Monday, July 27, 2009

The best job in the world

HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING! Sometimes when I'm studying I just think about how awesome it is to be a missionary. I love it.
This past week has been so great I can't put it into words. We had zone conference and that was so amazing! Our zone conference theme was Teaching Skills and we have this new thing where we focus on 4 types of questions and they work so well. The first is a Search question. So say, after we read a scripture, we ask a question that causes them to search. The second is Analysis. This question causes them to have deeper thought on it. The 3rd is Application. A question that causes them to apply it. And the 4th is a question that "leads to testimony" so ask them if they have had any experiences with this. I'm really excited to start applying these questions. I know that they will be WAY more effective.
We also had interviews yesterday with President. I always love that. President has such knowledge about the scriptures. Elder Prina asked for advice on getting investigators and less actives to church and he whips out John 7:17.

Our top investigator is still doing great!!! The best part is I can tell she is going through the repentance stage so she seems a little sorrowful. That's one thing our zone leaders addressed. Our first purpose is to help people gain a faith in Jesus Christ.. then Repent.. and THEN Baptism!! Our next lesson we are going to address that sorrow feeling she has and apply the 4 questions heaps of times! I'M SO EXCITED!

Lately more then ever I have gained such a love of the scriptures. They are so amazing and especially as I teach about them and from them I have grown to love them to the point I just love to hold them!! I know that they are true.

O man! Dale Ford is going to be an amazing bishop!! He is the man. I have so much respect for him! He taught the pre-MTC class one time on obedience and it was so good I can still remember it!

It has been FREEZING at nights! O man its cold! But during the day it is starting to warm back up and I sweat a little.

Love,
Elder Hales

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Another plug for the Book of Mormon

Dearest Family!

That is sweet that Kyle is doing surf camp. He is going to be the stud of the century.

Well, once again the blessings have been flowing. Things have been great! I think about half the missionaries in this mission are sick. I am still sick. I have had a cold for the 3rd time in 2 months. Ugh- but I've called Sister Richards and she didn't say I'm gunna die so things are lookin up!
Things have been great with our investigators. Alana is still doing awesome! She went to church yesterday ...as usual. We had 2 lessons with her this week. I love teaching her! We teach in the Ward Mission Leaders home, who are the most perfect family ever... and Dalin is there with her helping us and the spirit is so strong. I LOVE the experiences when I walk out of a lesson and could hardly tell you what I said cause I wasn't speaking! This week we taught the Plan of Salvation. Before we left I just asked her if she was excited or nervous about her baptism and she said "EXCITED!" And then Dalin was like "and a little nervous too!!" That was funny. Hard to email the way he said it. :) We called them last night and she said that she would love to get baptized on her birthday! Which is August 14th. We are a little nervous and sad to move it from the 2nd just cause it makes it feel "unstable." But things are still awesome. Her Book of Mormon reading is AWESOME! She is at Alma 15 or so.

Lance, the paralyzed man, is such a good guy. I love this bloke! We got him the Book of Mormon on CD so hopefully he starts progressing. We were not able to have a lesson with him this week. But we need to get him those CD's soon because it is through the Book of Mormon that our investigators will be converted.
Elder Baxter- one of the Area Authorities- spoke to us the same time Elder Holland did. He showed us that of the recent converts that don't continue their scripture study- are the ones that go less-active and I see that so much. Every less-active appointment we ask them if they read the Book of Mormon and every single one says no.

Elder Prina and I had an awesome appointment with a couple that live in our complex. It was soo good. It started out weird... they expressed a desire to come back to church so we asked why... and they said something like "Because we have really been reading into how to become wealthy and everything points back to church." I was kind of laughing in my head.. but then we talked about the Book of Mormon and the husband said that it just clicked to him that he has been reading heaps of books on how to better himself when the Book of Mormon has been sitting there the whole time.

I know that the Book of Mormon is 100% true. I know that it is the book that we can grow closer to God than any other book and that by it we can improve ourselves more than through any other book. Elder Holland said that it has such great power even if it just sits in a house. That is why Elder Prina and I have one sitting in Lance's house.
I love you all and keep you in my prayers!

God Speed
-Elder Hales

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Things are so great!

Hey everyone!
Wow- I love my area right now. It is definitely one of the best in the Australia Brisbane mission!
Our Bishop got out of the hospital yesterday. It was a miracle to see him again! He shook our hands but they were in a hurry. We wrote him letters updating him on our work so he thanked us for that and drove off. They are moving and won't live in our complex anymore.
Our 1st councilor in the Bishopric I LOVE too. His name is Bob Carter and he is a temple worker. We saw him this morning at the temple. He is kind of like me. Just very blunt and to the point. I love him!
The 2nd Councilor is Tongan and just the man. We ate at his house this week and we gained some kilos from that meal.
And our Ward clerk is practically our best friend. He is in the YSA and just a funny true Aussie!
Our Ward Mission Leader is amazing!This week we had our lesson with Alana at his house. That was this Monday night. We set the baptism date for August 2nd and Elder Prina and I are SOOO EXCITED! As was Brother Evans, our Ward Mission Leader.
Alana is Aussie and 19 years old. We are hoping her boyfriend will baptize her! He will be serving a mission sometime soon. But it is such an honor to be able to teach her!
I have really gained a love for this area and the people here.
Yesterday one of our Assistants to the President, Elder Olsen, came on trade-offs with Elder Prina and I. It was more of a 3-way for the day. It was so great to have him come because he served in this area about a year ago and had heaps of success here! There are 3 AP's right now so often one of them will go traveling to areas and do training. I know I gained so much from having him come. It was great to have training! He was pretty happy to see his area and some of the members he baptized.
We taught Fiona yesterday too. We watched the Testaments with them and both Fiona and her less active boyfriend, Junior, felt the spirit. Their eyes were sweating but she calls the times she feels the spirit the "wanna have a cry moments." New Zealand people talk like that. Haha I love it.
We gained a couple of new investigators this week and the work seems to be picking up heaps!!! Its amazing! I don't realize how much I'm being blessed!
Thank you all for your prayers! Pray for Alana and August 2 please! We are so excited and that's what missionary work does to people!
The Church Is True!
Love you all
-Elder Hales

Friday, July 10, 2009

Elder Hales and Elder Prina


June 3, 2009 at the Brisbane Temple

Monday, July 6, 2009

4th of July in Australia

HELLO!
HOW GREAT IS MY CALLING? Aw, I love being a missionary! It has been such a great week. Transfers are today but neither I nor Elder Prina got transferred so we aren't allowed to go to the meeting.
To be honest- this last transfer was hard. We had a total of 35 lessons this transfer. Wow! (bad) But this area is so full of blessings. First, on Sunday we heard from the Sister missionaries in the zone that the investigator we handed over to them went to church on Sunday and "Loved It!" Haha - the sister missionaries even had a picture to prove it. Sister Missionaries are awesome.. you can always trust them that they will take care of your investigators.
The second coolest blessing EVER!!! is: there is a 19 year old bloke, Dalin, in our ward who has been dating this girl for awhile. She has been coming to church for about 2 years and even teaches the primary with Dalin! They are both really strong and anyway the first Sunday in this area 6 weeks ago I talked to Dalin about Alana (the girl). He said he would talk to her. So we haven't found out why she hasn't been baptized yet but we got a call one week ago saying that Alana has agreed to meet with us!!! MIRACLE! It was amazing! So we had a lesson with her yesterday where we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and committed her to baptism!!! SHE SAID YES!!! She was nervous and didn't want to set a date yet but Dalin said "Let's set a date for one month." Please pray for her.

-Elder Winder is sooo funny. I love that guy.
-Haha - Leo is awesome and Brother Westover just looks Aussie! (*we sent him a picture of both of them at the fireworks picnic.)
-You made my room all femaley! Far out. Haha. Looks really good though.

Love you all. Thanks for your prayers!
God Speed the right.
Elder Hales