April 21, 2011 - Email to Family

Elder Cody in front of a cool building

Hola Familia.  ¿Como Estan?

How is everyone?  The baptism looked like it went well!  You will have to tell Candice thanks for the email because I don´t have time to write a lot of emails.  Happy to see your faces!  Love your face Jude.  So this past week was interesting.  So some TV crew from France is here in the MTC doing a documentary on missionaries...it´s kinda crazy we have to actually act like missionaries.  Ha kidding I always do!!  So they have filmed us teaching ward members and stuff.  They got here Tuesday night and that´s when we taught this lady from the ward.  We did a really good job apparently and wanted to go do splits with us.  But we told her we were leaving next week to Málaga.  This Tuesday, the 26th, my train to Málaga leaves at 6:30 in the morning!  WOOH I am sick of sitting in a class all the time.  It´s a speed train and it will take 3 hours to get there and 45 minutes on the metro.

Some of my favorite missionaries

So a cool thing happened with the TV crew filming us.  Yesterday morning we had a Easter devotional about Christ, of course, and it was a testimony meeting.  All the French speakers bore their testimonies, and they asked 3 Americans to share their testimonies in English.  They called a sister missionary, Elder Manning, and me.  It was awesome I really enjoyed it.  I had a really powerful testimony I thought, and now people who watch in France can hear it!  I am helping people in France hear the gospel, made me feel pretty darn good.  See, now they are about to film me right now emailing you.  They are pretty much everywhere.  This Monday I got to go into the city and sign some final papers so I can live here for two years!!  Yeah that is crazy, I cannot wait to get out of here and not be stuck in classrooms around Elders that bother me a lot!  But I love Elder Manning, Peterson, Kirkham and this new little guy Elder Shifflet.

Elders Kirkham and Manning

Shiffelt is from Arizona and has played soccer, so he and I tear it up.  I have played soccer for like 4 days in a row and me knee kinda hurts, well it is just really worn out.  It´s all good it get a 2 day rest.  So this week it is Holy Week, that crazy holiday they do.  We want to go eat some real food today for pday in the city.  So I will take pictures of the freaks all dressed up like the KKK if I see them. 

His buddy Raphael. They played on the same team every time and tore it up!

Oh another cool experience this week during practicas, I got to teach the fisrt vision.  We usually do it one on one with another missionary.  So me and Elder Peterson always are partners.  I got to recite the vision and bear testimony about it.  Some how I just spoke really good spanish and bore testimony about it.  I think it went well because I know that really took place and and I had the spirit.  It probably lasted like 10 minutes total.  I was pretty proud of myself.

It has been raining a lot here the past 3 days.  It has been super hot so it is nice for a change up.  Elder Rodriguez was supposed to be here this morning but apparently they didn´t make there flight in Salt Lake.  Which is weird because we had like an hour to sit around before the plane took off.  I am sad for him but he will get here eventually. 

This is crazy I leave in like 4days!!  I hope I have a cool trainer and I still want to go to Sevilla.  I was told the last missionaries they sent out went to the Northern part of the Málaga Mission.  So, we all may got to the Southern part which I want to happen. 

Disgusting, look what they are trying to feed me.  I am pretty sure I have eaten one of those little critters eyes because they fall out and you can´t see them sometimes.

Last week I said if you send me anything this week send it to the mission home!!!!!!!  So Friday and Saturday we get to go contact at the park because the French people want to film at the park and they leave tomorrow I believe.  This video they are making goes on some website.  On Monday they give us all the information about it so you can go watch it!!  I am having fun here and I love the work but I don´t know what else to say nothing happens in the MTC.  I will send you some pictures and I have a song from Elder Manning that he wrote and played.  It´s amazing and I will attatch it.  Mother I love you so much, and am truly thankful for all you do for me.  You really are the best and always there for me.  I love you madre.  LE AMO.  "I love you"  Padre gracias por su amor para mi! le amo tambien!  "Dad thanks for your love for me, I love you too!"  Tengan un gran semana!  hablaré aproxima semana.  "have a good week and I will talk to you next week!

This Polynesian is huge and lifts his weights in the bathroom in front of the mirror, and one of his weights rolled into the sink and it fell through the sink I cried I was laughing so hard!