New Member To The Hauck Fam Bam - Letter 2-22-16

Hermana Alicia's Birthday

Birthday Party Dinner

YAYAY!!!

I´m so excited that Brad and Emilee are engaged!! You two are way too beautiful for your own good so now you can combine your perfect beauty into a perfect marriage and have perfect babies and all we mortals will glare at you and be jealous. But the mild kind of jealous and not like scary try-to-destroy-your-perfectness-via-scheming/fire kind of jealousy.

...Moving on

This week was good because we´ve had some success with our young investigator, Miriam. She and her step mom came to church. One thing that has been hard for Miriam is that her Mom (who lives in a different state in Mexico) is very Catholic and doesn´t support her desires to be baptized. As Miriam told us of her fears of going against her mom´s wishes to be baptized-even though she knows it´s true- I thought about how blessed I am to have so much support encouragement and strength from my family in this Gospel. I don´t live the gospel just because my family does, neither did I come on a mission to please my family-those are things that I had decide between myself, our Heavenly Father and the Savior- but I am so, so grateful that I have a family that supports me so much in this. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

Ponderizing scripture is my turn this week! I chose Omni 1:26 ¨And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved. ¨ I love when the scriptures invite us to ¨come unto Christ¨ because it is something that we alone can do. He is always there with His arms extended and full of love for us. It is our decision if we will act and come unto Him and partake of His salvation and the power of His redemption.

That´s about it for this week! I love you all and thanks again for all of your love, support and emails (keep the emails coming)!

Con amor, 

Hermana Hauck

Yay For Love- Letter 2-15-16

San Carlos

San Carlos with My Hermanas

Con mi Valentine♥

Guaymas Missionaries

Boy do I love Mexican food! This is ceviche.

My Dearest Human Beings,

Today we went to this cliff in San Carlos with an absolutely gorgeous sight where we could see the entire ocean, seagulls AND A WHALE!! I wanted to jump in and swim so badly (because the heat is starting here in Guaymas) but my nametag kept me from doing it.

Other than that this week was...pretty same old actually. (Sigh) so sad how boring I am, I know.

In the spirit of Valentine´s Day, I´m going to write to you about love!!! YAY! But obviously not romantic love (cause ain´t nobody got time for that in the mission, duh).

Anywho, all family friends and other humans reading this, I hope you know how much I love you! If you could see me right now, I´m stretching out my arms as far as they´ll go saying ¨thiiiiiiissssssss much¨. Really though, I have been extraordinarily blessed with amazing people in my life that do so much for me and give me lots of love and support. I can´t thank you all enough.

I also would like to share my testimony on the greatest act of love that the world has ever known. That is, the Atonement of our Brother Jesus Christ. I know I don´t fully understand this act, but I do know that it is an act of love. With this love of our Savior we really can change our lives. Maybe we don’t see them happen super quickly because they´re made over time and lots of work on our part and lots and LOTS of help and carrying on the part of Christ. In fact, we´re usually pretty slow in our changes we make. The Savior must have looootttsss of patience with us. And He has this patience because He loves us. SO MUCH LOVE!!

Well, to be honest that´s all I got for you this week. I´ll try to get up to some mischief this week (i.e. teach lots of lessons and contact lots of people) so I have a more interesting email next Monday.

Con amor,
Hermana Hauck

Planting Seeds-Letter 2-8-16

Graffiti Walls

Guaymas Hermanas

Dear Family,

First off, I AM SO EXCITED TO HEAR THAT THE JETETTES TOOK STATE!!!!! Seriously I´m having a hard time not getting up and dancing in this internet cafe to celebrate! Congrats to all Jets and Mrs. P, Mrs. Heidi and Ms. Haylee for doing it this year!

It´s been a good week here in Guaymas. The weather is prime right now so I´m trying to really enjoy it because pretty soon the heat of Sonora will come to cook all us missionaries alive.

This week we faced a couple of pretty heart-wrenching rejections. Specifically one with an investigator that had been reading the Book of Mormon and accepting the lessons really well. All the sudden we came one morning and when she saw Hna Pelico and I she ran into her house. Then her mom came out and told ud that she didn´t want to listen to our message anymore. We had such a hard time understanding why because she was progressing well. All I can imagine that happened is that she received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true and maybe that scared her. It can be really hard when this happens because sometimes I get super invested in my investigators and I start picturing there baptism and everything. Then when the rejection comes it breaks my heart. I guess I just need to focus lots on the little seeds we´re planting.

We do have another young investigator, Miriam, who is 14 and seems to be progressing. She didn´t have a whole lot of understanding of any religion when we started visiting her (though she´s Catholic) but she´s coming along and reading her Book of Mormon.

This week we had interviews with our President. He is so awesome and loving and he says hi to all you peeps back home supporting me!

Have a good week and keep my investigators in your prayers!

Con amor,
Hermana Hauck

Representative of The Lollipop Guild - Letter 2-1-16

Raul's Baptism

Cleaning the Baptismal Font

Our Newest Investigator

Yello, Beautiful People! 

This week was a good one with lots of work and A BAPTISM!!

First, I’ll explain the subtitle. As you know, I, being me, am quoting or imitating something from movies roughly 98% of the time. After a good lesson I like to perform a lollipop guild dance for Hna Pelico...you know, that weird jerky kick/dance that the boy munchkins do to welcome Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Anyways, it always confuses Hna Pelico so then I try to explain what the Wizard of Oz is but it’s never clicked for her. Then one day, while a member came out with us, I did it for them and tried yet again to explain which movie it was ¨El Mago de Oz,” which is a direct translation of the title so I’m not sure why I didn’t think to translate it like that earlier because Pelico immediately understood what I had been doing for the past two transfers. I realize that this story has no point now that I have typed it out...but I hope it communicates how ridiculous it can be living 100% in a different language...if that message wasn´t communicated, then I hope you can find it slightly humorous to imagine me dancing the lollipop guild dance.

Moving on.

Raul´s baptism was really special. It’s been so cool to be able to see his entire conversion process. At first when we would visit his parent, who are recent converts, he wouldn’t leave his room to talk to us. With time we were able to introduce ourselves and begin sharing this amazing Gospel with him. Now he has seriously changed his life in so many ways. Seeing him make covenants with Heavenly Father was soo special. For the baptism service I spoke on the Holy Ghost, Hna Pelico spoke on baptism and all us missionaries sang Divina Luz for the special number (Lead, Kindly Light in English). 

The work has been really good this week. We have a bunch of new investigators and hopefully a fair amount of them are ready to receive the Gospel. Seeing the changes it has made in Raul’s life and living the changes it has made in mine really makes me feel like Ammon and the others in the book of Alma who can’t even bear to think of others living without the Gospel. Specifically I want others to be able to receive the remission of sins that comes only through the Atonement of Christ.

The Atonement is there for all of us to use and apply to our lives, but we have to take the initiative. I hope you are all remembering to always do the little things like prayers morning and night, reading the scriptures DAILY and attending church. As small as they may seem, those are the things that really keep us on the strait and narrow.

Thank you all for your love and support in all that I do! You´re the best!

Con amor,

Hermana Hauck

A Gift From The Sky - Letter 1-25-16

Raul and His Parents, President Robinson and Us After Raul's Baptism Interview

Bird Poop!

Guaymas

The Mission 7 Month Mark

Well today´s been an interesting P-Day. We had flu shots this morning so now my arm is hurting. Then to add insult upon injury to the same arm, while Hna Pelico and I were walking in the Guaymas Centro (Main Street) a bird pooped on my arm. Yes, POOPED ON MY ARM! 

The good thing about this day is our investigator, Raul, was cleared for baptism this Saturday!! YAY! It´s been amazing seeing this investigator´s progress. He really has a desire to follow the Savior a receive a remission of his sins. 

This week has been a really beautiful yet really hard week. My comp and I set a bunch of goals for this transfer and we´ve been working really hard to better our obedience and work methods. Of course, Satan knows about our desires to do better and reach these goals too so we´ve been extra attacked by his forces. I don´t think I´ve had a week in which I´ve faced more rejection but in every moment that I feel discouraged I think of Alma 26:27 (¨And when our hearts were depressed and we were about to turn back...). 

Something that I found really interesting about the rejection this week was that it was always after we faced lots of it yet kept working and trusting that the Lord was guiding us to people who are more prepared to hear this message that we saw something rewarding (i.e. someone accepting us in their house or giving us their address, etc.). This made me think about the scripture in Ether 12 that tells us it is after our faith is tried that we receive. 

Also, this week we had a worldwide conference that was super cool! The speakers focused on bringing others to repentance and how we can do this in our teachings. It was weird seeing some of the missionaries from the States that have iPads. What the WHAT!! No fair! But I guess it would be thoroughly ridiculous to have iPads in my mission because the probability of being robbed is quite a bit higher. Also it was fun singing hymns in English.

That´s all for this week, folks. Take care!

Con amor,

Hermana Hauck

Finishing the Book of Mormon & Agnostic German Dreadlocks- Letter 1-18-16

Making Guatemalan Tamales

Zone Goodbye

Hey Nerds!! 

We received transfer info on Saturday and Hna Pelico and I will both be staying here together for another transfer. I´m super excited because I adore her and we get along really, really well. Sadly, Hna Lopez is leaving our district, but we´re getting a new Hna from Peru. :)

Remember my goal to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of this transfer????? CHECK! I finished!!! YAY! I spent lots of time reading but it was all worth it. It was a really cool experience reading the second half so fast (13 days) but I started getting annoyed of all the characters because like every other chapter the stinking Nephites, Lamanites or Jaredites are converted unto Christ and then fall into secret combinations and wars and utter destruction and all that again. I guess there´s something we can learn from that and that´s why the many stories of the pride of the people leading them to destruction aren´t generalized into one sentence.

Oh how embarrassing! Yesterday Hna Pelico and I were with members before church and I was playing around with their 3-year-old daughter during which I put my missionary nametag on her stuffed animal. When this family gave us a ride to the chapel I forgot my tag. To my horror, President and Hna Robinson were attending our ward today! Luckily my hair was down so I was able to cover it. 

Also at church a member introduced my to this German woman with sweet dreadlocks who she had found wandering the streets of San Carlos so she invited her to church then asked Hna Judd and I to give her the lesson of the restoration in English. It was hard enough to teach this lesson in English, but this woman practically interrogated us! She was vegan, agnostic and opposed to all government and all titles of beliefs. This is COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE of all the lovely Mexicans I´ve been teaching for the past 6 months. It was a really interesting experience and she was super nice though! I´m not sure what´s more difficult, teaching someone who has no belief in God or teaching someone who might agree with and believe everything you teach them but will not convert out of the Catholic church.

We had a really special lesson this week. We were teaching a young man--we´ll call him Juan-- about how baptism can wash him of his sins. His parents are members and they were present. Juan started telling us that he didn´t feel like baptism can help him because of some of the mistakes he´s made getting into drugs. At one point he told us that he had stolen from his parents. His dad said to him for all of us to hear ¨Eres perdonado, hijo.¨ or ¨You´re forgiven, son¨. This comment made me think of the parable of the Prodigal Son and the Spirit prompted me to share it. I explained after that if we come unto Christ and follow Him--in other words, when we humbly return to the will of our Heavenly Father-- He, our Father, will say the same thing that Juan´s father has said to him to us.

I hope that this week rocks for you people!!!

Con amor,

Hermana Hauck

Yay for the Kick-Bum Life - Letter 1-11-16

Hiking Microhonda

View from top of Microhonda

Mexican Traditional Rasca Bread

Cutting the Rasca Bread

I got the piece with the baby Jesus. Yay for Mexican traditions!

Wowie wow wow!

It sounds like the family had a pretty cool week with the padres cruising in the Caribbean and Brad turning 22! My week has been pretty kick bum as well! :)

Today has been a pretty kick bum P-day. This morning Hna´s Pelico, Lopez, Judd and I hiked this huge mountain called ¨Microhonda¨, which means Microwave oven so who knows what´s up with that. Anywho, the hike was really beautiful and we got to see the ocean and all of Guaymas and San Carlos. Later we went to the chapel with the entire zone and we got zone shirts (I´ll send pics later) and we played soccer. (BTW hike + soccer = sore Hna Hauck). Then Pelico and I went to the centro (town square) and ate churros and I bought these awesome purple shoes that were only 29 pesos, which is less than $2 in US. 

We had a zone conference this week that was so cool! We had many changes made to our teaching approach and our studying tactics. Our teaching is to be more simple and direct and we are trying to focus on what the prophets of the Book of Mormon teach--come unto Christ by receiving a remission of your sins through faith on His name, repentance and baptism. Our studying time is half our Book of Mormon then a half hour of other canonized books or the missionary library. We then study Preach my Gospel with comps. We also have goals to read each of these books a certain number of times. The goal is to read the BoM 4 times. I was in the first chapter of Alma the day of the conference (Tuesday) the first time reading it in my mission and I already have 6 months so I´ve kicked it into gear and made it a goal to finish it by the end of this transfer (Sunday).

 I’ve been reading a ton obviously. I didn´t want to give up being able to understand what I´m reading but I needed to read fast, so I moved to English scriptures alone just to finish it and every time I open study with prayer I pray to be able to understand what I´m reading. I have seen so many blessings doing this. This week I have felt more understanding and love for these scriptures than I ever have in my life! I can feel that mighty change of heart that it mentions in Alma. It’s a crazy miracle that we have these scriptures because I can feel them changing me just by reading them. I hope you all are keeping up on your scripture study because it is SO IMPORTANT!!

I can also tell you that the changes made to our teaching were very inspired. We´ve been a bit more straightforward in all of our lessons, which has helped sort out those that, or part of the ¨white and ready to harvest¨ group and those that just aren´t quite prepared to receive the Gospel in their lives. Lots of people here agree with EVERYTHING we say and then at the end of a lesson they say something like

 ¨How nice it is that your church and the Catholic Church have the same beliefs¨ 

Us: (sigh) ¨lets go over the Great Apostasy again.¨

With the new approach we’ve been able to be a little clearer and more distinct.

We´ve had to drop a couple of our investigators (Paty being one of them) but we´ve had some progress with others such as Raul who is moving right on forward to his baptismal date for the 30th of this month.

Transfers are coming this next P-day and who knows what´ll happen. I think I´ll be staying in Guaymas but I thought I´d be staying in Nogales too. And I think Hna Pelico will be leaving to train. We´ll see what happens.

Thanks for all of the love and support that I have from you, you crazies! I really am so amazed and grateful that I have you because a family as wonderful as ours is not a blessing that many have. But that´s why I´m here! To help others have what our family has!! The true Gospel of Jesus Christ and all of the blessings that therein are! Yay for missionary work!!

Con amor,

Hermana Hauck