It has been a really good week.
We stopped by a guys house on Saturday night who one night randomly followed us to english class and we hadn't seen him since so we decided to stop by his house and he was there! so we went in and he played some mexican music for us on his key board which was really fun and then he just told us I am coming to your church tommorrow. it starts at 9 right. We had very little trust in him that he was actually going to come because we get that told to us all the time and he is only 17 or 18 and just didn't believe it but when I saw him walking up to the door of the chruch I believed it. He came with his book of Mormon and he stayed for the entire 3 hours and seemed to really like it. He got along with the members really good and he told them he just wants to learn more about the Bible and the Book of Mormon because he never went to school and he can't read very well. He is just a really hunble guy and I am pretty excited for him. He can speak pretty good english to which is really nice.
I got sick with a sinus infection the first part of the week but feel alot better now! The mission has to cut a ton of our miles back and so we are trying to ride our bikes as much as possible while it is still really nice so we haven't been in a car for three days and we are only in it today because it is raining. I really dont' like the Alabama rain.
We set some baptismal dates with Emigdio and Rosendo and Elias. I am prett excited but they haven't come to church yet which needs to happen.
I don't have much time though so this is about it.
Mom can you ask Robert for a list of all the areas that he served in in the Mission? thanks
Love Elder Haws
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
November 8, 2010
We had a really fun but cold week here in Montgomery. The temperature dropped really fast and so we weren't really expecting it. We have been able to ride our bikes and let me tell you! That is such a weird experience. Riding your bike in the cold but you are hot from working out. So you are cold and warm at the same time.
I am trying to get into better shape by running in the mornings. So far it has been successful I have ran one day out of one day. I am on a roll!
I don't have a ton of time today but things are going really well! we are making a lot of headway here. It seems like things just keep happening and some how we find people to teach. I hope we will be able to help some of them accept the gospel and feel the Holy Ghost guide them in their lives.
We have invited two different people to be baptized and they both have said yes now we just need a date for them. One of them is a family of 12 in totall and with a possible 8 that are baptismal age. We are really excited to see how it goes.
We are having a lot of success with our english class still and we bot really love teaching it. We have got to where our students want to start with a prayer and some of them will even pray in english which is really cool.
But I have to go sorry it is so short I love you all
Elder Haws.
I am trying to get into better shape by running in the mornings. So far it has been successful I have ran one day out of one day. I am on a roll!
I don't have a ton of time today but things are going really well! we are making a lot of headway here. It seems like things just keep happening and some how we find people to teach. I hope we will be able to help some of them accept the gospel and feel the Holy Ghost guide them in their lives.
We have invited two different people to be baptized and they both have said yes now we just need a date for them. One of them is a family of 12 in totall and with a possible 8 that are baptismal age. We are really excited to see how it goes.
We are having a lot of success with our english class still and we bot really love teaching it. We have got to where our students want to start with a prayer and some of them will even pray in english which is really cool.
But I have to go sorry it is so short I love you all
Elder Haws.
Transfers November 1, 2010
Well it has been another great week. We had transfers and as you all should know my companion was going home so I got a new companion now. His name is Elder Klabacka (pronounced Kla ba ka) He is from Las Vegas and has 2 little brothers. His dad is a convert so that means that he is the very first Klabacka to ever serve a mission. How cool is that! The best part about him though is that he has been speaking spanish for the same amount of time as I have. So we both are still really new at speaking spanish. This is his second area in the field. We are having a lot of fun with it though don't worry.
We have this really sweet guy that we are working with right now. His name is Emigdio (pronounced just like it is written) He is 20 years old and is from Quatemala. He comes to our English class everytime we have it which is three times a week. We started teaching him because we were tracting and knocked on his door. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he read the first 12 chapters in like 4 days. He has continued to read and I think that we are going to see him at chruch next week. We are going to try to set a baptismal date with him tonight. We are also kind of teaching his uncle and his cousin and other family members aswell.
On saturday we went and played soccer with him and with more of our English class members. It was lots of fun to see everyones faces when we showed up because they were all Quatemalans we are white. You could just tell they thought we weren't going to be that good. However, Elder Klabacka is athletic and I played soccer so we did pretty well and they were all impressed and we got along really well. It was a lot of fun.
Church was really good and we are hoping to have a lot of success this transfer. We have a lot of potential with the people we are working with right now. Thanks for all your support and prayers.
Love Elder Haws.
We have this really sweet guy that we are working with right now. His name is Emigdio (pronounced just like it is written) He is 20 years old and is from Quatemala. He comes to our English class everytime we have it which is three times a week. We started teaching him because we were tracting and knocked on his door. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he read the first 12 chapters in like 4 days. He has continued to read and I think that we are going to see him at chruch next week. We are going to try to set a baptismal date with him tonight. We are also kind of teaching his uncle and his cousin and other family members aswell.
On saturday we went and played soccer with him and with more of our English class members. It was lots of fun to see everyones faces when we showed up because they were all Quatemalans we are white. You could just tell they thought we weren't going to be that good. However, Elder Klabacka is athletic and I played soccer so we did pretty well and they were all impressed and we got along really well. It was a lot of fun.
Church was really good and we are hoping to have a lot of success this transfer. We have a lot of potential with the people we are working with right now. Thanks for all your support and prayers.
Love Elder Haws.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
October 25,2010
Dear Family,
Well it has been a pretty exciting week! We had a few good experiences that have made me even more excited about the work! We have our english classes that we teach during the week to those that want to learn. We have a pretty good amount of people come, usually 5 to about 10. Well the week before this one we happened to tract into one of our students and we taught him about the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy. He said he would read it cuz he liked to read. So yesterday I asked him how it was coming and he said that he had read the first 5 or so chapters and he was able to tell me names and events of things that happened and I was so excited for him. His name is Emigdio and he is from Guatemala. I am really excited for him. We set an appointment to go back and see him today!
I love teaching the english class. I feel like it is a really good and easy way to talk about the gospel. We do a lot of really good things in there that help other know a little about our church. For example, next week we are going to teach them how to pray in english. In Huntsville we taught them about the church so that when they visited they would know who the Bishop was and what the sacrament was and things like that. I just love it a lot.
Things are happening a little different this Transfer period because the new missionaries aren't coming in until Wednesday night instead of tuesday night so transfers aren't until Friday so I still don't know who my new companion is going to be. I will let you know next monday!
It is starting to get a little more chilly now so it is going to be a lot of fun being on the bikes for the winter down here. i woke up this morning with a little cold. my throat is sore and my head feels like a balloon so hopefully that will be gone before tommorrow.
Oh This is pretty cool. There is an English missionary here in Montgomery that is from Rexburg and knows Mason. By knows Mason I mean he hung out with him and went snowboarding with him. His name is Alex Mueller. He is a really fun kid and a hard worker. it was pretty fun when we put the two together. I love meeting people from Idaho. It is such a good state in my opinion.
We had a really good Multi-Zone conferenct this week in which president Holzapfel told us that we were going to be putting the cars away a lot more and riding our bikes more. He told us a cool expericnce of when he was called to be the Mission President. He said that when he got the call President Eyering gave it to him and said the Lord had woken him up at 3 in the morning to tell president Eyering what to tell president Holzapel. President Holzapfel said one of those things was that we need to tract for Salvation. So we are going to do it and I am super excited.
That is about it for this week though. I will talk to you all later. thanks for all the letters from you all!
Well it has been a pretty exciting week! We had a few good experiences that have made me even more excited about the work! We have our english classes that we teach during the week to those that want to learn. We have a pretty good amount of people come, usually 5 to about 10. Well the week before this one we happened to tract into one of our students and we taught him about the Book of Mormon and gave him a copy. He said he would read it cuz he liked to read. So yesterday I asked him how it was coming and he said that he had read the first 5 or so chapters and he was able to tell me names and events of things that happened and I was so excited for him. His name is Emigdio and he is from Guatemala. I am really excited for him. We set an appointment to go back and see him today!
I love teaching the english class. I feel like it is a really good and easy way to talk about the gospel. We do a lot of really good things in there that help other know a little about our church. For example, next week we are going to teach them how to pray in english. In Huntsville we taught them about the church so that when they visited they would know who the Bishop was and what the sacrament was and things like that. I just love it a lot.
Things are happening a little different this Transfer period because the new missionaries aren't coming in until Wednesday night instead of tuesday night so transfers aren't until Friday so I still don't know who my new companion is going to be. I will let you know next monday!
It is starting to get a little more chilly now so it is going to be a lot of fun being on the bikes for the winter down here. i woke up this morning with a little cold. my throat is sore and my head feels like a balloon so hopefully that will be gone before tommorrow.
Oh This is pretty cool. There is an English missionary here in Montgomery that is from Rexburg and knows Mason. By knows Mason I mean he hung out with him and went snowboarding with him. His name is Alex Mueller. He is a really fun kid and a hard worker. it was pretty fun when we put the two together. I love meeting people from Idaho. It is such a good state in my opinion.
We had a really good Multi-Zone conferenct this week in which president Holzapfel told us that we were going to be putting the cars away a lot more and riding our bikes more. He told us a cool expericnce of when he was called to be the Mission President. He said that when he got the call President Eyering gave it to him and said the Lord had woken him up at 3 in the morning to tell president Eyering what to tell president Holzapel. President Holzapfel said one of those things was that we need to tract for Salvation. So we are going to do it and I am super excited.
That is about it for this week though. I will talk to you all later. thanks for all the letters from you all!
Monday, October 18, 2010
October 18, 2010
Well It has been a real treat to be able to come to Montgomery. I don't know why I was having such a hard time about it. I haven't not liked anything about the town at all since I have been here and the people are just as nice as the other ones up in Huntsville and everywhere else that I have served. I am still getting used to everything that has to be done and things like that but it is coming little by little.
We don't have as big of a group of hispanics here but they are really good members here. I really liked the first Sunday here. We didn't have any investigatores there and so we are going to have to change that because if no one comes than noone can get baptized right? I feel like this area here has a lot of potential to be a lot bigger than it is. I am not sure how to do it right now but I am hoping that someday we will be able to see a lot of success here.
We had a pretty cool experience on Sunday. We were going around and seeing some investigatores and both the families that we had planned to see in this specific apartment complex werent home, so we decided to knock on a couple doors. The very first door that we knocked on was some students that come to our english class. We had no idea that they lived there and here we are knocking on their door. They let us in and we were able to share about the Book of Mormon with them! I had a really good feeling about them the whole time we were there. So we gave them a copy and are going to see if they read in it on tuesday at the next english class.
Things are going pretty good with my companion. I think he is really stressed about going home and having responsibility and things like that again. I get a sense that he is just really nervous by the way he talks and acts and things like that. I have found the more that I just encourage him and don't so anything that can upset him or make him more frazzled the better he is. He is helping me alot in learning the area. He doesn't know it to well either and so we both are able to help each other out and it has been pretty fun!
I have found out that I really enjoy teaching the English class. It is such a good feeling knowing that I am helping them learn our language because they help me learn their language or something. that Is aout it though. It hasn't been to exciting of a week. I love you all. Sorry I didn't say anything about the investigatores but I don't really know any yet so there should be more next week.
Oh I am living with some members here. we live in thier attic and it is starting to get cold.
Love Elder Haws.
We don't have as big of a group of hispanics here but they are really good members here. I really liked the first Sunday here. We didn't have any investigatores there and so we are going to have to change that because if no one comes than noone can get baptized right? I feel like this area here has a lot of potential to be a lot bigger than it is. I am not sure how to do it right now but I am hoping that someday we will be able to see a lot of success here.
We had a pretty cool experience on Sunday. We were going around and seeing some investigatores and both the families that we had planned to see in this specific apartment complex werent home, so we decided to knock on a couple doors. The very first door that we knocked on was some students that come to our english class. We had no idea that they lived there and here we are knocking on their door. They let us in and we were able to share about the Book of Mormon with them! I had a really good feeling about them the whole time we were there. So we gave them a copy and are going to see if they read in it on tuesday at the next english class.
Things are going pretty good with my companion. I think he is really stressed about going home and having responsibility and things like that again. I get a sense that he is just really nervous by the way he talks and acts and things like that. I have found the more that I just encourage him and don't so anything that can upset him or make him more frazzled the better he is. He is helping me alot in learning the area. He doesn't know it to well either and so we both are able to help each other out and it has been pretty fun!
I have found out that I really enjoy teaching the English class. It is such a good feeling knowing that I am helping them learn our language because they help me learn their language or something. that Is aout it though. It hasn't been to exciting of a week. I love you all. Sorry I didn't say anything about the investigatores but I don't really know any yet so there should be more next week.
Oh I am living with some members here. we live in thier attic and it is starting to get cold.
Love Elder Haws.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
October 11, 2010
Hey family!
Man this has been a really rough week. A good one but one of the hardest on my mission so far. So we had a good preparation day the other week. We met a member that moved in from Georgia and he is sweet. He is actually a recent convert of about 2 years and back in Georgia he would go out wiht the missionaries all the time. He knows how to use preach my gospel really well and knows the lessons also, which is good but now that we are trying to change our way to the right and best way of PMG we have to help him but he is still awesome! we are going to go and see him tonight aswell. He lives in Decatur and seems like he wants to helps us out as much as possible. He is trying to get all of his roommates to come to the future branch because he needs a ride so he is going to have them stay since they are coming anyway. I thought that was very genius of him.
We had a team up in a town called Guntersville and it went really well. It was a little strange doing english work for a while but i liked it. We were able to see a lot of Spanish people that are there also which was fun to be able to practice and use my spanish. I was pretty surprised at how many spanish people there were there.
While I was there I recieved a phone call from President Holzapfel, which is the call I was waiting for to tell me that I was going to be training and where I was going to be and all of that fun stuff. Well what he said was, "Elder Haws I need you to do me a favor." And I said, "okay what it is it." He said, "I need you to go down to Montgomery to serve with Elder Kendall who is going to be going home in 2 weeks and I need you to leave on Wednesday." So that is what I am doing. I have to leave to go and serve with a missionary that is going home in 2 weeks and I am leaving in 2 days. So what this means is that I have to learn an entire city and where all of our investigatores live and everything in 2 weeks. I am just barely getting Huntsville down I have no idea how I am going to get Montgomery but oh well. It was really hard at first. I really didn't want to go at all. Then I talk to president Holzapfel and he made me feel better and I also thought about Nephi and going and doing what the lord commands so that is what I am trying to focus on for now. It is actually a whole lot better now. So just so you know Elder Haws is not training he is actually sending a missionary home! to arizona I think!
Chruch wasn't as good as it has been in the past few weeks. We did have Delia and Diana come which was good. Delia has been doing really good. She is so strong and believes in the Book of Mormon so much. There was actually some missionaries from another church that knocked on her door and she told them, "I believe in the Book of Mormon and before you tell me about your church you have to come to mine and read the Book of Mormon." It was really cool.
Also a random family showed up that we have never seen before. He is a member from mexico and said he was active there and his whole family was active to but he stopped going and now wants to come back the cool part is that his wife isn't a member but she seemed way into it which was nice.
We are finding alot more people and things are going great here! If any of you are going to be sending anything to me this nest week send it to the mission office which is 3100 E Lorna Rd suite 102 Birmingham Al 35216, since I will be changing locations once again.
I love you all and Hope you have an awesome Week! Love ya
Elder Haws.
Man this has been a really rough week. A good one but one of the hardest on my mission so far. So we had a good preparation day the other week. We met a member that moved in from Georgia and he is sweet. He is actually a recent convert of about 2 years and back in Georgia he would go out wiht the missionaries all the time. He knows how to use preach my gospel really well and knows the lessons also, which is good but now that we are trying to change our way to the right and best way of PMG we have to help him but he is still awesome! we are going to go and see him tonight aswell. He lives in Decatur and seems like he wants to helps us out as much as possible. He is trying to get all of his roommates to come to the future branch because he needs a ride so he is going to have them stay since they are coming anyway. I thought that was very genius of him.
We had a team up in a town called Guntersville and it went really well. It was a little strange doing english work for a while but i liked it. We were able to see a lot of Spanish people that are there also which was fun to be able to practice and use my spanish. I was pretty surprised at how many spanish people there were there.
While I was there I recieved a phone call from President Holzapfel, which is the call I was waiting for to tell me that I was going to be training and where I was going to be and all of that fun stuff. Well what he said was, "Elder Haws I need you to do me a favor." And I said, "okay what it is it." He said, "I need you to go down to Montgomery to serve with Elder Kendall who is going to be going home in 2 weeks and I need you to leave on Wednesday." So that is what I am doing. I have to leave to go and serve with a missionary that is going home in 2 weeks and I am leaving in 2 days. So what this means is that I have to learn an entire city and where all of our investigatores live and everything in 2 weeks. I am just barely getting Huntsville down I have no idea how I am going to get Montgomery but oh well. It was really hard at first. I really didn't want to go at all. Then I talk to president Holzapfel and he made me feel better and I also thought about Nephi and going and doing what the lord commands so that is what I am trying to focus on for now. It is actually a whole lot better now. So just so you know Elder Haws is not training he is actually sending a missionary home! to arizona I think!
Chruch wasn't as good as it has been in the past few weeks. We did have Delia and Diana come which was good. Delia has been doing really good. She is so strong and believes in the Book of Mormon so much. There was actually some missionaries from another church that knocked on her door and she told them, "I believe in the Book of Mormon and before you tell me about your church you have to come to mine and read the Book of Mormon." It was really cool.
Also a random family showed up that we have never seen before. He is a member from mexico and said he was active there and his whole family was active to but he stopped going and now wants to come back the cool part is that his wife isn't a member but she seemed way into it which was nice.
We are finding alot more people and things are going great here! If any of you are going to be sending anything to me this nest week send it to the mission office which is 3100 E Lorna Rd suite 102 Birmingham Al 35216, since I will be changing locations once again.
I love you all and Hope you have an awesome Week! Love ya
Elder Haws.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I Love General Conference! (Oct 4, 2010)
Man this week has been so crazy! I just can't believe all that has happened and it just started today! haha Well by that I mean that President Holzapfel called us and said that we are getting some spanish Speaking missionaries in a week from today! The crazy part is that there is a possiblity of 9! which would put 3 new missionaries here in Huntsville. which means that I am going to be training! These missionaries have been spanish speaking longer than I have and they are going to know so much more than me aswell! Talk about being nervous! I tell you what!
Also this week, which is today, we came to Decatur to play some raquet ball with the Elders here and it was tons of fun. That is why I am doing e-mails a little later today. After that I was able to visit a little with the Brown family that lives here. They are one of my favorite families on my mission and so i really enjoyed that! They all say hi by the way... well mainly sister Brown but oh well.
Last week was pretty neat though! I had to go down to Birmingham for a day while my companions went to a Zone Leader Meeting, so I just teamed up with the spanish Elders down there. It was really good but I hope that I never serve there. I really don't like big cities at all. To me it seems like the important things are easy to put aside for the unimportant things.
Conference of course was really amazing! I loved the British mans talk really well. I don't remember if it was in regular conference or in the priesthood session but i really liked it. I also liked the talked about how parents have a responsibility for their children and it made me think alot about how children have a responsibility to thier parents to listen to them because they are only trying to help you never trying to hurt you. It is the same way with our Heavenly Father if we let him! Just a lot of really cool talks this month. I can't wait to read them all! Oh! How about President Monson coming out and throwing down on Every young man needs to serve a mission! I loved that part. I am so glad that I have served a mission it just isn't funny. I would hate for anyone to not go because they just didn't want to.
I was able to play some crickey with some guys from India on our tennis courts in our apartment complex on friday! that was really fun. Cricket is quite interesting i have to admit.
We were able to have 3 investigatores come to the church and listen to conference. I am not sure how many watched it at home. It was really good though. We had a pretty cool experience on Sunday Morning. We went to the church early to listen to the Tabernacle Choir and do some meditating and reading and as we were there I walked out side and a man got out of his car and walked up and started talking to me. So asuming he is a member I started talking back and I found out that he wasn't a member and that his friend in Washington D.C. told him he needed to come to the true and living church so he did. He knew it was going to be different from a regular sunday and said he wanted to come to a regular one but that he wanted to stay for this one aswell.
He has been looking for a church for the past 5 years and decided to finally listen to his friend. He enjoyed conference a lot and wants to come back and learn more. After conference I asked him how he liked the talks and he said, "the first few not so much but Monson has got it!" I am excited that the sister missionaries get to teach him and I hope so bad that he will find what he is looking for he and that he has all the right intensions. It was a really neat miracle find though.
I think that is about it for this week, It has been pretty eventfull. Let me know how all of you are doing! Love ya ELder Haws.
Also this week, which is today, we came to Decatur to play some raquet ball with the Elders here and it was tons of fun. That is why I am doing e-mails a little later today. After that I was able to visit a little with the Brown family that lives here. They are one of my favorite families on my mission and so i really enjoyed that! They all say hi by the way... well mainly sister Brown but oh well.
Last week was pretty neat though! I had to go down to Birmingham for a day while my companions went to a Zone Leader Meeting, so I just teamed up with the spanish Elders down there. It was really good but I hope that I never serve there. I really don't like big cities at all. To me it seems like the important things are easy to put aside for the unimportant things.
Conference of course was really amazing! I loved the British mans talk really well. I don't remember if it was in regular conference or in the priesthood session but i really liked it. I also liked the talked about how parents have a responsibility for their children and it made me think alot about how children have a responsibility to thier parents to listen to them because they are only trying to help you never trying to hurt you. It is the same way with our Heavenly Father if we let him! Just a lot of really cool talks this month. I can't wait to read them all! Oh! How about President Monson coming out and throwing down on Every young man needs to serve a mission! I loved that part. I am so glad that I have served a mission it just isn't funny. I would hate for anyone to not go because they just didn't want to.
I was able to play some crickey with some guys from India on our tennis courts in our apartment complex on friday! that was really fun. Cricket is quite interesting i have to admit.
We were able to have 3 investigatores come to the church and listen to conference. I am not sure how many watched it at home. It was really good though. We had a pretty cool experience on Sunday Morning. We went to the church early to listen to the Tabernacle Choir and do some meditating and reading and as we were there I walked out side and a man got out of his car and walked up and started talking to me. So asuming he is a member I started talking back and I found out that he wasn't a member and that his friend in Washington D.C. told him he needed to come to the true and living church so he did. He knew it was going to be different from a regular sunday and said he wanted to come to a regular one but that he wanted to stay for this one aswell.
He has been looking for a church for the past 5 years and decided to finally listen to his friend. He enjoyed conference a lot and wants to come back and learn more. After conference I asked him how he liked the talks and he said, "the first few not so much but Monson has got it!" I am excited that the sister missionaries get to teach him and I hope so bad that he will find what he is looking for he and that he has all the right intensions. It was a really neat miracle find though.
I think that is about it for this week, It has been pretty eventfull. Let me know how all of you are doing! Love ya ELder Haws.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
September 27,2010
Well This week was another really good one. It has had its struggles but I am totally fine with that every once in a while to keep me on my toes! This week on Sunday we were all really nervous because at about 9:00 when our meeting is supposed to start I think we had about 15 people there which is a really bad number. Then When we had the sacrament we had about 20-25 people there but by the time the sacrament ended we had a normal number of about 50 people there 7 of which were investigatores! It was such a great miracle to see!
One of our recent converts gave a talk! It was really good. He talked about how he came into the church and his favorite scripture which was one of the Articles of Faith. The really neat thing though is that his brother and his brothers wife lives with him and they have been taught and visited with missionaries for a long time and they have never come to church before. Well we were having the sacrament and in they came to hear their brother give a talk in church. They didn't come to his baptism or to their moms baptism but they came to all of church! Elder Petersen and I about fell off of our chairs we were so surprised! It was so cool! and I think that they liked it! I bet we will be able to get them back now that they have been once. It was a really good sunday!
We have a guy in Athens right now named David and he is pretty cool! We have been able to meet with him 3 times now and he has read and wants to read more and is really neat! He is progressing because he has kept his appointments and has read and he has sundays off which is really rare for hispanics so I think he will even come to church! We are pretty excited for him.
Elder petersen and Elder Clifford and I are getting along really well! The other night Elder Clifford and I were in bed waiting for Elder Petersen to come so that we could have our prayer and while waiting we decided to short sheet Elder Petersens bed! It was quite a site after our companion and personal prayers watching Elder Petersen try to get into his bed. He kicked and scooted higher then kicked again! Then it finally clicked what had happened to him. It was super funny! We are all really good at taking each others jokes knowing that we are going to get one in return!
We were able to go to the Temple on Wednesday with all the missionaries in our Zone! It was a wonderful experience! I love to go to the temple. I hope that I will be able to go at the very least once a month. I really want to be able to go once a week and my life time goal is to go to all the temples in the United States!
I have been doing a really fun study in the Book of Mormon where I am marking all the times that great faith was shown like when Nephi says I'll go and do.... or when Lehi leaves jerusalem with nothing and I have seen that in most cases there is always a act of lacking faith by some one close by like with Nephi he was willing to do anything to get the Plates but Laman and Lemuel weren't. It has been pretty fun!
That is about it for now though! Hope you all have a great week I love you all!
One of our recent converts gave a talk! It was really good. He talked about how he came into the church and his favorite scripture which was one of the Articles of Faith. The really neat thing though is that his brother and his brothers wife lives with him and they have been taught and visited with missionaries for a long time and they have never come to church before. Well we were having the sacrament and in they came to hear their brother give a talk in church. They didn't come to his baptism or to their moms baptism but they came to all of church! Elder Petersen and I about fell off of our chairs we were so surprised! It was so cool! and I think that they liked it! I bet we will be able to get them back now that they have been once. It was a really good sunday!
We have a guy in Athens right now named David and he is pretty cool! We have been able to meet with him 3 times now and he has read and wants to read more and is really neat! He is progressing because he has kept his appointments and has read and he has sundays off which is really rare for hispanics so I think he will even come to church! We are pretty excited for him.
Elder petersen and Elder Clifford and I are getting along really well! The other night Elder Clifford and I were in bed waiting for Elder Petersen to come so that we could have our prayer and while waiting we decided to short sheet Elder Petersens bed! It was quite a site after our companion and personal prayers watching Elder Petersen try to get into his bed. He kicked and scooted higher then kicked again! Then it finally clicked what had happened to him. It was super funny! We are all really good at taking each others jokes knowing that we are going to get one in return!
We were able to go to the Temple on Wednesday with all the missionaries in our Zone! It was a wonderful experience! I love to go to the temple. I hope that I will be able to go at the very least once a month. I really want to be able to go once a week and my life time goal is to go to all the temples in the United States!
I have been doing a really fun study in the Book of Mormon where I am marking all the times that great faith was shown like when Nephi says I'll go and do.... or when Lehi leaves jerusalem with nothing and I have seen that in most cases there is always a act of lacking faith by some one close by like with Nephi he was willing to do anything to get the Plates but Laman and Lemuel weren't. It has been pretty fun!
That is about it for now though! Hope you all have a great week I love you all!
September 20,2010
Man it was just a really awesome week! I loved it! It was pretty slow at first mainly because Elder Mancera and Elder Richardson were leaving and so there wasn't much of a motivation to work from them because they wanted to say good bye to everyone which is understandable. Once we got that out of the way we had transfers and everything went good there. Our companionship now consists of Elder Petersen, Elder Clifford, and myself. It is alot of fun to be in a three-some. It is so much easier to get things done because you have an extra person to make phone calls or to go into a single ladies house and lots of other things.
Elder Clifford is from the same town as my second companion Elder Robison. They are both from a small town by Las Vegas Nevada. I like Elder Clifford he likes to get things done and to have a plan which I have grown to like. It is always a good thing to get some fresh blood in an area to keep you from getting into a rut of things that you normally do. He has never been to the north of the mission before so the whole thing is new for him. I think he likes it though. He keeps saying how there are a lot of Hispanics here, Which is a 100% true statement!
Saturday we were able to have a 3 hour meeting with Elder Bednar! It was really really neat. It was kind of weird though because he is so funny and not as serious as he is during general conference but he is at the same time. First though what was really neat was that Sister Bednar got up and spoke for a little bit before her husband and she has some really good things to say. She asked us to thing about what we like about our companion and she said that everyone deserves to have a good companion. So she said "so you be that good companion." Then she told us to be the missionary that our mom thinks we are, and she said that the Lord deserves the very best missionaries. As I thought about it I realized that the word Deserves was pretty weird in the way she used it. I realized though that if anyone deserves anything than it is the Lord. It was really good and made me realize that I have a long way to go before I am ready to think that I am a good missionary.
Elder Bednar taught us a lot of really cool things as well. He talked about things that we do in the church that we aren't really supposed to do. Such as calling agency "free"agency. He said you never see "free" agency in the scriptures it is either agency or moral agency and he also said the same thing with Pre-existence. He said it is the Pre-Earth life. Pretty crazy when you think about it. He said something really funny as well. He talked about how there are people that get mad at General Conference because it is always on the same thing and people complain about it. He told us a story of a time that he wrote his talk submitted it to be translated felt it wasn't right changed his topic and then when he gave his second talk it was perfectly aligned with the other speakers that day. It showed that the Lord picks the topics, so he said "if you want the topics to change start keeping the commandments and we can move on and talk about new things like we want to!" It was pretty funny.
it was really neat to be able to be in the stake that Elder Bednar was coming to because we were able to attend to 8 hours of meetings with him in a two day period. Something that was pretty neat is we were have a lesson at the church with one of our investigators named Aldofo. We were showing him the special witnesses of Jesus Christ video and Elder Bednar walked by with Elder Ingram of the seventy and the stake President and the President Holzapfel. We were able to get them to come in and say hi. So Aldofo was able to meet and Apostle and member of the seventy a mission president and a stake president all at the same time and he didn't even know how rare that was! It was pretty neat.
Its been good though. President Holzapfel said he was proud of how much Spanish I know already and I am to to be honest. That's is about it. Hope you all are safe!
Elder haws
Elder Clifford is from the same town as my second companion Elder Robison. They are both from a small town by Las Vegas Nevada. I like Elder Clifford he likes to get things done and to have a plan which I have grown to like. It is always a good thing to get some fresh blood in an area to keep you from getting into a rut of things that you normally do. He has never been to the north of the mission before so the whole thing is new for him. I think he likes it though. He keeps saying how there are a lot of Hispanics here, Which is a 100% true statement!
Saturday we were able to have a 3 hour meeting with Elder Bednar! It was really really neat. It was kind of weird though because he is so funny and not as serious as he is during general conference but he is at the same time. First though what was really neat was that Sister Bednar got up and spoke for a little bit before her husband and she has some really good things to say. She asked us to thing about what we like about our companion and she said that everyone deserves to have a good companion. So she said "so you be that good companion." Then she told us to be the missionary that our mom thinks we are, and she said that the Lord deserves the very best missionaries. As I thought about it I realized that the word Deserves was pretty weird in the way she used it. I realized though that if anyone deserves anything than it is the Lord. It was really good and made me realize that I have a long way to go before I am ready to think that I am a good missionary.
Elder Bednar taught us a lot of really cool things as well. He talked about things that we do in the church that we aren't really supposed to do. Such as calling agency "free"agency. He said you never see "free" agency in the scriptures it is either agency or moral agency and he also said the same thing with Pre-existence. He said it is the Pre-Earth life. Pretty crazy when you think about it. He said something really funny as well. He talked about how there are people that get mad at General Conference because it is always on the same thing and people complain about it. He told us a story of a time that he wrote his talk submitted it to be translated felt it wasn't right changed his topic and then when he gave his second talk it was perfectly aligned with the other speakers that day. It showed that the Lord picks the topics, so he said "if you want the topics to change start keeping the commandments and we can move on and talk about new things like we want to!" It was pretty funny.
it was really neat to be able to be in the stake that Elder Bednar was coming to because we were able to attend to 8 hours of meetings with him in a two day period. Something that was pretty neat is we were have a lesson at the church with one of our investigators named Aldofo. We were showing him the special witnesses of Jesus Christ video and Elder Bednar walked by with Elder Ingram of the seventy and the stake President and the President Holzapfel. We were able to get them to come in and say hi. So Aldofo was able to meet and Apostle and member of the seventy a mission president and a stake president all at the same time and he didn't even know how rare that was! It was pretty neat.
Its been good though. President Holzapfel said he was proud of how much Spanish I know already and I am to to be honest. That's is about it. Hope you all are safe!
Elder haws
September 13,2010
So this week started off with a bang and ended with a bang. It started with a really fun and awesome P/Labor day. We were able to go fishing and we were able to eat some carne asada and we were able to play some futbol. I loved it. It was one of my most memorable P-days on my mission. Then we did a bunch of stuff and ended the week with one really crazy day.
So we get to go to a lot of trailer parks because that is where alot of Hispanics live. So there is this one trailer park that is called shady grove because it has a lot of trees. We have a few investigatores there and a few members aswell. Well we were in there yesterday after church because one of the members in there was feeding us and so we ate and it was really good. So we have an appointment in the same trailer park and in was our day for the bikes and the other missionaries got the car. so we hop on our bikes and go to our appointment and they drive off in the car. Well our appointment wasn't there so we decided to go and see Lourdes our recent convert because they had just droven up from somewhere. As we start to talk to here and her daughter and her daughters boyfriend/ husband (Tyson and Buddy should know what I mean) They tell us that "there is a car at the front of the entrance into the trailer park that is pulled over with blood all over it and the wind shield busted and cops everywhere, and that the other missionaries were just sitting there looking and that other cars were honking at them and it was really funny." Well I want to go see what is going on and Elder Mancera doesn't. After talking for about 15 really long seconds we go cuz we are on bikes and can get close. So we go and it is definaly something interesting and it involed hispanics to i'm like " Elder maybe they need a translator go see if they need a translator." and He's like "No" And I'm saying "yes" So we go and they do. So we were able to go and translate and get the whole story which was just a bad domestic violence case. one of the guys in the car had to go to the hospital cus he was cut to the bone on the side of his wrist from a beer bottle and the wind sheild was cracked from a brick being thrown at it. It was crazy!
Then my companion almost flipped over his handle bars on his bike because he was going down hill and only has front brakes. Then since he only has front brakes he could stop one time and slid on some gravel and ran face first into a huge pole! haha then Yes this is all in the same day. He Ran into a mailbox trying to avoid hitting someone on the sidewalk and because he has no brakes now cuz his front ones don't work from hitting the pole he took out a metal mailbox! We think his hand might be broken but we aren't sure so we are waiting to see what happens. It was pretty funny.
We did have a good week though. We taught a lot and we had a lot of people at church. I don't know if i have told you all but Elder Bendar is comint to our stake and mission this week so I will be able to see him this week. I'll tell you all about it next week. Hope you all are safe and doing well.
Me Encanta mi familia y tambien mi mision. Yo se que la iglesia es verdadero y tambien El Libro de Mormon is verdadero. Soy gracias por todas cosas in mi vida. Gracias
Amor Elder Haws.
So we get to go to a lot of trailer parks because that is where alot of Hispanics live. So there is this one trailer park that is called shady grove because it has a lot of trees. We have a few investigatores there and a few members aswell. Well we were in there yesterday after church because one of the members in there was feeding us and so we ate and it was really good. So we have an appointment in the same trailer park and in was our day for the bikes and the other missionaries got the car. so we hop on our bikes and go to our appointment and they drive off in the car. Well our appointment wasn't there so we decided to go and see Lourdes our recent convert because they had just droven up from somewhere. As we start to talk to here and her daughter and her daughters boyfriend/ husband (Tyson and Buddy should know what I mean) They tell us that "there is a car at the front of the entrance into the trailer park that is pulled over with blood all over it and the wind shield busted and cops everywhere, and that the other missionaries were just sitting there looking and that other cars were honking at them and it was really funny." Well I want to go see what is going on and Elder Mancera doesn't. After talking for about 15 really long seconds we go cuz we are on bikes and can get close. So we go and it is definaly something interesting and it involed hispanics to i'm like " Elder maybe they need a translator go see if they need a translator." and He's like "No" And I'm saying "yes" So we go and they do. So we were able to go and translate and get the whole story which was just a bad domestic violence case. one of the guys in the car had to go to the hospital cus he was cut to the bone on the side of his wrist from a beer bottle and the wind sheild was cracked from a brick being thrown at it. It was crazy!
Then my companion almost flipped over his handle bars on his bike because he was going down hill and only has front brakes. Then since he only has front brakes he could stop one time and slid on some gravel and ran face first into a huge pole! haha then Yes this is all in the same day. He Ran into a mailbox trying to avoid hitting someone on the sidewalk and because he has no brakes now cuz his front ones don't work from hitting the pole he took out a metal mailbox! We think his hand might be broken but we aren't sure so we are waiting to see what happens. It was pretty funny.
We did have a good week though. We taught a lot and we had a lot of people at church. I don't know if i have told you all but Elder Bendar is comint to our stake and mission this week so I will be able to see him this week. I'll tell you all about it next week. Hope you all are safe and doing well.
Me Encanta mi familia y tambien mi mision. Yo se que la iglesia es verdadero y tambien El Libro de Mormon is verdadero. Soy gracias por todas cosas in mi vida. Gracias
Amor Elder Haws.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
September 6, 2010
MANN!!! I has the best meal in my entire life this week! (no offense to any one that has ever fed me) We had a meal at one of the hispanic members here and it was so good!!! We had Carne Asada on the grill and they had the best pico de guyo with just the right amount of avocado and jalopeno and with the best cheese I think I have ever had and then we topped it off with an orange soda. There wasn't much more you could have added to the meal unless there was grilled chicken which there was and so the only other thing to top it off would have been a roasted jalopeno pepper to wash it all down with which is exactly what I did. Mann that was hot I tell you what but it was really good! I'll tell you the full story when I get home or on the phone.
So we didn't have any investigators at sacrement and we didn't have very many members and it just happened to be the day the Sake President wants to come and see how it is going. It was still a really good meeting though. There were some really good testimonies born which was really good.
We have a lot to do now that we have found a few new families to teach. the language is coming alot really good! I have realized that I can actually talk a lot more than I thought I could so I am and it is helping me learn a lot! Sorry this one is short but we have a lot to do today and we have to share the computers because all the libraries are closed for labor day!
Hope You all had fun getting wood! I'm super jealous. Love you all!
So we didn't have any investigators at sacrement and we didn't have very many members and it just happened to be the day the Sake President wants to come and see how it is going. It was still a really good meeting though. There were some really good testimonies born which was really good.
We have a lot to do now that we have found a few new families to teach. the language is coming alot really good! I have realized that I can actually talk a lot more than I thought I could so I am and it is helping me learn a lot! Sorry this one is short but we have a lot to do today and we have to share the computers because all the libraries are closed for labor day!
Hope You all had fun getting wood! I'm super jealous. Love you all!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Record Breaking Week! (August 30, 2010)
Well I love serving a mission and I really love being with the Spanish culture. We have the opportunity here in Huntsville to be forming a Spanish branch here that we are trying to get to sustain its self as far as Priesthood is concerned. We have 7 brethren with the Melchizedek Priesthood and so are just waiting for the paperwork now. We had a record breaking attendance at our little meeting on Sunday. When I got here we had about 45 to 50 coming every week to church however, Yesterday we had a total of about 65 people there. We could barely fit in the room and we barely had enough chairs to seat everyone. I couldn't believe and that still wasn't everyone that comes. We had some people not there that come usually and so it is really neat to be able to see the group growing rapidly as we continue to find and baptize. What I think is really neat though is that as we continue to find and teach we find more members that want to come. We had a recent convert of about a 3 weeks move into town 2 weeks ago and she has been coming with her kids. She has 4 kids and she is living with her brother and his wife. Well it turns out that his wife is a less active member we didn't know about and her brother came to church with her yesterday. So we have some more teaching to do!!
Consuelo is just really awesome and she is going to be a great addition to the future branch.
We only knew about her because the Sisters that taught her in Nashville TN called us to tell us about her. So when they called I asked them if they knew Elder Nicoll and one of them came out to the field with him. It was pretty exciting to hear that he is doing good and that he is still playing his Violin and things like that. It would be really neat to get a ward or stake missionary news letter going where the highlights of everyone's previous weeks and then send to everyone via e-mail. Just a fun thought.
Delia,Daniel,and Diana all came to church this Sunday. Daniel still wants to get baptized but we are waiting until he knows that the Book of Mormon is true because he still hasn't read that much in it. He is a great boy though and I think that he will be a good influence on his parents and for his younger sister. I really feel like she would be baptized because she knows the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true but she is having a hard time with the whole forgiveness thing. So it is a challenge that we have to work on and get through. Her husband kidnapped her when they were in Mexico and it has caused a few corks to come up but we will work through them. She is fine with him now and they have 2 kids together but she doesn't want to marry him so... Its rough but God knows what to do we just have to be ready to listen.
We helped one of the families in the future branch build his home on Saturday. It was lots of fun. However, 1 over a year with your legs not seeing the sun + 1 six hours in the sun in shorts = 2 sun burnt legs. haha. It doesn't matter though because it was some good service.
I am getting really good on the bikes! I can know bunny hop over and entire speed bump in the road so i don't have to slow down for them!
Oh! so there is this really fun thing going on around the apartment! Its called see how many pranks we can pull on Elder Haws! It is tons of fun. One night they suranawrapped my bed and then another night my pillow then they tied my bed off and they just do a bunch of really dorky but funny things. Our apartment is really cool.
Mom what did Aunt Phillis say about the Korans?
I love you all and I am doing really well. Hope you are all doing well to.
I love you!
Elder Haws.
Consuelo is just really awesome and she is going to be a great addition to the future branch.
We only knew about her because the Sisters that taught her in Nashville TN called us to tell us about her. So when they called I asked them if they knew Elder Nicoll and one of them came out to the field with him. It was pretty exciting to hear that he is doing good and that he is still playing his Violin and things like that. It would be really neat to get a ward or stake missionary news letter going where the highlights of everyone's previous weeks and then send to everyone via e-mail. Just a fun thought.
Delia,Daniel,and Diana all came to church this Sunday. Daniel still wants to get baptized but we are waiting until he knows that the Book of Mormon is true because he still hasn't read that much in it. He is a great boy though and I think that he will be a good influence on his parents and for his younger sister. I really feel like she would be baptized because she knows the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true but she is having a hard time with the whole forgiveness thing. So it is a challenge that we have to work on and get through. Her husband kidnapped her when they were in Mexico and it has caused a few corks to come up but we will work through them. She is fine with him now and they have 2 kids together but she doesn't want to marry him so... Its rough but God knows what to do we just have to be ready to listen.
We helped one of the families in the future branch build his home on Saturday. It was lots of fun. However, 1 over a year with your legs not seeing the sun + 1 six hours in the sun in shorts = 2 sun burnt legs. haha. It doesn't matter though because it was some good service.
I am getting really good on the bikes! I can know bunny hop over and entire speed bump in the road so i don't have to slow down for them!
Oh! so there is this really fun thing going on around the apartment! Its called see how many pranks we can pull on Elder Haws! It is tons of fun. One night they suranawrapped my bed and then another night my pillow then they tied my bed off and they just do a bunch of really dorky but funny things. Our apartment is really cool.
Mom what did Aunt Phillis say about the Korans?
I love you all and I am doing really well. Hope you are all doing well to.
I love you!
Elder Haws.
Monday, August 23, 2010
My Week! (August 23, 2010)
Well It has been another really good and fun one. I love every minute of what I do! It has been another really good week as far as the work is concerned! Our Baptism was a success and she was very happy and you could see the difference in her after wards. Then on Sunday after church we went to see her and talk to her about her whole experience. She told us that getting the holy ghost was the best thing ever and that she could feel a huge difference in her life. She said she was more patient with her grand kids and that she felt a lot more happy. It was a good baptismal service. We didn't have quite the number of investigators there as we had hoped but it was still really nice. Her non-member daughter said the closing prayer and it was lovely. I hope that we will be able to complete her family in the gospel.
The other family we have been working with is doing pretty good. They didn't come to church on sunday for the first time in about 4 weeks but Daniel the 17 year old boy did come to our Stake Preisthood meeting and really enjoyed it. He is pretty solid. He wants to be baptized and come to the youth nights and all the activities and he is really friendly and knows several of the youth in the ward, so things are going good with him. I'm a little worried about the rest of his family though because they didn't want to come to church on sunday for the first time.
The future branch is coming along good. We had about 55 people there this Sunday. It is really neat to see all the people that come from all around to hear the gospel in their own language. I just love the fact that we have the means to do that. I love the fact that we are able to send the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in so many different languages and to so many different types of people. We had a Recent Convert from Nashville move into town who speaks only spanish and she was able to come and bring her children which was good. She left her husband because of the church and is staying with her brother. It never ceases to amaze me what people do to be apart of the church. I love it.
The language is coming along. It is constantly getting better but at the same time I am constantly having headaches from thinking so much. I don't think my mind has every worked this hard for so long before. Not even in college was it used this bad. I love it though. I was able to have a few really good conversations with some of our investigators and that of course always makes me feel good when I can carry on a more than one or two sentence conversation. So it is coming along slowly of course. It isn't something that you learn over night unless the lord really wants you to and you have the faith to. If you have any suggestions that would help me I am open to suggestions!
I want to extend a challenge out to everyone. I am reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish right now and I am on chapter 11 as of today. SO my challenge is to race to see who can beat me in reading the book of mormon. I will be reading in Spanish of course which is much slower for me than in English but all of you can read in English. SO it is on and I doubt any of you can beat me! haha
That is bout it though. I love all of you and I am looking foreward to all your encouragement in the letters I get every week.
Love Elder Haws
The other family we have been working with is doing pretty good. They didn't come to church on sunday for the first time in about 4 weeks but Daniel the 17 year old boy did come to our Stake Preisthood meeting and really enjoyed it. He is pretty solid. He wants to be baptized and come to the youth nights and all the activities and he is really friendly and knows several of the youth in the ward, so things are going good with him. I'm a little worried about the rest of his family though because they didn't want to come to church on sunday for the first time.
The future branch is coming along good. We had about 55 people there this Sunday. It is really neat to see all the people that come from all around to hear the gospel in their own language. I just love the fact that we have the means to do that. I love the fact that we are able to send the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in so many different languages and to so many different types of people. We had a Recent Convert from Nashville move into town who speaks only spanish and she was able to come and bring her children which was good. She left her husband because of the church and is staying with her brother. It never ceases to amaze me what people do to be apart of the church. I love it.
The language is coming along. It is constantly getting better but at the same time I am constantly having headaches from thinking so much. I don't think my mind has every worked this hard for so long before. Not even in college was it used this bad. I love it though. I was able to have a few really good conversations with some of our investigators and that of course always makes me feel good when I can carry on a more than one or two sentence conversation. So it is coming along slowly of course. It isn't something that you learn over night unless the lord really wants you to and you have the faith to. If you have any suggestions that would help me I am open to suggestions!
I want to extend a challenge out to everyone. I am reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish right now and I am on chapter 11 as of today. SO my challenge is to race to see who can beat me in reading the book of mormon. I will be reading in Spanish of course which is much slower for me than in English but all of you can read in English. SO it is on and I doubt any of you can beat me! haha
That is bout it though. I love all of you and I am looking foreward to all your encouragement in the letters I get every week.
Love Elder Haws
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Hola Como Esta (August 16, 2010)
Well it has been a really good week for us. We are going to be having a baptism this weekend on Saturday!!!! WWWWOOOOOOHHHHOOOOOOO
I am super excited. She is an awesome lady that has been investigating for awhile she has just been waiting for her son and his girlfriend to be baptized with her. Sad to say they aren't getting baptized but she is. She has had her interview and everything is set to jet. I hope that her baptism will just be a huge example to her son and to his girlfriend. We have been trying to get them married but for some reason they just wont do it. He is just not serious about it yet. I did tell him thought that we would play one on one in soccer and if I won he had to get married. He didn't like that idea 1) because he knew that he would have had to get married and 2) because he said that there wasn't a prize for him if he won. We are going to get him though. We just have to be patient.
We did something last week that is pretty cool that I forgot to tell everyone about. Elder Mancera and I caught a huge spider and Elder Richardson and I made a cage for it! It is super sweet. We have had the spider for a full week now in they cage and we have fed him moths, crickets and grasshoppers. It is really interesting the way spiders do things that you don't see cause usually when you see them you smash them and that is all you see. This though has been really interesting. I have found out that spiders make a new web every night. That they are really fast at moving on their webs. Also that they can live for awhile with out eating. I also didn't know that spiders ate things other than months and flies. It tries to eat anything that goes into its web.
We also had a really good lesson with our other baptismal dates. They brought up a concern about the virgin Mary and what we thought about it. We were able to explain why it is wrong and they seemed to be okay with it. They said they love it when we come by and that they know that everything we have taught them so far is true and that it is helping them in their lives to become better people. Daniel who is 17 had a really good time at church as well. He knew some of the youth that were his age from school and he fit right in. He is 17 and it would be really neat to see him go on a mission in the future you know?
My spanish is coming along. I gave a talk this past Sunday in sacrament meeting. I was really nervous but I think it went okay. I have also been able to communicate more. I feel comfortable reading scriptures and talking about what they mean and things like that. I am just really excited because I can be apart of the lessons now that I know a little more about what and how to say things. Elder Mancera is doing a great job and correcting me when I am wrong and building me up when I am right. Elder Richardson and Elder Peterson do a good it at helping me out as well. They are speaking a lot more spanish with me a lot more of the time and when I don't know what a word is they don't tell me they find a way to explain it so that I will know what it is. I can definatley feel the Lord helping me out with all the things that have been happening. I'm so grateful for his love for me in helping me out in my times of struggle.
Thank you mom for the package that you sent with my MEP shirt and a shirt from egypt. Also I think that those language pills are really going to help me in learning. I have already put them to good use to keep me awake during studies. haha Also thanks for the cleats. I can't wait to play a game in them.
Thats is about it for this week though! My spanish has been improving alot which is a super good thing so w guess we will just have to keep praying and keep studing (for me that is) and over time line upon line I will be able to speak fluentley.
I love you all
Love Elder Haws
I am super excited. She is an awesome lady that has been investigating for awhile she has just been waiting for her son and his girlfriend to be baptized with her. Sad to say they aren't getting baptized but she is. She has had her interview and everything is set to jet. I hope that her baptism will just be a huge example to her son and to his girlfriend. We have been trying to get them married but for some reason they just wont do it. He is just not serious about it yet. I did tell him thought that we would play one on one in soccer and if I won he had to get married. He didn't like that idea 1) because he knew that he would have had to get married and 2) because he said that there wasn't a prize for him if he won. We are going to get him though. We just have to be patient.
We did something last week that is pretty cool that I forgot to tell everyone about. Elder Mancera and I caught a huge spider and Elder Richardson and I made a cage for it! It is super sweet. We have had the spider for a full week now in they cage and we have fed him moths, crickets and grasshoppers. It is really interesting the way spiders do things that you don't see cause usually when you see them you smash them and that is all you see. This though has been really interesting. I have found out that spiders make a new web every night. That they are really fast at moving on their webs. Also that they can live for awhile with out eating. I also didn't know that spiders ate things other than months and flies. It tries to eat anything that goes into its web.
We also had a really good lesson with our other baptismal dates. They brought up a concern about the virgin Mary and what we thought about it. We were able to explain why it is wrong and they seemed to be okay with it. They said they love it when we come by and that they know that everything we have taught them so far is true and that it is helping them in their lives to become better people. Daniel who is 17 had a really good time at church as well. He knew some of the youth that were his age from school and he fit right in. He is 17 and it would be really neat to see him go on a mission in the future you know?
My spanish is coming along. I gave a talk this past Sunday in sacrament meeting. I was really nervous but I think it went okay. I have also been able to communicate more. I feel comfortable reading scriptures and talking about what they mean and things like that. I am just really excited because I can be apart of the lessons now that I know a little more about what and how to say things. Elder Mancera is doing a great job and correcting me when I am wrong and building me up when I am right. Elder Richardson and Elder Peterson do a good it at helping me out as well. They are speaking a lot more spanish with me a lot more of the time and when I don't know what a word is they don't tell me they find a way to explain it so that I will know what it is. I can definatley feel the Lord helping me out with all the things that have been happening. I'm so grateful for his love for me in helping me out in my times of struggle.
Thank you mom for the package that you sent with my MEP shirt and a shirt from egypt. Also I think that those language pills are really going to help me in learning. I have already put them to good use to keep me awake during studies. haha Also thanks for the cleats. I can't wait to play a game in them.
Thats is about it for this week though! My spanish has been improving alot which is a super good thing so w guess we will just have to keep praying and keep studing (for me that is) and over time line upon line I will be able to speak fluentley.
I love you all
Love Elder Haws
Monday, August 9, 2010
Spanish Rocks!!! (August 9,2010)
Family!
Well I love it in the spanish life. I have gotten some really good meals and I have gotten to play soccer already and I love it!!!
My companion is the BOMB! He is way fun and he is really good at teaching me. Its funny though because he can't really explain why the things are the way that they are or why they do or don't work because he doesn't know it would be like us teaching some one english. It would be difficult to tell them why it works. So what ends up happening is I will ask the other missionaries that we live with why it works and they will tell me and then I can ask Elder Mancera how and why things work in english because he was taught english and that was how he learned to speak it. Its pretty interesting. Elder Mancera is really sweet though! He is really good and making me feel good and encouraging me to keep trying. Everytime I do or say something that is correct he gets a huge smile on his face and gives me a high 5 and tells me your doing good man! keep it up. I can already tell a difference in my knowledge of what is being said and things such as that.
I gave my first spiritual thought on Sunday at one of the members houses that we stopped by. She said that she was able to understand what I was saying and that it made sense. She was an older lady and so she could have just been being nice but who knows. Something really neat about her is that I helpped give her a blessing one time when I was on a team up in Huntsville and I couldn't understand anything she was saying but now I can!! Its super crazy.
We have a lot of really good things happening also! We are teaching 2 families. One of which was found with Elder Howard on one of our exchanges up here when we were in Cullman. Mario and Delia and they have 3 kids, Daniel, Diana, and David. Thier ages are 17,15,2. Delia already feels like she knows the Book of Mormon is true! She has come to church twice and loves it. We are going to see her tonight at english class. Her husband, Mario, said that he loves the church and that he normally can't wait to get out of an hour long church service but that at our church the 3 hours felt like nothing and that he felt lots of peace while he was there. They are really sweet. Diana the daughter wants to start coming to mutal aswell. We are way excited.
We also set a baptismal date with a lady named Lourdes. It is for the 21 of August. She is a great lady. I'm way happy for her.
I live 2 other missionaries that are spanish aswell and we have a lot of fun together. My new address is 1500 Sparkman dr. Apt. 16 E. Hunsville, AL 35816
I am really enjoying everything about my area and my companion and my mission. Things are going really good and I love it. Hope all is going well for everyone. I love you all and I mean all of you. Hope you are safe and doing well. Love Ya
Elder Haws.
Well I love it in the spanish life. I have gotten some really good meals and I have gotten to play soccer already and I love it!!!
My companion is the BOMB! He is way fun and he is really good at teaching me. Its funny though because he can't really explain why the things are the way that they are or why they do or don't work because he doesn't know it would be like us teaching some one english. It would be difficult to tell them why it works. So what ends up happening is I will ask the other missionaries that we live with why it works and they will tell me and then I can ask Elder Mancera how and why things work in english because he was taught english and that was how he learned to speak it. Its pretty interesting. Elder Mancera is really sweet though! He is really good and making me feel good and encouraging me to keep trying. Everytime I do or say something that is correct he gets a huge smile on his face and gives me a high 5 and tells me your doing good man! keep it up. I can already tell a difference in my knowledge of what is being said and things such as that.
I gave my first spiritual thought on Sunday at one of the members houses that we stopped by. She said that she was able to understand what I was saying and that it made sense. She was an older lady and so she could have just been being nice but who knows. Something really neat about her is that I helpped give her a blessing one time when I was on a team up in Huntsville and I couldn't understand anything she was saying but now I can!! Its super crazy.
We have a lot of really good things happening also! We are teaching 2 families. One of which was found with Elder Howard on one of our exchanges up here when we were in Cullman. Mario and Delia and they have 3 kids, Daniel, Diana, and David. Thier ages are 17,15,2. Delia already feels like she knows the Book of Mormon is true! She has come to church twice and loves it. We are going to see her tonight at english class. Her husband, Mario, said that he loves the church and that he normally can't wait to get out of an hour long church service but that at our church the 3 hours felt like nothing and that he felt lots of peace while he was there. They are really sweet. Diana the daughter wants to start coming to mutal aswell. We are way excited.
We also set a baptismal date with a lady named Lourdes. It is for the 21 of August. She is a great lady. I'm way happy for her.
I live 2 other missionaries that are spanish aswell and we have a lot of fun together. My new address is 1500 Sparkman dr. Apt. 16 E. Hunsville, AL 35816
I am really enjoying everything about my area and my companion and my mission. Things are going really good and I love it. Hope all is going well for everyone. I love you all and I mean all of you. Hope you are safe and doing well. Love Ya
Elder Haws.
Monday August 2, 2010
We got a phone call for transfers because transfers are on thursday and President Holzafel talked to me and this is what he said to me.
"I have one question for you and I want you to answer me honestly"
I said, "okay"
He said, "How do you feel about speaking spanish?"
I said,"I would be fine with it."
He said, "Okay well we really need you to do this for the mission so we are going to pair you up with the best spanish speaking missionary we have and he is going to teach you the language Thanks for all you do Elder Haws"
"I have one question for you and I want you to answer me honestly"
I said, "okay"
He said, "How do you feel about speaking spanish?"
I said,"I would be fine with it."
He said, "Okay well we really need you to do this for the mission so we are going to pair you up with the best spanish speaking missionary we have and he is going to teach you the language Thanks for all you do Elder Haws"
New way of getting people to chuch (July 26, 2010)
So I would like to start this out with telling everyone the new way of helping thier investigators come to church on Sunday. This is based of a 100% true story.
There we were driving in our car to Marisol's house. We were talking one with another of what we were going to teach her. We both came to the conclusion that if she hadn't read from the Book of Mormon or if she wouldn't commit to come to church then we weren't going to go back unless she contacted us. Every missionary has these discussions. So we get to her house. She is Hispanic and is married with 4 kids ages 3,6,11ish and 16. We get there and her cousin is there aswell who we have met a couple of times before. So we go over there and she tells us that she doesnt want to meet with us today because she has had a bad day at work and when she got home her husband didn't want to help her and things like that. So we were just talking with here trying to make her happy and I started being my normal self and broke some thing that she used to hang her plants on her porch and she started laughing saying it was okay and she wanted it down any way and then her sone the 3 year old was playing with a beach ball and kept throwing it off the porch so I would kick it back on and I accidentally hit her with it. So she was accusing me in a fun way of making her day worse when really it was making it better. Then I told her of an experience in which I was mad at Tyson one day and we were fighting and i was being really childish and he throw me into my room with a copy of the Book of Mormon and told me to read it and not come out until I was happy and as much as I didn't want it to work it did. So we told her to ready the scriptures and she would feel better. She has never read the scriptures before and she actually said she would take it to work and read it which was awesome. Then there was a bee flying around us going crazy and Marisol and her daughter Kiki the 16 year old were freaking out and making it more and more mad. All I wanted to do was kill this thing before it stung someone mainly me. So i saw land on her cousins head and with out thinking I slammed the bee with a copy of the Book of Mormon HARD!!! Well that just made all the stress go away. We left with in seconds after that with a committment that they would be at church and they were and they said they would be back next week. So the moral of the story is that in order to get people to church hit them with the word of God so they can learn it through osmosis!!!
The next really exciting thing is that we have neighbors!!!! Crazy isn' t it!!! I am just kidding that isn't the cool news. What is cool about it is that they invited us over to a dinner with some of their friends. Who when we got there we found out that they were all Catholic except for one guy who was Lutheran which is basically Catholic. Before we went over there though we talked and realized how it was going to be really tough to turn this dinner into a teaching opportunity with all of their friends there who we thought were just a bunch of work buddies. Well we ended up being there for 3 hours talking almost constantly about the truths of the gospel and how WE differ from them and our doctrines and what the Book of Mormon really is and things like that it was just really neat at how much they all knew and that they were all looking for truth and they all said we need to do this again sometime because of the things that they were learning they recongnized that we have truth just like they do. We also shared with them that the Baptist have truth and that the Islams have truth and that the athieast have truth it is just not alot. When they realize that everyone has truth then it is a lot easier to show why it is important to have all the truth. It was just really cool.
We have been blessed to have a lot of things happen this week that we are looking forward to checking out and to turn into baptisms. We were able to have 8 investigators at church this week. We have been having some success with the hispanic population here. We were able to see one family of 8 members that are hispanic come to church and they said they were going to be coming back. We are pretty excited about that. Gregg and his son Zackary also came which was really neat.
Gregg used to be a Baptist preacher from the time he was 16 to a few years ago. He is in his late 40s so he was preaching for a while and then stopped after getting fed up with how much religion has changed and how nobody does it for the Lord and just alot of the problems that good people will see when the are wanting to do what is right. We have had some really good lessons with him and he has been excited for our next lessons and the things that we are teaching him, mainly because he already believes them he has just never found anyone else that believes them aswell. They seemed to enjoy church and said that they would be back next week aswell.
We also have been seeing another Hispanic Family and they have been keeping their commitments and oppointments. Its weird though because not everyone in the house speaks spanish and it is usually just the wemon that do. We are hoping to get some spanish missionaries up here to start teaching them all.
That was basically our week. Oh!!! Elder Howard and I sang in sacrament meeting yesterday with two of the girls from the ward. I have it recorded so I will try to send off a copy of it so ya'll can hear it. We sang Let Zion in her Beauty Rise acapella. IT was lots of fun.
I love you all and hope you are staying safe and doing whats right. Love Ya'll
Elder Haws.
There we were driving in our car to Marisol's house. We were talking one with another of what we were going to teach her. We both came to the conclusion that if she hadn't read from the Book of Mormon or if she wouldn't commit to come to church then we weren't going to go back unless she contacted us. Every missionary has these discussions. So we get to her house. She is Hispanic and is married with 4 kids ages 3,6,11ish and 16. We get there and her cousin is there aswell who we have met a couple of times before. So we go over there and she tells us that she doesnt want to meet with us today because she has had a bad day at work and when she got home her husband didn't want to help her and things like that. So we were just talking with here trying to make her happy and I started being my normal self and broke some thing that she used to hang her plants on her porch and she started laughing saying it was okay and she wanted it down any way and then her sone the 3 year old was playing with a beach ball and kept throwing it off the porch so I would kick it back on and I accidentally hit her with it. So she was accusing me in a fun way of making her day worse when really it was making it better. Then I told her of an experience in which I was mad at Tyson one day and we were fighting and i was being really childish and he throw me into my room with a copy of the Book of Mormon and told me to read it and not come out until I was happy and as much as I didn't want it to work it did. So we told her to ready the scriptures and she would feel better. She has never read the scriptures before and she actually said she would take it to work and read it which was awesome. Then there was a bee flying around us going crazy and Marisol and her daughter Kiki the 16 year old were freaking out and making it more and more mad. All I wanted to do was kill this thing before it stung someone mainly me. So i saw land on her cousins head and with out thinking I slammed the bee with a copy of the Book of Mormon HARD!!! Well that just made all the stress go away. We left with in seconds after that with a committment that they would be at church and they were and they said they would be back next week. So the moral of the story is that in order to get people to church hit them with the word of God so they can learn it through osmosis!!!
The next really exciting thing is that we have neighbors!!!! Crazy isn' t it!!! I am just kidding that isn't the cool news. What is cool about it is that they invited us over to a dinner with some of their friends. Who when we got there we found out that they were all Catholic except for one guy who was Lutheran which is basically Catholic. Before we went over there though we talked and realized how it was going to be really tough to turn this dinner into a teaching opportunity with all of their friends there who we thought were just a bunch of work buddies. Well we ended up being there for 3 hours talking almost constantly about the truths of the gospel and how WE differ from them and our doctrines and what the Book of Mormon really is and things like that it was just really neat at how much they all knew and that they were all looking for truth and they all said we need to do this again sometime because of the things that they were learning they recongnized that we have truth just like they do. We also shared with them that the Baptist have truth and that the Islams have truth and that the athieast have truth it is just not alot. When they realize that everyone has truth then it is a lot easier to show why it is important to have all the truth. It was just really cool.
We have been blessed to have a lot of things happen this week that we are looking forward to checking out and to turn into baptisms. We were able to have 8 investigators at church this week. We have been having some success with the hispanic population here. We were able to see one family of 8 members that are hispanic come to church and they said they were going to be coming back. We are pretty excited about that. Gregg and his son Zackary also came which was really neat.
Gregg used to be a Baptist preacher from the time he was 16 to a few years ago. He is in his late 40s so he was preaching for a while and then stopped after getting fed up with how much religion has changed and how nobody does it for the Lord and just alot of the problems that good people will see when the are wanting to do what is right. We have had some really good lessons with him and he has been excited for our next lessons and the things that we are teaching him, mainly because he already believes them he has just never found anyone else that believes them aswell. They seemed to enjoy church and said that they would be back next week aswell.
We also have been seeing another Hispanic Family and they have been keeping their commitments and oppointments. Its weird though because not everyone in the house speaks spanish and it is usually just the wemon that do. We are hoping to get some spanish missionaries up here to start teaching them all.
That was basically our week. Oh!!! Elder Howard and I sang in sacrament meeting yesterday with two of the girls from the ward. I have it recorded so I will try to send off a copy of it so ya'll can hear it. We sang Let Zion in her Beauty Rise acapella. IT was lots of fun.
I love you all and hope you are staying safe and doing whats right. Love Ya'll
Elder Haws.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Another Good Week Coming to a Close (July 19, 2010)
We have been tearing it up In Cullman Al. So I am not sure how many of you have heard about the ministers among us (MAU) program that we have down here but it is really sweet. I haven't used it very much in my mission until now but I wish I would have. Basically what it is really fast is a copy of the Book of Mormon that is covered with a personalized sleeve over it so that it is personal for the person that you are desiring to share the Book of Mormon with. It is so cool. So anyway we have really been putting this tool to use with some of our recent converts and it is great. We had one member who put in a total of 5 referrals for us to go and share the Book of Mormon with. One of them we were able to teach and give the copy to and the guy was Baptist. Well Baptists are the first to tell you that the Bible is the only thing we need and we don't need anything else. However when he saw the sleeve with his girl friends name on it and he let us explain what it really was he was totally excited that the Book of Mormon wasn't another form of the Bible but that it is a whole other account of Jesus Christ and his teachings. He was just really neat to see it actually work. This is really the first area that I have used this tool and it is great.
Another really cool story is that we were over at a members house eating a dinner and we had a spiritual thought with them and then I had this thought come to my mind on a different way to ask for referrals. Since Dad was the ward mission leader for so long and we had the missionaries in our house all the time I thought of when they would ask us if their was anyone that we knew that they could teach. and we would either say no or we would tell them people that lived by us or people that we really weren't so sure on of they would accept them or not. So this time I decided to ask them a different question. I asked them if there was anything we could do to HELP them in their own missionary work. Well this family consisted of a mom and a dad and a set of twin sisters that are 17 and seem to be pretty popular in their school and things like that. Well when I asked this questions the twins looked at each other and one said well we have this friend but we aren't sure how to start to talk to her about the church. It turns out that this friend has been to seminary a couple of times and doesn't have a church home and likes going to mutual activities and things like that. The only problem was that the twins didn't know how to start talking to her. So we told them about the MAU program and they were very excited. They ordered one for her right then and we are just waiting for it to get here so that they can deliver it. I convinced that if I would have asked if they knew anyone that we could teach they would have said no because they didn't have anyone we could teach yet they just had someone that was interested. It was really neat. Also their mom cooked some really good lasagna and some cream cheese brownies that were really good.
President Holzapfel came to our ward to speak on Sunday (yesterday) and we were way excited for that. We were at the church getting ready for his arrival and we got a phone call saying he was late with car trouble and that they would be there at 9:30 which was fine because church starts at 9 so the sacrament would be done at about 9:20 and then they had one of the twins that I just talked about share her testimony about Youth Conference that they just had and she took about 10 minutes and so it was no big deal however I quickly became his back up if he still wasn't there when it was his time. Well he ended up getting there 5 minutes before the closing song and so I had to quickly think of something to speak about for the next 20 minutes. So I did. It was super nerve wracking but it makes you so much stronger and I really didn't mind it after it was all over. We ate lunch with President and his wife after church along with the ward missionaries. It was lots of fun.
It is really green here and there is getting to be more and more humidity because it is starting to rain more and more. so that isn't so fun.
We went on a team-up with the Spanish missionaries that are serving up in Huntsville because they are in our Zone and I have been contemplating on asking President if I could get changed over to Spanish speaking for the last year of my mission. As we were on the team up I discovered that I have a great deal of love for the people and that I can actually understand a lot more than I thought I could. I just think that it would be something that I would like to do now which is really funny if your remember what I said about speaking Spanish before my mission. I just have a great desire to help that culture of people accept the gospel into their lives.
The work is just so much fun and I love it so so much. The Church Is TRUE!!! .......It is true. I promise you that it is true and that there is nothing in this life that is more important that living the gospel. Just live it for a couple of weeks put it to the test and see if you are happier in anyway. what ever you are doing right now in you life that is or could be with holding you from having the spirit more in your life even if it is yelling at stupid drivers under your breath. try your hardest not to do it anymore and see what happens. I PROMISE YOU that you WILL notice a DIFFERENCE.
I love you all so very much and l absolutely love gettin to hear from ya'll every week. keep up all that you are doing and I will look forward to hearing from you next Monday. Don't forget that my P-Day is now on Monday so I will be using the computer on Mondays not on Wednesday.
Love Elder Haws
Another really cool story is that we were over at a members house eating a dinner and we had a spiritual thought with them and then I had this thought come to my mind on a different way to ask for referrals. Since Dad was the ward mission leader for so long and we had the missionaries in our house all the time I thought of when they would ask us if their was anyone that we knew that they could teach. and we would either say no or we would tell them people that lived by us or people that we really weren't so sure on of they would accept them or not. So this time I decided to ask them a different question. I asked them if there was anything we could do to HELP them in their own missionary work. Well this family consisted of a mom and a dad and a set of twin sisters that are 17 and seem to be pretty popular in their school and things like that. Well when I asked this questions the twins looked at each other and one said well we have this friend but we aren't sure how to start to talk to her about the church. It turns out that this friend has been to seminary a couple of times and doesn't have a church home and likes going to mutual activities and things like that. The only problem was that the twins didn't know how to start talking to her. So we told them about the MAU program and they were very excited. They ordered one for her right then and we are just waiting for it to get here so that they can deliver it. I convinced that if I would have asked if they knew anyone that we could teach they would have said no because they didn't have anyone we could teach yet they just had someone that was interested. It was really neat. Also their mom cooked some really good lasagna and some cream cheese brownies that were really good.
President Holzapfel came to our ward to speak on Sunday (yesterday) and we were way excited for that. We were at the church getting ready for his arrival and we got a phone call saying he was late with car trouble and that they would be there at 9:30 which was fine because church starts at 9 so the sacrament would be done at about 9:20 and then they had one of the twins that I just talked about share her testimony about Youth Conference that they just had and she took about 10 minutes and so it was no big deal however I quickly became his back up if he still wasn't there when it was his time. Well he ended up getting there 5 minutes before the closing song and so I had to quickly think of something to speak about for the next 20 minutes. So I did. It was super nerve wracking but it makes you so much stronger and I really didn't mind it after it was all over. We ate lunch with President and his wife after church along with the ward missionaries. It was lots of fun.
It is really green here and there is getting to be more and more humidity because it is starting to rain more and more. so that isn't so fun.
We went on a team-up with the Spanish missionaries that are serving up in Huntsville because they are in our Zone and I have been contemplating on asking President if I could get changed over to Spanish speaking for the last year of my mission. As we were on the team up I discovered that I have a great deal of love for the people and that I can actually understand a lot more than I thought I could. I just think that it would be something that I would like to do now which is really funny if your remember what I said about speaking Spanish before my mission. I just have a great desire to help that culture of people accept the gospel into their lives.
The work is just so much fun and I love it so so much. The Church Is TRUE!!! .......It is true. I promise you that it is true and that there is nothing in this life that is more important that living the gospel. Just live it for a couple of weeks put it to the test and see if you are happier in anyway. what ever you are doing right now in you life that is or could be with holding you from having the spirit more in your life even if it is yelling at stupid drivers under your breath. try your hardest not to do it anymore and see what happens. I PROMISE YOU that you WILL notice a DIFFERENCE.
I love you all so very much and l absolutely love gettin to hear from ya'll every week. keep up all that you are doing and I will look forward to hearing from you next Monday. Don't forget that my P-Day is now on Monday so I will be using the computer on Mondays not on Wednesday.
Love Elder Haws
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
News from the Southland! (July 12, 2010)
Dear Family
We have had a pretty good week this week. We were able to get one of our investigators to chruch that we have been trying to get to come for quite some time now. We have been able to contact some Ministers Among Us Packets and we have some potetial from a couple of them. We also were able to set up three new acounts with a recent convert and recent reactivated and a active memeber. So we are excited to be getting referrals from them for their friends!
We were able to see Elaine come to chruch yesterday. She is an older lady in her 60's and she is in a wheel chair due to a stroke that she had a few years ago. She has been really heisitant to come to church and leave the comfort of her home but she finally accepted our invitation and It was reall go news! She liked the service and had some questions about it afterwards that we were able to answer and she got along great with them members. We have a return appointment to go and see her on Thursday! She had already read the Book of Mormon and half of the Doctrine and Covenants. She said that she wants to read the whole the whole canon of scripture before she prays about it which is something we are trying to work with her on. She also has concerns about Joesoph Smith that we are resoving. She is a wonderful lady though and I look forward to working more with her.
We were able to set more Member accounts for the ministers among us program. We have already seen 3 referral get put in because of it and we have been told of a couple more that will be put in here soon. We are way excited to get the memebers doing their own missionary work and just being able to help them and make it easier for them. I was reading a talk today from President Hinckley about missionary work and he talks alot in there about the members and how we as missionaries can't do it by ourselves and I thought as I was reading it that we as missionaries can't do it by ourselves so we need to help the members to help us. All the way up until today I have thought "alright members we can't do it alone come gives us your friends to teach" but when in reality I should be thinking "Okay members we can't do it by ourselves we need your help so how can we help you? What can we do to make your life easier to share the gospel with those you know" I am way excited to get to work and use the new format from church head quarters.
That is about it for this week! Tell every one at MEP that I say Hello and that I love them all!!!!!
Love,
Elder Haws
We have had a pretty good week this week. We were able to get one of our investigators to chruch that we have been trying to get to come for quite some time now. We have been able to contact some Ministers Among Us Packets and we have some potetial from a couple of them. We also were able to set up three new acounts with a recent convert and recent reactivated and a active memeber. So we are excited to be getting referrals from them for their friends!
We were able to see Elaine come to chruch yesterday. She is an older lady in her 60's and she is in a wheel chair due to a stroke that she had a few years ago. She has been really heisitant to come to church and leave the comfort of her home but she finally accepted our invitation and It was reall go news! She liked the service and had some questions about it afterwards that we were able to answer and she got along great with them members. We have a return appointment to go and see her on Thursday! She had already read the Book of Mormon and half of the Doctrine and Covenants. She said that she wants to read the whole the whole canon of scripture before she prays about it which is something we are trying to work with her on. She also has concerns about Joesoph Smith that we are resoving. She is a wonderful lady though and I look forward to working more with her.
We were able to set more Member accounts for the ministers among us program. We have already seen 3 referral get put in because of it and we have been told of a couple more that will be put in here soon. We are way excited to get the memebers doing their own missionary work and just being able to help them and make it easier for them. I was reading a talk today from President Hinckley about missionary work and he talks alot in there about the members and how we as missionaries can't do it by ourselves and I thought as I was reading it that we as missionaries can't do it by ourselves so we need to help the members to help us. All the way up until today I have thought "alright members we can't do it alone come gives us your friends to teach" but when in reality I should be thinking "Okay members we can't do it by ourselves we need your help so how can we help you? What can we do to make your life easier to share the gospel with those you know" I am way excited to get to work and use the new format from church head quarters.
That is about it for this week! Tell every one at MEP that I say Hello and that I love them all!!!!!
Love,
Elder Haws
My First Driving Experience in Birmingham!
So I was driving from one of our missionary meetings and their were 4 of us in our car. We were behind another missionary vehicle that was full with 4 missionaries also! Well we are driving and we are getting ready to get onto the free way and just so you know they don't have the grid system down here and so there are stop lights on the free way and all kinds of crazy things. So we come up to a stop light and there is a yeilding lane to enter the free way on and it isn't very long. Well the car of missionaries in front of me start to enter the free way pretty slow and the traffic was stopped at a stop light. Well the stop light just turned green and allowed them to start to go so we either had to get onto the free way or we would be stopped for a long time trying to enter the free way. the firs vehicle in the first lane closes to us is a Semi-truck and so he was taking a while to get going and the other missionaries are going just the right amount of speed so that they would make it in but I wouldn't so I sped up and merged early so that I wasn't waiting. Well then I had to merge again so that the other missionaries could merge and not get stuck. So I go over one lane at the same time a car from lane 3 comes into lane 2 the one I am merging into. SOOO I try to go back to lane 1. Well the other missionaries were already in lane 1 so here I am in the middle of lanes 1 and 2 and there are cars on either side of us. Mean while the other three missionaries in the car are doing this AHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! not helping at all. So I floor it and get ahead of them so that i can have me own lane. keep in mind that the road is packed with vehicles. It is rush hour. So i speed up and start to merge back into lane 2 again. Well once again another car comes flying in not paying attention and almost hits us so I speed up againg and go into lane 1. Well now I am going about 60 in a matter of not very far and the traffic ahead of me is now at a dead stop and I didn't see that they were slowing down due to me dodging other vehicles so I have to hit the backes and some how managed to make a graceful stop while merging into another lane (lane 2) to keep from rear ending a utility vehicle. The whole time the other missionaries are screaming for their lives and after everything calmed down they were praising my driving and said I was the best driver ever and they would never doubt my ability to drive and I am over here thinking you guys have no Idea what was going on in my head the whole time ( all I was thinking was go faster go faster get more speed haha)
So we make it to the mission office to get some supplies and we are headed home now and we are getting onto the free way again the normal way. Where you just get to an on ramp that makes a big circle and as we start to enter I start saying "Why am I driving? I'm from a small town in arizona and have never driven in a city the size of birmingham...." As I am in the middle of saying this a car comes flying around us not in a lane and is going so fast that he is about to flip is car so he pulls the E brake and does a full U turn...... Around us!!!! and I just keep talking and stay in a casual voice and go around the guy and keep driving and once again the missionaries in the car are going ahhhhhh!!!!!! The funny thing is all I thought about in that one was another person going out of control on snow or ice. I didn't even think about it.
That is my driving experince in a big city though!
So we make it to the mission office to get some supplies and we are headed home now and we are getting onto the free way again the normal way. Where you just get to an on ramp that makes a big circle and as we start to enter I start saying "Why am I driving? I'm from a small town in arizona and have never driven in a city the size of birmingham...." As I am in the middle of saying this a car comes flying around us not in a lane and is going so fast that he is about to flip is car so he pulls the E brake and does a full U turn...... Around us!!!! and I just keep talking and stay in a casual voice and go around the guy and keep driving and once again the missionaries in the car are going ahhhhhh!!!!!! The funny thing is all I thought about in that one was another person going out of control on snow or ice. I didn't even think about it.
That is my driving experince in a big city though!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
My New Area, Woot Woot!! (June 30, 2010)
Well it has been one of the busiest transfers that I think I have had in my entire mission!!! Hahaha I love it. So right before I left Bessemer we had a really good lesson with the Moore family over at our ward mission leader, Brother Morris’ home. It was really good we watched Elder Uchtordorfs talk from April 2009 general conference label we are doing a great work so that we cannot come down. We made some really good progress with them and brother Morris was able to explain the whole purpose for us, the missionaries, in stopping by constantly to see them. Even though we had already told her numberless times it finally clicked and before we left she said that I was going to have to call her because she was going to be getting baptized!!! I have since heard that they came to church and have committed to quick smoking!!! I’m so happy for them and the changes they can see and will see in their lives.
So I got here in Cullman at about 11 am on Thursday morning and we already had someone that was ready for baptism and needed a baptismal interview so we got that all straighten up because there were a few complications that arose and dissolved really fast. So we got Judy ready for Baptism and then we went and saw the Sear Family! They are an awesome family. He does fish aquariums for a living and his aquarium was amazing! I took a video of it to show you when I get home. We talked with them until it was time to go in and we were supposed to leave and go on a team up with Decatur missionaries Elder Putnam, who took my spot when I left and, Elder Lofthouse, who is a brand new missionary. Well we weren’t able to go so we left at 5:45 Friday morning so that we could be there when they woke up to work out with them and things like that. Then we had a really good team up with them! I went with Elder Lofthouse and we found some really awesome people that they are now teaching. I was able to see some of the members also which was really good. Then We stay the night in Decatur and get back to our area and start rounding up people to go to church and spend all day Saturday working with out a lunch break we were so busy. Then of course on Sunday we went to church and we had the baptism for Judy after church. It was really good. She is so excited for it. Then Monday was another busy day and finally on Tuesday I was able to unpack. That was how busy I was. It was awesome. I can’t believe that I have already been in Cullman for a whole week.
There is a recent convert here whose name is Jenna McDowell and she is so awesome! She was first contacted and taught in December and said she didn’t agree with the teachings that she just heard. Now she says that there wasn’t anything that she didn’t agree with she just didn’t want to change her life style. Then in April she was at a friends house and Elder Ryszka and Elder Howard went to follow up with her friend and came into contact with her again and were able to start teaching her and she was baptized a month later and is a whole new person. She is so happy now and is just awesome and we tell her that everyday. She made some big changes in her life and she loves it.
Elder Howard is such a good missionary it is ridiculous. I have so much that I need to learn from him before I can even think about being a good missionary. He teaches so well. He is so good at helping people see the importance of our message by having them answer questions in a way to where they will be saying the answer to their own question by the time we leave. I love it.
It is really weird also being here because Cullman is the Exact opposite of Tuskegee. It is all white. The P.J.’s are all white and they are nice and kept up with good furniture and things like that and I still haven’t seen a African American since I have been here. It is crazy. I am having with drawls which is kind of funny because I had the same thing when I went to Tuskegee just the other way around. It is so funny and weird how that all works out.
Things are going really good though. We are working hard and should be able to have some good things happen this transfer. One really cool story is that when I was in Decatur I did a baptismal interview for someone in Cullman and he is still coming to church and everything. His mom was a less active and hadn’t been to church for 19 years or so and then got re activated and now her son is baptized his name is Brandon and he is the one that I did the interview for. Well she has been smoking and not living the word of wisdom up until yesterday! She finally quit and she hasn’t had a cigarette since yesterday and it is awesome her name is sister Clark. If ya’ll want to say a prayer for her.
I love ya’ll! Be safe and I will hear and talk to you next week.
Love Elder Haws.
P.S. my address is 1317 Kim lane,
Cullman, Al 35055
So I got here in Cullman at about 11 am on Thursday morning and we already had someone that was ready for baptism and needed a baptismal interview so we got that all straighten up because there were a few complications that arose and dissolved really fast. So we got Judy ready for Baptism and then we went and saw the Sear Family! They are an awesome family. He does fish aquariums for a living and his aquarium was amazing! I took a video of it to show you when I get home. We talked with them until it was time to go in and we were supposed to leave and go on a team up with Decatur missionaries Elder Putnam, who took my spot when I left and, Elder Lofthouse, who is a brand new missionary. Well we weren’t able to go so we left at 5:45 Friday morning so that we could be there when they woke up to work out with them and things like that. Then we had a really good team up with them! I went with Elder Lofthouse and we found some really awesome people that they are now teaching. I was able to see some of the members also which was really good. Then We stay the night in Decatur and get back to our area and start rounding up people to go to church and spend all day Saturday working with out a lunch break we were so busy. Then of course on Sunday we went to church and we had the baptism for Judy after church. It was really good. She is so excited for it. Then Monday was another busy day and finally on Tuesday I was able to unpack. That was how busy I was. It was awesome. I can’t believe that I have already been in Cullman for a whole week.
There is a recent convert here whose name is Jenna McDowell and she is so awesome! She was first contacted and taught in December and said she didn’t agree with the teachings that she just heard. Now she says that there wasn’t anything that she didn’t agree with she just didn’t want to change her life style. Then in April she was at a friends house and Elder Ryszka and Elder Howard went to follow up with her friend and came into contact with her again and were able to start teaching her and she was baptized a month later and is a whole new person. She is so happy now and is just awesome and we tell her that everyday. She made some big changes in her life and she loves it.
Elder Howard is such a good missionary it is ridiculous. I have so much that I need to learn from him before I can even think about being a good missionary. He teaches so well. He is so good at helping people see the importance of our message by having them answer questions in a way to where they will be saying the answer to their own question by the time we leave. I love it.
It is really weird also being here because Cullman is the Exact opposite of Tuskegee. It is all white. The P.J.’s are all white and they are nice and kept up with good furniture and things like that and I still haven’t seen a African American since I have been here. It is crazy. I am having with drawls which is kind of funny because I had the same thing when I went to Tuskegee just the other way around. It is so funny and weird how that all works out.
Things are going really good though. We are working hard and should be able to have some good things happen this transfer. One really cool story is that when I was in Decatur I did a baptismal interview for someone in Cullman and he is still coming to church and everything. His mom was a less active and hadn’t been to church for 19 years or so and then got re activated and now her son is baptized his name is Brandon and he is the one that I did the interview for. Well she has been smoking and not living the word of wisdom up until yesterday! She finally quit and she hasn’t had a cigarette since yesterday and it is awesome her name is sister Clark. If ya’ll want to say a prayer for her.
I love ya’ll! Be safe and I will hear and talk to you next week.
Love Elder Haws.
P.S. my address is 1317 Kim lane,
Cullman, Al 35055
Transfers (June 23, 2010)
Well hello everyone! Its me again! We had transfers this week and It was really surprising. All of us were positive that my companion was leaving because he has been here for 9 months and he has 9 weeks left before he goes home so we were all positive that he was going somewhere else to end his mission. Then we had transfer calls tuesday morning and President Tate asked me to go up to Cullman to serve with Elder Howard, who was my zone leader in Tuskegee and in Decatur who I have always wanted to serve with. So I am pretty excited for the new change even though it was a really big shock!
Elder Scheitingers new companion is Elder Robison who was my second companion. The one that I served with first in Tuskegee. I'm really excited for the work that they are going to be able to do together while they are here. We have been making alot of progress with one of our families that we have been working with known as the Moores. They have been keeping their committments and they have noticed the blessings that have come from doing it! We are having a lesson with them at our ward mission leaders house tonight and I am way excited about it.I really hope that they ended up getting baptized because they really want it. Sister Moore has said that she really wants to get married in the Temple. We gave her a blessing last night at the church so that she would be able to quit smoking. If she has enough faith then that is all we will need to do for her to get baptized.
We also had some really good news toward our other investigator JoAnn Wells. She came to church on sunday and she was talking in gospel principles class and she started crying and after wards said that she has really been considering baptism and the spirit has been working on her! IT IS AWESOME!!!!
Now that I am going to Cullman I am going to be able to go on teamups in Decatur and I am super excited. Its crazy how things go when you are on a mission. I never would have thought that I would be this close to Decatur again. I love the way that the lord works. I got a e-mail from Ashley Scruggs today. She was the main investigator that we were working with in Decatur. She told me that she got baptized and that her life is a lot better and she thanked me for teaching her. Those are the letters that let me know that what I am doing is good! She was really in need to get baptized and I guess her mom went to here baptism and to church which hasn't happened for several several years. I love the gospel! IT blesses so many peoples lives as long as they live the teachings in it otherwise there is now point in it.
Amy Walker is still doing great! We have been over to her house a couple of times now and have started to teach her the new memeber lessons! She brought her sone who is 3 and is autistic to church also. He actually did really good. I really think that she is going to get a calling in the primary so that she will be able to keep and eye on her son and she does really good with children. She made me a cake for my birthday and it was so good. It was literally just like a cake that you would order from Safeway or something like that! It was great! we all ate some after we had our bible study.
Thats about it though! I am really excited for the next 6 weeks and what they have to bring for me to learn. I am also going to be able to watch the Emma Smith Video today and I am excited for that. We get a new mission president on the 1st of July so that is going to be exciting. He is getting here in exactly a week from today!
I love all of you! thanks for your prayers and for your letters it makes a huge difference that is hard to expalin but it helps.
Love yall
Elder Haws.
Elder Scheitingers new companion is Elder Robison who was my second companion. The one that I served with first in Tuskegee. I'm really excited for the work that they are going to be able to do together while they are here. We have been making alot of progress with one of our families that we have been working with known as the Moores. They have been keeping their committments and they have noticed the blessings that have come from doing it! We are having a lesson with them at our ward mission leaders house tonight and I am way excited about it.I really hope that they ended up getting baptized because they really want it. Sister Moore has said that she really wants to get married in the Temple. We gave her a blessing last night at the church so that she would be able to quit smoking. If she has enough faith then that is all we will need to do for her to get baptized.
We also had some really good news toward our other investigator JoAnn Wells. She came to church on sunday and she was talking in gospel principles class and she started crying and after wards said that she has really been considering baptism and the spirit has been working on her! IT IS AWESOME!!!!
Now that I am going to Cullman I am going to be able to go on teamups in Decatur and I am super excited. Its crazy how things go when you are on a mission. I never would have thought that I would be this close to Decatur again. I love the way that the lord works. I got a e-mail from Ashley Scruggs today. She was the main investigator that we were working with in Decatur. She told me that she got baptized and that her life is a lot better and she thanked me for teaching her. Those are the letters that let me know that what I am doing is good! She was really in need to get baptized and I guess her mom went to here baptism and to church which hasn't happened for several several years. I love the gospel! IT blesses so many peoples lives as long as they live the teachings in it otherwise there is now point in it.
Amy Walker is still doing great! We have been over to her house a couple of times now and have started to teach her the new memeber lessons! She brought her sone who is 3 and is autistic to church also. He actually did really good. I really think that she is going to get a calling in the primary so that she will be able to keep and eye on her son and she does really good with children. She made me a cake for my birthday and it was so good. It was literally just like a cake that you would order from Safeway or something like that! It was great! we all ate some after we had our bible study.
Thats about it though! I am really excited for the next 6 weeks and what they have to bring for me to learn. I am also going to be able to watch the Emma Smith Video today and I am excited for that. We get a new mission president on the 1st of July so that is going to be exciting. He is getting here in exactly a week from today!
I love all of you! thanks for your prayers and for your letters it makes a huge difference that is hard to expalin but it helps.
Love yall
Elder Haws.
June 16, 2010
Well I am writing a little bit late this week because we got up this morning and went to the temple and it was so good. It is amazing how much you miss the temple when you don't get to go as much. I hadn't been since the MTC almost ten full months ago. It was so good! The Birmingham Temple is reall pretty. That would be really fun to go through with you all at one point in time in this life. There was so much peace in there also I love it!!! Also I was able to see a member from Decatur, Sister Fredrickson, It was really cool to see her again.
The baptism went really good. Her boy freind came and we were able to meet him fro my first time so far. It was so cool when she came up out of the water she started to clap. That was the neatest thing ever. After wards some members took us out to an Italian resturaunt called Mufflaletas. It was really good.
We are going to be giving a church tour tonight to some people that we have recently found. I'm pretty excited for it. On sunday we had the opportunity to see Elder Richard G Scotts Brother which was really neat. So now I have seen Elder Scott and his brother.
Today after the temple we went to a members house and she fed us lunch and then we went fishing in a pond that she has in her back yard! If ya'll remember correctly I don't like fishing but today it wasn't that bad! I was having a terrible time at first but then I was the first one to catch a fish! it was small brim. Then we kept fishing and after about another 30 minutes or so I caught another and then i caught another one and another and before I knew it I had caught 6 fish!! they were all to small to keep but it was just fun to catch and then put back in. I'll send some pictures next weeek. So the moral of the story is that if you don't like doing something do it until you like it! that is how the gospel works. If you don't like doing something in the gospel then you should probably do it. That is why going to the temple is so important because it makes alot of difference in your week. I just feel that my spiritual batter is totally and completly charged and ready to go until i'm able to go again. So I would encourage all who read this to go to the temple and if you can't go get ready so that you can go! It is the best place on earth that you could ever be I promise you that in the name of Jesus Christ.
Well that is about the jist of our week. That is really crazy about the plane crash into the High school. Send me pictures if possible cuz i can't go and look at them online.
Yes mom i did get your package and those tangerines are really good. We gave the candy to a homeless man though i hope that is alright!! He looked hungry and that is all we had.
Love ya'll
Elder Haws
The baptism went really good. Her boy freind came and we were able to meet him fro my first time so far. It was so cool when she came up out of the water she started to clap. That was the neatest thing ever. After wards some members took us out to an Italian resturaunt called Mufflaletas. It was really good.
We are going to be giving a church tour tonight to some people that we have recently found. I'm pretty excited for it. On sunday we had the opportunity to see Elder Richard G Scotts Brother which was really neat. So now I have seen Elder Scott and his brother.
Today after the temple we went to a members house and she fed us lunch and then we went fishing in a pond that she has in her back yard! If ya'll remember correctly I don't like fishing but today it wasn't that bad! I was having a terrible time at first but then I was the first one to catch a fish! it was small brim. Then we kept fishing and after about another 30 minutes or so I caught another and then i caught another one and another and before I knew it I had caught 6 fish!! they were all to small to keep but it was just fun to catch and then put back in. I'll send some pictures next weeek. So the moral of the story is that if you don't like doing something do it until you like it! that is how the gospel works. If you don't like doing something in the gospel then you should probably do it. That is why going to the temple is so important because it makes alot of difference in your week. I just feel that my spiritual batter is totally and completly charged and ready to go until i'm able to go again. So I would encourage all who read this to go to the temple and if you can't go get ready so that you can go! It is the best place on earth that you could ever be I promise you that in the name of Jesus Christ.
Well that is about the jist of our week. That is really crazy about the plane crash into the High school. Send me pictures if possible cuz i can't go and look at them online.
Yes mom i did get your package and those tangerines are really good. We gave the candy to a homeless man though i hope that is alright!! He looked hungry and that is all we had.
Love ya'll
Elder Haws
Monday, June 14, 2010
My week in a nutshell (June 9, 2010)
Well Family This is going to be an AMAZING week! I'm so excited! We are going to be having a Baptism on Saturday for amy Walker! Its been really crazing because we haven't had to do anything except teach her which is just so awesome. She was at church on sunday and loved it this was her first normal sunday except for the fact that it was fast sunday but she enjoyed it alot. She really liked relief Society. Then we had her interview on Monday and we gave her her clothes for the baptism. She called us today to make sure everything was set and ready to go for her baptism. We are going to be holding it at 11:00 am on Saturday morning so at 9:00 am you guys can think right now Elder Haws is going to be having a baptism!!!! We are being so blessed right now with people to teach that have a head on their sholders and no what they want to do in their life.
We found this lady yesterday that has just been so prepared by the Lord for the Restoration of the gospel. She believes in modern revelation and that there is one church that is unspotted and has no wrinkles and that that church is the one that the Lord has organized. It is so cool. She has some questions about us at first and her first one was paligamy. So we quickly and rather eaisily got that out of the way and we were able to teach her a little bit of alot of the gospel if that makes sense and then we read out of the Book of Mormon with her. We read Moroni 10: 3-5 and she just loved it and she read it over two more times because she just loved it so much. she said that everything that we shared with her seemed right and that she wants us to come back and teach her more. The best part is that we were teaching her 16 year old son and so now we might be able to see a family come into the gospel. It was really cool.
We were talking to another lady in the same area earlier that day and we had a really crazy experience with her. It is crazy how people are so close to the truth and they just don't know it.This Lady was talking about the Apastacy and about how it was going to be restored and how the apostles were going to be back on the Earth and preaching the gospel and all this really cool stuff but as soon as we told her that there were 12 apostles on the earth she said that there was more than 12 and that she was one of them and it is just so sad that they don't fully understand what an apostle or a prophet is and the difference between us being a prophet and an acctual prophet on the earth to guide and direct the whole world as a church body. She said that she wants us to come back and she challenged us to pray about some of the stuff that she was talking about and so i did and i totally got my answer this morning about what i heard and how i know that the church is true. I was reading in 1st Nephi chapter 13 and it talks all about our country and us getting our independence from England and about how the Bible was going to come forth and lose alot of its simple truths and how the record that Nephi and his seed wrights will be able to restore the truths that were lost and how is was going to go forth and be shown to everyone and it was just such a testimony builder to me cuz I knew with out any doubt that Nephi really saw it. So since he saw it I knew that it happened and that there are just a few of the simple truths not the hard ones that aren't that important but the easy ones that make a huge difference. I know that the Book of Mormon is true with out any doubt in my mind and I love it. I can't wait to go back and tell her that I prayed about it and that he answered me and then tell her how and give her a copy of the Book of Mormon and then teach her the lessons and then Baptize her and watch her faith grow up into a giant testimony. It was just a really good day yesterday and the day before aswell. It is only wednesday and we have already taught 14 lessons and we are hopind to teach alot more.
Last week was crazy though! We left on Saturday to go on team ups with half of our Zone and so we were gone thursday and Friday and we came back friday night and left saturday to go on a team up with the Assistance in Hoover. It was really cool. The week went by so fast though because we were gone so much but we were still able to do alot of really good things in out area for the few days we were in it. When we were in Hoover Elder Canevary and I went and taught one of thier ivestigators and we had another really neat experience during it. His name is Larry and we were teaching him the Plan of Salvation and during the middle of it we taught him about the Word of Wisdom. As we were teaching him he stops us and asks if he can share an experience with us. Of course is what we said. So he tell us about when Elder Cooley and Canevary contacted him he said that he had a carton of cigaterrets in his hand. He said that when the Elders walked up Elder Cooley looked at the cigarrets and didn't say anything about it or tell him to quit he just looked at it. Larry said that he has had a problem with all of the things in the word of wisdom at one point in time in his life. He then said that when Elder Cooley looked at his cigarretes he had this feeling come over him and he knew that he needed to quit smoking so he did. He had already stopped for two weeks then he committed to live the rest of the word of wisdom right then! IT was so cool. I love it when people are prpared from the lord to hear the gospel. It makes missionary work alot of fun.
We are having a blast though. Elder Sheitinger is the man and we are tearing it up. I love ya'll
Love Elder Haws
P.S. We had another really cool experience. we were driving our car and we saw a homeless guy on the corner of an exit ramp on the free way and so we decisded to stop at the next gas station to buy him some food and a drink so we stop at a bp and Elder scheitinger got some cookies and i got to cans of soda and we are going up to pay and this really rough looking guy comes and asks if we had paid yet? and said that he was goign to buy whatever we were getting as he is buying ice and some beer. he is wearing a white tank top. and just the version of a alabama red neck and his name is bubba. Well then he asks the cashier if he knew who we were and he said no so Bubba says they are the sons of God! and he bought our stuff for us and we gave it to the homeless guy. it was really cool. Bubba came and talked to us before we left the gas station though and said how he was a new man and a christian and used to be a racist and a real cool matcho dude and then he found the lord and just wants to help people and it was really cool. we gave him a pass along card and he said he would come to church with us so i hope he does cuz he was awesome.
Love ya!
We found this lady yesterday that has just been so prepared by the Lord for the Restoration of the gospel. She believes in modern revelation and that there is one church that is unspotted and has no wrinkles and that that church is the one that the Lord has organized. It is so cool. She has some questions about us at first and her first one was paligamy. So we quickly and rather eaisily got that out of the way and we were able to teach her a little bit of alot of the gospel if that makes sense and then we read out of the Book of Mormon with her. We read Moroni 10: 3-5 and she just loved it and she read it over two more times because she just loved it so much. she said that everything that we shared with her seemed right and that she wants us to come back and teach her more. The best part is that we were teaching her 16 year old son and so now we might be able to see a family come into the gospel. It was really cool.
We were talking to another lady in the same area earlier that day and we had a really crazy experience with her. It is crazy how people are so close to the truth and they just don't know it.This Lady was talking about the Apastacy and about how it was going to be restored and how the apostles were going to be back on the Earth and preaching the gospel and all this really cool stuff but as soon as we told her that there were 12 apostles on the earth she said that there was more than 12 and that she was one of them and it is just so sad that they don't fully understand what an apostle or a prophet is and the difference between us being a prophet and an acctual prophet on the earth to guide and direct the whole world as a church body. She said that she wants us to come back and she challenged us to pray about some of the stuff that she was talking about and so i did and i totally got my answer this morning about what i heard and how i know that the church is true. I was reading in 1st Nephi chapter 13 and it talks all about our country and us getting our independence from England and about how the Bible was going to come forth and lose alot of its simple truths and how the record that Nephi and his seed wrights will be able to restore the truths that were lost and how is was going to go forth and be shown to everyone and it was just such a testimony builder to me cuz I knew with out any doubt that Nephi really saw it. So since he saw it I knew that it happened and that there are just a few of the simple truths not the hard ones that aren't that important but the easy ones that make a huge difference. I know that the Book of Mormon is true with out any doubt in my mind and I love it. I can't wait to go back and tell her that I prayed about it and that he answered me and then tell her how and give her a copy of the Book of Mormon and then teach her the lessons and then Baptize her and watch her faith grow up into a giant testimony. It was just a really good day yesterday and the day before aswell. It is only wednesday and we have already taught 14 lessons and we are hopind to teach alot more.
Last week was crazy though! We left on Saturday to go on team ups with half of our Zone and so we were gone thursday and Friday and we came back friday night and left saturday to go on a team up with the Assistance in Hoover. It was really cool. The week went by so fast though because we were gone so much but we were still able to do alot of really good things in out area for the few days we were in it. When we were in Hoover Elder Canevary and I went and taught one of thier ivestigators and we had another really neat experience during it. His name is Larry and we were teaching him the Plan of Salvation and during the middle of it we taught him about the Word of Wisdom. As we were teaching him he stops us and asks if he can share an experience with us. Of course is what we said. So he tell us about when Elder Cooley and Canevary contacted him he said that he had a carton of cigaterrets in his hand. He said that when the Elders walked up Elder Cooley looked at the cigarrets and didn't say anything about it or tell him to quit he just looked at it. Larry said that he has had a problem with all of the things in the word of wisdom at one point in time in his life. He then said that when Elder Cooley looked at his cigarretes he had this feeling come over him and he knew that he needed to quit smoking so he did. He had already stopped for two weeks then he committed to live the rest of the word of wisdom right then! IT was so cool. I love it when people are prpared from the lord to hear the gospel. It makes missionary work alot of fun.
We are having a blast though. Elder Sheitinger is the man and we are tearing it up. I love ya'll
Love Elder Haws
P.S. We had another really cool experience. we were driving our car and we saw a homeless guy on the corner of an exit ramp on the free way and so we decisded to stop at the next gas station to buy him some food and a drink so we stop at a bp and Elder scheitinger got some cookies and i got to cans of soda and we are going up to pay and this really rough looking guy comes and asks if we had paid yet? and said that he was goign to buy whatever we were getting as he is buying ice and some beer. he is wearing a white tank top. and just the version of a alabama red neck and his name is bubba. Well then he asks the cashier if he knew who we were and he said no so Bubba says they are the sons of God! and he bought our stuff for us and we gave it to the homeless guy. it was really cool. Bubba came and talked to us before we left the gas station though and said how he was a new man and a christian and used to be a racist and a real cool matcho dude and then he found the lord and just wants to help people and it was really cool. we gave him a pass along card and he said he would come to church with us so i hope he does cuz he was awesome.
Love ya!
Monday, June 7, 2010
June 2, 2010
Hey ya'll!
We are having the time of our life here in Bessemer because Bessemer is AWESOME!!!! We have been having some really funny experinces lately that is making the work just that much better.
Here in Bessemer we live with another companionship so there are 4 of us in a house. The other companionship is spanish so we don't really see them except in the morning before we leace and at night when we get back and on P-day. about two weeks ago we walked in and they were already home and we were talking and then Elder Ross casually talks about how he got bit by a pitt bull and had to go to the hospital the next day to get it checked out and didn't make it seem like that big of a deal because it wasn't. Well for those of you that have been on missions probable know that the mission presidents wife is really loving and wants to make sure that everyone is 200 % taken care of. So about a week and a half later Elder Ross got a call from Sis Tate saying that he had to either find the dog that day and find out if it had its rabies shot or he had to get the shots himself. Which for those of you who don't know is a series of shots that take quite a while. So they went and looked for this dog for about 6 hours and couldn't find it so they ended up just going and getting the shots. Well the hospital wouldn't give him the shots so President Tate came down to make sure that he got his shots. Remember that President Tate used to be a Lawyer. Elder Ross said that the Head Nurse was yelling at President Tate and that President Tate ended up arguing his way enough to wear they got in a got the shots and left. It was pretty funny Elder Ross said. That is why I love President Tate. Okay not really but it is a part of it!
We are having some good success here! We should be having 2 or 3 baptisms this month. We were able to have 4 investigators at church which was good we were only expecting 3 but we have this one lady whos name is Sabrina. She never wants to talks to us but twice now she has showed up to church when we weren't expecting it! It was such a good things that she came!
We were able to set a baptismal date with a girl named Mckenzie who has been dating a return missionary. she is going to be getting baptized on the 19th of June. We found out she doesn't live in our area though so she is going to be getting baptized in another area in our zone. Its kind of a bummer but its going to be good either way.
We have been working with JoAnn also and she should be getting baptized soon if she doesn't make her date. I think she is going to be able to! She is way sweet and knows when she feels the spirit and knows that the church is good. We just need her to gain a testimony of the book of mormon! which is going to happen.
Amy Walker is another Golden Investigator! We have only had to teach her the lessons. She knows some members in priest river Idaho that she talks with everyday that answer her questions and have been helping her out so its been really cool. she is going to be getting baptized on my birthday! how cool is that? Its like the best birthday present ever!!! I'm way excited for her. she even got antied by her ex-boyfreind and has been getting slack from her mom but she still like hasn't changed at all in the way she feels about the church it is awesome! i'm way pumped.
This week we are going on 3 teamups thursday friday and saturday! its going to be way tireing but way fun. Teamups are great cuz its a chance to learn and to teach and to get to know someone else. I'm way excited. The team up on Saturday is with the AP's and i cannot wait for it. they are so much fun and they are really good teachers so i can't to see what i can learn.
Well i got some pictures that i will send to ya'll. I'm glad to have been able to hear from most of you today! I'm glad that you were able to hear that you had a good time at TAPP and that everyone was safe!
Love Elder Haws
My Address is 803 Fairfax avenue Bessemer Al 35020
The pictures are of
Elder Boone, Elder Harris, Elder Bishop and Myself
Me with some sweet glasses on!
President Tate and I
and a church sign that totally has the wrong words for the scripture. everyone knows that Ephesians 5:4 says: One Lord; One Faith; One Baptism not one God. silly church.
The last one is of my new home for the next little bit!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Praise the Lord, the work is going forth!!! (May 26, 2010)
Well Hello!
I am absolutley loving Bessemer! We are having so many miracles happen right now it is awesome!!! We found a 18 year old boy named Quentarious and he has come to church once knows the Book of Mormon is True and loves it when we come over and talk with him. He says it makes him feel good and he is scheduled to be baptized on the 5th of June! Then we had another miracle contact on a street. We saw this 19 year old boy walking so we stopped knocking on the door that we were at and went and talked to him. We ended up teaching him a first lesson and getting a return appiontment to take him to a bible study that we were holding the next day.His name is Ladarious and he came which was awesome and we set a baptismal date for him for the 5th of June also and he came to church and is right on track for that one as well! Then we were able to have a great lesson with one of our other investigators at a members house and she said that she would get baptized on the 12th of June and then she came to church! and we also have a lady that we are working with that was living with her Ex-boyfriend but they wern't doing anything they were just staying in the same house. well she ended up calling us one random day saying that he had moved out and into his parents house! so we taught her and she asked us what she had to do to be baptized! so we told her and set a date for her to be baptized on the 12th of June aswell! Then today we got a call from a return missionary that is in this ward and we have been teaching his non member girlfriend. Well he called us today to set a another teaching appiontment and said that she was ready to be baptized and that she would probable accept a date in the 2nd or 3rd week in June! We are so EXCITED!!!!!! We also have a ton of people that have a lot of potential. There is a girl named Matilda who lives just up the street from us. One day we stopped by to see her and she was not in a good mood and tried to tell us that it wasn't a good time. Well of course we couldn't let that stop us from teaching her the gospel so we told her our message will probably help her to have a better day which we obviously already knew we just didn't want to let her know that. She said we were probably right and she let us in to teach her. When we got inside we realized that she didn't have any power due to a really bad storm that we had had the past two days. So in our opening prayer we asked that her lights would be cut back on shortly so that her food wouldn't spoil and she could due her daily activites. Then we started to teach her about the restoration of the gospel!!! Well needless to say halfway through our lesson all of a sudden we saw a light!!!! Yes her lights had come back on!!!! She was so excited and it was a testimony to us and to her that God aswers prayers! So we finished teaching her and she said that she was feeling a whole lot better and that she was thankfull that we stopped by and that we made her day better. She also said that she would be baptized when she knew it was true! We found another girl next to one of our Recent Converts named Tawanda. She listened to a lesson one and then we gave her a pamphlet and didn't think to much about it. We did get a return appiontment though. So we went back and she actually remembered alot from the first lesson that most of the people we teach don't remember and she was really cool and interested and she wasn't scared to pray in front of us! She has a date for the 12th of June also! We are just being so blessed and I can tell a huge difference when we are obedient and when we are working hard. We stay out until 9:30 every night and we just go and go and go! which is exactly how it should be! I LOVE PREACHING THE GOSPEL AND SEEING THE FRUIT OF IT!!!!
We had our Zone Conference Yesterday. It was presdedent Tates last one that he would be at before he goes home. He is going to be leaving on the first of July. I am really sad that he is leaving. He has been a great mission president and he is going to be missed greatly. He has helped me out so much but change is always a good thing. He gave me some pretty random advice in out interview though that went along with some things in my patriarchal blessing which i thought was pretty cool. He is a great man! We have an awesome Zone as well. They are all hard workers and are trying to do their best. We are still trying to reach a goal of 50 baptisms in a month before President Tate leaves and i thing that June is going to be the Month for it! Out Districts are all doing their best to help out. We have to missionaries that are leaving at the end of this transfer but they are doing surprisingly well at not getting trunky. I am really excited. Being a Zone Leader is nothing special. Basically all you have to do is be a perfect example so basically you just have to do everything right because everyone is watching. I like it alot more because you feel like someone is always wathing it has really helped me in seeing the importance of being 100% obedient and now it doesn't matter if I am a Zone Leader or not it is totally worth it to be obedient.
Well the mission is really trying to get these 50 baptsims to we are all trying to get asmany contacts and work as hard as possible. So each companionship has to tide their bikes or walk for an hour a day to try to get more contacts. SO we went out with a recent convert who is 13 and he was riding his bike with us. Well I ender up wrecking haha. My first bike wreck on the mission. Well i tried catching myself from falling which didn't really work becuse i still fell. I ended up filping on the ground and the bike fliped on top of me. Elder Shietinger said it was in the top 3 of best wrecks that he has seen so far on his mission!!!! I was okay there was no blood and i just kept riding my bike. well after awhile my wrist started hurting and so we called to see what i should do and the President told me to go to the emergency room. They took X-rays and it ended up being a really bad sprang. so now I have to wear a brace! its been fun but pretty annoying. atleast it was a great story though right? haha.
I'm doing great though and hope that ya'll have a great time at TAPP!!!
Love Elder Haws
I am absolutley loving Bessemer! We are having so many miracles happen right now it is awesome!!! We found a 18 year old boy named Quentarious and he has come to church once knows the Book of Mormon is True and loves it when we come over and talk with him. He says it makes him feel good and he is scheduled to be baptized on the 5th of June! Then we had another miracle contact on a street. We saw this 19 year old boy walking so we stopped knocking on the door that we were at and went and talked to him. We ended up teaching him a first lesson and getting a return appiontment to take him to a bible study that we were holding the next day.His name is Ladarious and he came which was awesome and we set a baptismal date for him for the 5th of June also and he came to church and is right on track for that one as well! Then we were able to have a great lesson with one of our other investigators at a members house and she said that she would get baptized on the 12th of June and then she came to church! and we also have a lady that we are working with that was living with her Ex-boyfriend but they wern't doing anything they were just staying in the same house. well she ended up calling us one random day saying that he had moved out and into his parents house! so we taught her and she asked us what she had to do to be baptized! so we told her and set a date for her to be baptized on the 12th of June aswell! Then today we got a call from a return missionary that is in this ward and we have been teaching his non member girlfriend. Well he called us today to set a another teaching appiontment and said that she was ready to be baptized and that she would probable accept a date in the 2nd or 3rd week in June! We are so EXCITED!!!!!! We also have a ton of people that have a lot of potential. There is a girl named Matilda who lives just up the street from us. One day we stopped by to see her and she was not in a good mood and tried to tell us that it wasn't a good time. Well of course we couldn't let that stop us from teaching her the gospel so we told her our message will probably help her to have a better day which we obviously already knew we just didn't want to let her know that. She said we were probably right and she let us in to teach her. When we got inside we realized that she didn't have any power due to a really bad storm that we had had the past two days. So in our opening prayer we asked that her lights would be cut back on shortly so that her food wouldn't spoil and she could due her daily activites. Then we started to teach her about the restoration of the gospel!!! Well needless to say halfway through our lesson all of a sudden we saw a light!!!! Yes her lights had come back on!!!! She was so excited and it was a testimony to us and to her that God aswers prayers! So we finished teaching her and she said that she was feeling a whole lot better and that she was thankfull that we stopped by and that we made her day better. She also said that she would be baptized when she knew it was true! We found another girl next to one of our Recent Converts named Tawanda. She listened to a lesson one and then we gave her a pamphlet and didn't think to much about it. We did get a return appiontment though. So we went back and she actually remembered alot from the first lesson that most of the people we teach don't remember and she was really cool and interested and she wasn't scared to pray in front of us! She has a date for the 12th of June also! We are just being so blessed and I can tell a huge difference when we are obedient and when we are working hard. We stay out until 9:30 every night and we just go and go and go! which is exactly how it should be! I LOVE PREACHING THE GOSPEL AND SEEING THE FRUIT OF IT!!!!
We had our Zone Conference Yesterday. It was presdedent Tates last one that he would be at before he goes home. He is going to be leaving on the first of July. I am really sad that he is leaving. He has been a great mission president and he is going to be missed greatly. He has helped me out so much but change is always a good thing. He gave me some pretty random advice in out interview though that went along with some things in my patriarchal blessing which i thought was pretty cool. He is a great man! We have an awesome Zone as well. They are all hard workers and are trying to do their best. We are still trying to reach a goal of 50 baptisms in a month before President Tate leaves and i thing that June is going to be the Month for it! Out Districts are all doing their best to help out. We have to missionaries that are leaving at the end of this transfer but they are doing surprisingly well at not getting trunky. I am really excited. Being a Zone Leader is nothing special. Basically all you have to do is be a perfect example so basically you just have to do everything right because everyone is watching. I like it alot more because you feel like someone is always wathing it has really helped me in seeing the importance of being 100% obedient and now it doesn't matter if I am a Zone Leader or not it is totally worth it to be obedient.
Well the mission is really trying to get these 50 baptsims to we are all trying to get asmany contacts and work as hard as possible. So each companionship has to tide their bikes or walk for an hour a day to try to get more contacts. SO we went out with a recent convert who is 13 and he was riding his bike with us. Well I ender up wrecking haha. My first bike wreck on the mission. Well i tried catching myself from falling which didn't really work becuse i still fell. I ended up filping on the ground and the bike fliped on top of me. Elder Shietinger said it was in the top 3 of best wrecks that he has seen so far on his mission!!!! I was okay there was no blood and i just kept riding my bike. well after awhile my wrist started hurting and so we called to see what i should do and the President told me to go to the emergency room. They took X-rays and it ended up being a really bad sprang. so now I have to wear a brace! its been fun but pretty annoying. atleast it was a great story though right? haha.
I'm doing great though and hope that ya'll have a great time at TAPP!!!
Love Elder Haws
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Hi from Bessemer Alabama!
Well hello everyone and anyone that is going to be reading this. I am now in Bessemer and i am loving it! we have had a really good week. I walked into a baptism here. we had it on Saturday and it was in a creek. I guess that before the church was built here they used to meet in a house and they did baptisms in a creek right by the house and some how that land has stayed in possesion of one of the families here and so one of the members were going to be baptizing his twin sons in the river cuz they were Eight so we decided to do our investigator there as well! it was really neat. The work is going awesome here. My companion has been here for 9 months at the end of this transfer and he is so good at working here.
Bessemer reminds me a lot like Tuskegee. It has a lot of Black people and so we are able to have a lot of lessons which is good. the only difference about here and tuskegee is that we can actually get the investigators to church because most of them have cars and can drive themselves and because it is a ward here so the members help out with rides a lot. Most of the members are white and come from the surrounding towns. It is a great ward though and they help us out a lot even though it may mean a 20 minute drive into town and a twenty minute drive back home.
We had a really good sunday! we had 4 investigators at church. Sabrina was one that came on Sunday. I met here on the first day that i got here and we taught here a lesson one and we committed her to be baptized and she said she would. Then she showed up to church with her two sons. she had to leave early because she promised somebody else she would go to their church but she said that she would be back next week. We also taught a really cool kid named Ledarious. He is so cool. We challenged him to be baptized aswell on the 5th of June and he said he would. Then he came to our bible study the next night and was paying close attention. He is 19 and getting ready to go into the job corr then he plans on going into the military.
There is another person that is really close to baptism also! her name is Mekenzie. she is the girlfriend of a return missionary and she knows the church is true she just doesn't know if she should get baptized here or when she goes to college in Auburn. I think we can get her to realize the importance of getting baptized sooner so that she can have the holy ghost to find out what she needs to do in her life. I am really pumped for this area.
That is about it for now. Elder Sheitinger is from Buffalow New York. He is 21 and has a older sister and a mother and a Father. He is tons of fun and i love him!
I love all of you aswell! Have fun at TAPP. be safe and we will talk next week.
P.S. There is a member here who is from Utah and served in this same mission and moved out here and married one of the girls from here. The cool part is that he served the same time as Robert and knows him. His name is Austin Burdick. So you should ask Robert if he remembers him. He should though Bro. Burdick said that they were MTC companions.
Bessemer reminds me a lot like Tuskegee. It has a lot of Black people and so we are able to have a lot of lessons which is good. the only difference about here and tuskegee is that we can actually get the investigators to church because most of them have cars and can drive themselves and because it is a ward here so the members help out with rides a lot. Most of the members are white and come from the surrounding towns. It is a great ward though and they help us out a lot even though it may mean a 20 minute drive into town and a twenty minute drive back home.
We had a really good sunday! we had 4 investigators at church. Sabrina was one that came on Sunday. I met here on the first day that i got here and we taught here a lesson one and we committed her to be baptized and she said she would. Then she showed up to church with her two sons. she had to leave early because she promised somebody else she would go to their church but she said that she would be back next week. We also taught a really cool kid named Ledarious. He is so cool. We challenged him to be baptized aswell on the 5th of June and he said he would. Then he came to our bible study the next night and was paying close attention. He is 19 and getting ready to go into the job corr then he plans on going into the military.
There is another person that is really close to baptism also! her name is Mekenzie. she is the girlfriend of a return missionary and she knows the church is true she just doesn't know if she should get baptized here or when she goes to college in Auburn. I think we can get her to realize the importance of getting baptized sooner so that she can have the holy ghost to find out what she needs to do in her life. I am really pumped for this area.
That is about it for now. Elder Sheitinger is from Buffalow New York. He is 21 and has a older sister and a mother and a Father. He is tons of fun and i love him!
I love all of you aswell! Have fun at TAPP. be safe and we will talk next week.
P.S. There is a member here who is from Utah and served in this same mission and moved out here and married one of the girls from here. The cool part is that he served the same time as Robert and knows him. His name is Austin Burdick. So you should ask Robert if he remembers him. He should though Bro. Burdick said that they were MTC companions.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hello...Again!! (May 12, 2010)
Family,
Well hello again family! It was great to be able to talk to most of you on Sunday! I’m glad that you all are doing well and managing okay! It was very good to be able to hear from my nieces and nephews and know that they are still their good old selfs. It was way cute how they would say something and then I couldn’t tell if they understood what I was saying or not.
Yesterday was transfer calls, which means that we got a phone call at 7 in the morning telling us who if any body was leaving and it turns out that one of us was. I am getting moved to a new area known as Bessemer. It is just out side of Birmingham and from what people tell me it is going to be like Tuskegee again just now as bad. I’m going to be serving with Elder Shitinger, with a long I after the H for anyone who was wondering, as a Zone Leader. I’m eager to find out what this new adventure is going to bring. So tomorrow I will be transferred to my new area so any mail that you send here fro the next week send to the mission home address which is 3100 E Lorna Rd suite 102 Birmingham Al 35216.
Not to much has changed since I talk to you all on Sunday though. We were able to ask Courtney and Ronnie and Justin why they weren’t at church and they said they were sleeping cuz they had a late night. We made them feel guilty which is good and they said they would be there next week so I hope they will be.
Elder Bishop is the new District leader here in Decatur and he is companions with Elder Putnam.
That’s about all for this week though. I hope you all are doing well and I can’t wait to tell you about my new area and companion next week! LOVE YA”LL
Elder Haws
Well hello again family! It was great to be able to talk to most of you on Sunday! I’m glad that you all are doing well and managing okay! It was very good to be able to hear from my nieces and nephews and know that they are still their good old selfs. It was way cute how they would say something and then I couldn’t tell if they understood what I was saying or not.
Yesterday was transfer calls, which means that we got a phone call at 7 in the morning telling us who if any body was leaving and it turns out that one of us was. I am getting moved to a new area known as Bessemer. It is just out side of Birmingham and from what people tell me it is going to be like Tuskegee again just now as bad. I’m going to be serving with Elder Shitinger, with a long I after the H for anyone who was wondering, as a Zone Leader. I’m eager to find out what this new adventure is going to bring. So tomorrow I will be transferred to my new area so any mail that you send here fro the next week send to the mission home address which is 3100 E Lorna Rd suite 102 Birmingham Al 35216.
Not to much has changed since I talk to you all on Sunday though. We were able to ask Courtney and Ronnie and Justin why they weren’t at church and they said they were sleeping cuz they had a late night. We made them feel guilty which is good and they said they would be there next week so I hope they will be.
Elder Bishop is the new District leader here in Decatur and he is companions with Elder Putnam.
That’s about all for this week though. I hope you all are doing well and I can’t wait to tell you about my new area and companion next week! LOVE YA”LL
Elder Haws
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Tornados In Alabama!
Yes i am still in Decatur and really hoping that i get to stay another Transfer! that would just be the best news ever!!!!!
So on Saturday we went down to a town called Albertville and helped the residents down there due to a tornado that touched down and caused a ton of damage down there. Luckily there was no one killed directly from the Tornado but it was crazy that nobody did. I mean to tell you what. there were whole houses moved off of its foundation and huge huge trees with all there roots pulled up! I got a really cool picture behind one of them that i will attach. there was so much destruction though that i didn't even know was possible from a tornado. It was really fun and good to be able to go and help out though. We helped a lady who was evicted because the house or trailer was no longer safe to live in and she had 1 day to move out. so we helped her pack up all of her stuff and then we went and started clearing away trees that had falled over fences and on sheds and barnes and things. It was really cool. I have always wanted to see a tornado and experience one but now i don't mind if i ever see one. I'll send more pictures as well to let you guys see what else all happened! We are teaching some more people now! We got a media referral for these two people for a finding faith in Christ DVD so we desided to give them a call to set up a time so we could give them the movie and also try to teach them. Well the good news is that we were able to teach them! the better news is that we have already taught them 4 times in the past 6 days and the that they want to come to church and they are reading out of the book of mormon and they want us to teach all of their friends and family but the BEST news is that last night we taught them and extended a Baptismal commitment for the 29th of May and they all Excepted! there are 3 of them their names are Courtney, Ronnie, and Justin. Ronnie and courtney are bf gf and justin is Courtneys uncle. courtney is 20 Ronnie is 21 and Justin is 25 and they are all black! we are so ecited! whats is even crazier is that Justin is Ashley Scruggs our first baptism date's cousin! so we are jsut way excited to see what May is going to bring for us! i hope its nothing but joy and hard work! sorry this one is so short! I hope ya'll have a good week and a great Mothers day for those of you that are mothers and i hope that those of you who aren't mothers make it a good day for those that are! I love yall
Love,
Elder Haws!
p.s. the pictures are me behind a huge tree that was blown over by the tornado and also of me helping clean up the mess of a tree that fell on an old shed and on a fence that we needed to clear as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
