Everything is going great here at the MTC!

Hola Familia!!

Everything is going great here at the MTC!! Oh my another week has already passed and gone!! We had a great week and I'll tell you all about it in one second. :) First, to answer some questions: My camera is working great and it'll work for the rest of my mission. And everything that you've sent with me is great. To tell you the truth, I lost my blue sweatshirt out at the field a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't find it. But this Wednesday, I was able to go out to the field and play soccer, and luckily they had my sweatshirt in the building up there. :) No, I don't know any of the BAN missionaries, but I know that there are a ton of people going to ARG. Actually there's another district right across the hallway fron us, different zone, and most of them are going to BAN and they are leaving the same day as us. For the last two weeks it's only been three districts in our zone, but in the next two weeks we have two new districts coming in. As ZL's we get to welcome the new district this Wednesday.

Thanks Dad, for the special note. I loved hearing from you and thanks for the wonderful counsel. I'm glad to hear that Thanksgiving went well!! Sounds like you all had a wonderful time playing bball and playing games. I was excited to hear about how well Tanner did!! Good job Tanner!!! I want to hear all about the next games and Alex's too. Also I want to hear how BYU did at Hawaii on Saturday. Also, I want to know how BYU Bball is holding up. Thanks for the letters this week and sorry that I haven't sent pictures yet. It's really frustrating because I ordered them before Thanksgiving and they still haven't come, so I might just print new ones soon, so I'll get them to you asap.

Alright, my week, Monday, I did initiatories again this week, this time with the whole district. Then I assigned out everything for our Sunday meeting. It was cool cause we prayed about who should do what next Sunday for sacrament meeting and me and Elder DeFriez had the same people in mind. :) Tuesday, we had a normal day. We had 3 hrs of class from 10am-1pm and then after lunch we had language study for an hour and what I've been working on is the different endings that there are. We had a workshop about how we need to map out our investigators' conversion so we can know what to teach them next. We are really focused on teaching to our investigators' needs and so that's what we focus on around the different lessons that we have to teach. Not only have they been teaching us straight Spanish but they've also taught us about our purpose as a missionary. Which is: Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. :) Our main goal is to baptize and to get them on the right path, that's our main purpose. Then that night we had Elder Yamashita from the 70 come and speak with us, his wife came also, and after 4 months of English training she was able to give a very simple talk to all of us and so that made me realize that's how I sound to a Spanish speaker, it will only come with time. He had better English, but it was still cool to see someone other than an American bearing the same testimony that I had. He talked about being a good PMG (Preach My Gospel) missionary.

Wednesday was great, our whole district thought of ways to make the new missionaries feel welcome. haha So I put on my old orange sticker which disignates a newbie and walked around like I was new, haha. I got a couple of people asking me where I was going and everything. We were told yesterday that we couldn't do that anymore, oh well, it was fun. I saw John Clark (a friend from school). He came on Wednesday, and it was fun to realize that he was a floor above me and Elder Haskell. I was able to play some soccer and that was fun and I scored a goal. :) Then we taught Juan and that lesson went really well!! We focused on why the Book of Mormon was true and if that was true, wasn't Joseph Smith true and then therefore isn't the Church true!! It was an awesome feeling, cause we really had the spirit with us. It's amazing to think that in 5 and a half weeks I'll be out there doing it for real! Thursday, December! Wow, the time has flown!! We had our first experience with TRC this last week, where we first taught a teacher like he was a member and we were just sharing a message and then we actually got to teach a lady from Cedar Hills about how through prayer we can receive revelation.

That night we taught Alexandra, and we went off for a 50 minute lesson where we were just testifying and got her to commit to read the LdM, el Libro de Mormon. Then we got her to pray after teaching her how to pray. Really exciting things are happening everyday in the MTC and I can't wait to go out into the field. It was fun on Friday, our teacher told us a story all in Spanish about her experience of going down to Argentina, she went to Salta, and her first, tired couple of days. It was cool because I was able to follow her somewhat. haha So that was cool! I'm now on page like 350 in Jesus el Christo. I hadn't realized that it had been written in like 1915, so much knowledge for so little resources!

Saturday we had our weekly service where we cleaned bathrooms in 11M and then emptied all the garbage. We had a pretty easy morning with TALL and gym and then lunch and then language study. Then we had 6 hours of class where we learned about the future tense. I already had learned those endings but we learned how we could apply it to teaching a lesson. It's cool cause every grammar principle we learn, we learn it with how to apply it to our lessons. It helps us learn Spanish and how to teach all in one. Then yesterday was a different Sunday for us being Fast Sunday. I did it too. =) We didn't have Priesthood but had a 2 hour long meeting in the gym where the bleachers are and we heard talks and had musical performances. Then after some meetings with the Branch Presidency as ZL's then with the DL's. We had sacrament meeting which was a big testimony meeting. It was also cool because we had President Brown, the MTC President, come and sit in on our meeting. So that was awesome. I gave my simple testimony in Spanish and also played the hymns. It was cool to think that the next testimony meeting that I will be able to expound a whole lot more in Spanish. As ZL's we get to sit up on the stand. Then we had our Temple walk and that was cool cause we had some Jesus promoters standing outside the entrance of the MTC. They were just yelling at cars as they drove by that Jesus loves them. Interesting, but a nice bunch. =) We talked with them as we went back and forth from the Temple. They love Jesus just as much as we do, but it was just interesting that they were on their "mission". haha I'm just glad that they were nice. Then we were able to eat and then watch the First Presidency Devotional. Cool messages and I loved hearing the prophet's voice.

Alright, I want everyone of you to know that I know I'm out here doing the right thing and I love praying to my Heavenly Father every night and feeling His wonderful Spirit every day. I love you all and good luck next week!!

Yo se que Jesu Cristo as mi Salvado y Redentor. Yo se que Jose Smith fue una verdad profeta. Yo se que Thomas S. Monson es una profeta viviente hoy. Yo se que mi mision sera un bendicion en nuestras vidas. Te amo!!!

Elder Pittard

(I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet today. I know that my mission will be a blessing in our lives. I love you!!!)