26 September 2011 (24 days and counting!)

Hello family. heck yes i am going to send emails home on the 17th! it might be lame, but it will be an email. that's cool that you finished the roof, I´m glad that I don´t have to play 14 feet off the ground with you guys.

Anyways, the area. la paloma. how goes la paloma. yesterday in church we had TWO INVESTIGATORS!!! the one that we are more excited about is named G. We have been talking to her for about two weeks, and we almost stopped visiting her because it seemed like she wasn´t really understanding. But the other day we passed by with a member and G. was having issues and she said that she needed the gospel. Then on Saturday we went by and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith repentance baptism holy ghost endure til the end ) and she said that she would get baptized and we set up for the member taxi to pass by her house. It did . She came with her 4 year old C. The first hour of church we were all together for relief society and priesthood. The stake presidency talked about the correct order of the church and that only leaders can get revelation for the branch. it was way good, but there was like 90 things that they talked about that G had never heard before. She laughed out loud the first time they called our group a branch of the church, and then the priesthood and all that stuff. my oh my. But she seemed pretty enthusiatic about church and like she is going to continue. But that was basically the longest hour of my life, just hoping that she didn´t get offended or misunderstand in a bad way. Tomorrow we are going to set the date with her for the 15th of October. We´re pretty excited, but the C´s are out of town and the navy family just got back the other day, hopefully we can stay in contact with them. Good thing they have member friends.

I love you guys all a lot. keep it real.
elder b
I´ll try to talk to Sister L. at changes to tell her that I will see her bro.(There is a missionary serving in our ward who's sister is serving in Barry's mission! Small world... ~Jenny)

19 Sept. 2011

Hello.

Sadly, we only had one investigator in church yesterday, a granddaughter of the relief society president. But... we had a member family be missionaries this week! They had their neighbors over this Tuesday when we came over. We got to know them the first time, and they accepted to hear more and on Friday night we taught them the restoration and they said that they will get baptized when they know its true. It was one of the most spiritual charlas ever. The best. They couldn´t go to church because he is in the navy with the member guy and he had to work, military work isn´t something you can just skip out on. But we are really pumped to see them, because most of the other people we have we weren´t able to see this week, super frustrating, the C´s were out of town and the S's were visiting family when we tried to go. But we at least saw them once, we restarted them with the Book of Mormon. but the greatest part of the week was A and A, they are the friends of the members. they are so cool, because they are normal, she says that she knows how to make cupcakes so in the next lesson she owes us them. She was sick on Friday, so she wasn´t going to come, but she decided that they weren´t going to ditch us. YEAH BABY! This is exactly what we are trying to go for. This family wouldn´t have ever had the chance to talk to missionaries because we aren´t allowed to knock doors on the military base where they live, but if they keep on going in the route they´re going they will be an eternal family (tear drop...) I love teaching normal people.

I´m glad you guys prayed about the roof thing, you better be careful, wait until I get home to have catastrophes, okay?

dang Utes.

Never thought I would say that.

I´m glad C is a menace already I was nervous for her. But she is awesome and rad so there was no reason to worry.

I love you guys a ton my dear family, there aren´t too many of these emails left.

I realized this week that when I left on this great journey I wasn´t really ready to be adult. I have been through a lot out here. It has been rough at times, but overall the happiest time of my life. I feel like now I am finally at the point to where I am ready to be a missionary, and its time to come home. I think I grew up. a little :)

elder b

love ya

12 September 2011 38 days but don't tell Barry

hi.
That is crazy that C is already gone off to college. I'm glad that cw and k could help her out a bit. I have never met k, but she wrote me once and I already feel like we´re best friends.

This week we worked hard, but I feel like we had little success. Especially since no one went to church. With some of the people we have its amazing that they didn´t come. S on Saturday said she would come but come Sunday she couldn´t because they had to go to Rocha to be with her sister who just found out she had a lung tumor (its not a tumor! name that movie.) {Challenge from Momma Jenny: Name that movie and get a prize!}

Anyways, we set goals to keep the members more informed and to always set real appointments with the people and remind them the night before. I am determined to get baptisms this change, forget it being my last, the branch needs more people and fast.

I have a small trunky thought. My drivers license expired last week, and wasn´t it just a paper that you have to turn in to get it renewed? If possible, could you please look that up for me? 

We made sloppy joes this week. they were good.

We had a good week . Overall we did good things, it was weird not going to changes this week, but we got more work time so its all good. It is weird not being the dl, and I am not used to the new one, I was really liking talking to the zone leaders every night, both elder C (ZL) and I were bummed to not be able to talk every night anymore.

 Well hopefully my pictures get to you,

Every week we have been picking a new attribute of Christ to study and this week I picked faith, I want to study more about Christ and put Moroni's promise into effect, I know that the Book of Mormon is true already, but I also know that a renewed testimony will not only help me but more importantly the investigators.

I love you family. Keep up the good work, and don´t get trunky, it aint over till its over, and then comes the longest plane ride of your life.

chao

 elder barry

5 September 2011

Hellooooo family.
Sorry, that was a Spanish translation about the house. We weren´t planning on living in the dorms dorms, but in an apartment, you know me, I´m not dishing out dinero for a house. YYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH SSSS!! yes, he is going to RUSSIA! woo yeah russia! 

I´m not going to lie, its gonna be a little rough to cheer for my boys up at the Y, but I´ll catch on. I'm glad they won though. super stoked about the game we get to go to too. Go Beavs. thanks for the great package, the Dew was great and I almost cried when I saw that you fixed the racket. We ate my cake last night waiting for change calls, but nothing changed, except President is letting me have my last change free of duty. I am officially just a senior companion on a mission to baptize a million before the 18th of october.  

This week for my birthday, the branch threw a little family night party in the house of one of the members. It was super fun, well old people fun. We were in charge of games and we played church jeopardy. It was really nice of them and on my bday another sister made me a cake. I felt loved. thanks for the money, its all going towards stuff that is super cheesey that says Uruguay. 

We had a really good week. We were not able to talk to the C family because they went out of town but we did set up English class with F and his friends, and also the nephew of a member and some friends need help. Thats like 6 nonmembers in the church. Amazing. It sounds like they have a pretty rough English teacher. The S family are kinda iffy. He is super excited, but she seems less and less interested every time we go, I think we scared her a little with the word of wisdom. darn it. 

But we fuound a new family, the O's. They weren´t able to go to church, but they want to get baptized, if all goes well, it will be on the 24th of Septiembre. 

We are working or trying to work a lot with the members, and it is way better, we still haven´t gotten it into their heads 100 percent but we´re going around to them.  

My shoes are trashed, or rather, the tops are fine, but the bottoms are kinda messed up. I love it. 

Well this week I start my last change of the mission, so I am going to work my guts out and hopefully we can baptize the 9 people we have with a baptizmal date.

I love you guys a ton.
Elder B

29 August 2011

Herro Erryburry!

This week was really good. We had a branch activity on Wednesday to remember the good old days, they played a bunch of old Latino music and food. Then when it was ending and we were helping to clean up the cd switched and they played Elvis and Hotel California, it was like heaven. Then they gave us all the left over sodas. Anyways that's not so much the good part of the week.

We found a killer family. The only problem is that they live really really far away. The members tell us that it is 10 kilometers, or 6 miles away. I doubt it because last night we made the walk in just over an hour, and we had to get 20 contacts on the way. By the way, my shoes are toast. I´m just hoping that my shoes for meetings last until the Seattle airport. Too bad that that is 2 years away. haha

Well anyways, this family is the bees knees. The first time we talked to them we had been knocking doors in the new apartments where everyone says we´ll have no success, but people live there so we go to get our 20 contacts, and we knocked, saw that there was someone there, waited, nobody came, so we left. Then we were like a block away and this kid (F)comes up and asks if we had knocked his door and if so that his mom says to come over because she would like to talk with us. They had a lot of questions about what we do, and how long we´re here and all that, but then we had a killer lesson. All we have been able to talk to is the mom and her four kids. The mom is Sara, and her kids are F he's 13 and G she is 8 and two little ones.

The first lesson we had we talked about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and we left them 3rd Nefi 11. They all read it, G said she read it 5 times. So this time, yesterday, we went back and talked about 3 Nefi 11 and baptism, and they all have a date to be baptized on the 24th of September. The member we took is super cool too, said that she would pass by their house on Sunday to take them to church. Its weird, because they have money, basically all the families I have ever found and or baptized were poor. But I guess Alma is right, blessed are the poor who are humble but even more blessed are the not poor who are humble.

I. and her kids are doing alright we can´t teach them much because it is far, but they are progressing anyways.

The S's, good job on the spelling mom, are doing good. He had to work this Sunday so once again they missed out on church. We taught them the word of wisdom this week and they both smoke and he is a recovering alcoholic. But they want to quit, and tomorrow we are going by their house to set specific goals to get them going.

President taught us that if it is their goal, and not ours, it actually means something to them and we can more fully promise them the blessings they deserve, its an eternal principal, they need to use their agency, we teach them, but they decide to act. We can help them make the goals, but it is valid when they are the ones who set them. Its true.

Thank you a lot for being great parents and teaching me the right way to live and how to do things the right way. You are both great examples to me.

I love you tons
elder hawkobsen

22 August 2011

Hey family.

You'll have bells on? I might just ask for an extension... eight hours in Chile, that stinks, but I´m sure we´ll find someone to talk to haha.

I´m so jealous that you got to see a free concert in the Seattle Center, I saw Macklemore on that same stage, he is the man. That center is full of great memories, like freaklife festival.

We had zone conference this week. it was really good, but made me feel old. I was the oldest missionary there, and two of the sisters were in their last change, so they had to give their testimony in front of everyone. Next change that will be me. Oh boy. Anyways, Pres talked about working with the members, helping THEM share the gospel, you know, the way missionary work is supposed to be done.

Its super fun, new, but fun, and I really feel like it will work. That and I´m gonna be doing a lot of what we are teaching members when I get home in two years. haha. On that note, I have been thinking a lot about what you said about C, how he has been going to church with you guys. Do the missionaries even know? If you don´t think he is ready to listen, you should at least get him around the missionaries a lot. It makes sense in his situation to be nervous about going all out with him, but it sounds to me like he is pretty prepared. he is a super cool kid anyways.

Our week actually went pretty good. We found a family that the missionaries used to teach back in the day and they are awesome. Its a lady with 10 kids. yeah, 10. The only issue is that they live like 5 miles from the church. It was a long day the day we went out for them.

But it´ll definitely be worth it if they start coming to church. they all want to be baptized too.

D and D couldn´t come to church this week because he has kidney stones. Poor guy worked extra hard Friday and Saturday so he wouldn´t have to on Sunday and then he gets sick. She was also sick on Sunday. rrrgg. But they do have the paper work started for their wedding. So at least one concern is getting taken care of. Keep praying for them, they need all the help they can get.

I´m super jealous that you guys are going to ride in Yellowstone.

Sounds like a blast, they let you right? probably.

Well i love you guys a lot.

No I do not shave 1 leg anymore. Sorry if that disappoints you.

elder B

15 August 2011

What up thug.What? What up thug. What? What up thug. What? What up gangster.

Hey yáll, in this cyber (Internet place) the guy has been bumpin fitty cent for the last 20 minutes and its killing me. That guy has a mouth on him shoot. I also can´t sit still with out at least nodding my head to the beat.

So the subject of this weeks email. Gays. Remember A, from like 2 weeks ago? We had a good lesson with him, and met some guy that lives with him, at least 20 years older. So we assume he was the father. False. Last Monday night we had a lesson with them, and I asked, so are you guys family? The older, F, responded as non chalantly as can be, no, we´re a couple. You should have seen my face. I had to keep it straight, but on the inside I was DYING. We finished the lesson, turned the corner and I just let it out! WHAT!?!? gays!? hahahahhahahaha. But really, a gay couple. But they had some interest, so we went back on Saturday night and taught them about the Book of Mormon. super spiritual lesson, and they committed themselves to read it. I have NO IDEA how to teach them that they can´t make gay and get baptized, but we´ll have to pray a lot. Cuz being gay isn´t the sin, making gay is. But they definitely felt the Spirit.

Also the family S of awesomeness didn´t make it to church, but they are progressing with the scriptures and really want to get baptized, today we are going with a member and we´ll teach the importance of going to church every Sunday.

I have zero flight plans, I don´t get them till right before I leave.

Maybe you should email the mission office to find out. Lets not pull an RM.

Today I officially turn 22 months old. flip. AAAHHHH I'M LIKE THE CRYPT KEEPER!!!

We gave talks yesterday, it was good. I talked about missionary work with the members. My comp talked about the doctrine of Christ. I was the concluding speaker, I felt pretty cool.
No news from the BYU yet?

I met a guy from Georgia the other day, he is a southern baptist and won´t change, says he, but it was good to do a contact in English with someone who actually speaks it. Southern accent and everything.

Well have a good week.
I love y´all.
elder hakobsen