Hey Family!!!!
How are you all!? I love P-day, getting to hear from you and read your emails are the best. Haha. I miss you all so much.
First
of all, Dad, I haven't actually gotten your letter yet... Sad i know. I
guess is it has made it to the mission home and is just taking a little
bit of time to get forwarded out. We actually didn't get mail for a few
days because in the "big" (it wasn't too bad) snow storm a snow plow
took out our mailbox and we didn't get it back up for a day or two.
Jake! You're getting your Eagle?! That is so cool! I
am so proud of you! and the Olsen's are totally awesome in letting you
share your court of honor with their son. We do have some pretty awesome
neighbors. :D
Good to hear its getting warmer in Utah. I am a
little sad I wont be there to see the season's change... its my favorite
time of year there, but I am way excited to see how spring will come to
this little bit of paradise called Long Island. So far, this place
feels just like home minus the mountains. Especially the snow storm. It
dumped a lot but not in a dangerous way and by the next day a lot of it
had already melted off. Just like snow storms in Utah. My companion is
glad that I don't mind driving because she is from California and is
pretty scared to drive in the snow.
Yeah the parade was cool. I just watched the video
on the blog and you are right, that was me poking my head out on that
video. You can't really see me so i'm way impressed that you managed to
spot that. I think my thought process was something like... 'maybe my
family will watch this... if they do I want them to be able to see me.'
Haha. I guess it worked.
I asked the same question to my companion about
whether the work has gotten easier in the Far Rockaway's...
unfortunately she said not really. They didn't push the gospel on anyone
while they were cleaning up, they were really just there to serve. But I
am sure that something was planted in them through those associations
and someday, even if its after this life, they will be open to hearing
the Gospel, maybe even go looking for it.
Wait wait wait wait.... DISNEYLAND?!? what is this
Disneyland trip you speak of....? I wanna go..... Haha. But seriously.
What is it? Did the family decide to go after they ditch 3 of their kids
on missions?
This week has been up and down. It started out way
good, lots of lessons and such but when we hit Thursday things went down
hill. Almost every single one of our appointments juked (weren't home,
wouldn't answer the door, or didn't show up). Not cool. It was
discouraging especially because those were going to be awesome lessons!
We will try again, but it makes me sad.
On Saturday morning we were dropped by one of our
investigators. She was a way awesome lady who'd had a hard life and
seemed ready to invite God back in... We had gotten her a Large Print
Book of Mormon and she had read a ton in it! But before we even began
the lesson that morning she asked us what our "mass" was like and when
we told her and she discovered that we don't have memorized prayers she
said that wasn't going to work for her. I wanted to cry. I wanted to
scream. I wanted to debate and change her mind and make her see that to
walk away from the restored gospel over memorized prayers was insane!
But there was nothing we could do, just tell her that we love her,
encourage her to keep reading, and walk away. My heart broke for the
first time as a missionary.
Me and my companion gave talks in sacrament meeting.
Dad, you were talking about the talks in the Ensign you had read, did
you read the one "The Enabling Power of the Atonement" or something like
that? That was what my talk was on. Well not what it was on but it was
my primary source as I prepared. I think it was a good talk. I hope
people felt the spirit and the love of their Savior.
We then got to teach the Gospel Doctrine class. We
were subbing for the regular teacher. It was Chapter 10 in this years
manual on D&C 25. It was an awesome lesson. As we prepared it all I
could think was that this was especially meant for me. Verse 14 of that
section talks about keeping ourselves meek and bewaring of Pride. Then
it quotes a bunch from a talk President Ezra Taft Benson gave about how
pride is essentially enmity. Enmity between you and God and your
fellowman. It goes on to say that its the attitude of "My will and not
thine be done." and essentially expecting God to change his will to
match yours instead of changing your will to match his. You should look
up the talk because the way he says it it completely amazing. I was
humbled. I had to really examine myself, especially as a missionary. We
pray all the time to know what we should do and where we should go and
who we should talk to... but I had to ask myself if I was really willing
to do whatever he asked. The answer, unfortunately was no... I hate
knocking doors, I am a chicken when it comes to talking to people on the
street... I am so prideful! It doesn't matter what I do or do not want
to do... all that matters is that I do what God wants me to do. So that
is what I will be working on for the next long while. Humbling myself
before God and taking my will completely out of the equation.
There are two upcoming events that I am so excited
about. I really am in exactly the right place at exactly the right time
(meaning Riverhead, not my mission, that part is obvious). On the 23rd
the branch is going on a ward temple trip into Manhattan... one of the
awesome Recent Convert families in the ward are going to be sealed on
that day too, and for some awesome reason or another they are letting us
go! I am so stoked. My first transfer and I get to go to the temple. I
am so lucky!
The other awesome thing is that on the 24th there is
a special stake conference out here and apparently a member of the 12
will be coming to speak at it. An Apostle of the Lord here in our area! I
am so excited to listen to what he has to say. The Beal's, the senior
couple we live with know who is coming but they kinda found out by
accident so they're not telling. But they do confirm that its a member
of the 12. How cool is that? And if I were anywhere else in the mission
he would come and go and I probably wouldn't even know it. I am so
grateful to be here right now.
I am also grateful to be here because we can feel
that this area is ready to explode. The Spanish people are sharing the
gospel with anyone who is willing to talk to them, the
whole Spanish community comes to what they call "El Noche De
Fortalecimiento." basically a Family home Evening but a ward activity
This week one of the non-members, who we're trying to turn into a
progressing investigator, has asked to host it in her home on Friday
night! Its so cool. But its little things that like, this area is ready
to grow. Its going to take a lot of hard work and some time but things
are going to start happening here.
Family. Life is good. Take a minute and just marvel
at how blessed we are. People, other missionaries especially, love to
give Utah a bad rap. There are stereotypes upon stereotypes about being
from there and living there and what amazes me is how many of them would
rather live almost anywhere else then ever move to Utah... I love Utah!
Its the greatest place on earth as far as I'm concerned. I love the
people and the culture. Its different, and we have our thorns but it is a
beautiful place. Just know how blessed you are to have been raised
there, in a strong ward and stake with the resources and means to do all
the wonderful things (youth conferences, camps, etc.) that we have been
able to do over the years. We are truly truly blessed.
Family. I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus
Christ. A lot of people don't have any idea what that really means...
they are not like Joseph Smith... questioning everything and truly
wanting to know what Church is the True Church of Christ... they have
just come to accept that we don't know and that one church is just about
as good as any other. It makes me so sad... but then I get to tell them
about THIS restored Gospel! RESTORED... that is such a cool word. It
means brought back in its perfect form. It wasn't founded. Its wasn't
invented. It was restored. Isn't that cool? Its not just cool its
miraculous. If people could understand and have faith in that one little
fact... things would be different. Someday they will.
I know that my savior and brother Jesus Christ loved
me and you so much that he was willing to go through the lowest of lows
so that we could experience the highest of high's some day. He would
have done it even if it was for only one of us... even if that mean't
only one of us would make it home. Even if it was just you. Even if it
was just me. That is pretty powerful love. And he didn't just do it for
our sins, that is my favorite part. He suffered for our pains,
afflictions, illnesses, and every injustice we will experience in this
life. He knows how it feels when hard things happen to us. He knows how
our heart feels all the time, every second of every day and he has
experienced that too. He did it so that when the time came that I
actually felt those things he would be able to comfort me in the perfect
way. Ultimate Empathy. Its an amazing thing. I am so grateful for
his sacrifice.
I love you Family. I promise you that as you keep
the covenant that you made at baptism to Remember Him Always and heed
the counsel in D&C 6:36 "Look unto me in Every Thought; Doubt Not,
Fear Not" we too can feel the enabling power of the atonement and he
will be able to comfort us no matter what the situation is, no matter
what we are feeling, he really can help and he will bring peace, we just
have to open the door when he knocks... and he knocks very softly
sometimes.
I love you!
Love,
Hermana Maren Hale
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