North Fork Missionaries

Elder Hansen (Parker), Elder Montgomery (JD), Elder Wadman, Elder Gunter (Brett)

With Brett Gunter

entonces, pues

Hola familia!

 

First off, I hope everything went well in Lake Powell and you guys had a fun time. Mom it was good to hear about your bike ride it sounds like you dominated the road all the way to the elementary, next year you guys should do the 100 miler for the MS bike ride thing! Anyways its great to hear that everything is going good back at home. Here at the MTC the days are starting to fly by pretty fast. We stay pretty busy and have a lot more to learn but it is awesome here, the spirit is way strong. On monday our district set a goal to talk the whole day in español and it was pretty cool. My brain was feeling it by the end of the day because you have to think about everything you say and you cant just rattle stuff off, it was cool to see that we could do it. Also a hermana from the DR is in my zone and I have talked to her a little bit, she only speaks spanish so it makes it a little more difficult to understand but she seems way nice and she says all the people down there are very nice and humble, espicially the Haitains, so I can't wait to go and talk to those people down there.

 

Well Elder Beutler and Elder Buswell left on monday so I got to say bye to those boys. Then Elder Mckay came in yesterday and his classroom is right next to mine so i talk to him quite a bit. On Sunday we got a new Branch President, which is basically like getting a new mission president for your zone in the MTC. His name is presidente Tyler and he knows so much about scriptures. He will always walk past our class and just start talking to us and everytime he hears a word he relates it to scriptures. Seriously though, we gave him a handshake and he said do you know what a handshake signifies and he went off for 30 minutes about handshakes. It was interesting and really cool.

 

In the tuesday night devo Elder Claudio Zivic came and talked to us and I really liked what he said. The first thing he said was that we need to let the Savior be our best friend and love Him with all of our heart because the Savior knows everything that we go through and will go through. Also the quote that I really liked was "happiness depends on circumstances, joy depends on God." And it is so true, we can be happy because of circumstances and not have joy but if we give rely on the Lord and trust in Him then we can happiness and endless joy.

 

Well again everything is going great here we are basically half way done with our stay here at the CCM and the foods pretty good I think ive put on like 4 pounds. The waffles are no where close to as good as the Oat and Griddle but what is?? I love the Gospel it is so True and can bring us true joy and happiness, I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I am so thankful for all that he has done for me. Im so thankful for the Book of Mormon and for the spirit it brings into my life and for all the truth that is in it. I love you all.

Love Elder Wadman

Hola

Hey Everybody!

 

Thanks for all the birthday stuff it was great to recieve it all and hear from all of you. Although I am not through the whole tape yet but someday I will get there. Well my birthday was pretty sweet! Best birthday that i have ever had in the MTC! It was cool my district kept singing Feliz Cumpleanos like the whole day. And then the would call me a bebe because I told them that I was only turning 19, it was a fun day. I hope you guys have fun in Lake Powell, I dont know if that will be possible without me there but please do your best Ha. Um for some reason the Dear Elders got sent to my email so I will talk to them and see what is going on with that too.

 

Elder Montgomery left on Monday and I said bye to him again for two years but we got a lot of pics together. Also me, jdizz, parkson, and Elder Gunter all got a picture together that we will  be sending home and back to the ward. Its crazy a lot of the people that we came in with have left this week. All of the native speakers and the poeple going to other MTC's and its kind of crazy. Also Elder Beutler and Buswell leave next week its cool talking to them in espanol and just being goof balls.

 

The spanish is still coming right a long. It is so cool because 3 weeks ago i couldnt speak at all and now I can teach a lesson pretty easily and kind of carry on a conversation.. A little. And Tyler Dom Rep in espanol is la republica dominicana, which is probably the sickest name ever right? Ha I liked hearing you and Brian talk to me in espanol because I actually understood it now. There is still a lot of learning that I need to do and I am glad Ive got the Lords help to help me with the languange and with all the awesome points of the Gospel.

 

On Sunday we had a really good fireside it was Brother Heaton, he is like the missionary director of something.. I dont know, but he gave an awesome talk. And he asked all of us missionaries to say what we think would define being a successful missionary. And a bunch of missionaries got up and gave some really good answers. Then Brother Heaton said that being a successful missionary is determined on how pleasing your mission is to the lord. He said what we need to do is have faith, work hard, and be obedient and to put our trust in the lord. And perhaps if the people decide to accept our message and be baptized how great will be our joy! And if not that is ok because we have planted a seed, and we have done what is pleasing in the Lords eyes. So it was a really great message. We also watched a talk by Elder Holland and he said the most important part of being a missionary is to help others develop faith in Christ. That is our number one goal, and I think that should be our goal for life too. To always be developing more faith in Christ and helping others to as well.

 

One of the Elders from my district is from Texas. And he has got that Texan pride thing and I love it. He came in and hung a big ole texas flag up in our room the first day. But he said that if is 100 degrees one more day in texas than it will break the World Record for Texas for how hot is ever been. I guess if you beat the Texas Record, then you have basically beaten the World Record, cuz no where else really matter, right Bradley? HA

 

Anyways I love you all, have fun in Powell

 

Elder Wadman

Segunda Semana

Hey everybody!

 

Well this week has been such an awesome week, I cant believe it is already Pday again. The days go by really fast in here because there is so much to do and so much to learn. Sounds like Jackson was sweet I hope you guys got the boat out and did a little extra wakeboarding for me. The spanish is really starting to come a long. I have figured out, to just go with what you know and the words seem to come out right. As companionships, we teach our instructors almost everyday, so that has really boosted my spanish. Today I met a missionary from the DR and he could only speak spanish and he was talking so fast and slurring his words, but I still understood most of it. He was reallly excited when I told him the I was going to the West mission and he told me that his sister lives there and that he is going to write her and tell her to look out for Elder Wadman, so that was an awesome experience!

 

On Tuesday we had a Devotional and it was Elder Cecil O Samuelson. He talked about getting rid of all worldly distractions and givning all of these two years to the Lord. I was talking to my district afterwards and I told them how cool I think that was that he said that. And about how we all need to do it because really these two years are the only time that we can give everything and have no worldly distractions. Also the travel offices keeps calling me down to talk about when they are sending me to the DR or if they are going to send me to the MTC down there. And this last time I went down there they told me that I am staying here all 9 weeks just like we were told. It was funny though because this chinese lady was the person that was telling me that I am staying here. And after she told me she said, would you like a water pops and i said, no im fine. And she said, are you sure its really good. And I said, ok Ill have a water bottle and she said, no water pops... I finally figured out that she was meaning an otter pop. So Im not going to the DR any earlier but me and my companion did get some water pops! Ha

 

Anyways, I hope everything is going well at home. And I just want to let you guys know about dear elder. It is some program if you get on the internet and sign up its free. That way if you want to right a letter you just get on that, type in the elder that you want it to go to and send it. And I will get it that same day, so thats just a fun fact of the day for you. Anyways I love you all.

 

Love Elder Wadman

First Week

Hola Everybody!

 

That is so exciting that Meg had the baby, and I am glad to hear that everything is going well with that now, send me a picture of him or something ok? Well, this first week  in the Mtc has been so Awesome! I have seen all of my buddies and I live right by Elder Montgomery and we have the same gym time, so it has been fun ballin him up. My companero is a gringo from cali, he is a tall skinny, cross country runner. Today me and him went running and I thought i was in shape but he kind of kicked my butt, not too bad though of course Ha!

 

Our district is way cool and we have a lot of fun together. We are all trying to learn the languange and it is coming a long pretty well. There is such an incredible spirit here in the mtc, it is filled with a bunch of missionaries that just want to learn and be the best missionaries that we can be. We have devotionals every sunday and tuesday nights and they are very spiritual and we learn a lot from them. On Tuesday Elder Gerald Lund came and talked to us. He is the guy that wrote the work and the glory. He talked to us about faith and said that Faith is hoping and acting on something without having evidence on what will happen. He said to Act without seeing and we will see; act without knowing and we will know. So I really liked that and have been trying to do that. At the Devo me and my district sang in the choir and that was really cool and very spiritual especially when there are 1800 elders and hermanas singing at the same time!

 

Our branch presidency is really great too. They have all been mission presidents so they have a lot of knowledge about the missions. On sunday President Craig talked about the atonement and how Jesus Christ went through all of that for each one of us personally and the spirit was so strong when he was talking.

 

We have started teaching in investigator named Hugo ( aka our teacher Hermano Sparks) its pretty tough because i dont know any spanish so I just memorize everything and when he asks me a question i just shake my head and say Si ha but really the spanish is coming a long pretty good and it is way fun teaching him. I just cant wait until it is real people out in the dominican republic, I cant wait to go and share the gospel with them because it is so true and using the atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way to return to our father in heaven. I love you all and the Gospel is True!

 

Love Elder Wadman

Ps thanks for the letters and packages it was great to finally get something and know that yall still love me!