Monday, November 28, 2016

Week 17


Hey Everyone!

Another week gone by here in Peru! After the baptism last week it was kinda like "whats next?" It's been kinda slow because we don't have too many people progressing. So this week we tried again to concentrate on finding people! We taught a lot of 1st lessons and found a couple good people! There are some that I really have hope for. In a lesson this week with a woman named Vanessa, and after explaining Joseph's First Vision and the Restoration, we asked her what she felt and she said, "I believe it! It makes so much sense that Heavenly Father wouldn't leave us in the dark and that he'd bring back his church!" And she seemed super excited to read the Book of Mormon. We have an appointment with her tonight so we'll see! Hopefully her faith turned into action and she read and prayed to know for sure if it's true. But...besides her and a couple others in the beginning stages, we don't have much, which is a bummer because my comp is getting a lot better and becoming more obedient, but the fruits of our labors have been less than ever! You just gotta keep your head up and keeping trying I guess!

But we had a cool activity on Saturday to help find new investigators. It was in the stake center and each ward from the stake took a part of the Plan of Salvation to act out or teach! It was super cool, people went from room to room like in stages to each different part and we gave them cards to write their questions and info so we can go and contact/teach them! It was super fun and it was a great turn out. 

That's about all thats going on down here! Haha, this week for Thanksgiving I ordered a pizza so that was my "feast". The closer it gets to Christmas down here people are starting to light of fireworks like crazy! Our window looks over Lima Valley so its super fun to watch those while eating some Oreos and milk at night time, but it sucks when you're trying to go the bed. Well, love you guys and have a good week!


-Elder Hale

Monday, November 21, 2016

Week 16


Hey Everyone!!

We had a good week down here in Lima! It started off great last P-day after internet, we took taxis to the Central of Lima! It was awesome! There were so many huge old cool buildings and we ate at KFC. It was soooooo goooood, haha, and we saw a lot of white people! Haha, it was fun to speak English with the tourists and explain who we are and our missions and stuff. We saw a few Mormon tourists too and got a picture with them! 

The next day (Tuesday) we had another work visit because the Zone Leaders are trying to help out/keep an eye on my comp. So Elder Millar came to my area and my comp went to the other. And it was a good time and we found some new people and worked hard and it was great! Wednesday we had a service project in the morning. We hauled huge jugs of water up a mountainside to help this lady in our Stake start a garden. We hauled an old bathtub up the hill too, haha. I'll send a pic of that. Thursday we had a multi-zone conference and that was awesome. Pres. Godfey gave a great talk/lesson and our zone leaders did too. My comp was super motivated by it and he is trying to be better!! 

Saturday we had the baptism for Lia and Alexandra! It was great, a lot of members showed up, and I had to give a talk/message last minute which was stressful but it went well. Spanish is getting a ton better, haha. AND, their dad came to the baptism! He has had bad experiences with religion and actually didn't really want his daughters to be baptized but when he came I could see his heart soften and we are going to try to start to teach him, and help them become an eternal family!! Something cool too was that their grandpa, (Eliana's dad) read all of the Book of Mormon! Haha, we didn't even have a clue he had interest in the church. He is a hardcore Catholic, and when we talked to him it was still hard for him to accept us, but he knows to BoM is true.

Sometimes its hard not to get on my soap box about the Book of Mormon when we are teaching people, haha. It is literally the evidence of the truthfulness of our church laying right in your hands! If you have any doubts about the church they can basically all be resolved with the Book of Mormon. Because if the BoM is true, that means Joseph Smith was a Prophet and he had the Priesthood keys restored to him, and that means that all the succeesors of Joseph are all prophets and that means that this really is this really is The Church of Jesus Christ, and he guides it. I want to go on for a long time about this but I'm out of time and we are gonna be late to go to CHILI'S!!!!! I love Chili's, haha, and I love all of you guys.


Bye! 
-Elder Hale

Some really cool building in the central of Lima.

Me and the pal, Elder Horsley in front of some more old cool buildings.

And another pic of the same kinda stuff, haha.

Us with Eliana, Lia, Alexandra, Juan Carlos (the dad), and their baby at their baptism!

Us with the Ward and their family.

And this is just a pic of when I was eating a delicious sandwich
and had a tasty Coke Zero and was just havin a good time!!

Monday, November 14, 2016

Week 15


Hey everyone!!

We had a pretty slow week down here in Comas. A lot of rejection, haha. A couple days this week we didn't even have any lessons! We heard a lot of "he's not here" and a lot of ¨"I'm really busy right now." BUT....life is still good!!! I'm glad to be a missionary! Yesterday was the Primary Program in sacrament meeting and it was adorable. Pure innocent little Peruvian kids talking and singing about the Gospel and it almost brought tears to my eyes! Haha, and they sung "Armies of Helaman" in English and that was so cute, haha. 

Also, something fun this week is that we were in a store and they were playing Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire and some other claaasssiiccs and it reminded me of throwin' on a pair of skates and getting groovy at disco skate night, hahahaha. 

This week we watched a video called, "The Atonement and Missionary Work" and it was probably the most powerful video I've ever watched. In the video, Elder Holland and Pres Eyring talk about Priesthood responsibilities, diligence, and how Christ was the perfect example of this. It's so cool that we have living Prophets and Apostles and when you watch that video its so apparent that they are literally men called of God to lead us help us and teach us. There is a scripture that they shared in the video, D&C 107:100. It talks about the importance of magnifying callings and not being slothful—good motivator.


-Elder Hale


No pics this week :(

Monday, November 7, 2016

Week 14

Hey Everyone!

Good morning everyone from Lima, Peru. Life is good and it's getting warm here! And people are finally starting to eat ice cream! People here don't eat ice cream in the winter or really drink cold pop either! It's so weird. They think that ice cream and cold pop will make you sick hahaha. But its gonna be pretty weird to have a hot/humid Christmas. Anyways it's been a good and busy week! Earlier this week and the past couple my comp was extra lazy, haha I think he is bored of this area cuz he's been here for about 5 months. BUT we had a work visit this week and one of the ZL's came to my area with my comp and I went to his with the other ZL. He helped motivate my comp and help with some obedience issues, and since then he has been so much better!! He wants to work harder, and be more obedient and is a lot more easy to get along with and that has been such a big blessing for me, and for the people in our area! And its always better doing the Lords work, in the Lord's way!! Because just like it says in D&C, ¨if it be by any other way, it is not of Me¨.

As far as investigators go..I don't remember which ones I've explained and talked about and which I haven't so Im sorry if im repetitive,

Luis and Jennifer finally came to Church this week! We've been teaching them for weeks and weeks and they always say they're gonna go but they never show up! But this week they came and it was great! We have to marry them before baptism and hopefully that doesn't become a huge dilemma. Luis has had drinking problems in the past and Jenifer has thought about getting separated so we really need to work with him on the Word of Wisdom too.

Lia and Alexandra are good but slow. They still come to church every week with their mom (Eliana, our latest baptism) but I think their friends in school are telling them stuff and having a bad influence because they are still timid and hesitant to be baptized. Its a bummer cuz they come to church more than a lot of members! haha! They even have parts in the primary program next week, They are just timid to take that big step of baptism and entering in a covenant with Heavenly Father. So were praying and working on that too.

Pedro is a guy that we have been teaching that has accepted the lessons and the Book of Mormon really well but he has had a drinking problem in the past too so were gonna try to help him overcome that.

Fun things that happened this week was that I found milk that wasn't in a can so I stalked up on that so I can have Oreos with real milk now!! Also this week at lunch, I found a chicken foot in my soup....wasn't too excited about that. I don't know if they expected me to eat it but ya no way.

Well yeah, the mission is great! Super challenging at times but super rewarding! Love you all and cya!

-Elder Hale


Another killer sunset.

This week was Gustavo Jr.'s birthday, so we bought him a 5 dollar cake!