Wednesday, March 31, 2010
DEAR home!
Oh hey!
It's conference Cleaning! DUM DUM DUM!! This happens every 6 months, the P-day before conference- we turn the entire apartment UPSIDE DOWN and clean and vacuum and dust and wash and scrub and throw-out-the-old-stuff and make it SPOTLESS!! Sounds great huh?
Aw man, Elder Richardson is so awesome. He's such a good example to me- he got his baggage plans and release-date papers in the mail- and he told me that he is still going to work hard- even harder now. He said he doesn't want to go home!- He's fallen in love with a new people and culture- and he loves serving. Love him :)
I'm SO excited for CONFERENCE!! It's such an AWESOME privilege to be able to hear from our modern profets- (see I spelled "prophets" like it is in Spanish; "profetas"- prime example of how Spanish is killing my English speaking and spelling :) )
....- and to be lead and guided by them! We have several investigators committed to coming to one or more of the sessions- gonna be great! The Priesthood Session is only shown in the Stake Center in Kingsbridge, which is about 45 minutes from our apartment! NY is 2 hours ahead of UT, WHICH MEANS we won't get home (approved by President) until ABOUT 11- 11:15! Midnight NYC! Awww yeah!! Haha we'll just be on a bus headed for home but still it could be exciting?
I have a temporary Grandma while here in NY- she's an elderly hermana in the Ward- ya know those SUPER cute old people that just make you smile when you're with them? Yeah- she's one of those. I love her! She's so awesome! She's been a member for like 50 years and moved to the US from Puerto Rico recently! Cada time we go over to visit her, she makes us chocolate caliente or juice (depending on the weather) and makes a MEAN SPICY empenada! Love her! She goes to physio to try and regain function of her left arm- she had a pretty severe stroke- but recently she has been improving drastically! :)
I gave another blessing in Spanish on Monday to a Sister in the Ward- she's so cool! She's from the Dominican Republic and her and her 4 kids are members! She said she's been having terrible stomach pains for almost a month. Elder Richardson did the anointing, and I started to give the blessing, when the most incredible thing happened. I started to speak in Spanish, but I didn't know what I was saying- there were words that I said that I have never heard before. I told her that she would quickly and completely heal from this and have the strength to do whatever the Lord asked of her! It was so awesome! Afterwards, in the elevator out of her apartment building, Elder Richardson told me that he didn't notice a single mistake in my Spanish and that it was an incredible blessing. Haha too bad it wasn't MY Spanish but the Spirit's Spanish!!
Aww man, sad story. SO we put down some rat traps in the house....
And they are those SUPER INHUMANE TERRIBLE kind where it's just a pad with glue on it...
Anyways, a tiny baby mouse got stuck on it and i found him there under the stove squirming and trying to get free- it was so sad! Hahaha I'm pathetic. I know I should have just killed him but I couldn't!! And I couldn't just leave him there!! So I read on the back of the trap box that oil will disintegrate the glue- so i started dropping canola oil on him and his feet but i had to help using a plastic knife and fork... BUT i got him free!! Elder Fox and I put him in a bucket and gave him a peice of cheese and named him Captain and kept him for a few days to nurse him back to health! But the White Handbook (my lawbook for the next 2 years) says no pets, so we had to let him go. We put him outside in the car lot next to our apartment... but when we came back to check on him about 30 minutes later he was still there- muerto. :( So sad! Hahaha Elder Fox and I feel like failure parents.
SO EXCITED! This Friday our zone is doing a Zone Blitz in a few of our areas! We're going to Sing and pass out these papers and inviting people to the Church on Saturday and Sunday to see conference! It's going to be great! Haha singing in public- yes!!
Well I gotta go and finish cleaning the apartment! Wish us luck! And pray for the rain to go away! It's flooding here! AHH!
B safe, B happy, B strong!
Always,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Week 16!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
DEAR Home!
Hola! No puedo creer que yo he estado aqui por DOS MESES en Nueva York!
(Hello! I cannot believe that I have been here for TWO MONTHS in New York!)
I'm so excited! I have another baptism is coming up in a few weeks! His name is Mariano- he's from Mexico - and he's so awesome! He's dating one of the members in the ward, and she introduced him to the Gospel and we've been teaching him in the home of one of our recent converts, Miguel. Just as a district we've had 8 baptisms for March! The Field is WHITE all ready to harvest!
Hahaha the wind here is SO INTENSE! Last week, we called Tell Me, the weather system on the phone 1-800-555-8355... The guy's voice explaining the weather is always so cheerful... "Good morning! Today, 19 degrees, Gale Force Winds, and hail the size of marbles!" or "Good Morning! Today, 89 degrees, 100% humidity, get ready for the blistering heat!" Love him. Anyways.. he told us that there would be a DOWNPOUR with 40-45 MPH winds. It. Was. Ridiculous. Hahaha but SO much fun. We walked down the street heading back to our apartment - all bundled up in "waterproof" jackets and shoes and hoods- and our umbrellas did us no good- they inverted and flew away right when you opened them. I'm really not doing a good job of explaining how hilarious it was- you'd have to see it. We were screaming- and couldn't even hear our own screams. I yelled "FIGHT THE POWER!!" probably a hundred times and every 3 steps we took we'd get blown back 2. I was laughing hysterically- I've never felt wind of that magnitude before!!!! It was like a hurricane! I DONT CARE what you say Mr. Mac, MISSIONARIES ARE NOT WATERPROOF. When we finally got into the apartment there were QUARTS of water running off of us and out of our shoes and clothes and hair and everything. Ridiculous. Hahaha!
The work is finally speeding up- after I came in and they divided the areas, there was a lot of work to be done regarding boundaries and records- but all that is sorted out so we can focus ALL our efforts on teaching! We have doubled our investigator pool and our lessons are consistently sweeeet! I have become a fan of something that most missionaries hate- TRACTING! Hahaha! I don't know why! I still dread street contacting (although you'd THINK I would have gotten used to it by now)... but for some reason I love to tract door to door. It's fun- and kind of a rush! You never know what you're gonna get! About 90 percent of the doors that answer are in Spanish, but the occasional one will be in English- which is good too, because if we get a return appointment we pass it over to the English Elders in the area- and they appreciate it because the English work is pretty slow :(
Sister Walker and I performed The Prayer for the stake talent show- hahaha it was a blast! One of the Ward Members recorded it and said she was going to put it on YouTube... but we'll see. Aww man! I love my Zone and district here. They are all hard-working Missionaries with a desire to serve! Plus we are all a bunch of weirdos who know how to laugh too :)
BrandoMoment- So the other day we were on a bus heading back to our apartment - and it was packed with people. Standing room only (and I wouldn't even call it room). I was standing by the back exit and I started to sing Nearer my God to Thee, quiet at first, just to myself. I gradually got louder and louder until I was singing almost at the top of my lungs- the whole bus could hear me. Oddly, I didn't feel ridiculous or strange- I felt... Peaceful. I continued singing like this for about 5 minutes until we came to our stop. I turned around to get out when this HUGE guy- earrings, chains, bling, dental grillz the whole deal- said "hey. Man, I just... (then he paused and looked down at his feet, then back up) "thank you man. Sometimes, even when the rest of the world is going to hell around you, you just gotta sing. Sometimes it's makes things seem alright. Thank you brother. God bless." It really touched my heart- I love the people of New York. They seem like a hard people- but they are incredible.
I have literally seen miracles here. I have seen the Gospel change people's lives- I've witnessed the Healing Power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ fix broken hearts and raise damaged spirits. I LOVE this Gospel with everything that I am. This work is the single hardest thing I have ever done- but I'm here doing it and I know exactly why I am. Because it is true. I love sharing this with people. I love the Spirit that enters into people's lives as they change and grow and better come to know their Savior.
I love you all! Thank you for your love and support!
Live long and Prosper!
Tell Sammi I say Happy Birthday!! I have a letter in the mail for her, but the mail system we have here for mail here.. is.. well..
B safe! B healthy! B happy!!
Always and Always,
Lil' Elder B-Dawg Hellbergz
Fo sho.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Transfers!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
HOLA!
TRANSFER MEETING DUM DUM DUM!!!
This week was un poco hard. The weather was terrible and my companion has been sick- but we're still upbeat and working hard!! I'm with Elder Richardson for another cycle here in Olmstead! It's kinda morbid... He's going home at the end of this cycle- 6 weeks away. Mission Lingo for going home is "Dying" and if you are the one who's companion is going home, it's called "Killing your companion." Even more morbid, the Lingo for a Trainer is "father".... HENCE, and the end of this cycle I'll be "Killing my Father..." Bahahahaha!!! So dark. :P
Last P-Day we went to the BRONX ZOO!! IT WAS... well kinda... a bust. Bahaha no it was great- it's just that we got ourselves WAY worked up that morning.... "We're going to the ZOO! We're going to the ZOOOO!!".... and then when we got there...! It was still just a zoo. Ahem. But it was a good relaxing day. PLUS I saw King Julian in the Madagascar exhibit- which MAY have made my entire Mission worth it. ;)
Bahaha just a few FYI points I'd like to make:
1) I have OFFICIALLY lost the excess pounds I gained at the first of the cycle... I'm startin to slim up again finally hahaha
2) I've been Bronxed. My English is terrible- it might not sound too bad on the computer but my Engish Grammar that I've learned my whole life- is GONE.
3) Bronx in the Spring. Sheer AWESOMENESS. HUNDREDS of kids playing in the streets, all the fire hydrants open- blasting water everywhere as little kids run through the streams, Music PUMPING out of every open window, little Hispanic vendors on every open spot of sidewalk- I LOVE IT. I can't help but smile as I walk down the street and feela part of my home-away-from-home. I don't even hear the sirens or the subways anymore- I'm officially a New Yorker!
We had one of the most incredible experiences a few days ago with the Lopez Family- Leidy and her Sisters and Mother. All in all, it was Elder Richardson and I, Leidy (member), Sobeidra (member) and 8 nonmembers, all of which consisted of the two sister's family.2 of the 8 were younger than 8 yrs old (girls) and the rest were (guessing) 9, 14, 19, 23, 25, and their grandmother. We all crammed into a small living room in a small apartment. I opened up the lesson and introduced the Restoration and gave a brief history and bore my testimony about it- then we watched "The Restoration" (20 Min DVD, 2004 intellectual reserve). At the end of the video nobody spoke a word. I said "Como se sienten?" (how do you feel?)
Nobody said anything for about 15 seconds- then the 14 yr old boy said very quietly "Paz."(Peace). Several of the people there (me included) got emotional and Leidy bore her testimony to her family. It was SO intense- the Spirit we could feel was literally tangible and incredible. We gave Hermana Lopez (the grandmother) a blessing for her health-she has been sick for about 2 months with fatigue and throat problems. After the blessing she just sat there with her eyes closed- and nobody in the whole room said a word. She stayed silent for about 5 minutes- then she stood up and said in Spanish "This is True." It was SO cool- we're going back tomorrow to set baptismal dates for her and the other 5 in her family- we're so excited!
Last week I baptized a woman named Soledad! I hope you got the pictures!!
All the Spanish Members of the Ward speak.. well.. Spanish- but a lot of their really young kids (primary age) speak both Spanish and English. These 3 kids from the Almonte family were trying to tell me that I played the piano well, but the Engilsh verbs "To play (as in a musical instrument)" and "to touch (as in... uhhh... I want to touch you??) are both translated into the Spanish Verb "tocar." So all the kids, learning Spanish first and then English from their schoolmates told me "Hey Elder Hellberg, you touch the Piano really well!" hahaha Now all my District asks me to "touch the piano for our meetings" instead of "play." Baha :)
It's hard- I miss you all SO bad! But i heard something AWESOME the other day that really touched me- "I'm leaving MY family for 2 years, so OTHER families can be together for Eternity." Pretty cool huh? I love it :)
Guys!! I love you all SO uber much! You're always in my prayers and in my heart!
B safe! B happy! B heathly!
Always and forever,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tough week.
Wednesday March 10, 2010
Hola!
AGGGHHH terrible SUNDAY!
SO we had 8 INVESTIGATORS planned to attend church this last Sunday, and all of them told us they were for sure coming. OF COURSE, if anything bad has the possibility of happening, it will (What's this called again Dad? Some Theory?). Anyway… ALL 6 TRAINS were shut down for construction and they were short on buses anyway- and the ones they DID have running were packed- AND the main stops we usually use in our area were closed. SO Elder Richardson and I went down to our area (took us FOREVER) and picked up a Woman named Leidy and her daughter (14) and her Nieces (6 and 8) and headed back up to the church. We walked for a half an hour to an out-of-the-way bus stop and waited for a bus for 15 minutes, then had to transfer twice to other buses and THEN on to a train. It took us over an HOUR and a HALF to finally get back to the church and we arrived late- we walked right in as the sacrament was starting. It was so frustrating! The adversary! Gah! BUT we are going to get all the ones that missed church last week there THIS week and MORE! Yeah!
Phew.
LUCKILY my only glimpse with death this week was almost getting hit by a runaway school bus...
Good break, we're going to the BRONX ZOO today for P DAY! Haha so excited.
OH I forgot to mention that our investigator Sonia kinda dropped us. She said she isn't ready to be baptized :( She got hit by a car last week while crossing the street in front of her apartment... She's OK, but still in pain and kinda freaked out.
I'm finally getting a hang of this Spanish thing- I can mostly understand everything people say and I can respond with pretty much whatever I want. The Lord is so good to me- I've really learned how to plead with Him and ask for His help. Prayer is SUCH an awesome tool and privilege- we have the opportunity to actually converse with our Heavenly Father- the Creator of the Universe. It's so cool!
I still love New York- It's like being everywhere in the World at once. I have literally talked to someone from every country on the planet (I bet). It's so epic.
Herbert, the small white mouse, still keeps me company in the kitchen every morning when make breakfast. He lives under the fridge and runs back and forth between that and the oven probably 6 of 7 times every morning. He's very smart, we have 3 Different types of mouse traps set and he hasn't fallen for any of them. I'm kind of becoming partial to him though... We talk in the morning, and he's a very good listener...
Sorry I gotta run, not much to say this week anyway.. But this is gonna be an awesome week.
I still have minutes left! hooray! TIME EXTENDED! boo yah.
Tell Daddy I say HEY PAAA!! HOTTUB!? Oh man if only. haha! ;-) I might call Sister Smith (she's in charge of all things Missionary-Medical) and ask her if I can go to a chiropractor or something- my back hurts so bad I can hardly sleep :(
Oddly enough, my collarbone is fine. And my backpack is way light and it's a good plain one that distributes weight equally- but the pain is on the right side near the middle. I'm not sure what it's from. Elder Bayard, my Zone Leader, said that most missionaries experience pretty bad body pains their first few months in the mission- just the body getting used to all the different circumstances in the Mission.
Aww just pray for me and send your love through brainwaves!! I'm already starting to do a lot better- P day is always a good restart point to refocus and get back energy for the week.
Can you send me my farewell talk tape? well a copy of it? I wanna hear it haha maybe for motivation or something. My emotions are low, but I feel fine stability-wise. :) I promise I'll tell you if I start to feel unstable or anything!! :)
Hey are you all making scrapbooks for me? Carlie kinda mentioned something about her making one and I wondered if you all are involved?! If you wanted to that would be epic! Just like include my letters I send home and whatever else (pictures, random stuff from the packages I send home!)
Ah!
Tell Connnnnnnman he better write me sometime soon.... hahaha
Well I better run- The computer keeps extending my time but we have to go shop and write letters and do laundry and ZOO!! Thanks for writing to me Maa :) I love you soooo much!! Thanks for your prayers and love! Please o PLEASE be safe and well and happy and healthy!
Church is TRUE! Love!
Always, Your B!
Hola!
AGGGHHH terrible SUNDAY!
SO we had 8 INVESTIGATORS planned to attend church this last Sunday, and all of them told us they were for sure coming. OF COURSE, if anything bad has the possibility of happening, it will (What's this called again Dad? Some Theory?). Anyway… ALL 6 TRAINS were shut down for construction and they were short on buses anyway- and the ones they DID have running were packed- AND the main stops we usually use in our area were closed. SO Elder Richardson and I went down to our area (took us FOREVER) and picked up a Woman named Leidy and her daughter (14) and her Nieces (6 and 8) and headed back up to the church. We walked for a half an hour to an out-of-the-way bus stop and waited for a bus for 15 minutes, then had to transfer twice to other buses and THEN on to a train. It took us over an HOUR and a HALF to finally get back to the church and we arrived late- we walked right in as the sacrament was starting. It was so frustrating! The adversary! Gah! BUT we are going to get all the ones that missed church last week there THIS week and MORE! Yeah!
Phew.
LUCKILY my only glimpse with death this week was almost getting hit by a runaway school bus...
Good break, we're going to the BRONX ZOO today for P DAY! Haha so excited.
OH I forgot to mention that our investigator Sonia kinda dropped us. She said she isn't ready to be baptized :( She got hit by a car last week while crossing the street in front of her apartment... She's OK, but still in pain and kinda freaked out.
I'm finally getting a hang of this Spanish thing- I can mostly understand everything people say and I can respond with pretty much whatever I want. The Lord is so good to me- I've really learned how to plead with Him and ask for His help. Prayer is SUCH an awesome tool and privilege- we have the opportunity to actually converse with our Heavenly Father- the Creator of the Universe. It's so cool!
I still love New York- It's like being everywhere in the World at once. I have literally talked to someone from every country on the planet (I bet). It's so epic.
Herbert, the small white mouse, still keeps me company in the kitchen every morning when make breakfast. He lives under the fridge and runs back and forth between that and the oven probably 6 of 7 times every morning. He's very smart, we have 3 Different types of mouse traps set and he hasn't fallen for any of them. I'm kind of becoming partial to him though... We talk in the morning, and he's a very good listener...
Sorry I gotta run, not much to say this week anyway.. But this is gonna be an awesome week.
I still have minutes left! hooray! TIME EXTENDED! boo yah.
Tell Daddy I say HEY PAAA!! HOTTUB!? Oh man if only. haha! ;-) I might call Sister Smith (she's in charge of all things Missionary-Medical) and ask her if I can go to a chiropractor or something- my back hurts so bad I can hardly sleep :(
Oddly enough, my collarbone is fine. And my backpack is way light and it's a good plain one that distributes weight equally- but the pain is on the right side near the middle. I'm not sure what it's from. Elder Bayard, my Zone Leader, said that most missionaries experience pretty bad body pains their first few months in the mission- just the body getting used to all the different circumstances in the Mission.
Aww just pray for me and send your love through brainwaves!! I'm already starting to do a lot better- P day is always a good restart point to refocus and get back energy for the week.
Can you send me my farewell talk tape? well a copy of it? I wanna hear it haha maybe for motivation or something. My emotions are low, but I feel fine stability-wise. :) I promise I'll tell you if I start to feel unstable or anything!! :)
Hey are you all making scrapbooks for me? Carlie kinda mentioned something about her making one and I wondered if you all are involved?! If you wanted to that would be epic! Just like include my letters I send home and whatever else (pictures, random stuff from the packages I send home!)
Ah!
Tell Connnnnnnman he better write me sometime soon.... hahaha
Well I better run- The computer keeps extending my time but we have to go shop and write letters and do laundry and ZOO!! Thanks for writing to me Maa :) I love you soooo much!! Thanks for your prayers and love! Please o PLEASE be safe and well and happy and healthy!
Church is TRUE! Love!
Always, Your B!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Heimlich
Buenas Dias!
OH my goodness.
Story before I begin.
Ahem.
It's Monday morning, March 1st. After District meeting 6 of us in our district (2 had to leave to an appointment) decided to go to a District lunch at George's Diner on Zerega Avenue- sounds great. We get inside get settled and order - I ordered a Jumbo Cheese burger, extra onions. Food arrives, looks great - all except for Hermana Walker's food, which hasn't come yet. I take a big bite of my hamburger and look at her, when she makes this hilarious puppy-eyed sad face and says "I've never been more hungry in my life..."
OH my goodness.
Story before I begin.
Ahem.
It's Monday morning, March 1st. After District meeting 6 of us in our district (2 had to leave to an appointment) decided to go to a District lunch at George's Diner on Zerega Avenue- sounds great. We get inside get settled and order - I ordered a Jumbo Cheese burger, extra onions. Food arrives, looks great - all except for Hermana Walker's food, which hasn't come yet. I take a big bite of my hamburger and look at her, when she makes this hilarious puppy-eyed sad face and says "I've never been more hungry in my life..."
For some reason, this struck my funny-cord. I began to laugh hysterically. I bent over in a little bit of embarrassment; I was, after all, cackling like a mad-man with a bunch of food in my mouth. I sat up straight and tried to inhale. I was a little taken aback, I couldn't get any air - not even a wheeze. I tried again. Nothing. I didn't have a big reserve of air, given that I had been laughing and let out most of my air. I tried one more time, and realized, that I was, IN FACT, choking. I looked at my companion, trying not to look to panicked. I smacked him on the arm and grabbed my throat with both hands- the standard sign.
Everyone at the table began to laugh. If there was ANYBODY in the district - No- in the ZONE that would play an "Help I'm choking to death" joke it would be ME. This went on for about 10 seconds, me grabbing my neck and hitting my companion. Finally, my annoyance at the fact that nobody believed me overpowered my panic. I stood up and knocked over my glass and punched (really pretty hard) my companion and the next closest Elder to me, Elder Fox. Finally they clicked and realized I wasn't kidding, now that I was turning purple and losing balance. Everyone stood up at once, and the entire restaurant- maybe 50-60 people went dead quiet and watched as some random Italian man ran over and gave me the heimlich. I felt like I was slowly slipping into a kind of sleep... when finally the piece of hamburger became unwedged and I let out a burp like Satan himself. BUT I could breathe! I sat down in my chair and even with the whole restaurant watching - began to laugh again. Everything resumed and I felt REALLY dumb. Great story though huh? Haha my whole district felt TERRIBLE that they didn't believe me... oh man.
ANYWAY- how are you all! I'm wonderful (minus getting Heimliched, but even THAT was an adventure)! Elder Richardson and I had SUCH a cool experience this week! We were checking up on an inactive member, a man who lives alone near the bottom of our area. When we arrived we knocked and a young boy - about 9- answered the door and his eyes went wide. He ran and got his mom and yelled "LOS MISIONEROS!" The missionaries!!! His mom came and said "you found me!" Her and her sister and their 7 KIDS (3 of which are over the age of 8 and all unbaptized) came from the Dominican Republic and moved all over until recently settling in the Bronx. Turns out, (her name is Hermana Corsino) They were members back in the DR and have been looking for the church here in New York for months - but they don't have internet or phones and can't speak any English so they haven't been successful - until we found them! So awesome! She was ready to cry when she was telling us all this! She said her and her whole family are going to come to church this coming Sunday! :)
Sonia (due to some.... complications) has had her baptismal date pushed back about another week, so we're hoping and praying for March 10-16.
OH and sorry If I'm kinda shmalty at getting letters back to you all! The mail procedure here for the Missionaries is a little... rambunctious to say the least. Sometimes I don't get mail for 7-10 days AFTER it arrives here at the Mission Home, AFTER it's already taken a few days to get to New York! Thank you all so much for the Love and Support from home :)
I LOVE riding the subways. There's always some Jamacian crew beating on tomtoms and playing "Every little things gonna be alright", or a black man singing the blues. Sometimes (when I feel brave) I break into song with them and get some laughs and claps from the local Bronxers and singers on the Sub :) So FUN!
I love it So much here! AHH! It's funny, I forget that I'm a white guy. It sounds terrible but it's SO true. 99% of the people I see walking around are Hispanic or African American, so I kinda feel like one. HAHAHA the other day we got on the Subway down at 3rd Ave and there was a totally American white couple on the Sub in fancy dress clothes- I looked and thought "Hey- what are THEY doing here...?" I literally laughed out loud right there in the Subway after I realized what I had thought... I'm sorry Mom, I'm a Dominican now!! haha!! I love it!
Hermana Walker and I have a plan to go down into the subway station near where our areas touch and sing Hymns while our companions contact and hand out Pass-Along cards and free "learn Ingles" cards to everyone that passes! It's gonna be sick! The acoustics down there are SO awesome- all echoey and cathedral-like. :)
I'm the Ward organist, musical number-ist, Relief society pianist, and Gospel Doctrine's class pianist. Beautiful. Sad and kinda ironic, the old man in the ward that USUALLY plays the Organ had a Heart-Attack 2 days after I got to New York and has been out-of-commission ever since...
It's SO incredible to see the change that the Gospel can bring into people's lives. I've only been here what - 30-some-odd days - and I've already seen hearts soften, families heal, and the Tender Mercies of the Lord enter into even the hardest of situations.
I'm getting WAY better at contacting in Spanish! I have my questions and phrases ready, build up the courage... "come on B, Come on B..." and probably scare the heck of the person I'm trying to contact because I'm SO NERVOUS that my confidence-walk turns into a nervous run and my opening line kinds comes out like a scream.... "HOLA SOMOS LOS MISIONEROS!!!!! TENEMOS UN MENSAJE!!!"
BUT I’m improving! haha!! Oh man :)
I've discovered one of the most INCREDIBLE places on the face of this PLANET. 99 CENTS STORES. 99 cent EVERYTHING. Bahaha it's WONDERFUL! Especially as a Misionary, with a pretty strict budget! They are awesome!! :)
WELL I must leave now, Much to do!! Love you all!
B Safe! B Happy! B Healthy!
Always and Forever,
Elder Hellberg!
ANYWAY- how are you all! I'm wonderful (minus getting Heimliched, but even THAT was an adventure)! Elder Richardson and I had SUCH a cool experience this week! We were checking up on an inactive member, a man who lives alone near the bottom of our area. When we arrived we knocked and a young boy - about 9- answered the door and his eyes went wide. He ran and got his mom and yelled "LOS MISIONEROS!" The missionaries!!! His mom came and said "you found me!" Her and her sister and their 7 KIDS (3 of which are over the age of 8 and all unbaptized) came from the Dominican Republic and moved all over until recently settling in the Bronx. Turns out, (her name is Hermana Corsino) They were members back in the DR and have been looking for the church here in New York for months - but they don't have internet or phones and can't speak any English so they haven't been successful - until we found them! So awesome! She was ready to cry when she was telling us all this! She said her and her whole family are going to come to church this coming Sunday! :)
Sonia (due to some.... complications) has had her baptismal date pushed back about another week, so we're hoping and praying for March 10-16.
OH and sorry If I'm kinda shmalty at getting letters back to you all! The mail procedure here for the Missionaries is a little... rambunctious to say the least. Sometimes I don't get mail for 7-10 days AFTER it arrives here at the Mission Home, AFTER it's already taken a few days to get to New York! Thank you all so much for the Love and Support from home :)
I LOVE riding the subways. There's always some Jamacian crew beating on tomtoms and playing "Every little things gonna be alright", or a black man singing the blues. Sometimes (when I feel brave) I break into song with them and get some laughs and claps from the local Bronxers and singers on the Sub :) So FUN!
I love it So much here! AHH! It's funny, I forget that I'm a white guy. It sounds terrible but it's SO true. 99% of the people I see walking around are Hispanic or African American, so I kinda feel like one. HAHAHA the other day we got on the Subway down at 3rd Ave and there was a totally American white couple on the Sub in fancy dress clothes- I looked and thought "Hey- what are THEY doing here...?" I literally laughed out loud right there in the Subway after I realized what I had thought... I'm sorry Mom, I'm a Dominican now!! haha!! I love it!
Hermana Walker and I have a plan to go down into the subway station near where our areas touch and sing Hymns while our companions contact and hand out Pass-Along cards and free "learn Ingles" cards to everyone that passes! It's gonna be sick! The acoustics down there are SO awesome- all echoey and cathedral-like. :)
I'm the Ward organist, musical number-ist, Relief society pianist, and Gospel Doctrine's class pianist. Beautiful. Sad and kinda ironic, the old man in the ward that USUALLY plays the Organ had a Heart-Attack 2 days after I got to New York and has been out-of-commission ever since...
It's SO incredible to see the change that the Gospel can bring into people's lives. I've only been here what - 30-some-odd days - and I've already seen hearts soften, families heal, and the Tender Mercies of the Lord enter into even the hardest of situations.
I'm getting WAY better at contacting in Spanish! I have my questions and phrases ready, build up the courage... "come on B, Come on B..." and probably scare the heck of the person I'm trying to contact because I'm SO NERVOUS that my confidence-walk turns into a nervous run and my opening line kinds comes out like a scream.... "HOLA SOMOS LOS MISIONEROS!!!!! TENEMOS UN MENSAJE!!!"
BUT I’m improving! haha!! Oh man :)
I've discovered one of the most INCREDIBLE places on the face of this PLANET. 99 CENTS STORES. 99 cent EVERYTHING. Bahaha it's WONDERFUL! Especially as a Misionary, with a pretty strict budget! They are awesome!! :)
WELL I must leave now, Much to do!! Love you all!
B Safe! B Happy! B Healthy!
Always and Forever,
Elder Hellberg!
More Bronx
Hey all!
What a week! Especially SUNDAY! ahh! Story Time- SO Saturday night, we visited our most SOLID investigator, named Sonia- her baptism is scheduled for a little less than 2 weeks from now! She was so excited for church the next day and expressed to us her love of the Gospel- the spirit was so strong. She also has 2 sisters (Ruth and Daniella, Ruth is a Member, Daniella is a non-member) and her mother who live with her. Daniella and her Mother haven't shown any interest (in fact, quite the opposite) in the Church for YEARS. ANYWAY- so we left Saturday night and were SO looking forward to the next day for her to come to church! We got up Sunday morning, called a few potentials- and unfortunately all fell through- but we still had Sonia. I called her- and she said she wasn't coming. I was crushed. I didn't understand- she was so excited to come to church again-
Why would she just not come? She explained to me that she had to go to Manhattan because her Mom wanted to go shopping. I was so disappointed. I expressed to her over the phone how I felt and actually got a little angry. I went to the Church- red faced and feeling really low. About 10 Minutes before Sacrament meeting started at 1... Here comes Sonia.. WITH Ruth, Daniella, and her Mom! All LAUGHING! I was SO taken aback- she ran up to me and said "Gotcha!" SO cruel! hahaha!! Although I was startled (and to be quite honest I did NOT think this joke was funny), I was SO overjoyed that she came- and EVEN brought her family- who later expressed that they loved the services and we now have return appointments to teach them all!! Woot!!
The other day, we went on a Split- I went with another AWESOME Elder in my District (and Apartment) named Elder Fox. We went on a BLITZ and contacted everyone we saw! haha! Such a rush. Mostly terrifying- but so spiritually fruitful and worth it!
We also went to an old media referral that was never contacted - a family named Capellan. We climbed- 10 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS to the top of their apartment building and waited for about 10 minutes at the door. We were about to leave when she answered. Turns out, she is an inactive member- she was baptized back in Santo Domingo in the DR but hasn't been to church for 15 years! She has 4 kids at home and a husband. She told us that a few days before we visited, she had a strong feeling that she needed to get back to church and get her husband and children baptized. We have return appointments and we've already re-visited twice and she is SO GOLDEN! Love this Work!!!
These are just 2 stories of MANY awesome experiences I am having. It's so incredible to see the Gospel touch people's lives!
On a different note, i am FALLING IN LOVE with Spanish food. It was just all right before, but that's (I think) because I've never had the real thing. SO GOOD. About every night we get fed by the member families- who LOVE to feed us. They make us these HUGE meals of their native country and they are INCREDIBLE. The only thing is... In the Spanish culture, you must eat EVERYTHING they give you. Some take serious offense if you don't. I HATE TO ADMIT THIS... but I've gained 15 POUNDS in 2 WEEKS. And it's NOT all muscle ( I wish). Haha! I love and appreciate the packages you all send to me here, but PLEASE- I BEG YOU (my BMI begs you too) Don't send me ANY MORE CANDY! I've sworn- SWORN- away with candy and soda. It'll be hard enough staying fit and keeping healthy with the POUNDS of food I get fed every night by the Spanish people here (plus, sometimes we have MORE than one dinner appointment each night!)! Ahhhh!!
I AM getting these weird huge bulky muscles on my SHINS (of all places?) because of all the stairs I am climbing. The apartment buildings have anywhere from 10 to 30 floors (more on the higher bit) and MOST of the elevators in the Bronx are either Broken, or WAY TO STINKIN nasty to get inside.
Did you get my package yet...? hehehehe....
OH and with the CD's you send, can you send my All StateChoir 2008 CD? Love it.
ALSO question for Paaahh-
It's a major debate in my district. Is the 3rd rail that powers the Metro subways electrified to the point that simply touching it could kill you? I thought well SURE its powering the greater part of transportation for NYC... BUT... I saw these HUGE converters onboard the Subways... Which made me wonder if maybe there is TONS of volts through the 3rd rail, but not enough AMPS to do SERIOUS damage to a living organism- maybe the volts are converted onboard. I dunno. Do some research for me hahaha!!
I voted to test it out, but the majority of the missionaries in my District won't let me touch it!! hahahaahah!!
Will someone send me the Woodbriar Ward's address book? that would be very helpful... :)
OH and by the way, I'm the piano/organ/musical number person for our ward. Me and Hermana Walker! Her voice is INCREDIBLE. She represented the Church at this international thing last week held down in Manhatten, and she sang to (and brought to tears) ambassadors from Puerto Rico, Cuba, DR, and Mexico. So tight!
WELL I love you all! Thank you for your love and support!! MUAH!
Elder Brandon Hellberg
What a week! Especially SUNDAY! ahh! Story Time- SO Saturday night, we visited our most SOLID investigator, named Sonia- her baptism is scheduled for a little less than 2 weeks from now! She was so excited for church the next day and expressed to us her love of the Gospel- the spirit was so strong. She also has 2 sisters (Ruth and Daniella, Ruth is a Member, Daniella is a non-member) and her mother who live with her. Daniella and her Mother haven't shown any interest (in fact, quite the opposite) in the Church for YEARS. ANYWAY- so we left Saturday night and were SO looking forward to the next day for her to come to church! We got up Sunday morning, called a few potentials- and unfortunately all fell through- but we still had Sonia. I called her- and she said she wasn't coming. I was crushed. I didn't understand- she was so excited to come to church again-
Why would she just not come? She explained to me that she had to go to Manhattan because her Mom wanted to go shopping. I was so disappointed. I expressed to her over the phone how I felt and actually got a little angry. I went to the Church- red faced and feeling really low. About 10 Minutes before Sacrament meeting started at 1... Here comes Sonia.. WITH Ruth, Daniella, and her Mom! All LAUGHING! I was SO taken aback- she ran up to me and said "Gotcha!" SO cruel! hahaha!! Although I was startled (and to be quite honest I did NOT think this joke was funny), I was SO overjoyed that she came- and EVEN brought her family- who later expressed that they loved the services and we now have return appointments to teach them all!! Woot!!
The other day, we went on a Split- I went with another AWESOME Elder in my District (and Apartment) named Elder Fox. We went on a BLITZ and contacted everyone we saw! haha! Such a rush. Mostly terrifying- but so spiritually fruitful and worth it!
We also went to an old media referral that was never contacted - a family named Capellan. We climbed- 10 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS to the top of their apartment building and waited for about 10 minutes at the door. We were about to leave when she answered. Turns out, she is an inactive member- she was baptized back in Santo Domingo in the DR but hasn't been to church for 15 years! She has 4 kids at home and a husband. She told us that a few days before we visited, she had a strong feeling that she needed to get back to church and get her husband and children baptized. We have return appointments and we've already re-visited twice and she is SO GOLDEN! Love this Work!!!
These are just 2 stories of MANY awesome experiences I am having. It's so incredible to see the Gospel touch people's lives!
On a different note, i am FALLING IN LOVE with Spanish food. It was just all right before, but that's (I think) because I've never had the real thing. SO GOOD. About every night we get fed by the member families- who LOVE to feed us. They make us these HUGE meals of their native country and they are INCREDIBLE. The only thing is... In the Spanish culture, you must eat EVERYTHING they give you. Some take serious offense if you don't. I HATE TO ADMIT THIS... but I've gained 15 POUNDS in 2 WEEKS. And it's NOT all muscle ( I wish). Haha! I love and appreciate the packages you all send to me here, but PLEASE- I BEG YOU (my BMI begs you too) Don't send me ANY MORE CANDY! I've sworn- SWORN- away with candy and soda. It'll be hard enough staying fit and keeping healthy with the POUNDS of food I get fed every night by the Spanish people here (plus, sometimes we have MORE than one dinner appointment each night!)! Ahhhh!!
I AM getting these weird huge bulky muscles on my SHINS (of all places?) because of all the stairs I am climbing. The apartment buildings have anywhere from 10 to 30 floors (more on the higher bit) and MOST of the elevators in the Bronx are either Broken, or WAY TO STINKIN nasty to get inside.
Did you get my package yet...? hehehehe....
OH and with the CD's you send, can you send my All StateChoir 2008 CD? Love it.
ALSO question for Paaahh-
It's a major debate in my district. Is the 3rd rail that powers the Metro subways electrified to the point that simply touching it could kill you? I thought well SURE its powering the greater part of transportation for NYC... BUT... I saw these HUGE converters onboard the Subways... Which made me wonder if maybe there is TONS of volts through the 3rd rail, but not enough AMPS to do SERIOUS damage to a living organism- maybe the volts are converted onboard. I dunno. Do some research for me hahaha!!
I voted to test it out, but the majority of the missionaries in my District won't let me touch it!! hahahaahah!!
Will someone send me the Woodbriar Ward's address book? that would be very helpful... :)
OH and by the way, I'm the piano/organ/musical number person for our ward. Me and Hermana Walker! Her voice is INCREDIBLE. She represented the Church at this international thing last week held down in Manhatten, and she sang to (and brought to tears) ambassadors from Puerto Rico, Cuba, DR, and Mexico. So tight!
WELL I love you all! Thank you for your love and support!! MUAH!
Elder Brandon Hellberg
Musical Miracle
Hello all!!
Another freezing, dirty, awesome week in the Bronx!!
Today was P-day! It's my companion Elder Richardson's birthday, so we got a special district treat and got to leave the Bronx... and head to Manhattan to the Museum of Natural History! It was so great! 8 missionaries all acting like little kids in a massive museum... GREAT fun :) :) :) Hahahaha I hoped you got a kick outta the video I sent home from the Dinosaur exhibit ;)
We ate street vendor food- SO good- lamb and chicken over rice and then pretended we were a crew on a space station in the space exhibit.
These last few weeks have been going a little slow teaching wise. The very DAY I got here, they split the previous area in TWO, and added another set of missionaries into the zone. THIS means that Elder Richardson and I have the South half of what used to be one pretty big successful area. Area x 50% = 50% Success. BUT we are RAPIDLY adding to our teaching pool, and we still have a baptism planned for early march (right by Connor's birthday hooray!)!
The Bishop of the Olmstead 1st Ward is SO cool. His name is Bishop Ephraim Zamora- he is 28 and a returned Missionary- he served in California. He is so caring and does such a good job keeping the Ward active and excited about missionary work. Being a member over here is quite different from in Utah. We include the families in nearly everything we do with investigators- we take members teaching with us, tracting, contacting, and nearly every night a member in the ward feeds us and an investigator and helps us teach the lesson. The Spanish people here in NYC are so AWESOME. I LOVE them. They are SO powerful and valiant and concrete in their beliefs. :)
It's FREEZING here. Temperature wise, it doesn't get much colder than Salt Lake... but the humidity added on... the cold eats thru your skin into your bones!! Hahaha we look so funny all bundled up like eskimos, handing out pass along cards in the outside subway stations. :)
Cool story-
SO Sunday, we had a few investigators at church, but one of our main progressing investigators wasn't at church. It was 12:50, and church started at 1- I called her and she said she couldn't make it because she was tired and didn't have money to buy a metrocard to get up there (she lives about 15 minutes away by subway). I remembered something Hermano Rivera taught me in the MTC- be BOLD with love. I said "Sonia! This is SO important that you are here, your baptism is scheduled for just 3 weeks from now! We're on our way!" (haha all in my broken spanish of course). She said that she was still tired and she would come next week- I said "Sonia. You have 15 minutes. Be ready." We got a member named Manny to drive us down to southern Bronx and sure enough she was ready for church, although a little surprised at my aggressiveness. It was now 1:20 and I was supposed to play a musical number right after the Administration of the Sacrament. I was SO worried I had missed it. We sped (legally?) back to the chapel. We pulled up to the church on Olmstead at about 1:30, hurried into the church and literally as we opened the doors to the chapel the Bishop said "and now a musical number by Elder Hellberg." I walked right from the doors of the chapel right to the piano and played. It was SUCH a tender mercy of the Lord- Sonia felt the Spirit SO strong she was crying by the end of my song- along with the Bishop's wife (brownie points). I was SO grateful to the Lord for giving me courage to be firm and get Sonia to church. She said she loved the services and looks forward to coming to next Sunday!
BAHAHAHA I'm sending home a package...
with...
something...interesting...
inside... hehehehehe
You'll get it soon enough :)
WELL my email online time is almost up!
I love you all SO much!
Be safe!
Be happy!
Be smart!
LOVE,
Elder B-Dizzle Hellberg
Another freezing, dirty, awesome week in the Bronx!!
Today was P-day! It's my companion Elder Richardson's birthday, so we got a special district treat and got to leave the Bronx... and head to Manhattan to the Museum of Natural History! It was so great! 8 missionaries all acting like little kids in a massive museum... GREAT fun :) :) :) Hahahaha I hoped you got a kick outta the video I sent home from the Dinosaur exhibit ;)
We ate street vendor food- SO good- lamb and chicken over rice and then pretended we were a crew on a space station in the space exhibit.
These last few weeks have been going a little slow teaching wise. The very DAY I got here, they split the previous area in TWO, and added another set of missionaries into the zone. THIS means that Elder Richardson and I have the South half of what used to be one pretty big successful area. Area x 50% = 50% Success. BUT we are RAPIDLY adding to our teaching pool, and we still have a baptism planned for early march (right by Connor's birthday hooray!)!
The Bishop of the Olmstead 1st Ward is SO cool. His name is Bishop Ephraim Zamora- he is 28 and a returned Missionary- he served in California. He is so caring and does such a good job keeping the Ward active and excited about missionary work. Being a member over here is quite different from in Utah. We include the families in nearly everything we do with investigators- we take members teaching with us, tracting, contacting, and nearly every night a member in the ward feeds us and an investigator and helps us teach the lesson. The Spanish people here in NYC are so AWESOME. I LOVE them. They are SO powerful and valiant and concrete in their beliefs. :)
It's FREEZING here. Temperature wise, it doesn't get much colder than Salt Lake... but the humidity added on... the cold eats thru your skin into your bones!! Hahaha we look so funny all bundled up like eskimos, handing out pass along cards in the outside subway stations. :)
Cool story-
SO Sunday, we had a few investigators at church, but one of our main progressing investigators wasn't at church. It was 12:50, and church started at 1- I called her and she said she couldn't make it because she was tired and didn't have money to buy a metrocard to get up there (she lives about 15 minutes away by subway). I remembered something Hermano Rivera taught me in the MTC- be BOLD with love. I said "Sonia! This is SO important that you are here, your baptism is scheduled for just 3 weeks from now! We're on our way!" (haha all in my broken spanish of course). She said that she was still tired and she would come next week- I said "Sonia. You have 15 minutes. Be ready." We got a member named Manny to drive us down to southern Bronx and sure enough she was ready for church, although a little surprised at my aggressiveness. It was now 1:20 and I was supposed to play a musical number right after the Administration of the Sacrament. I was SO worried I had missed it. We sped (legally?) back to the chapel. We pulled up to the church on Olmstead at about 1:30, hurried into the church and literally as we opened the doors to the chapel the Bishop said "and now a musical number by Elder Hellberg." I walked right from the doors of the chapel right to the piano and played. It was SUCH a tender mercy of the Lord- Sonia felt the Spirit SO strong she was crying by the end of my song- along with the Bishop's wife (brownie points). I was SO grateful to the Lord for giving me courage to be firm and get Sonia to church. She said she loved the services and looks forward to coming to next Sunday!
BAHAHAHA I'm sending home a package...
with...
something...interesting...
inside... hehehehehe
You'll get it soon enough :)
WELL my email online time is almost up!
I love you all SO much!
Be safe!
Be happy!
Be smart!
LOVE,
Elder B-Dizzle Hellberg
Oh the adventures of a New Yorker.
HOLA!! Hey everyone!
Our apartment is so legit! Haha When I say legit, i mean it's very... Bronxy. Haha!! We're RIGHT by the above ground metro- it goes by our window- super loud- every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. It's gotten to the point where it's actually kinda comforting :) We have rats, bed bugs, roaches, and loud neighbors- ALL of which are insignificant when you have the Spirit! hahaah! But really though, it's great! I feel so.. New Yorkan!
WOW it's been a crazy week.
Quick Recap.
SO first night we went to teach an active member family, the Lara Family. They are Dominican- SUCH GOOD FOOD. AHH. ANYWAY, they live in the Government Apartments, called "the projects". These buildings are ridiculously terrible places to live. They live on the 21st floor. I step into the elevator, look down, and I'm standing in a puddle of URINE. Wonderful. No pets are allowed in these builings (what are rules anyway) so I'm pretty sure it came from a higher-level thinking mammal. Elder Richardson just laughed and said "welcome to the BRONX!"
SPEAKING of Dominican Spanish... 500+ MPH. I thought I could understand SPANISH pretty well when I left the MTC. I literally didn't know I was listening to Spanish the first time I heard Hermano Lara speak. It's SO fast and SO slurred. They drop all their "s"s and "n"s and cut words off halfway through the middle! Reminds me of my ENGLISH... I'm learning some hilarious Dominican phrases that don't actually make sense in Spanish- idiomatic expressions. "que lo que" means like "hey whats up? " Esta Heavy" (pronoucned "sta heh-bee") means "thats tight!" hahaha I love it.
SO cute- me and Elder Richardson went into an elevator in a different bronx project, and there was a lady with 5 little kids going up with us. One of the little kids, about 7 yrs old came up to me, tugged on my scarf and asked "excuse me, are you a secret agent?" I laughed and said "I couldn't tell you if I was!" All the little kids looked at each other with wide eyes and grinning and one said "cool!!" and they all left the elevator making gun noises and darting around corners like spies.
OH any ANYTHING NASTY in liquid form is referred to as "Bronx Juice."
On Friday last week, we were walking down by the bottom of our area and we were heading to the bus stop. The wind picked up and caught my hood and it flipped up right on top of my head! My hands were frozen in my pockets so I left my hood up as we walked underneath the metro. We stood there for about 10 seconds when I felt a "plop" on my head. I looked up and saw about 50 pidgeons crammed up in the metal structure of the Metro. I looked over at Elder Richardson and asked "Elder, do I have poop on my head?" "Why YES Elder, you DO have poop on your head." We cracked up for like 10 minutes- it was hilarious- I had a HUGE blob of slimy green bird poop on my hood- but it could have been SO much worse.
Haha someone up there knew I was gonna get pooped on in my first week and decided to cut me a break and put my hood on for me :)
A few nights ago, we were walking a Lady home who had come teaching with us, and we went into a small convenient store and she bought some Excedrine for her sister at home. We were waiting in line when this HUGE black guy came up and said to us "Hey, you know Cocolito? I’m Cocolito. Cocolito appreciates what you doin out here, sharin ya'll message about Jesus. Go pick yourselves out a soda and Cocolito gonna buy it fo ya." I kinda looked at Elder Richardson worriedly... Elder Richardson said "It's okay, we just had Dinner..." He got interupted but Cocolito- "Hey now, if you don't go get a soda for ya I'm gonna be offended!" We quickly went over and pulled out 2 cokes from the fridge and put them on the counter. Cocolito pulled up what looked like 1000 dollars all in 1's and paid for our drinks and said "Now, anybody givin you greif? You come tell Cocolito and He'll take care of them nice and good for ya." He shook our hands, gave us gangster hugs and walked away with several other big guys behind him. Good to know the mafia has my back here in NYC. :)
Sunday-
We went to the Olmstead Spanish Ward- it's actually pretty big! I've never been to a louder Sacrament meeting- but I've never felt the Spirit so strongly in a Sacrament meeting either. I LOVE the Spanish people and culture. They are SO incredible. So strong and loving and humble and generous- we've been fed almost every night by members! They are so awesome!
I'm having an AWESOME time here in NY. We have several progressing investigators and 2 baptismal dates for 2 weeks from now!! So awesome!
Spanish is coming along! Wish me luck!
LOVE YOU ALL!
Elder Hellberg
Our apartment is so legit! Haha When I say legit, i mean it's very... Bronxy. Haha!! We're RIGHT by the above ground metro- it goes by our window- super loud- every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. It's gotten to the point where it's actually kinda comforting :) We have rats, bed bugs, roaches, and loud neighbors- ALL of which are insignificant when you have the Spirit! hahaah! But really though, it's great! I feel so.. New Yorkan!
WOW it's been a crazy week.
Quick Recap.
SO first night we went to teach an active member family, the Lara Family. They are Dominican- SUCH GOOD FOOD. AHH. ANYWAY, they live in the Government Apartments, called "the projects". These buildings are ridiculously terrible places to live. They live on the 21st floor. I step into the elevator, look down, and I'm standing in a puddle of URINE. Wonderful. No pets are allowed in these builings (what are rules anyway) so I'm pretty sure it came from a higher-level thinking mammal. Elder Richardson just laughed and said "welcome to the BRONX!"
SPEAKING of Dominican Spanish... 500+ MPH. I thought I could understand SPANISH pretty well when I left the MTC. I literally didn't know I was listening to Spanish the first time I heard Hermano Lara speak. It's SO fast and SO slurred. They drop all their "s"s and "n"s and cut words off halfway through the middle! Reminds me of my ENGLISH... I'm learning some hilarious Dominican phrases that don't actually make sense in Spanish- idiomatic expressions. "que lo que" means like "hey whats up? " Esta Heavy" (pronoucned "sta heh-bee") means "thats tight!" hahaha I love it.
SO cute- me and Elder Richardson went into an elevator in a different bronx project, and there was a lady with 5 little kids going up with us. One of the little kids, about 7 yrs old came up to me, tugged on my scarf and asked "excuse me, are you a secret agent?" I laughed and said "I couldn't tell you if I was!" All the little kids looked at each other with wide eyes and grinning and one said "cool!!" and they all left the elevator making gun noises and darting around corners like spies.
OH any ANYTHING NASTY in liquid form is referred to as "Bronx Juice."
On Friday last week, we were walking down by the bottom of our area and we were heading to the bus stop. The wind picked up and caught my hood and it flipped up right on top of my head! My hands were frozen in my pockets so I left my hood up as we walked underneath the metro. We stood there for about 10 seconds when I felt a "plop" on my head. I looked up and saw about 50 pidgeons crammed up in the metal structure of the Metro. I looked over at Elder Richardson and asked "Elder, do I have poop on my head?" "Why YES Elder, you DO have poop on your head." We cracked up for like 10 minutes- it was hilarious- I had a HUGE blob of slimy green bird poop on my hood- but it could have been SO much worse.
Haha someone up there knew I was gonna get pooped on in my first week and decided to cut me a break and put my hood on for me :)
A few nights ago, we were walking a Lady home who had come teaching with us, and we went into a small convenient store and she bought some Excedrine for her sister at home. We were waiting in line when this HUGE black guy came up and said to us "Hey, you know Cocolito? I’m Cocolito. Cocolito appreciates what you doin out here, sharin ya'll message about Jesus. Go pick yourselves out a soda and Cocolito gonna buy it fo ya." I kinda looked at Elder Richardson worriedly... Elder Richardson said "It's okay, we just had Dinner..." He got interupted but Cocolito- "Hey now, if you don't go get a soda for ya I'm gonna be offended!" We quickly went over and pulled out 2 cokes from the fridge and put them on the counter. Cocolito pulled up what looked like 1000 dollars all in 1's and paid for our drinks and said "Now, anybody givin you greif? You come tell Cocolito and He'll take care of them nice and good for ya." He shook our hands, gave us gangster hugs and walked away with several other big guys behind him. Good to know the mafia has my back here in NYC. :)
Sunday-
We went to the Olmstead Spanish Ward- it's actually pretty big! I've never been to a louder Sacrament meeting- but I've never felt the Spirit so strongly in a Sacrament meeting either. I LOVE the Spanish people and culture. They are SO incredible. So strong and loving and humble and generous- we've been fed almost every night by members! They are so awesome!
I'm having an AWESOME time here in NY. We have several progressing investigators and 2 baptismal dates for 2 weeks from now!! So awesome!
Spanish is coming along! Wish me luck!
LOVE YOU ALL!
Elder Hellberg
Welcome to NYC
DEAR family.
HELLO!! and HOLA from NEW YORK!! Hey! We arrived about 4:30 p.m. in Laguardia Airport and met President Smith and his Wife- they are so awesome! Immediately afterward, we were(there are 9 new missionaries, all English Speaking except ME) all bussed to Inner Harlem, where we did a missionary activity called "fearlessing." This is where we run around with a "veteran" missionary- and just contact. It was exhiliarating- no- terrifying. Haha but it was a rush just approaching people with our message! I got 2 referrals! One is a black woman named Jinelle, and the other is a black man named.... get this.... BRANDON!!!!!!! WHOA, right? It was awesome!!
Afterwards, we all went up to Scarsdale and to the Mission Home. It's a mansion!! We all had dinner with President and Sister Smith (BEST Chicken Cordon Bleu I've ever had) and went to bed (early!!). The next day we got up and got ready, where we went to a nearby Chapel and met up with about 60 other missionaries for TRANSFER MEETING!! It was so intense! I got welcomed (screamed at "WELCOOOOMMMMMEE!!!) by all the Missionaries and then met my Companion and trainer Elder Richardson. THIS I was worried about. I've been praying for a good trainer- someone who knew the ropes and was a good, hard-working obedient missionary. I asked for good, and the Lord gave me the BEST! Haha he's about as tall as me (I'll send pictures) and he's been out for about 19 months- and he's flippin' awesome. He's so positive and personable and LOVES New York and the People here.
THEN I found out my area...
SO intense...
Ready?
...
THE BRONX!! Mott Haven!
It's dirty, loud, and the poorest zip code in the United States- and I already LOVE it. Haha! You know all those old pictures of New York with smoke in the air, graffiti over everything, screechy trains, project housing- the scary ones- Our apartment is SMACK in the middle of it! It's so epic!! I feel like... haha!!! I feel like a New Yorker! I can't even describe it! Haha! I can't stop smiling. All the Missionaries here I talked to say it's the best mission in the Church (of course they are a LITTLE Biased, but who isn't?)!
HAHAHAHAHA hilarious... So We went into our apartment, got me unpacked and left to do a little laundry. I pulled the door to our 4th floor apartment closed behind us, and the Doorknob just broke right off. Collapsed into 3 peices! haha Elder Richardson and I cracked up. :)
But yeah I'm stoked- P-day is on Wednesday! And we have dinner with a Member family tonight- Mmmm Mexican food!! Haha!
OH and ALL mail and packages should be sent to the Mission Home address. It's way more conventional than sending to each apartment I live at, becuase that changes (potentially) every few transfer cycles.
It's:
700 White Plains Rd, Ste 315
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Love you all!! Wish me Luck!!
Always and Forever
Gangsta (Elder) Hellberg
HELLO!! and HOLA from NEW YORK!! Hey! We arrived about 4:30 p.m. in Laguardia Airport and met President Smith and his Wife- they are so awesome! Immediately afterward, we were(there are 9 new missionaries, all English Speaking except ME) all bussed to Inner Harlem, where we did a missionary activity called "fearlessing." This is where we run around with a "veteran" missionary- and just contact. It was exhiliarating- no- terrifying. Haha but it was a rush just approaching people with our message! I got 2 referrals! One is a black woman named Jinelle, and the other is a black man named.... get this.... BRANDON!!!!!!! WHOA, right? It was awesome!!
Afterwards, we all went up to Scarsdale and to the Mission Home. It's a mansion!! We all had dinner with President and Sister Smith (BEST Chicken Cordon Bleu I've ever had) and went to bed (early!!). The next day we got up and got ready, where we went to a nearby Chapel and met up with about 60 other missionaries for TRANSFER MEETING!! It was so intense! I got welcomed (screamed at "WELCOOOOMMMMMEE!!!) by all the Missionaries and then met my Companion and trainer Elder Richardson. THIS I was worried about. I've been praying for a good trainer- someone who knew the ropes and was a good, hard-working obedient missionary. I asked for good, and the Lord gave me the BEST! Haha he's about as tall as me (I'll send pictures) and he's been out for about 19 months- and he's flippin' awesome. He's so positive and personable and LOVES New York and the People here.
THEN I found out my area...
SO intense...
Ready?
...
THE BRONX!! Mott Haven!
It's dirty, loud, and the poorest zip code in the United States- and I already LOVE it. Haha! You know all those old pictures of New York with smoke in the air, graffiti over everything, screechy trains, project housing- the scary ones- Our apartment is SMACK in the middle of it! It's so epic!! I feel like... haha!!! I feel like a New Yorker! I can't even describe it! Haha! I can't stop smiling. All the Missionaries here I talked to say it's the best mission in the Church (of course they are a LITTLE Biased, but who isn't?)!
HAHAHAHAHA hilarious... So We went into our apartment, got me unpacked and left to do a little laundry. I pulled the door to our 4th floor apartment closed behind us, and the Doorknob just broke right off. Collapsed into 3 peices! haha Elder Richardson and I cracked up. :)
But yeah I'm stoked- P-day is on Wednesday! And we have dinner with a Member family tonight- Mmmm Mexican food!! Haha!
OH and ALL mail and packages should be sent to the Mission Home address. It's way more conventional than sending to each apartment I live at, becuase that changes (potentially) every few transfer cycles.
It's:
700 White Plains Rd, Ste 315
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Love you all!! Wish me Luck!!
Always and Forever
Gangsta (Elder) Hellberg
Goodbye MTC!
¡Hola mi familia! ¿Como estan?
Can you believe I've been on a Mission for 2 months? I sure can't! My MTC experience was great- but such a BLUR! I've grown SO close to my District- they are like brothers to me. Elder Daley and Elder Poulson left this morning at 3:00 AM- it was hard for us to say goodbye and good luck!! It's going to be WAY worse when I have to say goodbye to Elder Linford... I love him so much! I couldn't have possibly had a better first companion.
On Friday in the Referral Center, our district was doing outbound calls in Spanish! Such a rush! It's one thing to talk to a native who is also a Missionary or works at the MTC- they understand that we're just learning Spanish and are kind and repeat things if you ask! It's SO much more difficult when they are blasting Spanish at you over the phone... and half the time it's either angry or annoyed! haha! But it's still great and such an awesome experience. I called a man that lives in Boston named Alejandro. I told him about our church and bore my Testimony of the Savior and asked him if I could send the Missionaries in his area over to teach him about Christ and give him a Book of Mormon. He asked me "¿y... Los personas de su Iglesia son.. buenas personas?" Which means "and, are the people in your church good people?" I chuckled and said "¡Yo Deseo!"- "I hope so!" He laughed and said he would love to have the Missionaries over! It's so awesome to know that the Lord trusts me with His work!
We had a really Spiritual special musical fireside last night with the whole MTC, very fitting for my last devotional here. A bunch of missionaries got up to the Mics and shared with everyone their favorite hymn and a quick 30 second testimony of how it helped them in their life, then we all sang one verse of that song! I loved it- music is one of my favorite ways of feeling the Spirit and it was so powerful to have almost 2600 warriors praising our Father through song. :)
Elder Linford and I taught in the TRC for the last time together on Saturday- and it was one of our best lessons yet. We have learned SO well to recognize the Spirit and we are just SUCH an awesome team. Hahaha ironic how just when we got the whole teaching and Spanish thing down, we split up and get sent 2000 miles apart! haha!
SO here's the deal for tomorrow---
I get bussed from the MTC to SL Int'l at about 4:30 AM, and my plane takes off at 7:10, headed straight for Lagaurdia New York. Not exactly sure if it's a direct flight, but I know Ii won't be changing planes.. if we DO land to trade passengers and refuel, I won't be getting off! I land in NYC at about 3:00 PM... not sure if that's Mtn time or East Coast time... BUT I will call, Maaa WHENEVER I can so be ready!! haha! I'll call the house phone and if that doesn't work I'll call Mom's cell! So be ready!! :D Haha I'm not sure exactly what I'm gonna say... just Hi I guess!! :)
I saw Cannon Nelson's girlfriend! She was dropping off her brother! Haha (someone please forward this e-mail to Cannon) and Cannon you better write me! haha!! I also saw Brett Jenkins, Brent Nelson, and Ben Wing! So cool!
I'm SO nervous!! But more than nervous, I'm EXCITED!! AHH!! Hey quick note- Go to LDS.org and watch the short Clip called "create."
http://www.youtube.com/mormonmessages#play/all/1/RhLlnq5yY7k
It's so awesome! I get chills when I watch it! It starts out with President Uchtdorf speaking... you'll know when you watch it! It's epic!
Love you all! Wish me luck on my excursion to the Big Apple! I'll tell you all about my first week in the City that never Sleeps whenever My Preparation Day is! It might change to a different day of the week... i just don't know!
Always and Forever,
Elder Hellberg
Can you believe I've been on a Mission for 2 months? I sure can't! My MTC experience was great- but such a BLUR! I've grown SO close to my District- they are like brothers to me. Elder Daley and Elder Poulson left this morning at 3:00 AM- it was hard for us to say goodbye and good luck!! It's going to be WAY worse when I have to say goodbye to Elder Linford... I love him so much! I couldn't have possibly had a better first companion.
On Friday in the Referral Center, our district was doing outbound calls in Spanish! Such a rush! It's one thing to talk to a native who is also a Missionary or works at the MTC- they understand that we're just learning Spanish and are kind and repeat things if you ask! It's SO much more difficult when they are blasting Spanish at you over the phone... and half the time it's either angry or annoyed! haha! But it's still great and such an awesome experience. I called a man that lives in Boston named Alejandro. I told him about our church and bore my Testimony of the Savior and asked him if I could send the Missionaries in his area over to teach him about Christ and give him a Book of Mormon. He asked me "¿y... Los personas de su Iglesia son.. buenas personas?" Which means "and, are the people in your church good people?" I chuckled and said "¡Yo Deseo!"- "I hope so!" He laughed and said he would love to have the Missionaries over! It's so awesome to know that the Lord trusts me with His work!
We had a really Spiritual special musical fireside last night with the whole MTC, very fitting for my last devotional here. A bunch of missionaries got up to the Mics and shared with everyone their favorite hymn and a quick 30 second testimony of how it helped them in their life, then we all sang one verse of that song! I loved it- music is one of my favorite ways of feeling the Spirit and it was so powerful to have almost 2600 warriors praising our Father through song. :)
Elder Linford and I taught in the TRC for the last time together on Saturday- and it was one of our best lessons yet. We have learned SO well to recognize the Spirit and we are just SUCH an awesome team. Hahaha ironic how just when we got the whole teaching and Spanish thing down, we split up and get sent 2000 miles apart! haha!
SO here's the deal for tomorrow---
I get bussed from the MTC to SL Int'l at about 4:30 AM, and my plane takes off at 7:10, headed straight for Lagaurdia New York. Not exactly sure if it's a direct flight, but I know Ii won't be changing planes.. if we DO land to trade passengers and refuel, I won't be getting off! I land in NYC at about 3:00 PM... not sure if that's Mtn time or East Coast time... BUT I will call, Maaa WHENEVER I can so be ready!! haha! I'll call the house phone and if that doesn't work I'll call Mom's cell! So be ready!! :D Haha I'm not sure exactly what I'm gonna say... just Hi I guess!! :)
I saw Cannon Nelson's girlfriend! She was dropping off her brother! Haha (someone please forward this e-mail to Cannon) and Cannon you better write me! haha!! I also saw Brett Jenkins, Brent Nelson, and Ben Wing! So cool!
I'm SO nervous!! But more than nervous, I'm EXCITED!! AHH!! Hey quick note- Go to LDS.org and watch the short Clip called "create."
http://www.youtube.com/mor
It's so awesome! I get chills when I watch it! It starts out with President Uchtdorf speaking... you'll know when you watch it! It's epic!
Love you all! Wish me luck on my excursion to the Big Apple! I'll tell you all about my first week in the City that never Sleeps whenever My Preparation Day is! It might change to a different day of the week... i just don't know!
Always and Forever,
Elder Hellberg
Missionary Droid...or not.
Hey ALL!! Hola!! What a crazy week!
AHH!! There's a THIEF in the MTC! So uncool! We don't know who, but one of the Missionaries here (or several) have been breaking into rooms and stealing things from other Missionaries! 2 people in MY ZONE have had their wallets stolen! We
think it's a missionary because you have to have an access card to get into the residence- but it could just as easily be a worker or cleaning crew. I had a meeting with my zone and emphasized locking your doors. On one hand, it's the MTC- you'd think that everyone here would have the decency to respect other people's space and property. But on the other hand, even the Temple Locker rooms have locks- just lock your doors and eliminate the temptation completely. It's really hard- and for me as their zone leader- to replace everything that was lost in the wallets that were stolen. I have to apply for a new meal card for them, call the Branch President to set up an appointment to get a Temple Recommend Interview, and set up an appt with the Mission Presidency to sign it!! Haha not too bad... but it's a lot of pressure to protect my zone! haha.
SPEAKING of President Studdert- HE is an incredible man. PLUS he knows everyone. He always has these amazing stories... "the other day I went to lunch with President Packer and I said... 'How are ya, Boyd?..." or "I was in a meeting last week with President Monson..."... Ha he's so awesome. He has been an assistant to the 12! AND he was an advisor to President Reagan! (USA Pres... not-church-related) haha. When he walks in the room you can feel his wisdom!
So, here's proof that I'm still me and not a MissionaryDroid.... --- Last Friday we were doing our weekly service project- clean residence hall 6M. It was 6:45 in the morning, and I was vacuuming the halls. It's a super loud vacuum, and it makes a really strong deep base hummmmm.... WELL, the MTC allows you to be apart from your companion when doing your service project, as long as you stay in the building... SO I THOUGHT I was alone. I started to sing "Anything But Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne... and eventually I was belting it at the top of my lungs, have vacumming, half dancing down the halls like a maniac. So I turn around and there are about... 14 Missionaries... who were all laughing their heads off. I kinda did an awkward half-smile and quickly unplugged the vacuum and walked away embarrassed out of my mind. Yup, still Brandon.
SO, there are 5 Districts in my Zone (one just left and one just came in), and they are all full of wonderful, dedicated young Missionaries... But ONE of them, District B, is proving to be a challenge. They are SO loud and NEVER in bed on time, ALWAYS late to class and meetings, and there have been several other incidents- which is LAME cuz I’m in charge so I have to be the BAD GUY and tell them to knock it off and behave ( with love of course) :) AHHHH example: this morning, 3 of them locked their 4th roommate out of their room for fun, and they were all cracking up on the inside at the missionary stranded on the outside. Meanwhile, I'm writing a letter (to Carlie Marie Bean to be exact) when I hear this RIDICULOUS banging on the other side of the floor. I run out, about 15 doors down the hall, this Elder has a FIRE EXTINGUISHER and is POUNDING HOLES into his DOOR. WOW. I tried to be as calm as I possibly could - the Elder was totally red-faced and enraged- and I luckily was able to coerce (threaten) the other Elders to open the door and (somehow) calmed down the rabid Elder so he wouldn't try to kill his roomates. AHHHH. Hahaha it definitely makes for a good story though...
We got a new district last wednesday, and we're getting ANOTHER one this coming Wednesday! so excited! I love seeing all their excited (emotional) faces and their eagerness to serve! Haha!
I actually have a Cold right now... Being sick here is way no bueno. I went to the Health Clinic, and they gave me the UNIVERSAL MTC ANTIDOTE!! = Salt!!! Haha "gargle twice a day for 15 days bla bla bla..." So I went to the bookstore and bought a pharmacy worth of pills and I've been feeling better :)
My roommates told me that last night I was sleep talking in SPANISH!! SO AWESOME! Haha I'm really getting this language- i love it! Elder Linford and I are teaching about every other day- 2 lessons to progressing investigators in total Spanish! It's so extreme!!
I love it here! I'm praying for all of you back home! Please be safe and smart and happy and healthy!! And thank you for all your letters and packages and love and support- I feel so blessed!!
All my Love,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
AHH!! There's a THIEF in the MTC! So uncool! We don't know who, but one of the Missionaries here (or several) have been breaking into rooms and stealing things from other Missionaries! 2 people in MY ZONE have had their wallets stolen! We
think it's a missionary because you have to have an access card to get into the residence- but it could just as easily be a worker or cleaning crew. I had a meeting with my zone and emphasized locking your doors. On one hand, it's the MTC- you'd think that everyone here would have the decency to respect other people's space and property. But on the other hand, even the Temple Locker rooms have locks- just lock your doors and eliminate the temptation completely. It's really hard- and for me as their zone leader- to replace everything that was lost in the wallets that were stolen. I have to apply for a new meal card for them, call the Branch President to set up an appointment to get a Temple Recommend Interview, and set up an appt with the Mission Presidency to sign it!! Haha not too bad... but it's a lot of pressure to protect my zone! haha.
SPEAKING of President Studdert- HE is an incredible man. PLUS he knows everyone. He always has these amazing stories... "the other day I went to lunch with President Packer and I said... 'How are ya, Boyd?..." or "I was in a meeting last week with President Monson..."... Ha he's so awesome. He has been an assistant to the 12! AND he was an advisor to President Reagan! (USA Pres... not-church-related) haha. When he walks in the room you can feel his wisdom!
So, here's proof that I'm still me and not a MissionaryDroid.... --- Last Friday we were doing our weekly service project- clean residence hall 6M. It was 6:45 in the morning, and I was vacuuming the halls. It's a super loud vacuum, and it makes a really strong deep base hummmmm.... WELL, the MTC allows you to be apart from your companion when doing your service project, as long as you stay in the building... SO I THOUGHT I was alone. I started to sing "Anything But Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne... and eventually I was belting it at the top of my lungs, have vacumming, half dancing down the halls like a maniac. So I turn around and there are about... 14 Missionaries... who were all laughing their heads off. I kinda did an awkward half-smile and quickly unplugged the vacuum and walked away embarrassed out of my mind. Yup, still Brandon.
SO, there are 5 Districts in my Zone (one just left and one just came in), and they are all full of wonderful, dedicated young Missionaries... But ONE of them, District B, is proving to be a challenge. They are SO loud and NEVER in bed on time, ALWAYS late to class and meetings, and there have been several other incidents- which is LAME cuz I’m in charge so I have to be the BAD GUY and tell them to knock it off and behave ( with love of course) :) AHHHH example: this morning, 3 of them locked their 4th roommate out of their room for fun, and they were all cracking up on the inside at the missionary stranded on the outside. Meanwhile, I'm writing a letter (to Carlie Marie Bean to be exact) when I hear this RIDICULOUS banging on the other side of the floor. I run out, about 15 doors down the hall, this Elder has a FIRE EXTINGUISHER and is POUNDING HOLES into his DOOR. WOW. I tried to be as calm as I possibly could - the Elder was totally red-faced and enraged- and I luckily was able to coerce (threaten) the other Elders to open the door and (somehow) calmed down the rabid Elder so he wouldn't try to kill his roomates. AHHHH. Hahaha it definitely makes for a good story though...
We got a new district last wednesday, and we're getting ANOTHER one this coming Wednesday! so excited! I love seeing all their excited (emotional) faces and their eagerness to serve! Haha!
I actually have a Cold right now... Being sick here is way no bueno. I went to the Health Clinic, and they gave me the UNIVERSAL MTC ANTIDOTE!! = Salt!!! Haha "gargle twice a day for 15 days bla bla bla..." So I went to the bookstore and bought a pharmacy worth of pills and I've been feeling better :)
My roommates told me that last night I was sleep talking in SPANISH!! SO AWESOME! Haha I'm really getting this language- i love it! Elder Linford and I are teaching about every other day- 2 lessons to progressing investigators in total Spanish! It's so extreme!!
I love it here! I'm praying for all of you back home! Please be safe and smart and happy and healthy!! And thank you for all your letters and packages and love and support- I feel so blessed!!
All my Love,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
New Years!
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!! Hi Maa, Pop, Sam, Connor! I can't believe it's really 2010! This year, I will ACTUALLY make it to 2 DECADES OLD- bet you'd never see the day huh?! haha :)
I had a great New Years :) It was such a party! On the 31st all the Missionaries in my residence 3M got together in the corner of one of the floors and counted down the seconds to 10:00- and then all celebrated and drank apple juice and partied it up... for 15 whole minutes!! At 10:15, quiet time comes into effect and the new year's celebration was officially over. Hahaha but it
was fun while it lasted. :)
Elder Linford, my DEAREST companion, thinks it's HILARIOUS that everytime i see the snowcovered mountains I whine- I WANT TO SKI SO BAD!! haha! From our desk in the classroom we have a perfect view of the Provo Mountain range... and Elder Linford will say "Hey Elder Hellberg, look how beautiful the mountains look... can you imagine the powder? the crisp snow in the trees as you glide by on your skis?" Lol what a jerk! Haha I still love him though...
QUICK funny story- On Wednesday, I was telling a story to the whole district- with a blue pen in my hand. And you know how I tell stories, I use my hands all the time (We're Italians, it's understandable)... WELL anyway, mid story, I somehow managed to draw a line from the corner of my mouth all the way to my eye, where I stabbed myself and went blind for about 10 minutes. It's pretty much the most embarrassing thing that's happened to me here. It's the districts favorite story. lol.
We have a new district rule- Todos en Español. Everything that needs to be communicated between anybody in the district must be said in Spanish! Haha it's hard sometimes, because If you don't know the meaning of a word you have to look it up before you can communicate. Tough luck. But it's really improving all of our Spanish. :)
Last night at Dinner a BIRD flew into the cafeteria!! It was so funny! It pooped in peoples food and just caused a huge commotion! So awesome. We named him Lorenzo. :)
SO my spelling in the English language has officially, CRASHED. Spanish is so grammatically and phonetically correct, and English is so, well, NOT. "Prophet"- is now spelled "profet". (Profeta en Español). "Gratitude" no longer has an "e" at the end, and any words that end with "-tion" are now "-ción." Just a few examples of the hundreds of words I spell wrong now. The name of the Savior is even different! In Spanish it's Jesucristo- So when I write it in English it's either One word- Jesuschrist, or i forget the 'h'- "Jesus Crist" Ahh!! I hope He understands..!!
SO yesterday, I got called, along with my companion Elder Linford, to serve as Zone Leaders for our branch. It's me and him- in charge of 5 districts- with about 12 Missionaries to each District. I'm having to juggle with this whole new concept of "responsibility." I'm in charge of hosting new missionaries, conducting meetings, teaching Branch-wide lessons, setting a "missionary Example"- (wish me luck), and training new missionaries and new district leaders throughout the Branch. We're all over the place! haha! This coming wednesday, another District is coming in, and I'm kinda feeling stressed- I have so much
to do to prepare everything for them!! But When President Studdert asked me to be ZL, he said the Lord needed me to be it- so I couldn't say no! ( I wouldn't have anyway, I don't think...)
Elder Linford and I are on fire- we're teaching a few real investigators over the phone systems (conference calls) and I have a few investigators that I've been emailing back and forth, trying to answer their questions about the Savior, the Church, and their purpose in this life.
I love being a MISSIONARY!!!
Such an epic adventure I'm on- wish me luck!
LOVE YOU ALL!!
Always and Forever,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
I had a great New Years :) It was such a party! On the 31st all the Missionaries in my residence 3M got together in the corner of one of the floors and counted down the seconds to 10:00- and then all celebrated and drank apple juice and partied it up... for 15 whole minutes!! At 10:15, quiet time comes into effect and the new year's celebration was officially over. Hahaha but it
was fun while it lasted. :)
Elder Linford, my DEAREST companion, thinks it's HILARIOUS that everytime i see the snowcovered mountains I whine- I WANT TO SKI SO BAD!! haha! From our desk in the classroom we have a perfect view of the Provo Mountain range... and Elder Linford will say "Hey Elder Hellberg, look how beautiful the mountains look... can you imagine the powder? the crisp snow in the trees as you glide by on your skis?" Lol what a jerk! Haha I still love him though...
QUICK funny story- On Wednesday, I was telling a story to the whole district- with a blue pen in my hand. And you know how I tell stories, I use my hands all the time (We're Italians, it's understandable)... WELL anyway, mid story, I somehow managed to draw a line from the corner of my mouth all the way to my eye, where I stabbed myself and went blind for about 10 minutes. It's pretty much the most embarrassing thing that's happened to me here. It's the districts favorite story. lol.
We have a new district rule- Todos en Español. Everything that needs to be communicated between anybody in the district must be said in Spanish! Haha it's hard sometimes, because If you don't know the meaning of a word you have to look it up before you can communicate. Tough luck. But it's really improving all of our Spanish. :)
Last night at Dinner a BIRD flew into the cafeteria!! It was so funny! It pooped in peoples food and just caused a huge commotion! So awesome. We named him Lorenzo. :)
SO my spelling in the English language has officially, CRASHED. Spanish is so grammatically and phonetically correct, and English is so, well, NOT. "Prophet"- is now spelled "profet". (Profeta en Español). "Gratitude" no longer has an "e" at the end, and any words that end with "-tion" are now "-ción." Just a few examples of the hundreds of words I spell wrong now. The name of the Savior is even different! In Spanish it's Jesucristo- So when I write it in English it's either One word- Jesuschrist, or i forget the 'h'- "Jesus Crist" Ahh!! I hope He understands..!!
SO yesterday, I got called, along with my companion Elder Linford, to serve as Zone Leaders for our branch. It's me and him- in charge of 5 districts- with about 12 Missionaries to each District. I'm having to juggle with this whole new concept of "responsibility." I'm in charge of hosting new missionaries, conducting meetings, teaching Branch-wide lessons, setting a "missionary Example"- (wish me luck), and training new missionaries and new district leaders throughout the Branch. We're all over the place! haha! This coming wednesday, another District is coming in, and I'm kinda feeling stressed- I have so much
to do to prepare everything for them!! But When President Studdert asked me to be ZL, he said the Lord needed me to be it- so I couldn't say no! ( I wouldn't have anyway, I don't think...)
Elder Linford and I are on fire- we're teaching a few real investigators over the phone systems (conference calls) and I have a few investigators that I've been emailing back and forth, trying to answer their questions about the Savior, the Church, and their purpose in this life.
I love being a MISSIONARY!!!
Such an epic adventure I'm on- wish me luck!
LOVE YOU ALL!!
Always and Forever,
Elder Brandon Hellberg
Merry Christmas :)
HEY EVERYBODY!
This week went by so quickly!! AHH! But it was a great week nonetheless! jaja! :)
OH MY Christmas was AWESOME!! Thank you for the mounds of Christmas gifts- some of them were hilarious! MOM - the Melted snowman is a main attraction of our room :) I love the socks and the electric razor - makes life SO much easier!! :D
I'm so grateful for all of you back home sending your love to me here!
On the 24th we had a Crazy awesome Devotional – Elder Neil Anderson of the 12 came and spoke to us, and I sang in a small choir of 24 missionaries - it was so epic. Sister Elizabeth Smart and I talked for a while - and she played an awesome harp solo for the Christmas Eve fireside - it was so good!
On Christmas Day we all woke up and opened presents and had hot chocolate and sang Christmas Carols - (it SOUNDS kinda girlie but hey it's a bunch of stressing 19 year olds that are all missing their families) it was so fun!
We had a pretty intense injury in GYM this last Wednesday - Elder Simmons, a new Elder that came in 10 days ago, was playing Basketball and got slammed into a wall and knocked out his front teeth!! AHH! but luckily there's a prof dentist right near by and the Church paid for reconstruction of his teeth - and he's all back to normal now. I was surprised at how well he looks! You can't even tell!! My right (broken) shoulder actually hasn't been causing any grief, but my LEFT one keeps popping out of it's socket- it hurts way bad :( i dunno what's goin on with it!!
On Christmas day, Elder L Tom Perry came and gave an amazing devotional! He's next in line to be the Big Guy! I didn't know that until Elder Riggs told me...
Also On Christmas Day we sang a hilarious rendition of "the 12 Days of Christmas" but it was MTC Style. all 3000 missionaries were broken into sections and we all had a different part to sing:
On the first day of Christmas the MTC Gave me:
1: a rock solid testimony!!
On the second day of Christmas the MTC gave me:
2 haircuts free!
3 new companions
4 chocolate milks
5 hours of gym!
6:30 wake up
7 lukewarm showers
8 hours of rest
9 outbound calls
10 new commandments
11 loads of laundry
12 hours of class!
Jajaja it was so fun! 3000 young men all screaming at the podium where a little old lady was conducting us - so awesome.
Speaking of 3000 screaming young men, one of my favorite things we do at the firesides is sing "Called to Serve" - so epic. We all sing at the top of our lungs and when the song comes to "ever we will BE!," we all just SHOUT "BE!" and the whole auditorium kinda shakes and echoes. haha its a blast.
OH and in the next little bit I'll be sending a Box home with some stuff here that I don't have room for but I don't want to throw away. Just stash it in my room for the time being :)
SPEAKING of giving stuff away...
One of the most comical things that can happen in a day... There are ironing boards at the end of the halls in the residence buildings, and nobody actually uses them for ironing (oh the beauty of wrinkle-free clothing). These boards have been dubbed "Sacrificial Altars." Anything that a Missionary doesn't want anymore, he just puts on the board for other missionaries to fight over. It's hilarious. Right before some Elders are about to leave the MTC to head out into the field, they cut their entire stock of stuff in half, leaving it behind on the altar. After they drop everything off at the Altar, he yells "SACRIFICE!!" and dozens of missionaries dart out of their rooms towards the ironing boards to pick at what's left of his stuff. So far I've accumulated quite the array of cool things!! I even managed to scrounge up a long black trench/rain coat that makes me look like I'm Neo from the Matrix. So tight. The Elder that left it it behind was going to Ecuador... not gonna need it there!! hahaha!
Sidenote- SOMEONE TELL RICHARD OBLAD THAT HE BETTER WRITE ME WITHIN THE NEXT 3 DAYS OR HE'S A DEAD MAN! haha
yesterday (Sunday) I was the musical Number for the Sunday fireside - it was so fun! It was the largest (I think) crowd of people I've ever played for! I played a medley - I think I did pretty alright! :)
Elder Linford and I are teaching our first lessons to REAL investigators in Spanish this Saturday! Wish us LUCK! LOVE YOU ALL!!
AND MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS!!! :D :D :D :D :D
Always and forever,
Elder B
This week went by so quickly!! AHH! But it was a great week nonetheless! jaja! :)
OH MY Christmas was AWESOME!! Thank you for the mounds of Christmas gifts- some of them were hilarious! MOM - the Melted snowman is a main attraction of our room :) I love the socks and the electric razor - makes life SO much easier!! :D
I'm so grateful for all of you back home sending your love to me here!
On the 24th we had a Crazy awesome Devotional – Elder Neil Anderson of the 12 came and spoke to us, and I sang in a small choir of 24 missionaries - it was so epic. Sister Elizabeth Smart and I talked for a while - and she played an awesome harp solo for the Christmas Eve fireside - it was so good!
On Christmas Day we all woke up and opened presents and had hot chocolate and sang Christmas Carols - (it SOUNDS kinda girlie but hey it's a bunch of stressing 19 year olds that are all missing their families) it was so fun!
We had a pretty intense injury in GYM this last Wednesday - Elder Simmons, a new Elder that came in 10 days ago, was playing Basketball and got slammed into a wall and knocked out his front teeth!! AHH! but luckily there's a prof dentist right near by and the Church paid for reconstruction of his teeth - and he's all back to normal now. I was surprised at how well he looks! You can't even tell!! My right (broken) shoulder actually hasn't been causing any grief, but my LEFT one keeps popping out of it's socket- it hurts way bad :( i dunno what's goin on with it!!
On Christmas day, Elder L Tom Perry came and gave an amazing devotional! He's next in line to be the Big Guy! I didn't know that until Elder Riggs told me...
Also On Christmas Day we sang a hilarious rendition of "the 12 Days of Christmas" but it was MTC Style. all 3000 missionaries were broken into sections and we all had a different part to sing:
On the first day of Christmas the MTC Gave me:
1: a rock solid testimony!!
On the second day of Christmas the MTC gave me:
2 haircuts free!
3 new companions
4 chocolate milks
5 hours of gym!
6:30 wake up
7 lukewarm showers
8 hours of rest
9 outbound calls
10 new commandments
11 loads of laundry
12 hours of class!
Jajaja it was so fun! 3000 young men all screaming at the podium where a little old lady was conducting us - so awesome.
Speaking of 3000 screaming young men, one of my favorite things we do at the firesides is sing "Called to Serve" - so epic. We all sing at the top of our lungs and when the song comes to "ever we will BE!," we all just SHOUT "BE!" and the whole auditorium kinda shakes and echoes. haha its a blast.
OH and in the next little bit I'll be sending a Box home with some stuff here that I don't have room for but I don't want to throw away. Just stash it in my room for the time being :)
SPEAKING of giving stuff away...
One of the most comical things that can happen in a day... There are ironing boards at the end of the halls in the residence buildings, and nobody actually uses them for ironing (oh the beauty of wrinkle-free clothing). These boards have been dubbed "Sacrificial Altars." Anything that a Missionary doesn't want anymore, he just puts on the board for other missionaries to fight over. It's hilarious. Right before some Elders are about to leave the MTC to head out into the field, they cut their entire stock of stuff in half, leaving it behind on the altar. After they drop everything off at the Altar, he yells "SACRIFICE!!" and dozens of missionaries dart out of their rooms towards the ironing boards to pick at what's left of his stuff. So far I've accumulated quite the array of cool things!! I even managed to scrounge up a long black trench/rain coat that makes me look like I'm Neo from the Matrix. So tight. The Elder that left it it behind was going to Ecuador... not gonna need it there!! hahaha!
Sidenote- SOMEONE TELL RICHARD OBLAD THAT HE BETTER WRITE ME WITHIN THE NEXT 3 DAYS OR HE'S A DEAD MAN! haha
yesterday (Sunday) I was the musical Number for the Sunday fireside - it was so fun! It was the largest (I think) crowd of people I've ever played for! I played a medley - I think I did pretty alright! :)
Elder Linford and I are teaching our first lessons to REAL investigators in Spanish this Saturday! Wish us LUCK! LOVE YOU ALL!!
AND MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS!!! :D :D :D :D :D
Always and forever,
Elder B
MTC- Week Uno!
HELLO MY DEAR FAMILY!!! Mom, Dad, Sammi, Connor!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Can you believe it's almost been a week?! SO crazy!
So I've gotta be honest. Those few minutes right before and right after you guys dropped me off here were the hardest moments of my life. They shuffled me into a room packed with a bunch of new teary-eyed missionaries, all getting tags and their pictures taken of their puffy faces and red eyes. I got 15 pounds (literally) of new materials, then got shown to my room where I dropped off all 2 tons and 15 pounds of my luggage and new stuff. I felt like sitting on my brand new military-style bed and just crying. But i didn't have time to- I got sent right to class where we immediately started learning Spanish!!
This is where I met my Companion while I'm here at the MTC, Elder Linford. I LOVE HIM. He is literally a testament of God's love for me- he is not only funny and loving and smart and hard working, but he is obedient and shares the same immense love for the Savior that I do. We are already extremely good friends and get along great! Our teaching style is similar and we make an AWESOME team!!
Not only that, but Me and Elder Linford have the best roommates AND best District in the whole MTC. Our roommates, Elder Timoteo and Elder Riggs- both hilarious and dedicated to the work! I love every single Elder in our District. There are 10 of us, and we are so tight!! We all laugh and joke and have fun- but we're all dedicated to our Missions and know when and how to buckle down and work. We have two teachers, Hermana Dezzeo and Hermano Rivero. Hermana Dezzeo is a
Returned Sister Missionary, she's a Native from Venezuela and is so awesome! Hermano Rivera is also an RM, and he's from LONDON!! He has a way awesome accent! Both of them are pro not only at teaching Spanish, but teaching the Gospel. It's weird, this whole experience- and it seemed surreal at first. BUT truthfully, I LOVE the MTC. I've never felt this close to the Savior. I constantly have the Spirit with me and can feel the love of my Heavenly Father as I work diligently for his Great Plan!!
I'm the Pianist- FOR THE ENTIRE BRANCH. RIDICULOUS. The Branch President told me that I was an answer to their prayers- the Branch I'm in hasn't had a single Piano-playing Elder or Sister for 5 WEEKS until me!! Weird isn't it?
It's kinda Mormon-standard to be able to plunk out a few hymns... you'd think that out of 100+ missionaries in a branch you'd find someone who could...
YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS- I'm ACTUALLY on a schedule. ACTUALLY. I ACTUALLY sleep at 10:30 and wake up- get this- a few minutes BEFORE my alarm clock goes off at 6:30. Apocalyptic, right?
The schedule here is busy- we're always doing things!! I miss you guys like crazy, but I have no time to sit around and mope about it- busy busy busy!!!! AHH!! I'm sending a Memory Card throught the Mail, It has a bunch of pictures I've taken already- If you could download them and make me like a folder for all my pictures I send home that would be AWESOME!! :)
I love getting packages and mail- It makes my day. :)
I go to the Temple every monday morning! It's wonderful!! We just went this morning
and it was great!!! :D
I've been praying SO hard for you guys. I love you all SO incredibly much- it's basically ridiculous. I thought I would have had at least a FEW breakdowns already... I've only had one-- on Thursday night I took a shower and just sat under the water and cried my eyes out. HA- call me pathetic.
Still. I know I'm doing the right thing. I can feel the Lord's guiding hand as I prepare to serve the people of New York!! :D I know the Church is true!!! It would suck pretty bad if it wasn't.
Please write me back soon- I would love to hear from you all! Please put my address as my Facebook status- so people can write me!!
Pray for my success!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be safe, Be happy, be smart, be prayerful.... All that jazz :)
Always and Forever,
Yours truly,
Elder Brandon David Hellberg
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Can you believe it's almost been a week?! SO crazy!
So I've gotta be honest. Those few minutes right before and right after you guys dropped me off here were the hardest moments of my life. They shuffled me into a room packed with a bunch of new teary-eyed missionaries, all getting tags and their pictures taken of their puffy faces and red eyes. I got 15 pounds (literally) of new materials, then got shown to my room where I dropped off all 2 tons and 15 pounds of my luggage and new stuff. I felt like sitting on my brand new military-style bed and just crying. But i didn't have time to- I got sent right to class where we immediately started learning Spanish!!
This is where I met my Companion while I'm here at the MTC, Elder Linford. I LOVE HIM. He is literally a testament of God's love for me- he is not only funny and loving and smart and hard working, but he is obedient and shares the same immense love for the Savior that I do. We are already extremely good friends and get along great! Our teaching style is similar and we make an AWESOME team!!
Not only that, but Me and Elder Linford have the best roommates AND best District in the whole MTC. Our roommates, Elder Timoteo and Elder Riggs- both hilarious and dedicated to the work! I love every single Elder in our District. There are 10 of us, and we are so tight!! We all laugh and joke and have fun- but we're all dedicated to our Missions and know when and how to buckle down and work. We have two teachers, Hermana Dezzeo and Hermano Rivero. Hermana Dezzeo is a
Returned Sister Missionary, she's a Native from Venezuela and is so awesome! Hermano Rivera is also an RM, and he's from LONDON!! He has a way awesome accent! Both of them are pro not only at teaching Spanish, but teaching the Gospel. It's weird, this whole experience- and it seemed surreal at first. BUT truthfully, I LOVE the MTC. I've never felt this close to the Savior. I constantly have the Spirit with me and can feel the love of my Heavenly Father as I work diligently for his Great Plan!!
I'm the Pianist- FOR THE ENTIRE BRANCH. RIDICULOUS. The Branch President told me that I was an answer to their prayers- the Branch I'm in hasn't had a single Piano-playing Elder or Sister for 5 WEEKS until me!! Weird isn't it?
It's kinda Mormon-standard to be able to plunk out a few hymns... you'd think that out of 100+ missionaries in a branch you'd find someone who could...
YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS- I'm ACTUALLY on a schedule. ACTUALLY. I ACTUALLY sleep at 10:30 and wake up- get this- a few minutes BEFORE my alarm clock goes off at 6:30. Apocalyptic, right?
The schedule here is busy- we're always doing things!! I miss you guys like crazy, but I have no time to sit around and mope about it- busy busy busy!!!! AHH!! I'm sending a Memory Card throught the Mail, It has a bunch of pictures I've taken already- If you could download them and make me like a folder for all my pictures I send home that would be AWESOME!! :)
I love getting packages and mail- It makes my day. :)
I go to the Temple every monday morning! It's wonderful!! We just went this morning
and it was great!!! :D
I've been praying SO hard for you guys. I love you all SO incredibly much- it's basically ridiculous. I thought I would have had at least a FEW breakdowns already... I've only had one-- on Thursday night I took a shower and just sat under the water and cried my eyes out. HA- call me pathetic.
Still. I know I'm doing the right thing. I can feel the Lord's guiding hand as I prepare to serve the people of New York!! :D I know the Church is true!!! It would suck pretty bad if it wasn't.
Please write me back soon- I would love to hear from you all! Please put my address as my Facebook status- so people can write me!!
Pray for my success!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be safe, Be happy, be smart, be prayerful.... All that jazz :)
Always and Forever,
Yours truly,
Elder Brandon David Hellberg
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