¡Hola familia!

¡Hola familia! I´m still enjoying it down here in Utopia. The days are all blurring together. It´s hard to believe that we are in our third week here. I got Russell´s letter yesterday and mom´s the day before that, so I think it takes about 9 days to get here. I think the missionarypackagemx thing is faster, but I´m not sure. To answer your question, No I can´t print anything off. But I do like getting your pictures and letters in the mail. Right now Elder Irving and I are kind of neck and neck in who has got the most packages and letters here. We love getting mail. Without fail, every single time we walk past the Servicio Postal, (which is on the way to our casa), we check the mail. 

Elder Sorensen has been doing a lot better. He got a letter last week form his brother who left the church saying how proud he was of him, and now he has a complete 180 degree turn-around. Every once in a while it gets a little rough for him, but he is improving quickly. It´s great! I feel like the whole district is improving a lot. Honestly, I probably should have been put in the intermediate classes, cause most of what we have learned has just been a review, but I love my district. We work hard and still have lots of fun. Elder Richards and I have become like best friends out here. We still tease each other every once in a while, but its all fun. I really wish he was coming to Peru with us, but I guess he was called to where the Lord needs him. We planned out our post-mission lives the other day. I am going to be a doctor and Elder Richards will be my lawyer, and Elder Sorensen wants to open a restaurant so we will go out to eat there every once in a while.

 Hermana McEvoy went home. Apparently she had really bad OCD and while she was out here she was diagnosed with severe anxiety. She is going to get treatment in the states then will probably be reassigned to the states. We are going to miss her. She was really nice.

I forgot to tell you that on our second full day we taught our first investigator in complete Spanish. It went a little rough, especially for the other companionships. Elder Sorensen and I could manage because I know a lot of Spanish already. We´ve pretty much been teaching investigators and teachers pretending to be investigators every other day since then. Yesterday, we had our first TRC, which is when we get a real person to teach, not a teacher pretending to be an investigator. They are volunteers from Mexico City. Usually they are members and inactives, but sometimes real investigators come. It´s pretty fun and exciting, especially since we know more Spanish now and it´s a little easier to teach.

One day for lunch this week they served us real hamburgers that were not Mexicanized in any way. Our whole district was in heaven. They have been serving more real breakfast food for breakfast lately and less super spicy Mexican stuff that should be considered for dinner. So that´s a plus. 

I´ve talked to Elder Carranza several times this week. It´s really fun to run into him. We need to take a picture. Also tell Brandon i need his email address. I want to give him the low-down of the CCM before he gets here.

Gym time is really fun. Elder Jordan invented this game here that we call "Circle Swat." We run out to the sand volleyball court and draw about 3ft wide circles in the sand with our feet. Then the rules are basically like touch rugby or touch football except that you have to jump from circle to circle. It´s pretty fun. The Elders who walk by and see us playing it probably have no idea what we are doing and must think we are crazy! We alternate between playing that and our yoke days. On yoke day, we go lift weights and go for a run around the casas, then we usually go play foosball or ping pong. Last week we went for an adventure. The buildings, casas, and classrooms only take up about half or less of the campus and hardly anyone goes on the other side of the football and soccer fields. But we did. We followed the outside wall and jogged to the far side of the campus. There is a small forest and some sheds  and an amphitheater back there. We are pretty sure that we are some of the only missionaries who have been over there. It´s really cool. We found another gate, but this one didn´t look nearly as well protected as the front gate, but we´re all safe!

Usually we have broadcasts from the Provo MTC every Tuesday when an apostle speaks to them there, but this morning we had another devotional. We had the Missionary Executive Manager or something like that and his helper come speak to us. It was Elder Allen and Elder Evans. It was really cool. They are basically the head-honchos of missionary work in the church and they were hear in the CCM speaking to us.

The firehydrants here are really wierd. They all have mirrors on them. I thought dad might enjoy the picture of them.

Oh yea, i just got back from my first mission haircut. It´s really short, at least that´s how i feel it is. Elder Irving and I made an appointment together. I´ll have to send pictures next week.

Love you all!

Elder Torgersen

Our casa and cul de sac. All the Elders in our District plus one companionship from another district live here.

 Our classroom, where we spend most of our days.

And the livingroom of our casa.

Skarch! I think it´s really funny. 

Our District

Our district from left to right: 
Elder Moser (District Leader), Elder Pettit, Elder Jordan, Elder Irving, Hermana McEvoy ( Mr. McEvoy, the spanish teacher´s neice), Hermana Watts, me, Elder Sorensen, Elder Patterson, and Elder Richards.

Well I´m doing great here in Mexico. The CCM, El Centro de Capatición Misional (Mexico MTC), is like a utopia in the middle of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is pretty much a paradise here. The facilities are in pristine condition. The grass is always cut perfect and there are palm trees,green parrots, and such. Its like a utopia cause everyone here is so nice to each other and we all have the same exact perfect schedules every day and everyone is dressed up so nice. But right outside the tall cinderblock and barbed wire fence is the super poor slums and crowded streets. There are like 700 something missionaries here right now. Mexican independence day was this week and there have been fireworks and explosions going off all week. I say explosions, cause I only saw a handful of actual fireworks, but there are booms and gunshots like every few seconds. It´s like we are under siege!

The food is definitely Mexican. It was really hard getting used to having tostadas and tamales for breakfast everyday. When the food isn't Mexican , it is always Mexicanized. One day they served us hot dogs, but they were bright cherry red and spicy! No kidding! Tuesday night is Costco pizza night and it is so delicious. Try eating only Mexican food for a whole week for every meal and then eat some Costco pizza. It will be like the best pizza you have ever eaten! The food is great though, I really enjoy it. It is just different.

Thanks for sending the donuts! They were a big hit with our district. Everybody loved them, they reminded us of American food. My lifesaver mints are also really popular, but we are running low. If you need ideas for stuff to send Lifesaver mints are excellent. Pretty much any candy or snack would be awesome. I hope it doesn't cost too much to send stuff. The lady never told us how much it was to send stuff through that website, but its the only way we can get packages. 

My companion is Elder Sorensen. He is from Tooele, UT, and he is a marching band kid who wants to be a chef/ food scientist. He has been having a lot of problems lately, but my mission scripture has been perfect for this situation: Alma 7: 23-24. I have had to be extremely patient with him. Its good that I am a good listener cause I am the only one he likes to talk to. He says he doesn't think he should be here and he has already had two appointments with Presidente Pratt, the CCM president, to talk about it. Yesterday, he was sure he was going to go home,but when he went in to talk to the President he was able to call his parents and they convinced him that he needs to at least stay until Oct. 10th. His ADD has been acting up so sometimes we have to take walks or he paces around the classroom while the rest of us study. He is a good person, but President Pratt told me that Elder Sorensen has a lot of doubts about himself and that I need to encourage him more. It is kinda interesting how we are companions. We have matching watches. I have the best Spanish in the district and he has the least.

I am really grateful for Señorita Casteñeda, and Ms. McConnell. They have taught me Spanish so well. I am leagues ahead of the rest of our district and they always come ask me questions and how to say stuff. I am like another teacher! There are ten of us in our district. We are all going to Peru Lima Central except for the companionship of Elder Richards and Elder Patterson. They are going to Farmington, NM and Knoxville,TN. It was pretty cool that our whole district flew in together and we all came in the same day.We are all staying in Casa 49, which is one of the farthest cul de sacs from the rest of the campus, but it is great. Elder Sorensen and I share a room with Elder Irving, from alpine (He went to Lone Peak and knows Coach McGeary), and his companion, Elder Jordan, from Cedar City. They are both really fun and happy missionaries. Elder Richards and I immediately became really good friends. He is from Tremonton, Ut and went to Bear River HS. We played them at the AF scrimmages during last summer. He also wrestled for Bear River. I help teach him and Elder Sorensen spanish before we go to bed most nights. We tease each other all the time. It keeps the CCM fun, especially when I have a sometimes difficult companion. 

Hooray, my license came. You can just send it to Peru when I get there. I don't really think Ill need it though. I have not been able to find my blue-cased retainer so now it makes sense that I left it. You can send that to Peru too if you want. The red one was the backup but it fits now. It was slightly different so it only took like one night of wearing it to fit better. And yes mom, I have been brushing and flossing every night! Haha!

The first few days were really long and filled with orientations and meeting, but now we are getting used to the schedule. The saying here is that every day seems like a week and every week seems like a day. Today is our first P-day! Yesterday we celebrated P-day Eve with the donuts. On the night of Mexican Independence Day, we all broke out our American food and had our own fiesta in the dining room before we went to bed.

Gym time is pretty fun. We play a lot of cage soccer here, but our district also likes to lift weights and go running, play sand volleyball, and ultimate frisbee. We are trying to come up with a workout routine were we go for a run around the campus and lift weights at least two or three times a week to try to stay in shape. It doesn't help that every meal is all you can eat though. 

Tell Brandon that my district isn't´t leaving until the 22nd of October so we will be able to see each other here. On the first day I ran into Elder Carranza from the Provo Mission. He is now a teacher here. I also ran into Elder Ward Yorgason from middle school. I am excited to see Brandon and Jacob Lesa here in a few weeks.

So bugs.... There are these huge bat-sized moths that we have found two of, but other than that there hasn't been much. They keep the facilities too clean for bugs to be here. It really is like a paradise here. We are so sheltered.

Tell Brandon to bring raingear. It is the rainy season. It rained the first three days but hasnt since. It only rains for two or three hours in the afternoon, but when it rains, it POURS! One time in rained so hard that when I looked out the window all I could see was white and the dark silhouettes of the trees. It was crazy.

I love it here. I hope all is going well. Congrats Tristan, I hope you have fun. Its about time she answered you! haha! I want to hear about the football games and what you guys are doing. Until next week! ¡Hasta Luego!

Trevor, the palm trees behind us are filled with green parrots. You only ever see them when they fly from tree to tree so its hard to get a picture. But you can definitely hear them. They are really loud!

That moth is about as big as my hand!

Arrived at Mexico MTC

I made it I,m here at the Mexico MTC. he keyboard is weird cause its in spanish, but Im safe and happy. My P/day is on Thursday. I only have five minutes to write right now. One of my nametags is spelled wrong so we,ll have to fix that. This lady told us this website you could check out to send me letters and stuff. itswww.missionarypackagemx.com. I dont know how good it is though. Its raining a lot here. I love you all and hope you arent crying too much. Got to go. Talk to you soon.