Surprise Airport Visit

Travel Plans for la Republica Dominicana

Well I got my travel plans last thursday. And i am leaving on monday, I have to report at the travel office at 4 am and then I will get bussed to the airport. My flight out of SLC will be departing at 715 and then I will be flying to Chicago, and then to Miami and then to Santo Domingo. So I will arrive in the Dom Reps at 830 their time about 630 our time! Which is  so awesome! I have a little layover in Miami and it is my biggest one, like a little less than two hours, so I am thinking of calling from there. Which would be anywhere from 230 pm to 400 pm our time here at home. Entonces, I am way excited to go down there and see the DR and start talking to them about the Gospel and how important it is. People I talk to keep telling me that there are some big ole spiders down there "tarantulas' and it made me think of dad. So I will have to see if the rumors are true and if they are then I will take a picture of some and send them back because i know how you love spiders!

 

Also this week in the MTC has been awesome too. We have been getting a whole bunch of apostles this week Elder Nelson came and talked to us. And it was really cool because we got the october ensign like 2 weeks ago and were told to study it for the devotional, and so we did. It is an awesome ensign it is all about the Book of Mormon and how important and how true of a record it is. Elder Nelson then expanded more on it and told us the significance of the Book of the Mormon in conversion. It is the biggest part. Once they come to know of the truth of the Book of Mormon then they know that is of God and that Joseph Smith truly translated it through the power of God and he so God the father and Jesus Christ in the grove, and has set up Christ restored church on the earth today. So it was so awesome to hear and study so much more about the history of the Book of Mormom and it's amazing power to change hearts and its testament of Jesus Christ.

 

Well we are on the countdown we have about 3 and a half days left here in the MTC and it's crazy to think that we have been here for 2 months already. We are all super excited to get to go to work now and see all of this preparation here pay off. So yeah, remember to answer the phone somewhere between 230 and 4 and I might get to call you sometime before I leave the mtc too but I'm not sure. Also mom if you could dear elder me and send me my mission address that would be awesome! like maybe today or tomorrow sometime so i can give it to people in my district? Anyways I love you all, the Gospel is so true and Jesus Christ lives and loves us.

 

Elder Wadman 

Once dias mas

Well this week has been an awesome week. We got blessed again on tuesday night, and we got to hear from Elder M. Russell Ballard and his wife. It was so awesome! there always is a certain spirit in the air here and expecailly when an apostle of the Lord is here. He talked about setting realistic goals, that make you stretch and then going out and getting them. He said, without setting goals you will never know if you have arrived, or if you have accomplished all that you really could. It was so great, he also talked about making a commitment to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and then go and follow Him for the rest of our lives, so I really enjoyed it.

 

We have got about a week and half left and everybody is getting pretty excited. We have been speaking alot of spanish and i have been feeling pretty good about it. The other day I talked to an Elder from the DR and he doesn't speak any english. it was Supér deficil to understand what he was saying. The Dominicans don't say there s's so when someone would say como esta usted? which means how are you, it sounds like como eta uted which is pretty cool but kind of hard to pick out words. Me and my companion walked away after talking to him and I was like did you understand anything he just said? and he was like not really, good luck! So I am really excited to start hearing what their spanish sounds like and to be immersed in it. Other than that experience the spanish feels pretty good.

 

Also thanks for the package and the peanut butter it is going to come in super handy when i am done there. It also is good to hear that all the hay is done this year and that the lawn is getting cut. Well I have really enjoyed my experience here a lot and it really doesn't feel like we have been here for almost 2 months. I felt like i have learned a ton. And i was blessed to stay here another week because i got to hear Elder Ballard and his testimony of Jesus Christ. I have gained a much greater testimony of Jesus Christ while being here and I know it will only increase while im out in the field, He truly is our savior and our redeemer, and He loves and suffered for each and everyone of us so that we can repent and be happy. I love it! I love the Gospel! I am so thankful for it. I hope everything is going well at home, I love you all

Elder Wadman

What a Week!

Well yesterday was quite an exciting day. I had a great personally study and then we were starting class and they told me to come down to the travel office. I got down there and they said, Elder Wadman you are leaving today. And was like are you serious? When? and they said my flight would leave at 1140 from SLC and then go to JFK and then to the DR and that I would need to be ready to go by 830 that night. So me and my comp went and washed all my clothes got everything all packed and I was ready to go. By this time it was about 4 oclock in the afternoon and I was about to take pictures with my district and kind of say bye to people. Luckily though, I didn't have to go through the effort of saying bye to people because they called me back down and told me that I was not going anymore. So it was pretty effective day yesterday Ha, but I did get to talk to mom so that was great. Entonces, the plan now is the same i am leaving in about 2 and a half weeks so I get to be here somemore which is really cool.

 

This week one of our teachers has committed us to speaking all spanish 24/7 which our district is working hard at. And it is pretty tough but cool to see how much we have progressed in these last six weeks. Next week we will probably get to start hosting, which, if you remeber when you dropped me off all of those elders standing out there to help. Well yeah we will probably get to do that so it will be pretty cool. Also, It is kind of crazy but I was talking to Parker ( elder Hansen) and he is leaving the same day as me from here which is pretty cool. He has been here for a pretty long time so that is kind of crazy for him. I haven't seen Elder Musgrave yet but I am keeping an eye out. I seem to always run into Roger and Karen Bailey which it has been cool talking to them.

 

So in the mtc we teach our teachers as if they are a real progressing investigator. and on saturday our investigator that we have been teaching this whole time is getting baptized, and for our last lesson we taught her about faith and hope. We read 2 nephi 31:20 which says, Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and all men. Wherefore if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold thus saith the Father, Ye shall have eternal life. And I really liked sharing that scripture because it states so simply what we need to do, and how we need to press forward steadfastly in Christ with hope and always be feasting on His words because that is how we can come to know Him and how we can come to feel the Spirit so much more in our lifes. I love the Gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ, who made it possible for me to be where I am and feel what I feel each day here and it is so powerful I love it. I love you all.

Elder Wadman

Cinco Semanas Bebe!

Well just to start out, we have devotionals every sunday and tuesday night. So we have had a couple guys from the seventy come and after five weeks of people telling me someone from the quorum was going to come and no one did, i didnt believe they would. Anyways, they never tell you who is coming to speak either it is always kind of a suprise. So on tuesday night, before the devotional they came out and told us if someone from the quorum of the twelve were to walk in then we would all need to stand up, so we were like oh no way! And then in walked Elder Holland! And he spoke to us. It was such a great talk, he went 30 minutes over and I didnt even notice. When he finished we had a special music number and the spirit was felt so strong throughout the whole entire assembly hall. I have never heard that place so quiet, everyone there was just soaking it all in. I thought to myself how cool it was that everybody in this room of 2000 people were feeling the spirit that much. It was one of the coolest experiences that I have had in the MTC.

 

At the end of Elder Holland's talk he answered questions and one of the questions was, what is the best way to invite the spirit into our lives? Elder Holland gave us 3 things, he said first is to "dive into the scriptures, pouring your whole heart into feasting upon the words of God. The scriptures are not of man but of God and we literally are hearing the word of God, it is in the scriptures." 2nd he said to pray completely and sincerly and really talk to your heavenly father, he talked about enos and how he Wrestled with God and his soul Hungered, and he cried all day and all night to God. So he told us to really think about our prayers. 3rd he said once you have the spirit do not lose it. Don't go anywhere the spirit can't go, dont say or do anything where the spirit will have to say, Im sorry but  have to go. So that was really cool, and I have been working on that.

 

Also everything is going good hear the spanish is still coming along. In one of my lessons i said Podemos empezar con una oracion? which means can we start with a prayer. But we were outside and it was kind of noisy. and my teacher, which is a girl, and she thought i said Podemos Besar? which means can we kiss... she broke character and started laughing, so did my companion so it was a great way to start our lesson. Other than that things are rolling, and it feels like time is flying bye right now. Thats good to hear that the 2nd crop is finished or almost finished. And hopefully the empty nest isn't too bad without meagan and tyler there now. Anyways the gospel is so awesome! and so true, Christ lives and He loves us. I love you all.

Love Elder Wadman