Happiness Lies Within...

Hi, hello,

Well, to be honest I am not quite sure what to write about. I always
do my weekly letter home after I answer everyone else on e-mails back.
I feels like I am repeating myself when I say some of the stories or
thoughts I have had throughout the week, but that is okay.

This week went swell, we got a lot of work done in our area. That
always feels good. Saw a lot of less actives. We are going to start
helping a family with going to the temple. We are going to set up some
goals for them and help get them started. I really hope they are able
to make it and put forth their effort so they can enjoy the richest
blessings that are in store for them. They have come a long way from
where they were. Throughout our time meeting with them, we have really
seen how the gospel has blessed their lives and as they have made an
effort to come to church, there is really a difference on the days
they are able to make it and the days they miss it. It is such a
blessing to see the fruits of your labor as a missionary.

On Saturday, it was E. Merrills birthday. For those who forgot, I
served with him in Klatt in Anchorage when I first got back from
Whitehorse last November. We went out, bought some ice cream for him
and a few little decorations and had a little surprise party for him.
We ended up sitting in their apartment for a half hour waiting for
them because they kept on getting calls from people who had stuff for
them. It was great to see his reaction tho, he was really surprised
and happy to see us. Making people smile always brings you those warm
fuzzies. I wrote him a letter, I figured that was the best thing I
could do for him. It made me realize, as I was writing it, that life
really is not about yourself at all, it is always about other people.
Thank you dad for hammering that into my head :) I read a talk by
Pres. Faust, a BYU devotional he gave I think in 1999; it is called
'Our Search for Happiness.' It was such a great talk, y'all should
definitely read that when you get a chance, it is so good. At one
point in it, he said 'the key to happiness lies within the dimension
of the heart.' When I read that, I remembered another quote: 'the mind
is enriched by what it receives, the heart by what it gives.' How true
that is. If we want to experience true happiness in this life, we must
recognize what we have to offer others, what talents we have that we
can recognize then use to bless the lives of those around us. When I
look at dad, I see someone who has recognized and utilized his talent
to the fullest. I always saw dad happy. That is what I wanted. I have
realized that I must give my heart to everyone if I want this
happiness for myself. In giving our self to others, we find ourselves.

There is my thoughts for the week! I love you all! Thank you!

Love,
 -Elder Hartman1

1.  Did you pick up your medicine?

I love how this is the first question, but that is because I expected
it to be :) and yes I did get my medicine, I am good for the next
while now :)

2.  How is Fairbanks?  How about the ward and people?  What do you
like about it best and least?

I honestly think you have asked me this question almost every week
that I have been in Fairbanks hahaha. I love it here, it is so great
:) we are still working the ward in getting their trust. We are going
to start teaching more Active Member Lessons, which we should have
been doing this whole time. I love the less actives. I am not sure
what I like least about it to be honest...

3.  How are your companions? You said you
really like your zone - why?

Doing great! I love them :) I love the zone because we are all pretty
close knit, we work close to each other and are kind of, in a way, in
our own little world up here :)

4.  Any investigators after the fireside last week?

Not yet, which is surprising. We were hoping that a lot of referrals
would come, but not yet. Everyone who came really enjoyed it tho! Even
if we only helped one person from that, it was worth it :)

5.  Utah was unbearable hot while we were there - is it still hot
there?  When does it start cooling down?

It has been overcast the last little while. It will start cooling down
here pretty soon I think, we are losing more and more light. It got to
75 ish the other day, it was pretty dang warm, mainly because the sun
was out. I think in September it will start cooling down pretty fast.

6.  You said last week there are some big changes coming next
transfer.  What did you mean by that?

I was thinking more in our companionship. Mainly because E. Na'a has
been here for six months and with Pres. Beesley, that is pretty rare
for someone to stay in an area for that long. He also said in our last
interviews that E. Leota will be leaving because he has been with E.
Na'a for 7 1/2 months now and he cannot be with him forever.

7.  Do you know why you are still in a threesome - is it numbers,
language, what?  Are there any other threesomes in your mission?

President does not like trios, there are not a whole lot in the
mission, I think just two others. We help him a lot with the language,
he has made a lot of progress :) mainly it is language I would say.

8.  what was the best thing that happened this week?

When we found our Zone Leader book :)

9.  What was the worst thing that happened this week?

When we first lost our Zone Leader book haha.

10. What new principal did you learn this week - or what was the most
spiritual experience you had.  Tell us about it.

Always having faith in the Lord, throughout the whole trial. We lost
our zone leader book, as I mentioned earlier, on Thursday and could
not find it! The last place we both KNEW we had it was at the
institute. We looked there over and over again. We called everyone and
kept on searching for it, literally the whole day. We were getting
irritated and could figure out how it disappeared. Later that night,
we prayed and asked the Lord for help. I got the assurance that we
will find it, more specifically before Monday morning we would find
it. I asked the Lord what I needed to do and I heard 'patience.' I
just needed to wait on the Lord and put my trust in him. The week went
on. Still no luck with finding the book. My faith was starting to
waver a little bit I will be honest, but we kept on going. Sunday
came, still not luck. Sunday night came and still no luck. The cool
thing was I was clam throughout this whole time. Around 10:25 last
night (Sunday) we were sitting there and told some Elders that are
staying with us for the day that we lost our Zone Leader book, just
casual conversation. 'It's in the back of our car.' E. Na'a and I
about lost it. It was the greatest night ever :) I learned from it
that the hardest part of trials is always the end, that is the part
where you are really tested to see if you have faith or not. There is
my story for the week! :)

11.  Did you get you package this week?  Now we are back here they
will slow down a bit - I do have your monthly pkgs. ready to mail at
home.  Is there anything you want or need me to have Summer put in
them?

I did get it, just not from the post office yet, I have the slip and
everything. Just snacks to put in their, anything is fine :) maybe
like granola bars or something. :)

Finding My Purpose

Hello everyone,

This week was great, a little stressful at times setting up for the
fireside, but overall it went really well and was a great success. I
already sent mom and Summer the link for the fireside, but if you want
to watch it, here it is: http://fairbanksstake.org/ I am on the far,
top right of the group. My two companions are the two polys, just so
you have a visual. The spirit was so strong during it, especially when
Pres. Duval finished it off. I love it when Pres. Beesley talks, he is
so solid!

We had some good lessons this week. Taught one of our investigators
about obedience using the swords that mom sent (thank you mom!), they
were a huge help. We showed them how the swords are always pointing
up, towards Heavenly Father, when you hold them. We then related it to
the scriptures when it says to take upon 'the sword of the spirit,
which is the word of God.' We told them how it is important to read
the scriptures and as we are obedient in doing so, we will be
protected from harm and danger. It was a lot better in person than
trying to describe it over an e-mail I promise, but it was fun
nonetheless.

A lot of times on the mission, I feel like I am not a success at all
and I am not serving Heavenly Father in a pleasing way. It has taken
me a while to realize what my purpose is as a missionary, which I
thought was kind of weird. I think there are a lot of lessons you
learn on a mission that just come over time. I think really realizing
what your purpose is is one of them. As missionaries we invite others
to come unto Christ. The word that stands out to me is 'others', I
never realized who that was, I always thought it was investigators and
less actives when I first came out. The other day, I was talking to E.
Adams, my MTC companion who just went AP actually, and he was saying
how he is just starting to get it; he is just starting to get
missionary work. The word 'others' in that statement includes everyone
except you. A mission is two years of service to the Lord. It is cool
to me how you lose yourself in the work and yet you find yourself in
it. As we lose ourselves in the service to others, although we are not
thinking about ourselves, we are the ones who are learning the most
from it. I still am doing my best to learn to put other people before
myself and truly serving them in a loving, charitable way. I read some
scriptures the other day about charity that have turned into some of
my favorite verses in the scriptures, in my favorite chapter in the
Book of Mormon, Ether 12:32-34. I cannot tell you how much I love
those verses, that whole chapter even. I have a long way to go and a
lot to learn. Thank you everyone for showing me what charity is and
making life about others, not myself. I love you!

Love,

Elder Hartman 1

1.  How was your missionary fireside?  What aw it about?  Who spoke?
How many we're ther?  Tell us about it.

It was a great success, a lot of people showed up and the talks were
just phenomenal! You can watch it on http://fairbanksstake.org/  I am
on the far top right, hopefully I do not look like an idiot ;) The
whole chapel was full. Two recent converts spoke, then Pres. Beesley,
then Pres. Duval, the Stake President. We sang a few musicals, which
you can watch. It was so spiritual overall, I love it when Pres.
Beesley talks, he is the best mission Pres. ever!!

2.  Did you find out anything about transfer yet - when the president came?

Ya, I will be staying in Fairbanks for another transfer with the same
companions. There was a few changes in the zone, but not too much.
Next transfer there will be a ton of changes.

3.  You didn't tell us one reason you are in a threesome aws because
one of your comp. didn't speak much English!  How is that going?   Did
you find out when you will be spitting up?  How is the companionship
going now?

It is going pretty good, I am learning bits and pieces of Samoan, so
he can feel more comfortable with me. His English is doing great tho,
much better than when he first came out. We will probably be for sure
splitting up next transfer. Our companionship now is doing great, I
love it.

4.  We heard you had to cancel your dinner plans with Jill. Did you
reschedule yet?  If so when?

No we did not reschedule yet, we have been super busy to take time to
see when we can next. Our day is crazy right now; E. Na'a headed down
to Anchorage for transfers, to pick up some new missionaries while I
stay behind and manage things here.

5.  Tell the truth.....how often have you been skipping pills?  Will
you promise me you will pick up a refill today!?

For a few days, I literally realized I was out on Saturday and was
going to e-mail you and tell you today. I will get a refill today,
yes. I just need the ones I told you about, I am good on the other
ones for a while still.

6.  The train ride sounded like lots of fun. Aaything else fun planned?

Not at the moment no. Just sports for today probably.

7.  What was the best thing that happened this past week?

The missionary fireside. It was awesome :)

8.  Have you talked to your president at all yet about coming home?
Will you or would you like us to call the mission home ad ask?  Ant
more thoughts on classes you want us to sign you up for?  We could
probably sell your housing contract. Do you want us to try and do
that?

I think the release date he has for us is around December 17th if I
remember correctly, he is planning on sending us home before Christmas
for sure this year. He is so awesome. If you want to talk to him about
a release date, I gave his cell # to dad in a e-mail. I really have no
idea on classes I want to take to be honest, just generals really. I
am still trying to make sure that I want to major in Exercise Science
and if Physical Therapy is something I want to pursue. What do you
mean by selling my housing contract?

9.  What would you say is  your biggest struggle in Fairbanks?  what
is your favorite thing about this area?

Getting good relationships with the members. Helping them be more
missionary minded. I love the less actives here, they are so great. A
lot of them tell us what they need help with, we just need the active
members to support us.

10.  Did you get your packages yet?  How did you like them?  The capt.
Moroni one?  Did you use any of them with kids there?  If so tell us
about it.

I got the capt. Moroni one, yes. I loved it. I used the swords for a
lesson we taught to one of our young investigators. It was a very
successful lesson, they loved it. Thank you! I related the swords to
obedience. I showed the kids how the swords are always pointing up
when they hold them, meaning they are pointing to God because He is
above us. We are supposed to hold to the word of God, which at one
point in the scriptures is related to as a sword. I told them as we
are obedient to Heavenly Father, we will be protected by reading our
scriptures. It was fun :) Hopefully this all makes sense...

Be sure to tell me how the trip to Africa went! Hopefully y'all made
it there safe and sound :)

Traveling by Train

Hello friends and family!

I am sorry for not writing a good letter last week, I did not have a
whole lot of time to write a decent one. Reason why I am writing an
e-mail today is because yesterday we went on a train ride for p-day.
It was from eight in the morning 'till eight at night. It was from
Fairbanks to the Denali national park. You ride on the train four
hours, there and back, which is why it takes so long. It normally
costs 100$ per person one way, but we were able to get a deal to go
for free! A member in one of the wards here blessed us with that :)
Everyone in our zone except for one companionship went. We took tons
of pictures, it was beautiful. The problem with taking pictures in
Alaska is that they never do it justice, Alaska is an experience, a
place you have to see with your own eyes. On the way down we just
enjoyed the ride, took pics, and ate breakfast - we brought our own.
Once we got there, we went on a hike. It was a really easy hike, we
just went to a small lake and took more pictures there. We hiked back,
walked around the park for a little bit, and then went on the train
ride back. We played some songs for all of the people who were on the
train, sang a lot of hymns (got to do your missionary work!) and at
the end of the ride, we all sang 'God be with you 'till we meet
again.' It was so sweet.

Fairbanks is doing awesome. We are having a missionary fireside this
Sunday for all of Fairbanks. We are going to have four musicals and
three speakers: Pres. Beesley (our mission president), Pres. DuVal
(our stake president) and a recent convert of about four months. It is
going to be so awesome, hopefully it helps spark the missionary work
here! President will be coming up Thursday night with the APs so we
will probably find out what is going on with transfers Friday if not
that night. We will also be most likely driving down to Anchorage next
Monday or Tuesday for transfers, so if I do not e-mail on Monday, that
is why.

My studies have been going awesome these last few weeks. I have been
learning so much and always love studying out of the scriptures. There
are tons of things I want to share with y'all, some of it is so cool!
I found tho, that my most edifying studies are the ones I do out of
Preach My Gospel, probably because that is one that is the most
applicable right now. It is always a solid study when I base it off
that.

Know that I love each and everyone of you! Sorry to the people whom I
have not written back yet, I have not had the most time on the p-days
to write a decent letter back! Sorry!

Love,

Elder Hartman

1.  What was the best thing that happened to you this week?

Probably the train ride we did yesterday for p-day, it was a blast! I
took tons of videos and pictures. It was just what I needed. The
scenery was breath taking along with the gorgeous weather on top of
it. The thing with Alaska is that it is an experience, pictures will
never do it justice.

2.  When are your next transfers?

Next week. We are having a missionary fireside on Sunday, however, to
help spark the work here in Fairbanks. Pres. and the APs are coming up
on Thursday, so we will know where we are going by then most likely. I
am always so anxious to find out.

3.  You had a ZLC last week. What was the theme?  What did you learn?
When is your next zone conference?  Do you decide the topic?  What is
it going to be on?

I would not say there was a 'theme' really, just discussed how the
zones are doing and the mission overall. It was Zone Leader Council,
not Zone Conference, just in case you got them mixed up ;) our next
Zone Conference is probably going to be late August or early
September, not quite sure yet.

4.  You said you really like your zone right now. Why?  Do you have
sisters in it?  What do you do as a zone?

We do have sisters in our zone, just one companionship; Sis. Chan, who
is from Hong Kong, China, total Yellow; and Sis. Burbank, who is from
Bountiful, Utah.

5.  what did you end up doing on the 4th of July?

Going to a BBQ and a family house party. It was delicious :) got a
good taste of some quality southern grillin'.

6.  Are you teaching anyone right now?

Yes, a lot of kids actually, which can be a little tricky at times. It
is incredibly hard to teach really simple - on a level that a child
can understand. We have about...five investigators in our teaching
pool right now I want to say.

7.  Did you do anything fun this week?  Tell us about it.

The train ride on p-day. I wrote you a letter actually, I sent it
yesterday, not quite sure when it will get to you, but I elaborated on
it a little bit in that :)

8.  What are you doing for pday?

The train ride haha :)

9.  How are you doing with your companions this week?  ( i love your
attitude and how you work on yoursellf)

Doing really well, we are getting along and things are going well. I
still have a lot of things I need to work on, so still being refined I
guess is how you could put it :)

10. How are you on meds?

Great :) do not need a refill yet.

11.  Please send your address so we can google you.

624 Cushmen, I believe...

12.  Did you get your packages?  Which protein bars did you like?  How
did you like the other little packages?

I got one package that I can recall, the one with all of the protein
bars. I really liked the jay bar and the vega sport ones, they were so
good, thank you so much!!! I am not sure if I have already gotten the
'other packages' yet tho...
 

 -Elder Hartman1

Letter to Dad & Questions from Mom

Questions

1.  Tell us about Fairbanks now that you have been there a while.
What do you like?  Dislike?

It is still way too hot. I love the zone and how much our unity is
building. We are still trying to build good relationships the ward
right now, that may take some time. I love the scenery of Fairbanks,
some of the drives are just gorgeous! A place that you definitely have
to visit in the Summer.

2. Tells us about your companions. What color are they?  How ,long
have they been out?  Were they companions before you got there?  I
always hear a threesome is hard. Do you agree?  Why or why not.

I am not 100% sure on their personalities yet, but I think that E.
Na'a is a Blue with Red or Red with Blue. E. Leota is a Yellow with
Blue I believe. E. Na'a has been out for twenty months and E. Leota
has been out for eleven months. They were companions before they got
here, yes. It always depends on your companion, whether or not a trio
is hard. It is tricky with certain things, like having member presents
at lessons or tracting. It is fun tho, an interesting dynamic that is
for sure.

3. Did you move since you got there?  What is your place like?  Do you
know the address yet?

I do not know the address yet, sorry. Yes, we did move, the new place
is so hot, we often sleep without the sheets on at night to stay cool
and have two fans going.

4.  What do you think about Rands idea to shadow someone?

I think it is a great idea, one that I will definitely do when I get
back; I need to decide on what I want to do for a career and I really
think that will help.

5.  What are you doing for the 4th of July?  Anything special?

Not that we know of yet. Probably going to some big activities and
events to get our image out there.

6.  How are the members in your ward? Is it an older or younger ward?
Do they feed you most of the time?

Seems more older. They feed us on and off, more on the off side I
would say. Like I said earlier: we are still building our
relationships with them.

7. How is it going for you with no nights  - mostly all sunshine?  It
was 102 here today!  Are you adjusting to the hot weather there?

Trying to adjust to the hot weather still, I have no idea how I will
survive in the desert of Utah, but we will cross that bridge when we
come to it. It is not problem sleeping at night, I usually go to bed
really tired anyways :)

8.  What was the funniest thing you did this week?

It usually takes too long to write out some of the funny things that
happen during the weeks. I will have to tell you all of the funny
stories when I get back - plus I cannot think of anything right now :)

9.  Do you have any questions for us?

It is hard for me to focus right now because I am e-mailing at the
mission home and other missionaries are talking, so I do not have any
questions at the moment.

10.  Did you get the packages we sent?  The one with the protein bars
- be sure and tell us which ones you like if you want more of them.

They were sent up to Fairbanks last week, but we are in Anchorage
right now for ZLC, so I will get them when we go back :)

 

 

Dear Dad -

This transfer has been an interesting one, it was very challenging at
first due to cultural differences, but now, after studying the Christ
Like attribute of Charity and love, it has been so much better.

The biggest lesson that I have learned from you - and hands down the
most important in my opinion - is to not make life about yourself, but
to make life about others. After doing my best to embrace that (still
much room for improvement) it has made the biggest difference in the
world.

I am always praying for you and for a speedy recovery for you, it is
always so nice to hear about your health returning rapidly, I hope you
get to go back to Africa soon and get back to work, they need you out
there.

A cool experience I had the other night while praying; during my
personal prayer before I retired to bed, I was thanking Heavenly
Father for all of the blessings in my life and doing my best to
recognize His hand in this work. As I kept on praying, a little vision
went thro my mind. You and I were up at our cabin in Sundance -
probably my most favorite place in the world - just out walking
enjoying the weather. It was a clear blue sky day and we were out at
the park down the street where the kids often to play. You and I
walked there and sat down and just started talking about our missions
and the things we learned. I have a big regret: not having those
conversations with you and not being nearly as considerate to you in
times past as I should have been. I have learned from my mistakes now
tho and could never thank you enough for the invaluable lessons you
have taught me in my life. I look forward to having those awesome
conversations with you and just talking about anything and everything
with you - the best dad in the world. I look forward to those days
where just you and I are kicking it, it will be such a blast :) I love
you dad!

Hello everyone,

First thing: when mailing stuff up here do NOT use the P O box. I
guess the postal service gets mad when mail is sent there. Sis.
Campbell, one of the senior couples who works in the office, called
and told me.

Yes, I am still a ZL, hopefully for not too much longer tho, I like
just being a normal missionary and being able to really focus on the
area that I am serving in. We have four exchanges lined up for this
week. They are only going to be 1-8 pm exchanges because we have so
many trainers and want to see how they are all doing before we go down
to Anchorage for ZLC again so we have an update to give.

This week was a little rough, we did two exchanges so time was not on
our side. The highlight of it was when we went OYMing at the festival
for the Summer Solastace. I managed to talk to I think 40+ people. I
really do not know if that is good for an hour and a half of trying to
talk to people, it was pretty much my third or fourth time
legitimately doing it, but it was a blast nonetheless. Gave away a lot
of Mormon.org cards and some pamphlets. I am sure my approaches were
aweful, but I did manage to meet some wonderful people. I was also
used to rejection very quickly as well. Some buddhist woman took out a
crab and started chanting something at us, we figured she was not
interested :)

Life is going good, loving my mission; growing closer to Christ every
day, some days better than others. I have had some real spiritual
experiences while writing in my journal lately. There are a lot of
entries I will have to show ya'll, I love looking back on them and am
so grateful I have kept a journal. There are so many things I have
forgotten so quickly, but when I read back over that passage, the
memory is refreshed :)

Love ya'll, thank you again!

Love,
 -Elder Hartman1

=========================================================

1.  Did you talk to Elder Kolicker again?  Too bad you didn't know he
came from Africa.

No, I did not. I did know he came from Africa actually and he even
mentioned he knew both of ya'll haha, sorry, forgot to mention that in
the last letter I think ;)


2.  Are you still a zone leader?  I am assuming because you had to go
for zone leadership training to Anchorage. By the way how did you get
there?  Fly? Drive?  How long did it take to get there?

Yes ma'am I am. We drove down to Anchorage, beautiful drive, loved it.
It takes about six hours to drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks. I have
some pics, but I keep forgetting either my camera or my little chord
connector thingy or both. I will probably end up showing you all of
the awesome pics after my mission haha.


3.  What was the best thing that happened this week?

When we went OYMing. It felt so good to be out and doing my part in
inviting others to come unto Christ. I felt really accomplished that
day.


4.  How are you liking Fairbanks now?  What do you like about it?
What don't you like?

I like it. It is super hot up here tho, way too hot; it got up to I
think 87 degrees the other day while we were tracting, I felt as if I
was going to pass out. I am, however, getting a nice tan again :)


5. Did you get to participate in the summer solustice?  If so tell us about it.

No unfortunately, but a fun fact: there is a contest to see who has
the best outfit, we did not get to see a whole lot unfortunately
because we were not there during the evening. I talked to a storm
trooper and a Sith Lord, it was sweet :)


6.  How are the companionships going?  Why are you in a threesome for
so long?  Isn't that unusual?

They seem to be going really well, everyone seems to be getting along
from what we can see. I have no idea why I am in a trio for so long,
it is weird to think this is my third one in a row - not due to
anything I have done I assure you ;) It is unusual to be in a trio, I
know that President does not like trios all that much. I think this
next transfer this trio will change.


7. Where are you living?  It sounded like a members home. How is it
there?  Describe you apt.

We were living with members, but now we are living in our own place
now. It is way too hot inside of it, we sleep with out any sheets and
two fans going.


8.  Did you know Brad Davis?  I told you last week we were supposed to
see him this week in Angola.  Did you know about Ashley?

I did not know about Brad - I know who he is, really nice guy.
 I knew Ashley wanted to serve a mission - I had no idea she got her
call tho! That is so exciting! Try and get her address for me so I can
congragulate her. It is a shame I will not get to see her before she
leaves...


9.  The Woods said "the church is truer in Fairbanks". Do you agree or
disagree. By the way did you tell the people there hello from them?
Remember he was the stake president there that we told you about.

I have no opinion regarding the matter. I have not told the people
hello from the woods here yet, I apologize. I totally forgot he was
the Stake Pres. up here.


10.  What was the most spiritual thing that has happened in Fairbanks?
 Tell us about it.

I am not sure if you mean for the zone or for the companionship we are
in. I cannot think of the most spiritual thing that has happened for
Fairbanks this week, but I did have a very spiritual experience
writing in my journal. There are a lot of journal entries I have to
show you, they would take too long writing out or talking about.

- -Elder Hartman1

Father's Day & A Week In The Life of A Missionary

Dear Dad - 

Well, as you know dad it was Father's day yesterday. I just wanted to
let you know how incredibly awesome you are as a dad. You always were
so much fun to be with and would always make light of the situation. I
loved how you just had fun everywhere you went. There is a missionary
out here, Elder Tonga who is a total Yellow, thro and thro - always
laughing, just loves to have fun everywhere he goes. He reminds me so
much of you, I hope I get to serve with him on my mission.

One thing I am grateful that you taught me was to put 20% of the money
I receive aside for savings and tithing. I remembered one conversation
you were having with someone a few years back where you mentioned
this; they were wondering why you did that and were a little perplexed
at it even. You just simply stated 'once I get the check, I
immediately put twenty percent aside. It is a habit that I have
developed and have never looked back on it.' How true that is. Once I
would get my checks, I would instantly ask you to take out twenty
percent for tithing and savings. I will admit: I always say that with
a little bit of pride when I am on the subject of it with members,
missionaries, whoever it may be. It is one of the teachings of my
wonderful father that will stay with me for the rest of my life and
will definitely be passed down to my children one day.

One thing that I have been trying to work on lately is speaking from
the heart. I have to tell you, it has been so hard, being a WHITE I do
not like to show my emotions that much, but I do know that it is
something necessary to do every now and then. Thro the trial of you
being sick, it has really humbled me to rely and put my faith in
Heavenly Father. This trial really gave me a testimony to always have
faith in God, regardless of the situation. I love you so much dad, I
will never be able to thank you enough for everything you have done
for me and the example you have been to me in my life. I love you!

Love,

 -Elder Hartman1

=======================================================
Greetings from Alaska,

Writers block, writers block, writers block; I heard that if you
write/type 'writers block' three times, you get out of the rut you are
in. It seemed to work alright. I always struggle with starting out
letters.

I am going to try a new format this week, to send my letter in.

Monday:

It was p-day, mainly involved sports, shopping, and building some good
zone unity. There is a lot of trainers and trainees up here, so we are
still working out exchanges. We played basketball for sports, I
managed to write one letter...still really behind on those.

Tuesday:

This day was a little rough; we had a lot of lessons set up and pretty
much all of them fell thro; that is always a little aggravating, at
least we know we did our part tho! I had a great study that day tho, I
focused primarily on Dispensations and used the Old Testament Student
manual to help me out, I love learning and studying - never thought I
would ever say that in my life. I did also realize that day tho that I
need to study out of the Book of Mormon a lot more, I am studying out
of the Bible way too much - not that it is bad or anything, but the
Book of Mormon is what we use primarily to teach and clarifies
teachings in the Bible. We also had district meeting, it was pretty
good, one of the companionship's in the district has to call in, that
is always a little hard to work around.

Wednesday:

We traveled down to Anchorage for Zone Conference. We also got to go
to the temple to see one of Elder Na'as recent converts go thro and
receive his endowments - he is getting ready to go on a mission.  I
love going to the temple, it is so much fun and such a huge spiritual
feast, I get so tired during the first part of the session. We spent
the night at the Ap's apartment; it was alright, they had these blow -
up mattresses that were as hard as a rock, so we just slept on the
floor, it was nice.

Thursday:

Zone conference today. There was a General Authority visiting the
mission: Elder Koelliker, a member of the first quorum of the seventy
- he spoke in general conference. Before Zone Conference, all of the
Zone Leaders met with him and Pres. to have a council on how things
are going in the mission. It was really enlightening, the Lord knows
who He chooses to help build up His kingdom here on earth. At one
point in the meeting, he (Elder Koelliker) said 'the Lord likes us
(general authorities) to be independent - to stand alone.' It was
really interesting, but made a lot of sense. Zone conference itself
was good. After that, we went and saw Paul, the recent convert who
went to the hospital shortly after he was baptized, he seemed to be
doing good, should have received the priesthood yesterday, I was so
happy for him. Then went and visited some members in the Tongan ward,
where Elder Na'a served.

Friday:

Pretty much drove back up from Anchorage. We went to the temple again
in the morning, for the whole zone. It was so awesome, but I was SO
tired that day. I love the temple.

Saturday:

We did a zone tract, it was so much fun; testifying of Christ is the
best part about being a missionary. We talked to a lot of people,
found some great potential investigators, and overall just had a
blast. For the last part of my mission, I want to just be a Senior
companion so I can more focus on missionary work and not have as much
stewardship over people. I love missionary work :)

Sunday:

Saw Jill again, gave me an update on dad, that was so relieving. We
did service at a less actives house for a while, mainly helped sort
thro laundry and unpack boxes. We ate dinner at a members home shortly
afterwards. I thought the couple was married, so I addressed them as
mom and dad at one point in the dinner and was wondering why the dad
was not responding. Come to find out they are brother and sister, that
was pretty interesting, hopefully we have dinner there again soon!

We are going to be traveling down to Anchorage again in about two
weeks - this will make three times in one transfer...it has been a
little difficult, the weeks we go down we only have two or three
legitimate proselyting days in our area, but this whole week we can
focus on our area, yay! We have exchanges tonight with Delta Junction,
an area that is an hour away. This will be a kool experience.

It is crazy to think how fast time goes by. I am really going to have
to start considering a career and such. I am pretty sure Physical
Therapist, but we will have to see what the future holds. I do not
want my mission to end, I like just having one purpose to focus on;
spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. I do know that I have awesome
family back home and will have a lot of support, thank goodness.
Anyways, thank you again everybody for your support. I love you!

Quick Note

Hello everyone,

I apologize, I have been a little distracted this past week. Thank you
everyone for the updates on dad, they really help. Quite a big scare
if I must say so myself.

Fairbanks is awesome; way too hot tho, it was 75 the other day, I was
going to die, I could barely stand it. It is interesting serving with
two polys, a whole new dynamic to the companionship really, very
different from my last one. I definitely have to be more relaxed with
a lot of things and choose my battles more carefully. It has been
really enriching tho and I am grateful for it. The zone itself is
really cool, everyone seems to have a great relationship with one
another, I really like it.

I did see Jill the other day at church (I am in her ward). I almost
walked right past her until she said 'hey TJ', totally threw me off. I
did not recognize her! She gave me a hug, 

and said it was from mom - thank you! It is kind of weird to
have family in the ward you are serving in, but I guess it is also a
good thing I do not know them all that well so I can stay more
focused.

Thank you again everyone for the updates and such, it helps. I will
talk to y'all next week :)

Love,
  -Elder Hartman1