YET ANOTHER WEEK HERE

Ok so finally what I thought was my last Thursday, ended up to be my second last. The Doctor refused to clear me today so now I am here till the July 12 which kinda made me mad cause I just wanna get out there and baptize! lol.  I already have almost full mobility back in my shoulder but oh well.  We got a new district again yesterday, going to NY, Cali, Nicaragua, and Indiana Spanish speaking... No the districts that are in my zone do not always go to Florida, we have some going to Peru, Mexico and Orlando Florida. I am the only one for a long time going to Ft. Lauderdale.  So this week was good, we had our TRC which was good, I've done it all before but oh well... I also got the opportunity to give a blessing to an elder who leaves in a week who basically doesn't know any of Spanish. His teachers literally gave up on teaching him because he is "learning too slow". He is 23 and has only been a member for a little over a year.  But now, a week later, I can carry on a conversation with him. The gift of tongues is real!!!!  I have sent a package home but to Sweetgrass and it should be there either today or tomorrow, but there is a surprise for dad. There is also a letter for Teiler, James and Erin and then an envelope with pics in it... In Florida, I might send just a bunch of handwritten letters at a time in a small box cause then it is about a third the cost. I might be able to call tonight (Thursday) because my departure changed, AGAIN!!! so be sure to be home.  My mission president is amazing! Sister Anderson is seriously the sweetest woman ever, besides you mom!  But I came up to President Anderson and went to shake his hand and he said "I don't give handshakes to my boys" and gave me a huge hug and told me he loved me...it was amazing!  And Sister Anderson's handshake is like a handshake from an angel.  With the mission blog, it is going to be shut down most likely because of issues with privacy of elders and sisters. So they are going to set up a Facebook page with all the same pics on it... but it wont show or tell who we have baptized or where we are, it will just have pics of us and our comps basically... I am getting along very well with my new comps here.  Hopefully I will talk to you all tonight...


When Elder Maki met his new mission president, president Anderson, he asked Kodi what his hobbies and interests were.  Kodi mentioned that he loves to play the guitar, and President Anderson said, "well it's a good thing you're allowed to play them in our mission then isn't it".  He's not allowed to have his own, but he is allowed to play members' or investigators' guitars.  I'm sure he will have many many opportunities to play cause almost every home in his mission has a guitar. :-D

Hey everybody!!!

I am now sleeping without my sling, and I dont have to have the sling on when I am not around people, so in class it is off and when I am a tutor it is off and it feels soooooo good to be able to type with two hands again lol.  Send me the outlet mail address to sweetgrass. I have been wanting to send dad a package with some finnish stuff.  I have seen alex...er....Elder Hogenso, that is sooooo weird to call him that lol..... ok I wish I could have gone to the temple last night but I got really really really sick with the Norvle virus or whatever it is called....its a gastric intenstinal virus, but I am feeling better now tho, I think I completely drained my system of it in the two hours I was in the bathroom lol....you didnt exactly need to hear that.  Anyway my life is great being on a mission, and I have been blessed sooo much, and so has my family I think right?  My mission pres is hear now and after the special  fireside tomorrow night I will get to meet him.  Its weird telling peopel that I have been here for 10 weeks. We got a new district in our zone yesterday and 4 of them are going to Orlando Florida, made me excited...my shoulder is great and I can lift my arm above my head now, but I cant when my arm is at the square, put my arm straight up yet...I am still not to lift anthing but oh well.   Ok so the teachers now ask me to help them teach which is soo awesome, seriously I want to teach here after my mission. It is such an amazing experience here, but in order to work here you have to be a BYU student.  I see spencer Ficiur all the time in the cafeteria too which is great...its been getting in the 90's here lately too... 

Oh I got my travel itinerary today... I leave the MTC at 3:00 AM and will be in Florida at 12:30 PM I dont know if that is with the time difference or not... anyway I dont have much time but I love you all so much, Thank you for you prayers..

I will continue to write on LDS.ORg

Yours Always

Elder Maki

MY NEW ROLE AT THE MTC.

Hey Mom,
Cómo estan?  Estoy muy bien y estoy feliz para estar aqua.  I haven’t received any letters from you.   Make sure that you have the departure date as July 5, and MTC  box 212 on it. 

So Alex (Elder Hogenson) entered the MTC today and is on the same floor in school!!   I gave him a big hug and talked in Spanish with him, which he didn’t understand any of lol!  

Yesterday was a really emotional day, because my district left, but last night, I felt the Spirit of the Lord comfort me and when it was my turn to bare my testimony in district meeting (with the district I joined) I just started crying.  I then explained why I was crying.   After explaining that the relationships that you build with your district are amazing.   I said it was a crying shame that this district has no sisters in it, but said it is a life long relationship.  Then I bore my real testimony.  I said, “I  know now, I can feel it, that there is or will be someone here that I will need to help, I don’t know who yet.  I know this gospel is true.  How can I not believe?   How can I not believe that what I am feeling is the spirit.  How can I not believe that I am needed?   We are all sent out to save lives, we all bare the light of Christ, and we all have to have it turned on so people can see it in the darkness of this world, and lead them away from the edge and away from that great and spacious building.  We all bare three names on our chest.   Elder, which is the name of your ward family.  you bare your own name, of your family, and we all bare the name of Jesus Christ.  How can we not believe in the gospel?¨  There was not a dry eye in that room.  

Teiler my dear brother, I feel you need encouragement or a reassurance... mi querido hermano, fear not and be of good cheer, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest.  Make sure to kneel every night, and here is what I have noticed; begin your prayer, thank, account sins and ask for forgiveness, ask,  and do not close your prayer.   But, with faith, listen... I love you Teiler!   Always remember that.   I hope this is ok for me to do this but, as a missionary, I have power to do so, through God of course, I pray that your hands may guided as you right your exams. I pray that you will be calm and at peace, and have faith that you will do well.  I have a strong feeling to tell you not just that I love you  but that your Father in Heaven loves you, and your elder brother Jesus the Christ, and if you but ask, whatever you desire, will be given to you.  I love you so much Teiler.  I never realized how much until I came on my mission.   My mission means everything to me right now, this is where I need to be and my shoulder is doing great!
I love you all and thank you for your prayers!
Yours always,
Elder Maki

MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN!

This is the letter sent on Thursday June 9, 2011.  Elder Maki was feeling very discouraged and had some doubt as to whether or not he could stay out on his mission.  We had been praying so hard that he would be healed, and that he would start to see some improvement in his recovery.  We were just waiting for the following letter, cause we knew it would arrive.

Oki Doki I am doing GREAT!!!   Yo tengo mas pequeño dolor en mi hombro . I have very very  very little pain now in my shoulder,  after the week of the surgery.   I am able to take the sling of and start to gain movement.   Movement again!   It feels so GOOD!   You have no idea!   A major part why I have little to no pain is because of your prayers.   y yo les agradecido, muchas gracias! (to you i am thankful, many thanks)!  My strength is coming back into my hand now, but I actually do have to learn to write again.   I tried, but through the Lord I will again. Yes I have received all of your letters and my departure date has changed on them to July 5th.   Btw, I will become a tutor!!!!   and I will have one on one classes con mi meastros! (with mi teachers)...   I had a bad experience on Sunday in which I was being tempted sooo strongly to return home and that I could always serve another mission in the future, but I kept telling ¨the great demon!¨ that ¨No I am a missionary NOW!¨    And power over me waned, but was still very strong.   It was because I was weaker, mentally (the drugs) and physically, duh! you know why.   So, I finally broke and I needed to tell someone, so I told my Heavenly Father.   After I told my district leader, and he gave the most amazing analogy I have ever heard...   I quote; ¨Satan has the scope of his sniper rifle labeled 1/3 followed me!  God needs no more focused on me, and if you commit a sin or even go home, he has pulled the trigger, and killed a member of Gods Army".   I was balling, and we then prayed together, and he asked that I would have the grasps of Satan loosed...they were!   The next day, I spoke with the coordinating teacher Hermano Coles(who btw we have made jokes about him being a third Nephite because knows absolutely everything, lol) . I asked him to give me a blessing, in which Elder Edwards my district leader participated. and besides my patriarchal blessing, it was the most powerful blessing I have ever received.   He commanded my soul (in the Saviors’ name) to be at peace and to be calm.  Also,  in the Saviors  name he cast the devils out of the crevices of my soul.   Immediately,  instant peace and comfort, my chest began to burn, I was warm and fuzzy inside, and I no longer have a desire to return home.   Absolutely amazing eh?? Mom and Dad, you need not to worry about me returning home, I am under the Lord's watch and at his feet I cast my burdens.  I am free of evil.   My relationship with my Lord and Savior is stronger, (and for him is why I am here) y por él es porque soy aguí, to bring souls unto him, the same who suffered thee. hey that rhymed!!!! DULCE!!! (SWEET)lol.   I will send pics when the printing machine is working again.   I got some pics of just after my surgery too.  The MTC is great and I am blessed to be able to stay and teach more and to learn more Spanish.   I was a host today (Wednesday) and it was awesome!   Sometime this week I get the tape (they didn’t stitch me) taken off and I am excited!
Anyway I love you, I thank you all.
p.s Teiler...SHUT UP UR BETTER THAN ME!!!!!!!! LOL (oh and I am off my meds completely now :) don’t know if I said that already lol) .
Vaya Con Dios querida Familia

POST SURGICAL FUN!!

This is a letter sent on Thursday June 2, 2011.  Two days after Elder Maki's Surgery.

OK,  so this is going to be a fast email cause I need to get back right away and take my pain stuff.   I am doing ok .  I am loopy and very tired!!!!!!   I have slept most of the days lol,   It was so nice talking to you all again on Tuesday.   The pain is nothing as I expected.   I am in excruciating pain! and 2 percs hardly dull it :( I am also on that muscle relaxant which helps so much, and works almost immediately.   Elder Edwards took a pic about a minute after I took the valium.   It was so funny.   Anyway,  I will continue to keep you  posted ok? when I am feeling well enough and when  I have time. <3 i love you all!!!  btw the incision looks  SSSWWWEEEEEETT!

Les Quiero Mucho y a Dios :) 

Teiler. SHUT UP I AM BETTER THAN U! Le quiero mi hermano OOWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!