Hello once again to all of my family and friends! My final week in the United States has passed me by, and I will be leaving for Honduras on the Red Eye flight later tonight (or tomorrow morning). Honestly, I'm not going to know what hit me until I walk out of the airport into my new home that this is actually going to happen. It's going to be a scary experience going through a foreign airport not knowing what in the world to do! It's going to be quite a ride for me tonight.

But one thing I do want to let everyone know is, I am ready. Those Catrachos (Honduran slang) don't know what is about to hit them. My amazing district of 10 valiant servants will be arriving shortly, and they are ready to preach. My Spanish is still pretty iffy. I'm pretty sure they will be able to understand what I am saying, but as for me, I anticipate understanding them somewhere around Christmas time haha.

This week was a really long week, but in the perspective of things it also went by pretty fast. We went to a lot of meetings this week that have to do with us leaving. We went to a health and safety meeting, and they told us about all of the elaborate crazy ways that there are to get sick, and how careful we need to be. He basically said it this way, "As long as you think something through every time before you do it, you shouldn't get sick or injured." But what does he expect, we are a bunch of 19year old boys! The doctor said that almost all of us would get sick, but that it's never that big of a problem, just a one day type of suffering. I won't go too much into details with that. We also went to a meeting in which they tried to train us on how to have language study out in the field, since we won't have TRC tasks to plan for anymore, or teachers to ask a million questions too. It was a very nice meeting.

This week has also been an amazing building week for me. As my time has gotten more and more slim in the MTC, I have tried to work harder each and every day, and I think I have been blessed for it. Yesterday (Sunday) was a memorable day in my life. We had some members of our branch presidency teach us a few exit lessons which they do traditionally, and they were really uplifting. We also had a great fireside from the Mills Family, they were recently released as the Mission Presidents from a mission in Japan. They talked to us about their experiences with missionaries, and how a mission really changes people. They were both hilarious, and I don't think I have ever laughed that much at a church fireside, but on the other hand, I really learned a lot from them.

But the real money-maker of the night was right before we went home. Our district decided to have a testimony meeting with each other just to share our thoughts about our whole experience in the MTC. It should have been a sad experience, but it really wasn't. We all felt the Spirit so strongly in that room, but it wasn't the sad-departure-type of Spirit. Hardly any of us cried, we mostly laughed. It was a Spirit of absolute joy that we felt in that room. We were all so excited to get out there! I hope I can remember that in a day and a half when I'm in the middle of nowhere, with no running water or carpet, and talking to people in a language I don't know! Boy am I excited. I really figured out that day that I am ready to get out there, no matter what challenge awaits me. I truly feel the strength of the Lord bearing me up, and through Him nothing is impossible.

The MTC is not about getting you to learn a new language. Sure that is one quirk of it, but the truth of it all is that a missionary learns how to recognize the Spirit. That is how I would put it if someone asked me. Because everything we do as a missionary is based on following the Spirit, and if you can't figure that out, you won't be fulfilling your purpose. I have figured this out, it may have taken awhile, but I finally got it. I am prepared to face anything they have to throw at me, and you guys will be along for the ride. I'll try to include the best of times, and the worst of times, because there will definitely be a little bit of both every week.

Thank you to all who sent me letters or prayed for me while I was here in the MTC. Obviously it will be a little more difficult to get in contact with me in Honduras, but the best way to do that would be through my mom. I wish you all the best of luck throughout this next week.

Hasta Ver! Para Siempre Dios este con vos. (hymn for God be With You Till We Meet Again)