2nd Week in the MTC, July 2

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

 

I have (nearly) survived my second week here at the MTC! And I'm still loving it! haha it is so fun.

 

Soooo some highlights from the week!

 

We have a devotional every tuesday night, and this last Tuesday since all of the mission presidents were here we had a SPECIAL devotional... In which 10 apostles attended! haha All of them except for Elder Hales, Elder Packer, and The First Presidency were there! (and their wives) What a cool sight and experience that was! haha Elder Perry spoke, and it was a good talk! I unfortunately didn't get to personally meet any of them :( but it was still cool!

Andddd an experience from that fireside I'd like to share...

 

So after the devotional was done, we all stood as the Apostles and their wives left the room. We then continued to stand as the new mission presidents also left the room. Before they all started to leave, they all turned around, and waved goodbye to all the missionaries, whether they be the missionaries they would soon be over, or just everyone in general. Seeing that made me EXTREMELY sad. I thought of Mom and Dad and thought "oh wow this was them last year. This is what they went through and all of that." So basically, I was really sad, and even started crying haha. (yes I'm admitting I cried!) BUT at that same time I was overcome by the Holy Ghost  testifying and reminding to me that everything was, and is, going to be okay, we're all doing the right thing, and that (like you always say mom!) because of the time and things we are sacrificing now, the Lord will give back to us in blessings a hundredfold! (It says that somewhere in Mark 4 I believe). It was a really powerful moment for me, and one that I even shared later with my district and Branch Presidency afterwards during our District meeting! The church is true and serving a mission is an awesome thing to do. I wouldn't change a thing!

 

But so yeah that was Tuesday. haha. On Wednesday morning we did our first day of service and my companion Elder Jones and I just did a bunch of mopping in one of the buildings! And while we were mopping I ran into the one and only Pat Matheson! hahaha He's the big guy on the team... one of the captains... served in Fiji... If you don't remember. But yeah he teaches there and we were mopping the floor in his building! It was awesome to see him and talk to him for a few minutes. ALSO, a little shout out to Bub and Sam, I ran into an elder from the Marshall Islands... So I asked him if he knew Sam Nielsen and (through his broken english) he told me that he knew you and Sam is the one that escorted him through the temple! So cool! So I met him. I don't remember his name, but Sam, he says "Yokwe" (I think I have that right?)

I've continued to run into more native spanish speakers and try my hand at talking with them. It usually goes decently well! The hardest so far has been speaking to a Colombian. Holy crap he speaks so fast. And I don't think he realizes I've been speaking Spanish for 2 weeks because he doesn't slow down. Even after I ask him to! "Usted habla muy rapido! Mas despacio por favor!!!" But then he continues flying. So I'm nervous for going to Chile. hahaha. plus I still have 7 more weeks of practice. Whatever! I have faith I can do it :) I know I can!

 

I have been seriously getting more mail than I know what to do with. THANK YOU so much to everyone! I love them all, don't stop them from coming! haha. I'll continue to try and reply to everyone I can, but make sure you send your address in your letter so I can write you back!!! Otherwise I have no idea where to write too haha. However, I have a different suggestion for mail... haha It's really complicated, and you can all still do what you want, but here's my observation. I love DearElder and it's still really great and quick and everything, definitely still use that! But what it does is throws all the letters it can onto one page?... So anyway, it's EXCELLENT for quick messages or notes or little letters or something, but if it's a long, personal letter? I would suggest writing and/or typing and then sending it in the mail to me. Otherwise it gets lost over different pages and is really weird and less personal... But if its a short hello or something, DearElder is the bomb.com. Maybe it's just me being picky. Whatever. Do what you want.

 

In other news! The spanish continues to come along great! I learn so much so fast and I love looking for opportunities to use it! The more I use it the better! It's so fun. I can't wait to come home and order my food in spanish and talk to the spanish workers hahaha. I'm legitimately really excited for that.  But like I said earlier I'm nervous to go to Chile and get REAL spanish thrown in my face. It's going to come so fast I'll have no idea what hit me. True fact. I'll just need time, practice, and patience haha.

 

My companion and I get along AWESOME. He's really funny. Such a goofball. But we work well together and everything, so it's definitely been a blessing. There are other companionships in my district that... Oh man. Bless that Elder for putting up with what he has to put up with. I wouldn't be able to do it hahaha.

 

I've been sick this week. Not terribly sick but a stuffy nose and mucus in the chest/lungs/whatever. I'm on the road to recovery though. I'll be over it soon enough. The Hermanas in my district made me a get well card. hahaha. It's just funny.

 

And last but not least, I was called as the Music Coordinator for our zone on Saturday night hahaha. My musical abilities are already being put to use! So that just means I choose the songs we sing for sacrament meeting and priesthood meeting, and that I can assign who plays piano, who conducts the music, etc. and that includes assigning myself! So that should be fun. But yeah! I'm still loving it! And I'm doing great! (besides my sickness!)

I'll leave you with my testimony in Spanish! :D

 

Yo se que Dios vive, y El tiene amor por nosotros. Se que Jesucristo vivó, y vive, y miró por nosotros. Estoy agradecido por Su expiacion. Jose Smith fue un profeta de dios y veó El padre y el hijo. Se que esta iglesia es verdadera, y el Libro de Mormon tambien. Tenemos un profeta en el tierra hoy, y el recibe revelacion de Dios. Me encanta esta iglesia y esta obra misional. Les quiero!

 

Can´t wait for my friends to start getting here! I love you all and miss you!

 

- Elder Heyman

 

p.s. I haven't figured out pictures yet :/ but I've been taking them! Sometime soon I'll get them to you!