"The MTC turns boys into men, fast!" Elder Parker Hemsley

So happy to finally hear from him!  What a hard thing these sweet missionaries are doing!

Greetings My long lost family

I don't even know where to begin.  It all started when I was born... Jk 

I have an hour to writer letters, and have about 10-20 more minutes because I wrote this email, so if you are still on I would love to here from you.  I miss you all like crazy.  How has everything been going?

Wednesday: So when I was saying goodbye to everyone at the airport, I was holding up pretty well but when I got in the security line, and turned and saw all of you after I thought you had all left, I lost it.  People started staring at me like why is this kid in a suit tearing up in the security line! But after that I made it to my plane just fine.  Had some time to just sit and think before boarding the plane.  Spencer Bradham was on my plane so I talked with him for a little bit.  So it was nice to see a familiar face.  On the plane there was like 20 other Elders and Sisters, some just on connecting flights and some going home to Utah.  After seeing so many Missionaries it was reasonable to say that the plane was in good hands.  After the plane landed I made my way towards baggage claim and the shuttle, it was funny because there was these enormous crowds of people all waiting to see their different missionaries who were coming home.  The place was so packed!  You could tell which Elders were going home and which ones were headed to the MTC because the newbe's all had the deer and headlights look.  Got on the Shuttle and hit the MTC.  They lead us through a bunch of different rooms gathering different things that we need.  Then we ended up meeting our teachers for a little while.  I was the earliest one, so Brother Staley and Brother Forrest were just hounding me with questions and I was just sitting with the room spinning.  They are both really incredible teachers and I will end up talking about them a little latter.  That took up most of the time and then we went to an orientation which was very cool, the presidency greeted us and all spoke.  Then we ate dinner, the food is just like the cannon center at BYU so I know what to expect.  Then we had this amazing seminar called "Our Purpose"  It was basically role play with real investigators each being taught by maybe 20 new missionaries.  It was an interesting perspective because they were real and their stories were real.  Then after that we met our Zone Leaders and they gave us a little tour, which ended at our residents.  We unpacked and had some time to ourselves and the lights out!  My companion is a pretty cool guy, his name is Elder Jones and we have been getting alone really well.

Thursday: Thursday was my first full day at the MTC and it was probably one of the longest days of my life.  6:30 came earlier but I was running off of so much adrenaline that getting up was not that hard.  We got ready had district study, ate, and then we have like 3 hour class with my teachers.  Brother Staley does the morning and Brother Forrest does after Lunch. They both are maybe a little older than Ethan and both go to BYU which is cool.  They are super awesome and really make you think.  They help you gain the perspective that no two investigators are alike.  It is easy to sit and teach but hard to tailor it specifically what the people need.  But the ultimate goal is to bring them closer to Christ.  Then after Lunch Brother Forrest taught for another 3 hours.  After that we met our branch Presidency.  We interviewed with them and then they taught some lessons.  Elder Jones and I were asked to be Zone Leaders, so that was pretty awesome.  So far it has been cool to be one, but it means giving up what little free time you actually have and using it for more meetings for the leaders of each Zone.  The Elders here that are about to leave seem so old, but I am older than some of them.  The MTC really does turn boys into men, fast (Plus they are all like 5 inches taller than me so that makes them look older).  There are about 20 people in our Zone and none of them are going to Tempe, let alone Arizona.  They each have like four or five of them going to either Washington, California, or Texas and I am by myself with the Arizona.  

Friday: Started out the same as Thursday.  Classes after classes. Elder Jones and I started teaching our first potential investigator which is just Brother Forrest role playing.  But he acts completely different and never brakes character.  The investigator is Andres and he just goes to BYU and is a none member who doesn't really know who God is.  Our first lesson was pretty brutal.  Brother Frorest pored it on us with being a tough investigator.  I think I did a pretty good job just need to work on simplifying and really understanding what the investigator needs.

Saturday: We woke up and waited for our service activity but the people never showed so we sat around for a little while, but I did see Elder Muccley, he was in my BYU ward and is super cool.   I see him a lot around the MTC. Then at Breakfast I say Elder Bradley (Jake Bradley who is going to Tempe as well).  He is at the west campus because that is where all the Spanish speaking missionaries stay, so I don't see him very much.  We had more classes and taught our investigator again except this time it went really well.  Elder Jones and I did a really good job and I think Andres learned a lot and felt the spirit. We finally had gym both Friday and Saturday and that was fun.  Good to get rid of some stress and play volleyball.  I keep seeing so many familiar faces it makes me feel like I am at BYU.  I have seen maybe like 5 people from my ward and say Sister Robinson who was in my FHE, so we talked for a little bit reliving the BYU experience.  The other Elders in my Zone keep getting annoyed because I keep seeing so many people I know.

Sunday: We started off with Zone meetings so that is for all the leaders in our zone, along with the branch presidency.  Sunday was a pretty awesome day.  Things at the MTC are a little different because they are training the new Mission presidents so all of the Twelve apostles and first presidency are here.  They are pretty blocked off with security so haven't seen much.  However we were headed out to do our temple walk, which is where we go and walk around the temple.  We were held by security at the front of the entrance because they were moving people.  It turned out to be President Monson, he hoped in a sweet Audi car and started to drive away when he say us waving.  He rolled down the window and said "God bless you"  we all didn't say anything because we were so surprised, and then he was like "Adios!" and drove off.  Pretty funny.  The we had sacrament meeting, and priesthood.  Then after that more meetings for Zone leaders.  At night we had a Sunday devotional by Kanice Kapp Perry of something like that.  She wrote tons of the LDS hymns and wrote As sisters in Zion.  Here husband and here were hilarious.  They joked and she told a story about how they met.  Apparently he leaned over to her in a BYU class where they had to play instrumentals and said "those lips like they have better things to do than be sucking on the reed."  It was really funny.  She was really awesome.  Then after that I say Spencer!! My old roommate.  I was probably most excited to see him.  He has been here for like a month and still has like another month, I don't know if I could last that long haha.  After that we watch a Joseph Smith movie and headed to bed.

Monday: It was back to classes because my P-day is on Tuesdays.  We had more classes and later in the day taught our first TRC.  These are real people with real situations, and many aren't even LDS and if they are, they act like they did before they were converted.  His name was Arnold.  We sat with him for maybe 40 minutes and literally did not get one thing in about the gospel.  He just kept talking and talking.  He is like a bible expert and is the mountain man type.  Loves the out doors and is a very low tech man.  We couldn't get anything in.  It felt like he was teaching us and we were the investigators.  We talked about duck dynasty, the presidents, the mountains, prison.  You name it and we talked about it.  He is a straight forward guy and told us he doesnt like people who try to fluff and try to tell him stuff that they don't believe.  It was pretty intimidating.  Hopefully he is willing to listen to our message when we meet with him tomorrow.  He also said he had a rule that if you bring it up, you have to do it.  Later I said we would like to close with a closing prayer and Elder Jones said it.  Arnold then got angry because since I brought up prayer, I should have said it.  It is stupid because I said we would like to close with a prayer and usually it doesn't matter whether I say it or Elder Jones says it but it does to him haha.

 I'm running out of time but my P-days are on Tuesday, Dear Elder works great seems like for the other Elders.  I wont have another P-day because I leave next Tuesday at like 4 in the morning.  I'm trying to think of anything else.  Just that I miss you a lot.  I may joke and act like I don't show emotion but when it comes to being away from you guys, I'm a big softy haha and I pretty much tear up everytime, I think of seeing you guys while I was in the security line.! Love you guys!

Love 

Elder Hemsley #2

Better Late Than Never

Well, it hasn't even been a week since Parker left for the MTC, but it seems like an eternity.  This is going to be a long two years.  When Ethan left, there was so much uncertainty with doing the 90 mission in Atlanta North Mission, that I did not start a blog.  But now that I have two boys serving at the same time, I thought a blog might make it easier to keep up with both of them if I had a blog.

I have not heard from Parker yet due to the rolling P-days in the MTC, but I got a great letter from Ethan today!  He is doing well and very focused.  Here it is!

Hey Mum!  

So this week was a week of spiritual highs.  It was super cool the kind of spirit that just accompanied us all throughout the various ups and downs that we had going on.  I needed that a ton.  

It definitely wasn't a perfect week by any stretch of the imagination.  We had a lot of cancellations.  I think we might have to drop a lot of the people that the missionaries here have been teaching just because they don't really progress.  I've really been trying to focus more on finding and teaching the elect, since there are bound to be people who are put in our path to more or less waste time :P  President Toombs told me that once.  But its okay cause we have a couple of people on deck for this week that should be really promising.  

So Monday was a great P-day.  We got to chill a bunch at the Stake center with everyone in the district, and then we went to the Aurora Mall and I bought some new shoes.  Those 20 dollar Wal-mart ones that I bought wore out really fast in Southlands haha :P 

Then me and Elder Lee went thrift shopping.  We found a couple of pawn shops with basses to play with, so that was fun.  It had been a while since I had jammed.  The cool thing about that though is that Bro Mata'ele's reggae band is going to play at the missionary Luau in July, and they're gonna let me sit in with em.  That'll be sooo sick its ridiculous haha.

Ate dinner the Ross-Hagar family.  They're an older couple who got married later in life, so they kept both of their last names.  They were super funny.  I love old people sometimes.  She was nice enough to offer to mend some of my pants, which was desperately needed.  Plus she has some kind of at-home dry cleaning kit that she offered as well.  Pretty sweet.  Then we visited with the Cordner family and informed Sister Cordner (young women's pres) about an investigator that we are teaching that is going to girls camp.  They are gonna make it happen.  

Then that evening we went home early so i could call Parker.  I was so glad President let me do that.  It was a great conversation even if it was short.  I always get a little choked up at goodbyes, so I hope that didn't get to him or anything.  I'm really proud of him.  its a tough thing to do what he's doing.  But it'll be great.  

Tuesday was cool.  We got to go do some service at the Crisis Center in Downtown Denver.  Lots of homeless or transient people there.  We mowed the grass and picked up trash for em.  Then after lunch we taught a lesson with an investigator named Jeff Green.  Great guy who likes Bruce Campbell movies haha.  But he doesn't really seem to be progressing towards anything.  Its super important that you establish expectations with people that you teach, otherwise you may find yourself with investigators who had no idea that your goal for them was baptism :P 

Did some finding and ate dinner by ourselves.  Then we taught a horrendous lesson with the Smiths.  Great family, but man are they difficult to teach.  I'll put it this way, in that one lesson we had polygamy, excommunication, outer darkness, AND women holding the priesthood all come up as conversation topics.  It was brutal, especially when Sister Smith went off on her feminist rant.  Oyy....  They really should be handed off to ward members to teach.  Its not our job to teach the new member lessons anyway.

The Sisters had a baptism that night that we went to.  This one was for the 9 year old named Alyssa that I interview on Sunday.  Great service.  Then we had correlation meeting with the Bishopric.  They made the comment that we were some of the best missionaries that have been in the ward in a while. 

Wednesday was the best day of the week if you ask me.  It was Temple Trip day, and we managed to get in to the session with the newest film.  It was sooo sick.  I had only seen it once before, but man it was powerful.  Then as soon as I went into the Celestial room, guess who i ran into?  Sister Pitts!  And Annie!  It was so cool to be able to see them again.  Annie is going on a mission to Germany in July, and the Eastlake Ward is killing it in missionary work.  So happy to hear.  I told Sister Pitts that I wished i was still back up there, and her words were "You are what started it. You'll always be our first missionary."  Well that made me feel good haha.  I left the Temple feeling so energized and ready to go baptize the world haha.

We were a tad late in getting started at district meeting since there was bad traffic off of Colfax road.  But it was a great district meeting.  I gave the training on how to begin teaching people, and we set some goals for the rest of the transfer.  It was sweet.  We even had the AP's drop by for a bit.  

Ate lunch, and then resumed normal missionary work until dinner.  Afterwards, we visited the Hess family, just in time to get inside from a massive hailstorm.  But it was good.  They had a ukulele there so I played some primary songs and we all sang to them.  It was super fun.  then we went with Brother Hess to give Brother Hagar a blessing.  Apparently they were replacing the battery in his pacemaker the next day.  It was a good visit and a good night.  

Thursday was cool too.  We did some more service in the morning and then we taught a lesson to Will Chavez, a returning less active.  Good guy, but tough family situation.  Its tough to quit smoking when your wife doesnt want to quit, and when you work construction :P  

Then we went on a bit of a blessing spree with Brother Mata'ele and the sisters.  They had a bunch of people that they were teaching that needed em.  We did like 3 or 4 that day.  Then we ate dinner, and went to the Salazar family's home.  They are a less active-part member family, and they were super friendly.  Invited them to come to church, and invited her to learn more!  Great lesson.  Then we were cancelled on by the Rowley family, so we did some list names for the rest of the evening.  

Friday was all planning aside from dinner, a failed appointment with both a potential and another investigator, and a lesson with Jacob Perea, a recent convert.  We may not have accomplished much that day, but man we made our upcoming week look sooo good haha.  

Saturday was the day that was kind of a bust for us.  We had like five lessons scheduled and none of them happened.  Otis cancelled, Ernestine rescheduled, the Lakes cancelled since Sister Lake just got out of the hospital (understandable haha) and then our active member cancelled.  Man it was lame.  but we did do some moving service for a part member family that came into the ward.  They are going to take us out to Chili's today!  We'll invite them to take the lessons when we go.  

Then Sunday was a lot like Saturday.  We had meetings that morning, and then we had like three people that we had committed to come to church, who all bailed.  Laaammmmmeeeeeeeeee.   Oh well.  After church we ate dinner with the Spohn family.  They're cool, but they seem a little liberal for my taste haha.  Then we went with Brother Mata'ele to give yet another blessing to a recent convert in the ward, Sister Nord, who is going through a divorce because she joined the church.  Man thats gotta be tough.  Then we went to the General Priesthood meeting that evening.  Great meeting, but i would have rather been teaching people :P 

Well this next week ought to be awesome since we have so many appointments.  I am so ready to just conquer the world with these last five months that I've got left.  I am determined to finish my mission in this ward and turn it around for the Elders here.

Anyways, Wish me luck with this week!  and wish Parker luck in the MTC for me too!  

Elder Efan