myself (or aloud if Cory is present) would Spence like this? Could he use this? Would he be embarrassed to get this? Consequently I've been buying a lot of snack foods & extra gospel-related trinkets lately.
After Spencer got the first package I sent (I've sent 4 now ha ha) along with the myriad of letters I've written, he wrote & thanked me, letting me know how much it meant to feel supported & said, "Getting a package here is like winning the lottery."
So naturally I had to send him fresh Krispy Kremes a couple days later! (Oh the joys of same day MTC delivery). Its been fun. I've only gone out of my way to drive past the MTC like 3 times since we dropped him off, so I think I'm doing well.
If you want to send Spencer letters, emails or packages, please don't hesitate! He might not have a ton of time to respond, but I know he would love it and it'll mean more to him than he'll have time to write back :)
In case anyone is wondering, he doesn't have a CD player & headphones aren't aloud at the MTC, so until further notice, I don't know if he has any way to listen to CD's. Just throwin that out there b/c I didn't know that until recently.
Stay tuned for more pics & updates! I'll post 'em as I get 'em :)
P.S. Happy Easter!
Left to Right: Elder Manwearing, Elder Outsen, Elder Henze, Elder Ford
"Los Misioneros de Oaxaca!"
Good 'ol Spence - what a flippen' fetcher! :)
Spence & his MTC compaion, Elder Ford at the Provo temple.
