Elder Espinoza in the New Mexico Albuquerque Mission: First e-mail! So the MTC...AMAZING!!!

Hello!!

So the MTC.... AMAZING!!! I was kind of coming here expecting it to suck cause of everything people have told me lol but I LOVE it!!!!! The spirit here is so strong and you always feel it. It's so awesome! So both of my Mothers posted that Olympus Titans video of that high school where all the kids recorded themselves opening their calls and there was only one Elder on there that was going to the New Mexico, Albuquerque so I screen shotted the picture of him and his name so I would remember and guess what! He's my companion here at the MTC. His name is Tanner Van Leeuwen. He’s a pretty cool kid! We both get along pretty well. Everyone in my district is actually going to the same mission! There's another district that’s going too! We all will leave together on the 18th and we all will be on the same flight too. We are all SO excited! So there will be 18 sisters and 11 Elders all going to New Mexico on the same day!! So in your district you have a district leader and I really was hoping I would get called for it but I didn’t. But there are districts inside zones. Anywhere from 3 to 4 districts. And out of all those missionaries they call one companionship of Elders to be the Zone Leaders. You have A LOT more responsibility and when new missionaries come in you have to show them the ropes and everything. So anyways I thought there was no way me and my comp would get called as Zone Leaders just cause there are so many other Elders but... we got called as Zone Leaders!!!! We were SOOO excited and also willing and determined to take on that responsibility! Its a lot but it will only help us out cause we have a lot of Elders and Sisters looking up to us so we have to set a good example. Its so awesome! I’ve been learning so much about the gospel here and how to teach it. You really do learn how to love everyone here and especially the people you teach. Our whole goal is to bring people closer to Christ. Its so awesome. I have had some really neat and amazing experiences here. We are teaching members who pretend to be someone else. maybe someone from their mission or someone they know and its so crazy how real it is!!!! they are called proggressing investigators but you teach other investigators who may or may not be members. its weird not knowing. Anyway some of these investigators are ones that we taught as a group of about 75 missionaries. it was a pretty cool experience. But there was one named Jose from Guatemala who told us his life story and immediately I felt like I could really connect with this man. I felt the need to bear him my testimony on the atonement but I was wayyyy to nervous and there were so many other missionaries in there hogging the microphone haha so after I found out we were gonna be teaching some of these people just in our companionships I was really hoping I would get Jose. And sure enough I did!!! I was soo excited. I also heard that he was a real investigator and has been thinking about not coming to these anymore. So that got me even more excited! anyways the lesson went SOOOO AMAZING!!!!!!!!! The spirit was unreal!!! I mean he was bawling his eyes out literally talking about his past and when I bore my testimony on the atonement and what it has done for my life and the happiness it brings me. It seriously was indescribable. So after he said he really wanted to learn how I was able to do this and he wanted it for himself and his son. He said I touched his heart. I am so excited to teach him tomorrow and hopefully it goes well and if he really is an investigator (which I think he is) I think he will really consider Baptism and joining this church. It’s just sad tomorrow is my last day I’ll get to teach him. But we will see how things go!!!! The MTC is so amazing and for anyone who is reading this if you are trying to decide whether to go or not just remember I’ts not about you. I love it here and will be sad to leave on Monday but I can’t wait for the mission field! I love you all! Adios!

Elder Jaden Espinoza