Hola amigos!

^Pretend there is an upside down exclamation point up there. I'm learning Spanish, but I'm not that advanced yet

First of all, I cannot believe everything I have learned this past week and how much I feel like I have already changed as a person. And the change has been sooo so so good! I feel like I finally know what it means to lose myself in the work of Christ. I can still be myself, but I am learning how to think primarily about other people and how I can help them. It is amazing.

This email is going to be really scattered because so much has happened in the past week, but hopefully you will get a good sense of how I am doing and know that I love all of you (There are 113 people on this mailing list! And I love ALL of you!)

If you want to send me letters, you can either send them to me here on my weekly email, or through the website dearelder.com. It's really cool because they will actually print out the letter and give it to me the day you send it and then I can have more time to actually email you guys back. So please send them through there if possible :) My address is:

Elder Samuel David Wiggins
AUG02  ARG-MEN
2005 N 900 E Unit 206
Provo UT 84602

Also, for the next 5 weeks I can get packages and hand written letters if you send them to that same address. After I'm in Argentina it will be a little bit harder to get things to me, but for now I can get anything you send

My companion is Elder Dikou (Dee-koh) and he is a really nice guy. We are pretty different than each other, but we get along pretty well and we both did marching band so we've bonded over that. He's from American Fork (look up American Fork High School's marching band, apparrently they've competed in BOA championships and stuff) and he's a very strong person. I am so lucky to get to learn with him and for the lessons that he teaches me.

In honor of Bethany, I have actually been keeping a dream journal every day since I've been here! That journal is full of some fun memories, like that time Brock played the Dr. Mario Theme by ear on the piano, or that other time I was really jealous of Lance's dating life. Good times, good times.

The MTC (missionary training center) is such a strange, but interesting experience. I spend the first six weeks of my mission here in Provo, Utah studying Spanish and the Doctorine of Christ to prepare me for the mission field. Then after that (Beginning of August) I will actually go to Argentina and start preaching and giving service. I am so excited.

Whenever I used to get emails from missionaries I always thought it was funny how the missionary would get so ridiculously bubbly and excited about life in their emails home, and I can tell I'm doing the exact same thing! But it's because I love all of you so much. Since I've been here I have already gotten to teach 4 lessons IN SPANISH. For real. The years of practicing improv and pictionary are finally paying off, because it turns out that those games have a practical application in helping people discover their eternal salvation #CoCaptain/CoMpanion

A lot of people have asked me about the food here, and I guess that's fair because my only break from studying Spanish and Scriptures for 11 hours a day (seriously) is going to the cafeteria. The food is actually really good in the cafeteria! I don't know whether it's way better than Berkeley, or if I just haven't eaten BYU cafeteria food for the past year, but I really like it a lot. I get honeydew melon at every meal! Who knew that was something awesome?

I'm sorry I haven't had time to really email anyone back this week (especially the parents), but I love all of you and am going to try to do better next week. Especially if you send DearElder's, I will have more time to do a better job with these.

Once again, I love you, Christ loves you, and life is so so so good. Don't be afraid to send me jokes or Hamilton lyrics. I only read the scriptures and what you send, so I love some good entertainment.

Your favorite friend/son/brother/missionary,

Elder (Sam) Wiggins

PS- I haven't read all of your emails, so I'm going to print some out and read them later today. Love you!