That Hjelm Stubborness!

Hey Mom,

    Luckily, your letters don`t get me too trunky, so I don`t have to worry about that. I just want you to know that I`m still getting up on time, doing exercises, working hard, and being obedient. I`m doing well. At times I feel a little down, but then that happens, I just get to work and work harder - that Hjelm Stubborness, you know!

     Mrs. Nauth is going to come to church to hear me speak? Now I`m nervous. At least I`m not speaking at stake conference.

     I`m working well with my new companion, Elder Mateos. The funny thing is that we have already done two exchanges together earlier in the mission, one when we started and another about a year ago. So, I already know him pretty well. We are working hard, and having fun.

     I was wondering if you could give me an even $110 in my account. I have a friend in the street fair who`s trying to get me my last soccer jersey at a cheaper price, but If he can`t get it, I`ll have to buy in the mall, and it will be more expensive. The leftover money will be a reserve. I really am grateful for your help with all of this. I guess that I went a little spend crazy before my mission,. but thank you. I love you. I miss you. I`ll see you in two weeks.

Elder Hjelm

Can't wait to go to the Temple again :)

Mom,

    you have to speak for more than three and a half minutes. I don`t know how long I`m going to be speaking. I guess it`ll be like a girl`s skirt - long enough to cover, but short enough to keep it interesting (I bet you thought I forgot about that one, didn`t you?). I`m not feeling really trunky. I`m still getting up on time, doing exercises, and working hard. Just, in the back of my mind I`m thinking of things like,  "okay, i`ll watch the super bowl this day, this movie this day, I might hibernate for a week, I want to eat this..." You get the idea. That`s not trunky, is it?

    Apparently President Essig thinks it is. He called us and changed my companion thursday night, saying that I need someone with a little more experience to help keep my mind on the mission. Pssh. As if.  I`m not trunky at all - just planning for the future, like I always do. My new companion is Elder Mateos from uruguay. We actually arrived here in the mission field on the same day and we`ve done some exchanges together, so we already know each other pretty well.

    I can`t wait to get home and go to the temple. That`s one thing that I have missed so much -going to the temple. Why aren`t the missionaries allowed to go to the temple more often? Oh well. I don`t really have any other requests for when I get back. Just kind of relaxing and getting back into the groove of things, maybe going to work with dad. That`s about it. Thanks for putting some money in my account.

Your loving missionary son,

Elder Hjelm

Elder David F. Evans took out the trash

Hey Mom,
     Looks like I´m going to Provo this fall. Yes, I would like to
live on campus. I´m going to talk with some of the elders who have to
BYU and see what the best housing arrangements are. I´ll get back to
you on that. I´m going to talk on the 13th and get the thing over
with. I would like to know what my topic is so that I can start
writing a talk here. Dad sent me a homecoming talk guideline thing.
But I would like a topic.
     Things are going well. Saturday, Elder David F Evans of the
seventy, and executive director of the missionary department, came and
spoke to the four missions here. He took out the trash. He talked
about the importance of repentance before baptism, about having our
investigators read the book of mormon from the beginning, and most of
all about working to build up the church, and not just to baptize. It
was really, really cool. I think that several things are going to
change here in the mission as a result of what he said. What was
really cool is that he did it in a way that made us want to be and do
better, not in a way that made us feel bad. I´ve got to learn how to
do that.
     Danny is going to work for Nike!?!?!? Oh, I´ve got to find out if
his employee discount applies to nephews. That´s going to be fun. And
yes, I bought some shoes. And some socks. And a belt. And a jersey,
but that´s out of my souvenir fund. The shoes were sixty bucks and the
socks and the belt came out to about forty. I´m at the mall right now,
hoping that I have in my account to buy my penultimate jersey. And
then next week and the week after that we are going to buy souvenirs.
Can you get me some money before then? And just out of curiosity, how
much can you give me? I have $90 that I can´t exchange that I can give
you when I get back. Just let me know, and I´ll work with what we
have.
     I love you mom. I don´t think I realized how much I loved you
until I didn´t have you here with me for two years. But, we only have
five weeks to go.
 
Love ya,
Elder Hjelm
 
PS - I´m not trunky

Staying strong

Hey Mom,

   I`m still here in Quilicura. And I`m still with my favorite colombian, Elder Sierra. I`m sending pictures of the missionaries in the ward, my district, and one of me and Elder Ballard from Rexburg. He got changed out to the country. I got to know him pretty well.

    I`ll speak on the 13th - just to get it over with. Could you get me a topic so I can start to write my talk while I`m here and I`m not so rushed that week? That would be great.

     Wow - Spencer and Caleb are already home. That was fast. I guess that I`m next. I`m trying not to get trunky. I got an automated letter from President today reminding me to stay strong in the last change. I`m gonna do it. I don`t plan on being disobedient. I will be working hard.

     This week was much better than last week. We are greatly improving and we are being blessed. I`ll get some shoes today, but we are going to the mall next week, so if you can put some money in my account before monday, that would be great. I love you and I miss you, and I can hardly wait 42 more days to give you a hug.

¡Te quiero mucho, Mamá! (I love you a lot, mom)

Elder Hjelm

Don't get trunky on me....who me?

Dear Mom,

     Yeah, I got the email too. I`m kind of freaked out about it. It`ll be a long flight. I don`t really want to speak on the thirteenth - it is really soon. Who is the high council speaker on the 20th? Is it dad? I`m thinking the 20th or the 27th. What do you think? Or could bro roholt just assign me a date and make it easier for me? I`ll let you know for sure next week.

     This past week just purely sucked. Nobody was home, we didn`t meet a single standard or anything. It was just a really off week. I hate weeks like that. But this week will be better. We will have changes this weekend, so we`ll see where I go to die, or if I`ll die here. I think that I will finish here. It isn`t what I planned, but then again man plans and God laughs. I`ve learned that lesson here in the mission.

     Oh, I already knew about your secret. I`m kind of excited to get home. It will be good. But not yet. It will have to wait seven more weeks. 

     Oh, is it okay if I buy a pair of shoes? All of my shoes have holes or are developing holes or are breaking. Can I buy a pair of brown shoes, probably Hush Puppies, to use on sundays and for conferences and to wear home? I looked at the prices today, and they`re about $100. Is that okay? I`ve had the idea for a while. 

     I love you mom. Only 42 days to go. But don`t get trunky on me.

Your`s truly,

Elder Hjelm

WOW! He's really coming home!

Here is a copy of Elder Hjelm´s flight itinerary for your enjoyment!!!

 

Hermana Stanger

Secretaria

Misión Chile Santiago Norte

Cel:  953-888-33

Telefono:  56-2-777-3661

 

 

_____________________________________________
From: Sherri Moutsos
Sent: martes, 11 de febrero de 2014 21:20
To: Chile Santiago North Mission
Subject: RETURN - Travel Itinerary For HJELM/AUSTIN BRYAN - 07Apr - 68V9TN

 

 

*** This is a NON-REFUNDABLE TICKET; cancelation or change fees may apply.  We have until 5pm the next business day to cancel or make any changes at no additional charge. Please review the itinerary.

 

*** ELECTRONIC TICETS HAVE BEEN ISSUED AND ARE READY FOR TRAVEL, SEE ETKT INFORMATION BELOW. PLEASE CHECK IN WITH A GOVERNMENT ISSUED PHOTO ID TO RECEIVE YOUR BOARDING PASS.

 

*** CHECKED BAGGAGE FEES MAY APPLY PLEASE BE PREPARED TO PAY - Please request your bags to be checked to your final destination.

 

CHURCH TRAVEL CWT                             DATE 11FEBRUARY14

50 EAST NORTH TEMPLE ST                    AGENT VH/S2 BOOKING REF 68V9TN

SALT LAKE CITY UT 84150

TELEPHONE: 801 240-5111                      HJELM/AUSTIN BRYAN  285320-R

FAX      : 801-240-5115

 

  MISSIONARY TRAVEL

  CHILE SANTIAGO NORTH MISSION

 

SERVICE               DATE  FROM           TO             DEPART  ARRIVE

_____________________ _____ ______________ ______________ _______ ______

DELTA AIR LINES       07APR SANTIAGO       ATLANTA GA     740P    534A

DL 146               MONDAY A MERINO BENIT HARTSFIELD JAC         08APR

T ECONOMY                                  TERMINAL INTL

                            DINNER                        NON STOP

                            RESERVATION CONFIRMED         9:54 DURATION

                  AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300

                            SEAT 38G NO SMOKING CONFIRMED

 

DELTA AIR LINES       08APR ATLANTA GA     SEATTLE WA     815A    1044A

DL 2368             TUESDAY HARTSFIELD JAC SEATTLE TACOMA    

T ECONOMY                   TERMINAL S

                            FOOD FOR PURCHASE             NON STOP

                            RESERVATION CONFIRMED         5:29 DURATION

                  AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-300

                            SEAT 33G NO SMOKING CONFIRMED

 

RESERVATION NUMBER(S)  DL/HXZM4T

 

HJELM/AUSTIN BRYAN  285320-R

     ETKT:DL/006 7356678063

 

Talking in his sleep - in Spanish

Dear Mom,

    this past week went rather well. I had an exchange with Elder Ballard, one of our zone leaders who is in the same ward as I am. He`s from Rexburg, and is pretty cool. That was fun. A lot of the chileans are on vacation right now. Almost everyone goes to the beach for anywhere from two weeks to two months. Right now, my focus sector looks like a ghost town. But that`s okay.

     I am sleeping well. At times the sun shines through our window a little early and sometimes I talk in my sleep, but it`s in spanish now, so it`s okay. Has Jonah gotten a blessing from dad to help with his insomnia? I`m sure that that would help.

    The guy who took the pills and stuff is doing better. He`s now suffering from high blood pressure, but he`s okay. We`re working with him and his girlfriend to get married so that she can get baptized, but they are kind of lazy and they now think that their cohabitation is a blessing from God. WRONG! We`re working on that.

     My release date should be Tuesday, April 8th. I don`t really want a big gathering at the airport - just family. We can say hi to friends later. I was thinking about going to the mariners opening day game. what do you think? I`d have to be released early on tuesday, but we can go later. I`m up for anything. I think that I`ll sleep for a whole week first and then I`ll get on with life ha ha ha. 

     I think that another $200 will do just fine. I only need to buy three soccer jerseys and souvenirs, and that`s about it. 

     

Love ya mom,

Elder Hjelm

Seahawks win! Best picture ever!

Hey Mom,

     Aren`t the blessin
gs of missionary work just great? I can hardly wait to sit down and watch the game when I get back. I heard that they just destroyed manning`s offense - how`s kathy after all that? The DVD thing is a great idea - I think that they actually sell packs with a dvd and a tshirt, so be on the lookout. Also, do they have a seahawks tie? That would be sweet! I am literally just overwhelmed with happiness. When one of the other missionaries told me the score this morning, I swear I almost died!

     I will be glad to help you out with biostatistics. Just know that biology isn`t really my strongest subject, I`ve never taken  a statistics class, and I`ve forgotten the majority of my calculus, but I`ll give it my best. 

     Thanks for taking care of my account and things while I`m down here - I owe you big time. I`ll be on the look out for a nativity set. Anything else that you would like? Good luck with Dad being in Portland. And NO, I`m not trunky - just thinking a little more about home.

Chao,

Elder Hjelm

Those first aid skills come in handy!

Hey Mom,

    I am so freaking pumped for the Super Bowl!!! You absolutely have to record it with the DVR!!! Please, set the thing to record the game, and another hour or two extra in case it goes into overtime. You can send me a package if you want, just full of snacks and a cool seahawks t-shirt, or even better, one of the new jerseys in XL. If not, it`s okay. Don`t worry. Just record the game!!!

    The area is good. The members are great. We are finding many investigators to teach. I feel good about dying here, I just don`t know who is going to kill me. It could be elder Sierra, or it could be someone else. 

     Grandma is going to be a great grandma??? that is so cool!!! Send my congrats to Sara and Brodie.

      About money.... How much do I have in my account? I`ve been waiting to make any major purchases until the next change, but I have been estimating prices for things. I think that I could buy everything that I want and things for everyone else for about $350. Is that a lot? I could try and do it for less. Also, I`ve been thinking about buying a new pair of shoes. All of my shoes are either broken or breaking, and I would like a pair to be able to wear home. I can go to the outlet stores here and buy a pair of hush puppies at a good price. What do you think? Of course, I would buy a pair of brown shoes. I attached a pic of one of my pairs of shoes. Either way, just let me know.

    The other Pic is of Elder Keller from Ogden and I in an exchange. As you can see, he`s a bronco fan.

     Oh yeah, I almost forgot. This past week we also saw that we were in the right place at the right time. We have a recent convert who suffers from depression and has tried to commit suicide before. Six months after he was baptized, he broke the law of chastity and started cohabitating with an investigadora. He was really depressed recently, and had asked that Jesus take him now. His pareja pinched us on thursday night, so we went to their house. We arrived at the same time that she did, and we found our recent convert basically unresponsive on his bed, with some of his many pills on the floor. He had tried to commit suicide again. Luckily he was still alive when we got there, but he was unresponsive and had no control of his body. His pareja called a radiotaxi, and Elder Sierra and I had to get this guy down the stairs to the car. So, using the skills that I learned to get my first aid merit badge, I basically threw him over my shoulder, and Elder sierra supported his head, and we went down the stairs to the waiting taxi. With permission from Hermana Essig, we went with them to the emergency room, where we took him out of the car, put him in a wheelchair, and then in a hospital bed. It was a neat experience that I will never forget.

Love ya lots, let`s go Hawks!!!

Elder "12th man in chile" Hjelm

 

 

Quick letter and cute picture

Hey mom,

I have very little time because I just finished my application to BYU. I need to to call and verify that they got it because there wasn`t a button or anything to click to send it, and to see if we need to pay the $35 di¡ollar application fee again. Other than that, all is well. I will send more info next week. I love you.

Go Seahawks!!!!

Elder Hjelm

The photo is of me and my former companion elder richardson

What Ward am I in? This is so Austin!

Oh, according to the church`s online directory, I belong to the Gravelly Lake Ward, while you all are in the American Lake Ward. Did we move? Did you move my records for some reason? Could you please clear this up? Thanks.

Still love you,

Elder Hjelm

Go Seahawks!

Hey Mom,

    So, I rewrote my second essay on my application - any ideas that you can shoot me would be great. I also started the scholarship application, which I will finish up next week. I don`t remember any password or anything for the SAT, so we`ll just have to work with it.

    I`m sure that you just need to practice teaching teenagers instead of little kids. I know that you can teach young womens - you did it enough in the stake. Give them some meat, but remember that some girls are vegetarians, so you should always accompany it with a salad, and save the cookies for me! But just have fun, and let the girls know that you love them. Oh, and Jonah didn`t tell me anything about his new calling. It sounds exciting though.

     I`m so excited for the Seahawks, though I will be bummed if they go to or win the super  bowl while here and I can`t watch it. You absolutely have to record it for me if we get there!!!

     Oh yeah, transfers. I`m still here in quilicura, but my companion Elder Richardson left, and I`m now here with Elder Sierra from Colombia. Other than that, no other news. I`m excited for these last three months here - I don`t even feel trunky. Just be sure that you all don`t get trunky either!!

As Always,

Elder Hjelm

Working hard and making plans

Dear Mom,

    I now have almost everything done on the application except the essays. I talked mainly with Mrs Richardson, so I would talk to her. Also, I was looking at my status, and it has the wrong score for my SAT - Can you check on that? I remember getting 1900 something, but it says that I got 1200 something. Could you also check that it saved my SSN in the application? I have no idea if it saves sensitive information like that. Next week I will do the essays and the scholarship application.

    I am still trying to figure out what to study. My patriarchal blessing says to study the needs of the earth and society and then to fill those needs. Any ideas? I`m trying to figure that one out. Anyway, I `m doing well. We had a bit of a rough week last week, but this week will be better. I love you, and I miss you. Only 13 weeks to go!!!!

Elder Hjelm

Happy New Year!

Hey Mom,

    It was really great to talk to you on wednesday. It´s weird to think that that was the last time here on the mission. I did the math and we are already in double digits - 98 days to be exact. I´m still a little trunky, but obedient. 

    I agree with uncle jared - luke and leia would be the best names ever for twins! And I understand about the tree - How many days did it last this year? I didn´t even have a tree. I´m sure that the snowmen and everything else are still up like normal. 

    My eagle letters were great. People said a lot of nice things. They helped me out a bit. And I am slowly but surely enjoying my package. I´ve almost finished all of the slim jims, and I´m trying to find a use for the fleece pajamas. I would sleep in them, but it´s like 70 degrees every night here. Maybe I´ll use them in late march/early april. Oh, I was able to access byu thanks to the username that dad sent me in his email. I´ve finished parts one and two, even though I haven´t chosen a major yet. I will talk with president essig on wednesday about the ecclesiastical endorsement. The password is the name of our dog in all lowercase letters followed by our house number without spaces. I already have it up to step 5. Could you get on and enter my social security number in step 1? That would help to be able to apply for scholarships and work in BYU. Also, I need you to figure out who we need to get my transcript and academic endorsement from. That would help a lot. I put BYU Idaho as my back up choice. 

     Anyway, transfers are in two weeks, and I feel like I´ll be staying here. Remember that I love you and I think of you often. We´ll be partying in just 3 months.

Love ya lots!

Elder Hjelm

Merry Christmas from Elder Hjelm

Christmas in Chile

Hey Mom,

     I am so freaking pumped for christmas. We are going to spend Christmas Eve with one of the coolest families in the ward. Then on Christmas Day the bishop is going to have a barbecue for us. I`m so excited! I`m in Downtown santiago right now. We`re going to eat peruvian food. I should get my package on wednesday morning in district class.

    

     Which of my many CTR rings are you wearing? The one that I brought with me kind of got crushed in between a wall and a bunkbed, so I`m without one. I really am doing fine mom. I`m functioning. I`m not living in a blur. I`m working. I still wish that I could be in the office, working where I can do my best work, but I get over it, and I get going. I still have some things that I feel like I need to talk to president about. He doesn`t really understand people very well. So yes mother I am doing fine. Not excellent. Not bad. Just fine.

    I can`t wait to talk on wednesday. It`ll probably be closer to 10:30 your time, but It`ll work out.

Love,

Elder Hjelm