Week 2: One for Mom and One for Dad (and finally pictures)

Mom:

Hi!

So, to answer your questions... I did get the box, thank you so much

for it! The snacks where a bit overkill, but, I digress. The sleep

water, it helped me fall asleep and I don't wake up as much, but I

think it has some side effects, as in I need to use the restroom more,

and It feels like I am dizzy all the time. And yes, I am feeling

better, it was apparently just a REALLY bad cold, and allergies.

Elder Scott has been out about 8 months now, he heads home the March 

before I leave. And yes, that address I sent you, the 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 

home, is shared between me and elder Scott.

The neighborhood is quite, very, quite, and on a hill, so, every night

after we are done biking, I have to pedal myself back up, that hill.

So, this week, just kinda flew by. In all honesty, it's been a blur

aside from the usual biking and tracting and some of the bigger

events, For example, Tuesday, it rained, so, me and elder Scott, where

riding around in the humidity all day. And on Saturday, we had a

"service project" in which we supervised a hike with a member of our

ward and his Weblo troop.

And that's my week. Nothing to spiffy, nothing too exciting, thank you

so much for the packages, love ya, I'll write to you next week! bye!

Love,

Elder Tayler Hagen

Dad

Hey hi!

So, sorry for not sending you an email last week, I got caught up in
reading all the mail that was sent to me, that by the end of the
period in which I could send mail, I didn't get the chance to write to
you. I'll try better about getting you an update.

I am doing a lot better, thank you and mom for the packages, me and
elder Scott have been snacking away at all the different junk foods,
and the medicine, it was a tad excessive, but I am now prepared for
the next time I get sick.

Thank you for the pictures every week as well, my email does this
strange thing where it hides emails that are over two weeks old, so,
getting new pictures from you and the family every week is a real
treat, I especially like the one you sent of you and mom with Spencer
and his friends on the Matterhorn,

So, I know you get and read moms email, so, I won't rehash anything I
said to her, but I want to answer and reply to your questions and your
week cause, you asked them, and told me about your week.

So, for starters, I wasn't disappointed when I said my work was a lot
of reactivation, I know my calling, and inviting all to come unto
Christ is what I am here for, whether they have heard his name or not,
so if I sounded bummed, I wasn't, it's just hard to convey emotion
through text.

So, my iPad, I actually got it the day I arrived. Our plane landed, we
picked up our luggage, and we where shipped off to the  local stake
center for iPad orientation. I can get and read emails all week long
as long as I have wifi, so feel free to write anything during the
week.

Smokers, I have seen 0, and it has kinda bummed me out. From what I've
been told, unless it's an indoor smoker, it can get too humid here for
a smoker to stay smoking. I wish I can be there for some pulled pork,
we can get it at our local Bojangles restaurant, but it ain't the
same.

My ward is having a "fall festival", basically the same thing your
doing, but, with a focus on all of fall instead of a focus on
Halloween, and chili, we are having a chili cook off.

And, that is basically it! I try to write to everyone that emails me
when I have time, so I'm really sorry I wasn't able to get to you last
week, anyway,

Love ya! I hope you, Spencer, Mom, and Jacob, continue doing well, I
pray for you every night and can't wait for Christmas when I get to
Skype all of you!

Continue doing well! Help Spencer learn and manifest his priesthood
calling, tell everyone back home I miss them! Thank you for
everything! Love ya dad!

-elder Tayler Hagen

And look, pictures!

We went to Waffle House before our "service project".

Hiking

Our house

My District

Week 1: Answering Questions and Learning the Ropes

To answer all the questions,

I can only write on p-days yes, and it is always on a Monday. And, I am not 100% sure about visiting the temple, Elder Scott says near the end of ones mission we spend a day there, but I dunno for sure.

Spencer: asked me what my favorite restaurant or store is, and to give him the honest answer, out here is almost exactly like home, but with trees, a lot of em, and no Del Taco or In N Out or Grand Burger.... So basically, what I liked at home, they still have out here, there really isn't anything special.

Dad: I am in the city of Midlothian, and my address is 

11506 Clintwood Terrace. Midlothian, VA 23112.  And yes, It is a house that me Elder Scott share, a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home.

My companion, Elder Scott, is from Ogden Utah, and I am not in a car, I have to ride the bike you 

sent me (Elder Scott is a cyclist, he assembled it) up hills all day long, and it gets exhausting. 

The members are feeding us quite well, almost 7 meals a week, and no, it's mainly been spaghetti or a slab of meat with potatoes. 

The mission president and his wife are extremely nice, they do not have younger kids, so no, all their kids are all grown up and have moved out.

There really isn't any work to do here besides reactivation and member check ups, the people of Virginia are extremely stubborn when it comes to religion, and usually are not open to conversion or even hearing our message.

I can't answer questions 7 and 8, the 3 wards surrounding me are about to be reorganized, so, as of right now, the area is small because I am on a bike, but the Clover Hill ward, is pretty decent sized for around these parts.

Alright, onto my week. So, Monday, I spent all day on an air plane, we woke up at 3 in the morning to board a charter bus that took us to Salt Lake, I called home, boarded my flight, and flew off to Atlanta for a brief layover before flying to Richmond. We landed and where greeted by our mission president, his wife, and all the office workers for the mission. We gathered our luggage and where taken to the mission home where we spent the night. The following morning, we where told we could sleep in until 7:30, which, was a blessing, and we got dressed, went to the stake center, and met our companions and trainers. It took about 30 minutes for us to get to our home for the next six weeks, where, I unpacked, Elder Scott already having been living there for the past 3 months, showed me around. Wednesday through Friday was all about the same, biking/walking around (I was using a members bike), visiting members and less actives, and just simply getting to know the area. Saturday, I had to take off as a sick day, the coughing and congestion had gotten awful. Sunday, I was feeling a bit better, so, we went to our meetings and church, where me and another sister missionary from California where introduced. After church, a member drove us around to again meet some less actives and members. And that is basically my week! Greeting and meeting people. Nothing too fancy, nothing to spiritual, just getting to know the layout of the land.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a good time back at home. Love ya! I'll see if I can send pictures later today or next week! 

-Elder Hagen 

(There were no pictures)

Mission Pres Email

Dear Brother and Sister Hagen,

We are so grateful that our new missionaries arrived safely in Richmond.  They were a bit weary due to early morning travel, but we fed them dinner, held a brief orientation, and got them some rest.  I met individually with each of our new missionaries and am so impressed by their dedication and desire to follow Jesus Christ.  Tuesday morning, we assigned them their first area and missionary companion.

                     

Elder Hagen will be serving with Elder Scott in the Clover Hill A Area.

Mail will be sent directly to them at the following address: 11506 Clintwood Terrace Midlothian, VA 23112.

Thank you so much for your love and support of these great missionaries.  It is truly our privilege to serve alongside them.  

May God's choicest blessings be with you.

Best regards,

Corey B. Smith

President, Virginia Richmond Mission

MTC 3 - MTC Finale

"Hehe... so... something I forgot to tell ya, in the MTC, I can read emails all week long, there are computer labs everywhere, and, they are all open for use as long as we don't send emails.

Monday I am waking up at around 3:50, my flight leaves around 7-8ish, There are "vans" that take us there, and I will be landing around 12:30 eastern time.

Conference was great! kinda! I slept through 30% of it by mistake. But, I did get a favorite talk out of it. So, the way conference works at the mtc, is we all gather in the Gym 30 minutes before it starts, all 2000 something of us, and we sit, quietly, staring at two projection screens that have been set up for devotionals and such. 

So my favorite talk, It was during priesthood session, President Holland's talk about home teaching, which might not seem pertinent to my current situation, but, home teaching is basically missionary work, it's goal is to invite and check up on the members of the church, while my goal is to do the same thing, but with the people of Virginia. If you'd like a talk from the four main sessions, Bednar's talk about Alma the younger finding his Amulek, which I believe was Sunday Morning, and how we need others to be able to make it through this life.

Onto my week! So, class! and more class! and even more class! Basically, my entire week comprised of me sitting in a classroom learning the teaching lessons of preach my gospel. It's not all too boring, I have felt myself become a better missionary out of it, being more confident in my teaching abilities. Also, chicken. Every meal is either chicken or a chicken based product.

Sunday after conference we had a devotional, which, was actually entertaining in reference to other devotionals, because, the mtc presidency felt we had enough just straight up lessons for the weekend. So, they invited Vocal Point, an acapella group, to come give their story, all of them being returned missionaries. They sang a couple church hymns following every talk or so.  

I got everyone's packages on Tuesday, Grant's, aunt Jen's, Grandma's, and I kid you not, it was an answer to my prayers. I was feeling homesick Tuesday morning, and everything seemed to be moving rather slow, and I just, wasn't feeling anything. So come lunch time, my district leader hands me a ton of letters and package slips. It brightened my day, my homesickness diminished greatly (I still miss all of you), and, iI just felt better all throughout. 

SOOOOO... I figured out how to send pictures, turns out, the computers here do not have SD card support, so I had to buy a converter from the bookstore, So, PICTURES YAY!!!!

Me with all my mail, my bed in the back ( the mess around it isn't mine, it belongs to Elder Simmons who Bunks above me.)

 

Me and my companion, Elder Cox

And all the elders from my district, from left to right; 

Elder Olson, Elder Bendel, Elder Simmons, Elder Goff, Me, Elder Cox

All of them excluding me, either played football, or wrestled during high school. so, they are all hard headed at times, but they are still awesome.

So, that's it for the week. I might be able to call all of you at the airport, Depending on what time we get there and what phones are open. I'll try to call some time around 6:30 AM Pacific Time, if I can, again, it all depends on availability.

So, love you! Thanks for the letters! I might email again later today if i have time, BYEEEEE!!!"

ps "Yes, I am feeling a lot better, my voice is back. It's real nice to hear that I will have a bedroom when I get home, mine here is a bit of a pig sty thanks to the rest of my residence.

and ya, thank you SO much for your emails, they literally make the days just fly by, LOVE YOU again, bye!"