Beware of Spiritual Ruts‏

Afoyo!

Well I feel like every time I get on I never have anything to tell you because all the days feel the same, but I'll try my best. So this week was pretty good. The Assistants came on Tuesday and went on splits with us. Elder Burdett came with me and Elder Majawa. He is the man. Every lesson we had that day was super powerful. I found myself in a rut, teaching the same way every single time which makes it hard sometimes to feel the Spirit. When he was here, I realized that I needed to convey the same special message but in a different way every time to fit the needs of my investigator.

As I put this into practice I have felt a great change. This can even apply to you guys. Sometimes we just do things in the church because we are supposed to, like reading the scriptures or praying, and we fall into a spiritual rut. As we change how we do things constantly and try to get as much out of it as we can we will be able to feel the Spirit stronger. Don't just read the scriptures, study them, ponder on them, ask questions, and write down your thoughts as you read. When you pray, don't just recite a prayer. You can actually communicate with our Father in Heaven and it's one of the greatest gifts He has given to us! Tell Him how your day went, tell Him what you are concerned about, what you are excited about, because like your father here on earth, He to is interested in what is happening in your life. I know that as you put this into practice you will learn more, feel the spirit more, and get so many more blessings then you could have ever imagined.

Today we got to go to a school that one of the guys in our compound works at. He is from the US. They just finished an indoor basketball stadium and he asked if we wanted to come and play and it was so fun! The stadium was way awesome too!

Well thank you so much for supporting me. I love you all and hope all is going well. Keep doing what Our Father in Heaven wants you to do.

Love, Elder Hawk

You know when you are in Africa when you eat bugs.

Note: I asked Elder Hawk to tell me more about the culture and the people, so this is an insert from my email:

Most of the people here are very hospitable. Almost every house we stop at tells us to come inside, or they always bring a seat to us. Most even give up their own seat. The guest is always a guest of honor. Most places we teach offer us food. I am learning to love African food. I really like casava. I think that Tanner talked about it while he was in Fiji. The people usually only eat one meal a day. I actually didn't even know that until today. It usually is around 5 or 6 at night. There are very little homes that have running water so they have to carry big 3 gallon jugs from a well or from a spic-kit somewhere. We carry jarry cans (the 3 gallon jugs) for service almost every week. I'm not sure what else to say, but I will keep thinking. It's not as different here as you would think.

Crazy Week‏

Afoyo!

This was a crazy week. Mostly because of transfers. Elder Roylance didn't have a companion for like 2 days and Elder Gwazvo was sick so I got to see some other parts of Gulu this week. On Wednesday me and Elder Roylance were reunited in a trio with Elder Majawa in our area. We had a rough day though. It is starting to rain almost everyday, so sometimes its slow going. It's supposed to be the dry season but I guess the weather was really weird this year. On Thursday I went with Elder Dean and Elder Roylance to his area. It was kind of weird experiencing the different parts of the zone. But that night Elder Ndamane arrived and we also got our washing machine back!! It broke before I got to use it, so I have been washing my clothes by hand for 6 weeks.

Me and Elder Majawa have no problem finding families. The Lord has been helping us so much!! However, the problem we are having now is getting these families to progress, let alone answer the phone! It seems that everyone now a days is either in Kampala or "the Village." That is usually people's excuse for not answering the phone or not keeping a commitment we give them. Its pretty frustrating. I think right now though we are just planting a lot of seeds and the success will start to come in a couple of transfers. Even if I don't see the fruits of my labors, I am glad where I am at this time. I love the people here so much. Every time I'm in a lesson I just feel a great love for them and even the love that our Father in Heaven has for them. I love the work so much.

Not much else to report for this week, other than I won't be sending pictures this week due to my camera being stolen out of the truck.. I love all of you and hope you have great weeks. Keep having faith in the Lord and he will put you in the right place at the right time.

Love, Elder Hawk


You know you are in Africa when kids either crowd you and want to touch your skin and hair or they run in absolute terror.

Transfers‏

Afoyo!

Well we got transfer news today. It's a little different though because there won't be any changes next transfer because there is only one new missionary. I am staying with Elder Majawa in Bardege. I am excited to continue the work here in Gulu. Elder Dean is the new Zone Leader, which is weird because he was already in our zone. Elder Rogers is going to Nsambya. Elder Roylance is staying and getting a new companion.

Well now to talk about the week. It was a pretty long one. We are still finding a lot of families and many are progressing. The biggest struggle we are having right now are getting the investigators to come to church though. That being said the overall church attendance is going up and the atmosphere of the branch is getting much better. We have been talking with the branch president a lot to see how we can not only bring new members in but get some of the inactive ones back. I know that with the Lord we can make this branch much stronger and build a solid foundation in the Bardege branch.

This week we had some great dinner appointments, which is rare here in Gulu. The one I'm sending a picture of is with a family where only the daughter is a member. The Mama is a very strong catholic (just like everyone else in Gulu), but me and Elder Majawa got caught in the rain and we took refuge in her little shop. We talked for about an hour or so and we had her laughing big. We asked her when we were going to come eat with her (something that's not rude here) and she said we could come the next day with the whole zone. She cooked a lot for us! We had chicken, beef, cabbage, doe doe, sweet potato, and chapate and it was delicious!! After we ate she asked each one of us to share our story and testimony about the church. As it came to me I had a strong impression to share about the importance of the plan of salvation and the ability to be with our families forever. I talked about Jace (Elder Hawk's brother who passed away 16 years ago at the age of 4 months due to a congenital heart defect) and how I knew that one day, if I live right, I could be with him again. I felt the Spirit confirm that truth in my heart. I truly believe that we can be together with our families forever, and I know that it is only through this church that its possible. I'm so thankful to be part of this gospel, and part of a family who has been sealed in the temple for all eternity. After everyone finished she finally understood why her daughter wanted to be part of this church. She may never be baptized or accept the gospel, but she knows that it is a good church.

We also got to watch conference the last two days! (Finally!) We didn't watch all the sessions though because Saturday is the best day to catch people at home. I love conference so much and can always feel the power of the spirit testify that these men were called of God.

Well not much else happened this week. We are still pushing and working hard. I hope all is well back home. I love all of you and want you to know that God loves you more than you can imagine.

Love, Elder Hawk



You know you're in Africa when women can balance anything on their head.

African Safari

So today we got to go to Chobe! Wow was it beautiful! We woke up at 6 this morning and headed there. We got there and ate a sweet buffet breakfast! It was super nice!! The resort is right next to the nile so we ate our breakfast on a porch over-looking the Nile! It is probably one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen! Pictures will not do it justice, but I will send some. We did see very many animals though. Mostly just a bunch of Giraffe. It was still way cool though.

So this week was really fast. We are making great progress in the Branch. Our attendance is increasing slowly. However, we have run into some major obstacles this week. The number one is marriage. I think I can count on one hand how many people are married here. It is very frustrating. Last week I talked about Jeoffrey.. His name is actually Godfrey.. haha. I guess we just heard him wrong... But him and Martha aren't married, which is a huge bummer since he is so ready to be baptized. He already has a super strong testimony. Luckily we have a senior couple who is in our area. They are the special team. They have attended a lot of classes on how to get people married here since the process is very different. We will be using them a lot for the next little while. Also Emmy (kid I got to baptize) bore his testimony yesterday and it was one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard from a 12 year old. Wow. 

I don't have any spectacular story or adventure, but then again, I have many mini adventures everyday. I climb over very sketchy bridges, we walk through thick bushes, and we even fended off some hungry lions the other day! Well, most of that was true.. I am getting used to life here in Uganda though and I love it so much. I love being a missionary, I love being a member of this church, and I love all the people I meet everyday. 

I hope all is well back home and that you are all loving life as much as I am. I love you all so much.

Love, Elder Hawk

You know you're in Africa when you chase after Giraffes