3.8.11 Update

Here are some excerpts from Andrew's e-mail home today, he starts by answering some of the most frequently asked questions he's received.

Are my teachers RMs?

Yes, both of them served in Russia. Brother McCleary served in Novsbirsk (sp? I only know how in Russian) and Brother Rutter served in Vladivostok. They have both been back for 2 or 3 years.

Are there other elders going to Samara?

Yes in my District there are 5 elders going to Samara and 5 elders going to Ukraine Donetsk, although obviously we are all Russian-speaking. In the other districts in our zone there are probably 3 or 4 more Samara-bound elders, and 1 or 2 sisters. Elder Johnson (Ian) isn't in my district, and I actually think he's not even in my zone, but all the Russians have Gym at the same time slots, so I play volleyball with him all the time. He makes me look even worse at it than I already am.

Are there sisters in my district?
Nope. Which is probably a good thing. Less distraction during class. There are some sisters in my zone though. They are all awesome, for reals.

What is different about the MTC than what I expected?

Hm. Everything. I never really gave much thought to the concept that it was a campus, so for some reason, I had it in my mind as one building. So there's that. Stop laughing. The food is similar to the Canon center, which is also not what I was expecting. I dunno. I feel like whatever describing I do, it's not really going to give anyone an accurate idea of what it is. Once my schedule normalized, it's pretty straightforward. Wake up, shower, breakfast, lunch, dinner, MDT, Class, and Gym, just in different orders and different quantities depending on the day.

Am I loving it?
Of course! It's awesome. Once I adjusted I started having a ton of fun with the elders and sisters in my district and zone and the teachers and everything. My roommates are particularly hilarious.

How is the food?
I've never had to judge food based on more than one day of experience with the same meal. While everything tastes pretty good on the way down... let's just say Pepto Bismol is currency here. That sounds like complaining. I really do enjoy the food. I just need a couple more years for my system to adjust.

Companion?

Lots of questions were asked about my companion. Nobody actually just wrote a letter that said, "Companion?" Don't worry. Anyway, my Companion is Elder Andrew Angerhofer. We're both from Highland, both going to Samara, and both of our grandmothers guessed our missions correctly before we received our calls. I didn't know him before because he went to AFHS, but apparently he lives really close to Mrs. Jolley and knows her really well. So tell her Elder Angerhofer is my companion, Garrett! So yes, Elder Angerhofer is my MTC companion and will be the entire time I spend here.

How do classes work?

Anything that shows up as "class time" on the schedule can be either MDT (Missionary Directed Time) or actual Class Time with either Brother Rutter or Brother McCleary. MDT is when we do our own studying. Personal study (like reading the BoM, etc.), Companion study (where we primarily plan lessons for our TE investigators) and Language study, which is self-explanatory. It's good, but sometimes I feel like we have too much MDT to use it all effectively.

Am I excited for Russia?

No. (I got a little bit sick of answering this question before I left. Of course I'm excited!)

How long am I here?

My projected departure date is May 9th. So assuming my Visa comes in on time, etc. then around 8 1/2 more weeks.

Anyway, to everyone who has been writing me DearElders: thanks for the mail. I love getting it. But I don't have enough time on P-days to respond to every letter I get individually. A hint though: handwritten mail gets higher priority :D For everyone who I don't get back to personally, I'll try to include you in the emails I send weekly. I've gotten DearElders from Dwayne & Melissa, Vance, tons from the immediate family, and a few other people that I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. Thanks a ton for writing! Getting mail rocks, it gives me something to look forwards to even when my brain is being assaulted by ridiculous Russian grammar.

A quick update of things around here:

-I'm still learning Russian. It's hard. They have 6 cases and 3 genders, which basically means that any given adjective can have 18 different endings based on its role in the sentence. It's a little bit crazy, but at least it's not as bad as Finnish (16 cases). There are also dozens of verb endings, which is kind of frustrating, but I'll get it. Practice + the Spirit = Russian-speaking Andrew (eventually).

-I'm also learning tons of stuff about how to teach effectively. There are all sorts of cool tools and resources here. My favorite is the TE, where you can sign up to teach "Progressing Investigators" -- people who work here that have created real characters for you to schedule and teach multiple times as if they were actual investigators. In 3 weeks, we are limited to teaching them in Russian, so I better get a move on and take advantage of the time I have left to practice in English.

-Gym time rocks. I'm going to be so ripped when I get back. Just so you know.

Thanks for the letters and everything. I know this church is true and I'm way excited to spread the gospel to those people who haven't had the chance to receive it yet. It's an awesome opportunity.