November 4th 2013 Jacob

Hey Family,

 

So first I have to ask and answer some questions. Caleb. A week before a show we felt completely unprepared. We realized that we could have been working harder the entire time and we never felt ready. But also take courage. The one week became hell week. Thats actually a good thing. Everyone realizes that they need to get down and put some real work into things. The tech, gets everything done. Most of the kinks worked out on the lighting as well as the sound systems. The director usually gets a final image of what she or he wants the show to be like. and you yourself put a lot more work in a get prepared. Do your best, be the best you can be, and you will have the best experience ever. If the rest of the show sucks, then be the best part of the show. ;) Haha!

Mom, Sister Pelham in my ward sent you an email. She has been wondering for the past 2 weeks if you have gotten it. Have you? You might want to check your junk folder of just really clean out your email. ;) I also heard of this great website called globalmissionshipping.com which is supposed to ship missionaries packages cheaply and swiftly. Guaranteeing it in 2 days. Its kinda of like costco but for shipping. :)

And do you guys think it is wise for me to send a package home? I really want to, but its about 20 quid to send. Let me know what you guys think so I can start preparing..... the chocolate here is 5x's better then anything america has... just saying. ;)

Oh ya.... would you guys get mad at me if I came home with a swearing problem? The D word and H word here are not swear words and they kinda get ingrained in your vocabulary when the ward mission leader says "lets get that D*** baptism!" Seriously. Its super funny sometimes. I've fought for 6 months but I'm finding it getting harder and harder now. I may have shocked my trainee once or twice.....IM RIGHTEOUS!! I promise.

 

So this week has been a good one. We have had really good days... and really sucky days. But, good days first. We have had amazing miricles. Sunday was probably the best day ever. On saturday we got a member to come with us on a teach to a former investigator named Natalie. She has three little kids and a really sad back story. She is from france, and is one of the nicest people you have ever met. But she used to be involved in Scientology and that really sucked life out of her spritual side. We invited her to church.... and she said yes! Thats my first investigator ever to come to church. Mine! Found, taught, Invited! WOOHOO! Ok, ok. Lets be real hear. God, did all of it. Everything just fell into place. Not only that, but when we got her to church she was having a great time in sacrement meeting and then thats when things got a little bit sticky. Her oldest son wanted to go home and was really sad. I had to teach gospel principles as we ANOTHER investigator as well. Ill tell you that later. So i left my Companion and Elder Linden my ex companion to go out and talk to her and just invite her in, if she wants or maybe even give a thought out there. I didnt know. But they went out and they had her fellowshipper come out as well and she just let loose. Her husband just got up and left the family one day. The kids have really been missing him and they tried to get in contact with him, just so the kids could talk to him. But it was 3 days later, after they left a voicemail, that he called and it wasnt a very long or good call. The oldest son is really missing his dad and wants to be with him. Natalie is having a hard time to try and deal with him. She doesnt know if she wants to move back to East Grinstead or not and is just at a loss as for what to do. The fellowshipper, Kursteen Graabek, was amazing. She told her that she was her friend now. That this ward is just a big family and they just talked. She really needed it. Elder M ( my companion) and Elder Linden went out and talked to the oldest son Ewin. They had a good talk and eventually he went to primary and she went to releif society. We set up a return apointment and are going to be seeing them again. I think we broke the ice with Ewin as well. The kids are 10, 7, and 3. Sweetest family ever. Can you guys pray for them that she will receive guidence as what to do, as well as realize that this is the church that she needs. That this gospel can help her.

 

Alright, that was the first one. Second Miricle. We were on our way to church, Natalie following behind us in her car. When Kursteen got a text from Joanna, A former, that she had helped fellowship. Joanna was asking if she could come to church. :) What?! Haha! So we got her a ride and she came. A lot of the youth got up and gave their testimony and she was so touched by the power and sincerity of it all. We have a great youth group in Haywards Heath Ward. She then went to Gospel Principles where for some reason the Ward Mission leader asked me to give a lesson on faith. Thats not what usually we would have given the lesson on. But we did it gladly. We had an amazing lesson about faith in the savior and acting upon that faith. Apparently I said something right, in reality i think the spirit used the gift of tongues to turn what I was saying into something good. HAHA! Because she got up in Releif society next hour and bore her testimony. I had so many people come up to me after wards saying how beautiful it was. She came up to me after church and told me how what was said in Gospel Principles really touched her and gave her the courage to bear her testimony..... I didnt know what to say. That was amazing. We have an apointment with her this wednesday and we are going to invite her to be taught again. :)

 

Missionary work is amazing. You can see so much good come out of it. Me and companion had a day this week where everything we had was canceled. We litterly turned 4 good hours of teaching into finding. Thats enough to melt anyones brain. Haha! It was misserable as well. But I look at that now, and it only makes moments like this get so much better. This week, for some reason, I completely destroyed Either 12:27. I read it, but I wanted to know everything about this scripture and HOW god makes us stronger. HOW, he turns our weekness into strength. I learned a lot but the one thing I really want to share is my new favorite bible story. Its a parrible that I have never hear of before in Luke chapter 18, verses 10 through 14.

 

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

Maybe its the drama kid in me. But I can just see this publican. Standing behind this Pharisee and thinking about how he has so much to improve. He walks up, cant even lift his eyes to heaven, doesnt feel like he can look up to God. He hits his chest. A sign of his repentence and sorrow for the things that he has done, or for the weaknesses he has. He hits his chest. Tears streaming down his face. And says in basically 7 words this. God... be.. merciful to me.... a sinner. He humbled himself before God. He was humbled and because of that he became exalted. Its not the biggest parable or maybe one of the most powerful. But, when I read that it hit me so hard. I can see me and in that man. Sometimes standing as a missionary, not even looking up to god and saying. God! Please. Forgive me. Forgive my weekness. Forgive my sins. And help me. Help me become better. Mold me with your hands. Make me the son of God that I can become. Mom, I aboslutly love the scripture in Mosiah that you shared. King Benjamin was right. We are absolutly nothing to God. But.... we are also everything. We are his Children. We are litterally his offspring. He wants us to become like him. We are not even as the dust of the earth by ourselves. BUT! With GOD! We can become even as he is. Because of the Sacrifice of his Holy Son, we can become even as our father in heaven is. How amazing is that? That mans as fallen and weak and fragile as we are... can become like GOD? All because of love. But he cant force us to be like him. We have to choose! That is why we must be humble. Because that is admiting that the only way to exaultation is through the holy messiah. Jesus Christ. ACTS 4:12. Neither is there ^asalvation in any other: for there is none other ^bname under heaven given among men, whereby we must be ^csaved. WOW! And then we read in Alma chapter 7:11-13 all that christ did for us. Pains, suffering, afflictions, our sins. Everything. Christ has been through that... Why? We are as the dust of the earth. Why? Because we are God Children. You are special. That book is a childrens book that describes the one principle that if we never forget, can help us get through anything. Remeber God loves you more than anything. I love how we are all so week. Yet can be made so powerful through him and his love. Because thats what Christs atonement really is. The highest form of love that became an action. And that thought alone, humbles me. And makes me beleive that he CAN make me better. I love you all so much. This principle is one that I hope I can always remember and that I wish the world would know. I hope that, that actually made any sense. Haha! If not... well I apologize. ;)

 

Its getting cold here. Its as cold as utah is in winter and its autumn still. Haha! Its also really dark. Its getting dark here at 5. Thats to soon. Im out at 7 feeling apostate because I feel like its 9 and I should be home. Haha!

 

Halloween was great. We were going to go knocking in a small town and we met a man who was selling poppies, a war memorial thing, door to door. We asked how it was going and he said "Either people are out, or their hiding because they think Im a trick or treater!" Haha! Brits hate halloween..... wait... we cant go knocking. No one will open their door! The one time we decide knocking would be a good idea and we do it on the one day of the year the knocking is probably the least effective thing to do! Haha! But its ok because we went to the hospital and got my wrist checked out, and then went and taught a wonderful lesson to an investigator and LA family. WOOHOO! Haha! Halloween was good this year.

 

Well I got to go guys. I have a gas guy showing up at our flat for an inspectian. yay. Haha! ;) Love you guys all so much. Talk to you guys later. Bye!!!

 

Elder Hale

October 28th 2013 Maren

Hello my dear family!   Daddy! I am so glad you are OKAY! Family, it has been a testimony builder to be that we have been able to handle this trial the way we have... meaning by turning to the Lord and his gospel instead of away from it. That is a mark of conversion. I always wondered if I was really converted... I felt like I'd never really been tried in my life... I always wondered how I would react if something were to happen. And then some hard stuff happened and I realized, like Tania said a little while ago, it doesn't matter what happens, its true, that all that matters.   This week has felt like a time warp for me. Actually this whoel transfer has. Its gone by SO fast and yet it feels like forever since I was in Riverhead at the same time. But its been an amazing transfer and this week was a great way to end it.   We had some really cool things happen this week. We went to visit one of our Less Active's Leonor just to make sure she was doing well. We had had such a hard time planning for it and weren't 100% sure what we were going to talk about when we got there. We tried so hard to get a member there to help get her more fellowshipped but it just wasn't working. But God is in all things. When we got there she had a friend over, Nicholas, He is the godfather of her children. Well before we could even sit down with Leonor he started peppering us with questions and pretty soon Leonor came over and helped us answer them. She was amazing. I always feel so blessed to find those LA's that are really just waiting for an invitation to come back. I feel like Leonor is that way. Nicholas lives in the Bronx, when I originally heard that I was like "Dang it! Not in our area let alone our mission." and then I was like "But hey, now we have facebook, the world is my area!" Haha. This work is changing in so many amazing ways. The other cool thing that happened was a similar experience the second time we went to see Anabel. Her brother Gorge was there. He is catholic and our plan was to watch the Joseph Smith Movie with Anabel. So as we watched we gave her the controler to pause anytime she had a question. The one time she used that power led to a long conversation about baptism and just about every other gospel topic you can think of. More than anything we just tried to bear testimony though... that is where the power is. We commited both of them to read the Book or Mormon and to pray before and after they read each day. He lives in Carona so we'll see what happens. We still need to get him a book! Besides that our week has been full of Look-ups, Dance practice (see facebook... haha), street sweeps, and learning experiences. This week while talking to my District Leader he pointed out that I have changed a lot since I first came out. Believe it or not this statement bothered me... and I am still not entirely sure why. Forever changed is the goal right? Haha. As near as I can figure I had a lot more pride when I came. I had a heavy attitude (which isn't all the way gone...) and I think I felt like I had to prove something. You may remember that I didn't get along with my first district leader. Since then I think (I hope) I have learned to trust the Lord a little more and in those he has called. Sister Peacock pointed out a similar change before I left Riverhead and I told her she was crazy. I think I have just enough pride left that I don't like the idea that I had so much to change when I came. But Humility has been a goal. Mostly now I am just grateful that it is happening. I recognize how much my mission is preparing me for my future life. What a blessing it is to be here.   Also this week we were blessed to particiapte in an event in the Far Rockaways to celebrate 1 year since huricane sandy and all the rebuilding that has happened since. I got to drive down with Sister Chipman... did you know she only has 1 transfer left?! And she just got released as an Sister Training Leader... which means yesterday was possibly the last time I see her before she goes home. Ah! I don't like that. Its always been such a strength to have her near.   O! Yeah! Other cool tidbit... Anabel's brother Gorget told me I speak 95% perfect spanish. Which I probably shouldn't tell you because then at Christmas when Stephanie asks me to speak to her in spanish I am going to freeze up and not be able to talk at all! But I was pretty excited about that. I still think its an opptomistic estimate and probably only valid when the gift of tongues is in full effect to help us get through lessons.   By the way... if you didn't pick up on it. I am staying in Jamaica and me and Sister Jensen are staying together! YAY! I actually kinda forgot all about transfer calls this time around. I knew president would move me after just one.   Jake. I don't know if you have time to read all this but I really really like what you said about accountability this week. That is something that has started clicking with me too after way too much time. I am so proud of you. I can't believe how much you are growing out there, all I know is I am proud of you.   Tania (and Angie!) coming just for fun this time huh?... dang I am so tempted! But no! Wont do it.   Nathan, sorry you have to get your teeth out. I have a feeling you are/were super funny on the meds. Haha. Mom I hope you videod it. Don't pass out like I did.   I love you all so much!   -Sister Maren Hale

October 28th 2013 Jacob

Dear Family,

 

I love this gospel! Haha. This past week has been awesome. I want to share with you guys my letter I sent to president because it was a really cool experience, but I dont want to right it again. Haha!

 

Dear President,

This past week has been amazing. I have felt and seen God help us in so many ways to help this work carry onward, as well as helping me progress. Monday and tuesday were ok. I had fallen into a state of hopeless I would say. It just didnt seem like anyone would talk to us or want to learn more. Wednesday was the worst day of all. It just wasn't productive it felt like. That night we had two families in our area that we were going to visit. The first family was amazing. We had a great lesson and we challenged them to move forward with us with their less active children. They were excited as well as us. The next family though only gave us a half an hour and they just moved into their ward. They dont really trust us yet and so when we came in talking about missionary work and referrals the whole family, especially the parents, just seemed to shut down, be cynical, and stop paying attention. We left that evening feeling very dejected. And I felt pretty alone. It seemed like the stress was finally getting to me. I'm training, Im opening up a relatively knew area while training, its a small town with smaller towns around it, I've never worked in an area like this before and don't really know how to. Everything just seemed to come to a head. I was talking to Elder Mortensen about all of this. Talking about how I felt "where is God?!" "Isn't this his work." I was quite overwhelmed and feeling utterly alone and inadequate. At the peak of these feelings and with my emotions struggling to break free... I received a call from you. Telling me, that you wanted to give me the good news about my father before I went to bed. 37 Lymphnodes removed... and not a single cancer cell. You could have waiting until the next day to call me. But God saw that I needed that. That news, and the experience DID make my emotions flow over. I felt so much love and peace come from my Heavenly Father. He knew I needed that news. Almost as if to tell me. "What are you talking about?" " Of course I'm still here." "Dont you remember?" Never have I felt so much gratitude to my Heavenly Father. That has been the most concrete witness to me that he is there. That he does love me. That this is his work. And that he will never leave me alone. We got 14 other lessons this week. We reaches the goal. According to the statistics you gave us in Zone Conference. If we are able to keep this up, we will get a baptism per month. I felt God continually in the few days [since]. We had 2 hours on Sunday to get 3 other lessons. Thats a pretty bold goal. But, with faith, God was able to help us. We got those 3 other lessons. Resulting in the total 14 teaches and a new investigator.  I have never felt so good. This work is amazing. This gospel is amazing. I absolutely LOVE it. And I aboslutly love Him.

Elder Hale

 

This is only one experience that I had the past couple of days. But it was the Catalyst experience. It was what gave me the Faith to continue on and to see the work progress in the area. The best part is, just like Dad said in his letter, sometimes you dont make much progress. But you move a little, day by day. We didnt baptize anyone this week. We didnt meet a golden investigator, although we did get a pretty cool one. But the thing that changes was me. Having the Faith to find and the faith to go out. It changed every single day. I was happy and excited to go out. On Sunday, when we needed to get the 3 other lessons in 2 hours. We got two of them. But it was time to get going home because of accounting, and that meant contacting on the way home. Which I'm totally ok with.... but it was pouring with torrential rain. :) People dont usually like stopping in weather like that. Haha! For about 1 second I felt "Well, you tried. But your not going to meet anyone tonight, and if you do, they probably wont stop and have a small lesson with you"..... But then, I kind of punched Satan in the face, and just said "What, you talking about? This is God who is helping us! He can do anything. If I have the Faith that he will help, listen so carefully to the spirit, and then act on those promptings it will happen." We could have taken the short way home, but I felt impressed to go the long way.... and we found betty. We stopped her, covered her in our little canopy of our umbrellas and had a great lesson with her. The spirit told me to talk about direction in your life, and how our relationship with heavenly father could get us that. It was so amazing to see this puzzled expression grow across her face and see her eyes just kind of clock what we were saying. "I could really use  some direction right now in my life" She said. WOW! Ok. We gave her our card and hopefully she will be calling us back. This is a tiny miracle. Just 1 lesson. But, it means the world to a missionary. It showed to me how God can do anything if we have faith, listen, and act. Acting is one of the hardest parts. Which was another principle I was blessed to learn this week.

 

Another cool experience that I had this week was right after Wednesday. We had just gotten done with contacting and had come home from lunch. But it was talking way longer for the dish to cook then we thought and it was either, eat or catch the bus that we needed to get. We prayed about it, got done, looked up and just took off. Haha! We grabbed our stuff, turned off the over, leaving the dish in, and ran to the bus stop. We were planning on going to see a LA, but she is in the middle of nowhere. We went to see her, and she wasn't it. The bus only comes around every hour. So we went to knock a small neighbor hood of about 4 houses. The 3rd door we knocked, we were welcomed by a very, VERY, strict atheist. He basically told us that we were waisting our time. That religion is a hoax, and we were better off to stop what we were doing. When we dug a little bit deeper, and said, that there was no evidence for anything. NO evidence for God. He said to give us one concrete physical peace of evidence. We started talking about the bible and he shredded that. We left feeling pretty dejected. We knocked the rest of the houses and by the time that we were done, we had 20 min til the bus came. So we went on a little cool nature walk. We had walked for 5 min and the whole time I was rolling over in my mind what we could have done differently with this man "mike". I started talking about it with my companion and I started "soap boxing" ,as an elder calls it, about how their is evidence. THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!! It provides an actual experiment about how we can find out if God is there, if he loves us, if he has a plan for us. A little bit more ranty then that, but you get the picture. ;) I was walking for 20 ft before I realized my companion had stopped walking. I looked back and he looked and me and just said "why dont you go tell him this?" Answer: Because he is a mean atheist man, who we will be disturbing for the second time, and didnt want us to disturb him the first time! Haha! But we went went back. We said that if was out in his yard, we will take it as a sign and talk with him. Well he wasn't. But the spirit prompted us, and we felt like there was something we still needed to do. So we prayed. And sure enough, the answer came to go Knock on his door again. Oh man. Scary. So, we went back and we knocked. And when that man came back out. I held out a copy of the Book of Mormon and testified that this was the evidence he was looking for and of its truthfulness... We placed a copy of the Book of Mormon. Haha! He might never be taught. But, it was cool. Acting can sometimes be very scary. It can be very scary sometimes. But there is a principle that I know have a very firm testimony on. And that is the Fear of God VS the Fear of Men.

 

Are we so afraid of men that we are actually afraid to act in the Name of God? Are we afraid of what man is going to say so we let a moment to help push this work forward, pass by? How do we react to situations where is Mans disapproval, or Gods? I dont know if I have already told you guys this, but I asked one of my old companions once, whats wrong with being a molly Mormon? Whats wrong with that? He couldn't answer. Gods standards, and Gods expectations should be our standards and our expectations. The reason why most people aren't molly Mormons is because they don't want people seeing them living their religion. Or people making fun of them. So what if they do? Do you fear men? Or God? You are living a standard that has been decreed from the very creator of the universe. By living his principles you obtain for your self blessing that have been predicated in the very heavens about us. And what are these people, pointing from that great and spacious building getting? A need to buy some new furniture. They receive nothing. We receive Eternal life. And the praise and gratitude of our father who is in heaven. Desperately wanting us to come back to him. I have often feared the scorn of men. And have to often, not feared enough, the disappointment and consequences of God. But, hopefully this experience, and this lesson, and this mission will change me enough to become 100% fearful of God and not of Man. Like Poochenello let us let the dots and marks of the world TRY to mar us. But in the end. Let the maker of our souls, and carver of our bodies, tell us what we ARE. What we can BE. And let those Eternal truths stick and transform us.

 

Wow, I need to stop. Haha That is a long letter. I love you guys. Sorry if thats a little bit ranty. I once heard from a missionary, that letters home often become your second journal. I will try to do better in the future. ;) I love you guys so much. Dad, Im so grateful that you are doing well. Thank you family for being supportive and loving. I often pray for you guys. I love you very much. Stephanie, I hope you will get back to the work you love as soon as possible. By the time you get this, I know a week has past and your proably fine now. But your work is always a marvelous example to me and I thank you. Maren. The same goes for you as well. I always feel more inspired from reading your letters. :)

 

YA!! Send some pictures. I want to see Giant Caleb and sampson simeon. :)

 

Elder Hale