Arrival in Krakow

A random Missionary Mom called out to this group as she left the Salt Lake International Airport and asked "Where are you going?" They replied "Poland!" She said, "Smile and wave for your momma's!" And they did! :)

        

Dear parents of our newly arrived missionaries,

We are very happy to have you sons and daughter in our mission! Let me tell you quickly what they have been doing so far: After we had picked them up from the airport yesterday, there was some legal paperwork to do in the mission office, they had a finding activity with the assistants and some other missionaries, interviews with President Turek, dinner in the mission home, and after a short introduction and testimony  meeting everybody was happy to go to bed early (the jetlag is hard). This morning, we had the trainer and trainee meeting and now your children are already in their first proselyting areas:

Sister Hammond in Szczecin, Elder Erickson in Warsaw, Elder Dossett in Łódż, Elder Hadfield in Kraków and Elder Wójcik in Katowice.

They are very excited to serve in Poland and so are we. We have felt their strong testimonies and know they will be great instruments in the Lord's hands to help the church in Poland grow. Thank you for your support for your children!

Sister and President Turek

Starszy Wojcik, Starszy Hadfield,Siostra Hammond, Starszy Dossett, and Starszy Erickson

Week 9 - Provo MTC

Hello everyone for the last time from the MTC!

How's it going?  Things are going well here.  We are still working hard and trying to keep it up until we leave.  We leave the MTC at around 10:30 on Tuesday Morning. 

The MTC has been an awesome experience with all of the devotionals, general authorities, choir practices, class, and study time.  I'm definitely really going to miss it here, but I'm pretty pumped for the field.  We'll probably get to Poland around noon local time.  It's exciting. 

This last week, we had the Piano Guys come play for us on Sunday and share their testimonies.  That was pretty cool.  For our Tuesday devotional, we had Elder Zwick of the Seventy come and speak, and he did a good job.  But yea other than that, just the normal class and study the rest of the day. 

I guess we'll see what Christmas will be like.  I hope you are all doing well.  Merry Christmas!  Have an amazing week!

Starszy Hadfield

Week 8 - Provo MTC

Travel Plans!

Hello everyone!

Things are going pretty well here at the MTC.  I'm still learning a lot of the language and making progress in the New Testament.  I'm through the book of Luke now. 

I've played a lot of basketball this week with another elder in my district, Starszy Erickson.  It's been a nice break from class.

Our speaker for our Tuesday devotional was none other than Elder Holland.  The myth.  The legend.  It was so good.  He talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon in our lives, and he also had us read through Alma 26 and he related it all to missionary work.  When we read verse 27, he talked a lot about the trials and afflictions we face, not just on a mission but in all of our lives.  He said that this life isn't easy because salvation isn't a cheap experience.  It wasn't easy for the Savior of the world, so why should it be easy for us?  He said that the road to salvation goes through Gethsemane, figuratively speaking, for each of us.  It was super awesome.  My favorite quote was when he was talking about how our missions should change each of us forever, and he said something along the lines of "If you come home from your mission unchanged, I won't threaten you.  I'll just choke you."  It was such an awesome devotional.  I'll never forget that experience of listening to Elder Holland spit fire from the pulpit. 

We also got our flight plans yesterday.  I'll be leaving here on the 27th, and I'll fly from Salt Lake to Amsterdam, then from Amsterdam to Warsaw.  Pretty exciting. 

But yea it's been a good week. 

Well I love you all, and hope you have a legendary week!

Starszy Hadfield

Week 7 - Provo MTC

Hello again everyone!

How's it going?  It's kind of hard to believe that it is P-day already.  Time really is going by way too fast.  I only have a little over two weeks left in the MTC, which is kind of hard to believe at this point.  Not much else has been going on this week.  Just a bunch of study and classes. 

The Polish is still coming along alright.  I still have a lot of work to do, but we'll see how it goes.  I finished the Book of Mormon again this week, which means I have now read it through twice here at the MTC.  It's been pretty awesome.  I started the New Testament, and that's going well so far. 

Every Fast Sunday, we have a mission conference, which, at the MTC is basically just another devotional with the whole MTC presidency.  President Burgess, the MTC president spoke, and he talked about how we should have Christ's name on our lips always as missionaries.  He said that everyone we talk to on our missions should know that we are representatives of Christ.  I think that should apply to everyone that has been baptized.  When we were baptized, we covenanted with Heavenly Father that we would be willing to take upon us the name of His son and always remember Him.  So, no matter who we associate with, we shouldn't be afraid to let them know of our beliefs.  So yea stuff is going well. 

Pretty excited to get into to the field for sure, but I'm going to make sure these next two weeks count.  Well I hope you are all doing well and hope stuff is going well back at home and wherever you all are.  I love you all and have a legendary week!

-

Starszy Hadfield

Week 6 - Provo MTC

Elder Hadfield's MTC Christmas Tree

Elder Hadfield & Elder Erickson's Parents Lunch!

Richard Heaton, MTC Director of Training (Dad's personal friend)  and Elder Hadfield

Things are going pretty well.  Time just keeps marching on, doesn't it?  This week was pretty good. 

We've had quite a bit of snow here, and that's nice. 

I am continuing to make progress in the language.  Working hard on all the different cases to learn, and that's coming along pretty well.  I was able to memorize the First Vision in Polish.  So it's coming along well. 

Our devotional speaker this week was Jorge F Zeballos, and he's a member of the seventy.  It was pretty good.  He encouraged us to get converted before we start to convert anyone else.  In TRC we talked about repentance. 

When we got here, one of the other elders on our floor gave us a bag of about 700 tootsie rolls, and Starszy Erickson have an awesome time reverse pick pocketing other people with them. So that's pretty funny.  I play basketball every once in a while with Starszy Erickson during exercise time.  We play a lot of volleyball and handball too. 

Our branch presidency is awesome. We have President Bradford, then Brother Jackson and Brother Christofferson.  We have interviews with them, and they are all super nice and awesome and helpful.  Some of the other missionaries in our zone think President Bradford is strict when it comes to clothing and hair, so they call him "Big Bad Brad".  But I think he's awesome. 

I'm hoping to finish through reading the Book of Mormon this time, then maybe read through the New Testament.  I'm not sure yet though.  I get a little anxious thinking about leaving here and heading to Poland.  I don't know why.  Can't believe Stake Conference is tomorrow and Dad is already getting released. 

On Thursday, we decided to watch the 12 addiction recovery videos on lds.org (don't ask me why -- not my decision) but they were actually pretty cool.  There were a few of them where there were people who overcame some pretty bad stuff, and then they were able to see their families again, whether it was little kids, or their kids with grandchildren.  I guess I kind of realized that that will be me one day.  The missions preparing me for that.  The spotlight is on me for the next two years in a sense.  I feel like it's kind of like a basketball game where all of the angels are watching me and I have to do my best.  

As a district, we are watching all of the Light the World videos from the church.  They are all pretty amazing.   I encourage you all to watch them during the month of December. 

But yea things are going pretty well here.  I don't have a ton to say.  I love you all, and hope you have a legendary week!

-

Starszy Hadfield

Elder Jacob Richard Hadfield

DEC 27 POL WAR

2005 N 900 E Unit 173

Provo, UT 84602

Week 5 - Provo MTC

Hello everyone!

How's it going?  Things are as busy as ever here.  This week went by pretty quickly.  As of today, I have officially been in the MTC for a month.  Already halfway through my time here.  I can't wait to get out into the field. 

On Thursday, we heard from Elder Anderson, and that was super cool.  He spoke of being grateful for our trials, even if they are really hard.  During that devotional, we (as in the choir) sang "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".  We sang the arrangement that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang in general conference in April.  It's a really powerful song.  

When we were practicing, Brother Edget, the chorister, explained what it means in the song where it says "Here I raise my Ebenezer".  In the Old Testament, the Israelites were sometimes really good people who would follow the Lord, and then they would get stuck in sin again and it was a constant cycle.  In 1 Samuel, there is an army of the Philistines that comes upon the Israelites.  This is at a time when the Israelites were worshiping false gods and they are very afraid.  Samuel, the prophet, exhorts them to serve the Lord and call upon him, repent of their sins, and put their trust in Him, and they will be delivered.  The do so, and during the battle the Lord "...thunder[s] with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines..." and the Israelites are delivered.  (1 Samuel 7:10)  Samuel then has a very large stone placed where everyone can see.  He names the stone 'Ebenezer' and it's purpose is to remind the people of the time where they repented, changed their lives, and were delivered, and to remind them that they will never go back to their old lifestyle.  Brother Edget then challenged us to raise our Ebenezers that day.  It was really powerful.  I guess I'll pass that challenge along.  Raise your Ebenezer.  

I love you all, and have a great week!

Starszy Hadfield

Week 4 - Provo MTC

Hello Everyone!

It's been quite a week.  We are getting really busy here at the MTC.  The language is pretty challenging, but we are making steady progress.  Time is going by faster and faster. 

I was able to finish off the Book of Mormon this week after starting it about 3 weeks ago.  That went really well.  I'm starting it over again and hoping that I can read it at least a couple more times before I head into the field.  The MTC is definitely not easy, and reading the Book of Mormon has helped me immensely.  The Book of Mormon is super helpful during difficult times. 

I'm not really sure what the MTC is doing for Thanksgiving, I've just heard that there is going to be a devotional.  I guess we'll see.  Starszy Erickson had his mom send us Christmas lights, and we have them hanging in our room.  It's pretty cool.  It was a little chilly on Thursday, and it was a surprise to go out in the morning and see snow. 

On Wednesday, our whole zone got to host new missionaries (you know, meet them at their car and walk them around the MTC) and it was good.  

I finally decided on my mission scripture for the plaque or whatever.  It's Alma 42:31.  It's kind of funny because I wrote down like 40 good scriptures, then had a tournament where I eliminate them one at a time.  That was pretty fun. 

This week, we had Elder Stevenson come and speak at our devotional on Tuesday.  He talked about gratitude and Preach My Gospel.  It was pretty cool.  But things are still going well.  

We still do have the thing where we meet as a district after and discuss what we learned.  Those are always really good too.  Our branch presidency is pretty good.  So with the district leader position, Starszy Wojcik was our district leader for the first three weeks, and during that time I was the 'online coordinator'.  I didn't really do anything haha.  But on Tuesday, President Bradford (our branch president) asked me to be the next district leader.  So yeah.  I'm a little more busy, but it's going well thus far.  We'll see what happens.  My class is in building 10M and my residence is in 16M.  It's kind of cool seeing the huge buildings they are making and the progress they're making on them.  They are pretty huge buildings.  From what I've heard, they are going to make those classrooms and tear down some of the old classroom buildings to make room for more parking or something.  So it's pretty cool.  Sundays are pretty busy.  We study a lot.  The meetings are pretty good too.  We go on a 45 minute temple walk every Sunday.

Hope things are going well back at home too. I would love to hear from you!  Love you all, and have an awesome week!

Starszy Hadfield

Alma 42:31
And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness, that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you even according to my words. Amen.

Week 3 - Provo MTC

Hello Everyone!

      What a week.  The days are starting to fly by.  Which I'm alright with because the MTC is pretty boring. 

          The language is coming right along.  We've already learned how to pray and bear testimony in Polish, and I memorized My Purpose in Polish this week. It's definitely a very difficult language to learn.  The 7 cases Sam was talking about are definitely challenging.  Another hard thing is that there are about 5 words that I've learned so far that sound like their English equivalent.  It was a lot easier for German in high school because you had so many words that sounded familiar.  But it's going alright.  Still a long ways to go.

     Our zone is really small, and we are all going to different missions.  It's kind of cool because we get to know each other pretty well.  All the languages are pretty similar too.  We've heard that once we learn Polish, it will be pretty easy to understand Czech and Slovak, and we'll be able to kind of understand Ukrainian and Russian.  So that will be cool to try out with Kade and Kaden once we are all home.  

          I've been reading the Book of Mormon a lot lately.  I started over 2 weeks ago, and I'm already into Helaman.  It's going really well.  Probably my favorite part of the day.  The scriptures are powerful. 

          I read Alma 31:38 this week, which talks about Alma, Amulek, and the sons of Mosiah and their experience serving missions.  That helped me a lot.  Although difficult being away from home right now, I feel that any adversity will pale in comparison to the joy when I finally see investigators make changes in their lives. 

          For service, we just kind of clean the buildings.  We mopped last week, and this week we switched out toilet paper.  Nothing too bad.  

          On Sunday we had Jenny Oaks Baker and her family speak and play music in our devotional and that was really good.  Then on Tuesday we had Joy D. Jones, the Primary General President, speak.  She talked about the love God has for us, and how we show our love for Him through obedience.  That was really good too.

          Anyway, things are going well.  I hope you are all doing well as well.  I love you all, and would love to hear from you!  Have a legendary week!

-

Starszy Hadfield 

Elder Jacob Richard Hadfield
DEC 27    POL-WAR
2005 N 900 E, Unit 173
Provo, UT 84602