September 27, 2010

Hey Family!

I´ll start with the questions.

 

Tell us a little more about the language.  Sounds like you are already comfortable with it which is really great.  Do you take turns running the meetings you have with investigators?

     Language is good. I can pretty much understand and speak. I need to build my vocab and the grammar is coming more and more with time. We take turns teaching sections of the lesson. We usually divide the lesson into two parts and we take turns teaching each part.

Give us a little more detail on the food you eat.  Do you have snacks during the day?
    Food is always rice and beans with some kind of meat. Also lots of potatoes. No snacks during the day, so we´re always hungry when we get home at night haha. Usually have a sandwich or something.

Did we ask you if a mosquito net would help you sleep at night?  It's your choice, but if I were you, I would rather have bug spray on than have bites all over.

    I´ve thought about a mosquito net. I may just have you guys send me one in the next package. I´ve been using the fan and it works okay.

 

Do you get to watch conference?  Where?

     We can watch conference. It will be in Pirassununga, a town about 30 min away. We will either catch a bus or caravan with the church members here. I don´t think we´ll get to watch priesthood because they show it at 9 saturday night and 6 the next morning. We´ll see though. From what i understand it will be in Portuguese haha. Saturday is an if, it depends on how the work is going during the week and investigators and stuff. I think Sunday is a for sure though. I´m excited. It´s cool being able to tell people that they get to hear a prophet of God speak to us. It really is a privilege and is important to watch. I think people forget.

So glad that you weren't bitten by a dog.  How is Elder Souza's leg doing?  

    Fine. It really wasn´t too bad.

     Well it was a tough week to be honest. We had two interviews with 2 girls, one 12 and the other 15. They passed but the parents won´t sign. Its frustrating. There are parents here who barely have a mind for where their kids are and what they are doing, but when it comes to baptism and not drinking and living the law of chastity, they say no. Only Satan can do that to people haha. We are working really hard but nothing seems to be coming our way. There were some days that I just wanted to quit. I´m glad for my companion. He said that his first transfer was like ours. I´m doing well now. We just have to keep working with the hope that we can find someone. I really like the parable to the lost sheep. Jesus left the others in search of the one. This is what I am doing right now. Searching for the "one´s" that are ready to hear the gospel. I also like D & C 18 and how it talks about the worth of every soul and our joy with one soul in the kingdom of God. It has been hard but we keep going on. At the beginning of every week we get to start over. A chance to start new and try for a new best. This is exactly like the atonement. Every week we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, a chance to repent and do better. No matter what happened last week we can change and learn and do things differently. What a blessing. Right now for the work we need to find new investigators. We need better quality investigators too, those who are really looking. We arent receiving references yet so we find through contacts. 

I have a cold right now that I am fighting. Wish you were here Mom haha. I got a haircut today and it was great. I hadnt had one in a month! It was about time.I love you all so much and thanks for the love and support. Stay strong and close to the Lord through the Spirit. I´m going to try to attach some pictures.

 

Love,

Elder Hawkley

 

This is my district at the CTM. I will forward the pictures from zone conf. 

More pictures next week.

 This was a Zone Conference in Pirassununga, Brazil.  Ryan is in the top row, middle.

September 20, 2010

Hey Family!

Well someone actually was bitten by a dog this week. And fortunately for me it was my companion haha. We were walking down a road the other night and two dogs started chasing us. One was kind of big and the other was kind of small. The big one was after me and the little one my companion. I ran and he didnt haha. He said afterward that usually when you dont run they dont bite, guess not haha. My dislike for dogs is only growing here haha. They´re everywhere. Anyway we went to the doctor today and he only has to get a vaccination if the dog dies in 10 days haha. its more of just a scratch but he says it hurts at times. 

Elder D. Souza is awesome though. He has 1 year and 3 months in the field. He doesnt speak any english, so we speak in portuguese all the time. I like it that way though. He looks like you probably would picture a brazilian. 

I forgot my card reader again today, will try to remember next week. Our home is really good. Its just us there. 

Teaching is going good. There are definitely things to improve on, but its going well. 

Zone Conference was awesome. It was in the city of Pirassununga, about 30 min away. We take a bus there every week for district meeting. I really like Pres Prieto. He spoke a lot about obedience and also said that any elder could go home without questions if they just tell him in the next interview. He wants quality missionaries. I guess this mission has a bad history. Lots of disobedient elders and Pres Viera the last president, never sent anyone home i guess. But all is well. We have interviews next week. 

I did get your letter from mission ties and the pictures. I also got a letter from Elder Hardy this week! (Thanks for the letter brother! sounds like you´re doing awesome! Congrats on the baptism! You´ve got a letter coming! Work Hard!) Thanks for forwarding his email mom. please continue. Oh and i need the address of his mission office please to send him another letter. 

My feet are doing alright. I still have quite a few blisters haha. Im using powder and the shoes are comfortable, we just walk a ton haha. One blister goes away and anoher one comes haha. Im definitely looking forward to the day when i don´t have blisters haha. My clothes are fine and just to clarify (haha) we dont have a washing machine. We have a tanque that spins water around haha. It could be worse though. My clothes are getting cleaned each week. 

The weather here has been hot haha. Its rained once so far. I hear its just going to get hotter, but thats fine haha. I have a billion mosquito bites. They eat me alive at night. Im working on some ideas haha. I havent used the bug spray so i guess i cant complain. Maybe one day ill break down and use it. I dont like the smell or feel haha. 

Yesterday i spoke in sacrament meeting. We got there and the branch mission leader asked us to speak. I spoke about the gospel of jesus christ, basically the third lesson. It actually went well. I was able to say pretty much everything i wanted to. Thankfully sacrament meeting here is the last meeting haha. 

There were 75 people in church this week which was good. The work is going well. We´re having a hard time getting investigators to come to church. We walk to get them, but they give us an excuse. One thing frustrating with the work here is that a commitment doesnt mean much. Many times people arent there when you go to visit them and such. We´re working hard and trying to do our best though. We have a boy that is ready to be baptized and passed an interview but his mom wont sign the form yet. She thinks its too early. We went there last night just to continue to visit and she said her son wasnt there. He walked out a couple minutes later haha. We met his dad last night and he was really receptive though. We´re going to work with him this week. Another man wants to be baptized but needs to be married first. We have one guy that looks really good and we are helping him with the word of wisdom, but he didnt come to church this sunday. This week we´re going to try really hard to find a lot of good new investigators. We are trying to get the members to do divisions with us. 

Please help the missionaries in the ward. Open our home for them to teach. Give them rides and referrals. Go teach with them if you can. If the members can find the missionaries will teach and the work will go forward more effectively. I am enjoying my time here on the mission so far. 

I love you all so much. Thanks for the support. Letters are always awesome and thanks a ton for the package! FEEL FREE TO SEND A PACKAGE ANYONE! haha. Be obedient and stay strong. The commandments truely are a blessing to us. The lord uses commandments to give us blessings and as we keep the commandments, the spirit will be with us to lead and guide us. This last week we taught a guy who told us we were wasting our time and that we should throw the book of mormon in the trash. It only made me want to work harder haha. But i bore my testimony and the spirit was there. He didnt change but someday he will know. Hopefully sooner than later. I love you all!

 

Elder Hawkley

September 13, 2010

Hey family!

Ill start with the questions. My companion is Brazialian. Elder D. Souza ( the D because theres other Elder Souzas haha). He is awesome. We get along and have fun and he is teaching me a lot. He is obedient too. The Lord truly blessed me with him and to be here in Leme. 

We live in a "home", hard to explain i will have to send a picture. But it is nice. I think its great. For laundry we use a "tanque". Its one step below a washing machine haha. We line dry everything. You really dont know how blessed you are until you dont have something. BE GRATEFUL! 

The people here in Brasil are awesome. As far as teaching is going we are teaching a couple families. The hardest thing here is that practically no one is married and they have to be married to be baptized. We have one guy that wants to be baptized and is ready but is waiting to get married. It is expensive here i guess. Some people here have little. Its been very humbling. 

One family we are starting to teach has 3 little kids. One little boy that always makes me smile. He has a couple toys and i saw inside the fridge and there wasnt much. But this little kid is as happy as can be! A good lesson for all of us. Be happy with what you have. Complaining does no good (from the mouth of the worlds biggest complainer haha). 

Hows my friend josh doing? Please forward his emails. We have an hour to emial every week, but we email the president too. 

This week we will have a zone conference. Im excited! This past week was somewhat frustrating with divisions and stuff, but was good. I feel like i grew and learned some things. My confidence grew too. I really have been blessed in the language. I can understand and speak pretty much anything. Sometimes people dont understand me the first time but all is well. I think it means i have something else to learn or struggle with haha. But the Lord truly has blessed me.

For breakfast i normally make a grilled cheese and drink yogurt from a bag ahaha. Lunch is always good and we eat big because we dont eat dinner. We just keep working through "dinner" and then put down a good snack when we get home at night. We have an awesome neighbor that always gives us food. So far weve gotten a cake, freshly made juice, homemade bread, and soup. Im in heaven haha. Were hoping to get some more here pretty soon haha.

ATTENTION ALL PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME: SEND ME PEANUT BUTTER, PEANUT BUTTER CRACKERS, ORANGE HOSTESS CUPCAKES, ANY KIND OF CANDY, PEANUTS ARE GOOD TOO (HONEY ROASTED) haha but seriously these are the things i would ask for in a package. also another stick of deodorant. They dont have any deodorant like old spice down here haha. When sending a package and letters send it to the mission office. If i know that im going to be staying in an area for a while i may give you the address, but for now send it to the mission office. They say to write the value of the package low even if its not, because if its over a certain value, i think $50 dollars i have to pay a ton to get it out of customs (or maybe the price to send the package, either way keep it low). Maybe send 2 separate packages they said if its a lot of stuff. 

Got to go. I love you all a ton. Stay strong. pictures to come next week!

 

Elder Hawkley

September 6, 2010 - First letter from mission field

Hey family,

Well im here haha! Im here in Leme, Brazil. The last week in the Ctm was good but also hard. I love the guys in my district a ton. In our district some went to Maceio, Recife, and Curitiba and then Elder Andersen and I went to Ribeirao.  Those elders going to Ribeirao left the ctm at 4 in the morning!  We flew there and got there around 8 in the morning. Pres Preito, Sis Prieto, and the assistants picked us up. Everyone is super nice. 

Then we went to the mission office and received a little training over finances and stuff. We get 99 reais every 2 weeks. i think it will be plenty, but we´ll see haha. Then we walked to the mission presidents home. We got there and Pres Prieto gave the "novinhos" a "tour" and when we returned to the main room 6 trainers for 6 newbies were there and they were singing called to serve haha. I totally didnt expect it. We sat down and each new elder had an envelope with their area and trainer. I was actually the last one haha. 

Then we ate lunch at the Presidents home.  Elder Andersen and i then had to go to the federal police again and re-register in Ribeirao. Then we returned to the mission office, got our bags and got on a bus to our areas. It was about a 3 hour bus ride to our area Leme. We arrived around 8 pm. A member picked us up, bought us some food and drove us to our house. 

The house we live in is nice. My companion is Elder D. Souza. He´s great! I´m the first missionary that he´s trained. He is obedient and is teaching me how to work. He has 1 year and 2 months so far. We are the only elders in Leme, a city of maybe 50,000 people. 

We walk a ton! Its been hard because I have a lot of blisters. I sat in a classroom for 9 weeks at the CTM and then have to walk everyday. Its been frustrating and difficult because you cant just stop working. Its made me think alot about the pioneers and what they went through. Walking thousands of miles in snow without shoes. What a sacrifice! I think my feet are starting to get better. I guess this is pretty normal though. Im doing good. 

Here in Leme there is a branch. I guess there used to be a ward, but a ton of people have become inactive. Elder D. Souza and I are both new to this area also. We are trying to get to know the members and the area. Elder Souza is a district leader and this next week all the district and zone leaders are going to training for 4 days. I will be here in Leme with another american elder who only has one more transfer in the field than i do and then the other 2 days we will work in his area. It will definitely be interesting haha. 

Things are changing/have changed in the missions. Zone conferences will now only be quarterly along with interviews with the president and i guess district and zone leaders will meet with the president more. I guess this is an international change. 

I still havent been interviewed and I dont know when i will be but thats fine. Im trying to be obedient but i have some questions to ask the president. In brazil, and i talked to my ctm teacher about this too, its super hard not to teach a woman without another male present, because most of the men in families are always working.  We´ve already taught a couple of lessons like this. My comp said its hard to do and my teacher in the ctm said the same thing. When i get a chance i will ask the president. 

Eating with the members has been great so far. We eat with them for lunch. Beans and rice and meat everytime! Haha but i actually really like it so far. Hope it lasts. As far as the water goes, the ctm gave us these special water bottles to drink out of with filters inside. They´re nice, but the water comes out really slow. 

Send letters and packages to this address:

Missão Brazil Ribeirão Preto

Elder Ryan Hawkley

Rua São Sebastião, 1003

Centro, Ribeirão Preto, SP

14015-040

 

This is the address to the mission office. They will forward all things to me through zone leaders and such. Please post on blog. Wait to send package. I´ll tell you what I want next week. I love you so much! Thanks for the love and support. Stay strong and continue helping others

 

Elder Hawkley

August 31, 2010

Ryan left the CTM today.  We got a call Sunday night, August 29, from a sister in his district.  (Not exactly sure who she is.  I couldn't understand her name on the answering machine message.) She said that he is fine and that he would probably not be able to write because p-days in his mission are on Monday.  He wrote a note for her to read and it said:

"I am doing well.  I will talk to you soon.  Please pray for me.  Tell everyone I love them.  Thank you for your support.  Love, Ryan"

We are looking forward to next week when we will find out, hopefully, where he is serving, who is companion is, and what it is like in his mission.  Can't wait!