Pray For Them

Okay not a lot of time today! But first of all Love you all! Mom have Tre email my friends and ask for all of their hats and shirt sizes!!! You get way legit deals from the people on the streets with stuff! Especially fake yankees hats that look LEGIT and Sweet Fokelys lol! Well I gave Dad an update on all of the people that have not dropped us :( But Dora y Joe did not go well! apparenly Joe got freaked out and moved in with his dad... His mom said she would still like to listen to us, but is never home. Juan has not showed up for 3 appointments we have set... Dionis we are meeting with tonight so Pray that he shows up. We have figured out that Spanish Culture... People are really bad at keeping thier commitments. At least in this city! But City life is awesome! Yankees game was today! Had a lot of fun! Send me a memory card! I will send one home tomorrow! I am all out of room! I deleted some of the other stuff on there... I hope that was okay... But yeah things are fun! and the Spirit is way strong! Prayed with a homeless lady yesterday. It was a cool experience. She was mentally unstable! I have met a lot of cool people I wish I could tell you all about them. You can just read my journal when I get home! I have been doing a pretty good job at keeping up with it! Almost Everyday, not quite but most of the time! Dad would be proud :)

Last P-Day we went to the Metropolitan Museum and walked around Central Park! Place is sweet (just answered Dads question.) But I would love to go running in the park for exercise in the morning, but it is too far :( So maybe me and Elder Huerta will do it for a P-day next cycle after Elder Martindale leaves. He does not like running much lol! 

Nope still no mail from my friends :( Sad face! haha, but tell them to write me. Tell you know who to talk to them for me! They can all have like a write Mark hour lol! I would like to hear from them. I miss those Kids a ton! Love them all to Death! Hope they are all good! 

Melissa seems to be doing good :) You should talk to her!  I hear from her a ton! I wish I was as good at writing her as she is at writing me! I feel bad for that! I miss her! I miss everyone, but let her know I miss her! lol! :) 

And yes I know I need to write Granny! :( Sorry I haven't she writes me so much! but we hardly get any time to write! We are always going somewhere on P-day because Elder Martindale wants to do a lot of stuff before he leaves in 4 weeks! 

But just some random stuff... Uhm lets see Bought more ties yesterday lol! Ten dollars on the street from Ronald the Tie Guy! haha I have a Calvin Kline one that had a 50 price tag on it.... You don't ask where he gets them.. haha really nice guy though. Gave us free ties to give to the Bishops in our Church building. He said next time I come he will give me a free tie!  Uhm but all is well! love bearing my testimony and love talking to people! Talked to a guy who played in the Book of Mormon play! Have you all heard about that? We get questions about it all the time! Its crazy! We talk to people about it all the time. It is directed by the people who made "South Park" Apparntly it is negative towards the Church (But once again its from the makers of Southpark They have made fun of everything from Spongebob to Joseph Smith and the Pope) but it is a great way for people to talk to you! I have given a ton of referrals to other companionships because of it! Talked to a guy for 45 minutes at the Met about our religion and said he wanted to know more! 

Talked to this guy named Alfred yesterday who already like knew the Gospel. Had never taken lessons. I was like jumping out of my shoes while me and Elder Lewis were talking to him (we went on a split Elder Lewis came out with me) He knew EVERYTHING!!! It was crazy! Like wow! Hopefully the English Missionaries find him and find him again fast! I gave them the info! Speaking of which? do you know Sister Beswick from Idaho, mom from that missionary moms thing? He said his mom knew you and took Greg out to eat? He is a way cool kid. I went on a Blitz with him my first week here.

Well saw Elder Sorensen at the Yankees game today! that was cool! Oh and Elder Veater and Kay are in my Zone... and live together. Uhm... Oh mom get me a new prescription on my pills and face cream!!!!! ok I am random... I went on a Blitz with Elder Veater last week... Lets just say that was uh... Well interesting lol! I love Elder Veater he is such a unique kid lol! 

Oh my companion is in the home ward of Elders Uchdorf, Bednar, and Hales! Crazy! He knows them. Sister Uchdorf and Bednar visit teach his mom! He sees them all the time!!!!  haha! Not fair! such a lucky kid! Oh dad remind me next week to ask you something if you read this!! I don't have time to right now! 

Oh and mix yours and Dads email if you want okay mom? 

Okay well I got to go. Get that info from my friends like I asked! Okay I love you! Pray for the people here! You have no idea how different it is. Meet homeless people and the most humble poor people everyday. Mom and Dad thank you for everything in my life. I love you both so much for all you have done. I am so grateful for what I have after seeing how some people live. Pray for them. we visit a man who has 1 room in his home. Pray for them. We hear shootings everynight. Everynight. Don't worry about me. I'm safe we are in on time and nothing goes down during the day. But I heard a man die 5 days ago. Pray for them. Don't worry about me. I'm in the Lords hands. Pray for them. The Lord will guide me and protect me I have full faith and confidence in that. I love you mom hope all is Going good :) I'm happy hope you are too! God Bless you all and Pray for them! Talk to and see you soon!!!! 

Love your silly goofy ugly, gklgjakoghakgjakogjasdklj gagj haha son Marky Stephen Mattei! SSS BB Scrapmeat LPB SP! Haha I think my friends probably miss calling me these things more than they do me lol! Okay Love you all bye! :)

  But NY is awesome! I love it Dad! The people are awesome! We are working with 3 main investigators right now preparing for Baptism. One is named Jesus. He is 22 and has a 2 year old daughter. He works at a barbershop a member in the ward owns. He actually just cut my hair today lol! Shaved my face too all old school like lol! But yeah, he is going to be hard to get to Baptism, but he knows the importance of it and how it really is the only way to Return to God. I love him. He is awesome! Really shy, but a cool kid! And his name is Jesus lol! That makes him awesome automatically. He has tatoos and piercings and smokes so I can see how thats going to be a problem , but I know the Lord can do anything he wants so I am not to worried about that! :) (oh and we teach him in English :)

We are also teaching Lysolo Cuas. She is like... 23 maybe. Dominican. She speaks fluent... Fast Spanish! she is really cool! She was asking a lot of questions about temples the other day and says she wants one of the cool VIP paper things to get in lol! But she is really cool! She wants to make sure the Gospel is true, but she is progressing well and will hopefully have a date soon! Plus she is in a part member home! Her 2 cousins are members! 

Then there is Ricardo! He has a baptismal date! June 4th! Only met him twice, but he is a cool kid! 19 years old... Wow just realized all our investigators are young... But yeah his friend Felipe is about to go on a mission in the Ward! They are the Munoz family. The Single Mom with 6 kids. In a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment.Really humbling. Plus they have a really weird family arrangemetn...

So yeah the Spanish is coming slowly but surely! I can understand a lot more than when I first got here. It is coming along! Everybody says 2 months before you really get the hang of it... So yeah. I am patient and I know the Lord will help me! Well I am going to reply to Moms email! I love you Dad and yes we should take a Father/Son trip when I get home! I would really like that! Well talk to you soon! Message me if you get on! Love you!!!!

1st Week in New York

Hola Mi Familia! 

Life is going good! this city is Freaking Crazy! I just realized yesterday that when we hit the streets we are the only white people in Harlem! The first few days I was to busy worrying about everything else! Its crazy! I'm a minority! So yeah life is awesome! And before I forget I know Elder Hill, not very well but I know him! His companion from the MTC is in the same apartment as me. Elder Stevens is his name. He serves with Elder Navarez who is pretty awesome and from Cali.

So Elder Martindale, i figured out is on his last transfer. He will be going home in 6 weeks. So I will kill him off. But most likely I will stay with Elder Heurta after this cycle. Uhm so yeah. A lot to write! The city is awesome! Crazy things happen here! A lot of people in Harlem are convinced that the world will be ending on Saturday. Only God knows why they think this, but a lot of people are crazy! haha! Subway or the "Train" is always fun! People will do anything on there lol! So like yesterday there was this Crazy Lady screaming about Jesus for a Good 45 minutes! Like Crazy telling everybody on the Train Christ would smite them if they did not repent right now lol! Then some tourist was taking pictures right up in her face and she was like "In the Name of Christ I command you to step back" Of course he didn't he kept taking pictures. I thought it was funny lol! She does not have the authority to say that either so.... But yeah like she was doing a good thing, but the way in which she was doing it was way messed up lol! I feel bad for her! 

So we have a lot of new investigators right now! We are teaching this Domincan Girl named Lisalo. She seems way solid. She came to church for the first time this past Sunday. She is 21, I think and her cousins are members and that is who she is living  with. First night i was here we taught her and I did not understand anything! By and By I am learning the language and understanding what people are saying. I can communicate. Not well but I can do it. And the Spirit helps me with all the things I need to do and say. 

We are also teaching this guy named Jesus (Yes that is his name.) ahah but I actually get to teach him in English which is nice. Most Hispanic people here speak both, and it just so happens that he prefers English. He is 22. 

Then there is Nelson. Who I love! He is 67 and learning English. Recent convert! We just go over there and force him to speak to us in English! I said a prayer the other day and that really humbles you when you have a full grown man repeating the words that you are saying. He is awesome and he has a Dog named John F. Kennedy. lol! 

We are also teaching Juan, or will be. I contacted into him in the Projects. (He was drunk at the time) He said he wanted to stop drinking and we said we could help him. Well Elder Huerta did. I just walked up to him and said "Hola Somos Missineros de la Iglesia de Jesus Cristo de los santos de los utimos dias" haha then he sat down and listened to us. We are teaching him tomorrow. I have a great feeling about him! Like really good! 

So then we just found this woman Dora and her son Joe yesterday. An inspired contact once again, this time by Elder Huerta. Talked about families and just so happened that she was looking for help in her family. Her son speaks English so I will get to teach him more with Elder Martindale. Elder Huerta speaks English, but is learning. He has been out for a lil over a year. I love both of my trainers they are helping us out a lot! I love contacting to lol! Most missionaries hate it, but I think it is so much fun! you get to meet a lot of cool people and as long as you are nice and outgoing they normally listen and success comes out of it! The Spirit can really do cool things! We have helped find a lot of new investigators for a couple other areas as well.

So as you can imagine life is way different here. I am being humbled way fast. The Munoz family. She is a single mom. With six kids. Lives in a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment. Life is way different. I can't even begin to explain. They are so humble though and so happy with life,because they know that they have everything that they need. These are the best people to be around. Because they know people and they know what is truly important in life. Most of the areas we knock doors are in government housing (the projects) and these people really are not what society makes them out to be. yes some are, but the majority of these people are good people and want to do the right thing. Bad stuff happens down here not gonna lie, but a ton of really great things do as well. I have already seen miracles. Last night a man named Dionis walked into the church. Just so happened that he was Hispanic (spoke English as well) and 3 Hispanic missionaries were there. He said something about the church called his name and he needed to go inside. The lord provides a way.Okay Well  i don't got a lot of time. Mom whatever questions i did not answer let me know and ask me again next week! I love you all and hope all is well! Life is Great :) The Gospel Changes lives. It is Changing mine. I'm still stupid old me! haha no but really life is awesome! I hope everything at home is well! I will pray specifically for everyone of you! 

 

Greg will be home soon! Crazy! Oh Yankees game will be fun :) haha I will get him something! haha! its next Wednesday I think. But yeah. We are going to the natural History Museum today and the Metropolitan! Oh and I saw the Hotel from Home Alone lol! We get to go to the nice part of the city sometimes too lol! 

Tell everyone Hi and I love them! the ward and my friends! Life is great I miss you all! Hope all is well! hope I let you know everything you wanted to know! Tell lindsay Congrats on Graduation! Thats awesome! Weird to think I did it just a year ago! Very sad :( But happy. time Flies! I love you all! hope all is good back home! Mom send me a yankees calender and next year a NY Rangers Calender and the recipe for Gumbo! Oh and Not too interesting food yet either! Tried avacadoes for the first time though. Not as bad as they looked lol! Dad was always trying to get me to eat guacamole. Send Bear! Oh and buy 2 copies of Joseph Smith  The prophet of the Restoration for me! 1 in English and 1 in Spanish! Those movies are aweome! Ok well gots to go! Love you all! Send me Gma's Shrimp gumbo recipe too! Elder Huerta wants to try it! haha ok love you! I will send a list home with other stuff either next week or in the mail! I love you all! 

Love your Crazy Son Mark

Give Everyone a hug for me! Lub oow awe! :) 

P.s I want my room back to the way I had it when I get home :P

I Love NY

Hey Mommy! lol! I am in a Trio!~ My companions are Elder Huerta Luna from Puebla Mexico and Elder Martindale from Salt Lake! I am serving in Harlem!!! Freaking sweet! I love it so far!  Everything is fine!  We are on the 19th floor! Its crazy! I saw yankee stadium today! And we will get to go to a yankees game in a couple weeks! I'm pumped! I love it so far! Its nice having a native with me to learn to speak the language with me a lot better.Uhm Mission president is awesome! president Brown, didn't get to talk to him too much because there were 20 missionaries he had to interview. Had a good nights sleep and a really nice dinner too! It was awesome! He and his wife are really nice. Its their first mission as well as mine. And we are the largest transfer to come in!   


I want to get out and start teaching already. Which we will at six o' clock! But there are five of us in our room! 2 english speaking missionaries, one of them came in with me but I cannot remember either one of their names!  So yeah, but I'm so happy! Life is good! I really don't have much to say! the life is crazy here! Some old guy was singing and playing a violin on the subway today lol! Way funny! Just soaking it all in! We are emailing from the church! Oh which once again, the churches are even different! They are built up so its really weird! (meaning more than one story) The one we had transfers today had a parking garage. I just realized I have been in 3 different churches today! We are going to teach a mexican member tonight! I don't know her name, but yeah... Apparently we have 10 different investigators right now, but yeah I am really really excited! there is not a whole lot to say yet, other than the city is awesome :) 


oh my address is... 1990 lexington ave. #19F NY,NY 10035. So yeah there it is! Ok so write me soon! So yeah anything else you want to know? Elder Scaife is serving in Stamford, Connecticut, Kay is in Manhattan, uhm... Sorenson idk :( and elder Eliason is in upstate NY!  So everything is good I love you all mucho! It was really nice to have the chance to talk to all of you! Hope all is going good! Post my address, and Tell Mark, Mike and Jake to write me and Bryan - I am about to send him a letter. And tell Joel to write me! And whoever else? I'm not forgetting any of them am I? Ok I hope all is well! I love you all! Stay safe because I will be! You all are in my prayers, hope all is going good! Love you! Bye Bye now! (Apparently not  ;)  )   This place is amazing and you are all amazing and I miss everyone back home! Tell everyone who signed that one card for me thank you by the way!  (Thank you to the church members who signed the Easter card!)  Ok love you all once again! NY is awesome! I can't wait to really start! Oh and one last bad news :( I left my English Scriptures at the Mission home :( But I will get them soon hopefully! Ok I love you all! Hope all is going good! Love you! Give Garret a hug for me and forward my emails to greg, Jackson, and RJ , and Mckeon! Ok Love you all! Bye! :) 


PS: Oh! Really quick! Haha we almost missed our flight to NY from Detroit! Haha our district was at the wrong gate and barely made it! Hahaah it was pretty funny! Detroit airport is HUGE!!!  IT was like a scene from a movie with 6 missionaries running through the airport! One of Elder Kays wheels broke! lol! Oh and NY is beautiful! The countryside is so green! Its awesome! Plus the mission home was way nice! and I got the first good nights sleep in two months! Fun stuff! Okay well I miss you all! Bye! Life is awesome! Having a Whole Grip of fun! and I constantly am feeling the Spirit! Talk to you all next week! love you all! 


And more - Yeah Greg is right way too much packed! Try hauling it all around on the subway and having to walk with it 6 blocks! A pain in the butt! I am not doing that every transfer meeting! I will definitely be sending some stuff home lol! Probably in the next two or three weeks! that was so hard carrying all of that stuff! NY is awesome I love it! 

One More Week

Ah ha not a problem, the pictures are awesome! The one of Elder Veater singing is a song he made up that we think is hilarious! And yes Elder Law was packing cuz it was the last time he was going to get to hear the song!

The Video of Elder Kay was him making his funny voice and saying "I'm a puppy" then barking like a dog lol!

 And don't even worry about the one of me and Elder Crisp ;) haha its an inside joke lol! I miss Elder Crisp and Law; they are great Missionaries!

And yes, a week from now I will be in the Air :) I am so excited :) I can't wait to get to NY! RJ Is doing great! I really don't want to leave him and Jackson! I'm going to miss those two so much! Along with all the other friends I have made here! I know God has put people in my life for a reason and when they need to be there!

I was so happy to hear about Tre's mission call!!! Puebla Mexico! thats awesome! 3 Missionaries in my zone are going to the some Mission! Elder Neilson, Elder Lavoto (Knows Blaine Sherwood by the way) and Elder Pratt! All three Great Guys; I am sure Tre will get to meet them! Elder Neilson is a boss! He is one of the better friends I have made here!

That is aweome that Aunt Cindy and Uncle Donnie are coming! I hope my mish president will let me see them! and my companion will not be a complete Zooby about it! But that would be awesome! I am so excited!!!! Tell the fam I love them! I am going to write Todd and Thomas today! Mom Happy Mothers day! I will be sending a card today.  Haha I think you will enjoy it! :)

Thats aweosme that Tre, Mckeon and I will be able to speak spanish! So on that subject we got a new teacher last week HERMano Hernandez! HE is Mexican and pretty much only speaks spanish! Its hard to listen but I am learning a lot! Gilli left and went to take a job in Colorado!
Oh and yes I have got the packages! thank you I love them and I love you!

Glad to hear everyone is good! LEt them know I love them! OH and about me calling my flight leaves at 7 in the morning UT time. We leave the MTC at 4 and hopefully I will get to call somewhere between then! Then a lay over in Detroit from 12 45 to 2 15 so I might get to call then too! ZL is hard but they will change them up on sunday cuz I am leaving so thats good :) I kind of like it though! THings have been getting better! Okay well I love you all I have like no time, but I love you all and can't wait to talk to you on tues!!!!! But yeah we also heard from Elder Oaks. The Gospel is true I love you all :) :) time to go I love you fjsdsdjfjf sdklfjsdfkl HAhah Love you all! ! God bless! :)

Mark!!!! MArky!


A Funny Story from one of Mark's Letters ~


Oh and a quick funny story, you can put this on my blog if you want to. lol   


Last week I was laying in my bed and I told Elder Sorensen that my Blanket was better than his. (my brown one)  He has a similar one, but of course mine is better.  He then said, "Yeah right".  So I put my blanket over my body, covering my face, and said, "Cover Fight!"  So Elder Sorensen cheated and didn't put his blanket over his head and picked me up and spun me around.  when he was done, he said, " Here's your bed."  And I was like, "Haha real funny", because I thought he was trying to trick me.  So I spun around to where I thought my bed was (blanket still over my head of course), and dove to what I thought was my bed.  Long story short, it was not my bed.  I hit my head on a chair that was on the other side of the room.  lol  Elder Sorensen laughed for a good ten minutes.  lol  Just imagine me flying through the air with my blanket covering my head then landing on top of a chair.  lol  OK,  end of story.  Haha!  Love you, Bye!

MTC Part Two

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