Life as Elder Hemsley: "I'm a trainer who's still learning how to be a missionary, I'm not fully prepared or qualified to be training new missionaries, so where I fall short I gotta ask for a little extra help from my Heavenly Father."

Hello home!

How the heck are ya? I suppose I will receive an answer to that question in about three weeks.

I'm doing pretty a-okay out here on the bottom half of the planet. New transfer, new companion! His name is Elder Villatoro, and he's from Guatemala! From some city I don't know how to pronounce or type. But close to Mexico. He's a pretty cool guy. It’s his second transfer, so he's still learning, and I'm in charge of helping him learn. Yikes! I'm still learning too! But all is well. Actually in this past week I feel like I've progressed so much more than at any other point in my mission other than like the first week at the MTC in Provo. Something I've noticed this week that I've never felt before is that I realized this week that my fear of talking to people has almost completely gone away. I'm always talking to everyone. I gotta, because Elder Villatoro is new and he's still a little uncomfortable talking with everyone. But all the sudden this week I can knock any door and just start talking with people without feeling nervous or anything. I've never felt like that before. Pretty sure it has a little something to do with how much I've been praying and asking for a little extra help and confidence. And I got it! I keep saying this, but seriously all of my prayers are getting answered. All of them! Its the coolest thing in the world. As you learn to trust in God more you get to experience little miracles all the time. I've seen and experienced tons of miracles in these past few months. I'm trusting in God like never before and all the sudden I'm receiving answers to all of my prayers. I never realized how much of a difference faith really makes. The first couple of days here, Elder Villatoro was super quiet when we were out proselyting. He would say almost nothing when we were out contacting or teaching. I've been praying for him every day. I'm a trainer who's still learning how to be a missionary, I'm not fully prepared or qualified to be training new missionaries, so where I fall short I gotta ask for a little extra help from my Heavenly Father. Well, I'm seeing answers to those prayers too. The other day we were teaching a lesson, and I'm doing almost all of the talking like usual, and then I finish my part and pass it over to my comp, and then just outta nowhere he starts teaching like a total pro! He spoke a lot and taught really well. After the lesson I told him that he did a real good job and he told me that's the first time he's ever taught like that in his entire mission. Since then he's been a little more stoked on teaching and I'm seeing him improve every single day. Kind of rad.

Training is super weird though. Being Senior Comp is kind of weird, but being Senior Comp to a new missionary is really weird. All of the sudden I'm making almost all of the decisions, I'm doing most of the teaching, most of the contacts, and it's a big change. Its been a huge faith boosting experience though. My missionary abilities just suddenly skyrocketed at the time I needed the most help. I really like God.

Anyway, I got about 5,000 letters from you guys the other week! Bwhoa! Almost 100% from my family too. Haha. Way cool. Thanks for all the updates! Keep 'em coming! They don't make me too homesick. I like knowing what's going on back in real life. David Helmick got his mission call to SLC?! So siiiick!! And he's probably already gone by now. I gotta say, I miss that guy a whole lot. When you have seminary every day at 6:30 in the morning, and all you want to do is go back to sleep, it really helps to have a David Helmick in the class to keep things entertaining with all of his hilarious comments. I still remember his talk he gave like three years ago when Dean was leaving for his mission, and how he taught us about how the most important thing a missionary should bring with him (more than faith or a strong testimony) is a plain backpack with no logos on it. Hahaha. Best of luck to him. The mission is too cool!! And Eric Robinson got his call to Africa?!! That's like... the awesomest thing I've ever heard!! So so so rad. Had some good times in Singles Ward with that guy last summer. Tell him that I think that's ridiculously way awesome. And basically everyone in the world is getting married or engaged. Or, at least everyone at BYU-Idaho is. Haha. Weird! Cool though, thanks for all the hit news!

Bro told me that him and Dad started watching this show called The Walking Dead and that he thinks when I get back I'd like to watch it. Well... Old news! I totally already watch that show (well, not literally right now)! It's way good. Watched the first season back at school with my roommates. Way sick. Jack tells me that Darth Vader misses me. I don't really know how to respond to that, other than.... nope. I got nothing. But is the Star Wars live action TV show coming along yet? Probably not. How about that Seth Green Star Wars cartoon series? How about the Family Guy Star Wars trilogy is the funniest thing ever! Speaking of Star Wars, the earlier comparison I made between Olmos and Kashyyyk was totally inappropriate. Olmos is nothing like Kashyyyk, and with Winter just over the horizon (weird...) all the green is rapidly turning into brown. I've actually noticed a few things I've said in past e-mails that after I sent them realized weren't true that I always meant to correct buy never remembered. Like maybe sometime I say something about a non-member, and then after I send the e-mail I find out they're actually members. Haha. I'm still learning

Sounds like Bryn is allergic to everything in the world. That sucks! Too bad for you. There is a cure for the miseries of allergies, and it's called Star Wars. Ugh why am I all of the sudden talking so much about Star Wars?!?!?! Sam keeps telling me tons of things about sports and I don't really care. Haha. Sam, you won't change me! What about Zelda? Is the new Zelda good? I waited like a million years for that game to come out! I miss you guys a whole heck of a lot though. Keep being silly. Oh yeah, and it was finally revealed that the Springfield in the Simpsons was based off Springfield Oregon? Psh, I always knew that. There are tons of references to Springfield and Eugene OR in the show. And Shelbyville is based off of Eugene too. You know, the neighboring city in the Simpsons that's way better than Springfield in every way? That's Eugene. Lolz.

At the transfer meeting Prez Risso spoke a little and he touched on the importance of writing in our journals. I'm still writing every day! I know its something I'm gonna be way thankful for when all of this is over. Journals are the coolest. I still hate writing in it though. Haha.

Apparently way more people read my blog than I thought. Sometimes I imagine my letters showing up on the ward bulletin and I just think to myself, wow... this is so irreverent... Haha.

Mom, those journal entries you sent me are something I can totally relate to. Sometimes we see horrible things on the mission and we feel so inadequate and unqualified to deal with these situations. I don't know how to deal with suicidal thirteen year olds! But we just gotta rely on the Lord and we'll gain the strength to do what we need to do. I also really loved that talk you sent me from President Monson that talked about Great Grandpa Paul and the miracle that happened when he was set apart by Harold B. Lee. Reading the words of my prophet talking about my great grandpa somehow made me love President Monson even more, as if that were even possible. The prophet is the coolest guy ever.

Well I had some other things to say but I'm running low on minutes. Your letters make me laugh. Keep them coming! Sometimes it just feels so good to laugh at something that you shouldn't be laughing at. Haha.

Until next week my friends!

Momma, I will call you on Sunday. Yay!!

Love

ELDER HEMSLEY

Here are some of his latest pictures. You can see more of them in the slideshow at the top of this blog.