Merry Christmas! Happy New Years!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I most definitely did! It was wonderful being able to skype and see most everyone. I couldn't ask for a better gift.

 

Although it was Christmas week Elder Mello and I got a lot done. I think I taught more lessons this week then any other week in my mission. I don't know how! Haha. But we met some great people including a family that we can work with. I have been wanting to work with a family for forever! So we expected a lot of people at church but things didn't go as expected. We waited outside the apartment for people to show up and we had an unexpected visitor. His name is Casm. We met him while we were caroling and we taught him once. When we taught him it was mostly his son asking all kinds of questions and he was mostly listening. But out of all the great lessons we had with all our investigators he was the only one to show up! He had a great experience at church. I gave a talk in both branches on Eternal Perspectives. A couple hours after church we went to teach Casm and his wife Abbey. We taught them the Restoration and used the Prophet of the Restoration movie to show the first vision. We invited Casm to pray about it to get an answer but he said he already has received an answer. He said "The first time you guys came over I knew God sent you" Haha. But he went on to explain that he has felt the spirit very strong in our lessons and at church. It was very nice to finally have someone come to church and already have a testimony. We should have a good week with all the new people to work with.

 

Happy New Years!

 

Love, Elder Hale

Surprises

Acclima

Hello friends and fam! So this week was full of surprises. Elder Hartshorn was transferred to Tobago. I am staying with the zone leaders in San Fernando right now til my companion gets here. He won't be here til Thursday or later. His name is Elder Mello and he is on Grenada right now.

This week was the first week we had church for the Penal members in our apartment. So Elder Hartshorn and I had to speak, sing, bless and pass the sacrament, and teach gospel principles in two branches! And they told us on Friday. But everything went really well. I spoke on the birth and life of Jesus. I told the story of the homeless man that came and gave Dad money after the Suns game. It's a great Christmas story!

We went to Acclima's and we helped her clean her house. Then we helped her son David walk to go sing Christmas carols to her father. Her Dad has cancer and he just stays in bed so he really enjoyed it. He actually belted out all the hymns with us! It was super funny. But it really brought in the Christmas spirit.

Also I had a really gnarly bike crash. A car got close to me and went off the road down a hill into a ditch. It must have been a pretty funny sight. I was fine cause I had a helmet on but it was crazy!

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I enjoyed mine(:

With love,

 

Elder Hale

This is called an Aloo pie! They are sold everywhere!

We sang Christmas hymns for Acclima, her son David (in the picture), and her father.

So this is church in our apartment! Hopefully it grows!

Elder Hartshorn's departure. This our farewell w/ Elder Webb in the back being creepy.

Ramdeo

Carlos and fam

Hello friends we had a good week again. We found a cool Hindu guy named Ramdeo who is actually a Christian that doesn't know it. Haha. There is lots of those here. He is an alcoholic and we had a very good lesson with him where he ended up opening up to us. He really wants help and that is what I like in investigators. 

After we taught him we went down the road and a lady called out to us from her balcony and said "Hey I'm from Canada!" "It's so nice to see white people!" Haha. Her name is Acclima and she left Trinidad when she was 16 and married an Englishman. She said she was sitting there reading her Bible and she was just praying that something good would happen. She looked up and saw two white boys on bikes. haha. She has been going crazy because she is taking care of her Dad. Feeding him, washing him, and everything else. She also has a handicapped son named David who needed some company. We had a nice discussion with her I think there can be something that will come out of it before she goes back to Canada in January. 

Next week we are also have a sacrament meeting in our apartment for those who live in Penal. That way they don't have to travel all the way to Siparia. It should be interesting. Also we are singing for many more activities coming up!

I love you all have a wonderful week! 

Love, Elder Hale

This is my buddy Andrew Baptiste. But you say it like buh-teese(:

Rasta dog!

This is my little Hindu friend Anton at Divali.