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