January 9, 2012 - Parabéns para você!!!

Hey family,

Parabéns para você Mãe! Happy Birthday Mom! Hope it was a good one!
Thanks for the pictures. The truth is that I need to take more
pictures haha. I will do better and send more. Looks like you guys had
a blast with Beck!

This week was pretty crazy haha. Lots of things changed in the
mission. That whole "firm and possible" thing doesnt exist anymore.
Now we have to work always thinking in thet next three weeks. Its good
in a lot of ways. In this system, the investigators are baptized on
the third Sunday (or saturday). It is a way of not losing focus on
investigators and if done right leads to weekly baptisms. The only
thing that was hard this week was that it also came with lots of added
stress and pressure from above. But as of right now things are okay,
so we continue on. We also found out that on the 21st of this month
(January) we will have a meeting with Elder Neil L. Anderson, Elder M.
Russell Ballard, Elder Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, Elder
Claudio Costa (Area President) and Elder Mazzagardi of the Seventy.
Its going to go a spiritual powerhouse. Im super excited to be able to
learn a lot. It will be interesting to see what they will say to us. I
know that we will meet with them in the morning and then in the
afternoon they will have a meeting with the Stake Presidents and
Bishops in the mission area.

I received an email from the secretaries (my last comp Elder Ilustre
haha) called the "Trunky Email" (as we called it). They just want to
confirm the information for my return home in June. Oklahoma City
Airport? You guys aren't coming to get me right? (I prefer this) And I
need President Bean´s information (home address, email, telephone).
It'll be here quicker than I want it too haha.

This last week was rough. We need to find new people to teach. We did
contacts and knocked doors for 3 or 4 days last week without a lot of
success. But with renewed faith we will continue on. I asked the Zone
Leaders for a division with me this week to maybe give me some ideas
and see that we really are working hard. The Zone Leaders are good
guys. Today I had a great conversation with one of them as I passed
the numbers from this last week. Just sometimes they arent very
understanding, but I guess we all are that way a little bit.

I'm striving to teach more by the spirit and work with more love. We
choose to feel the spirit. If the truth is being taught and we arent
feeling the spirit, we need to change something (be it our attitude or
our actions).

Training is going well. It is definitely tough at times. But I will be
staying here for this next transfer and we will continue learning and
growing together. Elder Mesquita is great. He helps me out a lot to be
positive.

If you could send somethings to me please (it could be in an envelope)
-Deodorant (stick)
           I am using some gel stuff (antipersperant) and its making
me sweat and itch like crazy haha. It you could send 2 or 3 sticks of
stick JUST deodorant and not antipersperant

-a couple tubes of Tinactin
-Also a lady in our ward wanted to see if you could send 2 footballs.
She said that the price wouldnt be a problem. (but you could send this
in a separate package, the deodorant and tinactin is a little more
urgent)

We are working with that sister still. She had a good week and stopped
smoking, but ended up not going to church. We have to see what
happened. She is doing good though.

Sunday we had a family come to church! We are helping the dad stop
smoking and drinking. He is having a pretty hard time. They also need
to get married before can be baptized. We may mark the wedding this
week (it would be my first wedding! HAHA). But they are going good.
The mom has a daughter (13) and toghether they have a 2 year old.

Well I love you all so much and appreciate the prayers and love and
support. You are the Best! I know that the gospel is true and that it
is the path to happiness! Heavenly FAther Loves us. Have a great week!

Elder Hawkley

PS. Tell Tyler and Morgan good look for me.