Sunday, January 31, 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Woo hoo!

New transfer coming up

Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't cut my hair like that anymore. For some reason in this mission- it is a short hair mission. Our AP's cut their hair shorter than me! But I don't let my hair get distracting from my purpose. (*He sent a bunch of pictures home on a thumb drive. In a lot of them, his hair was buzzed and I asked him why it was so short. All right, all right -- what I said was: Dude! What's up with the hair?! Or lack thereof.)

Dad- glad you like the kangaroo pouch. :)

Well, in a few days I'll be emailing you about my new area. I know where I will be serving and who my companion is but I really can't say anything. I am really excited but nervous too. I still feel like a greenie!

Really quick about the baptism of Dawn Talbot- It WAS AMAZING!!! It was so great to baptize her. The whole program was so great and spiritual and I know that her kids will be baptized soon. I'll talk about it on Tuesday.
Love you mom and dad and I'll talk to ya in a few days. (*he means "email")
Love,
Elder Hales

Saturday, January 23, 2010

A baptism

Dear mom and dad,
I leave the office soon. It's pretty weird knowing that I will be transferred and soon I might even find out where.

There is so much exciting news to tell. Right now I am doing e-mails in a city called Ipswich. Its pretty cool. We came out here to a guy that sells the kangaroo scripture cases and things. But anyway, we are about to go to a baptism. Dawn Talbot that I taught in Waterford is getting baptized today in the Park Ridge Ward. She moved to that area and now will be baptized!!!! I was able to get permission from President Richards to go. There are sister missionaries in this area that I am sure really helped Dawn progress. We are about to drive to the chapel over there where I was given the honor to baptize her! I am so excited. The spirit was so strong every time Elder Prina and I would teach her. I'll send a picture of the baptism as soon as possible. It will be the first time I get in the water!

We also had several great lessons this week.

Things have been great. I have been so blessed. Thank you for your prayers.
If we look, we can see miracles and tender mercies of the Lord in our lives. The angel told Nephi to Look so many times.
Love you all
-Elder Adam Hales

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Another Apostle visit

Dear Mum and Pa,

Things have been going great. I can't remember if I told you, but we actually are a very lucky mission. Probably the best in the world! We have Elder Christofferson coming the 26th of this month to address us! This will be my 3rd Apostle and 4th General Authority. I can't even explain how awesome it is to be in the Australia Brisbane Mission with President Richards!

This week has been so busy as always, but there was one experience I wanted to share this week. We have found a new investigator and her name is Sarah. She is a media referral and has some friends that are members. We were able to teach her the first lesson this week. She seems very keen but somehow we have not been able to teach her for 2 weeks until last Sunday, we drop by and catch her right before she is leaving with the members. We plan a time to meet on Tuesday. On Tuesday we could not get in touch with her and the last few days we could not get fellowship but we decide to stop by anyway. While we were driving up, a thought came to me and I asked my companions if we should teach no matter what -- even if it's in the front yard. I love thoughts that come. :) We walked away from teaching her in her garage with the huge door open sitting on little plastic boxes, but I knew she felt the spirit and that put a smile on all our faces.

I love this work. I love being a missionary. I know the gospel is true.
I am sending your packages THIS WEEK for sure. I commit myself to it. Sorry- we are so busy and can't mail anything on our P-day (Saturday) because the Post is closed.
God Speed the Right!
-Elder Hales

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Everything is amazing and exciting

Dear Mum and Dad,
Things have been so amazing and great I don't know where to start, like always.
Ha ha, yes I was able to play Santa Claus this year. That was fun. (* The office elders drove a van around and pulled a trailer to deliver all the gifts for the missionaries.)

Kelly Winder is such an awesome kid. I love him so much and am so excited to hear he got his call to Phili! Let him know that I am so excited for him, that he is going into the most important years of his life, and that I have a letter going his way.

I have been so excited lately. Things have been hard but still so smooth. Elder Lines, my new companion with Elder Mooney, is such a good missionary. I am able to learn so much from him.

Last Sunday I had one of those amazing moments as a missionary. One of those that just make you so full of joy. It was just a regular day at church. I was talking to a member and then turned around when they sat down and saw Tim Fenner right in front of me. I totally did a double take but I just gave him a huge hug and told him how great it was to see him. We caught up for a minute and he said that he got the letter I sent and in reply he found out where I was serving and decided to make the 30 min. drive up to Chermside to visit me for the new year!

My companions and I sat next to him in church and he got up to bear his testimony. It was such a great experience to see that he is still way strong and firm on the Gospel. He also mentioned his New Year goal is to be like "living waters." It's about how something so soft can be so powerful to break down rocks. How fast it can move and how if it stops it can get stale and bad. He related that to how he always wants to be progressing and moving forward in the Gospel. I thought it was great since if we do cease to read the scriptures and pray, we will lose that zeal we have about the gospel.

I bore my testimony after he did about how much I love missionary work. How much joy it brings. I know I am involved in the most important work there is. How great is my calling?! I know that the Lord leads and guides our prophet.
It's true!
Love you all!
-Elder Adam Hales

Monday, January 4, 2010

A picture!

Elder Hoskins and I on Mt. Coot-tha. It overlooks all of Brisbane. Really awesome.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year

G'Day!
Wow! It has been the best year of my life and I am going to make it an even better year this year.

We had zone conference this week and President Richards answered a lot of questions about the Plan of Salvation. It was amazing! The spirit was so strong. One of the greatest things I learned was that there is only one kind of perfect. Only one. I want to be a perfect missionary and a lot of times in the past I have tried to be different to gain trust of members. Now that I think back, I want members to think that I am a perfect missionary. Elder Holland told us in the MTC that we should give members every right to think that we are perfect. Of course we are not but that really put things into perspective with me. Christ was perfect. To make it to the Celestial Kingdom we have to be perfect. Are we trying to be perfect when we try to be different? No. :-)

This week has been great. We contacted a referral which is gold. We really felt like she is ready to hear the message that will change her life. The message that makes us perfect.
Thank you for your prayers. I feel them and am strengthened by them. Things couldn't be better. I love you mom and dad!
God Speed the right,
-Elder Hales

Siblings:
It was great to talk to all of you. I pray for the best for you!

**Note from mom: On New Years Eve, Adam hit his one year mark. I am amazed that it has gone by so quickly. Hopefully this last year will too.