1st Week-Classrooms and Devotional

I'm glad to know even when I'm out of the country my room is still feared to enter. I don’t think there is anything you forgot to send me and even if there was the mail is so bad here they say don't send anything here after my third week or I have no chance of getting it. They say even if you send a letter I may not receive it. Plus there is a tienda (store) here with a little bit of everything: ties, shirts, towels, snacks, scriptures, Preach my Gospel, himnos, etc.

We get a weekly allowance of 100 pesos here, except for our last week here. I leave for DC on January 7, 2014 not January 1st. I miss you and all the family too. I've slowly begun to read some of the letters all the family wrote me. The Spirit in the CCM is beyond amazing. When you just stop and think during the busy day everything just fades away and you feel like a flood of the most pure love has overtaken you. You can do just about anything here and feel the Spirit here.

I had the opportunity to go to the Mexico City Temple today and it was beyond description. The grounds are beautiful and very contrast to what is all around the Temple. Inside there is such a peace there. And I didn’t want to leave the Celestial room because of the tidal wave of the spirit in that room. The Mexico City Temple has the most beautiful huge crystal chandelier in the celestial room, and all around the temple there are paintings of the Savior. You have to ride about 3 escalators wherever you go in there.

At the CCM the grounds are getting all prepared for Christmas. And the main buildings are named after all the Latter Day Prophets. Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant are the Classrooms. 

Brigham Young Classroom

David O. McKay Classroom

Joseph Smith is the Reception Building. Thomas S. Monson is the Investigator Teaching Area, and it has several of the chapels and it’s where Priesthood meets. Gordon B Hinckley is a Gym and Auditorium. And so on.

Gordon B. Hinckley Gym & Auditorium (Gimnasio & Auditorio)

We had a Thanksgiving Devotional Broadcast from Provo on Thanksgiving by Elder Russell M. Nelson. 

And yesterday we were supposed to have a live broadcast devotional with Elder M. Russell Ballard but Utah had a bad snowstorm and Elder Ballard couldn’t go to the Provo MTC.  So instead we watched an old Devotional by Elder Bednar. Our main devotional each week is in the Auditorium.

The Natives down here are amazing; they are so kind and loving and always want to help you learn the language. We only have about 2 hours each ay for scheduled language training but you can definitely see the gift of tongues happening here. Everyday everyone learns and knows more and more Spanish. I am so exited to be down Here. 

I love you lots, Elder Braden Dahl (written 12/4/2013)