Last Email?

Dear Family and friends. 

So this is my last week... wow I can't believe it!!  So ya, I'll be back on the 7th a little bit after lunch time.  But I have no idea what I'm doing after that!  Tell Quinn good job in his football game.  That's so awesome.  I can't wait to go home and see him play some football and watch Sydney do their dances and spend some time with you. 

So the week for missionary work was good.  We only had 1 investigator at church.  But on the 17th of October,  we will probably be having 2 baptisms for Chasty and for Loreine.  So that's really good.  Keep them in your prayers.  I'm hoping to stay in contact so I can find out if they ended up getting baptized or not!!  I'm loving the mission so much and it's gonna be so hard to come home after being here for 2 years of my life and just learning to love everything here.  But I'm excited to see you guys! I think the Cafe Rio would be a really good lunch for the homecoming meal!  That's cool that Easton and Jeff are going to sing!!  That means I might actually have some people show up!  That's exciting! haha  Sorry not much to say.  I'll see you guys in 9 days and remember I love you guys.  This is my last email so I'll keep it small and sweet right?!  Love you guys!!

Mahal Ko kayo!!

Ingat kayo lagi!!

Almost home

So dear family and friends!!!

So this is going to be my 2nd to last email... wow.. that's so weird to think of!!  We have 1 more Monday to email.  So on October 5th, I won't be emailing just so you know.  I'll be in the mission office so remember that!  But it sounds like everyone is doing good back home so that's great!!!

So this week was pretty good week.  I can't believe how fast the time is going by!  The last 2 weeks of the mission, it's going to be good and we will be getting some good work done!  This week we had some pretty great work!  Tatay Jay bee is doing really good and it's been a week without him drinking alcohol.  So that's completely awesome.  Seeing the struggles he was going through and now seeing how he's starting to get rid of it!  So keep him in your prayers and that would be so helpful!!  Sister Chasty is a part member who is just perfect.  She has no problems.  She should have been a child of record but just missed it cause she went and lived with some other family members for a while.  So we are teaching her and just finishing off some of the lessons.  She will be getting baptized the 2nd or 3rd week in October.  So that's really exciting!!  Getting some good work done right before I finish the mission.  Kind of excited for that!!

Don't really know what else happened this week.  I bought some decent looking clothes for when I  get home off the plane.  I don't look bad with ripped clothes and everything haha...  So that was exciting!!  Nothing really happened though!  I have some pictures I might send.  I might just wait though since I'm close to coming home. haha  Just a hassle to get it all saved right.  I'll think about it haha.  Remember the church is true.  I'm doing okay in my book of Mormon reading but I don't think I'll finish it in time... but who knows!  Remember to be obedient and be good members!!  I love you guys and I'll see you guys in 2 weeks!! 

Mahal ko kayo!! (: Ingat kayo!

Love Elder Hedman

Waterfalls

Thanks for the love you tools.... :p

(That was all I got!  I was so sad.  But then I realized, he didn't get my email I send to him.  I accidentally sent it to his google email instead of the one for his mission.  Luckily, we forwarded the email and he got it later that day or the next day and sent us a "real" email.)

I have to get on to send this thing in to the office... so I'll email you quickly!!

Ya sorry, I just didn't get the email!  But I'm glad you guys didn't forget me!(:  I was starting to think that you guys had forgotten me.  I was like - oh no I guess I'm just gonna get off the airplane and I'll have no one there to pick me up... haha  But the week was actually pretty good!  We had 3 investigators at church!!  Tatay Jaybee was there again so he's doing really well and is progressing! There will probably be like 3 baptisms in the area for October, but I'll be back in America by that time so I wont be here for them.  But it's always good knowing that you are leaving the area progressing and helping people move towards baptisms!!  That was awesome!!

Elder Farr and I get along great.  He is an awesome guy and it's still so weird to me that they live so close by!  It's kinda cool!!  But he's a fun guy and we get along great! 

So yesterday, I think I sent some pictures home.  We went hiking for p day and we went to this sweet waterfall.  So I took some pictures.  It was really cool but we had to walk through some rivers!!  They were kinda fast also.  I slipped and my knee started bleeding.  But I remember that you would probably just tell me to suck it up so I decided I would!(:  I didn't even cry!(: Hehe... (:  So that was really cool and it was a blast.  We went as a zone so it was some good zone bonding and the zone here is so fun!  I can't believe how fast the time is going by.  I have 3 weeks left and I'm back in America.  It's so weird to me!!  Sorry that I didn't email you guys.  I just thought you didn't email me so I thought I'd let ya know how it felt!(; haha (: <3

But I do love you guys and I'm glad you are doing good!!  Sorry this is a weird timed email but remember the church is true!!  The work here is going good and I'm trying my best to work hard till the very end!!(: (:

Mahal ko kayo!(: 

Elder Hedman

Reading the Book....again!

Dear Family!!!

Well this week has been a pretty crazy week!! 

The time is going by so fast.  I can't believe that I'm going to be home in like 4 weeks.  It's going by so fast I can't even believe it!(:  Me and my companion are getting along great.  We had some really good work this week with our investigators.  We were able to get 3 of them to come to church which was really great!!  Tatay Jay bee is progressing pretty good and he is starting to get rid of the alchohal problem he has and just trying to change his life around.  He was even taking pictures in front of the church.  I think to show his wife who is in a different country so that was really awesome!!! 

We are also working with a new investigator named Chasty.  She's a part member family and she is just a little girl. But she is really smart and loves coming to church.  So we have them on a baptismal goal date for 2 weeks after I leave on october 17th.  So thats really exciting!!  I'm really trying my hardest to work hard till the end.  It's so hard at times but it's great.  I'm loving the Philippines!  It's going to be so hard to leave this place.  I've grown to love it so much!!  And so also this week, I started the 30 day challenge of trying to finish the Book of Mormon the last 30 days of the mission.  And so I started I guess earlier or yesterday... and I'm in 1st Nephi, chapter 7... so I got a lot of reading to do and I'm super excited to get into it and finish it off! 

Remember that the church is true and to follow the teachings of the church in all we do and it will bless us so much!! I love you guys and I hope you have a great week!!

Mahal Ko Kayo!!!

Love Elder Hedman!

Bright shoes and India

Dear Family and Friends!!

So as I can tell by your guys email to me, I guess you heard the news....

So yes, this week was transfer week and some kinda crazy stuff happened to me!!  So I'm actually going to be staying in my area.  I'm not moving at all but my companion got transferred which was kind of shocking!!!  And I got the message that I was going to be training a new missionary!!  I was like, are you serious - I have 6 weeks left and this is what I'm going to be doing?  At first I was like super shocked.  But I found out and this is actually pretty cool, he's actually not like a new missionary.  We call it hosting here.  If you remember, I was companions with an elder from India... and this elder is also from India.  He just got here so I'm the one that's kinda showing him around and helping him adapt here!

They look orange, but he said they are red.  Holy bright, batman!

So first off, his name is Elder Farr.. and it's actually pretty cool!!  He knows Brigham (his cousin) a bit. And he knows Gage Davis (our neighbor)!!  He went to Riverton high school and is from Riverton - just real close by!!  He is a big soccer player and he's super cool!!  And so it's not that bad at all.  He is really fun and we get along great!  But I thought that's pretty cool how for my last transfer, I get to be with someone that I can kinda relate too just because he knows a lot of the stuff I  do!!  I really think it will be a fun last transfer!! 

The work here overall is doing really okay.  We got like 10 new investigators this week!  And we had 3 investigators come to church this week so that was really good!  And we are working with them.  We have a possibility of 1 baptism in September and so I'm going to try and work really hard for that.  It would be really cool to have 1 more baptism before I go home!!  It's crazy to think that I'm going to be leaving soon.  I was extending some baptism goal dates this last week and I extended them for after October 7 and I was like - woah.... I won't even be there for that. It makes it harder to work, but also gives me some good inspiration to work harder and finish out strong.  So I'm trying and I'll continue to do my best while I'm here!! Remember that the church is true and wish Brigham good luck for me!!! Tell him I'll miss him!!

Elder Farr, his new companion, is in the back sitting next to him.

Ingat kayo lagi!! 

Mahal ko kayo!!

Elder Hedman

Trainer

August 27, 2015

Elder Mac Hedman

Dear Elder Hedman:

Congratulations on your appointment as a Missionary Trainer! It is wonderful to see the effort you have put into your own development so that you have qualified yourself for this very important position.

You will have many opportunities for Church service, but none will demand a greater example of worthiness, obedience, faithfulness, leadership, or love than training a new missionary. I earnestly pray that you will understand the magnitude of this stewardship.

Provide the needed example by following mission rules with exactness, read the handbook each week, study, pray and follow the daily schedule established in Preach My Gospel. Be diligent in adhering to the proselyting schedule and do all things necessary to provide a foundation of lifelong faithfulness for this new servant of the Lord. Live so that your strength and leadership will constantly be observed by all around you.

You are well aware of the need for your new companion to immerse himself in studying Preach My Gospel. Be faithful in helping this new missionary to study hard and complete the 12-week training course for new missionaries. In addition to the 12-week training course one of the most important things you can do as a trainer will be to teach your trainee how to follow the recommended Preach My Gospel schedule, including quality daily and weekly planning sessions, as well as effective personal and companion study. I urge you to hold a companion inventory regularly. Strive for open, thoughtful communication. Listen carefully to those things your companion wants to say--and perhaps is not able to say without your help and encouragement. Love and encourage love. Be diligent in these things and in your work, and you will be blessed beyond measure.

You are a fine missionary! I pray for your success and that of our new missionary in this new responsibility.
Sincerely,

Scott B. Clark
President

Short & Sweet

Dear Family!!

So this week, I don't really know what to talk about!!  Nothing really happened this week!  Just normal work and it was pretty good!! (:  We had 1 investigator come to church and that was pretty good.  It was kind of  sad that only one came but the others slept in and so they weren't able to make it and said that next week they will come!!  So that was okay I guess.  Hopefully this upcoming week we can find some new investigators.  We are running out of people to teach.  So we gotta do some great finding because we need some new people to teach!!  So we will probably be focusing on that in the upcoming week!  And this week is transfer week by the way!  So it's going to be my last transfer.  So I guess I will find out who will be my last companion and where I will be!!  I think though that nothing will happen to me and I'll just stay here with the companion I have!  That wouldn't be to bad so that's okay!!  We have hopefully 2 baptisms coming up in September but it depends on their word of wisdom and how their church comes along! 

Remember I love you guys!! Sorry nothing really happened this week nothing to exciting!!! (:

Mahal ko kayo!

Elder Hedman

Power Outage

So Dear Family and Friends!!!

Sorry first off, I don't have much time at all.  The power has been out the whole entire day!!  So that wasn't exciting at all!!  And it just got back on so we rushed here to the computer shop so that we could email!! 

So this week was really good.  We ended up having 3 investigators come to church and are looking to help them get baptized in the upcoming weeks!!  Probably in September!!  So that's really exciting!! The ones that came to church was Sister Loreine, Sister Ladylyn, and Tatay Jaybee.  So if you could keep them in your prayers, that would be awesome!!  Um other than that, this week we had zone conference so we all met in Cabanatuan.  But it's just so different.  (He's not a Zone Leader anymore)  It's so much training and we didn't get to talk much with the other missionaries like at all.  I didn't get to take any pictures or sit and talk much... it's like 5 minutes after its over we are all headed back.  So it's good for training, but its literally it's just stuff that I have heard over and over again.  So that's kinda interesting.  It just makes it harder to focus I think.  But I'll keep working hard till the very end!  Can't believe how fast the time is going by!  But I literally just still love being a missionary.  It's so great and I'm enjoying it so much and having such a great time!!  It's such a great experience to be able to share the gospel!! 

Also in other great news, I finished the Book of Mormon again this week!!  So I will try and finish it 1 more time before I come home!!  So I'll keep you guys updated there.  I guess I got a lot of reading to do so I can start working on that!!!!  Gotta love the Book of Mormon!  Sorry this is kinda short, the power going out just kinda messed everything up!  But remember I love you guys and the church is true!!!(:

Love Elder Hedman

May May baptism

Dear Family!

So it sounds like home is going great!!  That's good.  I can't believe how fast the time is going by.  I was thinking about it and I can count the weeks on my hands... that was shocking!!  So the week has been pretty good!!  I am just lazy in typing cause I know I'm coming home soon and I can just tell you guys whats happening... hahaha   But this week was actually a really good week!!  We managed to find a lot of new investigators with some great potential for the upcoming weeks!!  One is named Loreine, and another is Jay Bee.  They are 2 investigators that I feel have some great potential to be baptized in September!!  So that would be awesome if you could keep them in your prayers!!  We taught Tatay Jay bee about the word of wisdom .. and he said that it's a great thing to know that there are things that we should get rid of.  So he's starting little by little to start being more like Christ and to follow the commandments.  So that's just an awesome thing to see!! 

So this week also we had the baptism service for May May and that was so awesome!!  It was kinda annoying though because it was supposed to start at 2 o'clock so we showed up and there was a ton of people at the church.  The branch president didn't tell us that there was a meeting that was going to be happening.  So we ended up waiting for it to end, and the baptism didn't even start till 4:30.  And then it was just like super fast because the branch just isn't the most supportive.  But we are working with what we have.  So we will keep it up and just do our best!!  But it was great hearing her testimony of how the Book of Mormon has helped her and seeing how she just loves coming to church and being with some of her friends there!!  So that was definitely the highlight of the week!! 

Can she be any cuter?  Reminds me of my cute nieces that live in Colorado!

When is our cruise again??   hahaha  I'm stoked for that!!  But I'll be continuing to be working hard till the end!!   It's a great thing and I've seen so much changes in myself and just seeing how much more spiritual I have become!!!   I haven't used the debit card yet but I'll probably use it later.  It would be nice to know also how much is on it!!(:  Thanks and remember that I love you guys and I'll see you guys in like 57 days!!(; haha LOVE YOU!

What is up with the black socks and striped tie? 

Love Elder Hedman

Lazy Sunday Email

Dear Family!!

Sorry, I kinda feel lazy this week in emailing.  So this email might not be the longest!!  Sounds like everything back home is going great.  That is awesome to hear!!  I'm so stoked still for Brigham to be serving a mission.  It's the best thing in the world.  And the best thing that he could possibly do.  That's for sure!!  So this week we had a pretty decent week!!  We had the interview for one of our baptisms.  And this upcoming Saturday we are going to be having another baptism.  I'm really excited about that.  Her name is May May.  She's a part member and she's going to be getting baptized.  She's really excited so that's really awesome.  It's always a great thing to have baptisms!!  I hope this won't be the last but for now, we don't really have anyone else progressing.  So we are going to be working on that and helping find new people and helping them get to church!! 

This week we also had interviews with our mission president.  That was so good.  I was excited and we got to talk for a bit but nothing too big.  So that was just kinda normal.  Just kinda a normal week.  Sorry nothing super exciting.  I don't feel like emailing for long today.  Maybe next week I'll send a more indepth email!! But I did get your package.  I'll probably get it tomorrow.  The office called me and told me that it's finally here, so thats good news!!  So thanks for sending that and getting it out!!

Remember na mahal ko kayo!! Ingat kayo lagi!!(:

Love, Elder Hedman

Mahal ko kayo!!

Dear Family,

So this week has been good!!  Nothing to exciting really happened so sorry I don't have to much to say!! But wow, it seems like everything is going crazy back home in America!!!  Oh wow... you guys never even told me that chessa was getting married!!!!  (Chessa is his cousin and she is engaged!  Oh, I did a few weeks ago, but he must have forgotten.)   Thanks for that!!!!  Wow!! I didn't even know!!  WOW!  I'm so happy that Brigham is getting out on a mission.  It's the greatest thing in the world for sure!  I still haven't gotten the package, but it might just be waiting to get picked up from our office.  So that's okay.  Don't worry, it'll all be okay(: 

So the work is going pretty good still here!!  We are just struggling to find some new people to teach so we are really focusing on finding recently lately.  So that's always such a fun thing to do because I get to lead it being the senior companion.  So I will start doing a lot of finding and I'm hoping that we can start getting some referrals from the branch that we are serving in!!  The Branch that we are in is alright.  They are really nice but the church is just basically mostly new to most of them.  So they don't really know what they need to be doing and they have a hard time getting the members to fulfill their calling.  So the branch president at most times just really seems stressed..  So we are also trying to find small ways that we can help and that we can serve him so that way his job will be a lot easier.  And they can help us with the missionary work going on in the branch!  So that's basically whats going on here in the branch!!

As for the area, it's alright.  Our investigator, Emil, it was just kinda sad.  He just left to go work for his family so he went to a different place so we just kinda lost that right away.  But that's okay just don't get down right??  Haha  But on the bright side, we have an investigator and she's a part member family.  Her name is May.  She's just a younger girl but she is really smart and comes to church every week!!  So we have her on date for August 8th.  And after that we did have one scheduled for august 29th, but that's looking a little unsure now.  So we will work on seeing what we can do to help him continue to prepare!  So the work is great and I still love being a missionary.  I can't believe how fast time is going by!!  I heard we got our itinerary (to come home in 2 months!!),  but I haven't seen it yet.  But I got kinda a run down of whats it's going to be like from the office elders because one is our batch so he called us and let us know!  hahah  Me and my kabahay (roommate), Elder Callister were kinda stoked.  I'm like ready to come home but at the same time I know I'm gonna miss this place a ton.  I'm loving being out here and just getting to know the people more!!  Remember that the church is true!!  Don't forget to pray as a family and have family home evening even if its simple!!  Just small simple things as a family it will help and you will love each other any more and the lord will bless us even more!! 

The church is so true don't you ever forget it!!

Mahal ko kayo!!

Ingat kayo lagi!!

Elder Hedman

2 Baptisms

Dear Family and Friends!!!

Woah..... that sounds like the busiest week in the longest time!!  I can't believe that Austin got home and that Easton got home!!  Holy cow... it's just like it was yesterday.  The time has flown by sooo fast!!  Wow!!  Tell them I said congrats to them!!  I can't believe Brigham got his call also!!!  I'm sad that I won't see him!!!!! That sucks so bad!!  But I know he will do great there in LA.  That's so cool he's serving in Los Angeles, California!!  Tell Jesslyn I said good luck on her mission.  I'd like to have her email so I could email her if that would be okay!!!

So this week, first I'll answer your question about the package.  I haven't gotten it yet.  But I'll give the office a call and see if it got there so I can get it soon because I'm low on money.  hahaha  So I'll do that later today!! 

So the work here was really good this week!!  We met a new investigator and his name is Emil.  And he is really awesome.  I didn't really think too much of it at first just cause hes a youth.  I don't like teaching a lot of youth cause I just don't feel like they take things to seriously here.  But then I was shocked when I walked into church and then like 3 minutes later he came walking in with 2 of our recent converts!!  They brought him to church with them and that was so awesome!!  We got him to accept a baptism goal date for August 22.  So that's pretty exciting!!!  That was a great highlight of the week but of course one of the best highlights of the week was the 2 baptisms that we had!!  Tatay Virgilio and brother Mark Anthony got baptized this last Saturday and it was so awesome!! 

 

It was funny because Mark Anthony loved it and asked if he could do it again.  And it was just kinda silly but he's such a smart guy!!!  And then probably one of my favorite things was hearing tatay's testimony after his baptism!  He was so excited to become a member of the church and he just bore a straight incredible testimony of how his whole life he has been just looking for the gospel.  And then when he first met the missionaries he said that just it felt so different and he felt like he needed to follow everything that they were going to teach him.  So he did that, and now he is a member of the church and he says that he couldn't be any happier!!  All his family as in brothers and sisters are members also so they are really excited for him because he has now also become a member of the church and so that was just a great thing to see.  The branch actually did show some support for him when he showed up for his confirmation.  So that was really great.  I think he felt he was really welcomed into the church!!!

So I would say those were the good highlights of the week!!  We did have transfer week this week but nothing happened to me and my companionship.  So that was a little shocking but I had a feeling that nothing would happen to us.  So that was good.  Interviews with our president haven't happened yet but I'm sure they are coming up in the following weeks.  So I'll let you know about that when that comes!!  Thanks for your guys support and I love you guys!  Remember that this is the greatest work there is and to put the gospel first in our lives and it will bless us more then you can even know!!!

Mahal ko kayo!!

Ingat kayong lahat!! (;