Elder Jakob Lutze: Semana 4 (The First Letter)

Querida familia y amigos,

I have been in the MTC for about 4 weeks. That's two weeks home MTC and then... I arrived at the MTC in Mexico (CCM) on the 13th of September. So this is my 4th week! Not gonna lie everything kind of blends together so I will do my best to keep things organized here. And I apologize in advance, but this will be a very long email and there might be lots of pictures because this is my first PDay in the CCM and lots has happened.

I will talk about today first, mostly because it's just about the only day I can remember without looking at my journal. We had a really good wake up call this morning at about 1 AM. The earthquake alarms were going off and one of my roommates was yelling at all of us "EARTHQUAKE!!!! GET UP". But it was the second one we have had this week so we knew the drill. Today we also got to go to the Mexico City Temple as well as the visitor center. It was so beautiful there and the design was so unique. It was such a cool experience because even though the session was in Spanish I still really felt the spirit so strongly. It was just a testament to me that even if people don't fully understand what I'm teaching them (mostly because I can't speak Spanish) they will still feel the spirit. It was cool and all, but if I'm being honest, the coolest part of the temple was the fact that they had ESCALATORS!!!! I have never seen a temple with escalators! It was so cool! I stepped on and I just felt like I was ascending to heaven or something. My dad always said to me, "Why does it have to be a stairway to heaven? Why can't there just be escalators?" And now onto how the rest of the CCM has been.

On the flight here I definitely played poker with my district. We couldn't watch movies so why not play poker right? Overall the trip here was good and I was really excited for what was ahead of me. The next day or our "First day" was pretty rough. We didn't know where to go, what to do, or anything. We literally were like little lost puppies. And the day felt like an entire week. I was glad I wasn't alone though. But it was definitely stressful because they were giving us assignment after assignment and just an overload of information. And we also still didn't have a teacher. Throughout the entire MTC my district has had 9 teachers. Usually people only have 2. So more stress. Not to mention that that night there was a district meeting where they met with us 1 on 1, and proceeded to assign Senior companions and what not. This was also when I was assigned to be District Leader, which meant even more information and confusion. I don't always feel the most qualified for it, but it's good. All in all I truly was very grateful for the opportunity. And I love it so much.

Ever since the first day, things have just been getting so good. The routine is pretty much the same as always. Wake up at 6, go to the gym for 30ish minutes, shower, plan, go to breakfast, class, lunch, break time, personal study/comp study, more class, dinner, then more class. We have devotionals every once in a while too. Basically we are constantly doing something. It's definitely exhausting, but it has really allowed me to focus on Christ and becoming the best missionary I can be.

I seriously love my district so much. We are very connected and do everything together. We have lots of laughs together and they feel like family. And our favorite phrases in Spanish are "Que wooooow" or "Que cooool". But the thing I love most is that we are all unique. And that goes for every single person. Everybody is unique and has different abilities and talents. It is so cool to think that with 12 people in my district, if I don't have the ability to reach someone's heart, I know that someone else from my district has the ability to.

We all also had the opportunity to celebrate Mexico's Independence day here too! It was so awesome. There was a ton of shouting. "VIVA MEXICO!!!" "VIVA LA RESTAURACIÓN!!!" So so cool

Onto the subject of food. We have what is called the "MTC Bulk". Basically you can eat as much food as you want, and so we do. If I'm being honest, I'm not really sure what half the food is here, but it's good. So I eat it. Not to mention the fruit. Holy. The pineapple and watermelon here are seriously some of the best fruit I have ever tasted. It is so dang good.

Devotionals are also absolutely amazing here. For one we watched "Feed My Sheep" by Elder Holland. It was such a powerful message. And once it ended the room was just silent. Which never happens here. Ever. As everyone was being dismissed, we were all humming hymns and the spirit was so strong. Music truly has such a way of bringing a powerful spirit. We sang as a choir for another devotional and I have had very rare instances where I have felt the spirit that strongly. Maybe I felt it so strongly because there was a member of the 70 present. Elder Montoya came to speak to us. And spoiler alert for this conference, he will be speaking in it. It was a good message and the spirit was strong.

My roommates are good too! Some are from my district but there are two from a different district. We just have good times laughing, talking about our days, and doing voice impressions. Elder Rosso is by far the funniest guy I've met. He reads Encyclopedias for fun and has the best accent I've ever heard. He would be the best narrator to ever live.

This is a long email so I'll try to end it quickly here. My favorite building is the Thomas S. Monson building. It is so quiet and peaceful. My favorite time of the day is personal study. I don't always feel like I'm progressing, but then there are times for instance when this random Spanish lady had me translate for her and I did it perfectly. My comp is good. He is a little depressed and mopey sometimes. He could use some prayers. I could also use some prayers for me to know how to help him and how to lead. The CCM is absolutely beautiful. And has some amazing artwork. There is also La Tienda (Store) which is cool. I bought a really dope scripture holder. l am also extremely grateful for my mom and sister who both sent me packages this week. Seriously such a huge blessing. I have felt the spirit so much here, and have learned so much, and I am so excited to keep becoming a better missionary.

Some random facts. I have heard several gunshots, I was attacked by ants during a service project, the CCM is essentially a temple ground because there is a dedicated spot for a temple, and we have over 1000 missionaries here. Also Elder Rosso apparently eats over 15 bananas a day.

Con amor,

Elder Jakob Lutze

https://photos.app.goo.gl/kXb1VRCMPHE56JeY8