Friday, March 29, 2013

11 DAYS! WHAT?!

Sent: Friday, March 29, 2013 10:51:06 AM
Subject: 11 DAYS! WHAT?!

Familia! Que tal?
Casi estoy terminado con mi tiempo en la CCM! 
Mi espanol esta mejorando cada dia! Y Estoy muy emocionado para salir a Argentina! 
This week was once again filled with so much learning. So much. Oh it snowed last week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Then it got really nice again for the rest of the week...Utah weather is weird.
First of all I wanted to apologize to those who read this who aren't really familiar with missionary or LDS gerund that I use
. I will try to explain it more for those who might be confused. 
I leave in 11 days! Time has gone by SO fast. Some of my best friends from the MTC from my zone leave on Monday and it is hard to see them go. They really have grown to be some of my best friends, but I know they are doing a great work as they leave (some to Mexico and 2 to Arizona).

But last week on friday, I was kind of sick, but it got really bad that day. I thought it would just get better after a day or so, but when it got to tuesday and it was getting worse, I decided to go to the doctor. The doctor said "I'm not sure what it is, but we can try this antibiotic." So that wasn't exactly comforting. But I got a priesthood blessing (mormon.org/priesthood)  that afternoon, and after that point I started to feel better. I also started taking the antibiotics that night which I'm sure helped me to recover too. But I really learned a lot during the time I was sick. It made me realize what a blessing full health is. Heavenly Father doesn't just bless me with full health to be nice, I think he does it so I can serve others effectively. And this just made me realize that I can do so much with full health. So I am determined to use the energy I've been blessed with better to serve! I also realized a lot of things that I need to do better to live up to my calling as a representative of the Savior. The Savior wasn't just good in terms of staying away from wickedness, but he ministered and lifted others up. So that is another thing I am working on. 
So last night we had another lesson with Adrian that didn't go perfectly or as we planned. This time I wasn't upset or bitter, I was just a little bit disappointed and regretful. As I sat there, randomly, this sudden feeling of joy just came over me. I realized "I am on a mission to serve the Savior and be a tool to help Him bring His children home." and I was just so happy. As my companions and I sat in this empty room to debrief about our lesson, I started laughing and smiling so much. I said to them "I am so happy!" and I'm sure at this point they were wondering what was wrong with me when I just started laughing to myself in a silent room. But I realized how incredibly happy I am to be here. and nothing should get in the way of my happiness otherwise I won't be able to be as effective as I need to be. So my companions may have been kind of weirded out, but I felt so happy.
Oh this week I hosted missionaries! The hosts are the missionaries who stand at the side of the curb when new missionaries are getting dropped off, then they take their bags and walk with them to show them where to go and get what all they need. I loved it! It was SO much fun! I loved being able to just tell them how incredible the MTC is and how much they are going to love it! This week there were over 700 new missionaries who came in, and about 60 percent of them were Sisters! It was so crazy! I hosted 6 people and 5 of them were sisters! It was fun to be able to welcome so many new missionaries to the MTC! It's weird that I have been here so long.
Well, I don't really have too much more to share. Lets see, I will find out where I am getting reassigned next week. So I can tell you all in next week's e mail. 
I feel so much joy and love every single day here. I'm so blessed to be able to love and serve God's children. I love you all so much! Have an awesome and happy week!

P.S.
Oh yeah, and since this is my last week, if you send a letter and it won't get here by this friday, I wouldn't send it because I wont get it. We don't get mail on Saturdays.  You can wait to send it to my new address which hopefully I can give to you all next friday! 


Love,

Elder Heath Tenney

Friday, March 22, 2013

A Humbling Week

Hey! 
This week was so awesome. It was so humbling. There were a lot of difficult experiences, but they are teaching me so much. 
First of all I apologize for my english. My spelling, grammar, everything is becoming horrible after focussing so much on Spanish. But the good news is my spanish is getting a lot better.
Oh okay and Dad said in one of his letters that he found dirty dishes in my room. I am innocent. I just wanted to make sure I included that. haha 





And to answer some of your questions: no, I am not in the MTC choir. I was for the first week, but the chairs they sit in for choir are SOOO uncomfortable. and if you're in choir, you have to sit in them for 2 hours during devotional. And No, they are not singing in general conference this year. So I won't be on TV haha. 
So last Sunday was St. Patrick's day. And Elder Hogge and I were walking to church, then we had to go back to our room to grab something we forgot. And On our way, I see Elder Bohne, an elder from our zone. And he says "Elder Tenney, do you know what day it is?" Then I realized I wasn't wearing green. So I took off. Then Elder Hogge wasn't really sure what was going on and I accidentally stepped on his foot and we both tripped hahaha. And I cut my knee on the wall and ripped my suit pants. But the good news is I didn't get pinched. So I am trying to find some way to get my pants fixed, because they're not exactly an easy hole to sew. It was so funny though. My companions didn't think it was funny because we were late to breakfast since I had to clean up, but I thought it was awesome. 
Oh okay and before this next part, I'll explain districts and zones. A zone composes 4-6 districts and each district has 8-12 missionaries in it. Anyways, a district from our zone who are all going to Argentina got their reassignments this week, and ALL of them are going somewhere in Utah, with the exception of one in Idaho. So it looks like I will stay in Utah if I get reassigned, so that I can still be close to meet with the consolate when they come.
This week we learned a lot about the fundamentals of missionary work. We learned about simple things that I have had/done my entire life, but I have never really felt how incredibly important they are. Things like baptism, revelation through the scriptures, revelation through church attendance, and revelation through prayer. Pondering about this made me appreciate these simple things so much more. I cannot even imagine my life without having been baptized. Something I did when I was 8 years old continues to change my life every week, even every day. So take a few minutes and ponder the simple things you are blessed with. I really feel like this week I came down to the level that some of my investigators will be at, having no experience with any of this, and it has made me realize how much these things will bless their lives. 
Being in a trio is going better. We are teaching more unified and learning a lot. So that is good. 
The highlight of my week this week was definitely our lesson with Adrian. Adrian is a really tough investigator. He has investigated the church for 9 years and he just doesn't have much if any of a desire to learn and apply what we are trying to teach him. During our lessons, he seems uninterested, and he never keeps the commitments we leave with him because he doesn't feel they are important. After one lesson we had with him, I was super frustrated. I thought we had taught according to his needs and with the spirit. But he did not show any signs of interest or progression. I'll be honest, at the end of the lesson, I was just super frustrated. I felt like there was nothing more we could do to help him, and I thought "he probably just isn't prepared or not ready to receive this gospel." After the lesson my companions and I were talking about how it went, and I wasn't really focused because I was just frustrated. As I was sitting there, feeling almost bitter, I looked up, and on the wall there was a picture of Christ. So I just stared at it. After a minute or so, the words came to my mind "please do not give up on my friend." This was the most humbling moment of my time in the MTC. Christ NEVER gives up on me, he is always there reaching out, doing everything he can to help me. Even though He has so many reasons to give up on me, or stop trying he never does. And He loves every single person we teach SO much. Beyond my own comprehension. So even when it is hard, I can't give up. Because these precious souls are not mine to judge. So after that point, I really have felt so much more love for Adrian. Even when he doesn't understand things, I just try to find another way to help him. Just because this is the work of God doesn't mean it is going to happen instantaneously or easily. I was so grateful for the spirit teaching me this and humbling me.
Well I am about out of time. But I love you all so much! We had to change rooms so we spent a lot of P day moving, so I won't be able to write everyone back this week. But i will do my best to! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and letters! I love you!
Love,
Elder Heath Tenney

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Almost Halfway Through the MTC

  
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2013 12:41:52 PM
Subject: Almost halfway through the MTC!

Hola familia y amigos!
I am almost halfway done at the MTC. I will leave 3 weeks from Monday! SO crazy. Time is going by so fast. I've heard a lot of missionaries say that days at the MTC go by super slow, but for me, now they go super fast because we are constantly doing things and working. It's looking like I will be assigned to serve somewhere stateside first for 6 weeks before heading to Argentina. They have been having lots of problems with Visas. The last group that was going to Argentina only had 3 missionaries out of 50 I think that got their visas in time. So that will be fun to be able to serve stateside first! I'm really excited to go to Argentina, but if I'm not sent there right away theres definitely a reason.  I'm just excited to serve anywhere.
This week was amazing. And theres not any pin point reasons I can think of that made it amazing. I am just happy. The first week I felt like I was working really hard and doing a lot of good, but this week I worked hard and I just felt so much joy throughout the day and even in the moments when I was tired. I think sometimes missionaries (myself included) forget that this work is supposed to be joyful, we are supposed to be happy! And if we really feel and understand the real reasons we are here then we feel that joy. Even in life in general. Heavenly Father's plan for us is called the plan of HAPPINESS! We came here to experience happiness, and if we aren't experiencing that then we are not living up to our potential and privlidges.  As I have studied the simple things I've known all my life again, I learn that I really don't understand them all that much.
My Spanish is improving a lot. I am trying to do better at being effective with my study time. Sometimes I don't know what to study, and I probably don't do things exactly right. But as I do the best I can the spirit helps me SO much. I am able to remember the things I learn all the time and it is such a blessing.
I'm not sure what all to write because we kind of do the same things everyday, and I don't want to be repetitive. But here are a few highlights of the week. 
We were in our classroom and the elders got a little bit distracted and started throwing and kicking markers at each other haha. But I was studying something and literally at least 4 times a marker was headed strait at me and should have hit me, but it would either bounce and go the other direction or barely miss me. So they all said I was like Samuel the Lamanite haha. It was kind of awesome.
Oh and Mom, those cinnamon rolls were delicious. I made some new friends through sharing them so that's a plus too. They really were really good. 
Yesterday, this guy in my zone named Elder Summers gave everyone shirts from this 5K his parents were in charge of or something. So we all wore these kind of nerdy looking race shirts that are red white and blue to gym. It was on Thursday so all the new Elders and Sisters at the MTC were really confused when we all came in matching and running together haha. 
We got another companion this week so we are now a trio. His name is Elder Neher, he's from Arizona. Its interesting being in a trio. I'm learning a lot. It makes teaching a little more complicated, but it really is such a great learning experience. 
In 3 weeks and 3 days I will be in the actual mission field (maybe in Argentina) teaching people and talking to people in Spanish. It is seriously so mind blowing to me. It doesn't seem real. And when I think about it, I feel like I have lots of reasons to be scared. I probably won't understand half of what the people are saying, they probably won't understand me, I might not know what to say,... the list could go on and on. But as I was thinking about this I realized, I really am not scared. For me, being scared comes from thinking about myself or my own weaknesses, and this is not a time to think about me. I am excited to go out and serve and help people. I know that this work really is the work of God and His gospel brings SO much happiness to the world. I am so grateful to be able to serve Him in these incredible times. I love you all!
Mucho Amor,
Elder Heath Tenney

Monday, March 11, 2013

First Letter from the Missionary Training Center


Elder Heath Tenney's first letter from the MTC.   If you'd like to write him, until April 9th, you can send a letter for free through dearelder.com, or send a regular letter.  Dearelder.com prints them off and delivers them the same day if you write by 1:00 p.m.  Thank you for your prayers, letters, and love!   

Elder Heath Tenney
MTC Mailbox #146
ARG-BAN 0409
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793
Leaving for the airport, Feb. 27th, 6:00 a.m.

Send off at Indianapolis Airport

Elder Tenney with his sister, Kirsten, in front of the MTC.

















 Weston & Kirsten dropping him at the MTC



















Family!

I love you! Thank you so much for all of your dearelders and letters. They meant a lot. I'm sorry it has taken so long to reply to your letters and send this e mail. Our P-day is friday, and we didn't have one last week. 
I am doing really well. I have never felt so mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted. I have never worked so hard in my life. I love it. It is sooo exhausting and there are times when it feels like I can't keep going for two whole years, but it is amazing because there is SO much help from above. There are so many miracles all around us here. We are in the same class for almost 11 hours a day but somehow we are still able to take in everything and learn so much. 

Okay so on the very first day, Wow, that seems like SO long ago. I feel like a completely different person than I was just 10 days ago. But anyways First day. I went out to lunch with Kirsten and Weston before entering the MTC and it was so good to see them and spend time with them. They also gave me some awesome advice for the MTC. So they dropped me off and I DIDN'T CRY! I was really proud of myself. I was just filled with so much excitement.

So I got to my classroom and the teachers from the very 1st moment spoke ONLY spanish. I am so glad I took spanish in high school because it helped me a lot. Some missionaries had NO IDEA what was going on. I felt bad for the missionaries that had no background in Spanish. 
I met my companion, his name is Elder Hogge. He and the rest of my district are so awesome. 
My district has 7 sisters and only 4 elders. It is so crazy. My branch president, who has been here for 3 years said that this is the first time that there has ever been more sisters than elders in a district since he has been here. So that is really cool. 

I don't have enough time to go through everything so I will just give a few cool things that have happened over the last 10 days.  On the 3rd day we taught our first lesson in Spanish to a guy named Pablo. and it was scary, but it went well. The other lessons with him went awesome. In our lesson plans we pretty much wrote out everything because we didn't know enough spanish. And we were teaching him the Plan of Salvation (check it out at  plan of happiness). He started asking about evolution and how could God create us if evolution is real? hahaha I didn't even know how to answer him in English; but anyway, I put down my notebook and just listened and I felt so guided by the spirit. I just bore my testimony that I didn't know the answers to everything, and there are a lot of things we may not know the specifics of, but if we pray to God to know if something is true then we can know if it is true. So that was an awesome experience. Our last lesson with Pablo was incredible too. We made a whole lesson plan, but it didn't go as we planned at all. The whole lesson was just the spirit guiding us to answer his questions. Elder Bednar says in one of his talks, that as missionaries the best thing we can do is "just get out of the way, and let the spirit work." This work is not about us at all. In that lesson, we both spoke the best Spanish we've ever spoken. The spirit is so real. The only way to successfully be a tool in the Lord's hands is to place yourself in His hands. 

I also gave my first blessing this week which was awesome. A sister in my district named Hermana Myler was sick and had been in her apartment throwing up for 2 days, and the doctor said that it could be appendicitis if it continued.   I gave her a blessing and then she went to bed to rest. The next day she was better and didn't have to go to the doctor. So that was another miracle of the week. The priesthood is real. 

I was playing basketball this week and I hurt my knee running into someone, so I had to go to the trainer and I couldn't walk for a few minutes, so that was cool. But it is doing a lot better.
Oh and Mom, could you please thank the Holmes for the talk they sent you to give to me. It is incredible. I havent read Holland's yet. 

Sorry this is only a small portion of all the incredible things I have learned and done, we only have 30 minutes on e mail. Oh and could you guys send dear elders instead of emails while im in the mtc? That just makes it easier for e mail time. 
I have never felt a part of something so powerful. This great work of God is happening before out eyes. I know that this is truly the work of God! This is what the prophets have testified of!

Love,

Elder Tenney
"Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles."