28 March 2011

Mwagana ni! (good morning!)

Thought I'd Shona up the intro. This week was really quite nice. We went to 8 hours of training (4 on Tuesday and 4 on Thursday). We also taught 21 lessons and we contacted 560 people. We did roughly 5 hours of service combined and  met some wonderful people.
This week we taught a return missionary who was excommunicated but he's such a wonder guy. He has an amazing testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I felt the spirit very strong in that lesson it was overwhelming for sure. We also this week did service for a Children Home. I met so many little kids. They were so cute. They did and said everything I did. I taught them important people such as; John Cena, Rambo, Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, MaSoldier (the soldier), and some Book of Mormon Heroes. It was awesome.
Transfers (moving us missionaries to different areas) are happening Tuesday. I'm so very excited to see where I go or if I stay. We'll see what the Lord has in store. But that's all for this week. I just want to let you know I love and miss you all! God be with you till we meet again!

21 March 2011

Hello one and all!!!!

Life is going well in the mission field. If I had a camera, I'd show you awesome pictures of me fighting lions. Or of the baptism we just had. Whichever is more exciting. Well, this week was nice. I went to the doctors. Always pleasant. They told me what I knew and prescribed pain killers. Thanks for stealing tithing money Mr. Doctor! (As you can tell not happy with him.) But the work is going strong. 3 baptisms this week! We have 12 or so ready for baptism on the 3rd of April (2 days before my birthday. I'm not sayin nothin, I'm just sayin). My companion and I taught 26 lessons and we are being blessed with peace and safety.( rallies are happening every now and then but we're safe.)  But that was my week. Terribly boring sorry!! Love you all!!

7 March 2011

Our water. Yum.

Too cool for words?

This week has been good. I got to ride in an Imported F-150 from Texas (love you Texas!!) It had a paint job and had been played with by some Harley Davidson boys. It purred. Love Fords. Also this week all of our water has been mud. That was nice. I got peed on in sacrament meeting but it was ok. I also got to drive a Mazda 323, the fastest car in Zimbabwe. I've also learned to play Casino (a card game from South Africa) and slowly by slowly I'm becoming a South African.

 My companion and I have been working hard and are teaching many lessons and getting many new people to teach. The work is progressing well in the nicest chapel I've ever seen in the world. Way nicer than the one back home. Wish I had more to say but nothing too new going on. Just living day by day and going paint balling today. Very excited. Hope to hear from you all soon!!! dearelder.com is free. just sayin'

Here was his response to our hardship of no gas in our home for almost 24 hours-

“Wow. So imagine the no gas with no power and water and make it a week and welcome to Zimbabwe. We wash by hand. We cook with fire. Our water is mud. But that sucks for you who aren't use to it. “

A sweet surprise - 4 March 2011

I got this in my email this morning from a woman in the same ward as Robert. (I didn't even edit it!)


Hey sister Hales,

Just a short note to say hello. Your son is now in our unit Mbare Ward and we stay in the same area Ardbennie my house is on their way but they normally avoid to come in maybe he is tired of eating sadza with hands.

You have such a wonderful son he is full of humor and he is a good missionary it is a privilege for my family to be acquainted with him and he is encouraging my second son to go on mission.

Enjoy your weekend and pass my love to your family.

Love
Margaret

21 February 2011

Hello World!

 

So the Atonement is real. No letters and few emails. When you all

email it really makes my week and when there's nothing I feel alone,

so please write as often as possible. Ok, Elder Hales' fire giving is

done.

 

This week was a roller coaster. I am in a new area called Mbare. So

far so good. But tomorrow I get to meet my investigators and get new

ones. very exciting!!! But this week I had to say good bye to many

friends and family in Highfields. Made me very sad. I felt as if I were
really leaving my home. I hope all of Highfields knows how much I love

them.

 

But that's my week. nothing much. hope to hear from all of you soon. I

miss getting letters and emails from all of you. So hope to hear from

all of you soon!!!!

Mom Note: We are emailing weekly. We send paper letters once a month. If

 you get a chance please write this poor boy. 

28 Febrary 2011

Dinner( and many other meals) by candlelight

It's a MONKEY!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

14 February 2011

My Six Month Photo

Such nice boys

Still no buried treasure...

Some of the investigators

Pretty fly for a white guy




Hey all!!!
Happy Valentines day!! You might be asking what I'm doing to celebrate. Well here's the answer. Nothing. But if you'd like to show pity and be my valentine please just email me with a picture. But in other news 4 major things have happened these past few weeks.
1. I went to a game park and saw... A monkey, yes, James R., a monkey.
2. I cast out an evil spirit that broke windows in a home.
3. Baptized 6 people, me physically doing 1.
4. One of our Investigators died.

So let me go in order. The game park was AMAZING! I got to pet a lion, walk with Zebras and ostriches and saw some cheetahs and an old tortoise. Many pictures for me to send. We had a great time and had many laughs.

Now I know many are wondering about the casting out of a spirit from a home. Well here’s the story: So we (a ward missionary and I) were going to go see a man and teach him. On the same street maybe 5-6 houses down we see a crowd of 20-30 people. We asked a guy nearby what’s going on he tells us Handezvia (I don't know). So we knock on the door and no one is home. All of a sudden I hear Marungu (white man) and then I hear people yelling pastor pastor! They call me over and ask me to bless the house so I go inside and people are yelling Holy Ghost, Fire!! To the house (trying to purify it) and I go inside say a prayer and give them a Plan of salvation pamphlet and leave. It was soo awesome. People were asking me if the house was clean and I said yes and it was just an awesome experience.

The baptism went very well and I baptized a girl named Constancia and it just went smoothly. An hour after the baptism I get a call that one of the people I was teaching had just died and I was in shock. He kept saying next baptism next baptism. Now there’ s no next baptism. Went to the funeral and cried a little but i have hope the temple work for him will be done soon. But that’s all for the week, please write me!!!!

 

24 January 2011

(Robert moved to an apartment closer to his area.)

Sounds like you’ve had a good time! Minus the sickness part haha.( Ashley & I had the nasty stomach flu)

 I am glad Brianna got the letter on time. I was worrie4d. I’m sending Andrew’s today.
Baptisms are going great! We’ve had 18 this month alone. very good. The
font here is like the one back home -just the same. It has doors instead
of dividers. Our apartment is an actual house with a garage! (but no car) we are 4 in there and we have a lady who comes once a week to clean it. Its nice. It’s a HUGE house and its just awesome but power and water go out a lot for
long times. but that’s just ok. There’s a well there. oh! We have showers
here!!! Sometimes hot ones!!!!!!!