Best Hug EVER! 8/10/18

 

.

Could This Really Be the Last Letter? A Letter To Elder Hawley 8/6/18

Hey Elder,

How has your week and weekend been? We cannot believe this is our last letter to you as a missionary. We will miss writing them! Where has the time gone!?! As excited as we are to have you home, we know how hard it will be for you to leave. Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you as always. Please thank your Mission President and his family from us for all they have done to help you have such an awesome and successful mission. We love them and all who have served with you. We hope we can meet them some day! We pray for the people of Mexico and all the converts. The areas in the Reynosa and Monterrey East Mission will always hold a special place in our hearts!

Thoughts for your last week! "Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." ~President Thomas S. Monson

"Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life." ~Joseph B. Wirthlin 

Good Luck this week...hope it is the best! We love you a Ton, and we are so proud of you!!! Thank you for your honorable and valiant service!!! See you soon!

Love,
Your Family

Homecoming!

WWOOOOSDFJASLKDJFASD​J;; 7/30/18

That was me just having a panic/excitement attack while trying to type the subject of my email.

Wow. I cannot believe that it has really come so close to being done! I officially finished my two years last week! This week has literally flown by so so fast! But let me think if I can even remember what we did last week.

Monday: We were still in the hospital from the weekend (we traveled to the hospital which was 3 ½ hours to Matamoros from Monterrey) watching out for a sick missionary, he’s better now though. He got a stomach infection that went to his throat and made it inflamed. He almost stop breathing. It was rough! Once he got on antibiotics he was fine.

Tuesday: We traveled from Matamoros to Reynosa and stayed the night there with the zone leaders so that early in the morning we could travel back to Monterrey!

Wednesday: We woke up really early and started the travel from Reynosa to Monterrey! It was so boring haha, it took about 6 hours in total! Once we finally got to Monterrey we took the sick missionary to his new house and then went to the offices! We were busy in a meeting with the Mission President for the rest of the day, planning everything out for the transfers that are coming up and the new missionaries that are getting here today actually!

Thursday: We worked with the Mission President and visited missionaries close by and take them things they needed. Later in the afternoon we went and worked with the secretaries and helped them out a bit!

Friday: We went and worked in the zone of Los Angeles! I went and worked with a good friend Elder Richardson! We were working all day with them and we didn’t have any food that day so we went to the Burger King in their area, haha, so tasty! In the night we had to go pick up some missionaries that were leaving their area and take them to their new area!

Saturday: We had to move houses for two companionships! It was a super tiring day! We first had to take all the stuff from our house (we are 8 missionaries) and take them to a new house super far away! It took like four trips and then we had to go to another house that the missionaries had left and take all of their old materials to the new house and the offices! After we finished all of that we had some really good tortas and crepas! Crapes I think is how you say it in English, and then we went to work in our area for the rest of the night!

Sunday: We went to the church in a ward called Lomas de Pedregal! After, we ate there in the ward with a really nice family! In the afternoon we went to weekly planning with the zone of Los Angeles and then went to the offices to report all night long haha! This week was so full and it went by sooooo fast! This next week will probably be even more fast!

I love you guys so much and I’m so excited to see you all soon!!!!

Elder Hawley

Faith is Trust A Letter to Elder Hawley 7/30/18

Hey Elder!

Wow...are the weeks flying by or what??? We have been super busy with work stuff, church stuff, and house stuff haha. Malia's birthday was on July 28. We cannot believe she is 14!!! She remembered when you left she was 11 and turning 12 in two days. That seems so unreal.

We had a good sacrament meeting. The YW talked about girls camp and sang a song. Malia's talk was really good. We also had a Ward Walk About which was fun and a great success. It was an opportunity to walk around the ward and get to know each other more. We stopped at three houses and had treats.

Mosiah 18:8 "And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called ) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light."

Faith is trust, trust that God sees what we cannot and that He knows what we do not.

~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Hang in there. Keep working hard. We think about you constantly. As excited as we are to have you home, we know how hard it will be for you to leave. We wish we could be there to thank and hug everyone from us!!! We wish we could meet everyone, maybe some day!

We love you a TON!

Your Family

Happy Utah Pioneer Week! A Letter to Elder Hawley 7/23/18

Hi Elder Hawley! 

What's up? How was your week? We loved the beautiful temple pictures you sent!

This is from Dad and Miles...Miles wants to tell you he had a great time at Cub Country last week. He also went to Dragon Master Camp. He said it was awesome. He got to make a car that uses a balloon to make it go fast. He blew up his balloon super big for the races. The next day they did an obstacle course. He got to go on a zip line. He got to jump off in the middle. He had a super good time.

Mom and I spent some time at girls camp this week. It went well and was super spiritual. It was a beautiful area by Heber. Megan asked to come with us. We were so glad she went. Malia was there the whole week.

Megan took Malia and Miles to the races on Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Raceway. She had free tickets. Miles thought it was so cool and said the cars went around like in "Cars". It reminded him of Lightening McQueen. He said that there was a really small race car that he wants. He also made up a random song, "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? P e a n u t  H a w l e y." Haha he wanted you to know. 

This week is the 24 of July holiday and a thought to remember, "We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from the pioneers who came before us is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lord and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers." ~ M Russell Ballard

Things are super busy at home. Summer is going by super fast. Keep up the good work. We love hearing about your experiences! May you be part of miracles and baptisms (even if it's just "planting the seed") for the remainder of your mission.

We love and miss you a ton.

Your Family

Sacrifice-Greatest Investment A Letter to Elder Hawley 7/16/18

Hey Elder,

How are you? How was your week? We are so happy for you that you are near a temple again!

We doing are good. Just so busy with house projects and everything else going on. Dad spent a day boating with the Teachers and Priests as part of their scout camp last week. Miles has cub scout day camp on Monday and Tuesday this week that he is really excited for. Malia has girl's camp Tuesday through Saturday. So we are getting her ready for that. Dad will spend a day at girl's camp running the river with them and Mom & Dad will go up with the bishopric for dinner on Friday.

Thought & Scripture for this week, "You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make."

~Gordon B. Hinckley

Alma 34:10 "For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice."

We love and pray for you a ton. Have a great week!

Your Family

Monterrey Mexico Temple 7/16/18

New mission area has a temple and mountains!

Being Filled With Compassion A Letter to Elder Hawley 7/09/18

Hey Elder,

 

How are you? We can only imagine how busy you must be. Just a few more weeks left. The time has gone by so quick. We are super excited to see you soon and are so proud of the things you have accomplished.  Finish up strong. You have done amazing things, but there is still more to do. You can make a difference right up till the last day of your mission as long as you stay focused and work hard.

1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."

Mosiah 15:8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men

9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

We love and pray for you, your mission, and the people of Mexico!

Love,

Your Family

"Lets Save Money and Use It to Buy Some Tacos" 7/9/18

 Famous but loving words of my Mission President haha. I truly love him! We have been really busy and I haven’t been able to write! I have had some really interesting and busy weeks! This last week I have been in a new state where the other mission was but now we are together! It has been really cool to be able to see how the two missions think and how they work! So far everything has been going really good! It is really cool to see how the things are in the city! Everything is super big and fast! Also part of the mission is on the slopes of the mountains! Haha I’m so happy to see mountains again! I’m in the state of Monterrey now which is a long way away from the Texas border, but to be honest I’m not really sure how far away. It is super awesome! I’m loving it and I’m a little sad that I am leaving so soon. Right now I am living in a place called Santa Cruz and its cool. It’s my companion and I and the other two AP’s, Elder Cisneros and Gonzalez. The new home of the mission president I haven’t seen yet, but I have heard that it’s big and nice. The offices are like the new mission home for when elders get here and leave. It holds up to like 20 missionaries. I get to work with a lot of elders and they have been great! I really love working and just being in the mission. To be able to have the spirit is one of the best things I have learned to have!

My new companion is named Elder Wadsworth, and he is awesome! He is from Idaho and he has 20 months in the mission! It has been a really good time with him! He is a really good missionary and I am glad that he is my companion!

 Cool experiences this week have been just to be able to work and feel the spirit. I feel like my perspective on the mission has changed these last couple of months! Every day I have I don’t look at it like a day less on the countdown to go home but another day I have to take advantage 100%, because I have one day less and one less day of delicious tacooos. Today we bought some awesome tacos that were 6 for 20 pesos so that’s like one dollar. Haha I got two orders.

 The mission has been one of the best experiences of my life and I have learned so much! I hope that every young man and woman can work towards being able to go and serve in the same way!

I miss you guys and love you. I will see you all soon!

Elder Hawley

 

Happy Fourth of July Week A Letter to Elder Hawley 7/2/18

Elder Hawley! 

What's up? How was your moving week? We can't wait to see pictures of your new area. Miles wants to tell you that he passed level 6, baby. He is going to try out for the swim team. If there is room he will join. On Saturday he swam a 500 without stopping. He did three strokes...Freestyle, Back Stroke, and Breast Stroke (really looked like butterfly-ha).  He was the first one done in his class. He is super excited 

Ether 2:12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written.

THIS FREEDOM which we enjoy did not originate with the founding fathers.

This great boon of freedom and respect for the dignity of man, came as a gift from THE CREATOR.

~Ezra Taft Benson

We love you tons and are getting excited to see you again. Keep working hard and keep being "All In".

Love,

Your Family

Elder Cox Going Home 6/26/18

My previous companion, Elder Cox, finished the mission this week and we took him to the airport in McAllen,Texas in the heavy rain! When we tried to cross the water was soooo deep from all the rain and it was a miracle that we could pass. The water was going up past the tires and all the other cars were shutting off.  We just kept going and we finally made it through and oh man it was so crazy! After we dropped him off we couldn’t get back home so we went and got some breakfast while the rain settled down haha! I am going to miss him a ton, but I will see him soon in Utah! Now I’m in a triple companionship with Elder Gonzales who is my comp also Elder Cisneros. The rain picture was right before it started raining really hard!

Elder Hawley

Great Week! 6/25/18

Well this week was super great! First thing is the baptism of the dad of the family Lopez! Now the whole family are baptized and they are going to church! It was such an awesome day! I went to the baptism with Elder Spencer who was my companion at the time when the first half of the family got baptized! We went and he wanted to be baptized in the open water so we got to do it in a big river! He was super happy and the family is doing super great! We made a really good barbeque type thing called Discada which is just like a ton of meats grilled together! It had chicken, steak, sausage, bacon and other things and it is super good! We had the baptism in a place called Sugar Lake! It’s this really famous fishing place and they have fishing competitions from all over the world! 

 

The rest of the week I was working in the zone of Miguel Aleman and it was super fun other than my bike seat was super old and underly padded haha. On Sunday I had to help in the branch in the primary class and it was super fun and crazy, but we taught them the Golden Rule! “Do unto others what you would like done unto you!” 

Today we are moving things from the offices in the morning and also from the mission president’s house. Some workers from the church are moving the big stuff to Monterrey and then probably sometime this week we will go with the rest of the stuff.

Love you all. Have a great week!

Elder Hawley

 

x