Letter #1 from Ryan. 02.17.14

Hey Everyone!

Thank you so much for all of the letters! They make my day! But send me your addresses so I can send hand written letters.  Man it's crazy! First week in the MTC and I already love being a missionary. But the crazy thing is I'm not getting the same MTC experience as everyone else. Because I technically don't have a companion.  You see there was  supposed to be two tagolog speakers that were supposed to report on Wednesday. Me and someone else, for whatever reason the person didn't report. So it was just me. The way they organize you in the MTC is by the language your learning, so they assigned me to a zone/district thats already been here for a couple of weeks. But in a way thats awesome because during my language classes its only me and the instructor. All of the tagolog speakers here, call me "the Chosen One" because they think I'm spoiled because I'm the only tagolog speaker that reported. So I really have a private tutor teaching me tagalog, and he served in my mission/area so thats awesome.  The missionaries they assigned me to, are awesome! They are Elder Ritter and Elder Rodgeres.  They technically are my companions but we have different schedules so sometimes I am BY MYSELF FOR HOURS AT TIMES. It's definitely a challenge. For whatever reason I've been blessed with this challenge, and I dont know why. But all I can do is just show  the Lord that I can be a perfectly obedient missionary when I'm by myself.


But its so awesome! I joined the MTC choir and there is literally 600 people in the choir.  We sang at the sunday fireside, Elder Bednar was THERE!!!!!!! He wasn't the main speaker, his son was. He spoke about Joseph Smith, and gave me a whole new perspective of how incredible of a man he was and what he had to through.

  Please update me on how the olympics are going. GO AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!! I heard we beat Russia in hockey?! and when does bobsledding start? and how are my cougars doing?! Both BYU and Del Campo? and I would ask about the future world champions the Kings, but Chad wrote me saying how they lost.... So I already know the answer to that one.

 I took pictures, forgot to put them on my memory card so you'll have to wait one more week for those. But I see so many people from school, even my companion Elder Ritter,  went to BYU.  I knew him because we lived in the same dorm hall. But it's so hard to see so many people you know and not call them by their first name. I have to call them Elder or Sister. And the rule is that you can't call the elders "dudes or guys" so its an adjustment.  The MTC food isn't bad, I like it. But I'm trying not to gain  20 pounds while I am here.

Stew and Hayley, thank you so much for the cinnamon rolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They literally were a life saver. All of the guys in my room also thank you too, they said you guys are the best.  Hayley if you want to manage the blog, then I would love you too!! I've seen your blog skills so you have complete artistic freedom with it.

Which reminds me, PLEASE SEND FOOD!! I desperately need snacks, we eat  at awkward times in the day so you're always starving when you go to bed.

I learned how to pray and say my testimony in Tagolog which so sweet. My first lesson made me kinda jealous of all the missionaries that are speaking English haha.  Tagolog is extremely hard to learn, but  the structure of the language is actually way more simpler than english. If I've learned anything, it's that English is such a complicated language. 

Everyone give me your personal email, so I can write you guys personal messages.

But I love you all and

Alam ko po na unang propeta po si Joseph Smith sa panahon natin.

Alam ko po na totoo po ang Aklat ni Momron.

Nagpapasalmat po inyo para ebanghelyo at Jesucristo.

Until next week

Your Elder,

Elder Hernandez