Matt: June 4th, 2010

Hey fam so I'm in week 2 of provo mtc. Portuguese is coming along pretty alright. I'm a lot better than the elders from Beaver and Idaho, b/c of spanish, but everybody else here is at about the same level as me. I don't work as hard on it as I should though cuz I feel like I already get it from taking spanish. I have trouble sleeping at nights. I go to bed pretty tired, but just toss and turn for about an hour. Then I'll wake up in the middle of the night because the blankets they give us are more ridiculous than the Portuguese language and I have to re-fall asleep...Woof! So I think Candace, Devin, and Jordan/Nate win a prize cuz they are the only people that have written me. But Natalie and Nate are winner winner chicken dinner because they sent me a candy salad! Muito bem! Portuguese really isn't that bad. My district is super awesome! There are 12 of us. There were 14 but a companionship went home early, which kinda united the rest of us in a strange way, so all is good. I told Natalie this, but there are like 30 of us here waiting for visas to Brazil. A lot of them turned in their applications long before Michael did. So it has nothing to do with how mine was a week late, it's just luck of the draw.

Al/Adam: There is a one Elder Johnson here from Buffalo that stopped me cuz he recognized me from the one week we went to church out there. He asked if Michael was here. I'm pretty sure he's in the same district as that one blonde Sorella that I am destined to marry.

Jor: your words of strength "If Jordan can do this, I can do this!" ring loud and clear in my head, and give me the strength to put up with the grind.

Can: That baby sneezing on the guy was SO funny!
Dev: 22 ice cream sandwiches seems like a lot.

Nat/Nate: I sent you a letter.

The rest of you get NOTHING! For you have written me not.
But I will say that last time I checked I had gained a pound a day. I guess I'm taking after Devin as a missionary ha ha. So if my math serves me right, by the time I get into the field I'll be 278 lbs..woof! OOOOHH guess who I saw today?!?! Steven Steven bo beven banana fanna fo feven me my mo meven. STEVEN!!!! ha ha it was great! We hugged, which is a welcome change. My companion El hijo de Sasquatch, isn't very touchy feely and is by no means a hugger. So human contact is nice.... I had all these things planned out that I wanted to say the last couple nights as I lay awake in bed. All I can remember though is the things I miss like:

skiing (the temple video just made me want to go back country skiing on a pair of volkl Chopsticks SSOOOOO BAD)
Listening to music (there's no music allowed at the MTC but I've gotten the song After Today from the Goofy Movie stuck in my district's heads)
sleeping
playing sudoku
chasing Duke in the backyard with the broom
eating brownies and talking like hill billys
mario kart
and just being able to do what I want/ taking it easy

But as many teachers here have stated over and over, I'm on the Lord's time now. It's time to spread the gospel. Play time was the past 20 years, and will come again in 2. So yeah...I can't help but think of 30 rock quotes all the time though. And what makes it worse is my comp hates Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin because they are "bleeding heart liberals" This guy is really something. I can't help but think that he is the version of my life if I had kept on reading encyclopedias instead of watching funny liberal tv shows.

love you all, Elder Matt Gagon
ps. write me some letters:)