Presidency Visits

So dear family and friends,

Well this last has been super interesting to say the least.... I have no idea how to even start but I'll try and start with the conference we had with President Ardern of the Quorum of the Seventy.  So that was so awesome.  They are literally some of the nicest people that I have ever met in my life.  They just do everything in a way that wants to make you be better and really show the true love of Christ.  It was so great because I really learned about being bold and direct when teaching doctrine, then showing where we get the doctrine from.  It was so interesting because he totally brought me to a different style of teaching, but I learned so much! 

Also our mission president talked about reading the Book of Mormon and helping investigators to understand the importance of it .  Understanding that we aren't just there to share a message but they have to act on the stuff they are learning or they aren't going to progress in the way the Lord needs them too.  It was a such a great workshop and learned a lot of stuff I need to do to help them understand more.  And get them to act more on the gospel and not just listen.  That was definitely the highlight of the week, but now the kind of weird part!! 

So my companion is like sick and can't work because he had surgery a while ago.  It just hurts him to much, so this week I haven't really had any time to go out and work.  But whenever I could, I did and worked hard.  Because of that obedience, the Lord really blessed us.  Even though I got like 2 days to work and one was Tuesday, we had 7 investigators come to church which was totally awesome.  Just totally strengthened my testimony of the importance of exact obedience in everything that we are doing.  If we do that, then the Lord will bless us in so many ways!!  

But what this means for me and my companion is he is going home, back to Tonga.  I have no idea what is going to happen to me.  So I'll definitely let you know about that this next week.  It's really weird and I don't really understand what is going on, but I know good stuff will happen.  The Lord will always provide a way, so that was super interesting! ! Sorry this message isn't the longest, just kinda pushing hard for time!!  Remember the gospel is true!!  And always be obedient!!

Love, Elder Hedman

Mahal Ko Kayo!

Dear Family and Friends!!!

So weird to say but not really an eventful week here for me!! The transfer absolutely nothing happened so I'm still here in Dipaculao, in the great tropical resort, so thats pretty cool!!  But wow I've been here a long long time.  Wow, the area is so expensive so that totally sucks.  Things are going pretty good here.  My companion didn't get transferred either, so we are still together.  That's going pretty good.  Of the good stuff that happened, the branch is really starting to get involved in missionary work.  So I'm so lucky and blessed to have that happening.  We have the most lessons with a member present here.  We are now starting to get a lot of referrals from the members and them coming to work with us, so we should be having some great progression here!!  

 

This week was okay.  We got 2 investigators to come to church, but their both part member families that want their children to be baptized.  That's just whats going on here.  We also got some great referrals and hopefully will find a family soon.  That's what I keep praying for!  Keep a girl named Nica in your prayers.  She has great potential but is having a hard time getting rid of coffee.  So we are still working with her for that!!  So if you could keep her in your prayers, that would totally be awesome!! 

 

Still working on being perfectly obedient.  I'm not perfect but I'm still getting there.   I definitely see the Lord helping me in everything I do which is exactly what I need.  I started reading the Book of Mormon again last week.  I'm almost done.  I just can't put it down when I start.  It's so great!!  So definitely don't ever forget to read the Book of Mormon.  That's probably the most important thing.   This week President Ardern from the seventy and our area president is taking a tour of our mission so that should be pretty cool!!  It'll be this Wednesday.  So I'll have to travel down on Tuesday.  That will be fun... ya a great long drive through crazy mountains, that's just gonna make me feel sick.  But it will be worth it!!  So I'll let you know how that goes this next week!! 

 

Other then that not really happened this week at all.  Didn't see anything weird and didn't take like many pictures.  So I'll send those!  But remember the Lord loves you all and the gospel is true!! Love you all!!   Mahal Ko Kayo!

Fun week and red faces

So this last week was interesting.... but first it sounds like you guys are having fun with out me and that's just not allowed.  haha  But it sounds like everything is going pretty good back home.  That's awesome - keep it up!

I'm sure this has some sort of inside joke, but I'm not sure what it is!

Sounds like your work is going to have a great big party.  I don't know how that will work if you are in charge.... but who knows miracles happen!   (: hahahah (:  That's cool Sydney is doing great in dance.  That's awesome!!

I can't believe you guys are going on that cruise.  That's so not fair!  I want to go!  But hey I'll just chill in the Philippines.  Sit on the beach and drink coconut water.  That's fair to me! (:

But so as for this week it has been an okay week, we are having some hard time contacting our investigators so its been rough that way.  We had 1 come to church yesterday.  It's a part member family.  The mom is a member so we started teaching her 9 year old daughter.  I have a hard time teaching children so it's fun and an experiment.  But it's good she is understanding it in a great simple way which is perfect!  We had a family home evening this last week and we got Marlin our investigator to attend.  He is doing great and has great questions.  He just has a hard time coming to church cause he always has to work to provide for his family so they can eat every day.  So if you would keep them in your prayers, that would be awesome!!!  Other then that, the branch is doing really great.  They are really trying to make progress here which is just what we need!!  They want to work with us and its great!!

The red face is some sort of game in the Philippines.

So I don't know whats gonna happen to me tomorrow night.  I find out if I get transferred or not so that will be interesting.  I've been here so long but I feel like I'll still be here.  So I'll let you know how that goes next week!!  Honestly I hope I stay and my companion gets transferred, but who knows,.  So it's been hard but I love being obedient and that is great.

Well I love you guys!!  Take care.  Remember the church is true and give all you have to the Lord.  It's worth it!! (:  Tell Jessie Happy Birthday!! I'll write her also... but tell her! (:

Love you all!! mahal ko kayo!!

Elder Hedman

Building houses & making friends

Hello!! Dear Family And Friends!

So this week was a decent week!! We didn't get to work to much, just like 4 days cause my companion was sick 1 day.  Plus we were traveling back from the city the other day.  Gotta love 4 hours on a bus through crazy mountains.  It reminds me of Indiana Jones but with no happiness cause it just makes ya feel sick the whole time.  

 

Building a house

I still love this area.  I don't want to leave!  I have grown so close to the members here its amazing.  Brother Givara, from the show on BYUTV, The District, his family is still here and they are so cool!  It's fun teaching his daughters and wife cause they are recent converts here. So I'm loving the work here! We are still teaching the Carbonel family but it's not progressing too much.  The mom has a learning disability so were trying to work around that to help them!  It's going okay.  The others are doing okay also.  We had a hard week cause only 1 investigator came to church and the attendance was the lowest its been since I've been here.  But it's okay.  I know what I need to do to help them out.  We had a great lesson with a new investigator named Marlin.  He's doing really good and is looking for the real truth.  He said when he reads the book of Mormon he gets this super weird good feeling.  Like the back of his neck gets all tingly and he knows he has to keep reading it.  So that's awesome!!  We are going to keep working with him. 

 

The mom in me screamed when I saw this!

Then I remembered his sense of humor!

This last week was a great meeting with president.  I learned so much.  I love when he talks you just feel the spirit so strong.  He's really emphasizing being obedient to everything and working with members.  It's so great because it just makes me feel so good about what I'm doing! I'm loving the mission.  Time has shot by so fast.  I can't believe basically most of all my friends have been gone a year.... that's so weird... 

 

Tell Quinn congratulations from me for making the B team! That's so awesome!! Tell him to email me also! And tell Sydney keep up the great work on dancing.  She is doing great!!  How is Jessie doing?  I'd like to know how she is doing!  But don't worry about me here the gospel is great and the work is amazing!  I love being a missionary! (:  Transfers are coming up next week so I'll find out next Monday at night if I'll be transferred or not.  I've been here a long time but I think I could possibly be staying.  I hope so cause there's so much great potential here!!  But the lord knows whats best!! (: Love you all remember choose the right!!! ayayatenka, mahal ko kayo!! (: (I love you!)

9 months out

Dear Family And Friends,

So this week was kind of a crazy week!!! We had some great stuff going on but at the same time it was just really crazy because there was a lot stuff that was so short notice that we had to do.  First I'll start off with the crazy thing.  My companion found out his flight and so he left me to go to manila and fly to Australia.  So that was a crazy thing because it was so short notice.  We found on Friday afternoon and he left Saturday morning so we had to hurry and get back to the house and pack all of his stuff to get everything ready for him.  That night was a great night of little sleep!  

It was interesting too because I found out my new companion and he is way cool!! I don’t know how long he is going to be my companion but his name is Elder Emilio, and he is actually from Tonga.  So is way sweet.  He and I are the only ones in the mission that I know of that are foreigner and another foreigner.  It’s really interesting but he is really good at Tagalog also so its totally fine.  We both understand like everything perfectly well so there is no problems there at all.  It's been a fun couple days with him and it’s a blast.  He's really great! 

Clearing some of the land to build a house.

This last week we got some people put on for a baptismal date.  We have a part member family we are currently teaching and that is going pretty good!  His name is Romeo Rivas and we are having great success with him.  The best thing is really the testimony of the mom.  She is great and really wants him to do this so that they may be sealed in the temple.  That really sparked with him and how if they don’t get sealed in the temple then their marriage is only for this life.  What a blessing it is to have the temple!!  Keep Him in your prayers that would be awesome!  

We also had a great Community Service Project with a member to help build a house.  Ya it's pretty sweet.  We don’t just fix houses for service but here in the Philippines we actually build houses!  Hahaha But because of that service, a neighbor saw what we were doing and just asked where we came from and why we are out here serving people and helping.  It was a great thing.  She says that she would like to be part of that and really thinks that whatever this church is, they're producing great young men who go out and serve!!  So that was awesome.  We got a new investigator because of that and she has great potential!!  Her Name is Sister Devine, If you could also keep her in your prayers that would also be great because those 2 are doing good.  We also have 1 more that has been going pretty well and her name is Sister Nika.  Her uncle is the 2^nd counselor in our branch and she came to church yesterday.  She stayed and met a lot of new people and had some great friends.  The lessons are going great with her.  We just taught her the word of wisdom and she had great questions about it and why it is so important.  After the lesson she really wanted to understand and said she's going to start living it.  So we will make sure that goes through well!  Those are the 3 best investigators that we are teaching right now that are really progressing well!!  So make sure that you keep them in your prayers!!! 

Also this next week I'm going down to Cabanatuan or actually later today cause we have a meeting with president.  It's MLC/DLC (Mission Leader/District Leaders) so that will be good.  I'll let you guys know how that goes!!  Also earlier this morning we went to a resort of a member and it was such a gorgeous area!!  I took a lot of pictures and videos, so I'll be sure to get those sent to you guys.  But the week has just been good.  Through all the hard times remember that the Lord is right there with us and he's guiding us all the way through.  We just need to look for his hand and he will guide us through everything!  So crazy stuff with the family.  Quinn is gonna be a real boy! (started playing football)  That’s pretty cool!! Tell him good luck with football and to man up and get big! Haha, So that’s pretty much everything here! Remember that I love you guys and the church is true!! Make good choices and remember who you are and what you stand for! :p

New Companion!

Love you all! (: