Como le va?

Hola mis amigos! Como esta su dia?

The good old MTC is treating me very well these days. I cant believe it is already September. The time has gone so fast but the experiences are getting better and better everyday. The language is getting easier everyday to understand and reading has become easier as well. But I cannot wait until the day that I am fluent. And feel comfortable talking to anybody about anything. I have discovered that this language is very simple and beautiful. My teachers have been very helpful in everything that I ask and everything I have been improving on. The elders in my district have become like brothers to me and I am striving everyday to be an uplifting person.

The flu has hit my district and many people on my floor. I have luckly been able to keep healthy and not get too sick. But it is hard to stay away from the sickness because you are with these people all day long. A regular day at the MTC includes six hours of class, 2 hours of meals, and 3 hours of personal study time. You spend all of it in a classroom with the people in your district. But that is why you are so close. As I have said before, this place is truly unique. You can have the most fun and the most spiritual experiences of any place. When we were at the devotional on Tuesday, we were told that we were the most prayed over group of individuals on the planet. This is really amazing to think about. The responsibility we have and the truly unique call that is put on our shoulders. I marvel at the chance to be in the same boat as Paul, or Hirum and even Alma. We are called to change the world. It is fascinating. But I have realized that it does not end after our missions. We are just doing it full time here. We need to carry the same attitude on the mission and bring it with us the rest of our mortal lives.

Some members of my district and I are doing a little "Biggest Loser Competition". It has been going very well so far. I'm not going to say how much I have lost because that doesn't matter. What really matters is that we are getting healthier to serve the Lord. It is somwhat difficult to do with the food choices we are given but it can be done. The winner gets a tie from each of the losers at the end. I plan on working hard and winning but we will see.

I have had some questions this week about Canada and the people I am going to teach. I wonder if I will teach many different latin cultures and if it is diversified like America. I just know that there is at least one person that I am going to affect that speaks Spanish. And I realize that I am learning this language for my benefit throughout my life. I urge everyone to learn different languages and broaden your cultural understanding. I hold it against myself that I did not learn any other language better until now. I can't wait to speak with my friends, all my uncles, and my dad. Get ready when I get beack to have long conversations in Spanish!

Spiritual thought: Read Helaman 11; it talks about faith and outlines many examples of faith from the bible. But the first verse gets me everytime. Faith is like the seed (as it says in Alma 32) that grows ones testimony that is as a tree. I hope someday that I can have a giant Sequia forest for my testimony.

Yo creo en Dios. Se que Jesucristo es mi Salvador y amigo. Yo se que Dios tiene un plan para todos Sus hijos y quiere el mejor para nosotros. Yo se que este Iglesia es verdadera y contiene la plenitud del Evangelio de Jesucristo!

Nos vemos,

Elder Kipp

PS: Tell Brock and Layne and Staci and Bacho thnaks for the packages. I love you!