First Letter from MTC!

Hola! Como estas? I am just here at the Provo MTC on my Preparation day, which is on Tuesdays. The temple is closed so we are not able to go there on Tuesdays for I think maybe the next six weeks? and also they are closing the gym so I am not going to be able to play basketball. I got to play some basketball the first couple of days here and some Elders take is seriously! They think they are at the NBA camp or something. They really do go hard.
I'm loving the MTC. It's such a great place. I was just so excited to be here last Wednesday when Lisa dropped me off that I could not stop smiling. There is such a great feeling here and everyone is so nice and excited to share the gospel, it just makes me want to get to SPAIN! So, there are four other missionaries in my district going to Spain, one to Barcelona and two to Madrid, and supposedly the Church has been having trouble getting visas to Spain and Mexico, so I will probably not get to go to the MTC in Madrid, because of the delays. Some Elders are blaming it on the world cup, but who knows. But oh well, life goes on, and I'll get to Spain sometime, even if I have to get assigned stateside for a month.
So I'm in a companionship with two other elders, we're a threesome. Elder Jack is from Colorado and he speaks incredible spanish. He reminds me of our cousin Danny Jensen. He speaks Spanish like him. My other companion is Elder McNeil and he is from Minnesota and he makes me laugh. They're both awesome missionaries and they inspire me to be a better missionary myself.
The best thing about the MTC is the amount of time you have to study for yourself. I've been marking my Spanish scriptures with this cool new scripture marker pen that has 8 different colors so you can quickly switch between them. Reading the scriptures in spanish is really interesting because of the translations, so you can get different meanings out of stuff. My spanish is coming along pretty well, all those years of Spanish in middle school and talking to my amigos at Ledos are coming back to me. I'm remembering a lot of the verb phrases, and things of that nature. I have been trying to talk in my spanish lisp, and Elder McNeil criticized me and told me that I was not ready for that and that I should not be focusing on that :( But I will perservere! I am working a lot on my Spanish. I can already bear a solid testimony about God is our loving Heavenly Father, how we are His children and He loves us, how He restored the Gospel through Joseph Smith, how Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God and how the Book of Mormon was translated through the power of God and is the word of God and contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel, and also how Christ if our Savior and is the Redeemer of the world and how through His Atonement we are able to be saved if we follow His example and are baptized and keep the commandments. I can say all that in Spanish! I memorized a bunch of different phrases that can go into a testimony, so I can mix it up and can speak from the heart instead of just memorizing one solid testimony.

It's awesome that Spain won the World Cup! I wish I could be there right now, hanging with David Villa and teaching about the Restoration to Fernando Torres. I have been playing some soccer during gym times, and I really am not that great. It's a lot harder than it looks.

Anyways, things are going well here in the MTC, I'm working hard, waking up every morning 15 minutes early to make up for my laziness and lack of attention in seminary, trying to think in Spanish, always reading new things, and bearing my testimony every chance I get! I bore it seven times in one day! I have seen Elder Jencks (my old room mate), Elder Froelich!!!!!!! and a lot of other Elders that I met at BYU or they were Matt Greens friends.
Anyways, I'm only allowed to write one letter a week to the family, but I'd like to give a few shoutouts to friends.
Jason- appreciate the email my brother. Provo is good, I might be here for longer than I anticipated because of Visa problems. Dumb Spain just HAD to go and win the World Cup. VIVA ESPANA.
Mike- I don't know what I think about Lebrons decision. He said he was going to do what it takes to win, and with him and Dwade and Bosh, they might be unstoppable. Cleveland is being a big baby for criticizing him. Get over it, you had Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup!

Well family, my time is about to run out and I have to go. But yeah, that MTC is great, I'm working hard, waking up on time, dressing like a missionary, and the laceless shoes were the best idea ever. I know that this Church is true and I can't wait to take that message to the people of Spain, even if it takes me a while to get there. I gotta go! Talk to you next week!
With all my love,
Elder Pericle