October 5th

DEAR HOME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLIE BEAN!!

SUCH a grand week this past week has been! We had Mission Conference on Tuesday, my BiRtHdAy on Wednesday, and General Conference on Saturday and Sunday! It WAS a wonderful week. Last P-Day, for my birthday, our District went out to Dinosaur Barbeque and celebrated by sightseeing and shopping around in Manhattan. I still can't get over this city- it's amazing. I've attached some pictures- the one of the big buildings and the congested traffic below is taken from our balcony where we live- on the 19th floor overlooking Lexington Avenue! That kind of traffic is normal for 8:30 in the morning. The other picture of the tall buildings is straight out my window!

SO much is happening right now! Elder Huerta Luna and Elder Mattei and I are busy and loving it. We just had 4 baptisms last week- so this past week we've been focusing on helping those recent converts and finding new people to help and teach. One of my favorite things we get to do as Missionaries is help with service opportunities. We were helping a couple move all of their things from one shelter to another nearly 45 blocks away and then up 5 flights of stairs without elevators. As we hauled and hauled things into their apartment, the wife began to cry and told us how grateful she was for our help, and that nobody else would have done that for them. It's truly a miracle to see the Gospel in action! G.I.A! We also get to go to a food pantry every Friday morning and transport and pack and bag fresh fruits and vegetables and canned goods and distribute them to the many people who depend on the pantries for food for them and their families.

I just LOVED General Conference! Ahhh! It was so great! We watched it on little televisions in the gym on the 4th floor of the Harlem Chapel! It's such a strange feeling to sit there and watch Conference about to start as Motab sings and the camera pans around Temple Square and the beautiful Utah mountains... talk about nostalgic! I always feel very close to home and sensitive to the Spirit during conference time. I have tried to explain it to people... to a Missionary (at least for me), Conference brings the same anticipation and giddy excitement that Christmas brings when you are not a missionary. To hear all the familiar voices of the Prophet and the Apostles and hear the beautiful music is so energizing. Because NY doesn't block out their news stations to broadcast it to every household in the State (hahah good old UT), many members go to the Chapel to see Conference. Spanish, English, French, Chinese, ASL- we're all here watchin! There is such a power and reverence that comes upon the Chapel at Conference- the messages shared by the leaders of the church span all cultures, languages, backgrounds and lifestyles- and we band together as a Faith to listen and learn. It's a powerful experience.

I feel so blessed to be finishing my Mission here in Harlem. WHAT an adventure I am having. I am seeing and learning and experiencing SO much- and I pray that I am able to make a difference in somebody's life here in these final months of my Mission. Onward and upward, then! :)

All is well! The Church is True!

Always and Forever,

B

Sept 28

DEAR HOME!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! hahaha! I am officially TWENTY-ONE!

We threw me (haha that sounds funny) a little birthday party this morning in our apartment. It was great- a few Elders got up and decorated the apartment and made me a cake! :) It's hard to believe that I am 21 now!

I CANNOT believe that yesterday was my LAST ZONE CONFERENCE EVER. SO WEIRD. Per tradition, all the Missionaries that will be going home within the next 12 weeks bear there Testimonies at the Conference- and I was LAST of 6. By my turn, I was a mushy ball of emotions... but I think I held it together pretty well! It was such a powerful and Spiritual meeting. Also, Sister Fuimaono and I sang a Special Musical number- "When All Is Said and Done"- it's from EFY 2001... But I wrote our own verses that applied to US as Missionaries and in NYC!

I didn't quite realize how much I missed the City while I was upstate. There is such an ENERGY that just makes this city seem so... alive! I LOVE it. Just the other day, we transferred from one train to another in the Union Square subway station... and out of nowhere, HUGE subwoofers start makin the place SHAKE- and 7 guys run up and start Krumpin' like KINGS! I can't even explain how COOL it was. There was probably 100 or more people standing there with there smartphones out recording and watchin these guys dance! I SO was about to jump in there and dance battle wit them, but then I remembered that my white shirt might get pretty dirty on the ground in the subway, AND I was wearing one of my favorite ties... Bahaha! I LOVE Manhattan.

Another MAIN reason why I LOVE Manhattan is because of the Members who live there. SO diverse, SO strong, SO amazing. And there are a LOT of them! (Given that there are over 8 million people in NYC...) Still! We see members almost everywhere we go- and they are all so encouraging and loving. I love the Harlem 2nd Ward- where I am serving now. I've only been here in this Ward for 2 weeks and I was the closing speaker on Sunday already! The Ward is so charged and excited about Missionary Work. Last week we set up a display table at the MEXICAN PARADE with tons of free material about the Church to hand out to people- we invited many Members of the Ward to come, too. It was SO cool- it was like we had 25 or 30 full time Missionaries running around talking to people and sharing what they believe.

I am so happy with and love where I am serving right now and who I am serving with, the incredible families and investigators and everything- it's all just awesome. What a BLESSING to be here at this time!

Happy Birthday to ME! :) Thanks so much all for everything you do. Keep bein amazing.

My Heart is SO full of gratitude. I know the Church is True.

All my Love,
Elder B

Sept 14

DEAR HOME!

HELLOO!!!!! THis morning was transfers... and after a tearful goodbye I got transferred to.... HARLEM!!! My new companions (Muahahah TRIPLE the TROUBLE!!) are ELder Mattei from Missouri and Elder Huerta Luna from Puebla, Mexico! I am SO excited! We live near 125th and Lexington in the middle of Manhattan- and we are in the Harlem 2nd Spanish Ward!! I am already tired- going from driving a car everywhere to walking all over the city is a pretty big change. I already LOVE it. I look forward to sending home all my adventurous stories!!

The Church is TRUE!

All my LOVE,

Elder Hellberg

Sept 7

DEAR HOME!
It's my BIRTHDAY month! Happy almost birthday to ME!! I LOVE September- I think it's the BEST month to have a birthday. It adds an extra CHARGE to the end of the year- Sep- BIRTHDAY, Oct- HALLOWEEN, Nov- THANKSGIVING, Dec- CHRISTMAS!!! It's 4 nonstop months of Celebration. :)

Yesterday we went up to Newburgh for an exchange with the Zone Leaders up there. Newburgh is one of the regions of our Mission that got hit HARD by flooding during the Hurricane. There are entire towns that had several feet of water- and a few with more than that. We went to a trailer park to help the Bishop check on some families and assess damage- in that area the river rose so much that these mobile homes had 4-5 feet of water INSIDE them. There had to be people recued by BOATS out of their homes! We helped a few families with things, we tore out destroyed carpet and bleached basements so mold wouldn't build up. There were hundreds volunteers on Monday with the yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests on helping out smaller towns all over the east coast. It feels good to be part of something that can help and bless the lives of many people who have lost so much due to the storm.

Last week Elder McMullin and I went on a split down in south Manhattan. I went with Elders Pearson and Lima- it was such a good day. We walked around Union Square and just talked to people- it was such an interesting experience. The enrgy down in lower Manhattan is so very different from anything I have experienced before! It's very, well, BUSY! Everyone is walking very deliberately and in a rush to get wherever they are going. Out of the hundreds we try and talk to, only a handful stop and talk to us- but the ones that DO talk to us usually accept a Book of Mormon and seem fairly interested! We taught a man named Alberto in the park. He was just recently baptized in May of this year and already knows SO much. He asked us very deep questions about the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Convanent- equally interesting were his own thoughts and ideas about the things he studied. He is a very smart guy! We walked down to Wall St and Battery Park, walked right by Ground Zero and saw the ever-climbing Freedom Tower and the memorials from 9/11. As we were talking to people down in that area, a family ran up to us yelling "ELDERS!!"- they were members from Salt Lake City! I always love talking to members that we meet in the city- they are always so excited to talk to us and ask us where we are from and how long we have been on our Missions. They usually are just shining and encourage us and it always feels like a little pep talk! haha!

We are teaching so many wonderful people! One of our investigators, Rich, officially has a baptismal date for the 25th of September! We are also working with Carol right now and we think she will be baptized very soon! I love being a Missionary- it's the greatest thing in the world. :)

The Church is TRUE!
B celebrating!
All my Love!
Elder Hellberg

Aug 31

DEAR HOME!

WHAT an exciting and eventful week this last week has been!!

Elder McMullin and I just got back from the Manhattan Temple! I LOVE going to the Temple- it's always such a good experience.

WELL! 3 days after Hurricane Irene and everything's looking pretty much back to normal. It was quite the adventure- I've never experienced a hurricane before- so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The Friday before, Elder McMullin and I were in the office making hundreds of phone calls (literally hundreds) to all the missionaries and members up in Westchester County- we arranged the evacuation of all the missionaries in Manhattan, and brought them all up here! Normally we have 18 Missionaries in Westchester County- but over the weekend we had over 50! It was quite a bit job to coordinate where everyone would be staying! Many families in the Westchester 1st Ward JUMPED at the opportunity to house some missionaries during the storm, so all of Friday evening we were picking up missionaries and taking them to their 'host homes,' were they would stay until after the imminent disaster!! All in all, we were all very prepared. All the companionships had their brand-new nifty 72 hr kits, large water supplies, food... all that jazz- we were ready! The most dramatic thing that happened all day actually happened several hours before the hurricane hit. Elder McMullin and I had 3 extra Missionaries from CHINATOWN stay with us for the weekend, and we were all in our room starting to fall asleep. It was loud and raining HARD outside, but the actual hurricane wasn't predicted to reach us until the next morning. We were all watching the trees get pummeled by the wind when suddenly, a brilliant white light illuminated EVERYTHING and simultaneously the LOUDEST "KABOOM" I have ever heard shook the whole apartment. All the power went out for about 1 second- then came back on and all the lights got SUPER bright and the alarm clocks got all jumbled- then everything went back to normal. I felt like I was in the middle of Poltergeist! We figure our complex or the gas station next to us got hit by lightning! It was so huge! We are all so grateful that the storm weakened before hitting us farther north- it didn't pack much of punch once it got to Manhattan. The rest of those who were in the path of the Hurricane and who felt it's effects are in our prayers!

On Sunday after all the drama was over, we got the clear to take the big vans and get all the Missionaries back to the city. I drove a van full down to Chinatown and Avenue D and 6th St to drop them off- and the city was so eerie- ALL the stores and shops were closed and it was basically empty!! It was so weird! Manhattan is always ALIVE and there's people everywhere... but there was nobody! It was so strange! All the Missionaries are safely back to their areas, and as of Monday morning, all missionary apartments have electricity and water (we did have a couple without for a few days!)

WELL this week will be very exciting- we have some wonderful things planned and look forward to them!

The Church is TRUE!

I love you all!

Elder Hellberg

August 24

DEAR HOME!

What an exciting week we have had over here in NY!

First off, we had several investigators at church this past weekend- and one of them has a baptismal date for September 25th! He's great! The others are all are progressing wonderfully and are being so loved and welcomed by the ward. The whole ward is getting so excited for missionary work- traditionally, the area has been relatively rough- but lately with all the miracles that have been happening we've seen nothing but excitement and support from the whole ward! Carol came again to church this past week and loved it again. Elder McMullin and I taught the Gospel Doctrine class on Baptism. It went really really well. The whole class participated and shared their personal experiences about their own baptisms to the investigators that were there. I truly love and respect the members of the ward up here. They are all so solid.

On top of having a great Sunday and teaching week, we had an EARTHQUAKE!! haha! I'm sure you all know by now, but the earthquake was actually in Virginia (Look at the stars... look how they shine) but it shook up the whole East coast a little! haha! Funny story... WE actually didn't feel anything- we stayed the previous night up in Connecticut and were still in Stamford eating lunch when I got a text message from the Chinatown Zone Leader that said "FYI, we just had a big earthquake in Manhattan, and cell coverage is down, but texting still works." Of course my imagination went WILD- I pictured the catastrophe of the century as Manhattan just collapsed in on itself into all the hundreds of tunnels below... I quickly texted back "no way! r u serious? lots of damage?" We raced back to the Mission Office in Scarsdale and everything was perfectly fine- apparently the East coast isn't used to the ground shaking. Elder McMullin laughs- he's from California, so this was nothing new to him. We're having all sorts of exciting things happen- the quake, and now we are preparing for Hurricane Irene that's heading our way. We're all ready- we've all got our 72 hr kits and 3 gallons of water per Missionary. The hurricane will probably veer off into the ocean before reaching us clear up here in NY- and if it does get up to us it'll have lost most of it's strength anyway. Either way, we're probably going to get pretty WET!

These last few weeks have been great- Elder McMullin and i have been around every Monday and Tuesday to visit a bunch of District Meetings all over the Mission. We truly have AMAZING young men and women serving here in our Mission. It's so cool too see them change- even the new ones we brought in from the airport just 3 weeks ago have all settled in and are already doing awesome. I am SO grateful to be a Missionary in these exciting and wonderful times. It's such a BLESSING it has been to serve here in NY- I have truly come to love it here- the people, the culture- everything. Every once in a while I can't help but smile; I'll catch myself casually talking about things "in Manhattan" or "the city", or see the sunset on the Hudson, or give someone directions- just little things- and think "Yeah, I'm a Missionary in NEW YORK." I feel so blessed to be Called to Serve in such a great place and represent the Lord in whatever way I can- to try and help the people here to come closer to the Savior. I love every moment of it.

The Church is TRUE!

B safe! B prepared!

All my love!

-Elder Hellberg-

August 17

DEAR HOME!

Good afternoon from a beautiful sunny day here in Scarsdale NY! I cannot believe another week has zipped by- Summer is coming to a close and it seems like the crazy heat is too- here comes the COLD!

This past week we have had some CRAZY thunderstorms- we've been getting DRENCHED here in NY! We were in the office late Sunday night doing some reports... and suddenly this NOISE started that sounded like a monster-truck rally was happening on the roof of the office!! We turned the lights off and looked out the window- and the parking lot was FLOODING! SO MUCH RAIN just coming in these huge sheet of water!!! And the LIGHTNING looked SO cool- it touched down a few times in the distance and illuminated the whole sky. I am a fan of thunderstorms- Just not when we have to drive in them!

So... We had an interesting experience with one of our investigators at church this past week... She is 44 and lives in White Plains and we have been teaching her for a few weeks- and last Sunday was her first time at church. We had one of the good sisters in our ward go pick her up in the morning and bring her to church. We'll call her Ann. SO Ann was pretty nervous to come to church, as she hadn't been to any churches in MANY years. Ann suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, but is being treated for it. She is SUCH a sweetheart and loves meeting with us- she already has a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Anyway- she walked into the church with us to attend the 9:30 English Ward and immediately started greeting people- everyone was excited to see a new face and she was so happy to be there. We sat down in the middle of the Chapel and the meeting began- we opened with a Hymn and the prayer... and as the Bishop got up to make announcements- suddenly Ann snapped her head towards me and looked at me- she looked terrified- she said quietly, but firmly "Oh no." I said "Oh what?" She replied "I'm... dizzy." She went DOWN- and just collapsed RIGHT into my lap. She was slightly shaking- and I tried to pick her up out of my lap but she resisted and made a little hissing noise and said "no, no, no, I'mdizzy!" I'm sure my face was BRIGHT RED. I looked around desperately and half the congregation was looking at me, looking confused... One of the sisters in the Ward sitting on the other side of Ann leaned over at mouthed at me "is she okay?" I mouthed back... "Uhh.. she's... dizzy!" Seeing my panic at the present situation, she reached over and pulled Ann over onto her shoulder- I could breathe again- and Ann just laid there and cried on her shoulder for a solid 10 minutes. Afterwards, she sat up and listened to the talks and loved them- and everything seemed to go back to normal! It was such an... odd experience!! Afterwards, Ann told us that she thinks she is also diabetic- and that she didn't eat breakfast and that's why she thinks she got so dizzy. She laughed about it afterwards and said next Sunday she'd eat- and I chuckled and said "yeah... and we'll sit in the BACK just in case!!"

We had SUCH a great experience with Carol this last week. She came to CHURCH- and LOVED it. She loved Gospel Doctrine class and Relief Society- and from what we can tell everyone loved her too! She agreed to be baptized yesterday when we met with her- she is so excited! Seeing Carol is awesome- we can visually SEE changes that the Gospel is making in her life. She tells us she has more patience and love and looks for the good in things.

This past week has definitely been a week of MEETINGS! We had a meeting on Thurdsday for all new trainers and their new greenies! We had 9 brand new greenies come in 2 weeks ago- and they are all AWESOME. It's so cool to see each new batch of Missionaries come in. It seems like each new one is better and better.

I love you all so much. Thank you for all you do- you all are such examples to me and I am so grateful for you.

The Church is TRUE!

B doing rain dances! B checking your blood sugars!

All My Love!

Elder Brandon Hellberg

August 10

DEAR Home!
Hello! Another week has flown by!

Today was a great P-day! We went down to CHINATOWN to deliver some simplified Chinese copies of the Book of Mormon to the Chinese Sisters- and stopped by a Chinese soup place and ate with some of the Chinatown Elders! It was great. The ONLY thing that I CANNOT STAND is Manhattan TRAFFIC. It's so INFURIATING trying to get out of that city!! It's like a mad house on some of those intersections- people screaming and arms flailing and cops trying in vain to keep some sense of order... man it's BAD! Our GPS said we'd arrive back to Scarsdale at 4:30ish.... we just got back and it's 5:45!! It IS, however, a beautiful drive on the Henry Hudson Parkway up the west side of the island. That's a plus!

Elder McMullin and I are still trying to get over the fact that we aren't in the Spanish branch anymore... but we still practice our Spanish to keep it up! We have truly seen some amazing miracles in the English program already. We met a woman named Carol on Friday- originally the Sister Missionaries found her and passed her off to us. She is amazing. The five of us 5 (Carol, the sister Missionaries, and Elder McMullin and myself) sat on her deck as she just told us her entire life story. She's going through some very difficult times right now- and has her whole life- but she read entirely the pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation that the sisters left her previously, and very enthusiastically told us "I want to go the Celestial Kingdom!!" She is such a sweet lady- and she's very excited to come to church on Sunday.

Also, a man that has been coming to church for quite some time is getting baptized in a few weeks! His wife and kids are members and have been since birth. He's always been involved in church programs and has always been very supportive of his family and their chuch attendance. He has recently been coming to church consistantly, and he met with us this last week and told us that he wants to be baptized! In a year, he and his family will sealed in the Manhattan Temple! It's such a great story! I think one of the coolest parts is that his son is going to be the one to baptize him. The family is so excited.

I just love being a Missionary. I love being a member of the Church and seeing the way it changes and blesses the people that invite the Gospel into their lives. I have every confidence that what I am doing right now and where I am is exactly what and where the Lord wants me to do and be. Thanks so much to all of you who are such examples! Keep being amazing.

All my Love!
B Patient in Traffic! B Blessed!
Elder Hellberg

August 4

HELLO HOME!!!

Good afternoon from Scarsdale, NY! It's a beautiful, breezy day outside- looks like the heat wave finally passed!

This week was TRANSFER WEEK! Elder Mcmullin and I are still together- BUT... SADLY, we are no longer in our Spanish Branch!! We had more Spanish Sister Missionaries come in than we had room for in the Mission, so they got our Spanish Branch and we are just in the Scarsdale English Ward! Which is grand- and we will love it and are very excited to work in it- but we will miss terribly our little Branch- I have been in there since January! All is well, the Sister Missionaries who took over are AWESOME and I know they will do wonderfully. :)

Elder McMullin and I are doing well! We continue to teach a young man from India- he is such a great guy! We've been teaching him for some time now- and he consistently comes to church every week and we meet with him regularly. It's such a blessing to see people REACHING towards the Gospel. He has a very cool story- he got called on ACCIDENT by the Missionaries once, and after a difficult time in his life, looked back up the number, called the Missionaries and asked to be taught! We are actually meeting with him tonight! Every time we meet with him, he brings us a special Indian treat! There is this amazing thing called a "Galobjom" (spelling?)- it's like... well... take a Dunkin Donut- with the same taste and everything- then CONDENSE it into a little ball the size of a donuthole. SUPER DENSE and SUPER TASTY! Haha- then one week he brought SUPER HOT PICKLED CHILI SAUCE and it about KILLED ME! haha- Indian spice is different than Spanish spice!! :)

We are working hard! It's SO different working in ENGLISH- sometimes the words WON'T COME to me- I'll have the Spanish word pop up in my head and can't think of the English one. Elder McMullin and I are excited and I'll send an e-mail home next week of how it's all going! Jubilate Deo!

Sorry this is such a short letter- next week isn't TRANSFERS and I'll have more time to write!

All my Love,

Elder Hellberg

July 20

DEAR HOME!

Hello! Sorry this will be such a short letter!!

This weeks has been SO BUSY and gone by SOOO FAST! We had Zone Conferences on Monday and Tuesday, and we still have one tomorrow! They have been very good though- very Spiritual!! :) Elder McMullin and I love it, but we are looking forward to a less busy schedule!! haha!!

Last Thursday I got to go on a Split with Elder Davis and Elder Head- in OLMSTEAD! Where I was BORN! Haha! It was such a great day- we visited SONIA AND RUTH (If you'll remember them from my e-mails a YEAR ago!!) and several other familis I knew from so long ago! They are all doing great! Last, we went and visited Isabel and Noemi and their family! It was SOO good to see them- they all look so great! I played UT Rep. and tried to convince them to move to the Great Salt Lake Valley! hahah!

Well- gotta run! sorry so short- next week will be longer! I love you all!!

The Church is TRUE!

All my Love!

Elder Hellberg

July 13

DEAR HOME!

Good afternoon! It's a BEAUTIFUL HOT JULY day outside!

Today for P-Day we ran to Scarsdale Chapel and played Dodgeball and Basketball with the Zone! The weather here has been so NICE lately!

LAST Thursday, I got to go on an exchange with Elder Fletcher in HIS area- HARLEM! It was so much fun- and very exciting! I got too see all of Harlem and explore parts of Manhattan I've never been to! We did a small blitz with the English District outside near a park and had a lot of fun just talking to people and introducing them to the Church. Elder Fletcher and I taught 2 amazing people- both of which are preparing themselves for baptism in a few weeks.

CHINATOWN! SO- Yesterday, I got to go on an exchange with Elder Faulkner and Elder Vatcher in THEIR area in CHINATOWN in MANHATTAN! It was SO FUN! I studied MANDARIN for a few hours in the Morning- (extra thanks to my GREAT Asian tutors, Sisters Liu, Su, Chen, and Gao!)- and we went CONTACTING IN CHINESE! hahaha! I learned things like "Hello! Have you even been to Church before?" and "Do you believe in God?" and "HELLO! FREE ENGLISH CLASS!!" It was such a rush! Chinese is a very.. interesting language!! There's all these different TONES in all the syllables and you HAVE to say them correctly or it doesn't make sense what you're saying. But I got by (I felt like a N00B again, trying to learn a new language...) but it was very fun and exciting! I contacted about 60 people in Chinese! We also taught (this is comically ironic) a man who speaks Chinese AND Spanish! It was so funny- he'd talk to Elder Faulkner and Vatcher and I'd have no idea what they were saying- then he'd speak to ME and Elder Faulkner and Vatcher would have no idea what WE were saying! Interesting way to teach, right?? It worked out though! I also got to try some AMAZING seafood soup called 'Mala' (spelling?)- it was amazing! I found a new amazing food called "FISHBALLS!" It's balls of fish meat with beef in the middle! So interesting! We also had traditional Dumplings. MMmm! I also learned some random words like "guitar" and "cake!" and "Have you already eaten?" I also got some good pics of the Empire State and stuff. (Pics attached!!)

TOMORROW I get to go on an exchange with Elder DAVIS in OLMSTEAD- where my GRAND ADVENTURE began!! aha! I'm SO excited! We're going to visit ISABEL! I baptized her right after Elder Prue left the area and Elder Torres came in. It's so weird to think that that was over a YEAR AGO! Crazy! I'm very excited to back to where I was Born (Mission lingo... where you started!) and visit some dear friends and try to help the Elders find some of those that I was teaching while I was there!

Elder McMullin and I are teaching a young man named Alex- he's awesome! He's got a baptismal date for next Saturday and is very excited to be baptized. He moved into our area from Texas in early May of this year. He had already met with the Missionaries there and loved the Church. He even met President (get this!) SAYLIN from the Woodbriar Ward! Cool, right!? President Smith and President Saylin came out at the same time to the field. I heard the Saylins are doing great and are going to have another BABY! So grand!

WELL we are off to get ready for our exchange in OLMSTEAD! I'll take pictures of my old area and familiar faces and send them next P-day! Much love!

THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

B a Missionary! Sea Misionero! 是一個傳教士!!

All my Love,

Elder Hellberg

July 6

DEAR HOME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! I can't BELIEVE YOU ARE 29 YEARS OLD... AGAIN!!! HOORAY!

HELLO from a WARM morning here in Scarsdale, NY!!!

I haven't been able to send home many updates for a while! We have been very busy! Many exciting things have happened lately!!

Last week we had a WONDERFUL Baptismal service for Sandra and Iluminada! It was such a great experience! Elder McMullin baptized Sandra and Elder Clark baptized Iluminada, and I sang "I need thee every hour" (In Spanish, of course!) and played the piano! Almost the entire branch was there- it was a very spiritual service. Both were confirmed the next day in Sacrament meeting and everything went well! Sandra amazes me. She has such a strong testimony already- she reads every day in the Book of Mormon and actually asks us questions when she has them. So cool- she just got back from theWestchester Stake TREK- she's went with all the YW/YM into the empty wildlands of New York (some people don't think that New York HAS parts without skyscrapers...) and re-enacted a portion of the Pioneer Trek across the plains! She loved it! (pictures of Iluminada and me, and of Sandra and her family)

In just a few hours one of our members from the Spanish Branch will be entering the... MTC! AHHHH! Massiel Olivo from the Westchester 3rd Branch got called to serve in the Los Angeles California Spanish Speaking Mission! She spoke in Sacrament Meeting a week ago and it was excellent! She is going to be an amazing Missionary!! We wish her the best! (picture attached, Massiel and me!)

TIMES SQUARE has been such an ADVENTURE! SO many interesting things happen! It's very different from what normally happens when we set up street displays. What we do is... Elder McMullin and I go and pick up the Zone Leaders in one of the nearby zones (yesterday we took the Westchester ZLs...) and we park at Kingsbridge Chapel and take the D train to the HEART of Manhattan! We set up a nifty little display that we made in the office and just TALK to people walking by! It's so cool! I think I've talked to at least SOMEBODY from EVERY State in the Country! It's such a diverse place to talk to people- and without a doubt every time we talk to at LEAST 3 or 4 families of Members that are vacationing in NY. I really love talking to people about the Church. Many people ask questions like "Why are YOU a Mormon?", "How does being Mormon help YOU?", "Why are their so many Mormon.org ads everywhere in the city?" "Are you advertising the Book of Mormon Musical?" "Do you like Mitt Romney?" "Have you seen the Book of Mormon Play?" The rarer questions that we hear (but still get sometimes) "How many wives do you have?" "How do you hide your horns?" hahah! It's such a rush- but I love how it feels to just get out there and let people know WHO we are and WHAT we believe. We have gotten a positive reaction for the most part. Almost everyone we talk to has seen the Ads around an most have a positive view of Mormons in general. Manhattan does this cool thing where they put tuned, functioning Pianos in locations around the city and people can just come PLAY on them! Well, there was one just SITTING there in the middle of Times Square... so I went and sat down and started playing-- in about 4 minutes about 60 people were gathered around watching and video-ing and taking pictures! I got up to leave, everyone cheered and clapped, and 2 people ran over and grabbed me and said "Uh uh, nope- you're a new pianist here- they love you, get back on that bench and play more!" SO, I did! The group got even bigger and I just played for about 6 minutes, just kind of doing improv and throwing in hymns, and they all cheered when I was done! Haha it was such a rush!

Yesterday in Times Square, we were just standing there and a man walked up- (He looked kind of Angry...) (He also looked very much like Samuel L Jackson...) and he said to me in a raspy voice "You know that BIG old Pipe organ your church has in Salt Lake? That BIG one they built a long time ago? If you went and took that Organ, and THREW it down a coal mine shaft, what would ya call it?" I nervously said I didn't know, a big mess maybe? He got close and looked me in eye and said loudly "Ab MINOR!" (A flat Miner)... MBAHAHAHA! I cracked up SOOO hard!! Get it!? Hahahah! Elder Barfuss and I couldn't stop laughing- it was so unexpected- and hilarious! (if you don't get the joke.. it's like... an A flat Minor Chord in Music... and like, a squished Miner from a falling organ! bahahah!) Anyway, I got a crackup out of it! (Pictures attached of Times Square Ads and Taxi Ads!)

Elder Merrell in the Office sent Elder McMullin and myself and Elder Peine and Elder Barfuss on a secret covert operation to QUEENS! We had to go pick up 4 brand new Ford Fusions and drive them back to our Mission! They only had 3 miles on them when we drove them off the lot! It felt cool to be in a little Ford-Missionary Caravan heading back across the Whitestone bridge back into mission boundaries!! (new york skyline picture attached!!)

Our 4th of July was wonderful! We went over to the Dalebout's house (a Senior Couple in the Mission) and met up with them and Elder and Sister Merrell and the office Sisters (Sisters Beck and Dunagan) and we had a great Patriotic dinner (SLOPPY JOES!) and played games and told stories and sang America the Beautiful! Haha it was wonderful! Although we didn't get to see the big fireworks displays (all Missionaries had to be in by 8:00), we sure HEARD them- I think people were on our ROOF launching huge fireworks into the air... and I think one mis-fired and hit our garage! haha! Happy 4th!

Alrighty! Elder McMullin and I have been extraordinarily busy lately, but I promise to be better about keeping you all posted from here on out! I am busy, but I LOVE all the exciting things we get to do and the amazing people we meet and I LOVE being a Missionary! I know that what we are doing is the right thing- that we are able to help and bless the lives of others through our service and love and testimonies. Raise your voice! B an example of the BELIEVERS!

The Church is TRUE!

B strong! B MUSICAL! B hiding your horns!!

Always and Forever,

Elder Hellberg!

June 1

HELLO MY DEAR HOME!

I cannot believe it is already JUNE 1ST! Is this not CRAZY!?

This last week has been very busy, but very good! We have been getting so much done! I love working so closely with President Smith and the office senior couple, and Sister Beck and Sister Dunagan who work in the office with us sometimes!! It's great! One of the very cool things Elder McMullin and I get to do as assistants is TRAVEL to most of the different parts of the Mission! I have seen the beautiful green and wooded areas of Newburgh and Danbury, Connecticut and the very tip of the island of Manhattan! Just the other day, we had to meet up with some Elders to drop off supplies in the financial district in Manhattan- and we passed RIGHT by the under-construction FREEDOM TOWER! It looks SO GOOD so far! It's HUGE- it's only about 50 or 60 stories high right now, but about half is already coated with the final exterior glass finish and it looks grand! I have some great pictures of that and the empire state building and other cool NY monuments! It's great to get to know so intimately the culture of New York.

It's CLEARLY already SUMMER over here in the EAST! Finally the pollen storm has ceased and things are blooming beautifully! I LOVE NY SUMMERS! It's warm and beautiful! I hear that it's still SNOWING over there in UTAH! Bahah! That's okay, makes for a great SKI season! :)

Elder McMullin and I are being VERY blessed right now. Because of many other new responsibilities, the time we would normally dedicate towards finding people to teach has been cut drastically- bu the blessings keep pouring in. Recently, our little Branch here in White Plains has been on a Missionary drive and has been finding people FOR us to teach. They have been lovingly reaching out towards their families and friends and inviting them to be taught by the Missionaries! This is the BEST thing for a Missionary! To be a full-time TEACHER and less of a full-time FINDER. We still try and spend our time finding that we are NOT teaching or fulfilling other responsibilities- but it's truly a blessing to have such a great and supportive member-system backing you up!

WELL we are off to Manhattan to drop off a PHONE and then to teach ENGLISH class! Please take care all, B safe B happy!

The Church is TRUE!

Always,

Elder Hellberg

May 25

Hello from a BEAUTIFUL day here in Scarsdale, New York!

So many things have happened in the last two weeks- and it has all gone by SO fast! I feel bad- I haven't really had a chance to sit down and e-mail for a while! Elder McMullin and I have been on the RUN!

We've been driving all over the entire Mission lately- we've been to Manhattan and the Bronx dozens of times already, up to Newburgh and over to Conneticuit and out of the Mission to Queens multiple times too! Good news, I've basically become a PROFESSIONAL city driver- haha! I can finally navigate those crazy streets without feeling claustrophobic or dizzy! SO many one-ways; you have to make loops and loops before you get to where you want to go! Just yesterday, we dropped off Elder Garside and Elder Zwahlen off at JFK Airport- we are going to miss them. They have trained Elder McMullin and I to run around and do all the crazy things they had to do for the past few months- and finally it feels like we've got the hang of things.

Although we run around the Mission and work in the office a lot, we still have an area and we still get to work as Missionaries!! We are covering the Westchester 1st Ward (English) and the Westchester 3rd Branch (Spanish)- our area is White Plains and Scarsdale and a few little cities and towns around the edges like Valhalla (cool name, right?), Greenburgh, Eastchester and a few others. I love this area. We are teaching right now several investigators in both the Spanish and English wards, and they are incredible. Just last week, on the 21st, we met with a young woman named Sandra- she is from Peru! We visited with her and her mom, and we talked with her Dad on Sunday at Church! In our first appointment with her we began talking about baptism- and she quickly said over us- "OH I know all about baptism- and I am ready to be baptized into your church!" She told us she had been praying to know if the Church was true and she said she knows it's the right thing to do. We are all very excited.

Today is the first warm sunny day in about a week- and it's a wonderful day for a YANKEE GAME! We are off very soon to head to YANKEE STADIUM- it's going to be a wonderful day! I'll eat a traditional New York Hot Dog for ya'll back in SLC! If you know anybody going to the game tell them to look for the Missionaries- there'll be about 40 of us there!! haha!

The Church is TRUE!!

B safe, B Sunny, B decked out in YANKEE BLUE!

Always,

Elder Hellberg

May 14, 2011

HELLO from New York!!!

I am EXHAUSTED! I have NOT had adequate SLEEP!!!...
So...! On Wednesday, Elder McMullin and myself got assigned to be the new assistants to President Smith (we call them Apes) and they put us to WORK man! Between tuesday and today I have proabably had a total of 17 hours of sleep and have put on HUNDREDS of miles onto the truck we drive and the HUGE Mission 14 passenger van!!
It was so cool picking up the new Missionaries from Westchester County Airport- I remember my dad told me he used to land and take off from there all the time when he flew for Skaggs! We had MORE incoming missionaries than we have ever had at one time- 20 of them! It was crazy! MOST were Spanish Elders.. 1 Chinese sister and 2 for the English program- I knew one of those! Elder Joshua Stevens from Farmington- he went to South Davis with me and then to Woods Cross! WX represent! I went up to him at the airport and said "you look SO familiar!" He said "BRANDON!" Haha we remembered having Spanish together in Mrs. Vialpando's class 9th grade- and he knew Connor! We loaded them (and their 60 suitcases... 3x each) into the big vans and trucks (we rented a uhaul for all the luggage) and then took them all to the Mission Home! Transfers were on Wednesday ALL DAY and then we drove all the Missionaries going HOME to Laguardia on Thursday morning...! In addition, we've had to make several special errands to the city and back... SO starting on Tuesday morning and ending last night, we went... from... Eastchester to Westchester Airport to Scarsdale to Yonkers to Scarsdale to the Bronx to Ossining to the Bronx to Scarsdale to Yonkers to Eastchester to Scarsdale to LaGuardia (Queens) to Scarsdale to Eastchester to 32nd ST in Manhattan to the Bronx to Scarsdale to Eastchester! AHH! So much GASOLINE! haha! And we are headed down to CHINATOWN soon to drop off some supplies to the Missionaries down there. I am SO excited to be companions with Elder McMullin! He's so great! We were in the same district together down in Kingsbridge! We are now in the White Plains and Scarsdale Spanish area! SO, I'm still in the little wonderful Spanish Branch, Westchester 3rd! Hooray!

Life is going well! It's Busy! But great!
The Church is TRUE!

All my Love,
Elder Hellberg

May the 4th Be With You

HOORAY! MAY 4th!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! You are 29!... AGAIN!! ...YAY!!

AHH! It's MAY! What's that they say about April showers and May flowers? Yeah- it's still raining. But it's beautiful nonetheless!

THIS morning was an ADVENTURE that's for sure. We had to get up at 3:15 AM this morning to be at the Mission Home at 4 to take 3 Missionaries to JFK and LaGuardia Airports- OUTSIDE of Mission Boundaries! haha! The 3 Elders were coming home from thier Mission in Croatia/Slovenia (spelling?) and there was flight delay so they had to spend the night here in NY up at President Smith's house. All the departing Missionaries (all 18 of them!! whoa!) have their final Manhattan Temple trip today so President asked ME to drive them down to the airports!! It was so fun! All 3 Elders were great guys- happy and excited to see their families. We crossed the BIG bridges across onto Long Island and wished them luck as they strolled off to catch planes to go home. We were SO tired upon returning to Westchester County- we just took a NAP right there inside the Church! haha! It's alright, it's P-day Anyway!

I can't believe this cycle is ALREADY coming to a close. This is the last week of cycle 11 for me. It's absurd! Elder Clark, my greenie, is basically not even a greenie anymore! He's doing grand! We are working hard and loving it up here. Yonkers is a TRIP, man- 2 nights ago nobody could use the water- there was a break in the line and only DARK BROWN NASTY water came from the sink and shower! BLEGH!! haha! THAT, my friends, is why ALL Missionary apartments have 20 Gallons of storage water... Good call. We love Sleepy Hollow and the little Branch we meet at every sunday in Scarsdale. We are small, but we are strong- and growing! It's such a wonderful thing to see such great people band together in such a great cause.

We had an AWESOME zone Conference last Thursday. It was such a special one! 10 of the Missionaries from the big group going home got up and bore their testimonies- it was such a sweet experience to see the massive and incredible changes made in so many of these wonderful people. I feel blessed to count many of them among my great friends. We watched a talk my Elder Holland that he gave in January in the MTC- it was so POWERFUL. If you have a way of watching it, do! It feels like FIRE was just re-lit in the Mission. I feel SO lucky to be a part of the Missionary work at this time and in this place full of amazing people. I have come to LOVE New York- and have come to better know the Lord here as well. I have come to know for myself that He Lives.

I wish I had more time... but we are OFF to Peekskill.. I have been asked to dedicate a grave and give a talk at a funeral! More next week!

The Church is TRUE!
All is well!
Elder Hellberg

"B"

April 20, 2011

Hello HOME!

APRIL 20! AHHH!

I'm not even going to make my usual comments on how fast time is going- it feels like I made last week's time comment YESTERDAY!! AHH!!
Things are going well here in the far south of Westchester county!! We are currently in the Scarsdale Chapel and I'm pretty sure I just saw Jay-Z and Beyonce in a Lamborghini Gallardo on our way in!! I definitely saw the car... and they live about 300 yards from the church... so it's possible!! I'm pretending I saw them even if I didn't.

SO Elder Clark and I actually have a pretty good exercise plan!! I have committed myself to lose this extra poundage I have already gained up here in the land of Upstate!! So... we go running every morning from about 6:30 to 7:20-30 depending on how much we ate the day before. We run thru the crazed streets of YONKERS. We usually run down to the Hudson or to the schools. When I start getting tired and want to start heading back to the apartment I just begin to let my arms flail run weirdly- We laugh and both pretend to run like Phoebe from 'Friends'! Haha we get so many weird stares on the way home!!

These next few days coming up we have several BIG service projects planned- from helping people move houses to cleaning and landscaping backyards!! haha! We are excited. One of the Ladies we are helping on Saturday morning to move is a former investigator of the church- and she kept the number of the Missionaries for YEARS- and called us and asked us if we could help her move to her new apartment. CooL!

We have had some HUGE storms lately!! Flooding and lightning! The Bronx River Parkway was FLOODED on Monday- not just like wet- there was 2 feet of STANDING WATER on the road. The designers of the pkwy might have not understood the nature of the river right next to it... when it rains in NY, it RAINS. And when it RAINS, it FLOODS. haha! It looks really cool though- the windy road juts and dives in and out of the water with the hills it's built on. :) We had to find a different way up to the church and then to all the families we were going to teach that day.

Yesterday we were asked to visit 2 different people in 2 different hospitals by 2 different members of the Branch- one a member and one not. It was such a good experience. There is such reverence in a quiet hospital room, filled with family members of the critically sick, as they close their eyes and listen and pray in their hearts as we administer to the afflicted. We always explain to the person receiving the blessing and the family the meaning and power of the blessing and that it is in accordance with the faith of all those present and the will of the Lord. Almost always, it is a teary emotional and spiritual experience. We always leave feeling good- it always seems like everyone is on OUR side when we make special trips like that- when we explain who we are and what we are doing to the receptionist she smiles and says "oh yes yes yes" and gives us visitor passes- and even the guy at the pay booth in the parking garage, after we explain we are clergy from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, smiles and says "of course, sirs." and opens the gate for us. It's just a good feeling to be part of something so good.

I feel so blessed right now. We are teaching many incredible people. The area we are teaching in is VERY different from the ones I have experienced in the Bronx- It is much harder to find people to teach and many have very hard situations preventing them from being able to attend church. But we are keepin' out chins up and pushin' forward! We have seen many miracles already here- and I know there are more miracles to see!

Sister Dunagan and I are going to sing the same rendition of "All Creatures of Our God and King" but in SPANISH to our Ward this coming EASTER SUNDAY! HOORAY! HAPPY EASTER!

B safe, B swell, B jogging strangely!! ;)
The CHURCH is TRUE!
I cut my hair again! It's SUPER SHORT!
HAPPY EASTER!!
ALL my LOVE,

Elder Hellberg

April 13, 2011

Hello My DEAR HOME!!
HOW are you all DOING this week!?
This last week went by even FASTER than the LAST week! It's been a good one.

I'm having problems getting blocks of time to write... SO, THIS week I have decided to express how I am doing thru PICTURES!!

The Church is TRUE!
Always and Forever,

Elder Hellberg

hehe

***note from Carlie****

Because I'm am currently residing in China, the proxy that I access this website with cannot post pictures.

April 6, 2011

MY dear HOME!
Hello!
WHAT a wonderful weekend of CONFERENCE!! I just LOVED it! Many people have commented that this last conference was one of - if not - the best ever! There's something very POWERFUL to be felt knowing that all over the world, Millions of saints are gathered to listen to the Prophet and other leaders of the Church.

Things are going well- Elder Clark and I are doing awesome! We love our Yonkers pad... (Minus the parking situation... we have to manuever our large Chevy Malibu into the TIGHTEST parking space between to pillars I have ever seen. It seriously took me 11 minutes and a 27-point turn to get out the first time. Now i have down pretty good... like a 6 or 7 point turn... but it's still ridiculous.) BUT other than that all is going well there. We live with Elder Scott and Elder Stratton- two great Elders who serve in the English program here in Yonkers. Elder Clark is still familiarizing with the area and loves it so far- we have met all the members (not too difficult haha) and have begun our adventure!

Time is slipping away SO FAST! Sorry- I'm ONCE again out of time... I LOVE YOU ALL!
Always,
Elder Hellberg

March 30, 2011

DEAR HOME!!

-TRANSFER DAY-

Hello! I'm still here in the Deathly Hallows!! Elder Fotu got transferred up to Ossining- pretty close to this area- and I am TRAINING again!! SO funny- Elder Fotu was 6' 6" ... and my new comp, Elder Clark is 6' 6" too! BOTH huge football players. I don't think I've had a companion that is shorter than me. Haha! Elder Clark is from Layton, UT- and went to SUU! Haha in Missionary Lingo we say that the person you train is your "Son"- and Elder Mitchell, my OTHER son in the Bronx- is training too- making me a GRANDPA!! Hahaha!! Also, we moved from Port Chester to YONKERS- which is just like the Bronx but hillier (like... has more hills.) and a lot less potholes. !!

It seems like the last few weeks/transfer cycles have just BLOWN by. I can't believe already it's time for GENERAL CONFERENCE again!! For the which I am SUPER excited!! I still remember when I was with Elder Peine in Kingsbridge in OCTOBER for Conference! So crazy!

Today was a sad transfer!! I said goodbye to 3 Missionaries whom I LOVE! Elder Lopez, Elder Berry, and Elder FOX!! If you'll remember with me (waaaayy back in Olmstead..) Elder Fox and Elder Bayard took me under their wing after Elder Richardson took off a wee bit early leaving me ALONE for 2 1/2 weeks! So Elder Fox, by all Missionary means, is my Foster Dad. Bayard can be the Foster Mom. :D I still remember all of our good ole times... Herbert and Beyoncea the friendly house mice we loved until their dying day... Running from dark forces and kicking pidgeons... Mahaha! I'm going to miss him. :( All of them! Elder Berry and Lopez were with me in Kingsbridge! All of these people I love are LEAVING ME!! AHHH!

HEY all sorry not a lot of time today! Will write more next week! I hope!

Always~

Elder Hellberg

March 23, 2011

HELLO HOME!

It's a wonderful rainy day up here in Scarsdale, New York!

HOORAY Elder Fotu and I got our Chevy Malibu back from the shop!! Turns out NOT ONLY was the heating broken (which now is not as important given that the temp is FINALLY starting to HEAT UP) but the ceramic brake pads were GONE. Worn down to NOTHIN. Explains the rather constant singing from the left side of the car. :) It's nice to have back our bigger, faster, newer car... BUT I AM going to miss the 6-disc changer in the Corolla!

We had a really cool experience the other day. Elder Fotu and I were walking down Cortland St in Sleepy Hollow, and I was writing something in my planner- when Elder Fotu walked up to this little Ecuadorian man and started to talk to him. He introduced himself as "Angel" and told us he comes from the coast of Ecuador. I asked him if there would be a time we could come by and visit with him and share with him a message- and he said "Well... right here, right NOW!" We smiled and talked with him about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon for about 20 minutes right there on the side of the road. He gave us his number and told us to come back the coming Monday (2 days ago). On Monday we went over and had SUCH a great discussion with him. We told him about Joseph Smith and watched the DVD "The Restoration" and ended with Angel and us kneeling in his humble apartment in a powerful and sincere prayer to Heavenly Father. It was such a sweet experience. He committed to read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon - and we have an appointment with him NEXT Monday - and hope to see him at church the Sunday before!!

Funny things that happened this week...

ELDER FOTU AND I SAW 3 TEENAGE KIDS STEAL A FIRE ENGINE. BAHAHAH! They awkwardly and uncoordinated-ly pulled up to the stoplight next to us and frantically laughing flipped a bunch of switches and buttons and finally after about 20 seconds activated the sirens and flashing lights. They all cheered and stuck their heads out the windows like maniacs and screamed as they sped up and roared down the street. About 15 seconds later, two police cars zoomed by us, lights and sirens on, after the hijacked firetruck.

One of the things that I think Spanish people DON'T understand is the whole "Doorbell-ditching-while-leaving-things-on-the-porch" scenario. For the past few couple weeks, a family of investigators we are teaching has promised us that they would read in the Book of Mormon. Fail. As a friendly joke, last time we visited I said "Well what on earth do you WANT? A COOKIE!?" We all laughed and they once again promised us they would read. Last night, we made some warm chocolate chip cookies and put them on a plate and put a Pass-Along-Card on the top and left it on their porch and doorbell ditched. I ran back to the car and we sped away laughing! We drove around the block, came back a few minutes later... and the plate of cookies was still on the porch. SO, I scooted it closer to the door, and knocked- waited until I heard the father coming- then jumped the railing and ran like a madman. I saw from a distance him walk OUTSIDE and around his house. Then go back inside. I thought "he had to have either stepped OVER or ON the cookies, so either way he KNOWS they are there. I went back a few minutes later- STILL the cookies were sitting on the porch. I finally called and said "Hermano! Open the door and LOOK BELOW." He went outside and cracked up upon FINALLY finding the cookies. Hahaha! By that point I'm pretty sure the "fresh and warm" cookies were already VERY cold in the misty 40 degree weather!!! haha!!

Sister Almanzar and I are going to sing a song in Sacrament Meeting while my dear Elder Zwahlen accompanies us on the piano this coming Sunday!! HOORAY! Yeah Elder Zwahlen and I take turns every week as ward music director/ organ/piano player!
We have interviews with the Mission President on Friday and shock calls this coming Monday and then NEXT Wednesday are transfers!
Did you get Carlie's last E-mail? She's A CRACKUP! haha! I love her.
Have you been able to talk to Jill about housing and stuff for me and Jonny in BYU? I still have to write Dad an official "I'm- sorry- I'm- a- turn-coat- high-treason- son- but- I'm- going- to- BYU" letter! :S Not so sure how that is going to blow over! Haha I suspect he knows and accepts it... STILL I should let him know first hand!


I LOVE YOU ALL- please be safe and happy and well! The Church is True! - even in CHINA - just ask Carlie and Emily!

All my Love,

Elder Hellberg
March 23, 2010

March 9, 2011!

HELLO!!!
ANOTHER week from the DEATHLY HALLOWS!!

Today for p-day we went to MANHATTAN again- a Member took us down from Westchester and we went to the Manhattan Temple!! It was wonderful! There, I saw dear Hermano Cerda from the Olmstead Ward where I first served in the Bronx- he works there at the Temple! He was ACTUALLY my proxy companion for a day when I was companionless for those LONG 2 weeks. He asked me how I was doing- and told me he though for SURE I was already home, married, with 2 kids!! We laughed and I said "NO! I still have 9 months left!!" He told me I'd better come finish my Mission in Olmstead so we can be companions again. :) After the Temple, we went to CRUMBS (best CUPCAKE house in Manhattan, if you'll remember...) and I bought a bunch of WONDERFUL FATTY FOOD!! After that, we drove to a little mini-restaurant-style place thing called "Crepes on Colombia." OH MY WORD it was so GOOD!! I got a "Turkey Breast with White Peach Creame Sauce!" THEN we ate nutella crepes that gave me CRAZY flashbacks of FRANCE! Gabrielli Machiavelli who lives in a DELI!! Bahaha last P-Day we went to a PARK and swung on a donut swing and ate fruit sorbet until we were sick. Success.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I BOUGHT SOME GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FROM A GIRL IN OUR WARD AND THEY ARE COMING ON THE 27th OF MARCH! HOORAY!

This past week Elder Fotu and I taught an INCREDIBLE man from the Dominican Republic. He lives in Elmsford, the part of our area that is closer to White Plains- and has lived here for almost 20 years. Turns out he know one of the Members from the Branch back in the DR- they lived in the same neighborhood in Santo Domingo and knew each other pretty well. His name is Rudy- and the Spirit around him is SO strong. Yesterday we went to visit him at his house- and turns out he lives with 2 other small Mexican Families (WHO, btw, he has invited to church with him and say they are coming) and already had a copy of the Book of Mormon; a member in Manhattan gave it to him years ago when he was having some family struggles. He told us that he used to read the Book of Mormon before and it brought him peace during those hard times- he just didn't know we were an actual organized religion. We taught him the Restoration. He cried and told us how special it felt to hear what we were talking about and how it felt familiar. When I extended a commitment to read the Book of Mormon and pray to Heavenly Father to know if it is true or not, he looked at me hard in the eyes and said quietly "Elder, te prometo que yo lo hare." Which means directly translated "Elder, I promise you that I will do it." It was such a powerful moment for me to see his new-found dedication to truly study and pray about the Book of Mormon!

We had a GREAT stake-conference down in Kingsbridge on Sunday! It was so good. We attended the Spanish session at noon (along with the other 30 Spanish missionaries in the stake) and President Rasband of the Presidency of the 70 came! It was such a touching experience. Right before the second hymn, President Bench (stake president) stood up and asked the Missionaries to come sit on the stand behind him and the other speakers becuase the chapel was SO full that there were many people without seats! We set a new record of attendance in the stake too! :) So all us Missionaries sat behind President Rasband and President Bench and their wives and the other speakers and the congregation stood and sang together- and tears welled up in my eyes at the intense feeling of Love that filled the Chapel. President Rasband stood and tearfully told the Missionaries how much he loved us (He said was a little biased towards US specifically, because he served here in NY NY North as Mission President a few years back..) and spoke powerfully about Jesus Christ's Atonement.

~~This coming week we are having an ePic zone confERence to discuss with ours and the StaMford and Yorktown Zones about what we as mISSionarIes learned frOm and what we are Now goinG to tRy to do About the thiNgs thaT Elder Bednar camE and discusseD with us. aH yEs, a veRy wisE friend of mIne reCently underscOred Mostly how I fEel about Elder Bednar- speaking Basically for the Young adults my friend said "he just gets Us." ~~ Sister Dunagan and I are going to sing a rather "Gospelesque" style version of the song All Creatures of Our God and King! We are excited!
I love you all very much. Wishing you a WARM week full of SUN and SPRING!
All My Love!
Elder Hellberg

March 2!

AS OF TODAY I have been a Missionary for 15 months! CCCCRAZY!!!

THIS week has been AWESOME.
Quick highlites and points..

ELDER BEDNAR of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came and spoke to us- just the Missionaries. It was such a special experience for everyone. The Spirit was SO strong and we all learned SO much. Also, with him came Elder Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy and he spoke too, along with President Smith, President of our Mission. It was the most Spiritually motivating and encouraging meeting I have ever attended. Hands down. We all left that meeting inspired and encouraged- and having a new perspective on many of the aspects of Missionary Work.

The Weather is OFFICIALLY picking up (for real this time) and it's WONDERFUL! Windows down, breeze in your hair, EFY music blasting in the background... (okay not blasting... more like playing lightly... but that sounds lame haha) and the Sun is finally SHINING!! Hooray! We have plans today for P-day to go to Costco (YAY BARGAIN CEREAL!) and then go to a park near our apartment and spin on one of those tire-swings until we get SICK! Then we are all (us and our district) going to have a wonderful picnic. :)

I'm not going to tell the story... but I WILL tell you two lessons learned BECAUSE of the story...
1) As it is in Utah, using freeway OFF-ramps to ENTER the freeway (even by accident) is highly frowned upon in New York.
2) Even more frowned upon, is, upon realizing that you have incorrectly entered the freeway, performing a wide U-turn ON the freeway in order to go back DOWN the exit you just entered.
Lessons Learned. :)

Elder Fotu and I continue to work hard and do good here in the Deathly Hallows! We have plans to start a small English class in a community center here to help those who don't speak English. We also have started going to the rest home where Jose is weekly and just spend some time talking with the seniors there and playing on the piano in the dining hall. We are finding many new people to teach and people are being receptive. Also, although we only have 3 member families in our area, they are proving to be our biggest source of help here. They are all fulfilling their responsibilities as Member-Missionaries and loving it!

Little shorter time this week.. next week's letter will be longer, PROMISE! :)

La Iglesia es verdadera!
All my Love!
Elder Hellberg

FEB 23 2011

Remember how in my last Email, I blabbered off about how wonderful the weather is and how beautiful everything is becoming and yadda yadda yadda? Yeah. Fail. It's back to 21 degrees and snowing. SO back on with the gloves and hats and scarves (scarfs?... hmm...) and big puffy make-me-look-fatter-than-I-am-which-is-already-pretty-fatty coats. Ahem.

HELLO! FROM ANOTHER EPIC WEEK here in The Deathly Hallows! (Missionary Dubbed name for my area. I think it's catchy.)
Although things are cold again, things are going well for us here in the AREA! YAY! We have officially implemented the "UNSTOPPABLE PATTI PLAN," which is a Missionary/Member operation we invented with one of the Members here in our area, named Patti! She's AWESOME. She actually served here in the NYNYN Mission a while back- and then came back, married and had a family here in the same area she served in for the majority of her Mission! He family is incredible. Their family and us two are working with many of the Dominican Families here- primarily the youth. Patti is the Young Women's President in the Branch, and her husband, Arturo, is the Young Men's President. Works out perfectly. :) We're so excited to work together!

BAHAHAH! Okay Daddy, this is for you! You're going to hear this ONCE. SO LISTEN UP! I AM TRULY learning and understanding some of the COMMON emotions you must have felt having me as a Son. Here's why.

About a week ago, I was making a scrapbook thing for another Elder, and I went to my desk for my Scissors. I couldn't find them- for about 15 minutes I searched, and to no avail. I asked my companion if he had seen them, he told me he used them, but he put them back. I went back to searching, and about 25 minutes later found them in HIS drawer in HIS DESK. I took them back to my desk and (a little frustratedly) began to work on the scrapbook. I opened the drawer where my glue stick NORMALLY would be, and like the scissors, it was missing. I asked my companion if he had seen it. SAME response as the scissors. I looked around for about 10 MORE minutes- and found MY glue stick hidden in the corner behind HIS desk. I said to him very sternly, "ELDER, look, I DON'T CARE if you use my things- as long as you PUT THEM BACK WHERE THEY GO WHEN YOU ARE DONE." I walked about 5 feet away- and started laughing HYSTERICALLY. I heard the EXACT same words come out of MY MOUTH in the EXACT same tone that I have heard from you my whole life!!!

Another Incident- IRONICALLY this morning.
So, about 2 weeks ago, I bought a new ECKO unlmtd black jacket from the Burlington Coat Factory in White Plains... with the Intent of wearing it proselyting. After the first day I wore it, I felt it might not be appropriate for everyday Missionary work... it looked a little too COOL to be a "Missionary Jacket." So, I decided to put my brand new jacket in the closet and use it only on P-days. A few days later, one of the Elders I live with, found the Jacket in my closet, and brought it to me and asked "Hey Hellberg, can I wear this jacket today? It's pretty cool!" I thought it over... and reluctantly said "Yes.." and then threw the conditions on "I want it back on my desk by 9:30! That night it was on my desk at 9:30. Pretty good, I thought. THE NEXT DAY, he asked AGAIN if he could wear it. I said "yes" again, because he was SO good to return my jacket to me the previous day. I said again "put it back when you are done!" He mumbled okay, and that was that. I forgot about it for a few days, until TODAY, which is P-DAY. I got up, got dressed and excitedly went to my Closet to put on my BRAND NEW ECKO jacket to wear for P-day... and it wasn't there. I went to The other Elder's room... and they had already left for laundry. I was FUMED. THE ONE DAY I get to wear my BRAND NEW JACKET and he, WITHOUT returning it to me, TAKES THE LIBERTY of KEEPING it... I called and they had already left for the day, and we weren't going to see them for the rest of the day. We drove to the Laundromat and I silently (like you do) chewed him out all the way there... WHEN SUDDENLY I realized how familiar this situation was.. except that I had always been on the other END!! BAHAH! You are getting your SWEET SWEET revenge without even being here to witness it!! I do so many things like you! It's a little unnerving... But I truly hope I can be SOMEWHAT as grand as my dad! He's the best :-)

This Friday our Mission has an incredible opportunity- Elder Bednar of the 12 Apostles is coming to meet with our Missionaries, in a Question/Answer type setting. I still remember vividly the Youth Conference of 2009 with the NSL Stake when Elder Bednar came. That special meeting was one of the many experiences that helped me decide to serve a Mission and prepared me to enter the MTC 6 months later. HOW truly cool it is to be able to, 20 months later, have the same type meeting during my Mission with the SAME Apostle who was so influential in my decision and dedication to serve.

Time still continues to shock me. It's ALREADY Feb 23- this time last year I was settling into my apartment in the Bronx, getting to know my trainer Elder Richardson. SO much has happened since then. (Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday Richie! On the 17th I think!) My posterity is going to HATE me- I keep an AWFUL journal... I'll skip a few months, then write fervently for 3 weeks straight... when my habit of Journal-writing tanks again.. Forgive me, Great Great Grandchildren! :S

I love you all SO much. Thank you for all you do. Please be safe and strong and happy and well!
The Church is TRUE!
ALL MY LOVE!
Elder Brandon Hellberg

FEB 16 2011

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! (hahaha I had to re-type this opening line after I realized I put 'HAPPY THANKSGIVING!' I'm glad I caught it! hahah! ...silly...)

ANYWHO! Things are going mah-velously! The weather here is picking right up! It's all FRESH and bright! I'm rockin' the aviator sunglasses (only while driving... promise.) and it's JUST about warm enough to lose the big heavy winter artillery coats and wear our normal suit jackets!! HooRAY!!

This past week has gone so well! Elder Fotu and I have found some great new people we are teaching. One is named Marosi- she is from the Dominican Republic, but has lived in SPAIN for the past 4 years and has adopted the "Theta"... all C's with an 'e' or 'i' after them and all Z's sound like the consonant sound "th". So "Gracias" sounds like "Grathias". It's cool! Our Branch President speaks that way too- as he lived in Spain for 11 years after serving his Mission in MEXICO! Marosi is 15 years old, and LOVES the Young Women program. She's already been reading the Personal Progress and has gone to a Stake Dance! So cool. We had a touching Family Home Evening with her and a family in our branch- she is very excited and receptive to the Gospel.
On Friday, the 25th, ELDER DAVID A BEDNAR of the 12 is coming to SPEAK WITH US! Just the Missionaries! In a question / answer setting! And I'm playing the ORGAN! AHH! hahaha! Numbers 5 and 6! High on a mountain top, and Reedemer of IsraeL! I'm nervous- but excited! :)

Haha today Elder Fotu and I went to the Beach in our area- right on the Hudson river. It basically looks like a picturesque alien landscape. A lot is frozen- but the parts that aren't are riddled with big (1-3 feet across) discs of ice that have been well rounded from bumping into each other. There are THOUSANDS of them, pulsating with the waves of the river- it looks SO cool. PLUS, Elder Fotu and I practiced good stress-relief techniques: throwing HEAVY ice chunks off the Pier, knocking down HUGE icicles, drawing in the sand and making sand/ice castles, jumping off of rocks, taking pictures of distant Manhattan from the dock, and trying to communicate with the shivering ducks. The only part that caused me to be disturbed a bit was when Elder Fotu had a 45 minute conversation with a bamboo reed. Hmmmm. :) It was a succesful P-Day activity.

A few days ago, Elder Knuth and I went on a Split in MY area, Sleepy Hollow. As you are on the freeway heading TOWARDS the area, you HAVE to take EXIT 9, or you will CROSS the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson river and into Rockland County, and LEAVE MISSION BOUNDARIES!! AHHH!! So... I've been extra careful to MAKE SURE and take EXIT 9. It's been kind of a common joke... "Hey, you wanna get outta this place and meet up with the New Jersey Elders today..?"... Of course we would never really do that.... BUT- on this split with Elder Knuth- we were on our way to dinner, and the GPS led us this random route I'd never been on before, going towards the freeway. I figured my little Garmin buddy knew what he was doin, so I followed... SUDDENLY I realized we were merging with 4 lanes of traffic... and about a quarter mile STRAIGHT in front of us was the GIANT GLOWING FRAME of the Tappan Zee. FAIL. WIth no other turn around points, we were FORCED to cross the bridge (which, was actually pretty cool- AMAZING veiws of the Empire State Building..). I'm pretty sure the GPS the Mission Office gave us, ONLY WORKS in Mission Boundaries... and has a Tracking Device in it... becuase ONCE we got to the other side, the GPS lost service and a little flashing sign in the corner turned RED. Elder Knuth and I were SURE that we were going to shortly hear the whirling of the blades on President Smith's Helicopter. Anywho. It took us 25 mintues to get UNLOST and find our way BACK to the bridge, cross it again, and pay the 5$ toll. Luckily, we weren't late for Dinner. :)

All is going well with the people we are teaching. We continue to visit Jose and his family- and many other wonderful people. I feel so blessed to be here at this time. We are knocking doors and teaching and learning and laughing and awaiting the beauty of SPRING. We got transfer calls last night, and Elder Fotu and I are both up again for round 2 here in the Deathly Hallows! Wish us luck!

Love you all so MUCH! Be safe!
The Church is TRUE!

All is well!
Elder Hellberg

2/9

FEB 9 2011

BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! The crazy blizzard weather has finally calmed down... but now it is just COLD!!! Yesterday we went knocking doors in 9 degree weather! (I bet Elder Bitner is probably colder in Moscow though...?)

Anyway! Hello!
I can't believe how fast this cycle went by. Transfers are already next week! Time is crazy weird.


We are reading the Book of Mormon as a Mission right now- we are on 2 Nephi 10. It's such a cool thing when you have 140 Missionaries all reading and talking about the same stories and experiences in the Book of Mormon at the same time. It's almost as if we are following a TV series together... we read in the Morning and throughout the week talk about what we read. You are all welcome to read WITH us!! :D This week's reading is 2 Nephi 10-17!!

I had such a sweet experience this last week. We are teaching a part-member family in our area, they are from the Dominican Republic. The son and one of the daughters are Members, and a few siblings and the parents are not. We visited the mom, and she tearfully told us her story of the past 6 months. Her husband and her recently decided to get married after living together for nearly 30 years. Shortly thereafter he had a terrible series of 4 strokes, and is currently living at a rest home. He cannot walk, speaks jumbled and very slowly, is nearly blind, and can't remember much. After visiting his wife, we decided to go to the rest home and see him. His name is Jose. We went inside and found him in the 'Day Room', alone in a corner in his wheel chair, hunched over, wearing a blue Yankees cap. We slowly walked over to him, and I knelt by him and asked if he was Jose. He said yes, and I told him we were Missionaries. I talked to him a little about the Dominican Republic, the Yankees, and what he used to do for work. He was fairly hard to understand, but we were able to talk openly. I asked him if he had a family here- he began to sob, and said yes. I put my hand on his shoulder and I asked him about them, and he told me how he loved them. I began to cry. I asked him if he believes in God. He began to shake a little, and after about 10 seconds his brow furled and he began to cry harder and said "Si." I said I did too. I told him about his family and how God had a plan for them- and that he could be with them again after this life. We just cried and talked together for about 20 minutes. It was such a special moment for me. I sang to him "Abide with me: 'tis eventide", we talked a bit more, and he asked us to come back and visit him often.

I love this Gospel. I have seen such an increase in Faith not only in those we teach but also in myself. I am beginning to understand more fully the Love that God has for me by the love and goodness he shows others through his servants. I love the Book of Mormon. Reading it is the sure way to grow faith and become secure in the foundation of the Lord. I love the Savior. I have felt His support- when I am discouraged and cold and grumpy, feeling alone on a frozen doorstep- my companion and I pray, and the Lord always picks us back up and helps us to get going again.

That being said,
I'm hoping the temperature will pick up soon!!! Ahh!
The Church is TRUE!- EVEN when it's Missionaries are frozen!!

All my love,
Elder Brandon Hellberg

feb 2

Good Evening HOME!!

ANOTHER important date has come and gone! I, as of today, (February 2nd, 2011), have been in New York for 1 YEAR. AHH! I still can remember my emotions 365 days ago as I walked off the plane into the brisk air around JFK Int'l Airport... Going to the Mission Home... Meeting my first companion and Trainer... hearing I was going to be serving in the Bronx!! Time has been so strange to me. All those things feel SO distant… but I can remember them as if they were last week- and it feels like only mere months have gone by, not a whole calendar year.

It is SO cold!! The cars have been grounded all day until now because of the America-wide arctic BLAST- we've had awful freezing rain! No joke, our parking lot looked like an ICE-SKATING-RINK. It's been very cold! I have no idea how the rest of the country is doing, but I heard it's a huge storm- and that basically everywhere is gettin' it pretty bad! How has the big terrible storm hit Utah? I hope everyone is warm and safe!!

I have gotten a few of your letters! Thank you so much. I know I'm a Lame-sauce writer-backer, but I am so grateful for your love and support! I never feel forgotten! :) Things are improving here. :) I can feel your prayers combined with MY prayers- and they are working! :D

We had Dinner at President’s house- just 8 of us Missionaries- it was SO great. We ate with him and Sister Smith- then went to the living room of the Mission Home and had a big long open discussion about the ups and downs of the Mission. We got to ask anything and he was so friendly and fun - he's pretty professional when he's up in front of the whole mission- but I love it in interviews or smaller meetings- he is such a great guy- (reminds me of DAD!)

In a few Sundays, it'll be Missionary Sunday- and we're going to give talks! :S Excited/Nervous!

We are teaching some incredible people right now. Most of them are from the Dominican Republic, a few from Ecuador! Most of them we have found through knocking doors! It's such a blessing to be able to be invited into someone's house and share our message with them- for the first time! One of the Dominican families we are teaching has 6 OTHER families related to them living in the nearby areas- and we are teaching MOST of them! Haha! And one of the ladies related is actually already an active member in the Branch!

Hey- just got the call! Gotta leave right now to go home, cars grounded again!

I love you, please be happy and warm! Love you!!!

I am so grateful to be a part of this work. I know that what I am doing as a Missionary is what the Lord wants me to do- and I LOVE doing it.

The Church is TRUE!

B safe! B Warm! B fighting the STORM!!

Always,

Elder Brandon Hellberg