Ciao everyone!

This week went by fast! The work continues here at the MTC. The days are long, but short at the same time. Anziano Green has this theory that we're actually in a time warp. He's always full of conspiracy theories.

I don't remember if I mentioned this in my first letter, but on our second full day here, we taught an entire lesson in Italian. We were all scared out of our wits, but it ended up going pretty well. We taught an "investigator" named Raymond. After we finished teaching him, we found out he was actually our other teacher! PLOT TWIST! His name is actually Fratello (Brother) Carrington. Our other teacher is Fratello Weller, but we call him Fratello Wello because it sounds cooler. :P

Sundays quickly become a missionary's favorite day, at least in the MTC. It's the only day without language study. There's a lot of time for scripture study. In church this Sunday Anziani Mata'u, Burton, Green, and I sand an a capella version of "How Great Thou Art." I love still being able to sing, especially with talented people like them. In the evening we have a devotional and a taped conference talk/devotional. This week's video was by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. I don't remember what it was called, but it was very powerful. It was also directed specifically toward missionaries, so it was extra meaningful.

We are getting along well as a district. In the evenings we've been getting together and sharing conversion stories and other stories about our lives. It's amazing to hear about what has made these people into themselves. I love all of them. Because we get along so well, we're also a big distraction to each other. It's a blessing and a curse. Our goal the past few days has been to focus more during study time and use our meetings in the evenings to unload. I attached a picture to this email.

In order to stay alive in the MTC, you have to maintain a positive outlook. The days are long and repetitive. The work is hard. The language is hard. The chairs get uncomfortable. The room gets stuffy. Despite all this, it's still up to us how we choose to react to situations. It's something Mr. Snyder calls the "as if principle." If you act "as if" you are happy, you will become happy. If you act "as if" you are miserable, you will become miserable. God gave us agency, the power to make decisions. He wants us to use this agency. He loves when we use it. In the MTC, and in life in general, we are thrown into all sorts of situations. All of these situations, whether good or bad initially, are opportunities to learn and grow if we allow them to be. We can't always change our situations, but we can ALWAYS change our responses to situations. The title of this letter is cento percento. 100%. In all we do, if we give 100%, we will improve our situations and make them into wonderful experiences.

Thank you to all who have sent me letters. Seeing your handwriting and having a piece of you is more of a blessing than you know.

I love all of you. Stay awesome.

~Anziano Simcox

-The picture is a picture of my district. Front Row: Sorelle (Sisters) Reichert, Bucco, Jameson, and Stephens. Back Row: Myself, and Anziani (Elders) Mata'u, Anderson, Green, Speiser, and Jaramillo

This is my companion, Anziano Mata'u.