Week 6

Nimen da ja hao! (thanks for the email correcting my chinese mom... but really) 

This last week has been pretty good! I've started to SYL a lot (which is speak your language, it just means speak your language all the time) so now pretty much all of my conversations with my district and stuff are in Chinese. It's pretty awesome. 

Also I'm so excited for Christmas! I believe we get Christmas off, we still have devotionals and possibly a movie and stuff but no actual class time! Whoo! Christmas break is one day! And also I think a general authority comes to talk to us which will be awesome. I'm getting closer and closer to my departure date and I'm so excited! also Sean is coming soon and I'm super excited to see him too! We'll be in the same zone and building and have the same schedule and everything so I'll be able to see him a lot and show him the ropes of the MTC (and also all of the secret passages... ha no just kidding I wish). 

I've taught a lot of people I know during TRC! We have TRC on Saturday mornings, and it's just when we teach volunteers who know Chinese for about 20 minutes. I've taught Chad and his family and Bj's brother and mom. It's been cool to see them and be able to speak a little bit of Chinese to them. I've also been able to see Elder Crowley and Elder Sumner a good amount, at one point we were all here at the same time and got a few pictures together! It was awesome. Elder Crowley left to Florida yesterday morning and on Sunday night, I was able to say goodbye. He's going to be awesome. 

Man it just feels good to be out here! I think I've slowly come to really enjoy it, even the hard days. 2 Corinthians 12:10 and 1 Nephi 20:10 are kind of my attitude. I really like those scriptures. Oh and thank you all for your support, I feel so loved. Just yesterday I received 5 letters/packages! I truly am surrounded by some amazing people and I'm thankful to all of you for helping me along the way and inspiring me. 

I'm happy here and I'm so glad to have this opportunity. Whoever is reading this and thinking about going on a mission, you should go. It's only been 6 weeks and I feel I've grown and learned a lot already. I love you all, very much. Love, 

Elder Hagedorn



PIcture Time:

The brotherhood (almost) reunited!

Caroline made me an awesome Christmas tree and ornaments too! Loooooooovve heeeerr

On our temple walk we found a big snowball, like for snowmen. Elder Collard (in picture) picked it up and threw it on the ground. We were not, however, aware of a security guard just around the corner and so he chewed Elder Collard out (he was kind of mean but it's ok) and so this is Elder Collard's shame after. I think I captured it well.

The beautiful MTC!

Monday night December 17th! My district minus Elder Price and Elder Hopper. Love the snow!

A picture from Tess's little sister! Thanks Tennyson! You're the best 

Week 5

Week 5

Nimen hao mei ge ren! This last week has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Some days I've been kinda pooped and tired and other days I've felt like a total boss. The schedule is getting a bit dreary, its rote consistency I think could drive a man crazy. I've been doing the exact same thing everyday, during the same times and at the same place, in the same chair even. Kind of crazy. I feel I am learning a lot though. 


About the gospel and Chinese. A couple days ago, on Sunday, I listened to a talk by David Bednar entitled "The Character of Christ" and it was amazing. It is like an hour and a half long I think but it was really good. Basically the message is when faced with trials and heartache, Jesus turned outward and helped others, while the rest of us would turn inward and think of ourselves. It's only instinctual to turn inward when we have problems. But it made me realize how important it is to think of others and I really am going to work on that until I feel I've improved enough. The past few weeks I've been working on diligence and focus and I think it's really helped. My district has referred to me as Stonewall a few times, because when I start studying I'm in the zone and don't budge when they all start joking around and stuff. I didn't even realize until they pointed it out. It's actually kind of cool how when you focus and work towards something consciously, you really can improve substantially in it. So I'm going to try and work on charity this next while and just love and help other people and turn outward when I would normally want to turn inward. Haha oh geeze I sound like a sappy old missionary already! 


But yes that's what I'm going to work on. Oh I also received another amazing package from Caroline and her amazing mother Cindy! It was camping themed so in it were nuts, a multi tool knife, jerky and other awesome stuff. Thank you so much! Caroline, I'll reply to the next letter I get from you, the last one I have received at this point was the one inside the package. It was an amazing package! My district is so jealous of me. When I receive packages from Caroline, they all freak out and say "your girlfriend's mom even writes you? And her nephew and niece? That's messed up I am so jealous!" hahaha it's so funny. Anyway, those packages are amazing, so thank you. In order to keep my Chinese studies effective, I now have a 5 minute period of time when I learn fun words. So, I've learned pathological, hippie, mop, bladder, gentleman and mysterious. It's like my own special little gift to myself at the end of language study. I find it keeps me awake, sane and entertained. 


Well everybody I am so excited to get out of here and go to Taiwan already! I'm scheduled to leave January 22nd and they also said I can call family when I'm at the airport. So when I get my flight schedule in probably about a month, I'll let you all know when my flight is and around when I'll call. (Caroline you should go to the cafe or house on that day and we can talk for a quick minute) but don't worry about it right now, I'll let you all know when I find out the time for myself. I am doing very well and I'm "enjoying to the end", it's pretty fun here, long but definitely fun. Well I love you all and miss you and pray for you everyday. zai jian wo ci ai de jiating he pengyou men! (hope that Chinese is correct...) 

Picture Time:

My district, "trying to obtain swag" by crowding around me or something. We have fun. 
At the temple on Sunday! Love the snow! 

Week 4

Hello everybody! 

I think I've finally got used to the routine here. And what's more, I'm really enjoying myself. My district gets along very well and we humor each other all the time and make learning Chinese and The Gospel very fun. I think my Chinese has improved very much this past week and feel I can talk very well. 

The only other Elder who is better than me at Chinese is my companion, who spoke before he got here. I'd say I'm almost to the level of the older generation of Chinese missionaries, who have been here 6 weeks longer than I have and leave to their respective missions in less than a week. Not that I'm comparing myself to others, but I compare myself to myself. I know what I'm capable of and when I pray, I pray that the Lord will bless my studies and help me focus. During language instruction, my companion and I are allowed to study whatever Chinese we want while the rest of the class learns more basic principles. It's pretty awesome. 

It can't only be my Chinese background that helps me so much, I never really even spoke. The Spirit really helps me and pushes me along in my studies, I work hard and every minute of the day I'm semi translating in my head and I can really see improvement. I'm loving this and I'm SO excited to go to Taiwan. I've been teaching quite a few different people and it's a really great experience. Every Saturday we teach new people who are usually just volunteers from the church, and quite often native speakers of Taiwan. It's really cool to be able to understand them, for the most part, and be able to communicate back to them. Somehow memorizing words comes easily and in the lessons I teach, the words are easily retrieved. I feel really blessed right now for this amazing opportunity. 

Christmas is coming up and man I am so excited! I love Christmas so much. I won't be able to call home because there simply aren't enough phone lines here at the MTC for every missionary to call, but I think it'll be awesome still. I hope you are all doing well and I pray for you everyday. 

Love, Elder Hagedorn

Picture Time

Always staying sweet.

Christmas lights at the MTC. Yippee!

My district snagging a Christmas photograph!
During District Meeting... 

Elder Kunz. This picture captures the essence of his personality. 

 My companion Elder Cheung. Also him, in essence. We're playing Chinese vocabulary Go Fish by the way.

Elder Kunz was being chased by Elder Collard and jumped down the stairs, but tragically slipped on the landing and went facefirst into the wall. Elder Crowley happened to be strolling along and witnessed this accident. He tells me it was hilarious. We love Elder Kunz. 

My room!

Me and Elder Crowley at the temple on Sunday!

Chess tournaments on P-day. My district loves chess, Chinese missionaries are the smartest...