July 30, 2014

Hey guys!

So this has been one heck of a week here at the MTC. I'm sure to the outside, it's been a week, but in here, it seems like a few months. I've had so much fun, but it has been extremely hard, but it has been worth it. In just this one week, I have spent over six hours each day listening and speaking Swedish. It seems amazing, but I can already have semi-coherent conversations in Swedish. In fact, I have to. On day two, I met Lennart, and me and my companion picked him up as an investigator. He only speaks to us in Swedish, so we have to talk to him in Swedish. It's really hard. I have been blessed every minute since coming here, not with just the gift of tongues, but with an amazing companion: Äldste Smith. He picks up Swedish really easily, and it is a blessing to know such a humble, helpful guy. We feel the Holy Spirit in every meeting we hold, whether it be a sacrament meeting with our branch, or just an impromptu prayer in Swedish for help with the next half hour. It is amazing here. What a wonderful testimony growing experience. It is all a true blessing from God.

My district is relatively small. There is me, Äldster Smith, Bradley, Peterson, Van Alfen, Bouton, Treat, Hemmingsen, Syster Allred (our lone sister), and Eldste Jacobs (the Nord, he's the only Nord in the entire MTC this transfer, so he's with us). Most of the other districts are pretty big, with twenty or so people in them. I really love my entire group. They are all amazing. We have two teachers (besides Lennart): Brother Bush and Brother Marchant. Brother Marchant is just about my favorite man outside of my family ever. He must be a year or two off of his mission, and he has convinced me without trying that being a teacher at the MTC would be amazing. I'll have to think about that in a few years.

Just for a point, I haven't gained any weight yet, despite the chances to. And for Pioneer Day, we didn't do anything. I heard fireworks right before I went to sleep, but nothing else.

One thing that was extremely funny was when we found out that the same girl (who is on her mission in California) was writing both Smith and Van Alfen. So I convinced my entire district to write a letter her. We all did. Ten letters to a girl, and she knows none of us. We basically just weighed in on if she were to date one of the two Äldster, who it would be. It was a big joke, they are all just friends. But we laughed and laughed and laughed...

If anyone has any questions, let me know. I will do my best to answer them.  I hope that you all are doing well. I do want to say that although I love you, I do not even come close to missing you. I hope you are all doing well!

Love,  Äldste Heiner

Where's Sweden?

Me, Äldste Smith, and the Provo Temple.

Our District...

My name tag.