Oct 27, 2014

Family,

So this week was a good one. I had the chance to travel to another city to do a split with some missionaries. It was a lot of fun. I got to work with a missionary from my group named Elder Groll. He is a stud. Then we worked really hard when we got back to our area. Like really really hard and had a lot of people confirmed to go to church with us. But.....unfortunately we did not have as many as had said would go. Thats normal, right? But it was still pretty sad because these people were SUPER solid on going to church. Our investigator  that was going to get baptized this saturday had to go to the interior of the state......super sad. She will get back in two weeks and we will baptize her then. 

Elections happened.....Dilma won again....she is garbage. Aécio would have been way better for this country. 

Anyway. Sorry I dont have a lot of time to write. We had lots to do today and still have lots more to do....but I love you guys and hope you all have a great week. Tell michelle and nate I love them. Give all of the grandkids a big hug and kiss for me. I am super excited to see all of the little ones here in 3 months....crazy how fast its going by....I am still focused but still...its a lot easier to think about home now. haha. 

Love you all!

Elder hadley

Oct 20, 2014

Family,

Hey so this week was a really good one!! We had a lot of time to work in our own area and that was really nice. We found and taught lots of less actives and found lots of new people. We confirmed lots of people to go to church with us but we were only able to take a few. It was a little sad but as i have learned here on the mission you have to count the small victories even if they are small. haha. 

We took a less active lady to church from São Paulo. I think she is like 60 years old. We call her grandma. haha. Its super funny cause she yells at us all the time so we yell back at here. Like on Sunday she was taking forever to come out of the house and we just stood outside yelling at here to hurry up and that we were going to leave her. hahaha. She is pretty funny. We also took some girls who actually went by themselves which isnt something tha happens every sunday. haha. They are really good. They are 24 and 25. You find here that girls take life way more seriously than the guys. Not always but a lot of the time it is that way. Then the couple who we are helping get the papers to they can get married also went. They are seriously the coolest people. They are a young couple and they LOVE it when we teach them. Cardim the husband is such a stud. He has incredible questions and understands things of the gospel so well. The book of Mormon is helping out a lot. Its great. I am pretty tired and working in this super hot sun is difficult but the people that we find each day and the others that we are working with make it all worth it. 

 This week we will travel to a city called Itabuna to do a split with some missionaries. I am pretty excited. I have already been to the city because it is super close to Ilhéus, where I was serving. But I have never had the chance to actually work there.  

Thanks for the birthday wishes. We were able to work really hard on my birthday even though I was pretty dang sick. President and Sister were traveling so I didnt get a cake....haha. Because if you are a missionary in Salvador then they will buy a HUGE cake and take it to your house for you. But they were in the interior traveling so they called and sand to me. Last year they were also traveling....its okay. Next year maybe I will get a birthday cake. haha. 

So i heard BYU is having troubles and lots of injuries....thats super sad. They were doing really well. I feel really bad for Taysom. I hope he is doing well. 

Dang the family pictures and the pictures of my nieces and nephews is super great to see. I seriously have an urge to grab them and kiss their cheeks. I miss those babies!!! Everyone will be at my homecoming and leave the babies at the house until I go to BYU to make up for the two years I didnt have with them. haha. 

I hope you all are doing well. I miss you guys. Love you!! Have a great week!!

Elder Hadley

Mom, I still havent gotten the box....haha. but its okay. Its coming.

Oct 6, 2014

Hey, 

Alright so I have heard from a few of my friends that mom is saying that she hasnt heard from me in the last few weeks....haha. Sorry mom I thought I was sending email. The truth is, like I have already said, I dont have a whole lot to say when I sit down to write you guys. haha. I am not sure why but I really dont. But I will try to be more detailed. 

So here we go:

I got back to salvador and I am loving it. I love my companion and I love the other missionaries who live in our house. It is seriously like the best house on the mission. Everyone is so good and works really hard. We have a missionary named Elder Hoggan who is actually the mission secretary and probably will be for the rest of his life cause he is so dang good at it, living with us and he honestly is just an amazing kid. i am super impressed with how he carries himself. He doesnt force it and isnt like awkward or weird or anything but he just is a really good kid. I remember he got on the mission when I first went to go train and I wanted to train him so badly!! But I didnt. ha. Anyway. 

This first week back in salvador was great. Here at the Stake center during general conference I saw tons of people from Itapuã and Bandeirantes, the two areas that I worked in while I was here before. I saw members, recent converts, and less-actives that i worked with. It was super emotional. I loved it. haha. I think I might have lunch for the rest of our Pdays while I am here in Salvador. 

During the breaks of conference sessions me and my companion spent a lot of time with Presidente Andrezzo talking about the mission and really just talking. Its honestly very humbling to be able to work closer with him. A man incredible inspired, loving, merciful, pacient, and very obedient. He really cares for all of the missionaries and you can see it. On saturday he took me and my comp to eat at McDonalds. Wow.....the 2nd time on my entire mission....haha. It was pretty dang good. It had been a long time. 

We have a really good group. We are working with lots of people who need to get married....something that is very difficult to make happen here in the state of the Bahia....Its a long and difficult process. Even for those who really want it. 

Elections this week.....thats been pretty crazy for the past month and a half. Lots of commercials and stuff like that. they do elections here WAY different.....

Not much is new. We are preparing a training to give tomorrow about The Book of Mormon. Probably the best topic to give a training about. We hope and Pray it will be a success. 

I loved general conference. It was incredible. I loved all of it and took some great notes. I really enjoyed Jorg Klebingat and Elder Bednars talk. Elder Holland....like always. I loved Elder Scotts talk. And Elder Godoys talk was amazing as well. I was spiritualy fed. I am sure you were as well. 

I hope you have a great week!! I love you all!!

Elder Hadley   

Sept 29, 2014

Hey Family,

So transfers came in......and I am getting transfered back to Salvador.....I am super nervous about this new area and everything else but I know I will learn a lot and be able to help lots of missionaries. I am going to miss my comp like crazy....seriously....I will miss him a lot. Goodness I love this kid....I know we will do a lot together after the mission but still....I am going to miss him.

Our area is awesome. The people are great. Not a whole lot to say. ha. Our investigators are awesome. Elder Ray is awesome and will continue to tear it up!!!

My new companion is also amazing. I am super grateful for the chance I have to serve with him. He is  spiritual giant and will help me out a lot. His name is Elder A. Santos. A really good kid.

love you guys

elder hadley

Sept 22, 2014

Family,
Sorry....I know I have been super lame with the family emails these past few weeks.....actually pretty much the entire mission. Forgive me...haha.

So this week was an amazing learning experience for me. I learned that the enemy tries many different ways to destroy The Lords work....we as missionaries/members of the church have to do all that we can to not permit it to happen.

I was studying a lot this week about Joseph in Egypt and about the VISION that he had. He honestly knew exactly what he had to do to be successful. Even when everything was against him and he passed through so many difficulties he did two very important things. 1) He didnt get down and forget his GIANT plans and goals in life and didnt stop believing that he was capable of accomplishing them. 2) He remembered who was with him and that was all that he cared about. It says many times in the scriptures that The Lord was with him or something close to that.

To accomplish what we need to in life we need to do exactly what Joseph did.

Keep our eyes on the plans and goals we have. No matter what happens. And we cannot be afraid to have VISION and understand that we are capable of being (the second in command of all of Egypt).

We cannot forget who we are and who is with us.

We all need to remember that. Things wont always always go our way. But if we do what Joseph did....we will be alright. I wrote down tons of other stuff that I found from that experience that he had but I think thats good enough. haha.

RICH and CHERISE!!!!! Had the baby!!!! Wow.....I am so dang happy. I hope everyone is healthy and doing alright.

President gave a training to a few zones in the mission and I cant even explain to you the Spirit that was in that chapel. He speaks with SO MUCH POWER. He teaches from the scriptures and from the words of the leaders of the church. It is sucha blessing to have him as my leader. I trust him with everything I have. A great man.

I love you all and hope that you all have a great week!! This week will be an amazing week for us!!

Elder Hadley

Sept 8, 2014

Hey family,

So My email has had a problem for a few weeks now. I get emails super late or nt at all....and when I send emails sometimes they dont go through and I have no idea that it happens. ha. So sorry about all of that.

Sos this week was a great one. Another amazing Saturday.

So we went to Salvador for the monthly council and it was a great time. Like always I cannot help but just get goosebumps and feel The Spirit so incredibly strong when my mission president President Andrezzo speaks to us....He speaks with power and authority and you know how much he loves you. I am grateful to be serving with him.

So we got back with our suitcases full of suppplies for the other missionaries and as we were walking to the church we saw a guy with an old cart and his mule....so naturally...we asked him if we could throw our bags in and jump in the back. Being a man from the Bahia. He let us in with no problems. haha. He took us down the main street until we got to the church. haha. It was pretty dang funny. 

This week we worked hard with those that we are teaching and found more people to teach as well. We had some great spirt filled lessons that were amazing. At church there was some drama with the members during sacrament meeting....without going into detail it was a pretty rough..haha. But its okay.

Today has been a roller coaster. A son of a recent convert of mine here in this area passed away. Its pretty sad but they will be okay. We will go to the viewing tonight and give our support. Its been a super stressful day. For some reason we have had to plan the viewing...me and my comp. ha. But its working out well.

So I will send some pics in this email. I hope you all have a great week.I love you guys!! Be safe!!!

Elder Hadley

Sept 1, 2014

Hey!

So this week was another incredible one that once again ended amazingly. I am really happy to be here. So I am with Elder Ray from Portland Oregon. Mom, thats where he is from. ha. I sent some pictures last week of us together. Next week I will send some more. We have to leave in a few hours to travel to Salador to get some trainings. Its a long bus ride and we get zero sleep. haha. Thats normal. Sleeping isnt the easiest thing in the world and hasnt been for  a long time. ha.

Spence congrats man.I am super proud of you. I heard BYU won. Thats good for them. Hopefully they do really well this year.

This week was awesome. We have lost some contact with some great investigators that we were working with. We have to get back into contact with them because they were progressing super well. We baptized a 13 year old girl this week and are working with the rest of her family. I have never met a 13 year old girl so amazing and with so much desire to do good. She is reading the book of mormon everyday and writes down what she learns. We got her on the personal progress for young women already and she is killing it!! I will send you a picture of her next week. Serioulsy though....she is an angel.

We worked hard this week, and had the chance to talk to and teach and help lots of people. Its basically the same stuff every single day. haha. Nothing too crazy happens. Its nothing like Salvador. haha.

I love my comp. I love this area. I love this work. Its fun. I miss you guys and now that fotball has started.....I wont lie....its pretty dang tough. haha. But I am doing alright.

I love you all. If you have any questions I think it will be easier to write more in emails. have a great week!!

Elder hadley