Week 4 at MTC - Swine Flu Cancels Church Services in Argentina

Hey!
My Spanish is improving and I am learning but still far from fluent. I've been teaching in Spanish recently which is hard but helpful. One of my teachers is a teacher for a native district and sometimes we practice with them which is humbling but very helpful.
Tomorrow, English dies. We're a holding a funeral service and everything. Then it's strictly Spanish.
Some cool news about Argentina: because of the swine flu, church is cancelled. This news doesn't make me feel any more comforted about my visa.
No new elders have been placed in my room. It's just Elder Goodman and I. It's really quiet now, rather different. Some interesting news on Elder G-man: he has Lamoreaux relatives in Gilbert! He doesn't know who the Lamoreauxs are. His dad just told him in a letter they had Lamoreaux fam in Gilbert.
Last week our guest fireside speaker was the guy Other Side of Heaven was based on. Tuesdays are GA firside nights. Sundays are other random people. But the big GA's always take July off from coming to the MTC so I've been getting retired 70's coming to talk but hopefully August will have some big people. The week before I came Bednar was here. Week before that, Holland (who has become my favorite apostle).
Elder Goodman and I decided to join the MTC Choir. That should be exciting since we'll be here a couple more months.
Sorry, I can't think of anything else new. Every day is a repeat of the previous and they tend to blend together, but it's still going good. Anyways thanks for the support and your abundance of optimism.
Talk to ya later.
Love,Elder LMX
(that's how my district spells Lamoreaux)

Week 3 at MTC - Delay on Getting Argentina Visa

Thank you for the shoes and gel and such. I didn't think hair product was allowed either but it is and the shoes fit. I was ahead of you on the Sharpie and bought one in the bookstore to mark all my clothes two weeks ago but thank you nonetheless. We can do a camera SD card exchange whenever you'd like =]

You can't imagine how weird it is knowing if I had been called somewhere else I would be out of the MTC today. I've come to learn that the Lord does prepare people to hear the gospel as well as the missionaries. Not very many coincidences in the mission field.

I have not talked to a visa agent and there is a 95% chance I won't leave on time. Argentina is being gay and every missionary that has supposed to have gone lately has been delayed a minimum of two weeks.

Sorry to hear about Jarrett that sucks. (Levi's cousin broke his leg.) However it reminds me of an experience here. I was playing court volleyball during gym and someone went up to spike and jumped up to block--I won--and he now has some ligament damage due to his foot landing on mine and rolling off. He's on crutches and I feel guilty everytime I see him (which is a lot since he is in my zone).

And nothing else I can think of for now that I want or need. I'm doing well and I'll see if a can take a picture with my name tag. Anyways, thank you for all the letters and emails!

Love,Elder Lamoreaux

Week 2 at MTC - Study...Eat...Study...Eat...Gym...More Studying

Hey there. There are seven people in my district as of now. And how the MTC works is you spend all day with your district. We wake and go to our classroom for personal study. Go to breakfast. Go back to our classroom for either a couple hours of personal and companion study, or a couple hours of class with one of our two teachers. Then lunch. Then class for a couple more hours with the teacher who didn't teach us before. Then dinner. Then more class time of either MDT (missionary directed time) or instruction with one of our teachers. We then plan. Then go back to our residence hall.
Gym time is thrown in for fifty minutes Mon and Wed - Sat. Still don't sleep much but I enjoy being here and I'm learning and really love the three sisters and three elders in my district they're awesome (and three of us are from the AZ so it's pretty legit...speaking of legit, apparently no one else uses this word outside Phoenix) .
Thank y'all for the letters you should get yours by the end of the week. I was supposed to meet with an Argentine visa agent today but for some reason it had to be rescheduled.
The elders who help the n00bz are the ones on their way out so I don't do that for several weeks. But yeah hopefully I'll get to see Andrew and D and Colton. I don't really see people outside my distict and zone. But speaking of n00bz...when you're new your name tag has an orange sticker on it. At the end of my first day I didn't throw it away, I just moved it to the back of my badge. Last Wed I moved it back to the front and everybody was welcoming me and being very friendly and giving me the rundown of what I knew and the lady in the cafeteria gave me extra ice cream (they have ice cream on wed for the new elders and sisters). I'm really tempted to do it again but my sticker is losing its stick.
Oh yeah...today was my first mish haircut. Twas interesting but I still have my devilish good looks, so no worries.

Love y'all. -Elder Lamoreaux

First E-mail from MTC - Survived the First Week

Well, my first week is almost over and a lot has gone down. I've learned a lot. Improved my Espanish. I made some awesome friends. An elder in my first zone and district (Elder Spencer) is from Thatcher and knows Uncle Spencer, muy c hido. My first two teachers were incredible until the district split (it started out too large) and I ended up in the new one, but my Sister teacher served in Argentina so she's pretty cool. I purchased a pocket Spanish Hymn book and I love it. I always have a hymn runnin through my head and love singing in Spanish. I ran into and spoke to the guy that went through the temple the same day I did.
The fireworks show on Sat was pretty legit...but I didn't get to hear the Jo Bros unfortunately. It's impossible to sleep here but it's gotten a lil better. The swine flu quarentine is in my building!..not my floor, but I walk by it everyday. It makes me think of the Verizon dead zone commercials. The MTC mission pres (President Smith) is very awesome and has given two great talks so far.
I was able to go through the Provo temple today which was totally sweet. It was beautiful and a lil confusing the way the layout is and such but I loved it.
My companion is pretty awesome and everyone in both my first and current districts were great to have.
I know this seems very random and quite sporatic but there's so much to say and so little time to say it.
If you haven't received my second letter yet, my new mailbox number is 320, but everything else is the same.
The food is decent, nothing to gross but I haven't gone back for seconds yet.
Gym is fun. I've been playing volleyball a lot. One of the sisters in my district is really good, and the district leader in my first district played for BYU.
Thank you guys very much for the notes. It took me awhile to figure it all out haha but I loved reading the lil rolled up scrolls.
Not like you need to or anything...but Pioneer day is coming up and I'm kinda jonezin for a Spanish CTR ring ;). Not a spinner preferrably, I don't wanna replace the awesome one I have, just have a second in the mission language =]
I'm sorry you haven't received any pictures yet but they're kinda pretty strict on having cameras out and stuff, but hopefully you'll get a card coming in the mail soon.
I love you all very much. Thank you for the support. Feel free to write. Again, I love you guys.
-Elder Levi Wade Lamoreaux