Photos From Our Missionary

Christmas Box From the Laws!

From the Hadleys!

This week from Peru Dec 31 2013

Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 10:37 AM,

Elder Hackleman,

It was so awesome to be able to talk to you on Christmas eve. It was the highlight of the entire month! There have been a lot of pictures posted of you recently on Facebook so I will get those added to your blog sometime today:)

We have been having a wonderful Christmas break. The boys go to the church every chance they get to play a little basketball.

Grandma and Grandpa stayed until Saturday. We had a lot of nice dinners. We had steak on Christmas which made Nathan one happy camper and of course Pretzel Jello salad.

Kristen got married on Friday. I guess it was nice. I have only seen one picture so far. Tayson is getting married in February.

We sure love you!

Love

Mom


Hey mom! It was so wonderful to see you as well! Nathan needs to keep his shot up. That kid still has a chance to be a serious basketball player. =) My pensionist did the most wonderful thing for me yesterday. You´ll never guess what she made me for breakfast..............BACON!!!!!!!!! She didn´t know how much I loved it but she found it in a market super far away from the house one time and she knew that Americans love it. I didn´t realize until I ate it that I haven´t had it since the MTC. I was so happy. Haha I can´t believe that Kristen got married. I did here about Tayson though. That’s good for him.

So I have been talking to an elder in my district named elder Gubler. We figured it out that the way transfers fall, we might be going home the same time and his parents want to come out to get him to. His name is Troy Gubler. Hes from vegas. Something to think about if you wanna get in touch with his mom or something. =) I love you mamma! 

And I got the package from the Laws. Oh my word. They definitely made me the most sought after and popular missionary in my zone. It was so awesome. 

And I got Christmas letters from the Hadley family! Please tell them all thank you so much for me and how much I appreciate it. 

Oh and I got letters from the Achievement day girls in the ward. That was so sweet of them. I have them all saved in my mission stuff that I am going to keep forever. Tell them all thank you so much!

Missionary Photos 2013

Tuckered Out.  Elder Hackleman was so excited to skype his family he couldn't sleep the night before, so he slept through the Christmas dinner.

Until the Turkey Arrived!

LDS Church Service Project.  Bused in Missionaries to clean the beaches.

My Companion and Best Bud!

Elder Hackleman's Companion

Christmas Eve Skype.  Best Day of the Year!

Elder Hackleman's Baptisms this Week

The girl´s name is Antuanet. The boy´s name is Alain Poul. They are both awesome! Alain Poul is 20 and we are already talking to him about serving a mission!!!

December 9th From our Missionary

We as a companionship, elder ramos and I, are working way hard to baptize every week. We are on our third week and have a fecha for this Saturday as well. His name is xxxxx. We are very excited. We get along great as a companionship which helps us out a lot in our teaching. We teach with the ping pong technique very well because neither one of us wants to dominate the other in lessons, the way it should be.

Oh my that sounded like a fun ride to church. I will have to try the laugh techniques. I can totally visualize pops talking about his crescendos forte position in the choir. That guy. Hey crazy fact, I heard Paul walker, The actor from fast and furious that is a less active member of the churched died last week. Is that true? crazy! I have no idea about transfers. We have them next week but I don´t know if I am going or not. Hey, we get to skype in a couple weeks!!!!!!!! Our mission is going to do it on Christmas eve. I don´t know what time yet but I will let you know. You all better be ready! I am so excited. My pensionist wants to know if you have any codes or anything for the package you sent so that she can track it to see if and when it makes it here ok. You can send it to her facebook in english and I´ll translate what you say if you get the chance. I love you mommy!!!

Elder Hackleman

Longest Marriage

"Week in Photos: Full moon, longest marriage & more
Full moon
A selection of the most striking images from around the world in the last seven days. News, sports, animals and people.
A statue of the Angel Moroni on top of a Latter-day Saints temple is silhouetted against the rising full moon in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 18."  Taken from the MSN Website.

This picture and title are on the front page of the msn website today. The title for the first picture is full moon, the second picture title is longest marriage. I couldn’t help but think that the two titles could actually represent both in the angel Moroni picture since being married in the LDS temple binds marriages for time and all eternity so the marriage in essence will be the longest marriage as well.

November 25 2013 Happenings in Lima

Wedding Night.  Groom Ended up Getting Stuck at Work and Came Late. So Late We Missionaries Missed the Wedding.

We Did Not Miss the Baptism the Next Day However!

Hey momma! Yeah I was way curious what that job was all about. I´m sorry it didn´t turn into something better. Are you and the family going to the Beck Christmas reunión? I haven´t Heard if that was in the plans or not. I have been having dreams night after night of being home. It has been so tough. I forget them throughout the day so its fine but it makes it tough to get up. They are so real! Haha Dreams that I´m fresh off my misión at home hanging out with you and watching tv, going out to eat, running errands and things like that like before the mish. I sure miss you mommy! =)

Yeah here are some pictures of Diego and his family. The girl with my companion and I is his wife on their wedding night. We went to their wedding that was supposed to start at 8 but Diego Works in security and they had some sort of problem at work. He couldn´t get there until 930 when we had to be in our rooms so we couldn´t see it. =( but we got a picture with her as proof that we were there! Haha it was ok though because he got baptised the next day. You can read the story in dad´s letter. He is awesome. I love you sooo much mom! Thank you so much for doing that jacket for me. I know it was a hassle and a lot of money. But you just made the life of a fantastic, Peruvian man that deserves something super special. =) I love you so much mommy! Tell the family I love them too!

Elder Hackleman (Your oldest)

Do's and don'ts for parents of returned Mormon missionaries - Deseret News Article

Do’s and don’ts for parents of returned Mormon missionaries
By Andy Proctor
For The Returned Missionary
Published: Monday, Nov. 4 2013 6:00 a.m. MST
Updated: Wednesday, Nov. 6 2013 9:48 a.m. MST

If you are a parent or a family member of a missionary who is coming home, you may have had a similar experience. Either way, here are some great pointers for you from a former mission president who has had almost a dozen returned missionaries, not to mention being the mission “parent” of all the missionaries in his mission. The do's and don'ts are direct quotes, and the commentary between is more of my personal interpretation. Please provide feedback. We’re open to more things that help!

1. "DO remember your purpose and their purpose — it is the same. The overarching purpose is the same."

Though they leave the mission and come home to a new life, we all still have the same purpose: to invite others to come unto Christ and become more like him. Remember that this is what they eat, sleep and drink as a missionary, and it should be the same for us. Don’t be surprised if they still eat, sleep and drink it. Embrace it. Be humble and learn from what they have learned. They have so much to teach.

2. "DO be the kind of adult you want them to be! The bar was raised for them, but it was also raised for you."

Understand "Preach my Gospel" because that is their language. If you know the language of "Preach My Gospel," you’ll know their language. If you haven’t already, don’t be afraid to pull out the manual and read through it. If you do, it’s guaranteed that your communication with them will improve when they get home.

3. "DON’T treat them like you did before their mission. DO let them be something better and greater than they were before."

Ask them how they think they have changed. Ask them to teach you what they have learned. Remember, they are not the high school kid you knew before. They have been through a rigorous program for 18 months to two years, and there is no way they are the same. The worst thing you could do is let them lose what they have gained on the mission. This may be uncomfortable, but love them enough to let them rise above who they were before their mission. Feel free to share this article with your recently returned missionary about how they can keep the missionary “glow” forever:www.thereturnedmissionary.com/keeping-the-missionary-glow/

4. "DO encourage them in their daily personal prayer and scripture study, and DO hold daily family prayer and scripture study and weekly family home evenings with them."

Support them in keeping the same standards they kept when on the mission. And when they are ready and the circumstances permit, encourage them to go to the family home evening activities in their young single adult wards. Until then, do the best you can to support the standards they lived on the mission. This will bless your home.

5. DON’T let them have a long vacation, but DO strongly encourage them to become anxiously engaged after a short rest."

A happy returned missionary is a busy returned missionary. If you do decide to go on a short family trip or vacation after their mission, this is fine. But when you get back, help them to stay busy. Provide a list of things that they can do that will keep them busy. They are used to working longer hours than a full-time job requires. If they don’t get working soon, it will be quite a shock to them. Don’t be afraid of rest, but help them to keep working hard. Hard work is a good thing. You know this.

6. "DO use a balanced approach in encouraging them regarding dating and marriage, finding a job, getting an education, church service, family responsibility, etc."

Encourage them. Don’t pressure them. They are already used to setting goals and achieving them, but this is a brand new world for them. There will be more articles on this website that will cover many of these subjects such as dating, marriage, employment, education, etc. Just make sure they know they are loved, and, above all, help them remember the highest in themselves, that they are born to be great, and that the best always happens after the mission.

7. "DO lovingly help them to become functioning adults, dressing and acting the part.

They are expected to be adults for two years or 18 months. They budgeted for themselves, shopped for themselves, did their own laundry, cleaned their apartment, paid rent and utilities, went to the doctor and everything else. Don’t take that away from them when they get home. Let them be functioning adults again. Though you should make sure that they get all the medical and dental help when they get home. You also may suggest a new wardrobe for them when they return, but don’t be offended if they don’t want your style advice. Here is a quick post from our blog about why it is a good idea for returned missionaries to refresh their wardrobe, if possible.

8. "DO encourage them to pick one ward to attend and to have a calling in that ward as soon as possible, rather than float between young single adult wards and your home ward."

From the church handbook: “Eligible members may, in consultation with their parents, choose to be members of the YSA ward or to remain in their conventional ward.” (Handbook 2, section 16.4) If you can, encourage bishops to call them immediately as ward missionaries and as temple workers (where possible). Returned Missionaries need the same things as new members: (1) A friend, (2) a calling, and (3) nourishment by the good word of God.

9. "DO encourage them to attend their sacrament meeting and other meetings as well as the temple and institute, every week."

10. "DON’T encourage them to participate in worldly media, movies or video games they missed while on the mission."

DO strongly encourage them to follow the standards and guidelines found in "For the Strength of Youth" and "Preach My Gospel." The worst thing you could do for them is to show them the five best movies they missed while they were gone. Remember the “For the Strength of Youth” booklet doesn’t just apply to youth. The standards are the same for returned missionaries and for parents and families of returned missionaries as well. Consider these words from the first presidency:

"Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal, humorous or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others. Do not attend, view or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Have the courage to walk out of a movie, change your music, or turn off a computer, television or mobile device if what you see or hear drives away the Spirit."

If one of the top five best movies that came out while they were serving a mission has anything that is vulgar, violent or pornographic in any way or that portrays immorality or violence as acceptable, none of us should be watching it. If it is family tradition to have a movie night together, that is wonderful! Just choose wisely, and not just with your recently returned missionary.

This is in no way a comprehensive list, but these are good guidelines to follow, and, above all, follow the promptings of the Spirit to help you to know how you can be a springboard for your returned missionaries and not a stumbling block.

Pictures of Elder Hackleman

Elder Hackleman's Younger But Bigger Brother's Senior Pictures