Monday, October 2, 2017

"Zebra Life"

Hello everyone, I hope you all had an amazing time watching General Conference!!! I LOVED it so much and I was actually kind of sad that it was my last conference as a missionary! It is so crazy how fast the time flys by!  

am officially an English missionary so that is weird! It has been a pretty big change, but it gives me comfort to know that this is exactly where God needs me right now. They call me a Zebra missionary because I am both a Spanish and English missionary. It has been really nice to still use my Spanish with people when we knock doors and run into people on the street. I have taught a few lessons in Spanish and gave the Spanish missionaries some new investigators!

So back to conference! I want to share with you a few of my favorite quotes/thoughts that I had during conference! I want to talk about what President Uchtdorf shared in the General Women’s Meeting. He talked about 3 sisters one was Sad, the other Mad, and the last Glad, sometimes we find ourselves in each of these 3 sisters. We need to always remember who we are and strive to be the 3rd sister who was Glad. The 3rd sister loved singing and some people thought it was annoying, but she kept singing. "The song of true discipleship may sound off key to others, but to God it is the song of redeeming love."
- President Uchtdorf

I also enjoyed the talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland about not beating up on ourselves and know that we don't have to reach perfection in this life. I think that a lot of times as people we beat up on ourselves and we set a very high expectation, but we need to realize that we just need to try to be like our Savior and that perfection is pending here in mortality.

There are about 500 other things that I could share about conference, but those were some of my favorites!!! I strongly encourage all of you to go and listen to conference if you were not able to have the opportunity!

I am so GLAD that I have this time to be a missionary in this awesome mission and now I get to see it from both sides, English and Spanish. Our first night in the area we met with the Bishop and it was like drinking out of a fire hose!! He had spreadsheets and graphs... they do not have any of that in Spanish work... or any ward that I know of, he means business so I am excited to see what happens in the next 5 weeks I have in this ward!

I love you guys and I hope you have a great week!

-Hermana Hadley (Yes I am still going by Hermana <3 )




TRANSFER DAY
Sister Aleman, Hermana Hadley, and the Dowells. 
I have served with Elder and Sister Dowells in the same District for 7 months now. <3



Sister Aleman and Hermana Hadley
The English/Spanish Companions!



The Neighborhood Library



We put a Book of Mormon in a Neighborhood Library :)



Hermana Starke and I saying goodbye to Raul! He is getting baptized this next week!!!



Hermana Starke and I had covered our door with our adventures!
 It was sad to take it down :(  . Hermana Starke and I have been together for 3 transfers and I am really going to miss her and consider her one of my best friends. <3




Mom Note: This was the last Adventure Monday with the Vasquez family! They have been such a blessing to Hermana Hadley and Hermana Starke.  I know they will look back at this time on their missions with such love and gratefulness because Hermana Vasquez has been their second Mother! 

We did not expect when McKay left on her mission that we would be blessed to get to know such wonderful people. We will also miss the Vasquez and Starke Families, but know we will always stay connected through this wonderful Gospel! <3

Below is a Facebook Post from Hermana Vasquez and a collage of pictures that she put together of their great times together. 





Nathalie from the YSA put this together stating, "Definitly going to miss them". 
She has been such a sweet friend to McKay!




This was a Friday Night we will never forget! This is 15 of the San Fernando YSA members that drove all night so they could attend General Conference in person. I don't think they slept the whole time they were in Utah. It was amazing to receive hugs and be told that the hugs were from Hermana Hadley. We realize what a rare and blessed opportunity this was for our family!  These amazing people have become her family! <3 

The highlight was that Erick went through the Salt Lake Temple on Friday afternoon for the first time! I had fun in the bakery of Costco trying to figure out what Congratulations 
was in Spanish ;)!

They are such an inspiration to our family as we got to know them more personally and it was an honor to have them in our home! 
Our family has been so blessed by having a missionary!












Monday, September 25, 2017

"Going Out With A Bang!"

Hello Everyone! Man do I have a ton of news! So buckle in because this is going to be a big one......

News Number 1:

CHRIS GOT BAPTIZED!!! It was one of the most amazing baptisms ever and I am so grateful for him! Chris has seriously changed his life around and has already had so many blessings from this gospel! Chris' baptism was a very special experience! He has been a huge blessing in my life and he has taught me so much about being truly converted to this gospel. Right before his baptism it was Fast and Testimony meeting at church and he got up and shared his testimony about how much he has come to love his Heavenly Father through this process! He got me crying like a baby! After his baptism, he was just glowing and smiling from ear to ear! I am so grateful for our Savior and for the opportunity we have to change for the better to become more like Jesus Christ! 

News Number 2:

Right after Chris' baptism we were all sitting outside eating sandwiches. Then all of a sudden one of our members Fermin, pulls out a guitar and hands us all these roses. I was handed his phone to record because he was freaking proposing!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!  So, his girlfriend Sybil (Chris' cousin) walks out of the church and he starts singing a song about 12 roses in Spanish. Sybil walks down and everyone is handing her roses and she is crying like crazy, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him!!! She said yes!!! Gotta Love YSA! 

News Number 3:

So, this is the news that is kind of sad, we had transfers this week and I was told that I was leaving YSA, I was really sad because the YSA has seriously become my family. I was standing outside of the door right before Sacrament meeting started and I saw President Henrie walk in. I said hello and he told us he was going to come and visit YSA today. He asked me if I had received my transfer news and I told him yes that I was leaving but did not know where.

He then pulled me aside and said, "Hermana Hadley, this is going to be a special transfer, God needs you in English work and I need your help." I thought he was joking!!! He then explained to me that there was an area that needed some extra help and he needed me there. SOOOO I am going to English work this transfer!!!

Also after Sacrament meeting he pulled Hna. Starke aside and told her that she was actually going to be leaving to an all bike area in a trio!  So many changes happening, but I am excited to see what is to come! I love being a missionary! I am just glad that I am leaving YSA after a baptism and a proposal! Going out with a Bang!

I hope you all enjoy General Conference this weekend and I invite all of you to watch and listen to it.  I am so excited to hear from our living prophets! Even Chris is driving all the way to Utah to watch it! Wahoo!!!

Love you guys have a great week!
Hermana Hadley 




Chris' Baptism!!! YAY!!!



The whole YSA after the Baptism!



They have way too much fun!!!



Hermana Hadley, Chris, and Hermana Starke <3



Chris at one of his lessons :)



Fermin popping the question to Sybil (Chris' Cousin) after the Baptism!!!



Saw my old companion, cute Hermana Johnson at the awesome 
General Womens Conference



So the other night we had a Pass Along Card Throwing Contest. We ended up with an extra bed that the mission was getting rid of so we made it into a target board with different point values. Ha-Ha  "Card Throwing Olympics 2017"



Last weeks Adventure Monday with the wonderful Vasquez Family!!!
They took the Hermanas to Costco and they loved it!!!



Christmas Already?!



A Churro for cute Hermana Starke <3




Hermana Hadley has got to have her Costco Berry Sundae!



And who does not need a life size Teddy Bear?

We Love You Vasquez Family!!!