Nov 11th 2013 Jacob

Hey Family!   Sorry, if this letter has spelling and grammar errors in it. My fingers are about to fall off. Haha! Its getting really cold here. Im starting to look at scarfs for the first time. Its just so humid that its a different kind of cold. It gets into your bones. Its damp. And as all scouts know, its better to be dry. Dry is good. Damp. NO! Haha! But luckily, I found a warm winter coat as a flat find, and its nice! And I have the one I got from the MTC but that makes me look like a marshmellow and people dont like talking to giant Marshmellows. Maybe, if it gets colder. Dad, I was joking. Haha! Im not going to come back swearing. Hopefully. 2 years is a long time. Haha! The Kababs here are HUGE! They are so good though..... Im actually craving one right now. I like the Chicken Kababs better then the Lamb ones though. I find the Lamb way to salty. But seriously, it just kind of pours out of the peta bread. I've talked to some missionaries from Europe and they say Euroes are similar but different. Euroes are closed? Anyways. The Fish and Chips here are so good. But, still HUGE! I cant eat all of the stuff they get me. Im not a big Fish person either I've discovered. The fish here is still really good, but I'd rather get a leg of Lamb or something. They need more lamb in America. The Chocolate here is so good though. If you were to try it, side by side with a American one. It doesnt even compare. ITS SO GOOD! Oh, and the Currey! Indian food here is big. Its the number one food in England. Which is kinda ironic. But, I love the curreys and can actually make a pretty decent one myself. :) I've really taken to cooking. So, ya. 20 pounds to send a package or about 30-35 Us dollars. Its cheaper to ship things to America then to ship it from America to here. I'll get you guys a christmas package. :) Dad, you talking about your kids moving away.... it would take me 15 years to get my med degree in America.... It would only take me 7 here. And they are better schools... and they love life experience so a mission would get me into a good school. So, im actually debating comeing over here for my schooling. Mom, Sister Pelham understands. Haha, she just likes to get in contact with other moms and swap stories. :) Oh, and my wrist. Its actually been complaining me for a while, even back home it was a little bit. It just hurt to do Push-ups and stuff. But, I was at mutual over here one night, and we were playing a rough house game where you had to grap wrists and then kinda throw each other around trying to hit a bucket..... boys. Anyways It was me and the Young Mens leader last, and he threw me hard. I got out, looked at my wrist and it hurt so bad. It was red, and when I got home I noticed I had devoloped a bump on my wrist that portrudes about 3 cm out of the skin. Not puctured, just swelling. So i got a brace on it. The gas thing was fine. Just a routinely check up. Mom, if you are going to send a package for christmas, could you possibly get a jumper in there? They really help. Apparently you can get some for 10$ at a Banana Republic outlet store in provo and they are really nice. All of that is according to my recently left utah companion. :)   Ok, that stuff is now out of the way.  Not a lot of super amazing things have happened this week. I guess the best thing is that we are actually teaching more and more. We had three member present teaches on Saturday and it was crazy running around trying to get everything done. Haha! Its great to move out of the Finding part of being a missionary and move into the teaching part of it. Hopefully baptizing part of it. :) We still have to find more people, but Uckfield is really small. Haha, we have had problems Contacting the same people 2 to 3 times now on the high st. We didnt like knocking before, because it just wasnt effective, but I think that we are going to have to move into that area now. The lord will lead us to the right people though. :)   All of the investigators that came to church last week came again to church this week. :) That was the best part as well as seeing the one of them(Natalie) Had an obsticle in the way of her coming. But she was able to overcome it and came to Sacrement Meeting anyways! :) Its always amazing to watch people grow.   We had a great experience last night being able to see an ex-communicated member, get re-baptized. She asked to have her name removed from the church, realized the mistake she made a few years later, and decided to come back. She has had to wait for 3 years to be re-baptized as her case has to go all the way up to the first presidency. But, it was amazing to see how happy she was when she came up out of the water. Joy, just doesnt seem to express her emotion. It made me think of a Cliche. You dont realize what you have until its gone? She realized what she missed. And then I thought about my mission. The best part about my mission is that I dont have to loose it. I apply the principles more in depth in my life, see the difference in me,  and then go out and I see people who dont have the Gospel in their lives. What a contrast between us and them. We stopped a Man once on the street, and we said we were sharing a message of happiness. He swore at us, said "oh, and you guys look so happy." Very sarcasticly.... while me and my companion smiled. Haha! He was right. We are SOOOOOO Happy. We are Joyful. We have something that really has changed our lives. And I dont have to loose it to find out.   I got to teach the lesson in Gospel principles yesterday and it was all about our relationship with God. One of the sections was how to get closer to him. 4 things. 1. Beleive that he is there and he loves us. 2. Pray. 3. read your scriptures, and I cant remember the 4th one.... Im terrible. Haha! But I have been able to see myself get closer to God through those 4 things. Not only me, but my boy! He is a recent convert and I have seen him grow. Its amazing. It was so cool to get the pictures with simeon and issac and dad and Uncle Glen. In one of simeons pictures Tania was in the Background..... Reading her Scriptures... I hope. Other wise this points void. But it made me smile so much to see her reading! My family. I love you guys so much. I can not tell you how much I want you guys to get closer to God. Feel that change. As Maren said. As we get closer to Christ or God, we change as a direct result. How beautiful. I love you family. I have 1 min left so I have to go. Love you all so much.     Elder Hale   p.s. Caleb, Ill be praying for you and your play. You will do great.

Nov 4th 2013 Stephanie

                                                          Nov. 4^th 2013

Dear family 

   

   So I attached my letter to President. Sorry they took away a lot of our time to write so we can’t write as much now. But to answer some of your questions. I would love to see the extended family but if it is Thanksgiving or another day it’s ok with me. Surprise me hah I am game for anything. 

    Mom thank you so much for taking care of everything for school ......so I have been thinking about housing I think if you could go up and see what is there and see what is cheap and close to campus that would be great.

   I have so much to tell you all and now I don’t have time. You’ll all just have to wait hah. These stories are just the beginning of what happened this week. 

This week has been really crazy with everything going on after the meeting. We are super excited to help the sisters’ plan and then commit to their goals. We are making plans on how to help them more and how to follow up. This week we have had some interesting experiences we are seeing God in this work more than ever. We are seeing miracles. We put 4 fechas in one day!!! There are so many people trying to do the right thing in their lives. Last Sunday we had an entire family just show up at church and we have been visiting them now for the entire week.  The husband and two of the children have fechas!!! They are so great. You feel the spirit with them so much. It was amazing this last lession. We taught the Book of Mormon and we talked about how we can know if it is true. I was on divisions with a member and it was so great to have her there.  Roberto, the father, asked the perfect questions.... ¿  “How did you know it was true? What did it feel like for you?” I bore my testimony and I felt the spirit so strong and then I was able to say that it is different for each person and turned to the member and asked, “How was it for you?”  The member bore a beautiful testimony and the spirit was so strong and then after his wife (member) bore her testimony. I love working with members!!!!!! They are so great and bring the spirit. They truly speak what is in their hearts and we bare our testimonies so often I think we forget to do that sometimes, not all the time but sometimes. They bring a spirit that is so strong. We are trying never to have a lession without a member. 

     Oh other cool story, we went to go to a lession with an investigator (Friend of MA) and we went with the Mission leader. It was so cool. This family that is MA, the father had never even talked to us before but at the end of the lession our ward mission leader went and found the husband. They were friends when he was active and they talked hugged and had a good time. Now we have a Family night with them planned. I think this is the answer to the wife’s prayers to finally wake up her husband and have him come back so they can get married. And she ( non member) can get baptized!!!! This is the time for members and missionaries to work together. We are seeing miracles when we do!!! 

     We are also seeing Satan hard at work with all the success we are having. He is always there trying to destroy ours and others happiness. (Man I hate that) I got really mad at Satan the other day. We have a golden investigator who asked God if this church is true after the first visit. We came back and he said he felt a tickling in his heart and he thinks it’s true. Hey so a miracle there and  wow this young man has such a connection with the spirit. It’s amazing. His grandparents are members and they have been praying hard to have their family come to the knowledge. But his mom was really mad when she found out we were teaching her son. She had given her warning to him as to what she will do if he continues listening to us. It breaks my heart to see him close to tears as he has to make the choice of family or God. We are praying so hard for him. 

I love you family. Dad I am praying for you and I hope you feel better.

Brothers I can’t wait to see you all!! Know that I love you. 

Mom thanks for all you are doing to help me. 

Love you all 

Hermana Hale 

Nov. 4th 2013 Maren

Hi!.... Okay so this is going to have to be SUPER fast... which is lame because there is so much I want to share with you... but there is only an hour left in P-day and my comp still needs to email her family on this computer. AHHHH!!!! Stressful life.

 

So to speed things up here is my presidents letter.

 

Hey President,

First of all. This week was a little hard. Anabel got a job and told us she doesn't have time for us anymore... we're going to try and be really annoying until she lets us meet with her on her day off but we'll see what happens... It broke my heart. Really cool thing though is that we picked up an investigator of about 8 years and have started working with her. Her family is her priority and so she cant get baptized because her "husband" wont marry her and she wont leave him. But she is so faithful. She had a goal to finish reading the book of Mormon by the end of the year. She was only in Jacob. So we figured it out and together we are ready 12 pages a day (in SPANISH!) to accomplish that goal. I've seen the book of Mormon work miracles and that is what we are praying for. either way, we'll both have finished reading the book of Mormon in Spanish by the end of the year.

Something I learned this week: So I started messaging a friend I've had FOREVER back home who is completely less active. I found out this week that in reality she is atheist... but by what she said I think she believes in God, she just doesn't understand him so she says she doesn't... I am still trying to figure out how to respond without going all missionary on her... but! While I was studying for her I read this quote... okay... so I can't find it... but basically It says that as we grow closer to Christ Change is the natural consequence and blessing. Man was I slapped in the face. I told you last week that the whole idea that I had changed kinda bothered me... I have always been an independent person and that only increased when I moved away from home. But as I read this quote I realized that in my ignorance when I wasn't appreciative and grateful for the change that I have achieved I was basically slapping Christ in the face and saying no thanks... In effect, moving further away from him than closer. I have made a resolution and commitment to rely more on Christ. A thought hit me this week that we either have to let Christ pay for our sins or we have to... either way the price has to be paid... and yet the only way we are saved is if we allow Christ to do it. We can't do this alone. I can't be independent in my salvation. I need Christ. I don't want to try to do it alone anymore. He can change me all he wants... and he's already letting me know exactly what he needs me to change next.

-Sister Hale

 

So... this may have been one of the longest weeks in my mission with how much the Lord is pushing me and trying to teach me. Our President has asked us to remain focused as we get ipads this transfer and everything and so I have thought about some areas that I need to be more focused in. The first is my studies. So this week I have really tried to go in with purpose and an open heart. and he's taught me so much. What I wrote to president is such a small part of it.

 

The second thing is the members. We need to be focusing on building relationships with them. We kind of let that lag a little as soon as we got an investigator... maybe that's why the Lord took her away... I don't know... but we need to make sure we are working well with the members to make this a strong pool.

 

Accountability is next. What Jacob wrote really taught me a lot about that principle and about wanting to be proactive in being excited and proud in reporting our efforts to the Lord and to our leaders.

 

and Finally, Work. I just want to work. Its been a little difficult adjusting to city life as a missionary. We're with other missionaries so much that its hard not to socialize and get caught up in that. But I just want to work and focus on that. Its interesting because the new English sister across the hall shared with me some experiences with just working hard on her mission and I had to think, I am not sure I've ever worked as hard as I could. So I focused on it for just 24 hours... and miracles happened.... and I really don't have time to tll you about them all! I am sorry. I have to go. I have to be nice to my comp. What did you guys decide about the christmas tradition?

 

Sorry!

 

I love you all!

 

-Sister Maren Hale

 

P.S. Dad... no the marathon didn't go through my area.