One week, one letter.

Rhett has officially been out for one week. My mom kept pounding us to write him a letter ever hour. I assured her Rhett would be getting plenty of letters and not to overload him his first week out. He says that things are going well. He already knows over 80 words in Portuguese and recognizes lots more because, "I've heard my Dad say that." His companion is Elder Clark who hails from Garland, Utah. Yeah, I didn't know where that was either. There are 16 missionaries in his district, and 60 in his zone. So within the next 9 weeks there will be 60 more missionaries going to Portugal. Lots huh? Portugal will be the next Utah!
He says the MTC is definitely not what he is used to. He says he can't be lazy (THANK HEAVENS!!!!!!) Unlike most missionaries, half of his letter was him asking for us to send him stuff that he forgot. Rhett is still Rhett! He is adjusting to Elder however and seems to be having a good time.
He wanted to me to tell about dearelder.com. It's a great missionary website and makes it very easy to send letters and the such. So if you're want to write him, (and of course everyone does) then go there.
Rhett is on his way to becoming a wonderful missionary. He'll be my and my families prayers and I know he'll have the best experience ever!

MTC Goodbye

MTC

Well the day finally came. My big brother Rhett Dustin is off on his mission. We said a tearful (well, tearful for my momma) goodbye today and watched him walk out the missionary exit while we went out the family exit. His adventure has started! I, along with everyone, will miss him very much. But he's going to be amazing and have a great time!

Farewell talk

Here is a copy of my farewell talk!!!
(the things between the * * are stuff Iadded after Ityped it up...I didnt add everything...just some things I remember

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. First off i'd like to start with a disclaimer for my talk. I'm going to be quoting some copyrighted material during my talk, however, i am not going to cite the actualmaterial, because I want all of you to focus on the message. And if any of you are from the MPAA or part of the RIAA and want to sue me for copyright infringement, i'd just like to tell you now that i'm fleeing the country to lisbon portugal for two years, so you cant get me!
When I was picking out this suit while suit shopping, i thought of the words of agent K  "Its time to put on the last suit you'll ever wear"  but "You know the difference between you and me...I make this look GOOOD"

Its pretty crazy thinking i'm going to be in another country teaching a foreign people the truths of this gospel for two years. Part of me is extremely excited, part of me is deathly scared, so they kinda canceled each other out into a happy neutral medium. Honestly if there was a mission alternative....like....”hey u can go on a two year mission ....OR you can go on a two week cruise to the Bahama's, and either way you will receive the same blessings and the same amount of the lords work will be accomplished.” Heck, i'd jump on that cruise. Its probably the same way with all of us and tithing, if we were given an alternative, like instead of paying 10% of our income, we have to give the bishop a plate of cookies each month, the bishop would be a VERY fat man. But, we aren't given these alternatives, it is all in the law of sacrifice.

In the october ensign of 1998, Elder Russel M. Ballard said:
“The law of sacrifice provides an opportunity for us to prove to the Lord that we love Him more than any other thing. As a result, the course sometimes becomes difficult since this is the process of perfection that prepares us for the celestial kingdom to “dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever”

So i guess if i have the oppertunity to give the lord 10% of my life thus far by going on a mission, for the blessing of “dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever”... Heck, i'd jump on that mission. My life hasn't been the easiest thing i have ever done, as it is with all of us. Not to say its been horrible, but defiantly ive have some hard times. But in those hard times is when i think of the wise words of Eric Matthews, “Life's tough, get a helmet.”
I've had many people i've used as a helmet, friends and family...but my strongest helmet has always been my dad (you guys were probably wondering when I'd get to the topic of fathers, on this, the day of my fathers day)

There are many stories about fathers (many of them in the church are told about people that lived in the 1800s...i dont know why that is) But i would like to share a story of a son who was in his senior year of high school, named Cory Matthews. he was in a museum and there he met an artist of one of the paintings. Now, the unique thing about this artist is that she was only 13. Cory doesn't understand how she can be so young and talented while he is just an everyday regular guy. Cory realizes that he's never really been good at anything, and he comes to the conclusion that it's his "average" fathers fault. One day Cory confronts his father about never raising him to be good at something. He tells his father that he is doomed to an average life because he is average. Cory quickly regrets his comments because he knows it hurt his father's feelings. He later goes and talks to his friends about it. He says that he did mean what he said, but he does want to apologize for the way he talked to his father. Just as he opens the door to go apologize, his father is standing there. He takes Cory to a dark, boarded-up warehouse. He explains to his son that this is the place his father worked for 40 years. His father worked his hardest there for his family, just to make ends meet. He then turns to Cory and says:
"Why are you so ashamed of being average? Look at this place, touch it. Get some dirt on your hands. Try and see what average looked like from here. To me average, average was a dream."
Cory then realizes that his father really had given him a lot. And that it is up to him to make his life something he's proud of, like his father did.

Now, I don't think my father is average by any means. He has provided with me with SO much. He built upon the life that he grew up in and made it easier for his children. And made it possible for us to grow up and build more. He didn't even have running water growing up (at least thats what he told my mom when they were dating...my mom later found out that that was not true AT ALL)

My dad is a pretty cool guy.  *He even went on the same mission as i'm going on. show nametag that he wore...that i'm wearing*
*share feelings of dad*

He has taught me how to live my life. He taught me life lessons.
My mom was like Thumper's mom when she said said:What did your father tell you this morning? And Thumper responded: If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all.
And I know he's always there to guide me, and i always think of him in that beautiful moment between young Simba and his dad. When they finish wrestling,
Simba says: “We're pals, right?
His dad responds: “right.”
Then simba asks: “And we'll always be together, right?”
and Mufasa shares his wisdom: “Simba, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars, the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us. So whenever you feel alone just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you and so will I.”
I know the great kings of the past like my father in heaven and Jesus Christ, along with my dad are always there to guide me and watch over me. It is very comforting thinking about how we're always being looked after.  no matter how bad we are acting, we always have countless mulittudes of angels watching after us, and we have at LEAST our parents on earth that will always love us.

I had a great experience with my father's both earthly and heavenly when i went through the temple for the first time. It was great having my father be right by my side the whole time and help me on the way, it was just like he had been my whole life. Sitting in the Celestial room, I thought of how blessed i was to have such a great father. Some say that the temple is the closest you can get to heaven on earth. I believe that to be so. While i was there, it was amazing to me because I was close to my earthly father and my heavenly father the whole time. Both were there guiding my way.
I know if my dad were Peter Pan, the final words of Rufio would not change. He would say: “You know what I wish?”
Peter Pan would ask, “What”
Then Rufio would point to me and say: “I wish i had a dad, like you”
I am so blessed to have a dad like mine, he's even greater than Peter Pan.
I would like to thank everyone for coming today. I would like to thank all my friends that are here. I think Mr. Feeny had it right when he said “Friendship for example, is a real gift. It's given with no expectations and no gratitude is needed, not between real friends.” So I would like to thank everyone that has been a real friend to me up to now...and know that our friendship will continue after my mission.  *talk about friends leaving on missions the same time as me, how cool it is...like alma and sons of mosiah*

And I would like to recite a song, which i changed up a little to bit, and rewrote the last verse.
I arrived just the other day,
I came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
I learned to walk while he was away.
And I was talking 'fore he knew it, and as I grew,
I'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

I turned ten just the other day.
I said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.
Can you teach me to throw?" He said, "Not today,
I got a lot to do." I said, "That's ok."
And I walked away, but my smile never dimmed,
Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.
You know I'm gonna be like him."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

Well, I came from college just the other day,
So much like a man my dad just had to say,
"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?"
I shook his head, and I said with a smile,
"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."

Time has passed and now I'm going away.
Leaving to Portugal on a two year stay
My dad told me stories of mission time
He said, "You'll have to eat fish, of ever kind
I said, “Online it says there's 100 Mickey D's now”
He stood stunned and mouthed the word “wow”
But he continued to tell me stories of when he was 19
And as he read me his journal, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My dad was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."

First Post and Missionary Farewell

This is a blog for Elder Rhett Hildebrandt.  You can see how I'm doing in Portugal from here!
I'm not in Portugal yet...or in the MTC...but i leave in a little over two weeks.  My farewell is soon, and everyone should come.
June 17
1pm
Chapel in Cedar Hills, on the corner of Canyon Road and Box Elder Drive.