The Church is True

So dear Family and Friends! This last week has been a good week!!!

So this last week was transfer week and I did get transferred!!! I am now in Palayan City! It is the capitol of Nueva Ecija, but its got nothing in it at all.  So that's pretty exciting. hahaa  We don't have like anywhere to eat and there is no real grocery store.  So that's pretty exciting!!!  And also I am no longer a Zone leader.  I am just a normal senior companion which is kinda nice.  It's relaxing and I don't have to worry and stress out so much.  So that will be nice.  My new companion is actually a foreigner!!  He's from Salt Lake City, the Woods Cross area.  He's actually coming from the India mission and is just waiting for his visa here in the Philippines before he heads back.  So he doesn't speak any Tagalog but that's fine.  He's way chill and we get along great!!  His name is Elder Hunt, and Samoan, but lived his whole life in Salt Lake.  So he's so cool and he was a zone leader over in India.  So we got some great work ahead of us!!  We have some baptisms coming up the next couple of weeks so that will be really good and I'm looking forward to that!  The area is pretty simple so I think I"ll be able to get in the process of working here really fast.  I hope that makes sense.  I can't remember my English at all.  It's awful.  The work here is going really good and I'm loving my study of the Book of Mormon.  I'm getting closer to finishing it.  I just got to sit down and finish it which will be really good!!  I want to try and finish it then start and finish it 1 more time before I finish my mission.  I think that I can do that. So that's going to be my goal!!!

Also in this area, I am roommates with the zone leaders here.  And Elder Panes and Elder Callister, are my room mates.  Elder Callister was in the same district with me when we were new in the mission.  It looks like this is both our last area.  So we are starting the mission together and are going to finish the mission together, which is actually kinda funny!!  So that's really cool.  I bet you will recognize him from some of the pictures!! 

Also this next next week, we are having a mission tour and elder Bowen from the area presidency is coming here to work with us and improve some stuff here happening in the mission.  It's so exciting and I'm looking forward to that!!  We have some great stuff to study in preparation for that so I'm looking forward to that!!  Other then that, I don't have any meetings anymore, so that's kinda weird!  But it'll be good!!  The people here in this area are pretty cool!  They are nice.  I miss my last area a lot but it's okay.  Just gotta move on and work hard!!  So I'll be doing that here for sure!!  The only thing that is kinda annoying, the leaders here literally don't know what they are doing.  It's kinda funny but wow its just awkward.  It doesn't feel like church.  We like run it and it was my first week.  So that was kinda annoying but that's okay.  I'll just learn from it and improve myself and it will keep me focused so I don't get so trunky!! hahaha  I can't believe everyone is getting home now.  That's so weird!!  But I'll still be here working hard to the end.  Or trying to at least!! haha  I love you guys.  Hope you all have a great week and remember that the church is true and it's the most important thing that we focus on in our lives!!  Ingat kayo!!

Mahal Ko Kayo!!!(:

Love Elder Hedman!

New Area - Palayan

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So, he is in a new area!  This most likely will be his last area too.  Here are some pictures from his last area in Munoz.  He will sure miss the friends he has made in that area!  He sent so many that I can't add them all!

Tarlac

Hey sorry!  We had to go to Tarlac to talk with president so my email is late today!!  And I really have like 10 minutes to email!!  I'm sorry!!  So I'll just send you a short email and maybe send pictures next week!!  Again, I'm sorry!!

This week was kinda really rough.  I'm going to be stepping down as a zone leader so that might help I  think.  I'll let you know more about it next week for sure because next week I'll actually be able to email which will be really nice.  And I won't have like any reports so that should be good!!  But this week was pretty hard because the person that was supposed to get baptized in our branch, she actually turns up not to be married.  It's against the law of chastity and she leaves today actually to go to another country for 2 years.  So we were hoping that we could get her baptized before she left to go out of the country but it looks like that didn't happen.  So that was really sad and hard.  But I know it was part of the plan that our father has for us.  Me and Elder Surio had a pretty good week though.  We have 3 people who are 95 percent sure going to be getting baptized in the next month, which is really great!!  So that is really good for this area and I'm excited for that!!  I said goodbye to the members this last week which was hard!  I love the members here in this branch and they are really good!!  So I'm going to miss them!!  The work here is good and it's still a great area though!  We had some struggles this week with getting people to come and sit in on the lessons and finding the best time to teach our investigators.  This next week there will be changes so I'll let you know what is going to happen there!  I love you guys!! Sorry this email is short.  I really have like no time at all.  So I'll let you guys know next week and I'll email you next week!!  Have a great week.  Tell Sydney happy birthday also again!! (: 

I love you! 

Elder Hedman

47 Lessons

Dear Family and friends!!

So first off I'll answer your questions.  First, that's so crazy Sydney is turning 12 this week... she is so old it's so crazy!!  I can't believe when I get back her and I will be able to go to the temple!!  I'm so excited for that its going to be so great!!  And also I can't believe that October 11 is going to be my homecoming.... that's weird to think about!!  And ya I do remember baptizing Sydney.  It was like it was just yesterday!!!

How many missionaries can you fit in the back of Jeepney?

So this week was a good week.  Really for the work it was awesome!!  Elder Surio and I taught 47 lessons this week and it was so awesome!!  That might be one of the highest teaching weeks we have had!  So that was really good and we got some good results from our teaching also!!  We are having a baptism this upcoming Saturday which I'm super excited for!!  It's this mother and she is just so awesome and so progressing in the gospel so she is going to be getting baptized this Saturday!  We also had 5 investigators that were able to attend church this week so that was really good also!  One of the that usually comes wasn't able to come because he went out with the branch on an activity.  They were like playing in a river or a lake and he slipped on a rock and cut his foot and had to go get stitches so that wasn't good at all!!  But he is all right and its like a 5 day healing process and we visited him and he is doing good and is walking on it right away so it wasn't too bad... (:  So he is progressing also and is going to be getting baptized on the 13th of June which is really exciting!! 

So this is probably my last full week as a zone leader I'm thinking. hahaha   I've been one forever so I think president is going to do something with me so on the 3rd of June.  I'll know that's our next transfer day!!  So that's coming up and I'm not really sure what to expect!!  Then on the 16th of June until the 19th of June during my birthday, we have a mission tour.  So the 1st counselor from the area presidency is coming to look at our mission and evaluate some stuff.  So that's going to be pretty cool!!  We will probably get chastised, but that's okay I love it.  It's funny and I learn things that I can improve on so I'm looking forward to that!! Also I can't believe how fast time is going by.  Today is my 19 month mark in the mission by the way. woah.... I have 4 and a half months left.  That was like so fast.  I still feel new.  But hey it's fun!!  I'm excited to get back to good old 'murica.... hahaha  But I love the mission.  It's so crazy seeing people like literally change their lives because of this message!!  I know I'm not the best but the spirit testifying to them that it's true is just so incredible!!!  So I'm loving the mission so much!!  I love the people here they are just great!! I hope you guys have a great week and remember that the church is true!!!

Mahal ko kayo!!! Wag kayong magalala di naman ako trunky... masipag pa ako..... 

Elder Hedman

Still Masipag

Dear Family and friends!!!

So this week has been a pretty good week for the work here in our area!!  So to start off, we did have our 2 baptisms this week!!  That was so awesome and it was a great experience for them!!  I got some pictures and I'll probably send them to you guys either this week or next week so you can see.  But they did get baptized so that was really good!!!  We also are still having some great work in our area and are getting another person ready for baptism on the 30th of may!!  So that is good news also!!!  So we might have 3 baptisms this May and then right now we have 4 planned for June so that is going really well!!  We are trying to have a model area in our area and I would say we are doing a pretty good job so far!  So that has been the good news for the work here in our area!!!

Um our roommates are pretty cool!!  One is named elder De Leon.  We were actually in the same district when I first got into the mission.  He trained someone from my batch, so I really know him well and he is an awesome guy!!  And his companion is elder Wigington.  He actually is from the India mission and is waiting for his visa to get back!  So that is pretty interesting.  He doesn't know any Tagalog like at all.   So its kinda funny... we just sometimes speak Tagalog and then he has no idea whats going on.  Then I try and translate it into English and gosh it's hard... it's just so different and such a different culture!!! 

So as for me, I'm doing pretty good.  I have no idea why, but like on Tuesday I got this nasty infection on my face.  And I literally look so gross so I took like no pictures.  It's starting to get better and it's clearing up but its probably gonna be like 3 more days before that happens.  So I'm sorry for little pictures.  I feel so gross looking. hahaha   It's probably because of the heat here.  It's been so hot lately.  It's been crazy and just so annoying!!  But that's okay.  I guess it's just part of missionary work.

So another crazy thing happened in our mission.  A sister in our mission, I didn't really know her at all, she passed away this last Thursday night.  Her name was sister Victorino.  So keep her family in your prayers. She got a sudden sick illness and they couldn't get it to go away.  It shut down some vital organs in her system. So keep her in your prayers.  I didn't know her very well at all.   I'd seen her like once but I felt really bad.  There is a service for her later today.  Only some people are going.  But it was just a sad time in our mission.  But through it all, we are supposed to look on the bright side and just think of the beauty of the atonement and the knowledge we have of the fullness of the plan of our father in heaven.  So that has been comforting to the missionaries here.  Our mission president is doing such a great job and he is just literally the man... he's so incredible. 

So those were the highlights of the week!!  I can't believe how fast the time is going by.  I have like 4 and a half months left almost.  It's so crazy!!  Don't worry, I'm still masipag and that wont change... (: So remember the church is true!!  Oh by the way, I'm almost done with the book of Mormon again.  I'm in 3rd Nephi chapter 20.  I'm hoping to finish this week.  So let's see how that goes!!  I hope you guys have a great week!! Don't worry about me I'm doing all good and am still working hard!! 

Love you guys!!

Mahal ko kayo!!(:

Elder Hedman

Mother's Day!!!

It was mother's day which means.....Skype call!!  It was so great to see and hear from him.  Plus the connection was really good so we had a great chat!

He loves the people of the Philippines and doesn't want to come home.  I told him he better come home or I'll come and get him!  We talked about his room mates (there are 4 living in the apartment) and the fun they have.  It's 2 American's and 2 Filipino's living there.  But the one American is actually serving in the Philippines while waiting for his visa for a mission in India.  So he doesn't speak the language or anything.  I guess they all tease him and speak Tagalog.  Naughty boys!!

We talked about his work as a zone leader.  He says he likes it but thinks people are funny, like goofy/silly funny.  I guess some missionaries called him and couldn't get their water working.  He gave him all these things to try and get it to work.  They kept saying they tried everything and it wouldn't work.  He said try this one thing again, and they came back, kind of embarrassed, and said it's working now.  I told him that was the story of my life!  We've all been there! 

I sure miss this kid of mine.  He is doing such fantastic work.  However, knowing that he is loving the work, the people and the gospel makes it all worth while.  We love you Mac!!

Trunky?

Dear family and friends!!

Sorry I don't have much time again today, we are down in Cabanatuan because tomorrow is our meeting with president.  I'm looking forward to that!!  So ya I'm still a zone leader.... its been a while now.  But hey, I gotta do what I gotta do!!  So ya nothing happened there!  My companion is like the most amazing guy ever.  He is so cool and we get along so great.  We just talk about basketball all the time and then talk about more basketball!!  It's so funny.  He is also such a great teacher!!  And don't you even worry about me being trunky... I'm still sanctified.  We actually have 3 baptisms probably this month and then 3 more in June.... it's called sanctification. hahaha  Just kidding!  But really we are doing really well here in the mission!! 

The mission is going great and we are having really good work in this area.  We actually got 8 new investigators this week and 6 of them accepted to be baptized on the first visit.  So that was really great!!  We are really working hard and just doing the best we can.  We are seeing miracles.  Really it's so amazing!! The Lord is really in this work!!  This week also I've been working harder in the Book of Mormon.  I'm in Helaman chapter 4 right now.  The wars are like the most legit thing ever they are so cool and funny!!  And I  learn so much from them about leadership characteristics and how to become a better missionary from it!! So I'm really enjoying that!!!

Sorry this letter is short not really much happened and we are pushing for time today in our emails so we can get a lot of stuff done!!  And we have to get ready to travel also!!  So I hope that you guys have a great week and keep our investigators in your prayers!!  Especially.... John Patrick, Marvin, Malau, and Arjie, they are doing so well and progressing towards baptisms!! So thank you for the prayers and I will continue to work hard!

Remember the Church is true!!

Elder Hedman