September 22, 2013 Stephanie

                                                                   September 24, 2013

Dear family,

   I was so happy to hear the great news this week. I was on divisions in Apopa and the President called me and I was crying by the end of the phone call. I have been praying so hard for you all. I hope you know I love you so much. So what is it that they need to do still.... they need to kill the cancer cells and it sounds like there are two choices you can get them removed or go in for a test trial and see if they can kill them with radiation..... just a question with the trials test what happens if the radiation does not kill the cancer? Are they doing anything so that it doesn’t spread? If you could let us know these details that would be great.

   Oh, one other thing. I am not getting the letters from Maren at all. I have no idea where or what she is up to. I did get Jacobs letter and I too got a good laugh and it was at a time where I needed a good laugh. So thanks Jake. This week I have learned lots of the reasons I am here. I know right, a little late, but I am realizing more and more in small ways that everything that I do, everything that I think and pray for, is not for myself but for others.  It takes an effort but nothing brings more joy.  I put on my daily planner 3 sayings.  First "I am here for them !" Second  "this is their SALVATION" and Third  " It’s worth any sacrifice".  I am growing more and more in the love I have for this country and these people. There is so much to do here and I feel blessed to be a part of this great work.

   This week we are trying to baptize 2 people. Pray that all wi11 go well. We have a couple fechas for this next month as well. My goal is to find a family and baptized them before I have to leave. And guess what? We found two families this week and one of them is our next door neighbor!!!  A woman that I have had contact with for almost all my mission.  We went and taught the first lesion with her and wow she had never hear the name of Joseph Smith before.  She had been friends with the sister missionaries for years!!! I was surprised. I thought she had heard our messages many times but as we were sharing with her she turned to her husband and said “this sis pretty no” ? Hah, sounds better in Spanish but she really liked what she was hearing and I was so happy to see a little light enter into her eyes and life. We are going back tonight and we are going to teach them the Book of Mormon. We found a sweet little family yesterday. They have two little children and they really liked the message too and told us we could go back. I am seeing that Satan is working really hard against us but its because we are doing great things in this area. We are already seeing a huge change in the bishop and leaders and we are excited because it means that our working is changing things!!! woot. 

    What is this about Nate and Tania in new York!!! Wow that is so cool. I want to do road trips with my brothers one day. That would be so much fun!!! Wow well I want pictures they are the second best thing. hah

    Family this gospel is the single greatest gift I have in my life. We had a meeting with the President this week and he asked us to take a moment and ask ourselves what this gospel means to us. As I thought about it I thought about many summer days after church on Sunday reading outside as a family. Laughing, reading and spending time together ....perfect days that I have had and the joy and peace in those days I was so grateful. Then I was starting to think about dad and all the things that were happening and then thinking of the greater picture more beyond this world. I just started to cry as I realized the great promises that we as a family have being born in the covenant and what Christ has done for us ... for me personally. Family this gospel is everything for me. I know it is true. I owe everything I have, that I am, to my God and Savoir. I love them so much. As I realized that this week I think it helped me understand and work even harder to help others, more of Gods children, to understand the great blessings the Lord has waiting for them. I never want to stop helping in this work. It is the most important work to bring salvation to others. 

   My faith and testimony has grown this week and I thank my God for that. I still feel like there is so much to learn on my mission. I like pray every day that I will take every opportunity that the Lord gives me to grow and learn what he needs me to learn so I will be able to become closer to him. 

 I love you. Until next week.

Hermana Hale 

Hermana Hale, Hermama Merrell, Hermana Dumay

August 26th, 2013 Stephanie

                                                Aug. 26^th, 2013

Dear family,

 Thank you so much for all your letters. They have really helped me and I will read and read them over and over again to give me strength and animo. This week has been crazy with two multi zones that we needed to do a lession in on how to follow the council of our leaders. We did one today and the next one we will do tomorrow I need your prayers today. It didn’t go as well as it could have but tomorrow will be great.

   Oh so news. This next change we will me getting 10 more sisters!!!! We have no where to put them!!!! There are not too many safe areas in our mission ... so they are splitting our area again a third time hah. We are going to have a really small area this next change but I am excited. It will force us to work in an area we never have before and I am excited to see what will happen!!!!

   Family!!! I found a family!!! A beautiful family this week with a mom and dad and kids. Oh, I just feel like crying. I have been praying my whole mission that I could find a family!!! We have taught them 3 times and the wife and son came to church this Sunday. The father said he will come to church next Sunday. They have been looking for a religion and they feel really good about ours.!!!! They are reading the book of Mormon and I am so excited to go back. It’s hard for me to put the citas like 3 day in the future. If I had it my way, I would be like can we come tomorrow and the next day... and the next day haha.

   The work is moving forward and I love seeing it. I wrote to president this week and I learned some good lessons that I thought I would share. Sorry it gets a little personal with my feeling and all ha-ha girls and their feelings. But maybe one of you can learn from what I am going through. I hope so. I am learning so much.

Dear President,
   This week was hard for me. I have been really stressed but I think I have also learned tons. I am seeing my faults and I often ask myself “Why am I here?” What am I doing to help the mission in this calling. I still don’t even know what I am doing. I feel like my progress is slow and that there are so many other people more capable to do what I am doing and do it better..... After saying all that, I know that I sin because I am questioning gods trust and judgment, and I am self doubting.  So after having a small pity part I repented....well in the process of repentance, because it is a process, I realized more and more that we are all here to learn. We are all on different leaves and I should not be looking around so much as I should be looking up and having more faith in knowing God called me for a reason. I must do the best I can with what he has asked me to do. And have the faith to do it.
   I wanted to thank you for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to serve in this calling. I have learned so much and am still learning. I know I may come up short on a couple of areas but I take comfort in knowing that somehow God makes up for our faults and will not let us fall. Thank you for having the same faith in me that I know the Lord has. It means a lot to me.

   This week we went to San Meguel hah. It was hot. Hermana Giossi she is great. She is trying really hard and has a great desire to be better and wants to learn how to be better and makes the changes fast. She is a little frustrated.

I feel God is really stretching my faith almost to the point where I break but I know that it is in that moment when one learns the most and comes closer to our Savior.  I know it is true and it is worth showing every ounce of faith that I have to come to know my redeemer.
 Hermana Hale  

Family I love you all. Mom & Dad thank you for your letters. It made me remember of the times I was having a hard time at college and we would just have long talks and I would feel uplifted and strengthen just by hearing your testimonies.

   Oh I have to tell you all. We had a great experience with A….. last night. We had a lesson with his wife to help her get ready for baptism.  We have decided to help her keep small commitments to help her prepare and we started with prayer. Wow, family I have learned so much about prayer ( just in that lession it was incredible) but the spirit brought back to my memory all the times we gather together as a family to go before the lord and ask for the blessings we needed as a family. I remembered times we cried together. I remember times we felt the spirit. I remembered times we were laughing so hard we couldn’t finish the prayer and mom just saying stop it and we all just laughing harder. Hah. Family I have learned that prayer is an act of faith and love especially when we start praying for others. Prayer is the way we obtain the promised blessings of the Lord and we can also obtain them for others and I remembered doing that as a family. Mostly I remember prayers where mom and dad were praying for us their children by name and specifically and I realized the amount of love.... You were showing as you did that.   In 3 Nephi, Jesus prays for the Nephites and they said the words were too marvelous to utter.

 Thank you family for the love you show me and your prayers. I love you all so much.

 I know this work is true. I know my Savior lives.

Hermana Hale