Tuesday, February 8, 2011
7 Feb 2011 - Alvorada Area (Mom)
[Mom explained that temps in the teens and sleet and snow put Texas out of commission for three days, although it didn't stop Mom from making her hair appointment.] Well you always wanted to live in a cold place, so you got your wish. I don't miss the cold and snow one bit. I always wanted to live in Texas but maybe I'm going to have to change that because it's getting cold there. Yep can't miss those hair cuts :) Dad said it was like 80 last week before all of this happened...crazy Texas. [Grocery store parking lot was a zoo with the weather, so Mom gave up on going in.] You could have had Sean go and get some groceries for you so you didn't have to park :) What do you expect from Texans? They don't like the snow and ice. Up in Idaho, and probably New Jersey, they don't close school until the diesel in the school buses freezes, which is rare. How is life as a mom without anyone at home? Everyone else was complaining that the kids were home, but it was just normal for you. Dad was home too, so you could play scrabble or something. Here it is the middle of the summer and hotter than ever. The rain stopped this week so just blasting sun, it's great. My companions all sweat like crazy, it's kind of funny, but I don't really sweat that much here. They all have rags to wipe away the sweat. Our washing machine broke this week so one of these days I'm going to have to wash my clothes...by hand :) I don't have any food or detergent so I will have to wait until the next allowance. This week was boring for me because my companion was sick this whole week so I just left to go eat lunch and teach 1 or 2 lessons. I managed to read 300 pages of Jesus the Christ though :) I'm reading it again, but this time I am marking more stuff in my scriptures. I am learning more too.
7 Feb 2011 - Alvorada Area (Dad)
[I told him about BYU playing at Wyoming where it was -38 degress outside, and Fredette having a slim chance of passing Danny Ainge for the all-time BYU scoring title.] -38 feels the same as the 13 degree weather in Texas, trust me :) Ainge was also before they had any rules too, he probably just sat under the hoops the whole game making lay ups :) There was no goal tending too, so he just tipped the balls in to get more points.
[Thank you for sharing your testimony in Portuguese. I understood almost every word. I wish I could actually hear it spoken too.] You could just read it out loud and then you would hear it spoken....duh :)
[I mentioned some articles in the February New Era, one of which is also in the Liahona (one by Elder Godoy).] I actually don't get the New Era here. The Liahona is shipped on the back of a 2 legged donkey from the jungles of China because we still haven't gotten the Liahona from December. We still are using the General Conference issue. So maybe sometime in July I will get to read that article in the Liahona, but that's if the donkey makes it.
[Regarding article in New Era: "while they were eating in a community setting a kid nearby had taken the Lord's name in vain and been disrespectful and the grandfather as a young missionary finally had enough and came over and hit him in the shoulder and told him he wouldn't amount to anything in life if he didn't start doing things differently--probably not the normal contact approach."] I'm going to have to start using that contact technique, it's new and it might work. I don't have much this week since my companion was bed-ridden. We only left to go eat and teach one or two people. I did manage to get through half of Jesus the Christ though. I'm reading it for the second time to actually write more stuff in my scriptures etc. The rain has stopped for now and the glorious sun has returned to shine once again upon the hallowed, warm lands of Ceará. Everyone thinks I am crazy because I like the heat because all the missionaries are sweating their brains out but I'm doing fine...The members give me...spicy sauce?....I forgot what you call it in english...sauce of the chili? anyways they give it to me because I love it. Ceará is not known for spicy food so everybody has a fear of this sauce of the chili. They think I'm crazy when I put a ton of the weak sauce (haha) on the food. I blame you Dad. My Bishop told me the horror stories of serving a mission back in the day, sleeping on the ground, no fridges, no food etc. He only served in the 90s so I can only imagine how bad it was for you in the 80s....1780s that is! [Hm, was actually in the 70s, but the 1970s. AD, not BC.] But for real, missions are a piece of cake now, you just have to leave and teach people then come back home :)
Even though we didn't have much success this week we still had a wonderful miracle. I have been teaching this one family for the 4 months I have been here and the mom and the 2 daughters got baptized then one son....then the other son. We have been teaching the father the whole time but he never ever went to church. However, he started going to church these past few weeks. This is the first time in like 6 months that he has gone to church. He always promised me and the other missionaries that he would go every Sunday. We were excited and we started teaching him with new vigor but he didn't really want to be baptized and just wanted to chill. His wife had already switched all of the coffee with cevada so he had already stopped drinking without knowing. He smoked a few cigarettes but that's it. We stopped teaching him for awhile because he didn't want anything. This last Sunday, the 6th, he came to church again. I talked to his wife and she said he had stopped smoking. Then during the middle of sacrament, he turned back to me and yelled for me to come talk to him. He asked how many people are going to be baptized next week, I told him. He then told me that he wanted to be baptized too. What a miracle! It may seem to be just a story to ya'll at home but I love this family with all my heart and I have spent weeks, months trying to help complete their family. I have spent hours wondering what else I could do to help this man. I prayed a lot to stay in this area if it was the will of the Lord so that I could find people that maybe I had missed. I'm grateful that the Lord has helped this family and I will never forget them. Sadly, the kids don't like to get their pictures taken, but I have one of the parents :) Never give up, never say that it can't be done. Never stop doing what is right, because in due time, the time of the Lord, it will all be worth it. It will all work out. I know that it is the Lord's will to help His children. We just have to take the challenge and do our part. We all know a family or friend that seems "hard" or seems "hopeless" but they aren't. They need you! Maybe the Lord has sent YOU to help them, to be their angel to help them. I know the Lord is our Savior and that He loves us, everyone in the world. His purpose is to help us find the gospel and have everlasting life.
[Thank you for sharing your testimony in Portuguese. I understood almost every word. I wish I could actually hear it spoken too.] You could just read it out loud and then you would hear it spoken....duh :)
[I mentioned some articles in the February New Era, one of which is also in the Liahona (one by Elder Godoy).] I actually don't get the New Era here. The Liahona is shipped on the back of a 2 legged donkey from the jungles of China because we still haven't gotten the Liahona from December. We still are using the General Conference issue. So maybe sometime in July I will get to read that article in the Liahona, but that's if the donkey makes it.
[Regarding article in New Era: "while they were eating in a community setting a kid nearby had taken the Lord's name in vain and been disrespectful and the grandfather as a young missionary finally had enough and came over and hit him in the shoulder and told him he wouldn't amount to anything in life if he didn't start doing things differently--probably not the normal contact approach."] I'm going to have to start using that contact technique, it's new and it might work. I don't have much this week since my companion was bed-ridden. We only left to go eat and teach one or two people. I did manage to get through half of Jesus the Christ though. I'm reading it for the second time to actually write more stuff in my scriptures etc. The rain has stopped for now and the glorious sun has returned to shine once again upon the hallowed, warm lands of Ceará. Everyone thinks I am crazy because I like the heat because all the missionaries are sweating their brains out but I'm doing fine...The members give me...spicy sauce?....I forgot what you call it in english...sauce of the chili? anyways they give it to me because I love it. Ceará is not known for spicy food so everybody has a fear of this sauce of the chili. They think I'm crazy when I put a ton of the weak sauce (haha) on the food. I blame you Dad. My Bishop told me the horror stories of serving a mission back in the day, sleeping on the ground, no fridges, no food etc. He only served in the 90s so I can only imagine how bad it was for you in the 80s....1780s that is! [Hm, was actually in the 70s, but the 1970s. AD, not BC.] But for real, missions are a piece of cake now, you just have to leave and teach people then come back home :)
Even though we didn't have much success this week we still had a wonderful miracle. I have been teaching this one family for the 4 months I have been here and the mom and the 2 daughters got baptized then one son....then the other son. We have been teaching the father the whole time but he never ever went to church. However, he started going to church these past few weeks. This is the first time in like 6 months that he has gone to church. He always promised me and the other missionaries that he would go every Sunday. We were excited and we started teaching him with new vigor but he didn't really want to be baptized and just wanted to chill. His wife had already switched all of the coffee with cevada so he had already stopped drinking without knowing. He smoked a few cigarettes but that's it. We stopped teaching him for awhile because he didn't want anything. This last Sunday, the 6th, he came to church again. I talked to his wife and she said he had stopped smoking. Then during the middle of sacrament, he turned back to me and yelled for me to come talk to him. He asked how many people are going to be baptized next week, I told him. He then told me that he wanted to be baptized too. What a miracle! It may seem to be just a story to ya'll at home but I love this family with all my heart and I have spent weeks, months trying to help complete their family. I have spent hours wondering what else I could do to help this man. I prayed a lot to stay in this area if it was the will of the Lord so that I could find people that maybe I had missed. I'm grateful that the Lord has helped this family and I will never forget them. Sadly, the kids don't like to get their pictures taken, but I have one of the parents :) Never give up, never say that it can't be done. Never stop doing what is right, because in due time, the time of the Lord, it will all be worth it. It will all work out. I know that it is the Lord's will to help His children. We just have to take the challenge and do our part. We all know a family or friend that seems "hard" or seems "hopeless" but they aren't. They need you! Maybe the Lord has sent YOU to help them, to be their angel to help them. I know the Lord is our Savior and that He loves us, everyone in the world. His purpose is to help us find the gospel and have everlasting life.
Monday, January 31, 2011
31 Jan 2011 - Alvorada Area (Mom)
You should get paid for all this work that you doing at the school :) I like the little kids here too. Once they get older there are kind of annoying ;) There is a family here that we are teaching with a little chunky kid that has a chili-bowl haircut. He is cute talking about random stuff and giving me marbles and stuff. The kids give you hugs whenever they see you and stuff. They are surely closer to Heavenly Father than we are. Many times, when I have been teaching, kids stop and listen to the message and even go and grab a Bible or something. They feel that it is something special when their parents have no clue.
[Comments about gospel doctrine and Priesthood/Relief Society lessons.] I don't remember any of these lessons, maybe they are teaching apostasy here or something ;) I don't remember what last week was about, but this week was about something else. ["That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."] All of us have that light within us, but some hide it, others let it grow like the scripture you cited. The people that hide it can't see as well and they have to rely on their own guidance. The others allow the light to grow and they can see the strait and narrow path more easily. The path is going to stay the same forever, it doesn't get bigger or anything. It has a hand rail that's about it :) However, if we allow the light to grow we can see more clearly and we can make bigger and bigger strides to heaven.
[Do you want me to send some congestion meds? It will take two to three months at the same rate as the Christmas package.] I will be dead or over the disease in 2 or 3 months :) They have medicine here, if I need any.
[Comments about gospel doctrine and Priesthood/Relief Society lessons.] I don't remember any of these lessons, maybe they are teaching apostasy here or something ;) I don't remember what last week was about, but this week was about something else. ["That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."] All of us have that light within us, but some hide it, others let it grow like the scripture you cited. The people that hide it can't see as well and they have to rely on their own guidance. The others allow the light to grow and they can see the strait and narrow path more easily. The path is going to stay the same forever, it doesn't get bigger or anything. It has a hand rail that's about it :) However, if we allow the light to grow we can see more clearly and we can make bigger and bigger strides to heaven.
[Do you want me to send some congestion meds? It will take two to three months at the same rate as the Christmas package.] I will be dead or over the disease in 2 or 3 months :) They have medicine here, if I need any.
31 Jan 2011 - Alvorada Area (Dad)
[I ran into an elder in our building today who is waiting for his visa to go to Brazil. Poor guy. At least he isn't in South Dakota in the winter. I don't remember the name of the mission he was headed to; it started with a T and I'd never heard of it before.] What building? Where you work? He is going to Teresina, which is right next to me and was part of my mission. It split a year and a half ago. That's probably why you didn't hear about it. :) It's hot there, super hot. Good luck for him :)
[I have to admit you're making me a little nervous with the TB/hepatitis story....] His TB isn't spreadable because it's not in his lungs, and I have a vaccine for Hepatitis so I'm immune right? ;) They don't know if he has hepatitis, they just think he does. All the Brazilians have TB vaccines from birth, so just the americans can get it.
[Wow, you actually have air conditioning somewhere? I only remember having that in one Church building in Central America.] We have air conditioning in all the church buildings, but just in the sacrament room. They are the kind you put up on the wall and they spray cold air out, along with water. They don't know how to use it though, they just crank it up until everyone dies. It rains in the morning and then gets sunny and muggy then either rains for the rest of the day, or is sunny. There have been 2 days when it rained all day and I didn't see sun, that's when I get cold :) From March-December it's straight sun and it's nice. I'm sure I will have cancer after the mission.
This week has been a good week. We as missionaries are baptizers, but we also help marry people so we can baptize them :) This week we went downtown to do the paperwork for a part-member family. The husband is inactive and the wife has never heard about the gospel. They have a chunky, cute little kid with a chili-bowl haircut. They are a great family and like the article you shared, the dormant inactive member's testimony is beginning to emerge again. He is excited for his wife and helps her learn and read the Book of Mormon. This week we also had a miracle baptism. We had taught this kid last transfer, but he was mole (molé in spanish I think, like the sauce) as they say here...he didn't want to read, go to church, etc. So we cut him and hoped than someday he would change, which he did. This last week he came to church and said, "I told you I would come someday." He found some friends that were recently baptized and now he is coming to church. So he was able to be baptized this weekend. This story teaches me that friends are very important. We can be lazy and mole without good friends, but with good friends, good examples, we can change our lives!
Eu sei que a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias é a igreja verdadeira aqui nesta terra. Por meio da fé nós podemos mudar as vidas dos amigos, parentes, vizinhos, qualquer pessoa. Nós estamos aqui para ajudar as pessoas perdidas. Eu sei que Joseph Smith viu Jesus Cristo e Nosso Pai Celestial, e ai ele restaurou a igreja para que nós tenhamos a autoridade para batizar, curar, e fazer milagres. Eu sou grato pela família que eu tenho, Pai, Mãe, Sean, Michael, Lauren, toda minha família. Atravez do evangelho e as ordenanças no templo nós possames ter uma família eterna. Sou muito grato para servir uma missão porque Deus me deu muitas coisas e é minha responsibilidade a revolver as bençãos que recebi. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém.
Eu te amo, fique firme e sempre lembre o que Deus te deu.
Elder Hawkes
[I have to admit you're making me a little nervous with the TB/hepatitis story....] His TB isn't spreadable because it's not in his lungs, and I have a vaccine for Hepatitis so I'm immune right? ;) They don't know if he has hepatitis, they just think he does. All the Brazilians have TB vaccines from birth, so just the americans can get it.
[Wow, you actually have air conditioning somewhere? I only remember having that in one Church building in Central America.] We have air conditioning in all the church buildings, but just in the sacrament room. They are the kind you put up on the wall and they spray cold air out, along with water. They don't know how to use it though, they just crank it up until everyone dies. It rains in the morning and then gets sunny and muggy then either rains for the rest of the day, or is sunny. There have been 2 days when it rained all day and I didn't see sun, that's when I get cold :) From March-December it's straight sun and it's nice. I'm sure I will have cancer after the mission.
This week has been a good week. We as missionaries are baptizers, but we also help marry people so we can baptize them :) This week we went downtown to do the paperwork for a part-member family. The husband is inactive and the wife has never heard about the gospel. They have a chunky, cute little kid with a chili-bowl haircut. They are a great family and like the article you shared, the dormant inactive member's testimony is beginning to emerge again. He is excited for his wife and helps her learn and read the Book of Mormon. This week we also had a miracle baptism. We had taught this kid last transfer, but he was mole (molé in spanish I think, like the sauce) as they say here...he didn't want to read, go to church, etc. So we cut him and hoped than someday he would change, which he did. This last week he came to church and said, "I told you I would come someday." He found some friends that were recently baptized and now he is coming to church. So he was able to be baptized this weekend. This story teaches me that friends are very important. We can be lazy and mole without good friends, but with good friends, good examples, we can change our lives!
Eu sei que a Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias é a igreja verdadeira aqui nesta terra. Por meio da fé nós podemos mudar as vidas dos amigos, parentes, vizinhos, qualquer pessoa. Nós estamos aqui para ajudar as pessoas perdidas. Eu sei que Joseph Smith viu Jesus Cristo e Nosso Pai Celestial, e ai ele restaurou a igreja para que nós tenhamos a autoridade para batizar, curar, e fazer milagres. Eu sou grato pela família que eu tenho, Pai, Mãe, Sean, Michael, Lauren, toda minha família. Atravez do evangelho e as ordenanças no templo nós possames ter uma família eterna. Sou muito grato para servir uma missão porque Deus me deu muitas coisas e é minha responsibilidade a revolver as bençãos que recebi. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém.
Eu te amo, fique firme e sempre lembre o que Deus te deu.
Elder Hawkes
Monday, January 24, 2011
24 Jan 2011 - Alvorada Area (Mom)
My week was okay, but it wasn't great. This was a rainy week so it was less exciting to walk around all day. Plus I am sick again because of the constant wetness I assume. I'm not that sick, just a cold. Other than that we had a miracle of an investigator. She had been going to church for 3 weeks already (you have to go at least 2 times before you can be baptized) and she sought us out to be baptized so we taught her right quick. Sadly, Satan got to her and she didn't show up on Sunday and lied her butt off to us :) Which is always what happens, I guess we always look dumb and gullible. So that wasn't good.
[Response to a trial Lauren went through recently with someone treating her unkindly.] I think back at the dumb stuff that I did. You don't realize that parents/adults are smart until you actually grow up :) I am rather deeply pained that this happened to Lauren. Leaving your house makes you realize how much you love your family. I don't like to see my little sister sad :( I wish they had medicine here, and I wish I had money to buy it :) You just have to tough out the diseases here. There is an Elder in my district that got TB and then he got hepatitis from the medicine to get rid of the TB...oops. [Um....]
I noticed something when you were talking about fasting. That you fasted for to know what you should do with Lauren. Good job mom :) That's just what to do, ask the Lord for help. That's what every good parent should do. You really have done so much for me and Lauren, Michael, and Sean. Nobody says it enough but you and Dad are good parents. My patriarchal blessing says that I owe so much to you and Dad and I should be immensely grateful. Maybe I haven't fully understood it, but I am grateful :)
[Response to a trial Lauren went through recently with someone treating her unkindly.] I think back at the dumb stuff that I did. You don't realize that parents/adults are smart until you actually grow up :) I am rather deeply pained that this happened to Lauren. Leaving your house makes you realize how much you love your family. I don't like to see my little sister sad :( I wish they had medicine here, and I wish I had money to buy it :) You just have to tough out the diseases here. There is an Elder in my district that got TB and then he got hepatitis from the medicine to get rid of the TB...oops. [Um....]
I noticed something when you were talking about fasting. That you fasted for to know what you should do with Lauren. Good job mom :) That's just what to do, ask the Lord for help. That's what every good parent should do. You really have done so much for me and Lauren, Michael, and Sean. Nobody says it enough but you and Dad are good parents. My patriarchal blessing says that I owe so much to you and Dad and I should be immensely grateful. Maybe I haven't fully understood it, but I am grateful :)
24 Jan 2011 - Alvorada Area (Dad)
Today started the new transfers, my new companion is Elder Ojopi. He is from somewhere in Brazil. He has 1 year and 4 months. I knew him from another district and he is cool. I'm still in the same area. 2 areas, 4 companions in 5 months. This week it has been raining a lot and I have realized that I don't like rain as a missionary. Right now I am soaking wet because a car soaked us with water as he drove past us and the air conditioning is blasting here. Nothing dries because the life-giving sun remains hidden from my sad eyes :) and it's humid.
[I referred Jeffrey to a video on lds.org featuring Tyler Haws of the BYU basketball team (now serving as a missionary in the Philippines). Here's the video: https://lds.org/youth/video/a-work-in-progress?lang=eng.] I saw Tyler Haws at the MTC in Provo. That makes me almost famous. His "friend" serves here. I don't really know if he is really a friend of Tyler Haws or just claims he is. I also couldn't find it on the website but it was in Portuguese so maybe it's different. That's all I have to say this week. Say hello to my adoring fans and devoted readers ;)
[I referred Jeffrey to a video on lds.org featuring Tyler Haws of the BYU basketball team (now serving as a missionary in the Philippines). Here's the video: https://lds.org/youth/video/a-work-in-progress?lang=eng.] I saw Tyler Haws at the MTC in Provo. That makes me almost famous. His "friend" serves here. I don't really know if he is really a friend of Tyler Haws or just claims he is. I also couldn't find it on the website but it was in Portuguese so maybe it's different. That's all I have to say this week. Say hello to my adoring fans and devoted readers ;)
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