New Mission President

So sorry I can't answer your questions cause I didn't get any!  (He emailed us really early and we hadn't emailed him yet!) :p hahahaha  But we're emailing super early today cause we wanted to just get it over.  That way there wasn't any stress because, wow, p day is like the most stressful day of the week!!!

So as for things that happened this week.  It was such an amazing week!!  We met our new mission president, President and Sister Clark!!!  They are just great people and I can just tell that this mission is going to be great!!  They focused so much on being so obedient and just making sure that you do everything right!!  Which is perfect because I love hearing stuff about that.  It just helps encourage me to be a better missionary and be more devoted to the Lord!  They are from Illinois but that's okay cause they grew up in Kearns and Taylorsville, Utah!  So that was pretty interesting.  He seems like a great guy cause he drove Porsche's as a job.  He basically was the head lawyer for Porsche so that is pretty legit.  But he really knows the importance of missionary work.  He really placed an emphasis on making sure that the people you are having be baptized are actually ready for baptism.  Which was so good because the importance of this covenant they are making is going to change their life.  So if they don't understand it, we are robbing them of their opportunity!

Our investigator Maylene passed her baptism interview.  So she is going to be getting baptized on this upcoming Saturday.  So keep her in your prayers.  It's so great to see her coming into the waters of baptism! I remember the first Sunday she came to church.  Me and my companion were the speakers.  After I went and talked to our leaders of the church.  They told me that she didn't know how to explain it, but when me and my companion were giving our talks, she just had a weird feeling come over her telling her that this was the right church.  This was the thing that she needed to do to come closer to Jesus Christ and to be cleaned from all her sins!!  So it's just such a great experience to help bring people unto the gospel!!  Also this last week, we were teaching the Carbonel family.  The kids are the most crazy and annoying people ever.  But I just knew that if I went in there trying to really help them, just focusing on the importance of the gospel, then they would understand in their own personal way.  How the gospel of Jesus Christ can help each individual person.  During the lesson it was great because they actually payed attention and answered questions.  They even prayed at the end which they usually don't want to do!  So we had some great progression this week!!

As for P day today, its the zone leaders birthday so we are going to that really nice resort later and then I think after that we are just going to relax and read and just sleep because wow this is some exhausting stuff!!!!!  Oh also something that was kinda sad, is all my friends from the oldest batch (first group of missionaries) was like the last time that I will see a lot of them.  So that was a saddening thing, but they call us their shadow batch because we are the next greatest batch.  But of course the shadow batch always ends up being even better!!  So that is this week!!  Remember to do your daily prayers and scripture reading that is the most important thing that you can do each day!! Love you all!!  Make good choices and remember who you are and what you stand for!! :p  Mahal ko kayong lahat! (I love you all!)

McDonalds and Meetings

Yo family, this last week has been a good week! Sounds like you guys are having a blast back in America so that's freaking lucky! Here it's just crazy as it could ever be!!! 

This last week we had our last conference with President Martino.  It was so great.  He said just the things that I needed to hear to just be an even better missionary!  It was so amazing.  He talked about families a lot because the presidency wanted him too.  That kinda made me miss home. But ya no biggy :p Hahaha  That was the trunky talk, or the one that makes you think of home.  Then the really good talk was about the apostle Peter and his ministry.  Just about him and Christ and the relationship that they had.  It was super good!!  I have loved studying the scriptures so much.  It's the greatest thing ever!!  So always remember to do your guys scripture reading!!!

For this P day, we're not doing anything at all.  Which is good.  I need to relax.  But what is crazy is my companion got his visa and is probably going to his mission now in Australia sometime soon.  So I don't know what is going to happen to me!?!  But that's okay as long as I keep working, things will go great!!  Also remember to pray for this girl named Maylene.  She is getting baptized on the 12th of July.  I just don't want anything to go wrong.  So keep her in your prayers.  That would be great!!

Tagalog is just coming along great! I understand it all now and can't speak English.  So it's weird.  But that's whatever!  haahaha  I'll just talk to uncle Tim when I get home!  :p  So not to much going on.   We just got a new mission president.  But I don't know who he is yet. haha  We are supposed to have a big conference on Thursday I think again.  So I'll be traveling again for 5 hours.  But I will get to meet the new mission president so that will be pretty cool!!!  Remember the church is true and always make sure to study the gospel!!  Love you guys!!(: 

Elder Hedman

Birthday Boy

Yo Family and friends!

 

Is it me, or does he look like a giant in this picture?

So first off, thanks for all the birthday wishes.  Just normal missionary work.  Really nothing to exciting for my birthday.  haha A member gave me a pretty cool pair of shorts which was cool! Hahaha Then we have an elderly couple serving out here and they brought me a red velvet cupcake.  It was amazing cause it was Americanized and not made with rice! Hahaha  So that was super delicious!!!!  But other then that, not really much happened this week on my birthday.  I don't freaking understand the Filipino culture here.  When it is your birthday, you are supposed to buy stuff for everyone else and treat everyone to really good food.  I was like what the freak is that crap.  That's like the complete opposite of birthdays in America where everyone brings you really good stuff and buys you stuff.  So I said no to that. I wasn't going to do that.  haha  But I did buy some stuff and we made spaghetti, which is like a heavenly food here.  So that was pretty much my birthday.  It was fun but didn't really feel like my birthday at all. I can't believe I'm 19 years old now.  Woah I'm getting so old!! 

 

This is a REAL Kevin!  This isn't the one we sent to him!  I didn't realize this at first!

So first I'll answer your questions.  We have someone doing our laundry.  So I'm lucky there! It's nice not having to do it at all cause there are no machines at all.  Everything here is just done by hand.  Like literally nothing is machine operated at all.  So it's definitely weird but cool at the same time!! 

 

We are going down to Cabanatuan later today because tomorrow we have our last conference with President Martino.  I'm really gonna miss him.  He is definitely like the most amazing man ever.  When he speaks, I swear Jesus Christ is talking to you. He is so sanctified.  I have theories about visions he has had, but I won't get into that.   hahaha  But this is going to be a crazy week cause the new president is coming in and everything is gonna be changing.  Well, maybe, I have no idea!! 

 

Those are the shorts a member gave him for his birthday.

This last week we got some people on baptism dates.  If you could pray for a girl named Maylene, that would be great!  She is progressing so well and knows that this church is true.  But it's hard cause she is always gone for school.  She is supposed to be getting baptized on the 5th of July!  So keep her in your prayers!!  That would be great!  Also keep that family in your prayers.  The mom keeps coming to church, but the kids are just makulit and wont listen and come!!  Even though they live the gospel, they just don't come to church!!!  I haven't gotten your package yet so I guess you don't love me but thats ok. :p Hahaha  Just kidding!  Just remember the church is true and you guys make good choices and also congrats on the diet and losing weight! Love you guys!!

Baptism and fun

 

So this last week was a good week!! I'll start off by talking about the baptism that happened!!! We didn't do it in the ocean, but that's okay it was good!! He was so excited to be baptized even though he was only like a little kid.  He just really wanted to be baptized.  He has great family support so that was good!!!  

 

This last week we have been focusing on that Carbonel family still.  I don't know if they will get baptized in this month or not.  But they have great potential.  Keep them in your prayers and that would be great!!  

 

We are really making sure that our investigators try to actually understand what we are teaching cause the Filipinos are too nice sometime and just say yes to whatever we ask them or anything.  So they just don't understand sometimes.  So it's frustrating but it's good cause I actually have patience now! I know crazy right? Hahaha  But ya the meetings this week were good!! I did get to eat McDonald's which was like the greatest thing ever.  I loved it and was so happy!! 

 

So the meeting itself was great, I learned quite a bit even though I've had the meeting before.  I learned about how just really aligning your self with god and really miracles will happen!!  So that was so awesome.  Just make sure you read your scriptures greatest thing ever!!  I love it for sure!  Oh thanks for the happy birthday by the way!!  Crazy I'm like 19 years old now.  Woah that goes by so fast... I'm so old..... So for the p day thing we did we went to that great big waterfall again.  It was okay.  We got to go closer to the falls cause the water wasn't as high. But nothing to exciting.  Transfers is this week but no one is gonna be transferring.  I'm 99.99% sure because I'm training... so that's nothing to exciting, but who knows.... haha  Well nothing to extreme this week!!  Just my birthday upcoming and then more missionary work!!  I love you guys!!  Make good choices and remember that the gospel is true!!  Love you all!! (:

Talaga

Yo pamilya, tsaka mga kaibigan, kumusta po kayo...(Yo family, friends Stick, how you please ...)

 

We see Kevin a lot in the pictures this week!

Bale, ang week na ito ay iyos lang, wala talaga na nangyari dito. (Mind, this week is God the only, nothing really happened here.).  That's so cool that Jessie graduated.  I didn't know if she would make it!  That's so weird she's done with high school.... woah  What the heck, time is going so fast... what on earth is she going to do with her life now?  

 

Hmmm....I think the kids like him!

So this week was an interesting week.  The baptism didn't happen.  But it's going to happen this Saturday.  He passed the interview and everything, so that was good.  This week we will have a baptism.  Maybe it will be in the ocean.  I think I'm the one that's going to be baptizing him!!  So heck ya!  I get an excuse to walk into the ocean.... that's the good news! Hahahaha  Just kidding, but it will be really good!! 

 

Keven and the Caribou!

So not much time to email but I'll let ya know about the stuff going on here!  We have been teaching a family called the Uson family.  Please keep them in your prayers.  They have such great potential but they live pretty far from the church.  So they haven't been able to come.  But they are really awesome people.  I just loving teaching them so much!!  We taught them the plan of salvation and they were really interested.  So that was super good!!!  Also another family we are teaching is the Carbonel family.  Only the mom and 1 daughter came to church yesterday.  But they have also great potential to be baptized!!  So they are really the focus.  It would be great if you could keep them in your prayers!!

 

This last week we just had normal work and nothing to exciting, but this upcoming week ill be going down to Cabanatuan for the trainers and training meeting.  That will be fun.  I'll probably get to eat at McDonald's again which is freaking awesome.  What a blessing!!  Later today we are going to the beach.  We are going to be playing games on the beach so that will be super sweet!!  Also it's at a resort, so I'll probably order some food that's Americanized.  It will be so amazingly delicious!!  I might withdraw some money again just cause I seem to spend a lot of money here.  Sorry about that!! But it's just so good!!  I also bought some shoes to walk around in for p day so that way its easier. I'm excited for that!  Crazy talaga how fast the time goes by!  I think i have like 16 months in the mission left and I got here.  I swear like yesterday.... 

 

Make sure you get the Tanner's email so I can keep in touch with him! That would be great!!  Also for James.  So i can email that Asian.... :p hahaha 

 

Kevin is reading the scriptures!

Kevin is learning the ukelele!

Oh the new mission president is coming in like 2 weeks.  So that is going to be so weird.  There's  some rumors going around of what's going to change.  But I don't feel like anything is going to really change.  Just more strict is what I'm feeling.  It's going to be a little more strict which will be pretty sweet!! So that way the freakin aso (pasaway) (disobedient) missionary's wont get away with much. Well, just remember that the church is true and that I love you guys!! Remember make good choices!!