I'm alive!

Hola Everybody!

Here it is! My first blog post while in Arizona! Seeing that I wasn’t able to write a post for last week, I figured I would just go in order of events starting with my final week in the MTC.

So, my last week at the MTC was sort of crazy (in all honesty). I really realized how much I still had to learn before I left for the mission field but ALSO realized that I no longer had the time to do it. Most of the week was spent teaching lessons, reviewing grammer, asking crazy questions, and packing. The members of my zone sang “Hasta Ver” on Sunday night for those of us who were leaving and I was blessed to spend my last night in the MTC with Elder’s Barton and Fife. It was incredibly nice. Then, last Tuesday at 6:00 AM, we departed from the MTC and were out in the real world for the first time in 2 months. It was a little weird but incredibly awesome at the same time. Our plane flew out of Salt Lake at 9:30 and we landed in Phoenix at around 11 AM Arizona Time. From there, my life as a full time missionary really hit the ground running.
We were greeted by President and Sister Beck, the 2 English speaking AP’s and the 2 Spanish Speaking AP’s. It was so crazy to see President and Sister Beck in person!! We snapped pictures, grabbed our luggage, then headed off to the mission home. IMMEDIATELY we knew we weren’t in Utah anymore. There was no grass, cactus’ everywhere, and it was warm! Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Spent the night there in the mission home and had a fun filled afternoon filled with Orientation presentations (vehicles, finances, health…all that smooth jazz.) The following day, we went to the transfer building and were FINALLY assigned to our trainers and areas. My trainer happened to be Elder Bingham. He’s been out in the field for about 4 months now and is our district leader. Together, he and I cover the Montana del Sur (Oeste)/Vineyard areas. This happens to be the southernmost area in our mission and one of the most “on fire” according to President Beck.

As for the past week…well, we’ve been incredibly busy. We have about 12 investigators that we are currently teaching 5 that are really close to a baptismal date, 2 with a baptismal date and, just in the few days we’ve been here, have found about 8 NEW investigators, a couple of which Elder Bingham and I are really excited about. Things here are just going fantastically. The work is on fire, our investigators are just incredible, and the 2 wards we cover are just great. I feel so blessed to be in this area at this time and to have the companion that I have. I really could NEVER ask for more.

But, on a more spiritual note, this week has definitely been a struggle, especially with the language. I have discovered 2 consistent qualities with the people here:

1-They talk about 5,000 words a minute
2-They talk everyone of those words with the mouths half or a fourth open, making it really difficult to understand.

But, Heavenly Father has really helped and supported me this past week. I’m blessed enough to have a companion that knows the area really well, has really good spanish, and is extremely patient and encouraging. Heavenly Father gives us so many incredible blessings in our life. I’ve really seen the influencing power of the Holy Ghost since I’ve been here. In the lessons that we’ve taught to our investigators, I see a fire and a hunger in their eyes for the knowledge that we have. They are all trying so hard to obtain the happiness that this gospel brings. I also see that same happiness in the 3 recent converts that we have. They just…Are so POWERFUL!! Their testimony is so strong and their desire to learn more is just fantastic. There are people out there in the world that are truly ready for this message and for the blessings it brings. I know it will change peoples lives if they choose to follow it’s principles. Christ is our Savior, they Holy Ghost is real, the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and if we decide to follow the Savior’s example and accept this gospel, we will be blessed beyond measure.

Well, that’s it for this week. Hope everyone is ok. As for my address, ALL mail is to go to the mission home where it will be forwarded to us so, here’s the address:

Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N. 79th Ave Ste. C50
Glendale, AZ 85308

If by chance you are sending a package, DON’T send it via UPS, Fedex, etc. because they can’t be forwarded to us. Hope to hear from you all soon. Remember that I love you all and you are always in my prayers!



BYU 94th Elders (We got all the Elders from the BYU 94th ward that were in the MTC to get a picture together. It was pretty sweet! )



“Be Clean” (Our shower…that happens to be outside. Tight right? :D)

Final MTC Blog!!

So, everybody, my time at the MTC has finally come to an end. As of last Thursday, I am scheduled to leave for Phoenix on TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND 2009 @ 9:30 AM!!! I'm so incredibly excited to be heading out. Goodness, time has gone by so fast and I've learned so much while I've been here. I can't believe that I'm about to do the real thing. I was talking to the other elders in my room going to Arizona and we all thought it was way weird that, in one week, we'll be in the mission home or on our way to our new area with our training senior companion! CRAZY!!!

As this was our last week, it was also filled with many "Lasts". Our district did our last TRC appointment yesterday where we taught the Plan of Salvation and the Law of Tithing in Spanish. Sunday was our last District Temple walk. Today was our last time to do a Session in the Provo Temple for 2 years. This is our LAST P-DAY!! And really, this will be probably the last time you hear from me for a couple of weeks. I can't promise that I will get a chance to do a post next week BUT I promise that I will write everything that happens in my journal so I can give a detailed account of my first week or so in the mission field!

Also, seeing that I am about to leave, my address will be changing. For those of you who are my friends on facebook, I believe my mission home address is still there under my profile picture. For those who aren't, following is the Address to my mission home. You can send a letter here anytime and I will be sure to get it. Once the mission home gets the letter, they simply forward it to my area or hold on to it if I'm about to be transferred. The address is:

Elder Andrew Bryce Klemme
18001 N 74th Ave Ste.C50
Glendale, AZ 85308

If you still want to send dear elders, Sunday is the last day to send them. If you want to send other mail. If you are going to send it past Thursday, just send it to the above address. THANK YOU!! I have really enjoyed those letters that I have received. Keep it up!! :)

As this is my last blog post in the MTC, I wanted to say a few words about this work. I can honestly say there is no other place or doing any other thing than serving a mission right now. I really have realized over the past couple of months that the field is indeed white, ready for harvest. The other day I was reading in Alma 29 and came across verses 9-10. If you get a chance, read them. They are powerful. I know that the Lord truly calls us in our weakness and makes us stronger through our humility and diligence in following his commandments. I know that the Holy Ghost is a comforter, for I have felt that presence every day since I've entered here. I know that the Gift of Tongues is real. Two months ago, I would have thought you were crazy if you told me that I would be teaching in Spanish. Now, I realize that, once again, the Lord helps those he calls. The Power of the Priesthood is real. Most importantly, I know Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. Through his loving Atonement, we all have the chance to return to him, to be made clean of our sins, and obtain our eternal reward. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides this church. There is no other church on the earth today who has the fullness of the Gospel. I know that the message I now am called to share is real and it CAN AND WILL change the lives of those who accept it. In the wonderful name of our Loving Lord and Savior, The Son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love you all and hope to hear from you soon!!!

Another Week!

¡Hola Everyone!

Another week has come and gone and to be honest, not a lot has really happened. Elder Harker and I are still excelling in the language and taught Lesson 2 (Plan of Salvation) and the Palabra de Sabiduria at the TRC yesterday and received our highest spiritual rating yet (9 out of 10). It is so nice to know enough of the language so that you don't need to worry about how to say things. Rather, you can just focus on the points you want to teach. Our district has really been working hard to learn the language and all this last week we have been reviewing spanish grammer, vocab, and other crazy stuff to finish our CCM experience and prepare to head to the field. I can honestly say I have been truly blessed by Heavenly Father in this calling because I know I would never be able to speak as well as I can now (mind, it's still really rough but enough to be able to teach, read, and listen and know what I'm saying, reading, or hearing) without his help. This IS and inspired work! I have been able to pretty much convert to reading Predicad Mi Evangelio and no have to use Preach My Gospel. It's pretty amazing! :)

This week has been one of my hardest weeks here. There has been an Elder in my district that...To say the least...I really didn't understand why he came. He has been vulgar, aggressive, intimidating other elders (or the whole district for that matter), obnoxious, rude,...etc. Anyway, For the entirety of my time here in the MTC I have been trying to help him improve. Encouraging, correcting when needed, and sometimes just sitting down and listening. But, this week I hit the end of my patience rope. The vulgarity, rudeness, and blatant disrespect had hit an all time high and there was nothing I could do to bring it down. I eventually talked to my instructor during my weekly interview about it and, apparently, I wasn't the only one who had been struggling with the feelings I had. Hno. Kress sat down and talked to Elder Ray about it and...Well, the fire just got out of control. Elder Ray was mad...he became really aggressive and defensive at the same time and hit a point where he really shouldn't have gone. He confronted me in the dorm room that night and we talked about what was going on. I told him my feelings, he explained to me different things that were going on in his life, and for the first time since I have been here, I understood him. We were on the same page for the most part. Since that night, that night where I just sat and listened for most of the conversation, we haven't had any real problems. Sure there are still times where things happen and I think (C'Mon....) but the change that I have seen in him is remarkable. The downside of it is, his level of respect for our instructor is non-existent...He downright hates him. With time I know things will change, that his attitude will change. But in all truth and honesty, he should have allowed himself to change while he was here in the CCM where it is easier than in the field where the level of difficulty grows exponentially. But, I'm not one to judge. This was one of my coolest experiences here and am so glad I was able to go through it. I learned a lot (to say the very least :) ).

On another note, my district is officially the oldest district in the Zone! The district above us left over the last couple of days. We also have a new district coming in tomorrow. This will be the last district that we see while here in the MTC! It's so weird to think that... Anyway, we are also expecting our FLIGHT PLANS in the next couple of days!!! We are all super excited and crazy nervous. The amount of study and lesson teaching has gone up and our goals for Contacting Individuals and Teaching Lessons grew by huge numbers. It's fantastic here!!! And, on another happy note, the Zone presidency called Elder Harker and my shadow zone leaders on Sunday. We have about 5 days left and then we are officially released from our calling. It will be nice to have our last week here without any responsibility so we can just focus on studying and teaching as much as we can. It's crazy to think that, In 2 weeks, I'll be on a plane to the mission field...To preach this wonderful gospel to those who have been waiting for it. Waiting to receive the happiness it brings into their life.

But, my time is almost up. Just to mention a couple of things...well, just one mostly. I understand that there was a "Marvelous Cultural Event" this weekend with BYU's fabulous victory over OU!!! Here's to a hope that BYU can finish the season on fire!!!

Alrighty, I need to head. Know that I love you all, you are always in my prayers, and really enjoy getting your letters. Keep it up and I hope to hear from you all soon!!

Semana numero siete

¡Hola mi muchas amigos! Esta semana fue muy bien. MUY Bien. Estudiamos mucho y aprender muchas coasas cada dia. Mi español es no gran pero Estoy aprendiendo. Elder Harker y yo ensansado Lección 1 in español otra vez en el TRC ayer y estamos preparando para este próxima Lunes cuando enseñaremos Lección 2 (El Plan de Salvación) con La Palabra de Sacerdocio. Estoy Ánimo acerca de este... Me Gusta MUCHO Lección 2. Pero, estoy terminado con escribiendo en español. :)

Apart from teaching and studying, which really is my life here, not a lot of stuff has happened. My district and I have been holding full day English fasts. We actually have 3 this week (Jueves a traves de Sabado). I know I'm really excited for them. They are super hard and you are exhausted by the end of the day, but the amount of spanish practice you get is priceless. I've also been able to read Predicad Mi Evangelio this week entirely in spanish. That's right. No Preach My Gospel for Help. Sure there are some words I don't know but, wow, it's been great to really read in the morning. It takes me about an hour to get through three pages but the time is well worth the practice! :)

Apart from the language, we've actually had a really good week here. Last Tuesday, Elder Richard G. Scott came and spoke to us on following the Spirit. It. was. AWESOME!!! Half way through, he just stopped his slide show presentation he was using and just followed the spirit. It was, by far, one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. During his talk, he bestowed a couple of Apostolic Blessings on us: One for the Gift of Tongues and the other for Protection as long as we are Righteous. It was just awesome...I can't really describe it any better than that.

Also this past week, our Zone received a new district! It was great to have some new ones come in. Elder Harker and I had the chance to do about 2 hours of training with them, plus a tour, over last Wednesday and Thursday. They are a great group of missionaries. Hard working, obedient, and willing to do their best. To be honest (as bad as this may sound) I wish I could trade some of our "Lukewarm" elders for theirs. Most of them are going to California but two sisters are going to Santiago Chile and one sister is going to PROVO (this sister happens to be 29...I was a little shocked when I heard that but she is such a hard worker and it's such an opportunity to have her in our Zone). Our District acutally has the opportunity to host the new elders that come in tomorrow. Most of us are super excited for that opportunity and a lot of us can believe that we've been here long enough to have that opportunity... It's weird to think that, in less than a month I'll be in Phoenix or somewhere in AZ preaching the gospel. It's so awesome to think about!

The last bit of tidbit news I have is the opportunity I had to purchase the LDS version of the Bible in Spanish this past week. Benefits of a Missionary I guess :) It doesn't have a Bible Dictionary or a Topical Guide but it is still incredible nonetheless!

Well All, I must be going. My half hour is almost up! Remember that I love you all and that you are all in my prayers! To those who are at BYU, have a fantastic first week and I hope to hear from you all soon. Don't forget, dearelder.com is an awesome easy way for letters!! (hint, hint....:) ) Alrighty, ¡Hasta Luego y Les Amo Ustedes!