Monday, December 3, 2012

November 12, 2012


Family,

First of all this storm sounds like it was the real deal and that picture of Stephen did not make me miss home...haha being in Panama has made me realize that realistically the snow is only good for skiing but otherwise it can be a little bit of a headache.  Dad make sure to be safe on your trip and thank heavens it´s the rental car and not the Fusion!!  I´m glad everyone is safe and enjoying the wintery weather.  Truth be told it´s been hard to accept that it´s November due to the extra little heat and humidity wave we had this week.  As you guys are making the transition into the winter Panama is going to start coming out of their "winter" and into summer.  As things cool off for you all the ovens gonna start heating up down here:)

Wow sorry again for the email last week it was a bummer to say the least.  Hopefully this week we can improve that a little bit this time around!  Life in the office is getting a little bit hectic because this Thursday we have our changes and as the secretaries we´re in charge of doing a little capacitation for the new missionaries and making sure they know all the ways they can utilize us for their benefit.  In turn it´s stressful because I have to put together boxes of materials for all of the Zones in the mission and make sure mail is going to people in their new Zones!  Things are going to get really interesting in the next few weeks with our influx of 29 missionaries coming the next change and all of the mail that´s going to come in correlation to the Christmas season.  Yay.  Haha it´s a fun time to be in the office to say the least:)  Another thing that I´m in charge of is a publication we do in the mission called the "Forever Strong" it´s usually full of missionaries and their spiritual experiences but due to the lack of response in this area I had to make some things up and take some iniciative.  It´s something totally new and that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do so needless to say it´s stretching my abilities as well as my patience!  Sometimes I feel as helpless as mom on the computer these days...

On to another note.  In my time here it´s been really suprising how little I´ve been around and for that matter even seen President Ward.  He is a really active person and truth be told I think being in the mission office is something boring for him.  This week, on Tuesday, he left to go to Costa Rica and have meetings with all the other mission presidents of Central America and a few General Authorities.  The trip lasted until Friday which meant that we got to use his car!  Yes.  I´m going to need to get my license in the next little while here.  On Friday Elder Wade and I got to go to the airport and pick up President and Sister Ward from their trip and we were stoked because we knew he would be getting off that plane full of new ideas and new ways to make the mission better for all of us.  We were right.  The minute he got in he just said "Elders the mission is going to change a lot in the next little while"  The first big change that´s coming is he´s getting an Iphone (I only say that because he is literally technologically handicapped), second in the office we´re going to have more ready access to a car (Thank heavens for me in this time of year), we´re going to meet with Pres. and Sis. Ward every week in their house to make sure things are running smoothly, and we´re going to receive a new secretary.  It goes without saying that I´m excited for my time here in the office and for the change and growth that our mission is going to experience in the next few years.  It´s an awesome time to be serving the Lord!!

Our work as missionaries is being blessed as well for our diligence and doing our best to get out of the office at 4 every day.  We have 4 investigators with fechas for baptism and they´re looking really really positive.  The moment of truth is always Sunday to see if they can make it to church and we were blessed to have 4 investigators in Sacrament.  It was such a huge blessing I was really so happy!  It´s amazing to have seen the hand of the Lord in the work because even though we don´t have the same hours as the other missionaries we are still able to get out and do some damage in the field.  I know that ultimately it´s going to come down to personal integrity and getting our butts out to work when it´s time to work and not wasting time in the office when we don´t have to!

I´m happy, safe, and well fed.  What more could I possibly ask for?  I love you all so much and am so thankful for all that you do for me!  Mom I got the Christmas package and am ashamed to say that I opened...everything...I know I´m really impatient but you know how I am with presents.  Thank you for everything it couldn´t have been more perfect!  If there´s anyway that in the next little while you could send me a new Moleskine notebook that would be awesome I´m almost out of space on those!  I love you all so much and am praying lots for you.  Have a great week!

Elder Hawks
 
P.S.  Sorry mom I couldn´t help it...(opening all my Christmas gifts)...the puzzle of the plan of salvation was the bomb because it helped us teach our little colombian investigator:) I´m so glad Elder Biesinger went over to the house he is such an awesome kid and was one of my favorite missionaries! Speaking of me being in the office you can tell any and everyone who wants to send me stuff to do so now because I have such open access to the mail. Thank you so much for all that you do mommy I love you!

Have a great day,

Andrew




No comments:

Post a Comment