3-10-2014

Hey Famery and Friends :)

Kay! So pretty nice week, but not too eventful, so! This will be...shortish. Though I always promise that, and it doesn't always come through, does it? Ah well.

UPDATE:

We're doing great! This ward is really awesome. Let me list, however, all the ways that it is the opposite of Clearview ward:

CLEARVIEW WARD:

Demographics: Upper-middle class, not a lot of transition (people got there and stayed there)

Member breakdown: Lots of very powerful established families, huge and vibrant youth program

Attitude toward missionary work: "Scary. It doesn't happen here."

Leadership of ward: Beureucratic, hard to get anything done, rigidly organized, spend entire ward council discussing events

Challenge of the missionaries: How do we spend our time well when there's no one to see? (Answer: TRACT ALL THE TIME! :) )

BEVERLY PARK WARD:

Demographics: Lower class (if you want to say it that way), mainly in apartments, extremely transient (I heard 300 in and 300 out each month; not sure if that's true.

Member breakdown: Lots of nontraditional families, hardly any youth (12 young women...4 young men?)

Attitude towards missionary work: "Yes! Let's get going!" (:D)

Leadership of ward: Rather disorganized, laid back, spend entire ward council discussing people (vs. activities, logistics, etc.)

Challenge of missionaries: How do we get everything done that we need to get done?! (Answer: You don't! But you try anyway. ;) )

And...I guess that's kind of like the profile for the day, but it's very interesting to see such difference ward to ward. I love it though, sweet sweet people and loads of work to do. None of this 'I'm going to do all the work there is to do in 3 months!' attitude that I had in Clearview. ;)

EXPERIENCE: (switching this out today for the profile, because this was pretty great)

This was pretty awesome. Last Saturday night we had an hour left and not much to do. The last hour of the night is a challenging time when you don't have plans, because people aren't always super eager to see you at 8:45 at night, and Satan works on  you pretty hard to tell you that there's no where to go and nothing to do to be productive...anyway! But we proceeded forth with faith and pursued the plans we had set. Which were! To go and see this family with a couple kids that hadn't be baptized yet. So we went! Annnddd...Mom wasn't home, but Amy (one of the unbaptized kids, 17) was. And as soon as she saw us, she was like "No way. God is sending me a sign right now." We talk to her a little more, and apparently she's had a pretty rough time as of late. A bad experience with her former boyfriend had landed her back at her mom's house and looking for help. And apparently last transfer the Sisters had run into her and her boyfriend on the street, not knowing that her mom was a member etc., and they had left her with their card (number, address to the church, etc.). And (this is awesome) she had actually been looking for that card, and praying for the past few weeks because she'd been having such a rough time. And we found her! And set up an appointment! And it was awesome and a miracle! We'll be seeing her on Tuesday and we're really excited. I think she can totally be ready to change her life for the better, and I'm super pumped to have the Lord trust us enough to lead us to her. Woot woot!

THOUGHT:

This is quick and simple, but I liked it when I read it, so here you go:

Moroni 7:3

"Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven."

This stood out to me this morning. We're often promised as members that eventually, after all the strife and crazy troubles of this life, we will be able to 'enter into the rest of the Lord.' You know, maybe finally get a little nap or something. :) But! Here it says that we don't have to wait till the end of our crazy lives to enter into the rest of the Lord. When's the actual starting point of this rest? According to the verse "Obtaining a sufficient hope." Hope in what? Later in the chatper (vs 41) it says "that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." So, hope in Christ that eventually you can attain that rest, I guess. But even having that hope opens the door to rest and peace in this life, from the moment that hope is developed. And what does that rest feel like? Like a calm beneath the surface. Like an abiding assurance that everything--even through the craziness of life--will be okay, and that ultimately you will find complete joy and peace through him that loves us best. The blessings of the Gospel aren't eventual; they are immediate for all who will turn and look. So just do it! Check it out if you haven't! Worst that can happen is that it didn't work right? But you won't know until you try, so, you know...try! :P

Anyway, enough flippant pushy missionary for the day. A great picture! (see below)

PICTURE:

Alright, not that cute, BUT! A good evidence of what missionaries wear on lazy weekly planning mornings. ;) CHRISTMAS TOE SOCKS AND FLOWY PANTS FOR THE WIN!!

Love you all. Don't be afraid to write (ANNIE PULSIPHER). :)

Sister Hale

3-3-2014

Yep, that's right! Half-way point, pretty strange. I was at a Zone Conference this past Friday with some sisters, and I was tied for the oldest (in mission age) one there. Now I'm supposed to like, know what I'm doing and stuff. What?! Anyway...;P

So, newsflash for those of you who didn't know: I was actually home for three days this past week! The family is moving to Japan (newsflash again if that was something new), and in order for me to 'move with them' (get on the Government's orders, etc. I needed to get health inspections etc. and get cleared. So I'm cleared! And not too trunky! So life is good. ;P But, for the bit of work I DID accomplish this week, I'll give you a bit of an update...

UPDATE:

So I still feel like a newbie to this crazy ward, especially with spending most of the week away from things. BUT, the few days we did have, we spent on getting trained on a new way to teach (exciting), seeing Carla and Sheila who are both on date, trying to organize a ward list of 800 members (and a lot of less actives), and having conversations that almost turned into contentious Bible bashes. See below!

PROFILE:

Name: John

Age: Mmm...early 40s.

How we met him: Talked to him while he was walking his dog on a dimly lit street at night. BRAVERY!

Accessory of Choice: When he's cleaning with bleach, a big ole white cover-all. And a snazzy pair of square rim glasses.

Favorite past-time: Preparing to teach his Sunday school class out of the NIV.

Major hang-up: The trinity. The Book of Mormon OBVIOUSLY doesn't teach that Christ is God, so we're wrong. (working on it)

Why I like him: Because he's very kind, has a great spirit about him (though his 'I know what you believe' statements tend to make Sister Kennedy mad) and read 4 chapters of Jacob before our seeing him last time, when we only asked him to read 1! It may be slow, but he's willing to read and talk to us, which is a good start.

And another, because I can!

Name: Zach Herrin

Age: late 30's

Attribute of mention: Sneering Jersey Accent that he can't seem to turn off

Accessory of Choice: Underarmor long sleeved shirt.

Major question: Why wouldn't God answer the prayer of a 10 year old kid crying out in pain because of a persistent tooth ache? (I'm sure there's a scriptural answer for that somewhere...)

Weird thing: Though he's been excommunicated twice, his wife is a recent convert and still feels warmly towards us and the church. Wooorrrrrking on it.

Nickname for us: 'Team Purple!' assumingly because of my plum purple overcoat :)

THOUGHT:

Oh my...I'm learning so much about how to relate to people and how people learn...but it's hard to consolidate that into a single scripturally based thought. And my time is short. SOOO...I'll just share a bit what I was reading out of Helaman 16!

vs 1: "And as many as believed on his word went forth and sought out Nephi; and when they had come forth and found him they confessed unto him their sins and denied not, desiring that they might be baptized unto the Lord."

I love it; in this simple verse it teaches the first 3 steps of the doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance and baptism, and how one leads to another. If you truly have faith, you want to repent. And if you've repented, you want to seal that repentance with baptism; a promise (or witness) that you're going to try to live the way God wants you to, and you're going to keep trying for your entire life. The Book of Mormon teaches the Doctrine of Christ so clearly, and I'm grateful for it, and to have it clarify and inform the things taught in the Old and New Testaments.

I LOVE YOU ALL! Just a fun picture and I'll be done. :)

PICTURE: 

Such a cheater shot, I'm sorry. WEIRRRDD!! But mom's tag says 'junior missionary,' which was true this week, because she was my junior companion (doesn't mean I got to drive the car though ;P)

LOVE YOU!

XOXXO

Sister Hale

2-18-2014

This will be lightning fast! Holiday yesterday, so only an hour to email today, BUUUUTTT...things are going swell! And you deserve an update, so here it is.

UPDATE:

New Area! I'm in Beverly Park ward now, in the Lynnwood Stake. It seems like an incredible place, where the work has been cookin for quite a while. Good people, humble ward, a lot of diversity, a lot of people to talk to (compared with Snohomish, where there were people, but all behind closed doors). Pretty much the opposite of Clearview ward, and though I miss the people there, I'm enjoying the change. New companion, Sister Kennedy, and I'm follow-up training her. She's great; from Texas, very light-hearted and bubbly, so I'm the more serious one of the companionship, which is a little funny. But good. :P Great first week, though you'll have to ascertain that by the PROFILE! (arrow down arrow down)

PROFILE:

Name: David

Why he listened: Because 'Wait, there are girls doing this?' Apparently if it was the Elders, he would've turned them away. :P

One defining feature: His incredible attitude. David is 36 and has had pretty serious Parkinsons for the last 10 years. But when we ask him about it, he insists that it could be way worse; prime example of life handing you lemons and making lemonade

Cool hobby: He makes cool custom canes! In fact, if you want to see some examples (using doorknobs, shifters, etc. as cane handles) look up coolcustomcanes.com . BUT, he said that he wanted to make canes into a fashion accessory, rather than a 'beacon of disability'. Pretty cool guy.

His Hold-up: Says he's not 'the practicing type'. Feels he has a connection with God that doesn't necessitate church.

Why we think he has potential: Bright mind and a thirst for knowledge; asks awesome questions. We're excited to meet with him in this upcoming week.

PICTURE: 

No time for a thought, I'm super sorry. Look up Helaman 8:14-15!

I love you all. Keep praying for the missionaries and looking for missionary experiences!

XOXO

Sister Hale

2-10-2014

Hey all!

Alright! Not as much to share this week, but we DID get some pretty rockin pictures due to the snow...so I'll send one or two of those along. That, and some general news about what's going down, ETC ETC...so, first things first...

UPDATE:

Well, I'm not 100% sure, but provided nothing's changed since 2 days ago when President wrote me, I'm getting transferred. Woo! But also...scary! Bahrg. I like this place! There's been a certain security in the fact that this is a hard area without a lot of baptisms, because then if I didn't succeed, it wasn't my fault, right? And I could work and work and strain and strain against the brick wall of everybody's weird conceptions about Mormons/the general fear of members, etc.,...anyway, I could strain against all our obstacles and feel vindicated at the end of the day just for the straining, even if everything didn't work out. From the sounds of it, President's putting me in an area that's been a little more productive, where there's more potential to teach and baptize, but then, you see...then the expectations are actually higher. Then I'm responsible for 1) if no one gets baptized in an otherwise productive area, and 2) if someone DOES get baptized in this generally productive area, I'm responsible for their learning, and for a small measure of their salvation. So...that's a little scary. But! It'll be great! And I won't even know where I'm going till tomorrow at 3pm. So you'll know next week. ;)

A PROFILE:

Name: Mike Forkey

Calling: First Counselor in the Bishopric of the Clearveiw Ward

Reason I like him: he reminds me of my dad (I love you daddy. :) )

Accessory of Choice: Leather Jacket over a Polo

How he got introduced to the missionaries: he dated the only two LDS girls in his high school consecutively (good taste :P), and both asked him if he'd be interested in talking to the missionaries...TOMORROW. And because he didn't have a good excuse, both times he said yes.

Why he's a member of the church: Because as he was talking with the Missionaries (and asking them a boat-load of questions and remaining skeptical of some of the answers they gave him), he was hit over the head 1) that if there was more scripture, it was important, and 2) that we claimed we had a mother in heaven. He said that that was so audacious a claim--a female God to compliment the male God most churches profess to worship-- that either lightning would have to strike down these two missionaries, or this had to be true.

Reason he's happy about his choice to join the church: He knows it's true. He has a wonderful life, great kids and spouse, and a lot of peace. He's found purpose and perspective and increased light through the gospel, and he's a blessing to all he serves.

A SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

One of the great themes of the Book of Mormon is that "inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land. And inasmuch as ye shall not keep the commandments of God, ye shall be cut off from his presence." Helaman Chapter 4 is a great example of people not keeping the commandments and then being cut off from the strength of the Lord. It says in vs 13:

"And because of their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands."

And then later in the chapter it goes on to outline how they didn't realize that they had "become weak, like unto the Lamanites" (who were similarly without the Lord). I know this is true; that when we operate on our own strength and power, we are weak. However, when we live according to the commandments of God, we are guaranteed protection, as well as prosperity (and sustenance in difficult times). It really is that simple; the choice every day to keep (or not keep) the commandments of God. Pretty cool.

A PICTURE: (from the snow!!)

It's the artsy 'with a snow shovel' pic. You know, church was cancelled (for an inch and a half!! Sigh.) so we had to find some way to be productive. :P

LOVE YOU ALL! Remember that because I'm (95% sure) being transferred, that if I've snuck you my home mailing address, use the PO box one for this week and the next few weeks following. LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!

Sister Hale

2-3-2014

Hey y'all!

So 8 months out. Whew! That's pretty good. :) Almost at the half way point, and it still feels like I just got here! Pretty crazy. People say that a mission becomes just life after a while, and I can see what they're saying. Starting to understand the weirdness of adjusting out...

AN UPDATE:

We're doing pretty well down here in Clearview. :) Transfers are coming up next week, so we will know THEN whether the 4 months of same area/same companion will continue or be at an end. I really do feel like I live here now, and so the idea of moving is scary...but part of that is that I've grown to love the people and love my companion, and so have sort of forgotten about life elsewhere, outside this ward. But I guess that's how it's supposed to be. :) Some great things: Got our eternigator closer to a date for baptism this week, and have gotten some wonderful new investigators (Rachel, Lindsay) as well as some old ones going strong (Lance), SO...we're enjoying ourselves and doing our best to work hard every day. 

A PROFILE:

Name: Lance Gibson

Age: 50's ish

Accessory of choice: padded plaid jacket

Interesting Religious Belief: He's a Messianic Jew, which I didn't even quite know existed!

Preferred decor: Ranch theme, complete with wagon wheel lamp and buffalo skulls

Reason we love him: He actually listens to us, and recognizes that if the things we tell him are true, that it's a really big deal. And he's accepted a soft invite to be baptized!

A THOUGHT:

This is going to be quickish--and I apologize in advance! Buuutt...Helaman does a really good job of withholding judgement and doing all things that stand within his power, even when he doesn't have the full picture and could very well freak out and concoct a wild crazy story about why everything's gone wrong and blame the government and stop doing his awesome job of leading Nephite armies and such. He does not do this thing, and instead, "pours out [his] soul in prayer unto God" when he doesn't have a full understanding, and is then "visited with assurances" that they will be delivered (Alma 58:10-11). It's pretty rad. I obviously have a lot to learn from him, and make a blanket apology now to all that I've freaked out on and passed rapid judgement about. I could certainly do better at relying on the Lord for peace and guidance.

A PICTURE:

This is me with Jean and Sarah. Jean is an investigator, has MS and can use help and company. Sarah is incredibly energetic and bright, the one I wrote the profile on last week.

Alright, I love you all! Never fear to just toss a letter in the mail for me. ;) Loving the work though, and doing fine. Loving you too!

Sister Hale

1-27-2014

Whew!

How time flies. 8 months out! Pretty crazy. I'm starting to get to that phase where I'm considered old and experienced like I've been at this for a long time. Ha. I still feel like a newbie, and recognize that there's a lot that I need to learn and do to become an effective missionary. But! I'm working on it. And doing what I can in the process. So, first...

AN UPDATE:

Pretty good week this week! I've been in Clearview almost 4 months now, with the same companion, and it's starting to feel like I've never lived anything else. Transfers is 2 weeks away, and I'm not sure if I'm going to stay for a grand total of 6 months or get booted...but whatever happens with the area, I feel a fresh pair of eyes will be helpful. We've been working very hard here, and have had some success and some dead ends...but nothing like some new blood to get things pumping again.

BUT! One thing we did do to help get things pumping again is this 'Mormonism 101' activity at the library. It went pretty well! It was slated to be an educational look at the Mormon church, and that's what we tried to make it. We did a video at the beginning and end ( see http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormon-introduction-videos ), then did a powerpoint presentation on some facts and figures about the church, then a panel/Q&A type thing at the end. The Panel was my favorite part; we got 4 members of the ward and President Bonham to sit on it, introduce themselves, and then take questions (everything from what the church's view on homosexuality was to what happened to youth who made bad choices). Then afterwards people got to mingle and snack on some cookies we brought in. It was good! A new finding approach, and something that I think works well in a community concerned about education/being knowledgeable. We do wish we'd gotten a few more walk ins, etc...but we got some part member families in, and the whole thing was worth it just for them. (See picture of me and the poster below)

A PROFILE:

Name: Sarah Mardorf

Age: 4

Accessory of Choice: Rumpled Tiger t-shirt she got from her grandma.

Memorable Quote: Asking the missionaries "Will you be my church girls?" Also, when her mother was getting upset about not being able to come to church with us yesterday due to a planned visit to grandma's, she said "Mom. It's going to be alright. We are not going to Grandma's today. We are going to church, we're going to sit on the chairs, and it's going to be fine." Too bad a 4 year old didn't have much sway in the matter. :P

Personality trait of mention: No fear in introducing herself to new friends at church; when she and her mom came last week, Sarah spent all of sacrament meeting sitting two pews ahead with another family she'd befriended.

A SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

Hrrmm...in the middle of the war chapters right now, so it's hard to pull out a definite one. But! This one will suit for now:

Alma 50:22

"And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites."

At closer examination, I really like this verse. Firstly because it says that those who 'kept the commandments of God' were delivered at all times. That basically means that if you're living a certain way--for members the way you committed to live when you were baptized--you will be protected and 'delivered' at all times. You have security; a guarantee, basically, that whatever happens to you, you're going to be alright. You will avoid being 'consigned to bondage' (which in the modern day can be physical, spiritual or intellectual), and you will be protected in both body and spirit. We recently heard a talk about a family in our ward who was the victims of armed robbery (years ago). They were tied and gagged, and at the mercy of these men who certainly didn't mean them well. However, both the Mom and Dad described feeling a great deal of peace, the feeling that 'everything will be alright,' rather than the panic that is typical to these kinds of circumstances. I know that keeping the commandments affords us that sense of security, that feeling that as long as we are keeping our promises to God, he will keep his promises to us (including that we will be blessed, prospered, and watched after). 

A PICTURE:

That's me with our Mormonism 101 Poster. :) Sorry I can't flip it. ALRIGHT! I love you guys! Hope you have a splendid week, and don't forget to throw a prayer up there for your missionaries in the field!

Sister Hale

1-13-2014

Hey all!

Alright, this is going to be a little brief, because I didn't plan much to say...but! I'mma gonna give you the update, so sit tight and get ready for it. Happy New Year by the way!

AN UPDATE:

So! Good week. I'm getting so used to missionary life now that it's P-day that feels out of the norm rather than the only day of 'real life'. That's probably a good thing. There's been a new focus in our mission on obedience (exact obedience if not 'strict-gonna-kill-yourself' obedience), and that's been helping us be a little more focused, making sure we're using all our time wisely, etc.

AN EXPERIENCE:

We had a bit of a roller coaster week with one of my favorite investigators, Molly Mendenhall. Here's the experience as written to my president (trying to conserve on time)

Molly is amazing (a real estate agent and a friend of a great woman in our ward) and we had a wonderful miracle lesson with her this Monday. We saw her once before in late December, had left her with the Restoration Pamphlet and an invitation to read the title page of the Book of Mormon, and came back this week to follow up on how that had gone for her. Well, it went really well. She understood the Restoration pamphlet, but was really carried away by the introduction page of the Book of Mormon. She kept saying 'of course' and 'it makes sense that there would be more'. In addition to that great experience, she also had a dream where she felt God speaking to her, explaining about who Jesus Christ was and why he was important. Before our meeting with her, Molly had a belief in God, but didn't quite believe in Christ, didn't ascribe to Christianity exactly. But as of our second meeting with her, she did! And she also was open and excited about the concept of more scripture and modern prophets. We actually had the Ensign from last conference with us, so we left that with her as well as the invitation to read a few talks, Alma 32 and the Plan of Salvation Pamphlet. It was wonderful and so exciting. While we were talking to her she did say something along the lines of 'well, I'm not in a position to become a Mormon'...but we didn't delve into that as perhaps we should have.

Sunday and our scheduled return appointment roll around, and she calls us because she's sick and has work...but in the message she left, she also expressed that she wouldn't be able to meet with us anymore. Though she wants to see us one more time, she's 'not going to do anything' and didn't want to waste our time. We're worried that this perhaps is a result of our over-excitement from our Monday lesson, or perhaps our calling her Saturday to ask if we could bring a member along...not sure what it was, but it was a definite bummer. She was so close, and you could really feel the spirit working with her towards real conversion. We are going back Tuesday to see what pieces we can pick up, and how we can continue to invite her to learn more...but man, I was surprised by how painful it was to hear that. I analyzed her voice message like a little boy who's girlfriend has just broken up with him; pretty pathetic. But! We'll do the best we can with Tuesday, and try to listen better to the spirit when it's warning us about certain things (we didn't feel so great about inviting a member along, but chose to do it anyway, etc.). And...that's that. Studied 'patience' in PMG this morning, and felt a lot of comfort in the line "Patience is related to hope and faith--you must wait for the Lord's promised blessings to be fulfilled." So we will move on with faith, patience and dilligence, watching for miracles and the Lord's hand in this area. 

So! That's been that. A little tough, but livable. Still, my heart was hurting yesterday. 

A SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

I've gotta say, Alma 36-42? Probably my favorite section in the Book of Mormon. Maybe because it's the advice a really great prophet gives to his missionary sons, and I always feel in need of really great advice from really great prophets. Here's an excerpt of something I particularly loved:

Alma 38:4

"For I know that thou wast in bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word's sake; and thou didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee."

I know, I know. Not trying to sound like a bummer missionary...I am not in bonds! Nor have I yet been stoned for the word's sake! But I do like how this verse encourages us to bear all things with patience, or rather tells us that we can bear things with patience as we rely on the Lord and recognize that he's with us. I know that's true for all of us, that we can be patient in affliction, trusting that the Lord, in time, will fulfill his promises to us. 

A PICTURE:

This is the picture on the back of my planner this transfer. The three's represent 3 transfers with the same companion and in the same area. ;) Half my mission so far baby!! 

Love you all so much. Keep letters and emails coming!

XOXO

Sister Hale

1-6-2014

Hey y'all!

ALLLLright. It's lookin like I'm not going have time this week to do a FULL blown letter (because I want to write back to everyone that emailed me! :D) BUTTT...I will give you a bit of an update on my crazy missionary life. But FIRST: an observation.

I will be 21 3 months from today. WHAT?! Legal drinking age and...on a mission. That was pretty much the plan from the get-go though I guess. ;P

AND as a 3-month-till-my-birthday gift to myself, my companion and I got free haircuts from a woman in the ward. And she ratted my hair and poofed it like a Utah girl. Pictures may be forthcoming. ;P

Alright, more serious matters!

AN UPDATE

We are doing well, though it's getting increasingly obvious that Sister Ah-Chong and I have been together for more than 3 months. For example I...get mad at her that she's not wearing tights outside on a chilly day. Or I take it personally that she chooses to have cereal for dinner instead of letting me make her a sandwich. You know, those kind of things. Also, with the increased familiarity, she is being less obedient to my every demand! But I think that's generally how a mother and daughter relationship grows over time. AmIright? Okay, feeling a little silly today obviously...

IN OTHER update-ey type news...we got (no joke) 6 new investigators this week! BAH! First time in my whole mission, pretty ridonkulous. Quite a few of them are pretty solid too...though maybe we should be more careful about how we count investigators. But moving on! (profile/miracle about some of these newbies to follow)

A PROFILE

Name: Vanessa Dunnels

Approximate age: Erm...probably 30ish.

Accessory of choice: Smart plastic frames, elastic to hold a low ponytail in the back

Scary philosophy that tempts me but is of the devil: "No religion's got it right. They're all hitting at the same truth, but at different angles...so me and my family just take some of the truths common to all religions (God is all powerful, love your neighbor, etc.) and apply those to our life."

Habits she's jacked from Mormon Culture: Food storage, modesty standards for her little girls

Why we're going back tomorrow: Has questions: "God to me is all powerful, and all knowing. Why do you divide him into three parts that then have to communicate with each other? (Father, Son and HG)" and "Isn't sustaining the prophet trusting a lot of your life and decisions to one guy?" We've been researching, and we'll see what we can do in our discussion tomorrow night.

A MIRACLE

There's a super hip couple that lives up the street from one of my favorite families in the ward, went over with mom of said favorite family, and super hip couple COMMITTED TO COME TO CHURCH AND HAVE DINNER AT THEIR HOUSE WITH US THERE!! :D :D Crazy crazy miracle. He's got tattoos up his arm. I think this is a dream come true.

A THOUGHT

Man, all my thoughts are spiritual these days. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. How'bout...with this one:

...actually, you know? I'm sending this book of to Benjamin this week, so I'll give you one last quote from it while I have it. This helped me this week. HERE GOES:

"Some people are basically saying, "Well, today I think the Church is true, but ask me again tomorrow." But there must come some point at which our commitment to the gospel and our conviction of its truth settles such questions in advance and predetermines our response to whatever challenge we may encounter to our faith, to whatever commandments we may receive, or to whatever sacrifice we are called upon to make. That isn't blind faith; rather it's a vague suspicion that has finally managed to become true faith. ...Until our faith has a life and strength of its own apart from intellectual argument or even physical evidence, it is not yet faith. In such cases what we thought was faith was merely the strongest human argument we had considered at the time. A testimony isn't like a hypothesis in science, which may be supported by the evidence one day and destroyed by it the next. It is a conviction beyond the available intellectual proof that some things are eternally true."

Whew! Good one. I think a lot of times even as a missionary I attempt to convert people by intellectual argument. That...doesn't actually work that well, and that isn't actually my full relationship with my faith...it's just one avenue of my belief I particularly like and can sometimes over-rely on. But what stands out to me from that is "Until our faith has a life and strength of its own apart from intellectual argument...it is not yet faith." It's okay to depend on that spiritual knowledge sometimes when human knowledge is lacking. And you may not get ultimate respect for it when that's the avenue you choose to take, but you will remain faithful to the spirit you've felt bear witness to you that these things are true. And ultimately I think integrity and loyalty to that spiritual knowledge is more honorable than looking good to the world.

Okay! And I said this wouldn't be long. *sigh*

A PICTURE

Thur's the new hurr. It won't look like that normally, and it's not a huge change...but there it is! And doesn't Sister Ah-Chong look cute?

Alright, that's it for now. Love you all, and stay strong in the faith!

Sister Hale

12-30-2013

Almost the last day in 2013! WOOT! Bout time; 2014 sounds like a much more lucky year than 2013, don'tcha think?

Anyways, I'll start with the big news. The transfer text just came, and...BOTH SISTER AH-CHONG AND I ARE STAYING HERE THIS TRANSFER! BAH!! So not only is she the first companion I've had for more than 1 transfer, she'll be the companion I've had the longest EVER. And this will be the longest I've ever been in an area. Woo! At this rate, I think I'll probably be here for 6 months, cause I don't think they're going to white-wash the area again. And...THAT MEANS President is going to make us desperate enough that SOMEONE is going to get baptized while we're here. It's gonna happen. So crazy, but it's for real! Alright, sorry, you're the first people I've told, so you're getting the missionary fallout. Crazy crazy though, did not think that would happen. Alright. MOVING ON.

And, just to letcha know, I'm sorry for not writing for the last 3 weeks. Nothing wrong, just Christmas and everything getting in the way.

AN UPDATE:

Things are good! It was a little bit of a crazy week with Christmas and all. Delivered cookies and skyped the fam (very good, but more emotional than I expected/would've liked :P) Not super eventful week though, besides the great presents and well-wishes I received from all around. 

A PROFILE:

Name: Lorelei

Accessory of choice: Cloth beret, with bird embroidered on the back; work boots and work clothes, which she wears most of the time, readying herself for the odd jobs she does all over the neighborhood.

Foremost Personality Trait: Sharp Logic, reticence to trust anything that comes from her feelings

Unexpected skill: Calligraphy (she wrote out our favorite scripture as a Christmas present to Sister Ah-Chong and I)

Reason she first started meeting with the missionaries: They were willing to help with the yard work

Reason she's not in the church: She believes the Priesthood remained in the Catholic church, and thus she has no need to be baptized again. Still willing to read and pray about the Book of Mormon though, so we're working with her. :)

A SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

My parents sent me a great book for Christmas called 'Following Christ.' It's pretty short, and I've pretty much consumed it by now, but there's this one portion I really like. It talks about how Satan lies and that God tells the truth. It goes like this:

"In Satan's world, any philosophy can be true, any sin can be a virtue, any opinion can be right. The universe can be whatever we want it to be. Because Satan offers us a way of getting what we want, we mortals are vulnerable to his imitation worlds and plausible realities. Of course, the cost is truth, for truth is knowledge of things as they really are, not of things as we want them to be. Satan will create a universe to fit any desire, but only God can show us how to fit our desires to the universe--the real universe, the one that won't change to accommodate us. Satan offers a false "truth" to legitimize, or so it seems, our every desire; God would change our desires to fit a single legitimate truth."

I love this. I love the Gospel, because it presents things as they really are, and encourages us to change to conform to those truths. It invites us to question our assumptions, and conform them with real truth, like the fact that there is a right and a wrong, that there are consequences to that which we do, and that we can hope for an existence after this. I'm still looking for the way to best communicate this to people, but knowledge of it brings me great joy and peace. Without God, there are many answers, but those answers are ultimately colored by our assumptions and desires. With God, there is one answer that we are required to conform to, but in doing so we will bring to ourselves great peace, understanding and purpose.

A PICTURE:

And because we're sticking together, there's a cute picture of me and sister Ah-Chong. ;)

Love you guys! Have a great week!

Sister Hale

12-9-2013

Hello! 

How are y'all? Really weird to see that it's Christmas time, that it's come around again so quickly, and that by the end of this year, I'll have been on my mission for 7 months. Pretty incredible. But without further ado:

AN UPDATE:

Things have been a little bit frustrating this week, though we had some really good things happen too. Some good things include: finding a new investigator (Rich) who is big into researching religions and has a lot of questions. Also Kristie, who dated a Mormon in High School and now wants to learn more about the church. Otherwise we got a lot of referrals (which hopefully denotes the members' trust in us) and taught some good less active lessons. Had a lot of appointments fall through this week though, which could've partially been our fault. Gearing up and trying to be more diligent and responsible this week though. I have faith that as we work hard, and as we work to put more trust in the Lord and less trust in ourselves, that things will go better in the upcoming week. Like Sister Ah-Chong often says 'sometimes the Lord brings you low before he brings you high.' I think that will be the case for me.

A PROFILE:

Name: Tom

Reason the missionaries were scared of him: Several highly visible No Trespassing signs on his property

Profession: Runs a metal shop out of his back yard (brags about how he melts all his pop cans into aluminum discs which he can then sell)

Accessory of Choice: a grungy beanie shoved over a tangled mass of hair, and a series of plaid shirts filled with holes

Experience with Religion: Forced into a Christian school when he was young because he acted up in regular school. Has since lost interest in a lot of religion, and is favoring the Alien theory these days. Still, his girlfriend Jean is interested, and he's willing to take a Book of Mormon and read it on occasion.

Bad Habit: turning the conversation to the government and how everything is going to pot; breaking off mid-sentence to glare at the cars that drive past his house.

Point of Note: Rough dude, but incredibly good heart underneath all the grunge. Girlfriend's just about as gnarly, but somehow between the two of them they've produced this little angel-diva of a daughter. They have no idea where she's come from, but they both love her a lot.

A SPIRITUAL THOUGHT:

A scripture that's really stood out to me this week is Alma 16:16-17. It reads:

"And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming--That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God."

This is my desire as a missionary, that people's hearts might be softened that they might not "go on to destruction." I love that image of being grafted into the true vine, which to me equates to coming home. There is a real peace of mind and heart to be found in the Gospel, and this is what I desire to bring to people the best I can (as enabled by the Lord). 

A PICTURE:

I know I don't look very happy in that picture. But I AM happy with our tree, and our other decorating. Here's one where I look happier!

Brother Chevara (a semi-active but SUPER AWESOME member of our ward) showed us his sword collection this past week. SWEET.

Alright, I love you all. Stay close to me and the Lord during this awesome Christmas season!

XOXO

Sister Hale