Monkeys......

So mom and dad, Jessie still didn't send me anything from the songs.  So in 2 years I'm going to beat her up... just remind her of that!! hahahhahahahaha  Oh gosh, I am still so funny.  I bet you miss that!!!  I would if I was you guys!!

So, wow, it has been so crazy.  Most of the people in our (MTC) district came to the Angeles mission.  Only 2 didn't, they went to Olongapo and Urdaneta!   One of my really good friends from my MTC district is in one of those 2 areas.  I can't remember which but he met Elder Longson.  I am pretty sure that its one of my really good friends from high school.  He emailed me saying how he met him so that was so cool!

Elders Hedman & Biolena

Our p days (preparation days) are going to be Mondays now.  So that is kinda cool and different.  Wow, it is so crazy here.  Like you saw from the email that the Mission President gave you, my first area is the San Manuel area.  It is so different!!!   My senior companion is Elder Biolena.  He has been out for 14 months but only in Angeles Mission for 2 weeks.  He is completely new to the rules also.  He was assigned in the Tacloban mission but when the disaster happened, the mission was closed down.  He was reassigned in the Angeles mission.  So we are both kinda learning as we go.  It's pretty freaking crazy!!

Elder Howlett, Sister Dullette, Elders Hedman & Boilena. Can't read the ones behind them!

The area here is so different.  I'm so grateful to have grown up in America because here it is so weird!  There is just trash everywhere.  They just don't care about it!!  The people, when they are done with something, will just throw the trash on the ground.  Then when a pile of a big trash has started to form, they just decide to straight up light that pile of trash on fire.  I feel like some days the whole city is gonna go up in flames!  It's kinda really funny, but its not deadly to us at all.  The people here like to smoke, so if I make it through the 2 years and I come back smelling like smoke, I promise that it wasn't me who was smoking.  I am still a good little boy!! (: hahaha!

So as for the people we teach, we are teaching a lot of recent convert kids and so that is pretty cool! It's nice because they understand a little bit of English, so if I mess up, I can use an English word and they will know what I am saying.  So I get to practice tagalog a lot, but wow is it hard!  It is so stressful trying to learn everything in such a short amount of time!  But I decided that if I just take things 1 small step at a time, then everything will eventually come to be.  I'm so grateful for that because I was so worried about having to get everything done in a short amount of time!!  That's basically all of the stuff for the mission so far!!

We do have 2 investigators that we just got.  They seemed really interested, so I hope that we will have 2 baptisms coming up in the next 2 months !! (:  The hardest part, in order for them to be baptized, they have to come to church at least 4 weeks in a row here.  But my area is a brand new area.  We really don't have a church, so it's just held in the back of someones house!!  Ya, that really sucks.... but we will have to work with it!

Our apartment isn't too bad.  We have a shower but the water is freezing.  So I decided I won't shower for 2 years!  (sarcastic little stinker!!)  Oh just kidding!  I shower daily.  It does wake me up in the morning!!! hahaha

Elders Biolena, Hedman, ?little guy?, big guy, Elders De Leon & Delante, Another tall guy and sister missionaries

Here is a funny Tagalog phrase I'll share with you!!

Wag nagaalala para sa unggoy mo, dahil sa pamamagitan ng plano ng kaligtasan, magliliktas and lahat ng unggoy. Alam ko na sa pamamagitan ng pagbabayad-sala ni jesucristo makakakita tayo ng lahat ng unggoy sa piling ng diyos, at kahariang celestial.

So I like that sentence even though it has no real meaning!! But what is says is " Don't worry for your monkey, because through the plan of salvation, all of the monkeys will be saved, I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we will all see all the monkeys in the presence of god and in the celestial kingdom."   Just thought that would brighten your day up!!

Remember that the gospel is true and that I love you guys!!  I am gonna try and send some pictures now!  Oh and when you ship me stuff,  DO NOT USE FED EX OR UPS!!!!! EVER!  Because I will have to pay a boat load of money for them.... so use the normal postal system, what ever that is  (United States Postal System).   I haven't gotten the packages yet, but I did get the mail that you sent like the day I left!!  So I think I will start to finally get stuff now!!  I miss ya guys!!  Love you all!!  Remember to work hard and the Lord will provide a way!!

Love,
Elder Hedman!