October 24, 2011

FAMILY,
Crazy week, it’s been getting a little cold here and Elder Purcell doesn't have any warm clothes with him. Two weeks ago he sent a letter home and asked for warmer clothes, so lately, in order to unify us together; I also have been on the “no coat until Purcell gets his package" campaign. Luckily it warmed up a little bit, and he did receive his package a couple days ago.
Oh, I never got back to you about classes. I talked to President Jergensen about signing up for classes and he said that I could take some time during the week and sing up on-line. I probably won’t do that specifically because I will be on line forever trying to figure everything out and probably wont have all the information I will need off hand, but if you could sign me up and get a schedule, and signed up for classes, then I could just jump on line and adjust some things
if necessary. If you want to send me a schedule when all said and done so I could look it over that would be sweet. Thanks.
We also met up with A again this week, the French/Swahili speaking guy. Last Sunday we set an appointment to go over and teach him with I (a recent convert from Africa), but the appointment fell through. All week we have been trying to get ahold of him to set something up. Saturday we were in the neighborhood and thought to give him a try. He was getting out of his car as we were walking up. He told us to come right in. There were some other family members in the house that spoke a little English but not enough that we could use them as a translator. We called I who was actually in the neighborhood at a friend’s house. He was over there in 10 minutes. He arrived and A started to pour out questions about the Book of Mormon and questions he had found while reading the Bible. It was awesome, he didn't want us to leave and kept asking us questions. It was crazy!
T's baptism is this Saturday the 29th. She has made so much progress, but she is still scared extremely scared of water. She has gone back and forth so much, but now it is crunch time. Last Saturday the other missionaries in the branch had a baptism and we were able to get T there so she knew what to expect. She was very nervous but sat through the whole thing. Afterward she said that she was not going to be baptized. She was not going to go through with it. She expressed her feelings with the members there and the members kept walking up to us and telling us she was not going to do it. Purcell and I were unfazed, T is prepared. We went over to her house that night because she had invited us over for dinner. We talked about the baptism she witnessed, and she said that she was not going to do it, but she was going to come to church the next day. That night Elder Purcell and I felt that we needed to fast for her, so we did. The
next morning we went over to have a little lesson before church (church starts at 11:30) and she went off on us about how she was not going to church and she wanted us to take all the Bibles out of her house and stop with the whole church thing. She had had a weird night the night before and was very scared about coming to church and meeting with us. We talked to her and calmed her down, but she was adamant about not coming to church. We basically invited pretty hard and told her that her ride was coming in 5 minutes and then we left. While we walked outside her ride was waiting there and we told them what was going on, then all of a sudden T walks outside and jumps in the member's car and heads off to church!! It was a miracle.
Later Sunday night she called us and told us that she is going to be baptized and she was ready to do it!! Please pray for her to be baptized on the 29th.
I LOVE YOU ALL!! -Elder Hale

October 17, 2011

FAMILY,
I wanted to apologize if last week's letter was a little too sharp. After I sent the e-mail last Monday I felt terrible, all week. I was very stressed out and had been over loaded by a few things. I enjoy hearing about what is going on, receiving letters and pictures, and always the packages, and I read every one of them, but I really don't have time or remember on Monday mornings about specifics and even questions on everything everyone has asked. I hope you didn't feel like you were bugging me, because you weren't. I am going to try to write a few people back this week though.
The baptism for C went well, even with the short notice. I attached a picture, hopefully it goes through. Its a little dark but I think you can see everybody. T has been progressing, she came to church and loved the primary program. She is scheduled to be baptized later this month. I believe she is going to be ready by then, we have been visiting her every day for over a month to make sure she will be prepared and knows it is true. She is a type of person that needs daily visits in order to keep reading and to feel that spirit to uplift her. Her and her neighbor D are going to have us over for dinner on Saturday, I'm excited.
We received a headquarter referral for a man named A this week. For what we saw on the referral, he wanted french materials or someone that spoke in french to talk to him. We really didn't know what he wanted specifically, so we went over to go see him. He let us in right away and started to talk to us in french. He had a list of questions that he started spouting off and we had no idea what was going on. All we could do was hand him the french Book of Mormon and he started to read the introduction. He realized that we didn't know french and brought his friend over to help. He too only knew french. So both of them got on their cell phones and started calling people to find someone that knew french and english that could translate. I called a recent convert in the branch that knows about 6 languages but he didn't know french. He knew Arabic and different dialects of Swahili. A said he knew Swahili and I gave him the phone so he could talk to I, the recent convert. It was crazy! They were going off about something gospel related, I heard 'faith' and 'repentance' now and again with a little 'baptism' in there of course. The spirit was strong and these two men were searching for the source. We are going to see them again this week and bring I and his friend L who is also a recent convert and TEACH THEM!! It's going to be sweet!
I LOVE YOU ALL -Elder Hale
P.S. In your next letter, could you throw in some stamps?
P.P.S.S. Roxanne- you maybe, might, possibly have a small chance of receiving a letter from an Elder but it is going to be sent to mom and dad address. I may or may not have traded the address for some ties?!?! It was for the tie quilt, bahahaha have fun.

October 10, 2011

FAMILY,
Things here are crazy. A man named C is going to be baptized this Saturday. He just moved here from the 3rd ward. The 3rd ward elders called us Friday night and told us that their investigator will be moving into our branch, and he is going to be baptized in a week. He came to the branch yesterday and now we need to put everything together and find fellowshippers within this week. Not much notice, but we will see what comes together.
So Brother Vela called Dad and Grandpa this week. You probably know but Bro. Vela found one of Arden Hale's copy of the Book of Mormon. It is signed my him with his winter and summer address. it must have been a personal copy he had, not one he gave away. Bro. Vela was so excited he had to call dad before 6 am! I didn't know the time change between here and there, and I forgot about day light savings time. Anyway, he bore his testimony in Sacrament Meeting about the whole thing, and gave me the copy of the Book of Mormon. It's sweet.
Things have been going well, very stressful, but well. Elder H (he came out in my group) tells me every time I see him how many days we have left. He claims that it is to help the time go by slower so he doesn't have to leave, I dont buy it. I have not even thought about it yet. I truly am sorry that I do not write back or talk about what is going on at home, I pray that I do not offend you. I simply don't have time, there is too much for me to do here and I can't get my thoughts focused on something other than the Lord's work.
These are sacred days an I need to make them count.
I LOVE YOU ALL
-Elder Hale

October 3, 2011

FAMILY,
It sounds like you liked my last e-mail, it didn't take me too long too write it out. Did you get the pictures that I attached with it? You had mentioned in a letter that Elder Purcell might be my last companion. He will be, usually a trainer will train a new missionary for 2 transfers, so Des Moines will be my last area. Elder Purcell is from Billings, Montana I might have mentioned that. He is 20 years old and has 5 siblings. Before the mission he would build houses with his grandpa which is kinda neat. We are going to put him to work this week as we do service at a investigators house fixing her basement wall, and building a floor in her basement for her food storage. It's going to be great.
Last week we have an investigator drop us, it was T. We were reading the 36th chapter of Alma and she stopped mid-verse and told us she could not do this "church thing". We talked about what was going on in her life and why she thought that she couldn't live the gospel. It ended up in a bold conversation with me and her about how on earth she was going to find the relief she was looking for and happiness in life if she would decide to give up. I told her she will never find it in any other church or book if she gave up and went back to drinking, smoking and fighting. I was kind of angry with her. I don't know if its a end of the mission thing, but I have been getting very frustrated with investigators and not keeping their commitments. I don't seem to have any tolerance for it. Anyway she handed the Book of Mormon back to us and told us she was done. I told her to call us in a week and tell me if she was happier. Saturday she called us, to inform us that she wanted to come back to church on Sunday. It being general conference I explained what was going on and that she was welcome to come and we could get a ride for her. She wanted to go. The next morning she was very sick, her son left the window open all night and she caught a bug, so we told her we will stop by later that day. We went by and talked to her and why she wanted us there. She wanted to come back and we invited her to baptism and SHE ACCEPTED!! It was a miracle, every time we invited her or talked about baptism, she was super, super scared of the water and would not commit to it. But this time she had been humbled and ready to do it.
I got the dental work done, I went to Ankeny to a member that was a dentist and he actually did the work for free. I thought it would be discounted, but he fixed me up for free, miracle.
Do you know a Arden Hale? A member found a Book of Mormon at a book store with his name in it. It's from the 60's, and the name kinda sounds familiar, but I don't know thought I would ask.
Do you know about classes for school yet? I was thinking PVCC and institute at ASU through out the week. Thought I would ask, dad wanted me to get ready.
I LOVE YOU ALL -Elder Hale
(Arden Hale is Brady's great-grandpa!)