Week #8 - Last one in the Bogotá MTC

So I´m on  my last week in the CCM and it´s kinda freaking me out, but I want to leave this place really really really bad. I feel like I´ve lived here my whole life. I´m super excited to get out into the field, even though I´m not going to know Spanish I just want to get out.

{Barranquilla is on the Northern coast of Colombia}

Things are going good with the native roommates, they always ask new phrases in English and help with Spanish. English is very dificult to teach with all the different sounds with letters and phrases. No me gusta.

This Saturday we´re going out proselyting again and my companion is going to be Elder De Horta and Elder Adair again! Super pumped for that, and it´s the same area so hopefully I can get some more empanadas. I´m not nervous this time though. 

American´s still dominate in sports, it gets a little boring, but we´re making it through. I´ll probably get schooled in soccer once I get out into the field anyway so I´m trying to savor the wins.

Today we went to the temple again so now I´ve gone through more times in Spanish than in English.
Really like last week nothing much has happened. We sit in class for a dumb amount of hours each day. We try to get our teachers to buy us Taco Bell or McDonalds. I´ve tried bribing them with gum from America but it never works. Getting pumped to leave, this place is kinda feeling like prison compared to Provo.

I think out in the field that my p-days are on Monday´s but i´m not completely sure so it may be a little while before the next email! Love you all! Abrazos y besos!

Week #7 - Same as It Ever Was (Talking Heads)

Well to be completely honest, this week has been very boring. Everyday we have class, teach lessons, learn Spanish, and watch some Mormon messages. Only two more weeks till I´m out of here!!!! Excited for that! 

 We have 4 other natives in our room so at night they teach us some new words and we try to teach them English phrases. Hearing them try to speak English makes me worried that I sound that bad in Spanish. There is one elder from Venezuela that I can never understand, but the Dominican (Who is supposed to have the worst Spanish) I can understand the best.  I still have a long way to go with the language, but it´s getting better and better with each week. 

This new group of misisonaries that came last week are a little better at sports, but Americans still dominate. We mostly play volleyball because the net is about 6 feet tall so we can spike like no ones business. 

I´m over halfway through reading the Libro De Mormon, it takes a long time to try to sound out everyword right and know the meaning, but it´s good. 

I really can´t think of anything else that happened. The meals over the past few days haven´t been fantastic so we are all just hoping for fish or burritos soon. Anyways that´s all for this week, hopefully next week will be a little more eventful! 

Abrazos y besos!  

Some History on the Bogotá MTC:

History

The Colombia MTC was dedicated in February 1992 by Elder Julio Dávila of the Seventy, at that time a counselor in the South America North Area Presidency. Since its dedication, 11 MTC presidents have presided at the MTC and approximately 13,000 missionaries from all over Central and South America have received their training here. In 2012, missionaries from North America assigned to serve in Colombia also began attending the Colombia MTC. 

Among the privileges enjoyed by missionaries at the MTC have been the visits of President Gordon B. Hinckley, many members of the Quorum of the Twelve, and members of the Quorums of the Seventy. These visits have helped establish the feelings of reverence and purpose that accompany the Lord’s authorized servants throughout their training here. 

It is hoped that the Colombia MTC will continue to grow as more and more of the youth of the Church make the decision to serve the Lord and devote two years or eighteen months to invite others to come unto Him. 

Weather

Although it lies just north of the Equator, the city of Bogotá enjoys cool temperatures because of its high elevation (8,660 ft. [2,640 meters] above sea level), with an average temperature of 57°F (14°C). Cloudy days are common, with rain falling about 220 days of the year for a total of 40 inches of precipitation annually.

Week #6 - Lovin' Bogotá MTC!

This week has been awesome! Class has been normal and a little boring, but Saturday we went out proselyting!! I was paired with a native from the MTC, Elder Villacorta, then we were driven out to a church building to meet with a missionary already out in the field. And he was from Mountain View! Elder Coltin Adair, it was crazy! 

{Below is a picture of the Bogotá MTC}

We went to their apartment and planned lessons, ate lunch then set out to go knock some doors. We walked up the street then Elder Adair told me to pick right or left. The left hill looked greener so we went left. It took a while to walk up the hills to get to the area we needed to be, then had to go up just ridiculously steep hills and stairs to get to the top. The entire way there dogs are everywhere, there is poop everywhere, and alot of kids playing soccer. 

When we started knocking doors, Adair took the first two, Villacorta took the third and I took the fourth. I started with the intro that we were misisonaries and had a message about Jesus Christ. She said ´no´, I said ´gracias´ and she closed the door. The next door that I knocked on I did the intro again then she just started going on about how so many bad things had happened to her in her life and how she prays to God to send help or guidance and then we showed up at the door. It was a crazy awesome experience! 

{Below is a picture of the Bogotá Temple}

After we had a two lessons with investigators, both went good. It was a really good learning experience for me, and a definate testimony builder. 

Yesterday all the other missionaries left to go to thier missions, so it was just me and seven other Americans for the entire day. We got to the temple around 9 then our drivier, Juan Carlos, told us he would pick us up at 12:30, we got out of the temple at 12, walked around took some pictures, then waited. For an hour. In the rain. He apparently went to help another driver take stuff to the airport and got stuck there. So we hurried back to the MTC, ate lunch, changed clothes, grabbed money and headed off to the currency exchange place and museum. 

The exchange rate is about 1800 peso for 1 dollar so I feel really rich right now.  The museum we went to was a gold museum and had the history of gold in the country/south america. It was really cool and interesting. 

When we were done, we walked outside and tried to call Juan Carlos on the phone he had given us. It had no reception. We walked around vendors, tried calling the number on other cell phone stands, got hit on by a prostitute, bought a watch and suckers for over 30 minutes then finally got ahold of him. Juan Carlos is not my favorite person. 

After we loaded back into the car, and headed off to a cathedral (Monserrate). This cathedral is on top of a huge hill, we had to take a huge gondola to get up there, and it's overlooking all of Bogota! We got up there as the sun was setting so got some cool pictures of that then, also with the whole city lit up in the dark. I´ll try to get send some pictures in the next few weeks. 

{Below are some pictures of Monserrate}

When we got back in the car to leave and Juan had some American music playing, we think he was trying to say sorry for ditching us twice. When we got back to the MTC we all had to change rooms so no Americans are together now and we´re getting 4 new Native roommates. After we got all changed we watched 17 miracles with President Hall. I had never seen it and it was sooo good!! 

{Picture of President & Sister Hall}  More on Bogotá MTC

Yesterday was definately one of the best days here! Can´t wait to meet new people and learn more Spanish, I´m getting more comfortrable with the language, but still have a ways to go. got some letters this week! Bummer the mail system is so slow, but I guess it's more reliable than people say! Love you all!! 

 Abrazos y besos!