I LOVE MY MISSION!!!!!! I really wish that everyone was able to go on a mission! They are probably the best thing ever!!!! There are so many wonderful experiences that come along with being a missionary along with all the blessings as well. It’s crazy how when the lord says, “take you no thought beforehand what you should eat, or what you should wear, or what you shall say, for I the Lord will give it thee,” that he really will. Yesterday was such a good day. We were able to go and see a less active in the church that lived out in Hartselle about 10 or 15 miles away from Decatur. Well when we went we were able to find out how she heard about the church and how she got baptized and then she told us how she fell away from the church. It started when she got cancer up in Gunnersville. Well she had asked her Bishop to go to the hospital to pray with her before the surgery and so that if she didn’t make it out alive she wouldn’t have to die alone because she only has one brother and she hasn’t heard of him in 9 years and doesn’t even know if he is alive, and she has a son that is in prison in Montgomery. Well the bishop told her that he couldn’t take off work and wouldn’t be able to. Well she survived the surgery and then went home hoping that some of the ward members would come and check on her and see if she was alright like they said they would. Well none of them did for 2 weeks she was by herself after surgery from getting a breast removed. She said though at the end of this story, “I know though that the church is true and that the church didn’t let me down but the people in the church did and that is why I went and asked for my name to be removed and haven’t been back since.” It was such a powerful testimony to me about the importance of being a good member and not thinking of yourself but of other people and what they might be needing and how you can help them. Like the scripture says, “When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God.” SO my question is Why not serve everyone that we know of? Why not try to help people out as much as possible? It just doesn’t make sense to me.
We are going to be baptizing Ashley Scruggs on the 15th of May! She didn’t come to church again so we had to move her date to the 15th but I’m almost positive that she is going to be at church and will be able to make her date of the 15th. She reset her date for us we didn’t do it for her. It is definitely something that she wants and I don’t mind giving her.
We had some really neat weather last weekend! We were in a severe thunderstorm watch for about 9 hours or so. There was a bad tornado that touched down in Mississippi that killed 9 people I think. There were also tornados that touched town in Cullman County which is the next county over. The Zone Leaders, Elder Ryszka and Elder Howard said that while the tornado sirens were going off and they could hear the tornado they were in a lesson and set a baptismal date with a lady! That would be so could to be having all of this havoc and crazy things happening all around you and you are calmly seated next to your companion teaching someone about the Lords restored gospel on the earth today!! Man that pumps me up!! Then on Sunday it was really really hot and then the past 3days have been pretty cold for summer. We’ve been down in the 60s most of the time which is highly unusual for this time of year here. I love it though! It’s my kind of weather!
That was way exciting to hear that Brett received his Mission call and that he will be serving just south of me and just north of Kevin. I love how it all works out. I love that Tyson Nicoll is right above me and that Brett is right below me and that Kevin is right below him. It gives me comfort for some reason knowing that.
Well that’s about it! Its been a great week and I hope to be able to talk to you guys on Mother’s day if by chance you will be at home. I don’t know if I can call you all individually or not.
Love Ya’ll
Elder Haws
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
April 14, 2010
Family,
Well it’s been another GREAT week!!! We were able to have some really good success and had some good experiences happen. We were pleased to see that one of our main investigators as of right now came to church!!! For her first time other than conference. She used to live in Harselle which is a little town about 20 minutes away and she never would come to church but she just barely moved to Decatur about 2 tenths of a mile away from the church so she didn’t have any excuses this week and we didn’t even ask her to come she just said I’ll be at church tomorrow! We were so excited! This is Brandy Chambers by the way. She also informed us when we went over to her house to eat Saturday night that she had stayed up until 2:30 in the morning the night before so Friday night reading the whole book of 1st Nephi. She was so excited when we started talking about it. It’s so cool because her whole countenance has changed and she seems like a whole new person! The other cool part to this story is that her boy friend has been against the church his whole life because that was how he was raised and he has changed a lot towards us as well!! She asked him if he wanted to go to church with her and he thought for a while and said no not yet. So he’s thinking about it! So cool
Then while She was at church the members did an amazing job at fellowshipping with her. I never realized how important just a, hi welcome to church is form the members until I realized how much it means to the person visiting the church. So remember when you see a new face at church go and introduce yourself. I promise it isn’t as weird as you think it will be. So Brandy absolutely loved church and is planning on coming back!!
We are also working with Ashley Scruggs. Her mom is a member but she isn’t. She is 24 and has been meeting with us for about 3 months now and last week she committed to get baptized on the 8th of May. Now we are helping realize the importance of baptism and getting her ready for the date. She is showing a lot of faith by accepting the baptismal commitment. She was really nervous at first but she realized that it was a goal and if she wasn’t ready by then she didn’t have to be baptized but if she was ready by then then it was the right thing to do. It is a win win situation. She is such a good girl. I’m way excited for her!
We had a team up with the ZLs this week also. I love team ups because it always seems to boost your area and you have an opportunity to learn from other missionaries as well to get some other teaching ideas and things like that. So it was fun. I also enjoyed it because my Zl in Tuskegee was Elder Howard and now it is Elder Howard again and I really liked him so we got to see each other again and be companions for a little bit. He actually served her before he went to Montegomery so when he came back he was so excited to see the apartment and we were able to set up and appointment with an investigator that he was working with when he was here so he really liked that.
I had a really cool experience this week to that I want to share with you guys. For the past few years I’ve been thinking about why really hard trials haven’t happened to me. For instance, Elder Brown and his dad passing away while he was on a mission, and there is a lady in our ward here that has a cancerous brain tumor that is untreatable really. She is in her late 30s early 40s so not that old she has 5 kids I think and it’s so sad. The thing is that they are both so positive about the whole thing. So I’ve been thinking what makes them so strong and able to have these things and I’m not. Then one day we were talking to this member and I realized I’m not supposed to go through their trials. They are not trials that I need to go through but that I can learn from so that when the trials that I am going to need help with I can look back on these experiences and know that it is possible to get through them with a positive attitude and not a poor me attitude. The lord never ever ever will tempt us past what we are able. Everything we go through is only to make us stronger. So whatever the challenge is that our Heavenly Father has set forth for you to go through know that you can make it through it and with a positive attitude you will only make it easier.
That’s been my week though. I’ve had a good time and I’m loving it. Thanks for your guys prayers. Love ya’ll
Love Elder Haws.
Well it’s been another GREAT week!!! We were able to have some really good success and had some good experiences happen. We were pleased to see that one of our main investigators as of right now came to church!!! For her first time other than conference. She used to live in Harselle which is a little town about 20 minutes away and she never would come to church but she just barely moved to Decatur about 2 tenths of a mile away from the church so she didn’t have any excuses this week and we didn’t even ask her to come she just said I’ll be at church tomorrow! We were so excited! This is Brandy Chambers by the way. She also informed us when we went over to her house to eat Saturday night that she had stayed up until 2:30 in the morning the night before so Friday night reading the whole book of 1st Nephi. She was so excited when we started talking about it. It’s so cool because her whole countenance has changed and she seems like a whole new person! The other cool part to this story is that her boy friend has been against the church his whole life because that was how he was raised and he has changed a lot towards us as well!! She asked him if he wanted to go to church with her and he thought for a while and said no not yet. So he’s thinking about it! So cool
Then while She was at church the members did an amazing job at fellowshipping with her. I never realized how important just a, hi welcome to church is form the members until I realized how much it means to the person visiting the church. So remember when you see a new face at church go and introduce yourself. I promise it isn’t as weird as you think it will be. So Brandy absolutely loved church and is planning on coming back!!
We are also working with Ashley Scruggs. Her mom is a member but she isn’t. She is 24 and has been meeting with us for about 3 months now and last week she committed to get baptized on the 8th of May. Now we are helping realize the importance of baptism and getting her ready for the date. She is showing a lot of faith by accepting the baptismal commitment. She was really nervous at first but she realized that it was a goal and if she wasn’t ready by then she didn’t have to be baptized but if she was ready by then then it was the right thing to do. It is a win win situation. She is such a good girl. I’m way excited for her!
We had a team up with the ZLs this week also. I love team ups because it always seems to boost your area and you have an opportunity to learn from other missionaries as well to get some other teaching ideas and things like that. So it was fun. I also enjoyed it because my Zl in Tuskegee was Elder Howard and now it is Elder Howard again and I really liked him so we got to see each other again and be companions for a little bit. He actually served her before he went to Montegomery so when he came back he was so excited to see the apartment and we were able to set up and appointment with an investigator that he was working with when he was here so he really liked that.
I had a really cool experience this week to that I want to share with you guys. For the past few years I’ve been thinking about why really hard trials haven’t happened to me. For instance, Elder Brown and his dad passing away while he was on a mission, and there is a lady in our ward here that has a cancerous brain tumor that is untreatable really. She is in her late 30s early 40s so not that old she has 5 kids I think and it’s so sad. The thing is that they are both so positive about the whole thing. So I’ve been thinking what makes them so strong and able to have these things and I’m not. Then one day we were talking to this member and I realized I’m not supposed to go through their trials. They are not trials that I need to go through but that I can learn from so that when the trials that I am going to need help with I can look back on these experiences and know that it is possible to get through them with a positive attitude and not a poor me attitude. The lord never ever ever will tempt us past what we are able. Everything we go through is only to make us stronger. So whatever the challenge is that our Heavenly Father has set forth for you to go through know that you can make it through it and with a positive attitude you will only make it easier.
That’s been my week though. I’ve had a good time and I’m loving it. Thanks for your guys prayers. Love ya’ll
Love Elder Haws.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
New Transfer
Dear family!
Well another great week has pasted by. Another one is on its way. I got a new companion this week! He is really cool. His name is Elder Bishop and everyone makes some kind of joke about his name as if they are going to be the first person to say something so clever as just wait till you are bishop bishop and all those funny remarks. I love it. Especially because of knowing Dr. Bishop Bishop. Its been a good first week.
We had some of our investigators come to Conference and they had a really good time. One of them said that she felt the spirit for the first time and that she really liked Elder Holland. Coming to conference was really good for them. We then went and taught them a couple of days later and they both set dates to know when the book of mormon was true by. It was so cool. The Apostles are defiantly called of God.
Conference was so good. It was crazy how many talks were about preparing your children and your families in the gospel. I loved how at the end Elder Andersen said that none of the talks are assigned but how they are all by inspiration and how they come to the speakers by inspiration. Its crazy how the lord uses his servants to tell us how we can become better. How they can all tell us something different but have it come back to the same principle in the gospel. If the church isn’t true I don’t know what is. I tell all my investigators the church is either true or it isn’t. Its black or its white. There is no grey area. You can’t have a black object or darkness put off light. It just wont do it. So the church isn’t bad or wrong because there is nothing that the church does that puts off darkness.
Since I’ve been out here and have been going around to the different denominations and have been talking to lots of different people I hear a lot of stuff. I’ve been able to thing about the church and other churches and other beliefs as well, and I’ve one to the conclusion that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the lord true church on the Earth today. I’ve heard and thought about the comment ”I don’t believe that there is one true religion. As long as we are all working towards the same goal we are going to be ok.” Well that doesn’t make sense to me because that isn’t what Christ taught at all. It was that if you weren’t a part of his church the one that he organized while he was on the earth with Apostles and Prophets and, not only just a part of but you had to be living your life according to the teachings and the commandments set forth by God, You were in need of repentance. Then we learn from the reactions from the people that they don’t think what they are doing is wrong the honestly feel that what they are doing is right and they find the things that are right and true to be hard things to them. Which is completely normal. Who likes to change? Who likes to hear that they are wrong? Nobody does, but that is what they need to hear and know in order to receive the blessings that the Lord God is literally waiting to pour out upon them. This is my testimony that if we put our trust in the Lord and have faith in him, like a little child has faith in their parents, we will have better happier lives. If we run to him when we are scared or hurt or confused or happy or sad or down or troubled or anything he will be there for us. But if we do it for the wrong reasons he won’t help us out just like a child if a child asks or does something for the wrong reasons the parent isn’t going to just give in and say okay they are going to wait till their child learns the right way. I know the church is true and I know that when we become as a little child in the gospel and when we are ready to accept that we aren’t right and that God is right we will find our lives so much better. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
I love you all so much! thanks for the letters and the support.
Love Elder Haws
Well another great week has pasted by. Another one is on its way. I got a new companion this week! He is really cool. His name is Elder Bishop and everyone makes some kind of joke about his name as if they are going to be the first person to say something so clever as just wait till you are bishop bishop and all those funny remarks. I love it. Especially because of knowing Dr. Bishop Bishop. Its been a good first week.
We had some of our investigators come to Conference and they had a really good time. One of them said that she felt the spirit for the first time and that she really liked Elder Holland. Coming to conference was really good for them. We then went and taught them a couple of days later and they both set dates to know when the book of mormon was true by. It was so cool. The Apostles are defiantly called of God.
Conference was so good. It was crazy how many talks were about preparing your children and your families in the gospel. I loved how at the end Elder Andersen said that none of the talks are assigned but how they are all by inspiration and how they come to the speakers by inspiration. Its crazy how the lord uses his servants to tell us how we can become better. How they can all tell us something different but have it come back to the same principle in the gospel. If the church isn’t true I don’t know what is. I tell all my investigators the church is either true or it isn’t. Its black or its white. There is no grey area. You can’t have a black object or darkness put off light. It just wont do it. So the church isn’t bad or wrong because there is nothing that the church does that puts off darkness.
Since I’ve been out here and have been going around to the different denominations and have been talking to lots of different people I hear a lot of stuff. I’ve been able to thing about the church and other churches and other beliefs as well, and I’ve one to the conclusion that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the lord true church on the Earth today. I’ve heard and thought about the comment ”I don’t believe that there is one true religion. As long as we are all working towards the same goal we are going to be ok.” Well that doesn’t make sense to me because that isn’t what Christ taught at all. It was that if you weren’t a part of his church the one that he organized while he was on the earth with Apostles and Prophets and, not only just a part of but you had to be living your life according to the teachings and the commandments set forth by God, You were in need of repentance. Then we learn from the reactions from the people that they don’t think what they are doing is wrong the honestly feel that what they are doing is right and they find the things that are right and true to be hard things to them. Which is completely normal. Who likes to change? Who likes to hear that they are wrong? Nobody does, but that is what they need to hear and know in order to receive the blessings that the Lord God is literally waiting to pour out upon them. This is my testimony that if we put our trust in the Lord and have faith in him, like a little child has faith in their parents, we will have better happier lives. If we run to him when we are scared or hurt or confused or happy or sad or down or troubled or anything he will be there for us. But if we do it for the wrong reasons he won’t help us out just like a child if a child asks or does something for the wrong reasons the parent isn’t going to just give in and say okay they are going to wait till their child learns the right way. I know the church is true and I know that when we become as a little child in the gospel and when we are ready to accept that we aren’t right and that God is right we will find our lives so much better. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
I love you all so much! thanks for the letters and the support.
Love Elder Haws
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