Merry Conference!!!!

This week was awesome, being both conference and Easter. Conference is a big deal around here because we only get a general authority every Tuesday night for an hour, and this weekend we got ten hours of general authorities in a row. Hence, Christmas!!! We had a blast for Easter, because apparently our district is really popular, so we got tons of candies and such. On Sunday afternoon after conference we had an Easter egg hunt in our classroom building which was tons of fun. My comp and I won because he's big and Samoan and I'm like an altoid: small, white, and curiously strong. Speaking of big and Samoan, we also learned the Haka from one of the teachers on our floor who is Samoan (My companion and I already knew most of it, but we had forgotten some parts). I think my favorite part of the Haka is the face you have to make, described as a mixture of: you smelling something bad, and being really surprised and angry about it, and getting ready to put on chapstick. Unfortunately, due to my very white heritage, it doesn't look that good when I try to do it, but it looks pretty sweet on my companion. So that's some of the fun stuff we've done this week.

Great news! My visa is coming along! I met on Friday with the travel services to get myself fingerprinted and such, and this morning I'll present myself in front of the consulate and hopefully get my visa. Keep your fingers crossed!! Also, I realized I didn't explain how Elder Zayas' accent was weird. In Spanish, different countries speak way differently. E.g.: in Puerto Rico, they speak super fast and drop of the ends of words. Como estas becomes comoeta when you hear them say it. In Argentina, they speak with a little bit of a lisp and they take all the "y" sounds and turn them into a "sh" sound. It's interesting, because the elders in my zone right now are from all over, so I get to hear all the different accents.

Conference was incredible, wasn't it? I think this is the first time I've made it through all 10 hours without sleeping one bit. Some of my favorite talks were: President Uchtdorf's during preisthood, Julie Beck's, D. Todd Christofferson's, Hallstrom's, Cook's, Foster's, and all of President Monson's. The music was also incredible. On Sunday night, when we normally have a fireside, they did something different. They had a few elders get up to the microphone and say their favorite hymn, why they loved it, and then we sang it. We did this for an hour and it was probably one of my favorite firesides since I've been here. Anyway, here are some of my favorite conference quotes that I'm going to try to live by.
The question is not when we fill face trials, but how we will face them - Martino
A distraction does not have to be evil to be effective - Foster
How we disagree is a measure of who we are and how we follow the Savior - Cook
No matter the size of the issue, how we respond can reset the course of our life - Hallstrom
After the Savior said "it is finished" he continued to work. - Eyring
In your patience you will win mastery of your soul - Uchtdorf

Anyway, the time is short. Thanks so much for all the letters! I love your guys' guts!! The church is true!! My prayers are with you all, especially Granny and Grandad.

-Elder Spencer