Hola from Peru!

     Wow what a crazy week! Please excuse my writing. This keyboard is going to take some getting used to. I'll do my best though!
     Okay, so before I get into answering all your questions that I was totally already planning on writing about anyway, I have a crazygonuts story! So whle I was in the SLC airport security line the guy standing behind me struck up a conversation. He could tell I was a missionary (we kind of stick out) so he asked where I was off to. I told him I was going to Peru, etc. and he told me he had a couple kids on missions, etc. and that he had served a mission in Italy. That's when I said, "Oh cool, my best friend's dad served in Italy," and he was like, "what's his name?" and I'm thinking to myself no way this guy knows Isaac's dad. So I said, Oh you probably wouldn't know him. His name is Rod Willyerd. Then the dude was like "Rod Willyerd? He was my MTC companion!" (insert mind explosion here) I totally met Isaac's dad's MTC companion in the security line at the SLC airport! Whaaaaat! It's crazy what a small world we live in. Everyone here seems to have some sort of connection to someone else. Trevor's seminary student, Elder Day is in my district LOL.
     So I guess that according to mom's very first email that she sent me that you all know that my flights were both delayed. But what you DON'T know is that the first one broke down halfway down the runway... or something like that. We don't really know what happened. It started speeding down the runway and then the pilot slammed on the brakes all quick like and then we sat in the plane for an hour and a half (I took a nap) until they made us get off and reassigned our flights. That made our 5 hour layover in LA a 1 and a half hour layover which was pretty okay. After security I ended up meeting 5 other missionaries in Salt Lake and 2 more in La so there was 8 of us flying to Peru together (duh). Almost all of the Elders I flew with are in my district which is pretty crazy because my district only has 12 Elders. No Hermanas. When we were in LA our flight got delayed a little bit too but they wouldn't tell us why. We all boarded and then they made us get off for like 10 minutes and the let us get back on. It was lame. We arrived to the CCM (Spanish letters for MTC) at about 3 in the morning on Wednesday. They let us sleep in until 7 30 so that was cool I guess. It was weird though because no one really told us what to do. We just showed up and they gave us our room assignments and then we went to bed. No orientation or anything. I didn't meet the CCM Pres. or my companion until the next day. There were 2 other companionships sleeping in my room when I got there. They left a note saying not to turn on the lights or wake them up so I didn't get to unpack or make my bed or anything. I just found a pillow, my extra jammies from my travel bag, brushed my teeth and went to bed. They didn't really tell me much the next morning either. My companion had gotten there at about 2 so he was already asleep when I got there.
     My companion's name is Elder Black, and he is an absolute staunch. I love him to death. He's from Gilbert Arizona. He's pretty much a body builder but he's like 5 feet 8 inches. We get along really well and we both are here to do work. The other Elders in our room are nice too. They're weird but nice. There are only about 150 people here at the CCM so everyone can get a chance to know each other. It's pretty sweet.

     The food here is fantastic. I love and at least sort of recognize almost all of it. Breakfast usually consists of eggs, toast, some sort of weird drink in a mug that changes every day (some of them are yucky but mostly it's not bad) bread with cheese, juice, and cereal in yogurt. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. It's usually similar to dinner but just with bigger portions. These meals consist of rice (every day without fail), chicken or beef, some sort of dessert like jello, cake, or whatever else they can come up with, veggies, and juice. We get potatoes pretty often too. The juice here is great. It's usually apple, mango (If you're early) cantelope, pineapple or passion fruit. My stomach is doing fine.
     Life in the CCM is a little monotonous but it's good. We pretty much just sit in the classroom all day until we eat. Then we go back to the classroom. We have an hour for exercise from 3 to 4 where we can work out, play soccer, volley ball, ping pong, run, etc. It's a good time and everyone here knows how to have a good time. We have devotionals and stuff pretty often. Yesterday we had Elder Wadell, who I think is an area 70, speak to us and boy oh boy was it good. We do some sort of language study every day (duh) and lots of time for personal and companion study. It's crazy when I look back and realize how much I've already learned in one week. It seems to me that the Peruvian accent is similar to an Argentine accent but a little softer with more of a y sound than a sh sound on a double l. I'm not fluent or anything but I can see that it will come. On the first day we had a four hour crash course in Spanish and I was super frustrated and overwhelmed because they just kind of acted like I was already supposed to know how to conjugate verbs and stuff, but I just tried to remember the blessing Pres.Taylor gave me and how he said I need to be patient. It will come. I just need to remember to be patient and that the language will come in the Lord's time. I've realized that the gift of tongues isn't just being able to all of a sudden speak a language (at least not always'). It's being able to learn the language with the spirit right by your side every step of the way. To be able to learn without other things clogging up your mind, and it's awesome.
     I've been able to leave the CCM twice. Driving here is just like driving in Guatemala. My life flashes before my eyes every time. It's a riot though. I love the city of Lima and I can't wait to see Cusco. Lima is huge! It has 30 districts with 9 million people total. The weather is a lot like the weather in the Guatemala highlands. Lots of clouds with mild rain every day but the temperature isn't too cold. Lot's of the natives have been telling me that Cusco is really cold though....
    Church on Sunday was way cool. Everyone has to bear their testimony in Spanish so I didn't go. All I know how to say so far is a very simple testimony but I'll do it next month! We had a good Sunday school lesson, too, that was in English.

Well that's all for now because my time is running short. I love you all and I'll try to send some pictures next week! I am trying my hardest to be exactly 100 percent obedient. I'm having a blast.
     Please don't worry about me. I hope you are all doing well. I love you all! Yo se que La Iglasia de Jesucristo De los Santos de los Ultimos dias es verdadero.
     Love,
                  Elder Tate.
 P.S. Oh and neither of my teachers speak English so that's fun. Good guys though. I'll tell you more about them another time.

*Another missionary mom posted this of her son on FB and Tate was in it. Happy day!