Thursday, July 28, 2011

week 4!! you're fired! (like donald trump)

July 25th, 2011

hello dearest family! how's everybody doing?? mom, you have me a little worried when you said there's a lot going on and didn't write me back. so what's the deal??

when does aunt jen get here?? are you guys going camping this week? i hope so! dad NEEDS to scout for his hunt!!!! 

oh man it's been a pretty crazy weekend. so i got released as district leader after only one week. yes it was an honorable release ha ha.  now me and elder heaps are the zone leaders....yep the zone leaders...we have 3 other districts other than our own and we get a new one on wednesday. so it's pretty cool. i don't know why it's us and not another set of elders. it's very humbling that the Lord trusts me enough to serve the rest of the zone. It's a lot of responsibility and kind of overwhelming but i'm excited to do it and i'm excited to help the zone. it was really surprising because there is still a district older than us here and the zone leaders usually come from the oldest district so it was surprising. 

i don't know if i told you but my branch president owns kneaders!! he is...intimidating....when he says jump you don't ask how high you just jump! but i love him. his name is president gary worthington and he lives in lindon. our counselors are brother brady from orem and brother sitterud from highland. they are good leaders! i've learned a lot from president worthington. he knows his way around the church! so yep. 

today at 3am one of our districts left for argentina :( it's sad to see them go. you create friends so quickly here! i love them and then our roommates/zone leaders left this morning at 1130. that was really hard! so hopefully our new roommates are as cool as they are!

ok, so you asked about the food here. so it's just a cafeteria! i don't know how else to explain it. it's the same food that they serve at the byu cafeteria, but the quality isn't as good. it has it's days. some are good, some....ya. but i'm thankful for everyone who prepares it and helps cause it's a huge job!

what has everyone been up to? i sent a letter today. how's my blog looking? really classy????? i hope so cause i'm a classy guy.

so i guess i'll share an experience with everyone. so the other day one of the elders in my district came up to me with tears in his eyes and asked me if i'd give him a blessing. i told him that ya we could do that. so i went into my room for a second to ponder the situation. i know that him and his companion had been having some personality clashes here and there and he was down on himself cause of the Spanish. as i was pondering what to do i had the feeling that i should have his companion administer the blessing and i could just stand in. so we went into their room and i asked if his companion would do it. so we put our hands on his head and his companion started the blessing. i can't even describe the feeling that i felt during that blessing. my face was literally burning. i didn't feel warmth, it was heat. it was such a special experience for all three of us. i am so thankful for the spirit that was there. Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us. and i know that!

i saw alex yesterday!!! it sucks because we are on different schedules so i'll never really see him. but i had to go to dinner early because of a zone leader meeting and i saw him! he looked good! i think his first week was hard too. i wish i could've talked to him more! hopefully i'll see him soon. he is only here for three weeks so not much time!

feel free to send me pictures of any fun outings! i miss you guys and love you!! i hope everyone is doing well. tell cory and brad that they better write me soon!!!! and tell brad that my bathroom was a present to him :) ha ha

so have you started on my room yet?? i hope not. just leave it the same for two years. oh and pack my bedspread! i want that after my mish.

well things are going well. i love you guys so much! i'm happy! this is worth it! i've already been out a month! that's crazy!!! when i leave the mtc i will be 1/12 of the way done. 2 months after that i'll be 1/6 of the way done. that's crazy!!!!! time flies. i'll be home before you know it!!

did you guys see harry potter?? you better have. the day i realized it came out i cried a little....no big deal! ha ha i love you guys!! i expect some info this week!!!

ps it's all good :)

Love Matthew Judson Daley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Week Three - Part Two

July 18th, 2011

Hola Padres!

Como estan? Estoy muy bien! Espanol es deficil pero posible! enough spanish! back to english!

How is everyone? Mom, how is your knee? getting better? I hope so! Is it great to drive by yourself now? I miss cars..haha

Well, spanish is getting a little better. I fell a littler farther behind than others, but it's ok. I pray for the gift of tongues like every second! Heavenly Father is helping me so much. But part of the gift of tongues is working and struggling in the language! So the struggle continues!

Dad, have you been fishing or scouting yet?! The hint is in like 2 months! luck butt.

How is the roof coming? I wish I was there to help you. Make people help, don't do it by yourself!

(ha ha Elder Heaps just told me he's immune to my gas because I've destroyed his sense of smell. :) fun fact :) oh and I now have the record for the loudest far EVER! It woke up the whole room!)

Half our district leaves for the MTC in Guatemala tomorrow. It's sad but good! Oh! I also hold the record for most packages in one day! 3! One for you, the Garlitz's, and Michelle! It was sweet.

So you'll already know this from the email, but I got asked to be the new district leader. So that's pretty cool.

I miss and love you guys so much! Only 5 P-Days left after this and I'm in NY! I'm so excited. I just want to be out there doing it! New York is gonna be perfect. I can't wait!

So Elder Riley Stauffer (?) is a fellow district member. He's from Spanish Fork. We are gonna go to a George Strait concert in 2013 and it's gonna be awesome. He's a cool guy!

Well family, I love you so much. I miss you everyday but this is the most important thing for me right now! I love you guys so much!

Love, Elder Daley - your favorite son!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Week 3

hola familia!!! 
 
como estan? so another week has gone by! can you believe i've been gone 3 
weeks? i can haha it seems like i've been here forever! the days just blend 
together a little bit! 
 
so i guess i'll start out with some news. yesterday i got asked to be the district 
leader for our district. so that's pretty cool! now i get to be santa claus and 
give all the children their mail! 
 
hmmm...what to say next. 
 
so half of our district is leaving for the guatamalan MTC tomorrow. it'll be sad 
to see them go but i'm pumped for them! i'm kind of jealous that they get to go 
and be in their mission though! so we will only have 6 people in our district. all 
going to new york! 
 
i talked to brother eliason and he said it was fun visiting with everyone! how is 
everyone doing? i hope good! 
 
did cory return our trailer in one piece??? i sure hope so! (what were you 
thinking dad? ;) ) 
 
so how often are you tending lukey now? i miss him so much!!!!!!!! i printed 
pictures off of my camera and i have a couple of me and him. he is the best. is 
he turning into a little man already? he'll be starting kindergarten when i get 
home!! 
 
so i have been thinking a lot about Brady Jensen lately. i wonder where he 
would've gotten called. he was such a great example to me. he used to kick 
me in the shin whenever i would say something i shouldn't have. he was like my 
jiminey cricket! i like to think that he is here with me! 
 
i've been thinking about the scripture D&C 6:36 lately too. "look unto me in every 
thought, doubt not, fear not." i love that one! my seminary teacher, Brother 
Mortensen used to say that scripture everyday. it's so comforting to know that 
God can see the whole plan, and if we look to him without doubt he will strengthen 
us! 
 
right now i am battling a little bit of a cold, and yes i am taking my vitamin c 
everyday. also my back has really started to hurt the past week. worse than before. 
any advice mom?
 
what has everyone been up to? i feel so out of the loop. tell bradley and cory to write 
me a letter! grandma said that aunt jenny and her family are coming soon! i'm sad 
that i won't get to see them. 
 
Oh. well i would like to let everyone know that i have set the record for most 
packages received in one day, at 3!!! so ya i'm pretty popular. i've been 
rubbing it in! so let's try and get a 4 package day!!!! oh ya. Mail truly is like 
christmas here. your whole week basically evolves around getting mail. so 
keep it coming! i'm still waiting for my letter from ben.... so if anyone sees 
him kick his butt! 
 
i have a request, send me a dear elder with a list of questions you want 
answered/have so that email time is easier!! that goes for anyone! 
 
mom, you asked how they teach us spanish. well the first week we didn't have a 
spanish teacher really, only a gospel teacher who only spoke spanish! her name 
is hermana sandoval and she is from colombia! she's the greatest. turns out she 
speaks english as good as me haha. she kept it a secret until one day she just 
started speaking in english and our jaws hit the floor. we literally laughed for 30 
minutes! 
 
but back to the question, they teach us a different verb conjugation like everyday. 
i don't know how to explain it. similar to school but you learn so much faster!!!
you'll be glad to know that hermano baron isn't our teacher anymore. we now have 
hermano bielamovicz! (bee-la-mov-ich). it's a polish name, i'm so glad i didn't 
crack my polish jokes!!! haha. but i LOVE him!!!!! he is very disciplined but you 
can tell he really cares about being here! he's in the marines but he relaxes after 
a while! 
 
well i love you family. mommy your last package was perfect!!! next time let's 
make the dew's 20 oz or cans :) 
 
i love you guys!!! 
 
dad go fishing. take rachel and luke! 
 
i love you guys!!!!!   
 
love, Elder Matthew Judson Daley!!!!!!!  

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Week Two

Hola Familia!

How is everyone doing?? Life in the MTC goes on...I sent a letter today so you should be getting that here in a day or two. This week went by a lot faster and was a lot better than the last week.

But, I'll start out by sharing another story about my bodily functions. So for the past like 5 or 6 days I have woken up and had the BIGGEST "toot" in the world at exactly 620.It literally woke up everyone in the room. Ya, I'm a bit of a legend ;) I hope that makes everyone proud, especially Mom and Rachel ;)

So, I have some requests: I need a tennis ball, and a mt. dew, dr. pepper, and a hole punch.

I am going crazy in here without SportsCenter. What is going on in the real world???

I haven't heard any of the honks yet, but keep honking every time! We'll get one! I miss everyone. I got Dear Elders from Megan and Lisa and Ben and letters from everyone else. Mail is the greatest thing in the world. It's like Christmas every time! Keep it coming!!!!

Megan: thank you so much for doing the blog and everything!!! How is Lukey?? I miss that kid. He better be on the first tape recording I get! How is Jared doing?

So my everyday life is basically the same. pray a million times, study a lot, sit in class 6 hours a day, and teach. We have to teach in all Spanish and it is not easy! I wish I knew more. But it will come with time! Our zone leaders left this morning to their missions, and now me roommates are the zone leaders. Elder Mark Daniel & Jordan Rapp. They are super funny guys! It's fun.

I'm glad to hear that mom is doing good! Oh and everyone loved that popcorn stuff you sent mom!!! I mean everyone! It was super delicious.

So I hear that Rachel came over and finished downloading my pictures. That makes me happy! Make sure you guys keep in contact, mmmk?

Cory, I am still waiting for some form on communication. And Bradley too! Has he moved into my room yet? How is my room?

Email time is so short, ugh! I don't know what else to talk about really. Oh, tell Grandma and Grandpa that the key for the lawn mower should be on the work bench, that's where I left it!

So yesterday we had a Brother Heaton speak at a fireside. It was really good. He talked about the joys that come from daily repentance. He said that repentance always has a negative association with it but in reality it is a very positive thing!! We are turning away from sin and back towards out Heavenly Father. And how true it is! Repentance is amazing. I encourage everyone to exercise repentance, it brings such happiness.

I love everyone and I miss you! This is the Lord's work. I'll be sending some pictures home later this week or next week so be excited! I'm ROCKING the comb over. I make it look good. Just think, in like 3 months I'll be baptizing Donald Trump!! Ya baby!

Well, I'm running our of time and words...send me questions you want me to answer! I love you guys! Stay true! Heavenly Father is blessing us more than we can even imagine right now! And it will keep coming. Pray for me! I'm praying for you. Everyday. you really learn what it means to pray here! I can't believe how many times a day I pray! I think the reason we distance ourselves from our families is because we have our Heavenly Father, and these 2 years are about strengthening that family relationship! It's gonna go by so quick!

We are going to Tucanos the day I get back ok? So start saving up!

I love you!!!!!!!

Love,
Elder Matthew Judson Daley!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Week One, Part Three - July 4th

Hi Mom and Dad!

How's everything going at home? How is my room? I miss you guys so much. I know it will get better and I know it'll be worth it!

Mom: How is your knee doing? Are you getting better? What did the doctor say? When do you go back to work? (hopefully never right?) Did you take good care of my phone? What did AT&T say? I love you so much Mom. Keep me in your prayers!

Dad: How is work going? Are you doing ok? I love you Pops! This is going to be so good for our family and the people of New York! Have you gone fishing? Will you call Rachel and take her?! Have you gone scouting yet? Uncle Gary told me some places you could go so you should call him. I think one of them was called Soapstone? Something like that! I miss hunting! Tell the trailer hi for me!

I love you guys so much! Monday is my P-Day so that's when I'll write and email. Instead of emailing me back you can just write on Dear Elder ok? Then I'll have a hard copy of it to keep! I love letters! They are my link to home.

I'm excited to get out of the MTC and into New York. I want to start the real work.

Spanish is hard! It's coming slowly. I pray 20 times a day to learn it.

I love you guys! Keep me in your prayers please. I miss oyu. I can't wait to see you guys. 23 more fast Sundays!! I love you! I hope you guys liked my email :) I am one funny guy!

Love, Matthew (Gift from God) Elder Daley

Week One, Part Two - June 30th

Dear Parents!

So I'm here...It's kind of a surreal experience. It's just sinking in that I'm on my mission! There are so many Elders and Sisters here! The Lord's work is happening!

My companion, or companero, is named Elder Heaps. He is from Cedar City. He's a nice guy. We get along pretty well! The Lord's children are definitely diverse! It's hard work here. I haven't had a second of free time yet, but it's good. Esta bien = it's all good. The language is overwhelming right now but it's only my second day so I have faith. This whole experience is about faith! It's hard being away from everyone I love, but this is where I'm supposed to be and the Lord will bless and help us.

I'll email you on Monday. I LOVE YOU! Everyone better be happy. I need your prayers and love.

Love, Elder Daley

Monday, July 4, 2011

Week One - MTC

Hey family!!!! How is everybody????? i'm doing pretty good. This week was hard, but it will get better i know it!

first thing i need to do is let you guys and Rachel know that i haven't changed at all. the first day with my companion, Elder Heaps, i told him i wasn't shy and let out a big ole' "tut"!!!!! oh yeah it was great. the food here does some things to your bowels. Jeremiah 4:19 "my bowel, my bowels! i am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; i cannot hold my peace, because thou has heard, o my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war." :0) yep! everyone has gas so it's ok!

the days kind of blur together. i'm not sure what i have done on what day! we go to class and study then study more, then eat, then study. yeah it's really exciting! i am so tired. who ever decided that waking up at 630 in the morning was a good idea was wrong! haha.

i miss home and you guys, but this is the Lord's work. we got to watch the fireworks for a minute on saturday so that was cool. it made me wish i was there with Rachel tho. it's going to be hard not to light a firework for two years!!! sorry that i'm not using very good puncuation, but e-mail time is too short to worry about such silly things!

so my companion is from cedar city. he's a nice elder. (we aren't supposed to say guy, kid, homie, etc. and it is HARD!!!) how is everyone doing??? i sent a letter today! if you guys want to write me back on dear elder then i will have a hard copy of your "emails" and won't have to waste time reading them then responding, i'll
have them right in front of me. so you can either email me back on this email, or just use dear elder, whatever works!

so i got my payback for not cleaning my bathroom! my first saturday service project me and Elder Heaps had to clean bathrooms! and one of the toilets was CLOGGED!!!!!!! so it's a good thing that i had 19 years of unclogging toliets under my belt! so i am deeply sorry to whoever had to clean mine, and i am deeply sorry that Rachel had to use it! haha.

well i miss you guys but this is where i'm supposed to be! the Lord will bless me, you, and the people of New York. i am so excited to just get there and start the real work!!! the day i got here was like a high school reunion! i saw taylor larson, eli robison, kay raymond, russell doria, so many elders from high school! it was fun.

so i found my mission scripture. tell the bishop. 2 Nephi 22:2 " Behold, God is my salvation; i will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." this was a scary week! but i trust in my heavanly father and i know this is right! i love everyone!!!!

i love you guys. do something with Rachel before she moves to Idaho ok???? hugs and kisses to everyone! don't let lukey forget me!!!!! i LOVE and miss you guys!!

love, Elder Matthew Judson Daley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!