Week 4

Hey friends and family!!

Kay so I've only got like ten minutes left to email, so I'll hurry and talk about as much as I can in that amount of time!!

So I'm serving down here in Valentine, Nebraska, which is just about as far south from the mission home as you can get! A lot of our area is on a Native American reservation (but not all of it), so we talk with the Natives a lot. They're an interesting group of people. My very first lesson ever in the field was taught to a guy who was smoking pot and taking shots of vodka right in front of us with a bunch of other drugs spread out on the table haha. He was talking about all kinds of crazy stuff like aliens and other weird things, so we did our best to get out of there as fast as possible. Natives aren't exactly the most friendly people. Some of them are pretty nice, but others just aren't the most social sort of person.

I'm serving in a trio right now, which is kind of a fun thing. I like one of my trainers a lot, and the other one is kind of a strange guy, but it's okay. He does his best and he's obedient, so that's good.

It's been super cold here! It's not so bad as other places down here in Nebraska, but we've gone up to Pierre a couple times for a few different things, and it's super cold up there and in Bismarck! I don't think I'll ever really get used to the cold, I'll just have to do my best to deal with it until summer comes haha.

Man, time is flying! I've only got a couple minutes left, so I'll just close by saying that I miss you all tons and I appreciate all the letters and prayers. I'm sorry if I couldn't get around to responding to everyone's emails this week, time has been super tight! But we're getting smartphones in around a month or so, so that'll help with the amount of time we have to email, we only get an hour in the library. I love you all and I'm super excited to finally be out teaching the gospel!

Love,

Elder Hart

They are Here! Our new missionaries have arrived

Dear Parents,

Just a note to let you know your missionaries arrived here in the North Dakota Bismarck Mission safe and sound. Attached you will find your missionary in our group of new arriving missionaries, and one with their trainer, in front of the Bismarck North Dakota Temple.

You are invited to join the Mission Facebook page, where we post pictures from our mission, just let us know that you want to join.

We want to let you know we already love your missionary and look forward to getting to know them better.

Sincerely,

Sister McCarthy

And all the North Dakota Bismarck Missionaries

Facebook Name:

North Dakota Bismarck Missionaries

Week 3

Hey friends and family!

Wow, I can’t believe another week has gone by already! This week has flown by so fast I can’t even believe it. It feels like I just got to the MTC a couple days ago, but at the same time I feel like I can barely even remember life before it. It’s a super weird feeling for sure, but either way I definitely don’t feel ready to leave! I’m kinda jealous of the kids who get to stay for six or nine weeks because they’re learning a language, cause I definitely feel like I could use a couple extra weeks before I go out into the field! But I’m also excited to get started on teaching and helping bring people to the gospel, and there’s no way I’ll be able to do that if I never leave the MTC. I just hope that I get a good trainer that I can get along with, that would make everything so much easier!

It’s been a good week though. We learned a lot in our last week of classes and TRC appointments that helped us to become better teachers, so I’m feeling pretty good about where I am for only being three weeks in. I’m sure it’ll be a lot different teaching a actual investigators out in North Dakota, but hopefully when I get there I won’t be completely useless to my trainer for the first couple weeks. We also had some good devotionals — I can’t even remember what most of them were about haha, but I know that they were good. The one last Tuesday was all about the Book of Mormon, and the seventy that was speaking showed us a little sneak peek of the Book of Mormon videos that are going to be coming out over the course of the next five years. They look so cool, I can’t wait to have the chance to see/use some of them!

Other than that, not too much worth mentioning happened this week. I just can’t believe my time in the MTC is already over! I keep trying to think of other things to tell you guys about, but that’s what my mind keeps coming back to. I know that I’ll come to love my mission eventually, probably a lot more than I liked the MTC, but for now, I’d be just fine with finishing out the rest of my two years here ;) But I’ve got faith that everything will work out as long as God is helping me through it. Keep me in your prayers everyone!

Love you all,

Elder Hart

                                       

Week 2

Hey friends and family!!

Another crazy week has passed here at the MTC! Haha there's so much I want to say that I don't even know where to start. Life on a mission definitely isn't easy... I haven't even gone into the field yet and I already do that. We're busy teaching and learning almost every second of every day, and it gets exhausting pretty quick. In a good way for sure though! I've learned so much during these last two weeks that I almost feel like a different person in a way. Like even looking back to the few days after I got here and the lessons we started out teaching, I can't believe how far our whole district has come. I feel almost like a real missionary now haha.

The two mock investigators we taught last week were named Melissa and Tara. They were both pretty obviously members, but it was still an awesome experience to be able to teach them, and both accepted the invitation to be baptized last week when Elder Neve and I offered it. This week is super different though. Our first investigator is named Isaiah. We were supposed to have a twenty-five minute lesson with him yesterday, but the girls who taught him before us went thirteen minutes over, so we only got to talk to him for twelve minutes! Which was super frustrating, because we felt like the lesson was going super well and that we could have gotten to know him and his needs a lot better if we'd had the full time to teach him. But our second investigator is super interesting. Her name is Oogii (pronounced like Auggie) and she's a Buddhist from Mongolia. I was kind of freaking out when we got the referral email and that's what it said about her in her bio, but we planned a lesson for her anyway and just prayed that things would go well. So we were telling one of our teachers, Sister Clark, about this girl, and it turns out that she's her roommate! She's a real non-member who took the missionary discussions at home but decided that she didn't want to meet with them anymore. Sister Clark convinced her to at least go to the MTC and take the discussions from the missionaries there, which she agreed to do, so we've got our first real investigator on our hands! Sister Clark came with us yesterday, which was good, kinda like having a member present. We had a lesson planned about the Restoration, but that went out the window pretty quick as we got into a discussion about our Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. She has a big problem with the idea of God having a body. She thinks that He's all around us and that he wouldn't just send a 'messenger' to do His work for Him. So we talked for forty-five minutes about the Holy Ghost and the different ways that He's benefited our own lives, and we think it went really well. We invited her to pray and ask God to help her to know what the Holy Ghost feels like, which she agreed to do. We're hoping to get her into the Book of Mormon next time. 

Alright, enough about our investigators! Haha sorry, that probably got really boring to read towards the end. Everything else is going really well too. The hardest part in my life right now is the anticipation of going out to North Dakota next Wednesday, but even that's not too bad. I guess I'm less nervous to do that than I am to leave my district, cause we've all become pretty good friends over the past couple weeks. Since we're all going to different missions, I'm not going to be seeing any of them for a long time (if ever) after next Wednesday, so that's gonna be kinda sad. But I'm not worrying about that for now. I've got a week left to learn everything I can and be as ready as possible to start doing the real work once I get to North Dakota!

It's gotten really tough to work with Elder Neve. I'm trying to do better on not being prideful and working as well as I can with my companion, but it's so hard sometimes! I just feel like he doesn't want to listen to what investigators are saying and help them with their own lives, he just wants to give the lesson we prepared and get out of there. It's not that he doesn't care, I just feel like he doesn't quite grasp how to adapt a lesson plan to fit somebody's specific needs. But a lot of it is also my problem. During our first few lessons that we gave together, I probably talked for 75% of the time between the two of us, which is really bad. We've worked a lot this week on making sure that we each contribute a fairly equal amount to the lesson. It's definitely a good experience for me to go through so early on in the mission, because I'm sure that more difficult companions are ahead that I'm going to have to work even harder on getting along with. 

The food's still pretty good. We had Papa John's again on Friday, which is always good, and then we had Taco Bell last night; pretty sure they have different fast food places cater every Monday night. Other than that it's just normal food, but it's always good. 

Oh and before I forget, I was talking to one of the guys in our zone yesterday who's leaving today for the field, and one of his really good friends was Elder Robbins! (For anyone who doesn't know, Elder Robbins is one of the missionaries who's serving in Curitiba right now). So Mom or Dad, next time you see him, tell him that I met Elder Heaton in the MTC! 

I twisted my ankle pretty bad playing basketball on Wednesday. I thought it was no big deal at first and just kept walking on it, but it stiffened up pretty bad after I sat in class for a couple hours, and I was hobbling around big time for the rest of the day! It probably took three times as long to get anywhere haha, but Elder Neve was really patient with me. We ended up going back to the residence for a few minutes so that I could put some ice on it and take some ibuprofen, and it was feeling a lot better by dinner. I was definitely blessed a lot, because the way it was hurting only a few hours earlier, there's no way it should have been alright that fast.

I've done a ton of personal study this week on a whole bunch of different topics. I've been reading Jesus the Christ, which is super interesting, but I've been mostly trying to understand the doctrine of Christ better since our purpose as missionaries is to help others come unto Him by applying that doctrine to their lives. I think I had a little bit of revelation last night or something, and I came up with an analogy that I feel like helps me to understand it a lot better. I'll include some pictures of the little diagram I drew up just for fun. Maybe it won't make any sense to anyone, but it at least helps me to understand what my purpose is a little better. God truly does bless those who diligently seek knowledge, I feel like I understand so many things better that I was pretty clueless on a couple weeks ago! If we just keep studying the scriptures and praying to find truth, I know that our Heavenly Father will bless us with answers to whatever questions we have.

Love you all lots,

Elder Hart

First email!

Hello to my wonderful family! (And anyone else who may be reading this email)

I just want to start by saying that I’m loving the MTC! I’ve got a ton to get through, but before I tell you about everything I just want everyone to know that I’m doing real well, so don’t worry about me! The power of prayer must be playing a huge role in my life. 

I’ve got an awesome district, everyone in it is great in their own way. Well at least the elders. We don’t spend a ton of time with the sisters, but they all seem nice. My companion is Elder Neve (NEEV). Me and him are really different. He’s not someone I’d be friends with outside the MTC, and sometimes he’s hard for me to understand; he talks with a pretty heavy stutter. Not that that matters at all, I just want you to be able to picture what he’s like. I think he may have some kind of challenge with learning or something, but I’m totally not sure about that. Sometimes he just seems like he’s maybe 12 or 13 instead of 19. But don’t get me wrong, he’s a great companion! He loves the Lord a lot and he can have some great insights when we’re preparing lessons and giving them to ‘investigators’. The other companionships are Elder Miller with Elder Teichert (TY-KERT) and Elder Borders with Elder Benson. Elder Miller was a football player in high school and stuff, so he can get kinda cocky sometimes, but he’s got a pretty strong testimony and he’s a fun guy to hang around with. Elder Teichert is probably the most similar to me as far as knowledge in gospel doctrine. He’s a super good missionary and he’s really smart, so it’s good to have someone like him around. Elder Borders is probably my best friend in the district. He’s a convert to the church and he’s been through some pretty tough stuff, but he managed to turn his life around and now he really wants to be a good missionary. I think sometimes he looks to me for a little bit of strength, and we’ve been able to become pretty close over the past week. Elder Benson is a super funny guy, but he knows how to be a good missionary too. They’re a group of really cool guys, so I’m grateful to have them in my district.

The food has been pretty good. They’ve had Papa John’s cater before, and Chick Fil A catered today, so those have definitely been the best, but it’s always good. 

We have two teachers, named Brother Harris and Sister Clark. We all really like both of them, they’re great teachers in different ways. They’re both pretty young, like early 20’s. We’re learning a lot about how to teach from them, and I think our who,r district has come really far in the past week.

We’re teaching 3 mock investigators right now. Melissa, Tara, and Tyler. Melissa and Tara are part of a program called TRC. I already totally forgot what that stands for, but it’s a more real experience than with Tyler. They may actually be real non-members. They hire both members and non-members to be investigators for TRC, so we really don’t know, but they definitely seem real, and we had some pretty great experiences with both of them yesterday. It’s awesome to learn how to teach by the Spirit and be able to help others feel that same Spirit. Tyler is just Brother Harris posing as an investigator, but it’s really cool because Brother Harris is a convert and he’s playing himself from like six years ago. Tyler doesn’t believe in God, and our first lesson with him yesterday was really tough. Me and Elder Neve are gonna try and figure out how to help him feel the Spirit tomorrow when we teach him again, we just really want to help him feel God’s love! I know, I’m getting way too into this since these guys are just fake investigators, but it feels so real! And I think that’s the whole point of it, so I’m going to just keep treating it like it’s a totally real situation. 

I miss you guys a lot, but I know this is where I’m supposed to be and I’ve been really happy so far! It’s hard for sure, but the thing I’m most nervous for is when I leave for North Dakota in a couple weeks. I’d almost be okay with just staying at the MTC for two years and meeting with investigators here haha. But I also know that it’ll be alright and I’ll be able to be happy there too. 

Sunday was definitely the toughest day. We had meetings and devotionals non-stop for like twelve hours — literally, since it was fast Sunday and the only meal we ate was dinner! The way I learn best is through action, not lectures, so it was really hard to sit through all that, but things got a lot better after dinner. Noteworthy from BYU came for the nighttime devotional, so that was pretty cool, and then we went and watched the Joseph Smith movie, which is always great. 

I’ve learned so many amazing things in my study of the scriptures this week, but the one I want to share with you guys is in Luke 24, when the resurrected Christ appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. Starting with verse 13: 

13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.

14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?

18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.

25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.

29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.

30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.

32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

I admire the faith of those two disciples so much. Even with their eyes veiled so they were not able to perceive that Christ was the man that walked with them, they felt their hearts burn within them as He taught, and when it came time for him to depart, they instead called to him: “Abide with us! For it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” They did not know who He was, but they knew that they loved the feeling they had when He was near, and so they begged Him to stay a little longer. I hope that I would be able to have that same faith if the Savior came and spoke with me as my eyes were veiled, and as He turned to walk away, I hope I’d cry out with the same vigor, “Abide with me! For it is toward evening, and the day is far spent!” Friends and family, during these latter days — the evening of the one great day that makes up the history of the world — we need the Savior to abide with us in our lives more than at any other point in the entirety of time. I hope we’re able to always keep Him in our lives.

I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I love Them more than I have in my whole life, and I hope that it’s a love that will be able to continue to grow throughout the rest of my mission and my whole life after that.

I love you all!

Elder Hart

Left to right: Elder Neve, Elder Hart, Elder Borders, Elder Benson,
Elder Miller, Elder Teichert