July 18, 2011

FAMILY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELANIE!!! I don't believe that you are 17....I sent you a card on Friday so I don't think that you have received it yet. It's not a card at all, its more like a statement. You will know when you get it.
On Saturday we went to Carthage and Nauvoo with the Gardner and the Hussy family. Bro. Gardner was stoked about taking his wife to go and see everything! It was an all day thing. We started in Carthage and moved our way to Nauvoo, we had a picnic at the park across the street from old section of Nauvoo. Sister Gardner and Sister Hussy wanted to go "window shop" up by the temple on the main street. Elder Phillips and I headed strait for LDS harvest to get books. Then we just hung out with Bro. Gardner and cracked jokes on everyone, it was fun. Then we took everyone to the temple and walked around and took pictures of everything. Sister Gardner wanted to go up and touch the temple, but we told her the alarms would go off and men in black suits would run out of the temple and arrest her. Once we were done laughing we let her go up and touch it. We went to Joseph Smith's home and saw his grave, saw that blacksmith's shop, the bakery, and browning shop. We then went to the country fair and waited for the pageant to start. It was so much fun with their family. It was the first time that I had seen the pageant, the same with Bro. and Sis. Gardner. At the end they were both tearing up. Their next step is to be sealed as a family , this was a good experience for them. The Hussy's brought a recent convert, A, with them and it was a powerful moment for him. He had been struggling for a while and when the pageant was over, he walked up and told through his watery eyes that he felt something burning inside his chest. He has been through so much, foster home after foster home, abandonment, abuse, adoption, and now he feels God's love for him. It was a great night.
We have been working with two young women, A and J. They are friends of a member and ask so many questions, good questions, which is surprising coming from two 17 year olds. They are really understanding the restoration and why we do what we do. We are meeting with both of them today, A has a baptismal date on the 30th of July and we are going to commit J today. Both of them are going to go to the Pageant on Wednesday along with H, and H's brother and grandma! Its will be a powerful for every one.
I LOVE YOU ALL. -Elder Hale

P.S. A time ago I sent some boxes home with books in them, did you get those boxes? I heard of a missionary who sent some books home and the post office lost his books...just wondering. I probably sent some weird stuff home, but just hold on it until I get home. I will sort and dispose.