June 24, 2013

Family,
Good week this last week. We had some great lessons with some great people. The work is still kind of slow but Miracles always will occur after the trial of our faith right?

So the language has made a huge stride. And Its been arriving well for me. We are teaching some great investigators and they are slowly progressing. Its tough to get them to church but we are working on it.

So our street outside our house always plays music really loud. The same 5 songs all day and all night. BUt this last week I have been getting classic rock and motown. Along with lots of Shania twain and alan jackson. haha. And its always the loudest during my personal study. Not Cool. Almost impossible to focus cause I just want to sing a long. Especially when James Browns, This is a mans world, comes on. hahaha. I have been singing that all week and my cmomp wants to kill me. And then Celene Dions Titanic song comes on and you already know I am singing that all day. haha. They will even play the whole ricky soundtrack and I want to strap on the tie and teach the entire city. hahaha. So there are some pros and cons to the music.

I love this area. I dont want to leave. Hopefully I can stay longer but we get our transfers next week so who knows what will happen? Anyway, I love you all and hope you are all being safe and doing well. I am obssesed with the iogurte here. Its amazing. They have flavors of fruits I have never heard of. haha. I eat iogurte with my quaker oatmeal mixed with corn flakes and I cut bannans in it every morning for breakfast and for dinner. Its too good. Honestly, all of the food is good here.
We found we still have rats living with us So I put on my Dual Survival thinking cap and created three amazing traps with trip wires today. I know they will work. haha. Our bate is unreal.

Anyway I love you all and I hope you are being good. Stay safe. Love you

Elder Hadley

June 10, 2013

Family,
So this week was a great week. We met a lot of great people and had some fantastic lessons taught. I hope all is well with you.
So it was hot really hot until wednesday and it has rained ever since. Reminds me of when Rich and I were driving through Misouri on our trip together. Crazy rain. So we met a family and we taught them about the Book of Mormon and the mother of the family wanted one and said in one week she would ahve it read. We have never had someone accept it that quickly. We check up on them tomorrow. Hopefully she at least read the part we assigned. The Spirit was really working in the lesson.
So Friday comes and President and Sister Andrezzo stopped by and had interviews. They said our house was the cleanest they had seen. Naturally. So we come home Friday night and Right as I turn on this light I see this rat dart in our room. The hunt was on. He climbed up in my bed through the bottom. Then he darted in Elder Silvas. So we flipped the bed upside down and out he comes. He takes off out into the main room where Elder Silva was, thats when I yelled (Silva, Contact!!!) hahaha. Too much call of duty. So Silva takes some swings and misses. The rat jumps up on the matress we had placed to block a door way to the kitchen. And wham!! I bring the hammer of Thor on him right as he got to the top and lights out. Thats when I yelled (Tango down...) hahaha. Again, too much call of duty. we we took care of this guy. He had lived under our beds for some time. Elder Silva found 20 reis (money) under his bed. haha. score.
So it was a great Spiritual week with great lessons and we also got a kill. Love you guys and be safe.

elder Hadley

June 3, 2013

Mom I love you so much. Stay strong. Hey just go listen to Blake Sheltons song Baby. I know its sad ending. haha. But...Its our song. So go listen to it. It will make you feel better. I have been singing it all week.
So family,
I love you all and hope all is well. This week was hot..really hot. Until Friday adn Saturday the weather decided to dump gallons and gallons of rain. Friday I was not prepared for it so I was soaked all day. We had two come to church this Sunday!!! About time. They both are young men adn have great Spirits. Amazing to see the Lord work his miracles. I felt the Spirit so stron in some of our lessons this week. I testify that God is very aware of each one of His children. And will bear testimony to them if they are ready for it.
So that sums up my week. I have some more dunk guys and anti americans get in my face a time or two. But instead of giving them a push out of my way I have decided to teach them the gospel and invite them to church. haha.
So this week I studied 2 times Alma 17-28.
Family, Study these chapters this week for me will you? There are power and in the words written in these chapters. Study them will real intent and really paying attention to every verse. I wept like a child reading about the Anti-Nephi-Lehis. And the thing is. I have read about them many times. But I dont know. I just found some things in there that I didnt before. Study these chapters and have a desire to know them well. They can teach us missionaries how to be better missionaries. And they teach us Saints how to be better Saints.
Scriptures for the day: Alma 28:6 and 12. Study and ponder them. I would tell you what I got from them but then you wouldnt read them yourselves. Find joy and comfort in these scriptures.
Okay actually I want to talk about them a little bit. But you still need to read them.
Verse 6: I want to testify of the power of a true fast and prayer. And how even when we are in our darkest or or brightest times. We should use it. Prophets from the time of Adam have taught to fast and pray. The Savior HImself, the very Redeemer of all manking went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. (And it is my belief he fasted often throughout His ministry. It says in Matt 4:1 (JST) He went to the Wilderness to be with God. I testify that real and intense fasting and prayer brings us closer to our Father in Heaven. Something we all need, always. If the very Son of God thought it was important to fast, I think it is important. If He found strength in fasting and praying. And He is a God. No question we as mortals men and women can find Strenght Beyond Our Own.

Verse 12: These people lost many loved ones in war. After Fasting and Praying. They were able to rejoice knowing they will be raised with God in a neverending state of happiness. The loss of our precious Carson eats at our souls. And no doubt will until we can hold him in our arms again. But I testify that that sweet little boy will be raised to dwell at the right hand of the Very Supreme Being who created us, and loves us with more love than can be measured. So when you day is hard. And I know everyday is hard. Please remember where Carson is and who he is with. And where we all can be one day. If we keep our covenants we have made with Our Father in Heaven.

I made it a goal to sutdy those chapters as often as I can. I pray you all will as well. I love you all very much and am praying for you. Dont worry about ol Matty boy. He keeps it real Na Bahia!! Again I love you all and I have made it a goal to fast once a week.

Love you,
Elder Hadley

Pictures from Elder Hadley

May 13th, 2013

Family, 

I will get on a little later today. I am sure you are all sleeping. It was so great to see and hear you all. Cant tell you how much I needed that. Sorry for getting emotional last night, that wasnt my intention. I just cant tell you how grateful I am for you guys and for Eternal Famalies. Its such a blessing....

I love you all and hope you have a good week.!

O ya and Mom, Amanda, Michelle, and Nicole!! Happy Mothers Day!! I forgot to tell you all! haha.

Love, 

Elder Hadley

May 6th, 2013

Family, 

So I dont have much time so I might be quick but I will let you know what happened a little this week. 

So lots of more crazy experiences happened to me and some things I have never seen before. Some very good and some very bad. I wont talk about the bad things. For another time maybe. But Lets talk about the good things. 

We are working very hard with three investigators. Valdomir, Luis, Vanderlei. 

Valdomir is a man who after reading with him in the BOok of Mormon this week we asked him to pray about it right there with us. He gave a very heart felt and powerful prayer. When he was done we were all silent for close to 5 minutes. He then told us he has a feeling in his heart he cant describe. He knows the church is true and he has to be baptized. But.....He didnt come to church....Im heart Broken...We will stop by to see what happened tonight. 

Luis, this is a man who wants to change his life. This guy walked from São Paulo to Porto Seguro. He WALKED, it took him 6 months. He walked with a Bible and a journal to write about his account. He wants to be better so badly. He has such a strong testimony. He knows the Church is true. He has read lots of the Book of Mormon. But we stopped by his house yesterday as well. And....Nothing. He wasnt even home. We had made plans with him to go to church with him. And he wasnt home. Again...Very Heart Broken. We will also stop by tonight to see whats going on. 

Vanderlei. 10 years old. He came to church with his Grandmother. This kid loves me. haha. We talk all the time even though he always tells me I talk funny. haha. I have been teaching him to practice my Portuguese. He asked me two days ago if I will baptize him. ha. So I baptize him on the 18th of this month. Great kid who is very very shy but always talks to me. ha. Good kid. His family is awesome. I think his mom and dad will be baptized as well. We have just started tot teach them. 

It was a hard working week but it could always be better. Very very very hot. haha. And I am told this is normal. This isnt even the hottest. Wait till summer. I sweat all day and all night. O well. I am used to it now. I love you all and hope all is well. keep being good boys and good girls. I am thrilled for April and Crystal and Hannah. What amazing young women. The Lord will bless them very much for their service. 

Again I love you all. And tell Brett Clyde I will kill him because I havent heard from him. And thats a promise. Okay I am going to try to send pics now. love you all. 

Elder Hadley. 

April 29th, 2013

Family,

First off, this is the easiest way to write me. It is faster and I can print off your letters and read them. We do thirty min in the morning for my friends and I print your letters. Then 30 min in the afternoon to answer my family.

Alright, I am going to get a bit mushy. I was brought to tears because of the detailed letters you all send. I know it may not seem like a big deal but I really cannot understand why I was so lucky to be placed in the family I was placed in. I love you all very much. Thank you for your examples to me.

Okay now about the week. First off, early in the week i came to know I dont know the language as well as I thought. haha. We were teaching and it was my turn to teach the first vision and I completely forgot what I was going to say. Like I forgot every portuguese word I have ever learned. haha. And we sat there for like 5 minutes in silence. Literally almost 5 minutes. Ya that was humbling to me. Hoenstly I speak to everyone. I dont even care if I speak wrong, they can always understand me because they have to pay more attention. Members in teh branch tease me because I conjugate things wrong or stuff. But I try anyway. The youth tease me alot. But i have the attitude that it really doesnt bother me at all. Although they do say my accent is really good. But some say I sound Italian because I fluctuate my voice too much. haha. O well.

Okay so we were tracting into the ghetto area. And all of a sudden this guy comes out with a giant faka or sword. I think there is another word for it i cant remember. It is used to cut grass. anyway, He comes out of  his house going to kill someone. haha. Comes to find out the guy he went after and was running away from him kicked a ball and hit his 3 year old son. This dude was crazy. But we wanted to teach him anyway. So the next day we went to go teach him and he loves the bible and wants to hear lots more. He wants to read the book of Mormon. haha. Crazy! This guy had a sword and was ready to kill someone.

Next day we are teaching a young man who has a problem with drugs and really wants out. So he asked to meet with us. Right before we were about to teach him this old lady comes in and starts talking to him and from what I could tell that she said, she said God is not happy with you win you sin and doesnt love you and he wants this nasty demon inside of you out and so she put her hand on his head and one in the air (this is all right in fron of us). haha. And just starts creaming and yelling trying to cast this Devil out of him? haha. She was saying things like, Come out of him, The Lord wants you back, I have the gift of tounges and I can save you and then she would go off in some other language. Freakin weird. Anyway we taught him after and he loved it and he came to church with us yesterday. He is a really good kid and wants out of drugs.

Okay so the thing here is family fotos, they all want to see my fotos. So as they look through them the same thing happens. They say, What happened to these two? (pointing to Garlan and Nate). Then I always reple, Yes the are unattractive, infact quite frightening. But we love them anyway because we try to follow Christs example to love one another. Then we lead into Christs Ministry. And the first lesson. The Spirit is so strong. So nate and G thank you for looking the way you do. You invite the Holy Ghost to every first lesson.

Also, everyone asks your names. And they all are in love witht the name SPENCER. When they hear me say it they all just say, wow that is so beautiful, wow I love that name. Then they repeat it like 10 times.....I know Rich, I am just as confused as you are. haha.

So we taught lots of lessons and were able to contact many news. I love inviting people to come to church or asking if we can come teach them. They always accept. And they always accept baptism. haha. The people here are great.

With the language, it is difficult. But the solution is to just SPEAK, they will understand you because of the Spirit and they love to hear the American talk to them. It means a lot to them.

Okay I love you all very much. Remember who you are. In Romans 8 we can read Pauls testimony about us being Children of God and He will never abbandoned us. We have experienced, we are experiencing, and we will experience hard  times. We go through hard times because the Savior went through the hardest of times. I have been thinking about the Atonement A LOT lately. Christ felt the pains of every person who has walked the earth. He knows how to succor us. IF we let Him. He can and He will heal us. Read Romans 8. Great Ch. and I am out of time. I love you all very much. And love hearing from you.

Elder Hadley