Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Transfer

Dear Mom and Dad,

I don't know where to start!!!
So that family we have been teaching... the miracle that occurred as I was emailing home... dropped us like 3rd period French. Stab to the heart! Said they were going back to the Catholic church.

This morning was transfers. I had no idea what to expect. I have been transferred to the Somerset Ward. It is in the sticks and the complete opposite of my last area. Tweed Heads is what everyone would call "posh" or nice and fancy. It is safe to say that my new area is the "Ocotepeque" of the Australia Brisbane Mission. (*Ocotepeque was an area/city in Honduras that his older brother served in. Distant and challenging.) I have 3 more transfers and I am looking forward to working so hard here I get bloody. My companion is Elder Walston. He is from Brigham City. This area is very large. For District Meeting we have to drive 45 min. to a chapel in Toowoomba. I have not been to our flat yet but it's in the city of Laidley. Completely country. There won't be any surfers here! I am excited and can't wait to tell you more about it next week!
As for Tweed Heads, I didn't really say goodbye to many members there. To a select few. Alan King was one of them. From the first month I was in Tweed Heads he was way less active. The last Sunday I was in Tweed Heads, he taught the Gospel Principles class! It was great. He is strong.

Last night I left with a bang where we taught a member referral. It went awesome! It's one of our Ward Missionaries' ex-boyfriend who is from Brazil. His name is Tiago and he is a complete surfer, so we had another surfer (who also shapes surfboards) have all of us over for dinner and taught him afterwards. It went really well. Hard because of the language barrier, but he felt the Spirit.

My mind is running at a thousand miles an hour so I'll wrap it up and write more next week.
Love you all
Love you mom and dad,
-Elder Hales

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Birthday presents

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for the birthday money! I bought some expensive Mango Sorbet. When mango season is out, it's like torture. Then I got two meat pies at this really good bakery. (*who is this child??) I think I'll buy a cheap watch and give Elder Willie mine. He is so funny because he sees something that I completely wouldn't want and he treasures it. We found some shoes in our closet with a huge rip in the back but he wears them when another missionary gave him new 100 dollar Ecco shoes. He is so humble. For my birthday he did some of his culture dances. I'll send some videos.

It's our Zone Leader's last P-day so we're going to go play touch rugby in the rain. His name is Elder Fullmer. I have learned so much from him, especially about leadership. I have seen the biggest change in him to where he is one of the best leaders.

That lesson that we had with the family last week was tough. Anything that could've gone wrong did. The Restoration DVD stopped working right before the First Vision. But the Spirit was so strong and the family could feel it. So I asked, "As the Lord answers your prayers and you continue to feel this message is true, will you be baptized by one holding the proper authority?" He said yes. I told him we want to hold a baptism on the 28th of August and he said he would prepare for that date. It was only a week and a half from the lesson. Now some complications with some things have pushed the baptism back to after transfers, but as long as they're baptized its okay.

The Work is Awesome. Miracles are coming... FAST!!! We have a baptism in our District this week. They set that baptism last week too. :) I have her baptism interview this week but I met her at church already and I could see the light of Christ at full force.

I am proud of Kelly. He sounds like he is doing really well. I sent him a letter a while ago of pure encouragement! :) I was going to send him a picture of Jonah getting spit out of the whale and told to go back... but I thought that might be overbearing. :)

Better go, Love you all.
-Elder Hales

-And to anyone on my blog: I have lost a lot of addresses so that's why I haven't written to you. :)


Carly, please don't get the hick accent. The California accent is hard for Australians to pick up on. Everyone asks me if I am from Canada! Huh?
You're married!!! I'm the only single one in our family now... weird... not for long I guess! :) Joking of course.
What is Michael studying? Tell him I say Brother!!!
Get referrals for the missionaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you
-Elder Hales

ps- Michael is going to LOVE sleeping in the tent with us!!!!!!!!!!!! (*a Christmas Eve tradition that the kids did when they were younger, but obviously Adam hasn't outgrown.)


Brother:

Chandler looks like you and I when we were kids. He is going to be one good looking dude.
Tell Jessica happy birthday. Man it's hard for me to keep up with birthdays. I’ll bring gifts when I come home. We have a guy in our ward that has a factory of all the souvenir stuff and he lets missionaries go shopping through the huge thing and everything's for free! Some missionaries abuse it though which ticks me off so I feel bad going there.
You teach young men? I remember a lesson where my teacher read his mission journal to us. That really got me excited about my mission and writing in journals... you should take yours.

Love you Hales fam.

-Elder Hales

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Adam's 21st birthday

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm twenty one eh! Today we woke up heaps early to go to the temple and I didn't remember it was my birthday until I found a card that Elder Willie left me on my desk while I was in the shower. He is such a good companion. We want to see more miracles so we are fasting and praying right now.

It was great to get to the temple today and we have several lessons this afternoon that I hope go really well. On the train ride to the temple some real social workers who really know physiology and train people how to be leaders sat next to us. It was very fun to share the gospel with them. It's hard to make a salesman buy what you're selling. (you know what I mean) On the train ride back to the Gold Coast our whole zone talked to every single person on the train. It was awesome! There were so many people that at some points we would just stand in front of a crowd and talk to everyone at the same time. It sounds weird but it was very effective.

It hit me today in the temple that I don't have much time left. It makes me sad to think of leaving. One missionary who is in my District who I was companions with earlier, still has some struggles he had a year ago. It makes me sad to think of how much time he is wasting and what he is doing to himself...and his companion. I have been thinking a lot about what I have learned thus far on my mission. I've learned that I must have unity with my companion. Christ said, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine." I've learned that obedience is everything. Central to: blessings, happiness, success, etc., I have learned the Gospel. I have learned that the Book of Mormon is true scripture and that everything it teaches is truth. I have learned to not be afraid to talk to people! Its not hard to do Missionary Work, even for members. I have learned to love learning and studying. I have learned that if there is anything I can't understand about the gospel, I can still feel its truth from the Holy Ghost. That happened to me this morning at the temple. I have learned that the Lord is so merciful to us. Again, I have learned that obedience and doing what we're supposed to be doing is everything. I have learned that I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have always known that but not to the same scale as now. I have learned that I have been so lucky to have parents who pushed and sometimes forced me into the right path. :)
I love you mom and dad.

At this point we have a baptism planned for September 26 with a young girl in a part- member family. Her name is Ralee. We were sad to make it so far away but at that date her brother will be able to baptize her. I ask for your prayers! Pray For Miracles! Wow- as I wrote "pray for miracles" I got a phone call from a non-member family who want to meet tomorrow at 4:00!!!!!!! "Has the day of Miracles ceased? I say unto you nay."

-Elder Adam Hales

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Carly's Wedding


Dear Family:


Tanner is a little champion. Do you think he will be a linebacker, lineman, or rugby player? The picture of the wedding is awesome. The colors look pretty good!! Emma looks like Cheri, Cheri looks like Mom, and mom you look really good! Happy Birthday Tyler and before I forget, Happy Birthday Cheri!!! :) I know it's a long time away. Carly- who am I going to protect with my muscles now? Congrats and your dress is really nice.

Another week has flown by. There are a lot of changes in the mission, as I'm sure you heard about because it is world wide. This week I have had to re-schedule some lessons because all day Wednesday and Thursday we have a leadership meeting...?... All day for two days? President Langeland has told us as well that he doesn't like to shift missionaries because numbers go down so I am hoping to stay in Tweed for a little longer. The work has progressed so much. At church on Sunday I am running around trying to talk to everyone and set up lessons with the non-members that are there.

I had a great experience yesterday. We have had an investigator named Steven for some time now. I love the guy so much and want so bad for him to get an answer that the Book of Mormon is true but he has been doing more research on whether the America's had horses and wheat than just reading the Book of Mormon and seeking an answer from the Holy Ghost. I knew it was time to let him go but I have wanted him to be baptized so bad! He is the investigator who has read thousands of book on religion. We had our last lesson last night. Our Zone Leaders gave me a sheet of paper that proves Joseph Smith to be a prophet to give to Steven and Elder Willie told him that we would bring it to him sometime. I then told him what the paper is and told him... "I'm not going to give it to you." We started laughing. But then I started to get emotional as I testified to him that I want so much for him to get an answer from Heavenly Father that it's true. I told him that I know the Book of Mormon is true and that he doesn't need proof of any kind. That all he needs to do is read it, and pray sincerely to know and God WILL answer his prayer. I told him that that feeling that was there was the Spirit. I have the strongest impression that someday he will be baptized.

Yesterday I got acupuncture for the first time in my life. We had dinner with a chiropractor in the ward. Elder Willie's back has really been acting up, so he fixed up his back, and the chiropractor's son is studying Acupuncture right now so when he saw how scared I am of needles he was excited to stick one in each hand and one in each foot. It's hard to explain but I had bloodshot eyes before, and after the needles, my eyes were white. Still, the spirit is so much better! :)

I love you all. Thank you all for everything. Thank you for the prayers. Miracles have and are coming!!!!!!
-Elder Hales

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Bold is beautiful

DEAR MOM AND DAD,

Spencer is the man! He is going to be a G.A. (Adam's brother-in-law that was sustained as the 2nd coun. in the bishopric today).

Well, this week we have been very bold... and we have had the most in Gospel Principles that I have ever seen! Members are bringing friends to church, less actives are coming, members are getting excited, so right now my "joy is full." The work is really paying off. My only regret is... we have one of those crazy guys that comes into our Gospel Principles class and I regret not asking (or telling) him to go the class he is supposed to go to. :) But he has a huge heart.

This week I finished reading the Book of Mormon. I was in Ether when I had my first interview with President Langeland and he told me that in every copy of the Book of Mormon he has, he has Ether 12 page turned down because he got to hold the same copy of the Book of Mormon that Elder Holland talked about in his talk 2 conferences ago. As I was finishing the Book of Mormon I got to Moroni 10 and it really sunk in when I read verse 3 about how merciful the Lord has been. We really are soooo blessed. Then after I read verse 4 and 5 I once again received an answer to my prayer. It's so simple -- I ask people to do it everyday and it makes people happy. As large Tongans would say: "Read the book. It will make you happy." :)

Love you all.
Love you mom and dad
-Elder Hales

Tell everyone on the blog that I am having a hard time writing letters. Stamps cost $2.20 now. :-)


Brother:
Thanks for the emails. They always make me laugh. Next week I'll write more. Gotta go.

CARLLYY!!!
You're getting married for goodness sakes!!!!!!! Ferdincum.