Dear Family,
So this past week has been lots of fun and kinda crazy. But to start off, confernece was really amazing. It was really great to hear the apostles and the prophet speak.They are such great men and it makes me feel very safe to know that God's servants lead our church. Their counsel and guidence really helps me through everything. It was intersting to see how many talks were dedicated to preparing and overcoming trials and hardships. So buckle-up more is on its way. I am not worried though, just like the apostle Paul said, everything will be for our benefit if we will trust in the Lord. The comfort that the gospel brings is something truly amazing. I really loved Elder Scott's talk about the plan of salvation. He has such great hope and faith and I am striving to be the same way. That no matter what happens, to know that God will provide a way for us to be with our families; all we have to do is follow the gospel plan an it will work out. Elder Holland's talk about the atonement was really amazing also. I am very excited for the ensign next month so that I can read them in english. I watched the conference in Spanish, and it was comforting to realize that I understand a ton more than last conference (almost everything) but some of the stories and jokes still go over my head when they say them in Spanish. But anyways I am excited to read them and study them in english.
As far as the week goes it went well. Elder Rhoton got sick last Friday but it turned out to be a huge blessing. A member of our branch picked me up and worked with me for the day so that Elder Rhoton could sleep.(one of the english elders stayed with him because there are three of them this transfer) Adam (the member, he is from Puerto Rico) was a ton of help and we got lots of work done. We taught lots of lessons and invited everyone we met to conference. He was a huge help and it was awesome to see the branch step up and help us out when we needed them. I really love the people here and I love being in Camden. It really is a great place. It obviously has some major problems but the people are really nice. That is one thing that I notice about white people that is different from everyone else. To me in general white people seem very cold. When we went to the priesthood session all of the white people would just walk by without saying hello to anyone. On the other hang the hispanics and black people would always stop and shake everyone's hand (even if they didn't speak the same language). Maybe I am being too harsh but many times it seems that white people are in a huge hurry to get where they are going. Oh well not that big of a deal.
So last monday was pretty crazy. In total between elder rhoton and I we got three flat tires. Which is too bad but then it was raining outside which made it not as fun to have to patch punctured tubes. The problem is that all of the streets are covered in glass and it is impossible to avoid all of it. We work hard to avoid the big chunks but eventually they get into out tires and make holes. I put a new tube on my back tire that is supposedly 'flat free' so we will see what happens. It is supposed to have this goo in the tube that seals punctures when they happen. I doubt that it will work for long but it is better than what I had before.
Thanks for the email Tal, and thanks for the package Kirsti. I have been cravy some good salty snack food, I just never want to spend the money to buy some so your package was heaven sent.
Mom, I got the check last week. Thanks a bunch for the money I really appreciate it. Next time it would be easier for me if you just put the money into my bank account though. It is kinda hard to cash checks.
Tal you need to sen me a picture of this 'nug' and you. and let me know what you swim time is. Last I heard it was at 5:24 which is way sweet.
So I hope everything is going well on the home front.
Love,
Elder Haslam
PS I am going to send you some pictures of this guy in our branch. His name is Harry Torres and is his crazy. I really like him a lot though. He was less-active but he has been coming to church for the past month and a half which is way cool. He is a schizophrenic which makes life interesting when we go over to his house.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Happy and Sad
Dear Family,
So this past week has been a really good week. It has been kinda rainy on and off and we have had some crazy thunderstorms but everything is going well and we are still moving along. This past Thursday we got soaked to the bone because we were not expecting it to rain so all we were wearing was sweaters. By the time we started riding home I was shivering all over. fortunately neither Elder Rhoton or I got sick so that is something to be grateful for. We have been more careful going outside though.
So two major things that happened this past week. First one happened on sunday. There is this little kid in our branch named Cristofer, and he comes to church with a family in our branch. His family are not members but he always spends time at this members house and she asked us to go over and teach him a little bit. So we have been over there and we have taught him about prayer and we read from the book of Mormon stories book with him. It is a nice book that really makes the scriptures better for children and it has cool pictures so he likes it. Anyways last Saturday we asked him to pray and ask whether the book was true or not. And he did. It was really funny because we were sitting in sacrament meeting with him and he turned to me and said very loudly 'the book is true.' At first I didn't know what he was talking about but the he said 'I prayed in my bathtub last night and God told me that the book is true.' I could not stop smiling and I almost laughed. He prayed and got an answer. How simple is that. The faith of a child is a great thing.
Secondly, we had an exchange with our zone leaders this past Monday. I went to Pleasantville (near Atlantic City) with Elder Ritchie and it was really fun. It was way nice to be able to spend sometime with him and work with him again. He is signing up for classes at BYU for Fall semester. It will be weird when he goes home. He is finishing up his mission and I feel like I am just getting started and figuring things out. He is definitely one of my best friends out here. He only has two transfers left which really fly by on the mission and what is even crazier is that when he goes home I will hit my year mark. It all goes by so fast. Too fast sometimes but I guess that is just the way life is. It just keeps speeding up.
Mom and Tal thanks for the emails. And I would really love it if Tal went to BYU. I think that we would have a ton of fun. That is one thing that I do miss being out here is doing stuff with Tal. We did everything together and it would be way fun to do more stuff, like hike and bike in the mountains, go snowboarding and skiing, and all kinds of other good stuff. OH, and Tal likes the older women I see. I am sure that she is a great girl though. You were never one to put up with any stuff that you didn't like and not say anything about it. And mom, I know that there is some girl out there someone, I have just decided that I am not going to worry about it anymore. Perhaps one day a beautiful woman will fall from heaven, that loves to cook(hispanic food) and dance, but until then I will ignore them. Which is what I am supposed to do which makes it easy.
And kinda of a sad note. I wrote a letter to Dad last week about this girl in our branch that is having some major problems. We saw her last night because her mom asked us to come over. It was really sad. This girl here is really destroying herself and she is now getting medical help and everything but she is still dating this guy that is sucking the life out of her. She seems to have just given up hope. She knows that she should get rid of him but she is so afraid of the consequences that she will not do it. She said that she is finally starting to feel back to normal with the medical help she is getting and that she will go right back to were she was if she dumps. So she says that it is better if she just goes on pretending than if she breaks up with him. It was really a sad conversation. So we told her to do three things: first was morning and nightly prays, second was to actually study the scriptures daily, and the third was that she needs to keep a journal. But with the journal she is not allowed to be negative. She has to write three blessing that she received that day from the Lord. I really hop that that helps her. Other than that we cannot really do anything else. We are not supposed to be counselors so now we will just have to trust in the Lord. I am sure that she we break up with this guy eventually I am just afraid that she is going to screw up really badly before she does.
I read the story of Enoch when he asked the Lord why he was crying. That is how I feel about this whole thing and the worst part of it all is that I cannot do anything else.
But life goes on through sorry and pain to higher points of joy and happiness. We just need to learn how to avoid the sorrow as much as possible because it will come anyway. We do not need to go looking for it.
I really love being a missionary. It puts a smile on my face everyday when I can tell people about the restored gospel of Jesucristo. Thank you all for everything that you do and I hope that everything is going well. Tell Sam that I am thinking about him.
Love,
Elder Haslam
So this past week has been a really good week. It has been kinda rainy on and off and we have had some crazy thunderstorms but everything is going well and we are still moving along. This past Thursday we got soaked to the bone because we were not expecting it to rain so all we were wearing was sweaters. By the time we started riding home I was shivering all over. fortunately neither Elder Rhoton or I got sick so that is something to be grateful for. We have been more careful going outside though.
So two major things that happened this past week. First one happened on sunday. There is this little kid in our branch named Cristofer, and he comes to church with a family in our branch. His family are not members but he always spends time at this members house and she asked us to go over and teach him a little bit. So we have been over there and we have taught him about prayer and we read from the book of Mormon stories book with him. It is a nice book that really makes the scriptures better for children and it has cool pictures so he likes it. Anyways last Saturday we asked him to pray and ask whether the book was true or not. And he did. It was really funny because we were sitting in sacrament meeting with him and he turned to me and said very loudly 'the book is true.' At first I didn't know what he was talking about but the he said 'I prayed in my bathtub last night and God told me that the book is true.' I could not stop smiling and I almost laughed. He prayed and got an answer. How simple is that. The faith of a child is a great thing.
Secondly, we had an exchange with our zone leaders this past Monday. I went to Pleasantville (near Atlantic City) with Elder Ritchie and it was really fun. It was way nice to be able to spend sometime with him and work with him again. He is signing up for classes at BYU for Fall semester. It will be weird when he goes home. He is finishing up his mission and I feel like I am just getting started and figuring things out. He is definitely one of my best friends out here. He only has two transfers left which really fly by on the mission and what is even crazier is that when he goes home I will hit my year mark. It all goes by so fast. Too fast sometimes but I guess that is just the way life is. It just keeps speeding up.
Mom and Tal thanks for the emails. And I would really love it if Tal went to BYU. I think that we would have a ton of fun. That is one thing that I do miss being out here is doing stuff with Tal. We did everything together and it would be way fun to do more stuff, like hike and bike in the mountains, go snowboarding and skiing, and all kinds of other good stuff. OH, and Tal likes the older women I see. I am sure that she is a great girl though. You were never one to put up with any stuff that you didn't like and not say anything about it. And mom, I know that there is some girl out there someone, I have just decided that I am not going to worry about it anymore. Perhaps one day a beautiful woman will fall from heaven, that loves to cook(hispanic food) and dance, but until then I will ignore them. Which is what I am supposed to do which makes it easy.
And kinda of a sad note. I wrote a letter to Dad last week about this girl in our branch that is having some major problems. We saw her last night because her mom asked us to come over. It was really sad. This girl here is really destroying herself and she is now getting medical help and everything but she is still dating this guy that is sucking the life out of her. She seems to have just given up hope. She knows that she should get rid of him but she is so afraid of the consequences that she will not do it. She said that she is finally starting to feel back to normal with the medical help she is getting and that she will go right back to were she was if she dumps. So she says that it is better if she just goes on pretending than if she breaks up with him. It was really a sad conversation. So we told her to do three things: first was morning and nightly prays, second was to actually study the scriptures daily, and the third was that she needs to keep a journal. But with the journal she is not allowed to be negative. She has to write three blessing that she received that day from the Lord. I really hop that that helps her. Other than that we cannot really do anything else. We are not supposed to be counselors so now we will just have to trust in the Lord. I am sure that she we break up with this guy eventually I am just afraid that she is going to screw up really badly before she does.
I read the story of Enoch when he asked the Lord why he was crying. That is how I feel about this whole thing and the worst part of it all is that I cannot do anything else.
But life goes on through sorry and pain to higher points of joy and happiness. We just need to learn how to avoid the sorrow as much as possible because it will come anyway. We do not need to go looking for it.
I really love being a missionary. It puts a smile on my face everyday when I can tell people about the restored gospel of Jesucristo. Thank you all for everything that you do and I hope that everything is going well. Tell Sam that I am thinking about him.
Love,
Elder Haslam
Spring
Dear Family,
So spring has come as far as the calender is concerned, but it is still cold outside. It got warmer over the past weekend for a little bit but that really did not stick around for very long and this past Monday was pretty cold as we went outside on bikes. On the first day of spring we did get free water ice at a called Rita's. Water ice is kinda like a slushy but a little different. There are a ton of places around here that sell it, and it was good stuff. When the weather gets really warm I am sure that is when we will get it more often.
As far as news goes this week not too many things to report. We had interviews with President Winegar and apartment inspections by Sister Winegar. Neither of which were very exciting. My interviews with President are usually very laid back. He is a man of very few words and I usually don't feel a need to bring anything up to him so the interview is usually pretty quick and then we just go out and work again. Also this time Sister Winegar barely check anything in our apartment; which was a let down because I had spent a lot of time cleaning trying to make sure that everything was in order for when they came. She only checks apartments every six months so she usually does a very indepth check but this time she barely looked at anything.
Something that was exciting was that this past monday we got invited to a birthday party of someone in the branch. Nicole Henry turned five so they all went to a place with a ton of those blow up bouncy things. It was fun and Elder Rhoton and I messed around boxing and jousting. It was also a really good way for us to talk to some of the people there that are not members of the church. It was fun but crazy with a ton of little kids running around in every direction. It was pretty funny to see the people that worked there try to give directions to the little kids. It was funny because only about half of the kids there could understand their english well enough to obey the directions and only about half of those tried to obey the directions at all. So it was basically mayhem but no one got hurt and everyone had a good time. Afterward there was pizza and the kids went home. I really love little kids. It is nice in this branch because all of the little kids really like the missionaries. Some of them like us too much and we have to calm them down when they start trying to tackle us and eat us. But either way it is fun to be around all of them.
I must say that I really love being a missionary. Just yesterday we were able to sit down with a little nicacaguan lady and she explained everything to us about her county and all of the great things that they love to eat. It is so great to get to know people and help them. I will be very sad when I have to leave this area. All of the people here are really great and it makes me so happy when I see them do good things and move forward in life. There are hard times also but I try not to let them get to me. Some people will lie to us and other will just not listen to us at all but that is there decision and my happiness is not dependent on another person's actions.
So I don't have much else to say today. I am sorry that it was kind of a boring letter. But I hope that everyone is doing well at home and please keep me updated on swimming and everything else.
Love,
Elder Haslam
So spring has come as far as the calender is concerned, but it is still cold outside. It got warmer over the past weekend for a little bit but that really did not stick around for very long and this past Monday was pretty cold as we went outside on bikes. On the first day of spring we did get free water ice at a called Rita's. Water ice is kinda like a slushy but a little different. There are a ton of places around here that sell it, and it was good stuff. When the weather gets really warm I am sure that is when we will get it more often.
As far as news goes this week not too many things to report. We had interviews with President Winegar and apartment inspections by Sister Winegar. Neither of which were very exciting. My interviews with President are usually very laid back. He is a man of very few words and I usually don't feel a need to bring anything up to him so the interview is usually pretty quick and then we just go out and work again. Also this time Sister Winegar barely check anything in our apartment; which was a let down because I had spent a lot of time cleaning trying to make sure that everything was in order for when they came. She only checks apartments every six months so she usually does a very indepth check but this time she barely looked at anything.
Something that was exciting was that this past monday we got invited to a birthday party of someone in the branch. Nicole Henry turned five so they all went to a place with a ton of those blow up bouncy things. It was fun and Elder Rhoton and I messed around boxing and jousting. It was also a really good way for us to talk to some of the people there that are not members of the church. It was fun but crazy with a ton of little kids running around in every direction. It was pretty funny to see the people that worked there try to give directions to the little kids. It was funny because only about half of the kids there could understand their english well enough to obey the directions and only about half of those tried to obey the directions at all. So it was basically mayhem but no one got hurt and everyone had a good time. Afterward there was pizza and the kids went home. I really love little kids. It is nice in this branch because all of the little kids really like the missionaries. Some of them like us too much and we have to calm them down when they start trying to tackle us and eat us. But either way it is fun to be around all of them.
I must say that I really love being a missionary. Just yesterday we were able to sit down with a little nicacaguan lady and she explained everything to us about her county and all of the great things that they love to eat. It is so great to get to know people and help them. I will be very sad when I have to leave this area. All of the people here are really great and it makes me so happy when I see them do good things and move forward in life. There are hard times also but I try not to let them get to me. Some people will lie to us and other will just not listen to us at all but that is there decision and my happiness is not dependent on another person's actions.
So I don't have much else to say today. I am sorry that it was kind of a boring letter. But I hope that everyone is doing well at home and please keep me updated on swimming and everything else.
Love,
Elder Haslam
Basketball and Bike accidents
Dear Family,
So this past week has been really nice with warmer weather and lots more sun. A ton of more people are outside which makes it easy to talk to a lot of people. It is really funny to see all of the people moving around, there are tons. People riding dirt bikes and quads, playing football and basketball in the streets, and all other kinds of crazy stuff. The other day we played a game of two on two basketball with some kids. We were on their street and both of our appointments had fallen through so we stopped and played with them for about 15 min. It was fun and I am sure it was funny to see two white kids in ties playing basketball with all of the black kids on the street. We got really sweaty though and we grabbed some slurpies before our next appointment.
Things are going well and it is really nice to be able to ride bikes without jackets. There are a lot more people out now though so we have to be more careful. I actually went over the front of my handle bars on monday. I tried to get my front tire over a gap in the sidewalk and I didn't quite make it and the tire hit the edge of the gap and sent me over the front. I wasn't going fast so I was able to catch myself before my face went into the ground but my left thigh hit pretty hard into the edge of the gap. So now I have a bruise about the size of a grapefruit on my leg. Nothing bad though, and it was pretty funny. Elder Rhoton was laughing pretty hard but he did manage to pull the bike off of my back. But I brushed myself off and we kept going.
As far as missionary work goes it is awesome. Since elder Christenson came our branch president has been really pumped up about missionary work. We are going to be having a meeting with him this sunday to see what we can to give the work in the branch a boost. Our branch president was actually bale to come out and teach with us this past week. It went really well. We went and taught a family from Puerto Rico about prayer. Prez Ortiz was really helpful and he was able to help us teach about why we need to pray, how we should pray, and in what way we receive answers. He was able to share with them how pray was a crucial part of him being baptized and it was a really good lesson. We are going back to that family on friday and I am very excited for that lesson. The parents are really nice and they have five kids. The oldest is 15 then it goes, 13, 8, and they have two year old twins. The twins are crazy and we try to switch off distracting them while the other one teaches. It works well we just have to make sure that they do not get anything to hit each other with. Last time one of them grabbed my bike pumped and tried to use it has a hammer on his brother's head. The 13 year old is really cool. His name is Jesus and last time we were there he told us to wait so that he could get pencil and paper. He came back and asked us again what the steps to prayer so that he could write them down. His brother gave him a funny look and Jesus told his brother that he needed to learned how to pray and that he was going to write it down so that he could remember the steps. The are a really great family and I am excited to see them again.
The work is going great and we are getting more support from the members in this area. We are going to be having a new branch mission leader also and I am excited for that. His name is Cristofer Moral and he is about 26. He is really excited and has lots of great ideas. I like him a lot and I hope everything will go well with him.
Also I talked to the mother of Elder Castenellos. I think that is how you spell his name. I know that he was serving in our ward back home when I left on my mission. She was really nice and had called to get the phone number of our branch president. She told me that her son was also a missionary in CA. I asked her where and she said Carlsbad and it just went from there. She told me her son had told her that I was coming out here and she said she was excited to meet me someday. She lives out near Atlantic city so I told her that if I was ever out in that area that I would stop by.
Also, does anyone know if Jaren has been able to put in his papers? And how is Sam doing? I was able to fast this last sunday so I hope that he is doing well. Please let me know.
Okay I am going to finish this up. Keep me updated on the goings on back home. Tal let me know how swimming is going and I want to know more about this girl that you met. Remember about 9 times out of 10 girls are trouble.
Love,
Elder Haslam
So this past week has been really nice with warmer weather and lots more sun. A ton of more people are outside which makes it easy to talk to a lot of people. It is really funny to see all of the people moving around, there are tons. People riding dirt bikes and quads, playing football and basketball in the streets, and all other kinds of crazy stuff. The other day we played a game of two on two basketball with some kids. We were on their street and both of our appointments had fallen through so we stopped and played with them for about 15 min. It was fun and I am sure it was funny to see two white kids in ties playing basketball with all of the black kids on the street. We got really sweaty though and we grabbed some slurpies before our next appointment.
Things are going well and it is really nice to be able to ride bikes without jackets. There are a lot more people out now though so we have to be more careful. I actually went over the front of my handle bars on monday. I tried to get my front tire over a gap in the sidewalk and I didn't quite make it and the tire hit the edge of the gap and sent me over the front. I wasn't going fast so I was able to catch myself before my face went into the ground but my left thigh hit pretty hard into the edge of the gap. So now I have a bruise about the size of a grapefruit on my leg. Nothing bad though, and it was pretty funny. Elder Rhoton was laughing pretty hard but he did manage to pull the bike off of my back. But I brushed myself off and we kept going.
As far as missionary work goes it is awesome. Since elder Christenson came our branch president has been really pumped up about missionary work. We are going to be having a meeting with him this sunday to see what we can to give the work in the branch a boost. Our branch president was actually bale to come out and teach with us this past week. It went really well. We went and taught a family from Puerto Rico about prayer. Prez Ortiz was really helpful and he was able to help us teach about why we need to pray, how we should pray, and in what way we receive answers. He was able to share with them how pray was a crucial part of him being baptized and it was a really good lesson. We are going back to that family on friday and I am very excited for that lesson. The parents are really nice and they have five kids. The oldest is 15 then it goes, 13, 8, and they have two year old twins. The twins are crazy and we try to switch off distracting them while the other one teaches. It works well we just have to make sure that they do not get anything to hit each other with. Last time one of them grabbed my bike pumped and tried to use it has a hammer on his brother's head. The 13 year old is really cool. His name is Jesus and last time we were there he told us to wait so that he could get pencil and paper. He came back and asked us again what the steps to prayer so that he could write them down. His brother gave him a funny look and Jesus told his brother that he needed to learned how to pray and that he was going to write it down so that he could remember the steps. The are a really great family and I am excited to see them again.
The work is going great and we are getting more support from the members in this area. We are going to be having a new branch mission leader also and I am excited for that. His name is Cristofer Moral and he is about 26. He is really excited and has lots of great ideas. I like him a lot and I hope everything will go well with him.
Also I talked to the mother of Elder Castenellos. I think that is how you spell his name. I know that he was serving in our ward back home when I left on my mission. She was really nice and had called to get the phone number of our branch president. She told me that her son was also a missionary in CA. I asked her where and she said Carlsbad and it just went from there. She told me her son had told her that I was coming out here and she said she was excited to meet me someday. She lives out near Atlantic city so I told her that if I was ever out in that area that I would stop by.
Also, does anyone know if Jaren has been able to put in his papers? And how is Sam doing? I was able to fast this last sunday so I hope that he is doing well. Please let me know.
Okay I am going to finish this up. Keep me updated on the goings on back home. Tal let me know how swimming is going and I want to know more about this girl that you met. Remember about 9 times out of 10 girls are trouble.
Love,
Elder Haslam
Food and Missionary Work
Dear Family,
So I am pretty sure that this letter is going to be kinda preachy so for give me for that. But lots of things have been floating around in my head. But to start off on a little note I think I would like to extol the virtues of steaks.
Now in south Jersey and Philly a steak is not what it is back home. There are tons of stores everywhere that say that serve steaks, hoagies, fries, and pizza. But a steak is a sandwich. The most common being a cheese steak but it is basically any combination of chopped up beef with other things served on a sandwich bread. Cheese steaks are amazing. My personal favorite is just a cheese steak with catchup (most people get this) but it is also really good with onions, bacon and pretty much anything else you can think of. There is a cheese steak place called Ruthie's in North Camden (the most dangerous place in the City) that is amazing. Lots of members tell us it is the best place in Jersey. I really love the way we eat. We can have cheese steaks when we want, good pizza every way, good italian food, and of course tons of good hispanic food. I tried some egg plant the other day too. I finished my entire plate of it but it was really not good. We'll see if it is good the next time that I try it.
So anyways on to a more serious note. I have been thinking a ton about the necessity of members in missionary work. This past Tuesday we had a big meeting with our entire zone and it really got me thinking about lots of things. What happened is that Elder Christiansen, the seventy over the mission in the north east, came and talked to our mission president, assistents to the president, and our zone leaders about about the necesity of members in missionary work. He brought lots of cool numbers about the precentage of people that get baptized form member referrals versus missionary finding efforts and the difference is huge. For every 200 member referrals 50 people are baptized and for every 3200 people found by missionaries 50 are baptized. (these numbers are for the north east but I am sure that they are similar back home) He has said that those 200 member referrals come from about 10% of the members. His basic point was that we need to focus on that 90% of the members that do nothing.( that is kinda harsh to say about members but in some cases it is unfortunately true - and I do not think that feeding the missionaries is helping them, I would rather starve and get a ton of referrals than eat all the time but fortunately both can happen) Anyways so we have really tried to change our focus and see what we can do to help that 90%. We as missionaries really need to teach the members how to help us. Most of the time when the members are not helping the missionaries it is the missionaries fault. So basically the entire meeting we had was dedicated to what it is that we can do to help that 90%. Because think of the amazing success that could be had if that huge reserve of members gave the missionaries referrals! Amazing things would happen if the missionaries and the members could work together. Neither should blame the other because that does not help either.
So to continue on with this train of thought, here are some of the things that really struck me as we thought of ideas to push through this wall. First off is that the missionaries need to teach the members how to share the gospel. Often times we forget as missionaries that it is not always easy to bring up religion with people. We think that people just need to do it but we forget that they do not wear a name tag and people do not expect it. Two, the missionaries should live worthy of the sacred trust that a member referral is. Three, the missionaries should report back to the member the progression of the friend; share the success and joy that comes when someone reads the Book of Mormon and prays.
On the member side we really need to give the missionaries people to teach. One thing that Elder Christenson said is that his goal is to have someone new to give to the missionaries every four months. He said that it is a commitment between him and the Lord and he always is able to complete his end because the Lord will always keep His. He said that it is a matter of fasting and pray. And that the importance of setting and end date is invaluable. Without an end date we will never be accountable for that time and it will be wasted. The end date also creates a sense of urgency. He called it the desperation theory. He said that for the first little while he doesn't think about finding anyone but that as the end draws near he gets more and more desperate to find that person who has been prepared. The Lord will put people in our way when He knows that we will regonize them. That is why the date is crucial.
So I don't really want to tell everyone what to do but I think that it is a good idea to set a date and a goal to have someone for the missionaries to teach. We can all do better to not be that 90% and to even get rid of that statistic all together. Work with the missionaries do say that they need to work harder and don't let the missionaries tell you that you need to do a better job at supporting them. (especially if that will not show you how)
So if you want to pick a date, and tell the missionaries that you will have someone by that date for them to teach. And if the missionaries where you are tontos just give them some gentle reminders of what they need to do. They are learning just like everyone else.
anyways that is enough preaching How is everyone back home? mom I got the contacts and gummy bears yersterday thank you. and thank you everyone for the emails. I really appreciate them.
Love, Elder Haslam
So I am pretty sure that this letter is going to be kinda preachy so for give me for that. But lots of things have been floating around in my head. But to start off on a little note I think I would like to extol the virtues of steaks.
Now in south Jersey and Philly a steak is not what it is back home. There are tons of stores everywhere that say that serve steaks, hoagies, fries, and pizza. But a steak is a sandwich. The most common being a cheese steak but it is basically any combination of chopped up beef with other things served on a sandwich bread. Cheese steaks are amazing. My personal favorite is just a cheese steak with catchup (most people get this) but it is also really good with onions, bacon and pretty much anything else you can think of. There is a cheese steak place called Ruthie's in North Camden (the most dangerous place in the City) that is amazing. Lots of members tell us it is the best place in Jersey. I really love the way we eat. We can have cheese steaks when we want, good pizza every way, good italian food, and of course tons of good hispanic food. I tried some egg plant the other day too. I finished my entire plate of it but it was really not good. We'll see if it is good the next time that I try it.
So anyways on to a more serious note. I have been thinking a ton about the necessity of members in missionary work. This past Tuesday we had a big meeting with our entire zone and it really got me thinking about lots of things. What happened is that Elder Christiansen, the seventy over the mission in the north east, came and talked to our mission president, assistents to the president, and our zone leaders about about the necesity of members in missionary work. He brought lots of cool numbers about the precentage of people that get baptized form member referrals versus missionary finding efforts and the difference is huge. For every 200 member referrals 50 people are baptized and for every 3200 people found by missionaries 50 are baptized. (these numbers are for the north east but I am sure that they are similar back home) He has said that those 200 member referrals come from about 10% of the members. His basic point was that we need to focus on that 90% of the members that do nothing.( that is kinda harsh to say about members but in some cases it is unfortunately true - and I do not think that feeding the missionaries is helping them, I would rather starve and get a ton of referrals than eat all the time but fortunately both can happen) Anyways so we have really tried to change our focus and see what we can do to help that 90%. We as missionaries really need to teach the members how to help us. Most of the time when the members are not helping the missionaries it is the missionaries fault. So basically the entire meeting we had was dedicated to what it is that we can do to help that 90%. Because think of the amazing success that could be had if that huge reserve of members gave the missionaries referrals! Amazing things would happen if the missionaries and the members could work together. Neither should blame the other because that does not help either.
So to continue on with this train of thought, here are some of the things that really struck me as we thought of ideas to push through this wall. First off is that the missionaries need to teach the members how to share the gospel. Often times we forget as missionaries that it is not always easy to bring up religion with people. We think that people just need to do it but we forget that they do not wear a name tag and people do not expect it. Two, the missionaries should live worthy of the sacred trust that a member referral is. Three, the missionaries should report back to the member the progression of the friend; share the success and joy that comes when someone reads the Book of Mormon and prays.
On the member side we really need to give the missionaries people to teach. One thing that Elder Christenson said is that his goal is to have someone new to give to the missionaries every four months. He said that it is a commitment between him and the Lord and he always is able to complete his end because the Lord will always keep His. He said that it is a matter of fasting and pray. And that the importance of setting and end date is invaluable. Without an end date we will never be accountable for that time and it will be wasted. The end date also creates a sense of urgency. He called it the desperation theory. He said that for the first little while he doesn't think about finding anyone but that as the end draws near he gets more and more desperate to find that person who has been prepared. The Lord will put people in our way when He knows that we will regonize them. That is why the date is crucial.
So I don't really want to tell everyone what to do but I think that it is a good idea to set a date and a goal to have someone for the missionaries to teach. We can all do better to not be that 90% and to even get rid of that statistic all together. Work with the missionaries do say that they need to work harder and don't let the missionaries tell you that you need to do a better job at supporting them. (especially if that will not show you how)
So if you want to pick a date, and tell the missionaries that you will have someone by that date for them to teach. And if the missionaries where you are tontos just give them some gentle reminders of what they need to do. They are learning just like everyone else.
anyways that is enough preaching How is everyone back home? mom I got the contacts and gummy bears yersterday thank you. and thank you everyone for the emails. I really appreciate them.
Love, Elder Haslam
Mexican Cake Fight
Dear Family,
So it snowed again here, alot. I thought that we had made it out of the worst part of winter but apparently not. There seems to be this unsettling trend were it will get warming for a couple of days, in the 50's, and then get really cold for a couple days. It definitely keeps us on our toes as to what we are going to wear. On the past weekend we got about 6 inches of snow, which is the most in one storm that we have gotten for the entire summer. And when it stopped snowing it got really cold so most of it froze. In Camden they plow the main streets but lots of the small side streets they cannot get into so they just leave it up to the people that live on the streets to take care of it. So about half of the city gets plowed and salted were as the other half grows a layer of ice over everything. So we have been walking a lot because we don't want to fall on our bikes with all of the ice. But it is supposed to get warmer over the weekend so hopefully that will save us.
In other news we had a cake fight with some members in our branch. It was crazy. I will attach some pictures and try to describe it the best that I can. One of the sister missionaries in our branch is going home today so for the past week the members have been doing stuff for her to make her feel loved. She spent half of her entire mission in this branch so she knows the members really well and has really become an honorary member of the branch. (my opinion is that she is nice but I am not a number one fan) Anyways the Cabrera family invited us over for lunch to say goodbye to her. When we got there they had a huge cake. This family is crazy and I have seen pictures of times when missionaries have been at there house with cake. So needless to say I was looking forward to some fun.
So was ate lunch and then cut the cake. And right when the sister was about to start eating her piece one of the sisters in the family smeared the cake all over her face. So cake started going every where and most of everybody ran away except for me Elder Rhoton and Patti Cabrera. She is crazy and started and ended the entire thing. She put cake in my ears and when we though we were done and cleaning up she brought our raw eggs and threw them at me and my companion.
It was really fun and we got some crazy looks riding home to take showers. It was a really fun day.
So how is everything going back home?
Oh, also Elder Rhoton and I are staying together for one more transfer which I am really excited about. This will be transfer number three so I hope is turns out well.
Love,
Elder Haslam
Power of the Priesthood
Dear Family,
So I am sitting here in the library trying to think of what to write to everyone. And I think that this week one story really stands out to me the most. Elder Rhoton and I were able to give a blessing to a really nice lady this week before she went into the hospital for a surgery.
It was very strange how it all happened. It was last wednsday and we were actually out shopping at walmart. Four of us went shopping and I actually stayed in the car with one of the english elders because he is on crutches. (that is another story- basically fell on his bike when he hit some ice and hurt his ankle) So we were just waiting in the car for the other elders to grab some stuff. So as I was sitting in the car someone called us named Freddy. I have never met the guy but apparently he is a member but he lives in Atlantic City area. He called because he knew a lady from his work that was going into the hospital the next day to have a surgery. she lives in Camden so he called us to ask us if we could go over to her house that night and give her a blessing. I told him that we would love to be able to do that and we told him that we would stop by her house around 8 that night.
So we went over there and we were not sure what to expect at all. I had never been to that street before and I had never even talked to the lady. Fortunately we are used to knocking on people's doors and to have no idea what the outcome will be and this time they were actually waiting for us. We went in and introduced ourselves and then explained what a blessing was and what it entailed. We could tell that she was really nervous and so we read here a scripture and told her that it was a really simple thing but that it also depended on her faith. We gave her a blessing, set up a time to come back and then left.
When we came back the next time she was really happy to see us. She told us that when we had come last time that we had made her feel much better. That she felt much calmer and that she stopped worrying about the surgery. She said that everything had turned out well and she was on the mend. It was really cool to see how happy she was and to see that she was doping well. It really made me glad to be a missionary.
Our Heavenly Father is always here to help us. If there is one thing that I have realized is that no matter what we do He will always be there to help us on our way. He can always help us more if we are willing to follow Him and obey His commandments but even the people that have strayed off of the path receive His love. It makes me sad when people are so quick to judge the people around them. It happens a lot here esspecially in Camden. Most of the people that live here have been given up on by others and they have really given up on themselves. Even some missionaries look at the way people live here and say that the people are lazy and really just show lack of love for the people. We are all children of God and even though one person has wasted his life away on drugs, alcohol, gangs and almost every thing you can think of, that does not make that person any less loved than you or me.
So share the gospel! And lend your hand to those who have lost their way.
Love,
Elder Haslam
So I am sitting here in the library trying to think of what to write to everyone. And I think that this week one story really stands out to me the most. Elder Rhoton and I were able to give a blessing to a really nice lady this week before she went into the hospital for a surgery.
It was very strange how it all happened. It was last wednsday and we were actually out shopping at walmart. Four of us went shopping and I actually stayed in the car with one of the english elders because he is on crutches. (that is another story- basically fell on his bike when he hit some ice and hurt his ankle) So we were just waiting in the car for the other elders to grab some stuff. So as I was sitting in the car someone called us named Freddy. I have never met the guy but apparently he is a member but he lives in Atlantic City area. He called because he knew a lady from his work that was going into the hospital the next day to have a surgery. she lives in Camden so he called us to ask us if we could go over to her house that night and give her a blessing. I told him that we would love to be able to do that and we told him that we would stop by her house around 8 that night.
So we went over there and we were not sure what to expect at all. I had never been to that street before and I had never even talked to the lady. Fortunately we are used to knocking on people's doors and to have no idea what the outcome will be and this time they were actually waiting for us. We went in and introduced ourselves and then explained what a blessing was and what it entailed. We could tell that she was really nervous and so we read here a scripture and told her that it was a really simple thing but that it also depended on her faith. We gave her a blessing, set up a time to come back and then left.
When we came back the next time she was really happy to see us. She told us that when we had come last time that we had made her feel much better. That she felt much calmer and that she stopped worrying about the surgery. She said that everything had turned out well and she was on the mend. It was really cool to see how happy she was and to see that she was doping well. It really made me glad to be a missionary.
Our Heavenly Father is always here to help us. If there is one thing that I have realized is that no matter what we do He will always be there to help us on our way. He can always help us more if we are willing to follow Him and obey His commandments but even the people that have strayed off of the path receive His love. It makes me sad when people are so quick to judge the people around them. It happens a lot here esspecially in Camden. Most of the people that live here have been given up on by others and they have really given up on themselves. Even some missionaries look at the way people live here and say that the people are lazy and really just show lack of love for the people. We are all children of God and even though one person has wasted his life away on drugs, alcohol, gangs and almost every thing you can think of, that does not make that person any less loved than you or me.
So share the gospel! And lend your hand to those who have lost their way.
Love,
Elder Haslam
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