Monday, January 4, 2016

Elder Haskell, January 4, 2016

Ok.  Here it goes: my first big email.  Sorry I've been a slacker and not done an email yet but there will still be like 97 more, so stay tuned!

Hello from the CRM!!!!!!! California Roseville Mission, aka the best mission in the world!!! I'm going to try to tell you everything, so I might jump around a little.

I'm in a bike area and it's awesome.  I lucked out and got an awesome bike.  It's a racing road bike made of aluminum! I love it!! I ride it everyday! And it's great! No one tells you riding a bike when you're 20 is just as fun as when your 10! I have crashed a few times but nothing bad and I landed on my feet most times so it's all good!🚴🚵 Biking is super fun! I can bike with no hands really well now! Anyway, it's a blast!

So the really great part of the CRM is the people.  They are so amazing!

So I'll tell you about 2 families we have been teaching the gospel and then will tell you about a family in the ward. So the first person I need to tell you about is C.  She is the mother of 2 boys.  They are great!  The one is an awesome little 3 year old.  The other is 6 and he wants to be baptized and loves going to church.  He is so cool! It's crazy and awesome to see how young kids recognize us as representatives of Jesus Christ!  The other family is T and E.  They have two boys, too.  They are great and I am so excited for them.  It's truly amazing to me to see how Heavenly Father can bring people together and especially bring families together and help them grow. It is hard to see the attack on the family that is happening in our day in age, but it is amazing to see the power of Heavenly Father and the ability that he has to heal any and all things if we let him!

I have to make a special mention of Brother and Sister Ericson.  These people are amazing.  They are two members of our ward that feed us all the time.  Anytime we have have an empty spot they sign up for it and they always take care of us. They made us feel at home around Christmas. But the best part is they do so much for everyone in the ward.  There's not a person in the ward who doesn't know them and it's not because they're loud or chatty,  it's because they reach out to every single person, because they serve every single person, not in an overbearing way but in a truly loving way.  It's incredible to see them in action as they fulfill their callings and then go above and beyond to do all the things the Lord would have them do! They are great members to us and everyone!

Another story for you: one day this week, we said we would find someone to teach the gospel to, so we knocked on a bunch of doors all morning and found no one interested in hearing us, not a soul.  Then, later on in the day, we decided to help a man with some service.  His friend came to help, and it turned out that his friend was interested in learning the gospel! 

I am coming to know that setting goals is an act of faith, and when we show faith and act in faith the Lord will always, always without a doubt answer!!!

Anyway, that's all I have for now, other than if we just do the little things like pray, read our scriptures, go to church, and follow the commandments, then we'll be 1000000000000000000 times happier. I am coming to understand it's a simple gospel He gives us, and it brings exceeding joy!

Elder Nathan E. Haskell, Roseville CA