April 28, 2014

Dear Family,
Its been a weird week, just completely thrown off because of the
Holiday, its put us in a weird groove, not a bad one just an odd one
haha. Despite that the work went really well for this week. We had
four of our investigators at church, we should have had five but he
wasn't feeling well so he stayed home..
So Melanie and her less active fiance came to church for the first
hour which was huge! they would have stayed but they had to go pick up
Melanie's son from his fathers. We'll get them there the full time
next week because Chris and Melanie will finally be meeting with the
branch president to get to meet him, we are so excited  Melanie is
just loving reading her scriptures she has the few questions here and
there, and she is getting nervous for baptism but we know that with
the time we have, by the time September comes around she will feel
ready!

Wendy came to church, she is the one we found by a miracle, we have
been working with her slowly and she came to a bit of conference but
ended up going home cause she wasn't feeling well  and her husband
(nick) is the one that is dying, he has been moved from the hospital
to her care, and he is the one that should have been at church, but
wasn't. they are both growing more and more in the gospel very slowly.
we are way excited to help them move forward, sometimes we get a bit
scared because Wendy has a VERY STRONG opinion sometimes, but we love
her nonetheless.

Michele, she has to move her baptismal date to may 11th because she
cant quit smoking in time, so we are going to help try to overcome
that by then, shes been working really hard i truly feel like shes
almost there! so because we have her baptism planned on the 11th we
probably wont be able to call home more like in the later after noon,
like 3 or 4 depending who Skypes first. and what is the skype address
that i will be calling?

And finally Aaron he came to church but bombed our appointment last
night, he hasn't been keeping his commitments lately, he is loosing
the fire. It comes in spurts he has until December to be baptized, so
he is a bit bugged about that. But he's a good guy and all will be
well in the end.
These are those we are working with right now and we are constantly
trying to find more, its hard sometimes especially when you get all
nervous that they will reject you, however it is not us they are
rejecting it is Christ they choose to reject, i am not myself out here
i am his servant, his mouth piece and his hands. I love that knowledge
so much! The Sun is out( finally) and shining there is nothing better
to ask for, oh and i got to do yard work, not once not twice but three
times this week it was SO nice!! Its even more enjoyable when we get
to do it for other people! Well i love you all and mom i really loved
that thought you have no idea how much i needed that after this week!!
I will talk to you all soon!! Love Sister Hadley
ps the person in the red is michele and the man and woman is a less
active family we see and serve every Friday, shes one who we got to
help with yard work this week.

April 22, 2014

Dear Family,
First things first i am staying in Belleville, YES!! I am so grateful
for Heavenly Father to let me stay here. Our dear Michele gets
baptized on the 4th of May, i would have been broken if i didn't get
to witness that... but i do so, I'm excited!! we have so much work cut
out for us this transfer its insane and i am so ready for it. My
companion is amazing i have been so blessed with having Sister Ogden
serving alongside of me!
Easter this year put such a different light on things for me. I was
asked to speak in sacrament. i would have much rather sing a hymn
expressing my gratitude for the savior than try to finds words to
express what he did. However i decided to use a lot of scripture in my
talk because i just couldn't express it the way i wanted to with my
words so i read from 3 nephi chapter 11 and of course i cried while i
was reading because that is such a me thing to do, but i really
learned a lot while i was reading it. I pictured myself amongst those
children, confused as to the destruction that was happening around
them and then to hear this voice  say "Behold My Beloved Son in whom i
am well pleased, in whom i have glorified my name- hear ye him". so
not only to see the Savior and feel his hands and side and feet but to
literally hear the voice of our Father in Heaven not once but three
times! Incredible, eh?
I feel like I'm being constantly kept on my toes with one spiritual
experience after another its crazy!
I cant believe the tree got cut down!! i loved that tree.. and
everyone looks so different in pictures, i miss you all very much i
cannot wait to speak with you in a couple weeks, everything seems to
be well there. Love Sister Hadley

April picture

April 14, 2014

Dear Family,
What a week! i feel like i have so much to say, but i can hardly
remember it all. My comp and i finally hit standards! Meaning goals
that we have set as a mission to continue to push us to move forward
the work in the mission, each mission having different goals for
certain areas. I have never hit standards so i was so excited to see
all the hard work pay off, i know they are just numbers but it felt
good to know we could be apart of the report.
Really amazing experiences have come from this week, we first didn't
have a car since Wednesday because the companionship before me ruined
the bumper and we finally got it taken in! But without the car we have
been walking EVERYWHERE! And we live in the outskirts of town, its
like walking from highway 17 to the prison in connell, to get from our
house to middle of belleville. It was the best week ever because of it
too, we had so many ward members help us get places when we needed it
we talked to a crazy amount of people on the street, a lot more than
normal and this one lady she came up and gave us a hug and started
crying, yep just crying and hugging us in the middle of the sidewalk,
it was awesome. Then another cool thing, we were headed to dinner
because we couldn't get home, we thought we would go to this fish and
chips place to eat, apparently we picked a very busy night, and we got
sat with an older couple who had been learning from missionaries years
back, we were about to get up and pay for our food when the old man
took our bill and wouldn't give it back! they paid for our food and we
hardly even knew them, it reminded me of the scripture in doctrine in
covenants i believe that states we should have no worry for food or a
place to rest, i couldnt think of the exact passage but i knew
Heavenly father was looking out for two tired and hungry missionaries!
So things went really well this week.
We had three people at church and all three of them will be getting
baptized in may, the one i want to talk about is Michelle. Man do i
love her to pieces! that woman tried to shoo us away a couple months
ago but we went back and she let us come in and she said she was ready
now, so she is working on a few things but should be ready may 4 to
make a very special promise with God, i am so happy for her!! I will
be so sad to leave this place, transfers are next week so everyone
pray that i stay! haha but seriously i need all the help i can get. It
sounds like all is well that way, send my regards to Aunt Glenda, she
and her father are in my prayers! I will probably talk to you all next Wednesday due to holidays but i don't know it could be monday! Love
Sister HAdley

March 31, 2014

Dear Family,

WHAT. A. WEEK. Miracles all over the place, i wont share them all

because i don't have enough time for that, but there is this special

miracle i want to share. Her name is Wendy. Her story goes like this;

        One day two months ago when sister cross and i went on

exchanges she and sister arksey (her companion for the day) ran into a

woman named Wendy who was connected to a whole chain of people they

met that day. so when i got back sister cross and i we set up

appointments with these people but none of them held, they all bombed.

So we continued to call Wendy but we finally gave up because she would

never answer. Transfers came and sister cross left as well as all the

phone numbers of people we met on the street including Wendy's. But

one day i got this brilliant idea that we should tract this street

called Boswell because i have never been there and there were lots of

houses stacked in a row. Sister Ogden had this brilliant idea that we

should do surveys so we meshed it together and went to Boswell street

to do surveys. we stop in front of this random house that looks vacant

as we think that no one lives there we see clothes stacked in boxes

and knock on the door anyways for hope that someone will answer. a

woman comes to the window and shouts SIDE DOOR! so we go around to the

side and as soon as she opens the door she says come in come in, and

we chuckle and say well alright then! we get in and ask her name and

she replys Wendy, and i think to myself why is that sound so

familiar... she blurts out haven't i seen you two before and i say not

us but did you meet maybe a sister cross? and she says yes that was

it! and i couldn't believe it we finally made contact with Wendy! she

was so excited to come to church this week but couldn't due to her

husband landing in the hospital but she will be there next week, shes

such a character and fun to teach! The end. But what a miracle, eh?

This week really was amazing Friday the Harrington's, a family that

has become my family away from home, threw me a dinner party, they got

me a cake and everything. it was so sweet of them. Saturday  i watched

the women;s conference and never in my life have i felt so much love.

the top of my head to the tip of my toes was tingling when everyone

sang the second verse to teach me to walk in the light and it stopped

after the verse. it was the best feeling ever and it was so neat to

see all women of all ages at the conference center. IT was absolutely

amazing. sunday was a bit rough becuase i havebeen trying to get over

a cold and it all caught up with me by the end of the week but

nevertheless we were able to see miracles that day as well as we got

into the home of a woman who never comes out to chruch and comitted

her to coming next week for conference, so hopefully she will be

there!! IT was a good week but the best is yet to come!

you all sound like you are doing great! did sharia tryout for cheer?

how did that go? hows tennis going for pat?

LOVE YOU ALL!!

Love Sister Hadley