WOW!!!! its finally here!

October 7, 2010

My last email from the MTC!

MOM MOM MOM!  I'm really gonna miss you!

I cant believe I leave this next Monday!  WOW!!!! its finally here! I'm super ready though!

i know I'm not good at Spanish yet but i know the lord will help me as long as i give it 100%

I'm so proud of Lindsey and her schooling! On the dean's list twice!  Shes gonna make a great wife, mother and woman someday.  She's the best! Can you tell her to  aim high in everything she does because she deserves the best!!!

And tell her i noticed some "posing pics" of her in the album haha, il show some good candidates of missionaries and see what i can do hahaha. maybe get her a pen pall... :p
  

I'm so grateful for the Lord, for allowing me to be here, and be healthy.  Mom and Dad, I am very blessed to  have a mom and dad that raised me and have helped me get me to where i am now!

I'm so glad i waited until now to serve because i know I'm supposed to go to Mexico! i cant wait to go through all the crazy things Mexico City has to offer! Dont worry mom, I've been cautioned not to tell you any scary stuff until i get back home....haha!!  

PLEASE PLEASE let the boys stay home from school Monday morning!!!!!

I really wanna talk to both of them on the phone when I call.   It'll be anywhere from 8-10am so please answer any calls during that time.

I  LOVE YOU all with all my heart! I hope and pray daily that everyone in the family stays safe and happy. 

And can i just say how much i love the book of Mormon now too!!  Its AMAZING and there are so many legit stories in it!

There is no way Joseph Smith could have ever made any of it up.   Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God that restored the gospel back to the earth! It's so cool to have such a strong testimony of these things!! I love it  because it feels so right. And i know how much it will bless me in my life.

I wanna challenge you and the family to see if you can read the whole Book of Mormon before i get home. I'm reading it now and will be done in a couple of weeks!

Gotta go, but tell everyone how much i love them! and please BE HOME when i call on Monday!


Love ya!

E. Haskell

Quotes sent by Elder Haskell this week

 

"Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain."
— Gordon B. Hinckley

 

 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

 

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.

 

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

-- Used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inaugural speech

 

 

Leaving for Mexico City on Monday!

We found out today that Josh will be leaving for Mexico City from  the Salt Lake airport on Monday, October 11, 2010.  He will be traveling with 3 other Missionaries and to say they are all relieved to finally be going is an understatement!

How To Get a Girl For Mormon Guys

Faith

"Brethren of the priesthood, the task is ours. Let us remember and never forget, however, that such an undertaking is not insurmountable. Miracles are everywhere to be seen when priesthood callings are magnified. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes. We are on the Lord's errand. We are entitled to the Lord's help. But we must try."
"Anxiously Engaged," Ensign, Nov. 2004, 59

"...It was intimidating but so awesome"

As related by Elder Steven Juker:

Elder haskell had some back problems and got to call his mom to figure out financial stuff and he heard about it from her too and she lives here. But with his back probloems he went out to a dr to get an mri and see whats up and was gone like all day. he got back and was like i have good news and bad news. good news is i brought back taco bell and pulls out a big bag of tacos it was awesome but the bad news was really bad they said he reinjured his back cause he had surgery before he came but they said it was hurt again and needed surgeory and he was prolly going home this was yesterday. he talked to branch pres he said yeah proabably best cause he needs to heal. So we decided to fast today for him and also we gave him a blessing last night. It was really awesome cause he asked me too give it. It was intimidating but so awesome to give a blessing with 8 other missionaries the spirit was so strong.

Elder Steven Juker

So this morning he had meetings to find out when he was going home and stuff while we were at the temple. After temple were walking back and see him and elder solheim sitting where missionaries wait to leave. I was so bummed. We asked what was going to happen and he said he was getting all the paperwork filled out and stuff cause he had to like talk to an apostle before he left and stuff - crazy. so while he was waiting on that he got a call to the front desk and they said the main surgeon called and said that the other surgeon and doctor had both misread the mri. the stuff pinching wasnt his bulging disc it was scar tissue from his last suregry so he just needs a cortazone shot and he’ll be able to still go to mexico and not have to go home! how amazing is that! So were all pumped right now cause were not losing another elder.

"Awesome Spiritual Experience" as told by Elder Peacock

While working on this blog, I came across an entry from an Elder serving and sharing a room with Josh. I wanted to share what this wonderful Elder posted on his blog.
the following is at http://elderjpeacock.blogspot.com/ in case you want to read it there.
----------------------------------------
Now to the week.
Wow!!! There was the most awesome spiritual experience today.

So Elder Haskell hurt his back the other day, which worried everyone because he had surgery on it before he came, and had his original mission call delayed. He was in a lot of pain. He got it checked out by a doctor yesterday to see what was going on, and in the MRI it didn't look good. The doctor told him that he was going to need surgery and would have to go home from his mission for a couple more months for rehab. He told us when he got back and we were all devastated, and he was in tears. He is such a great Elder and part of our family.
So Elder Haskell spoke to President Cameron about it last night and he said he would be going home today. Last night the whole district gave Elder Haskell a priesthood blessing. And most of the zone decided to fast for him today and we wrote his name down for the prayer in the temple. He was in meetings all this morning with people, trying to get everything done so he can go home and get his back better. After the temple this morning, Elder Haskell and his companion were waiting for us out front of the MTC. Elder Haskell told us that a back surgeon at the hospital had looked at the MRI since yesterday, and called the MTC to tell them that his back would not require surgery after all. It turns out that scar tissue is really the only trouble and he will get a cortisone shot tomorrow which should fix it. He is allowed to stay here at the MTC and leave for Mexico on time!!
We were all so sure he was going home, but we put our faith in the Lord. And through the power of faith, priesthood blessings, prayer, and fasting Elder Haskell gets to continue in this great work. I know that this all happened by the hand of God and our prayers were answered. SO amazing what God can do in your life if you have faith.

From another Elders perspective

We have added a few links to blogs about Elders now serving with Josh. You cant pass up reading blogs that have these sentences:

".........OK, so here’s what happened. Every floor has a room that for whatever reason is used to store pillows. For obvious reasons, these rooms are ALWAYS locked. One morning after service, Elder Haskell somehow got into this room, and it was one of the best things to ever happen to the floor." -Elder Peacock

"........tuesday we had elder hinckley speak. he’s in the 70 hes awesome looks and sounds a lot like his father. His talk was really good and at the end he had a Q & A thing it was nice as well. Elder Haskell (from our distrtict) asked a question about how to get his aunt to get back to church cause just before he went on his mission she said she wanted to and shes been inactive for years. I appreciated that Q and got a lot from it."
-Elder Juker

"........I like my comp more now he doesn't seem as weird anymore. The other Elders in my room are Elder Haskell and Elder Solheim. They are from Orem and Mesa Arizona. They are really chill, I like them, our room is probably the funnest in the District. Which helps take a little stress out after a long day of studying." - Elder Beanz

".....Elder haskell had some back problems and got to call his mom." -Elder Juker

" ......I am now with Elder Solheim! Since Elder Haskell hurt his back they have been missing a lot of class and they were already struggling a lot with Spanish before his back problem." -Elder Beanz

".........4 days ago Elder Haskell in our room, woke up and his back was hurting so bad he could hardly walk." -Elder Beanz

"........We were all so sure he was going home, but we put our faith in the Lord. And through the power of faith, priesthood blessings, prayer, and fasting Elder Haskell gets to continue in this great work. I know that this all happened by the hand of God and our prayers were answered. SO amazing what God can do in your life if you have faith." -Elder Peacock

".......The doctor told him that he was going to need surgery and would have to go home from his mission for a couple more months for rehab. He told us when he got back and we were all devastated, and he was in tears. He is such a great Elder and part of our family. So, Elder Haskell spoke to President Cameron about it last night and he said he would be going home today." -Elder Peacock

".........so we sat in a circle and said what we liked and thought was charitable about each other, it was a really good exp. sounds kinda corny at first but it was good. one comment elder haskell made was he liked how my packages became district packages cause i always share everything with everyone." -Elder Juker