100th Letter 2-23-15

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Picture: Us smashed in a bug before lunch on Sunday

Dear Awesome Family,

Another awesome week of work here in Santa Rosa. We have two baptisms that will happen this Saturday, which will be awesome. And I am just trying to stay focused on the work...I am thinking a lot about home and preparing for what lays ahead. It´s going to be an exciting change.

It’s crazy that, here in a few days, I will accomplish my 2-year mark as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What a blessing I have to serve the whole two years and a little extra. I have seen many changes happening in myself right now that I don´t think could have happened without being on the mission. I am being very blessed for living the gospel and I know I will continue to be blessed. 

This week we had many experiences that sparked up the work a little. We found new investigators and the ones that we have been praying a lot for have progressed. Ana and Samuel are two of them that will be baptized on the 28^th and we also have another family incomplete that is super close to baptism. We will pass by their house again tonight and challenge them for baptism on March 7^th. 

This week we also got to help prepare some paper work for the marriage of Ludwig and Tatiani that will be married on March 13^th and baptized shortly after. We have found a lot of work here in Santa Rosa. I am so grateful that I was blessed with a great area to die in (die= finish the mission).

So I think that this will be my second to last email that I will send out. I have so many things that I want to share with you that have changed my life and strengthened my testimony. These experiences and testimony builders have showed me and given me the certainty that God lives and the Jesus is his only begotten Son that he was sent to die for us and through him we can have faith, repent and gain eternal life!

I love all of you so very much! Paz seja convosco! 

Mom, I will remember that girls have cuties when I get home. : ) Here it is in the 90´s and it is very rainy now. Sounds like a bunch of new things are happening there. Good to hear…But what did Shaye do with his old Porsche?? I love you Mom! I will send some pictures, but use whatever picture you would like to use for the newspaper. : )

Dad, crazy to hear about the storms there in the US. In São Paulo is where the main problem with the drought is happening here in Brazil. They are getting cut to only be able to use the amount of two days of for an entire week. Where we are at in our mission we have a ton of water from the river Uruguay so we aren´t suffering. Good to hear Millie lasted the two years. I am sure she will remember B-rad 2.0. :) Ha-ha! I love you Dad!

Elder Hauck

99th Letter 2-16-15

Dear Fam,

Sorry they don’t celebrate Valentines Day here, but Carnival is arriving. Ha-ha!

Well, it’s been another speedy week that was full of great adventures. We are finding a lot of work here in Santa Rosa and we are growing in our faith. The members here are very special and are helping a lot in the work. I think this is one of the areas that we get the most lessons with members that I have already passed through. The work with members is the best work. It seems like the wards or branches that haven´t figured out how to work with the missionaries are falling behind in the hastening of the work.

This week we went on a lot of splits. One of the days Elder Hayes (American) came with me to my area and the other two days Elder De Melo (Brazilian) came to my area as well. Elder Longo (DL) wanted to do all the splits this week. It went well and it was nice to take ahold of the work a little more. 

This week we taught a lot and found 12 new investigators, which includes 3 families! What a blessing! We are working with Ana and Samuel so they can get baptized on the 28^th and then Ludwig and Tatiana will get married and be baptized on the 7^th of March. So we have a lot of work to keep us busy. I don’t have too many worries about getting trunky…I think this is something that runs in the family. We don’t have this weakness.

One thing that happened which was cool was our lesson with Ludwig and Tatiana. We shared a lesson about the Book of Mormon and how God works through plain and simple things. The family liked the message a lot and Ludwig bore his testimony of how he came to recognize God in his life. He understands that we don’t need to be scared in this life because there is a life after death.  He said we can be sad about this life, but we shouldn´t be scared. His testimony was very strong and really touched me. He is a great man!

Mom, are you counting the days until I get home? Ha-ha! I am super excited to come home! But I will miss the people here…and I will miss the mission life. I am reading a book the President Parrela sent us about maintaining the Sprit after the mission. It is helping me and will help me a lot after I get home. I like how you explained coming home, Mom. I do need to come home. My mission will be there after my mission here is done. And mom don´t worry I will be patient with you guys. You will have to be patient with my English. Ha-ha! Thank you for the information about our family, Mom. You are awesome! 

Dad, my companion and I were having some problems but we resolved the problems. Now we are doing great! I am glad the ward is doing so well. I am excited to see everyone there! Ya, I think I will stay in St. George until August. We will see how everything goes. I have so many stories to tell you guys! It’s awesome to hear about Kurtis´ homecoming. Let’s go up to it!

I love all of you so much! Only 3 weeks and I will give you all a big hug! : ) Ha-ha!

Love,

Elder Hauck

98th Letter 2-9-15

Photos: 1-The Mission Tour 2-My posterity! My sons had sons!!

Mucho bueno,

The time is falling away from me! Many people told me the time would pass by super fast at the end of the mission, but I didn´t imagine it this fast!

The work is going very well and Elder Longo and I are working well together. The Ward is awesome here and I like the members a lot. I was able to give a talk in sacrament meeting about teaching others by our example. Many members thanked me for the talk afterwards. The Bishop and Stake President are men super spiritual and love others. Working with them is super good. 

This week we had my last mission tour. The 1^st counselor of the presiding 70 was there to give us a training. The training was purely about following the spirit and he answered any questions that we had. Some things were a little confusing but overall I think everyone was edified...I learned a lot of new things so it was awesome! 

It is kind of scary. I am getting emails from the mission office with my travel plans, when I will have my departing interview and stuff...ha-ha! I am excited to come home! : )

Something exciting that President Parrela is doing for us Americans that stayed longer on the mission, he will let us go to the temple in Porto Alegre! I think we may have time to even go inside and everything! : ) I am even more excited now. It has been more than a year with out seeing the temple.

But not too much new is going on. We are working hard and planning some baptism for the next weeks. : )

Mom, Santa Rosa is awesome and my companion is a good guy! Ha-ha! Amanda and Amy can sing whatever they would like to. I like a lot of hymns. I love the hymn “The Merviloso Morning” that talks about the first vision. I will look in the hymnbook. I don’t remember the name in English...ha-ha!

Mom I will love what ever you do for the party and what not. I may have been picky before the mission, but now I am not at all. I trust your opinion! : ) The chicken roll-ups would be one meal I’d like to eat when I get home. : ) And I am good with whatever day going to the temple with Amy. But she doesn´t need to wait for me. She should go right now. It will help her prepare for the mission! The new bishopric sounds super cool! Ha-ha! Brother Little is awesome! I want to take biology at Dixie in the summer. I love the pictures! : )

Dad, so gaucho means the people here in the south. Like the people in whole. Ha-ha! I will think about what I will do with a car this week.  As mininas não querem um Gaúcho como eu. Te amo pai! 

I love all of you so very much!

Elder Hauck

97th Letter 2-2-15

Photo: Fernanda’s Baptism

Hello From Santa Rosa (Holy Rose),

Amy, congrats on the call! Mexico will be an awesome mission. I think we will be able to communicate with the Portuguese that I learned which has a Spanish twist. I have talked to people that speak Spanish and I could understand them, but they couldn´t understand me too well. Ha-ha--Amish será uma missionaria poderosa!

So the new area is super cool. If you have time look it up on the Internet. It is a beautiful city. There are almost only decedents from Germany and Italy so the Portuguese they speak is a little different. A lot of people speak German here too, so maybe I can learn a little German while I am here. The members here are very loving and help a lot in the work. When I first got here I told some members that I was from Germany and they got very excited. But when I told them that I was just a normal American their excitement left quickly....ha-ha.

My comp is Elder Longo and is from São Paulo. The better part of my companions were from São Paulo. I usually get along well with them and so far Elder Longo and I are getting along great and working great! President Parrela called me and told me that I am to train him as the distract leader. That I can´t leave the mission until Elder Longa knows everything that I know. So I am excited to help out Elder Longo and the mission in anyway I can before I leave. President Parrela is a great man.

So with us both be new in the area that work was pretty slow this week. We spent most of the time finding our away around and meeting members. We were blessed with a baptism of a young woman that is super awesome! From the look of things we have a lot of baptisms coming up. :) Ha-ha! I am so thankful for everything the Lord has given me in my life. The mission has been awesome, yes difficult at times, but the difficult times have helped me recognize blesses and be humble…I love serving the Lord, not just because we need to, but because it brings me joy!

I love all of you so very much!!!

Mom, you are silly with teasing me about Amy's mission call and the Super Bowl! I love the pictures that you sent me! Looks like the weekend went super well! : ) The Christmas and birthday package still hasn´t gotten here.

Dad, I am excited to share with Amy the things that I have learned out here in the field. The president wants to give time for other zone leaders to be trained because a ton of elders will be going home in the next 2 transfers. And the Super bowl??? Who won?

I love you both,

Elder Hauck