Week 8 - 08/18/2011

Hello family! I'm pretty excited and nervous, after all I'm going to a place where I have the ability to talk like a 5 year old. I fly right to Puebla. Anywho... I will get to call you. I have a 6 hour layover in Houston. So yeah... that's when I'll call. I can´t remember exactly when that is. I think a little after 12, Houston time, whenever that is.

Well things are starting to wind down here. I did some hosting yesterday. Apparently, Scott came in yesterday, but I have yet to find him, I hope I see him. Um... other than that I will be collecting photos from everyone in the district and uploading them so everyone's' parents can get pictures. It´s crazy I'm almost done here, it feels like I just got here. I haven´t thought too much about leaving. It´s kind of weird to think I just went to the temple for the last time in 2 years. Well idk know what else to say.
If you want to make fun of my music then, go to lds.org, go to the youth, then music. Yeah that youth music is my jam now. I like the contemporary category the best. I think I like Shout for Joy the best, but Nearer My God to Thee is pretty good too. Drastic times call for drastic measures....

Week 7 - 08/11/2011

So life it pretty much the same here. I will now explain the most frustrating thing that has happened to me in the whole MTC. So the computer in our room broke. You would turn it on and in hung up and wouldn't continue. It was quite clear that the boot record had become corrupted. So I went to the IT office and explained what was wrong with it. Then they tried to connect to it remotely, duh… that wont work if it won't even boot. Then they came by to see if they could fix it. The guy said he had never seen it, and that he was going to reimage it, but he didn't do it right. Then it failed, then they just replaced the machine. The machine that they replaced it with didn't have TALL installed on it. I actually knew how to install it, but I’m not supposed to know that, so again I went to the tech office for help. They then remotely tried to fix it and made it worse.... then 3 days later they got some one to fix it right. Ugh… so annoying, I would have been able to fix it if I had all my tools at home on the first issue... ugh… incompetence. Anywho… another computer related thing. We got a new member into our district because he was delayed because of injury. He is super cool: Elder Craig. However his companion was with us for a day. He found out I liked computers, then tried… note tried to out smart me about computers. It was kind of sad… I wasn't really even trying, he would ask me about something, and I would just respond and end up talking too complicated for him. Then he would just ask me about some other random computer things, and you could tell he was trying to show he knew more than me or something. I don't know why people like that clash with me so much. I think they are threatened by my geekiness, lol! Anywho… I went to the Mexican Consulate yesterday, in Salt Lake. That was so weird to leave the MTC. It was even more wierd driving past BYU that seems like a whole different life time ago, brought back a lot of memories. Yeah, so I hope that the travel plans come today, they should. I should be set for my Visa. OH… i got a hair cut!!! It is super short! I got it down to a 4 with the clippers. I figure, I don't really care what I look like, the less haircuts I have to get the better!! So I’m trying to think of anything else that has happened. I have TOOO much food in my room. I get a big package every week from the Wigington's in American Fork, and I just got a package from the Greenfields, I think I will need the miles and miles of walking when I get to Mexico. I got to host yesterday as well. That was cool, it was something different, which is good. Spanish is coming along pretty well i guess. I just have a feeling I will die of shock when I get to Mexico no matter what though. I’m pretty good at giving lessons, but regular talking could still use a bit of work. Yeah, not much else is going on here.
I got my travel plans. My flight is a 8 in the morning on the 22nd. Then I have a 6 hour layover in Houston, then I fly right to Puebla. I'll mail more info.

Week 6 - 08-04-2011

Hello family! No visa yet which is kind of annoying.  The other three elders going to Verjermosa (sp?) Mexico got theirs which has me a little worried but what ever.  So it seems like all of you are having great fun up north! I am so jealous. Looks the same as always. So I’m trying to think of anything new or exciting that has happened here... 
We failed our room check today!! We were at the temple and all of our stuff was everywhere.... what ever. 

So Elder Petersen dreamed that I was in a knife gang and I was confessing to him that I kill people... So we found our Elder Brock, the one who went to the Peru MTC, got sent out to the field early and got made a district leader.  That’s crazy! So a bunch of the elders wrote "engagement letters" to Elder Alvey's sister.  I choose not to because that is creepy. Anywho, she wrote back everyone that wrote them and in Elder Petersen's letter she asked if he knew Hope Gueller.  She almost got the state right........  Minnesota, Wisconsin, same thing right?   Anyways… you will have to ask Hope if she know Abby Alvey when you get back.

Elder Brock

Elder Alvey

 So I missed a song for the first time.  I haven't missed music up until now, but yesterday I really wanted to hear a certain song, which is a song I don’t listen to a lot, but it was the "Time Stands Still" goes like… “time stands still, I’m looking back but I want to look around me now... something, something, all of the people and places that surround me now....” something like that.  I really didn't even listen to that song so much.  So… I think that is just about it. Have a super time up north!!!

Elder Kennington, Curtis' Long Lost Twin from Helaman Halls

Other MTC Experiences

Wall Running???

Can Collections

Home-mzcd Piniata

Creative Tie Knots

Closet Exploration

Week 5 - 07-28-2011

So life is pretty normal here. I went to the temple today, that was was pretty good. Yeah, I wonder if some of the kids think that Nathan is me. 

So... Elder Petersen and I lost our perfect situation of having our room to ourselves.  We got some new Elders that moved in yesterday. Kind of a disappointing.  They are nice though.  However, one of them has a sleeping disorder thing.... randomly through the night he makes a super loud snore thing that lasts about 7-8 seconds.  I woke up to it five times last night... ughhhhh.....   I'll see if ear plugs help at all.....   it reminds me of Bedtime Stories,  the "sleep panick disorder..."  Oh well what are you going to do.

The other Elders that are going to Mexico, Cole, Bowman, and Rascon all got their visas.  I hope Elder Peterson and I get ours soon.

 

 

Elder Cole

Elder Rascon

Elder Bowman

 Spanish is coming along pretty well, I'm getting more comfortable talking in it, but when I hear the hispanics speak in the cafetera, I still don't understand anything.  So I don't know what else to write....

Anyways thats about it! I'm starting to get sick of this place, just a little.... maybe a bit more than a little, but whatever, I'm ready to get off to Puebla already!

OK...well thats it, too bad we couldn't chat today.  This will be about the time I will be on the email now that the temple is open.

Week 4 - 07-21-2011

Well not much new happens here at the MTC, it is pretty much the same all the time.  Deja vu over and over and over..... Elder Bowman's foot is broken.  I went to the clinic, just the one here at the MTC, and in the waiting room I ran into Sister Moore.  Yeah, it was kind of random to run into someone from WI. She apartently dated Spencer Riches for like 3 years... how exciting..

So another thing. You know how much I don't like door holding, it is worse here. Let me explain.  One Elder opens the door.  His companion goes in and goes up the stairs, 10 people also go in.  Then his companion stops at the top of the stairs to wait for the Elder holding the door.  Then he CLOGS THE WHOLE STAIR CASE.  It happens so many times.

What Happens When You Lose Yourself in the Work: Black Socks with Shorts

Week 3 - 07/14/2011

Well its week three, and my perspective on time is so messed up here. Anyways what has happened in the past week? Two new advanced districts came in to our zone, so we are still the dumbest district in our branch... oh well. Also Elder Brock left to finish off his MTC experience in the Lima Peru MTC. He was the one roommate we had left, so its just Elder Petersen and me in our room now. Its kind of nice to have more space. So on a more weird note, yesterday, a bird some how got in the room next to ours of some other elders in my district. We chased it out, but it was like... how the heck in that happen!!! Other than that it's pretty much extreme deja vu EVERYDAY............ yeah every day feel exactly the same, but whatever... that's cool.

Elder Petersen and Curtis

Week 2 - 07/07/2011

That's sad to hear about grandma. I hope your doing ok. She was a great grandma, I will miss her. I'm really glad that I had a chance to say goodbye before I left.
This has been an insane week for me and the district. One Elder got sent home for some worthiness stuff. Then we got a new Elder that same night. He is old, like 22 or 23 and it's been hard, because he doesn't mesh as well with the district, so I've had to work somethings out and have talks with district member to resolve some potential conflicts and such. Its been kind of weird, but everything thing seems good now.
On July 2nd we got a special 4th of July fireside, then we watched the fireworks that were from the stadium of fire. It's kind of awful that this next month, both the temple and the gym are closed. They take away both things that make us happy here. They have sand volleyball out in the field which is pretty fun. Other than that, the days are long, but the weeks are short. My perception of time is distorted here. When I write in my journel I can't remember what happened in the morning, and feels like it was days ago.
I am improving at Spanish, but it is still really hard. I have the hardest time with pronoucing the words when I don't already know them. I have a hard time knowing where to put the the syllables and I mess up the sounds for a,e,i a lot. But I am improving. For my language study, I mostly read the Book of Mormon out load to improve on that. Overall through I see improvement.
Our district is gettting really close, and I enjoy being around them for the most part.

The District

Week 2 - 07/02/2011

Hello,

I'm writing to let you know that we met with your son in the MTC last week. My husband is the new Mission President for the Puebla Mission and when we were at the Seminar for new Presidents, we had the opportunity to meet the missionaries from our mission. He seems very happy and excited to get started!

We took this picture with your son and he asked me to send it to you. We look forward to working with your son and making this the best two years of his life!

The other missionaries in the picture are Elders Peterson, Shipley and Painter.

With kind regards,

President and Sister Reeves

 

Week 1 - 06/25/2011

Dear family,

So a lot has happened, I guess. I got called as the district leader. Yeah… I get to be patrol leader. Even after like less than two days on the job I can’t help but wonder why anyone would aspire to do this. Oh well, I will do what is asked of me. So, kinds of along with that, I kind of messed up already. Elder Bednar was going to speak yesterday (Friday) and there was some confusion on when it was and someone thought it was at 6pm. I just went with that , but it didn’t seem right to me for whatever reason. Then we left studying at 5pm. Turns out it started at 4:30pm. So we missed most of it and I feel like it was my fault. Also Spanish is kind of hard. I am maybe expecting too much of myself. I have a hard time with the pronunciation. At 7pm that day, we met with our mission president, President Reeves and Sister Reeves. They are amazing, he is a little awkward huggy, but hey… he is a really nice guy. He talked to us for awhile, and calmed me quite a bit about learning Spanish. They also bought us candy from the bookstore. I really look forward to him being my mission president. His wife knows less Spanish than all of us so she is somewhat in the same boat. Oh how I wish I had paid more attention in Spanish class. There are two other Elders going to Puebla. One is heading out in three weeks, the other is with me and Elder Petersen. So after being here I realized how much a mission is like scout camp.

Scout camp/MTC is a place where you go to learn. The scouts/missionaries are divided into troops/branches and the patrols/districts. You have your senior patrol/zone leader and the patrol/district leader. The patrol/district leader gets to observe and try to correct all sorts of scouts/missionaries. There is a scout/Elder who stays up too later or gets out of bed to late. There is a scout/Elder that tends to forget about the buddy/companion system and wanders off. There is the scout/Elder who sleeps in class. There is the Elder/scout that secretly wants to be the patrol/district leader and attempts to fill that leadership position in subtle ways. And then there is the patrol/district leader that observes this and just wonders how funny it is that the same personality traits can be found not only in worlds apart, but they are found in both 12-13 year olds and 19-20 year olds. Some things never change. OK… that’s all it guess. Have a great day.

Love, Elder Wigington

Home Sweet Home for 2 Month

Only Curtis!

Provo LDS Temple

Week 1 - 06/22/2011

Hey family,

They let us write on the first day. So it’s been pretty good. So my companion is Elder Wyatt Petersen, the twin of Reese who was in my hall at BYU. What are the odds! So.. when we were doing our initial meeting our teachers talked to us all in Spanish and I understood most of it I guess. It will be a lot of work though. Yeah… today was just a lot of getting to know how things work and the rules. It’s a lot to take in all at once but I’ll be fine. The two other Elders in our room seem cool. Elder Petersen is a great guy, I think that I will really get along with him.

So the mission things seems like a good thing so far. Well I guess I need you to keep me in your prayers. Good thing I have the hangers, Mom, I needed them. I don’t know what else to say, but it has been a good first day. They made it really easy for the new missionaries.

Love, Elder Wigington