1 month!

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It's crazy to think I've been here for a month already. Most of the time i look back and i am like, "Whoa no way I've been here for a month," but then i guess there are those times when i think have i really only been here for a month? I swear we're in the Twilight zone or something because the time does not seem normal. This week has sure been interesting though. On Sunday, the branch president came into our class and said we're switching your companions. I definitely did not see this coming at all. It's all good though. My new companion is Elder Paustenbaugh. He's a really cool elder from Still Water, Oklahoma. He reminds me of my cousin Josh quite a bit. He says the funniest things. I'm planning on sending some pictures either today or tomorrow and I'll point out which one he is. It was kind of a bummer though. I had to move rooms so now I'm in the 4 person room and before there was only 2 of us. It's good though. It's quite a bit of fun having more elders the only downside is it's a bit more cluttered and i have the top bunk now. It was kind of weird too. This Saturday i was wondering when Easter was so i asked one of my teachers and he said it was that day. We were way confused though because it was really early in March but we couldn't express our concerns to him very well because he doesn't let us speak any English in his class. Rumor is though that Easter is this Sunday. No one is really sure so i guess we'll just have to wait and see. It would be kind of nice to have a calendar though so sometime if you could send one that'd be way cool.
I had my first really cool teaching experience yesterday too. We had an assignment to answer a question of the soul and my companion's and mine was "why does God let bad things happen to good people." Since we lack real investigators here at the MTC, our teacher played the role. We started explaining how people have agency and God allows them to use their agency even if they aren't using it to do good and even if that agency affects good people adversely. We shared the scripture about the women and children getting burned in front of Alma and Amulek and how God wouldn't let them stop it. We weren't really connecting with him though and so we decided to change gears and we started talking about Alma 7:11-12. We talked about how Christ suffered for all our afflictions and pains and sufferings and how Jesus can help us because of it. That was when a random scenario popped into my head and i said something to the affect of how if i got cancer, but i battled through it and ended up surviving it and then maybe one of my friends got cancer, I'd be able to help them get through it. We then talked about how God gives us trials to help others who have trials later. Later i found out the teacher was trying to be like an investigator he had on his mission who's little brother ended up dying from cancer and he couldn't figure out why God would let him die from it. It's amazing that the Spirit will work with us even when it's not a "real" investigator. I can't wait to get out in the field and find people who are really in need of help. The MTC really does teach us so much though. I've gotten so much better at teaching while I've been here and they have a good system to teach Spanish. It's crazy though, one of our teachers said we probably won't hear another word of English out of him unless we visit him after our missions.
I can't really think of anything else that's happened this week. I can't hardly remember anything i did this last week because the days start blending into each other. But I'll give the weekly family home evening scripture i guess, it's Alma 37:36 & 37 i like it because it applies to mission life and home life it reads. It talks about how we need to always be thinking about God and be grateful to him always. I better go now though. Thanks for everything know i love you all and I'm praying for you! Hasta luego! (cya later)

Elder Raymond Dale Price