Hat Trick + Almost One

Hello Family,

Unfortunately I haven't been able to host anyone yet. You can't do that until you have been here for 7 weeks, so I won't be able to host Brendan or Jase. Thanks for the stamps and envelopes, they got ehre just in time. Also thankyou for the candy. I weighed myself on Sunday and I have offically gained 2 pounds...kinda lame. Yeah Casey taught me a couple of weeks ago, it was kind of wierd, but it was still cool. We see each other all the time. As far as how much Spanish I am speaking, we have a goal in our district not to speak English. So I really only speak English when I forget, when I am explaining something gramatically to someone or when I am talking to someone who doesn't speak spanish. I find myself stating off conversations in Spanish, forgetting that the other person doesn't speak spanish. It is hard sometimes, but I like it. I can't talk as much as I normally would and it is forcing me to listen. I listen and learn. I am in an intermmediate class, so is Casey. there are 3 levels of spanish at the MTC, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The advanced is the native speakers, so I got into as high of a level of spanish as was possible. That was not a good sentence, sorry. So for a schedule it usually goes like this.
6:30 - wake up
7:00 - personal study in the classroom
7:45 - Breakfast
8:25 - Gym
9:45 - Class
12:30 - Lunch
1:15 - MDT (we choose what we want to study and we don't have to be in the classroom) For MDT I usually do a half hour of spanish Book of Mormon out loud, then a half hour of Preach My Gospel study, then a half hour studying vocab (40 words a day), then a half hour spanish grammar from our text books, then a half hour study in the english Book of Mormon. When I have more time then I start the process over again. We also try to go contacting, we try for 16 contacts a week where we share a scripture and our testimony in spanish.
5:30 - Dinner
6:15 - Class
9:00 - Planning Session ( we plan what we are going to do for MDT the next day and write down the schedule)
9:30 - Be back in the residence (write in journal, extra study...)
10:30 - Lights out
Once a week we teach a full lesson to an investigator in the TRC, and twice a week we go to the RC to make calls (in spanish) to people who have ordered things from the Church. On Thursdays we have service in the morning where we go and clean one of the buildings, and then on Thursday nights we have gym at 8. Night gym is the absolute best. We play soccer on the big field under the stadium lights, in spanish. The Best. It's pretty much go, go, go, from 6:30 to 9:30 all day every day. I hope that answers any questions. By the way my new teachers do not include Hno. Burrup, he teaches beginner spanish. I have actually only gotten 1 or 2 nosebleeds so far. I have been trying to dink a lot of water because they happen more often when I am dehydrated, and it is really easy to get dehydrated here. If you do send another package, could you send one of my long sleeve t shirts? Probably the navy blue cable bridge run one, it is starting to get colder here. As far as food goes I'm pretty set, but if you were to send food I would want healthy things like granola bars and trail mix as opposed to candy. We only have an hour to be in our rooms (where our food is) after the day is over and eating a ton of sugar makes it hard to go to sleep. Could you send me a couple talks please? The first one is by Marion G. Romney called "The Light of Christ," it is from April 1977. Also "Tjhe Spirit World, Our Next Home" by Dale Mouritsen. Thanks. OOO the 2nd best thing happened on Monday, I scored a hat trick. 3 goals, it was the best gym ever. 2 in the large field and then when everyone left early I joined a different game and scored in it too. I almost had four, but an elder jumped up and blocked it with his chest, then I kicked to rebound but the goalie just barely tipped it. The 1st best thing was that on Tuesday Elder Holland came! My district was ushers for it too, so we got really good seats. I don't have enough time to talk about it here, so I will talk more about it in the letter. I will also send the SD card with the letter. Thank you so much for everything. I try to pray for you all everyday, I love you so much.

Braden