Serve With All Your Might A Letter To Elder Hawley 10/30/17

It is great to hear from you. Way to go on your talk...that is awesome. Sounds like things are going well and you are having great success in your new area. Keep a positive attitude. Stay focused on the work. Serve with all your might and the blessings will just keep pouring in. It is amazing how many blessings we can receive each day from our Heavenly Father. There is no limit or end to his blessings. It is amazing.

Things are going well at home. We had a busy week. We attended pack meeting with Miles. He already earned his Bobcat. He is so excited to be in Cub Scouts. He thought at first and asked Dad how it was going to work for him to pass the sacrament. Haha, he thought he started doing that at Age 8. So dad had to explain to him the difference of being in cubs and scouts.

Yesterday was the primary program in Sacrament Meeting. It went very well. Miles did good on his two parts he had and sang really well too...he loves to sing!  Malia had her Fall Orchestra Concert and did very well. Megan went on a couple of dates and went to the day activity at the ranch for the upcoming Sadies Dance.

We survived the end of the term week. The kids are out of school today for a teacher prep day. Megan wants to carve pumpkins with Malia and Miles. We also had the family Halloween party on Saturday. It was fun but we sure miss you not being there. Grandma made her beef stew and cheese sandwiches which are always good.

A thought and scriptures for this week..."We are HIS HANDS, as we emulate His perfect example, our hands can become His hands; our eyes, His eyes; our heart, His heart."-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

D & C 4:2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

D & C 59:5  Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.

We are so happy for you and the opportunities you are having. Keep it up and "Be All In".

We love you a ton!

Your Family

Beach, Changes, Cold 10/30/17

Well to start off this week, we got to go to the beach. So awesome. We’re the only area that has a beach in the whole mission. It’s surrounded by little fishing towns and it is super cool. We had some time to take some pics haha. We felt like beach models. Also we found a super cool member who was there who was inactive and we are reactivating her family! 

 

My companion Elder Cisneros is getting changed which is a huge bummer, because I love the guy, but oh well I guess life will have to go on. I am excited for my new companion too! 

I am loving the weather but oh man it’s so cold to shower. We wake up in the mornings and oh man it is so chilly, but it’s great to get woken up by a shower with icy water. The shouts and screams from the water are super great and I’m sure the neighbors love it haha.

This week we had some upsets with some families that decided that they are good enough where they are at, but it’s okay because we are finding some great new people to teach. The family Maldonado are loving it, they came to church again and are excited for their baptisms! 

 

We teach the Gospel Principles class here in the ward and it is super great. This week we talked about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! If we are ready, it will be a day of joy and happiness. We should always try to be ready and progressing so that any day we would be ready! 

 

I am enjoying the mission a ton and am loving it! Here’s some pictures…We went to the beach in our area.

The one with bread and a tamale is a type of tamale that they eat in Mexico city! 

 

Um the rest are just pics with my companions, and some cool families that made us a dinner before we left!

​Love you guys!

Elder Hawley

Developing Love for Our Savior A Letter to Elder Hawley 10/23/17

Hey Elder,

How is it going?

From Dad:

We bumped into Chuck Slack at Stake Conference. He asked how you were doing. Turns out he served in Matamoros for 6 months. He said it was the best part of his mission. He loved it there and had great success. He is very excited for you. President Hill & President Garner always ask about you as well.

Before the adult session of Stake Conference Saturday night, Mom and I were invited to have dinner with the other bishops and wives in the Stake with Elder Nemro. It was good. We had a great Stake Conference. Elder Nemro of the Seventy spoke. He was great. He talked about developing love for our Savior. It was very inspiring. We also had a member of our area mission presidency talk to us who is from Mexico, President Alba. He and his family live in Centerville. He read to us Alma 28:8 & 14. Make sure to look it up. He talked about missionary work and it was very touching for mom and I. It really hit home with you serving on your mission. A convert said, "It was not just about the Book of Mormon and baptism, but because the missionaries and members Loved Me".

I know what you are doing is hard and there are struggles. I remember you writing that you would be willing to get bit a hundred times a day by a dog if it meant you could see the joy the gospel brings to just one person. You have the right attitude, keep it up. I have never felt so inspired by your sacrifice as I did Saturday night. The Lord is so grateful for your sacrifice. He knows you better than anyone. He will reward you for the rest of your life. Don't get sidetracked. Stay focused on your service. Have no regrets, your time will fly by.

Thoughts from Mom from Stake Conference: Faith increases by Prayer, Scriptures, Kindness, Love, and Service.

Let the Lord's light shine through us to others.

May we have joy & rejoicing.

May we be joyful & filled with his light.

Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ 2 Nephi 31:20

 

We are so proud of you, miss you, and love you so much!

Love,

Your Family

Everyone Can Be a Missionary 10/23/17

Wow these two weeks have flown by so fast! We are working super hard here and seeing some awesome results! I am loving it! We found a really cool family, the family Maldonado! They are like 4 families in one! They are super excited to go to church and we are excited to help them keep going strong! Also one of our families of converts, the family Lopez, this last week went to stake conference and loved it. They had to drive like an hour to get there and it was super awesome and I am so happy for them! Also the family Carrera left. They moved to Zacatecas with the family of the mom. They left because the dad was treating them unfairly and they definitely deserve better. It’s a good thing though because now the mom can get baptised because here she wasn’t married and her boyfriend didn’t want to get married. They called us this last week and they are doing super great. They are excited to keep going to church.

This week I had to give a talk on the spot. The bishop asked me like 5 minutes before it was time to go up... haha that was a first, but it turned out really good. I talked about the missionary work and how everyone can be a missionary. In the way that we live we can be a light to so many people around us. Like it teaches us in chapter 14 of Mathew, we are called to be a light unto everyone! I invited everyone to share the gospel with everyone they know. If we don’t directly talk to them about it, we can at least set a good example for them.

I have lots of pictures to send, but I haven’t been able to send them yet. One of these weeks I’ll get them to you guys!

I am loving it here in Matamoros and I hope you guys are all doing super great!

Elder Hawley

 

Pictures 10/16/17

No letter this week. Pictures are from the mission Facebook page.

Also a little from our chat…This week was pretty good! We baptized 3 people last week and we are going to baptise their mom this week! Also I bought a super cool camera for like 15 bucks, one that I can send the pictures over Wi-Fi.

I hope everyone is doing well.  Thanks for all the support and sharing Mitchel’s mission experiences with us.

Being a Good Samaritan & Child of God A Letter to Elder Hawley 10/16/17

Hey Elder,

 

How was your week? We sure enjoyed your letter and pictures last week. Stay away from those pineapples haha, oh and all the spicy foods. Any updates on the Family Carrera and others who have come to church?

We had a busy week as usual with work, school, and appointments. Miles had his well check. He is healthy but only 1% in height and 60% in weight haha. He also had some cavities filled at the dentist which he exclaimed after, "I am never coming to this place again!" The kids are working hard as there are only two weeks left in 1st term, and this week is UEA so only three days of school. Fall is definitely here. We have soooo many leaves in the yard and many more to fall. We also had a Fall Chili Cook-off Ward Party on Saturday that the bishopric was in charge of. It was fun and we had a good turnout. The WX police department were invited to talk about safety and be the judges for the chili contest. They got to taste all the different kinds of chili (like 12) and be the judge of which one took 1st and 2nd place.

Things to ponder this week...The Good Samaritan showed the wounded man kindness and mercy. He treated him like a neighbor. Jesus wants us to treat others as the good Samaritan did. Luke 10:25-37. Also from a primary song, "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do; To live with Him someday". I Am a Child of God.

We love and pray for you and your mission always. Have a great week and keep being "All In".

Love,

Your Family

So. Much. Rain. 10/09/17

This week it rained like every single day, haha the streets and everything were completely flooded. The streets were so full of water! Like we just were walking in water up to the bottom of our calfs. So crazy, but so fun!

This week we found a ton of people! We are teaching a really cool family, the family Carrera! They just moved here from another part of Matamoros and they are super cool! They love going to church! This week the daughter cut her foot open pretty bad playing and stepped on a big piece of glass. I cleaned it and bandaged it up. I felt really good that I could help her! We also found a lot of other people that came to church with us, but we’ll see how their progression goes through this next week!

I really like Matamoros. It’s so big and I feel like I’m always a little lost, but that’s okay. It’s going to be an adjustment, but I’m ready for it. We live in a small little house again. It’s a room to study that’s together with a little tiny kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a room for bags and clothes. We have two bunk beds pushed together and that takes up like the whole room. We all get along super well!!! We eat a ton basically with members! They are super cool!!! I’m going to have to start doing more exercises.

 This week we ate with a really cool lady whose husband had passed away. She talked to us for a while about her husband and how faithful he was. She told us that he had a phrase and what she told me really impacted me! What she asked was...Are we converted to the church or are we converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ? If we are really converted to the gospel, we would live much differently, then just going to church on Sunday. I love being a missionary, because I have so much time to dedicate to the service of the Lord, but there are so many things that I can still improve and I’m excited to do it!

Haha this week I ate a ton of chile. On Sunday oh man I woke up not a happy man. Let’s just say I’m gonna take a break from spicy food for this week, if I can.

 Pics from this week… a picture with the elders of my house. 

 Taking a picture with a pineapple (they call the pretty girls here pineapples who knows why haha).

 

From when we got soaked in the rain, when a member gave us a ride in the back of his truck.

Love you guys a ton!

Elder Hawley

Stay Close to the Spirit A Letter To Elder Hawley 10/09/17

Hey Elder,

A letter from dad:

How are you doing? How was your week? Everything is fine here at home. Nothing out of the usual this week. The new job is going well. Just crazy trying to learn everything, transition things with Triad, and help with the new division of Symphony Concrete.

Sounds like things are going great for you. I know it's hard when you get transfered and you have to leave a good situation. But there is always a purpose, it just sometimes takes a while for us to see it. You are in the most productive time of your mission. You have a lot of experience and wisdom you can pass on to the others. The challenge now is to stay focused and continue to grow and improve. I believe you have a lot of great challenges and success just ahead of you. You are laying the foundation for a great life of service to your fellow man. Try to see each person you come in contact with as the Lord sees them. Stay close to the spirit and allow the spirit to guide you in all that you do.

To grow closer to Christ, abide in Him, in His word, and in prayer: John 15:7: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." 

D&C 50:24 "That which is of God is Light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

Stay strong.

I love you,

Dad

CONFERENCE 10/02/17

Wow, I sure loved conference this weekend, siempre puede (you can always) feel the spirit so strong! I will be going over all my notes this week but oh man there was so many good things that I learned and that I’m excited to apply in these upcoming weeks and in my life!

 

The one thing I really noted in general is that they talked a lot about service and the Book of Mormon! These two things I have really gained a testimony of mientras (while) being in the mission! Keep reading the Book of Mormon and if you’re not, now is a great time to start! It is such a great blessing that we can have in our lives!  It’s our responsibility to share with others who don’t have it!

 

I really like the new area and ward here, the members (about 120) are super nice and are super supportive in missionary work, so we are hoping to have lots of success! The area is super big so I’m probably going to get lost a bit at first but I’m up for the challenge. I am like 2 ½ hours away from the mission home now. My new companion is Elder Cisneros (he’s the one with the backpack on in the pictures) and he is from Veracruz. He is super cool and I’m super pumped to work with him! These last couple of days we have been super busy working with lots of other missionaries getting ready for the next month! I have been able to see some really good friends again, like Elder Munoz! He was my second companion and now I am living with him again in a trio, but he is leaving to go home in like 10 days!

 Matamoros is super super humid and rains a lot more and floods the streets. My area has beach front, I’m really tempted to go swimming haha!

The food is super good here like normal. There is a really good bread store next door so I might be gaining some weight, but it’s like 2 pesos for one donut. So good haha.

I love you guys so much and I miss you all a ton!

Elder Hawley

Opportunities/Experiences; Be All In A Letter To Elder Hawley 10/1/17

 

 Hey Elder,

How is the new area? How was your travel there? How is your new companion? It's too bad that you had to leave such a great situation so quickly. It must have been super discouraging. Just remember who is in charge. The Lord knows what opportunities you need to get the experiences you need so you can accomplish his work. Looking back you will see the wisdom in all of this. We are so proud of you and the work you are doing.

We hope you had the opportunity to watch or listen to conference and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. There were a lot of great talks supporting missionary work. Also, talks guiding us in how to deal with the many challenges going on in the world today.

We are all doing well at home. It was a busy week with Parent Teacher Conferences and keeping up with homework. Megan started working again at Cross E Ranch for the Fall Festival. It has been super cold and rainy here. Oh and Bountiful beat Woods Cross Friday in overtime, 13-10. It was pretty sad, Woods Cross turned the ball over like 6 times. 

Elder Gary B. Sabin of the Seventy talk, April 2017: Stand Up Inside and Be All In

"Gratefully, we know how it ends for the faithful. When we are “all in,” we have the all-encompassing assurance that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” 

As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Don’t fear, just live right.”So it is with us. As we are faithful, we can have equal certainty that things will work out well for us in the end. The Lord’s promises are sure. This does not mean this mortal university will be easy or without many tears, but as Paul wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

"May we recalculate our route if need be and look forward with great hope and faith. May we “stand up inside” by being valiant and “all in.” May we be pure and courageous in defending our Heavenly Father’s plan and the mission of His Son, our Savior."

Also, some thoughts from Henry B. Eyring from October 2017 conference:

"When we stand with faith upon the Lord's rock, doubt and fear are diminished; the desire to do good increases."

"Sometimes you will be the Angel the Lord sends to bear others up. Sometimes you will be the one surrounded by Angels."

"That desire to bless is the fruit of people gaining a testimony of Jesus Christ."

We pray for you and love you a ton! Continue to work hard, "Be All In", and bless the people of Mexico.

Love,

Your Family