Nathan gave a talk in church

I love it! I totally love the thumb wrestling part!!! Well played Nay! And totally true!!!

On Sun, Aug 30, 2015 at 12:36 PM, Amy wrote:

Nathan is speaking in church today so I thought I would send you a copy of his talk.

Good afternoon brothers and sisters. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nathan Hackleman and I am a junior at Papillion La vista South High School. I have two older brothers, Jaren and Seth, and one younger brother named Grant. Jaren was just recently married in the Payson Utah Temple after serving in the Peru Lima West Mission. Seth is currently serving in the Mexico Veracruz Mission. We have been in the Cottonwood Ward for about three years.

I was asked to speak on the Aaronic priesthood’s role in the sacred ordinance of the sacrament. In his October 1998 General Conference talk, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “At the conclusion of His ministry, Jesus introduced the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. He broke bread and blessed it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body”. “This do in remembrance of me”. He took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” I really like this because it helps me realize that we just did the exact same ordinance in this chapel. We did the exact same things in the exact same order as Jesus Christ did before he was crucified, and we have the opportunity to do it every single Sunday as long as we strive to keep the commandments.

Recently, I was ordained to the office of a priest. With this, I now have the opportunity to participate in every step of the administration of the sacrament. I would like to expand on the principles taught in Doctrine and Covenants section 107, verse 20 which says, “The power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.”

One of the outward ordinances mentioned in this scripture is the ordinance of the sacrament. It also mentions the “letter of the gospel,” which makes me think of the sacrament prayer, and how it is one of the only prayers in the church that has to be exact. And then we all know how the covanents we make at baptism relate to the covenants we make when we partake of the sacrament.

I remember when I was young my parents would always interrupt the Hackleman brothers during our Sunday morning thumb wrestling tournaments during sacrament meetings. Even though we had them outnumbered, they still managed to separate us and maintain order. At the time, we didn’t fully comprehend their need to kill such fun, but now that I understand the significance of the sacrament, I understand why they did what they did.

Another way my parents were able to help my brothers and I remember the importance of the sacrament is they would always bring coloring books and snacks to sacrament meeting, but we were not allowed to eat or color until after the sacrament. This helped us realize that we need to be reverent during the sacrament and remember the meaning behind the sacred ordinance.

Sacrament is a sacred ordinance in a sacred place, and we should maintain the same reverence in the chapel that we would in the temple. An example of this can be seen in the reverence shown by the aaronic priesthood in administering the ordinance of the sacrament. Because of the significance of the sacrament, Aaronic priesthood holders need to remain worthy throughout the week to administer the sacrament.

In the May 2006 New Era, there is an article given by Ron Frandsen, that tells a story of a young man who was just ordained to the office of a teacher. This gave him the duty of standing by the doors and welcoming the people coming into the sacrament meeting. On the first Sunday after his ordination, he was thrilled to accept the duty and claim his new post by the doors. Unfortunately he discovered that there were only five deacons there, and sacrament meeting was about to start. The deacon’s president walked over to him and asked him to join them in passing, but the young man waved him off, telling him to ask someone else. The opening hymn came and again the deacon’s president went over and asked the young man the same question, and he received the same answer. Finally, it was time for the sacrament and the young men walked up to the sacrament table with a space where the sixth deacon should be. To the young man’s surprise, the bishop stood and filled in the empty gap. Afterwards, the bishop stood up to the pulpit and said “I hope all of our young men will be willing to fulfill any priesthood assignment given them, even if it seems small or unimportant.” We need to remember that every duty in the sacrament is equal in importance, even if it may not seem that way.

In Joshua 24 verse 15 it says “Choose this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Young men can choose who they will serve throughout their lives, but if they choose the Lord above all, it will help them stay worthy to participate in the administration of the sacrament.

The sacrament is a sacred ordinance. So sacred that it was done by Jesus Christ himself before his crucifixion. We all need to strive to remain worthy to partake of the sacrament, and we all need to remember the reason and purpose behind it.

Bear testimony.

Have You Ever Wondered What Zotz Are?

Elder Lewis got a package from his parents and he was like, "What are Zots???" I told him they were candy that would turn his teeth blue because I didn't want to give away the surprise. I wanted him to eat them not expecting the foam at the end. His reaction was priceless!!!!  

The Greatest Moment of My Life!

I have never had such a spiritual experience before this!

This is one of the baptisms I am most blessed to call mine. This family are all members. The one in the middle is a former missionary and is our ward mission leader. For some reason his dad never wanted to get baptized. He has about 18 years going to church, (not always, but probably 3 times a month), with his family. EVERY single missionary that has come through Orizaba has tried to baptize him, but he never wanted to. Never wanted to give up drinking coffee and stuff. Well I made his wife a promise when I got here. By the way his wife has more faith than anyone I have ever met before. She was about ready to go through the temple with, or without him. I told her that before I leave this area, her husband will be a member. Her son, Dany Maza, just kind of laughed and said yeah that is what they all say. He learned a little English while on his mission. One day I felt it was time to talk to him so my companion and I went to his house. I just asked him the baptismal questions. I didn't tell him what they were, I didn't teach him anything, I just wanted to see how much he knew so I asked and he answered. At the end I told him, look brother Maza, you just answered every question perfectly. I then read the last question out of my Planner, that basically says, "are you ready to make this covenant of baptism with God?" Before he answered, I said, "We are preparing a baptismal service this Saturday, will you prepare to be baptized by this Saturday?" He waited a few seconds, even though it seemed like hours, and finally said, "Yeah I think it's about time I followed Jesus Christ. His wife just burst into tears! It was the greatest moment of my life! So his 16 year old son got to baptize him on Saturday and then Dany and I confirmed him on Sunday! So amazing! They want me to come back in a year to go with them when they get sealed as a family... oh that would be so amazing!

This was my other baptism I had this week. His name is Cesar. SOOO awesome. Elder Lewis and I found him one day when we were on divisions and only taught him once. He didn't live in my area so I had to pass the reference to the other elders in the zone but he progressed very quickly and the day of his baptism said he wanted me to be there to do it! I felt so honored!!!

Hey mom! This letter will be a little shorter. Daniel sent me an awesome email and I want to make sure I get one back to him, but that is awesome about Grantish!! So happy he is keeping the Hackleman legend going:) I just hope Nathan is keeping the Hackleman legend I always wanted to start but never did! (I'm talking about show choir obviously. Is he still practicing?)

I loved Nathans talk! I am glad your week was good!

This week has been really good. I decided the best way to get my comp excited to be here was to lose him in the work. I went for a different approach this week. I fasted at the beginning of the week asking for this to work. I worked him sooo hard this week, like really, I pushed him a ton. It was hard because I could see he was struggling a bunch but I didn't want to let up. I had a purpose in mind. I was by no means mean to him or anything, we just worked like horses. We ended up pulling together a few baptisms this week and finding a ton of new people to teach! Everytime he did something good I tried to shower him with love. By the end of the week, he ended up getting sick, I think for a few different reasons, the bad weather, and exhaustion, but he told me yesterday that he had never had a better week in the mission. He said he was physically drained, but spiritually full. He said he felt like he wanted to fall asleep as we were walking and didn't know how he would be able to contact another person in the street. In the moment we started talking to them, he didn't feel tired. Not even a little bit, until we left again. Then it came back in full force. At the end I told him, look you have now seen the blessings we have received from good hard work, but sometimes it isn't about how HARD you work, but how SMART you work. That is why it is soooo important that you are studying Preach My Gospel, and the scriptures diligently. Anyways, long story short, I think I am making a ton of headway with him.

So that was my week! I had a great time and pretty much never stopped sweating, but it was totally worth it!!!

I love you all so much! Thanks for being such an awesome family!!!

Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 1:21 PM, Amy wrote:

Hey, how are you doing today? What is new this week?

We had a good week. Finally getting back into the swing of things round here. Grant has his first football game tomorrow. He was asked to play on the freshman b team, but then they were practicing long snaps with anyone who wanted to try and he was the best one at it according to what I could see during the practice. The next day he was invited to go to the a games as well. My guess is to be used for long snaps ha ha, but that's just me speculating.

We went to the first football game of the year Friday night. It was against Burk. I'm sure your dad already told you, we won! It was fun, but I still find myself looking for you ha ha.

Yesterday Nathan spoke during sacrament meeting. Oh, ya, I sent you a copy of his talk so you already know.

Things are starting to cool down a bit around here although the BYU/Nebraska football game scheduled for this Saturday is supposed to be 90 degrees. That's still pretty warm.

I can't wait to hear from you!

Love mom

Hey daddy! Sorry this email is so short! I am starting to run out of time. I am so happy papio beat Burke!!!!!!!! Good for them!!

Pero santa vaca, your week has been absolutely crazy!!!! A little like mine but in different ways:) haha

My shoulder is doing good! Sometimes if I sleep in a weird position I will wake up with it pretty sore and like... I don't know how to explain it, not dislocated, but like locked into place. I have to get up and stretch it every once in a while, but really it isn't any problem. I know that God is blessing me with it. It hasn't dislocated for... I don't even know how long. It doesn't hurt me throughout the day unless I have a bunch of stuff in my backpack that day and we had to walk a lot. Then it gets kind of sore sometimes, but never dislocates. I think I am just slowly building the strength up again. In terms of my stomach I am back to normal! Finally haha. The work is going great! We just had changes and a few of my friends from other zones came here so I'm happy about that! Today we kind of just relaxed for p-day. We went to a members house to wash clothes and while they were washing, we played Risk haha.

Thank you soooo much for supporting me on my mission! I love you so much!

Elder Hackleman


On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 8:46 AM, Tim wrote:

Dear Elder,

So this past week was still crazy busy. Thursday night I did my first Audit as a High Councilman. Not quite as hard as I thought it would be. I always wondered how they can do the audit report in General Conference, and now I know!! Then Friday we went to the Papio South football game where we watched the Titans BEAT the Burke Bulldogs 34-16. They actually looked pretty good!!! Then Saturday morning Nathan, Grant and I went to help someone move and your mom and I went to the Temple Saturday night and helped clean it. Sunday Nathan gave a great talk in Sacrament meeting, I gave the closing prayer and then I helped teach parenting techniques to the Combined Relief Society and Priesthood meeting for our 5th Sunday lesson.

Wait, I'm not done....

It's always crazy at work. Today, I start my Fundamentals of Print Design class at Bellevue and tomorrow night I start my Graphic Illustration class at Midland. Kinda bums me out because Grant is playing both A and B team Freshman football (Tackle and long-snapper). Yep! Following after his big bro!! They have games on Tuesday and Wednesday. So I'll have to miss Tuesday's games. Dad does not like to miss his sons' games!!! grrrrrrrrr.

THURSDAY: UTES VS. MICHIGAN in Salt Lake and it's televised!!! Then Jaren and Chelsey bring a gang out to the Nebraska/BYU game on Saturday.

Now I'm done.

So how was your week??? Are you keeping your shoulder safe? How are you feeling? Have you finally gotten over your stomach problems? Tell us all about your work!!! What are you guys doing for P-Day today? Last question... How is your companion doing? I hope he is finally catching the vision!

Te amo hijo,

Papá. it was fun to just chill out after a long week, but now I have to go do my district class. I am pretty excited about it today, because the sisters in my district are feeling very dis-animated. I know it hurts them when they see our numbers and can't figure out why they cant work like us. I have been praying about it a lot, and I think I have the answer; The mission, for them, right now is way to stressful. When they learn to just be obedient, but to actually ENJOY being here, that is when they will have success. I am going to attempt to scripturally prove to them today that laughter is a necessary factor in converting people to the gospel. I have a bunch of scriptures, but one I love mentions that laughter will be found in the Celestial kingdom. I think it is time to lighten up the mood in my district a little bit and start wanting to work!

Missionary Letters from Aug. 24, 2015, Re: Elder Christofferson

Hey mom!! that is so crazy, first of all, I refuse to believe that is Keaton. That is a devilish lie and please don't play with me. That kid is huge! What are they feeding him???? I miss the Laws so much! how are they doing in Arkansas??

Elder Hackleman was the only one missing from the Sidney neighborhood gang.
The Jacobsen's came all the way from Sidney for Jaren's open house.

It rained for the first hour, but then cleared up and turned into a lovely evening.

Cupcakes!

That is super cool the Jacobsen's came! I bet that was fun to see them again!

So this week I got to talk to Elder Christofferson. I said some of this to dad also but I want you to know:)

First off, Elder Christofferson was absolutely amazing. I was surprised to find out that even his wife speaks Spanish!!! It was about 4 hours of being blasted by the spirit!!! We all got to personally greet him and shake his hand. The entire time was dedicated to asking questions. He said so many things that were just truly amazing. Many people didn't even notice some of the things he mentioned. It was pretty sad because I was talking about some of the things he said afterwards and everybody was like whoa I didn't catch that! I was like, look when an apostle is talking, you have to look for every word he says because that is as good as scripture! For example one thing he was talking about how all of the signs of the second coming are being full-filled and then some. He mentioned how the Lord has taken two of our Apostles and is about to take a third. Apparently they aren't expecting Richard G Scott to make it to the next conference. He said that in these next few years, something is going to come to pass. He said it very discreetly and many people missed it but not me!!! I got every bit:) He also taught me quite a bit of deep doctrine just in the way he said things. Anyways, talking about the 3 apostles ya wanna know what I think? I have been studying the coming of Christ a ton lately and I have a theory. Obviously we know he will come very soon because the millennium has already started! It should have started in the year 2000 if my calculations are correct. Christ came in the meridian of times and he came almost 5000 years after Adam which means 2000 years more and we are in the 7th seal. We know a creation is only 7000 years so we are running out of time!!! My prediction has to do with the pattern that is happening right now. God is about to take the third apostle which means 3 younger ones will be called. When have we seen that before? You think these could be the three that will be killed in the streets of Jeruselam and be resurrected three days later?? Just a thought!

The testimony of Elder Christofferson sent chills down my back for about 2 hours. He testified of how Christ is the head of the Church and that He is leading it actively. Many people didn't catch that part either but it made me think that they probably just got done having a conference with our Savoir before he came to Mexico.

It was very interesting and I loved it so much! The best part was at the beginning. We all just got done shaking his hand and our Mission president spoke first. Then he got up and stood at the pulpit and everybody was dead silent just waiting to hear him talk. The first thing he did was have us stand up. Then he started dancing 'head shoulders knees and toes' until we all joined him haha. It was great.

This week has been really good!

In terms of baptisms this Saturday we will have another.

Love you mom! Keep sane!!! Tell everybody I pray for them!

Elder hackleman


On Mon, Aug 24, 2015 at 9:31 AM, Amy wrote:

How did your week go? Did you get to hear Elder Christopherson speak? Did you get any pictures?

Our week was one more crazy whirl wind getting everything ready for the open house on Saturday. All week the weather forecast predicted severe weather warnings for Saturday evening starting from 5:00 and extending to 9:00 p.m. Tim said we should plan on having the open house somewhere other than our backyard. I told him to pray for good weather, then just to have faith because we were having it in the back yard. We did take some furniture out of our living room to make room for crowds just to be on the safe side in the case that we would have to move it inside. It turns out we were both right. The rain did come down for about a half an hour so we moved inside, but then it cleared up and we went back out to a soggy but beautiful evening. We put a rug down on the ground for Chelsey to stand on so she didn't get her wedding dress wet.

The Jacobson's came all the way from Sidney. It was so good to see them. Andrew and Alex are both living together at UNK now and Austin is in swing choir. Nathan and Austin figured out they will both be at a competition together in Grand Island. It will be fun to see both Papio and Sidney competing at the same place.

The Law's came from Arkansas as well. It was great fun! Becky came over early on Saturday and helped with all the decorating. She saved my sanity by coming at just the right moment when I was so tired I didn't think I could get it all done. She is the best!

Becky also gave me a mother of the groom survival kit with all my favorite treats. She rocks!

Albany came over early and did Chelsey's hair for her. I don't know what we would do without such great friends!

Well, I can't wait to hear about your week.

I love you!

Love,
Mom

One Year on My Mission! One Year to Go!

Missionaries have a tradition when they hit their year mark.
They burn a shirt.
I HAVE A YEAR IN THE MISSION!
I GOT TO SPEND IT WITH ELDER LEWIS.
He was a companion to Elder Webb in the Missionary Training Center.

Naturally we had to celebrate with a pizza.

I found a cool sea shell.
This a picture of my name tag that is correct.
I also have one that is misspelled ha ha.

Another great week topped off with a baptism!

Elder Christofferson knew my name! Aug. 2015

Elder Christofferson visits with Missionaries in Mexico

Here we are in front of the Mexico Veracruz temple right after being blasted by the spirit with Elder Christofferson! This is my buddy from the MTC Elder Webb! It was cool seeng him again.

Veracruz, Mexico Temple

I had the craziest thing happen when I met Elder Christofferson. He called me by name when I shook his hand without even looking at my name tag. Plus they misspelled my name on my name tag so if he did somehow see it before he would have pronounced it wrong. Isn't that amazing?

Here is a link to a detailed account of Elder Christofferson's visit to Mexico:
https://www.lds.org/church/news/church-in-mexico-growing-in-faith-and-numbers?lang=eng

One More Reason I Love Mexico!

I never saw a flower like this back in Nebraska.
The colors are so vibrant.
There is beauty all around me!

Look at this awesome swinging bridge!

Just another fabulous day being a missionary in Mexico!

This Could Be The Forbidden Fruit Adam and Eve Ate

This is the best fruit I have ever eaten.
My personal guess is it could be the forbidden fruit it is so good!

This week in Mexico I found the cause of Adam and Eve getting thrown out of the Garden of Eden. It was because they ate this fruit, (please know I am not trying to guess the interpretation of the bible. I am merely stating how much I love this fruit).

BOY DOES IT TASTE GOOD! I don't blame them one bit for eating it. I would have done the same! My new favorite fruit! I don't remember what it is called, but it is one of the top 10 most exotic fruits in the world and I have a friend here in Mexico who grows them in her back yard haha. She let us try them. Seriously one of the greatest things I have ever put in my mouth.

 

This is what it looks like while it is growing.

One more picture of my favorite fruit ever!

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Elder Hackleman's Brother Got Married

Payson Temple

Best buddies from Peru Lima West Mission

Daniel's Kids Waiting for the Bride and Groom to Come Out of The Temple

Elder Hackleman's comments after seeing this picture:
Yeah no me diga. I didn't even recognize Daniel's kids! Sofie is huge! I love them So Much!

Jaren and Chelsey

Lining up for Family Photos

We Framed This Photo for The Reception

Happy Day!

Peru Lima West Mission Reunion at Jaren's Reception.
Notice they brought some Inca Kola to Share!

Tables before the Reception

Coming out of the Temple to Greet the Guests

This is the truck we rented to haul all the wedding supplies and the rental trailer with Jaren's furniture.

The picture turned out blurry, but this is the wind chime Jaren made for Chelsey in memory of her mother.

On Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 9:41 AM, Amy wrote:

Well the wedding went off without a hitch. I didn't take a single picture but the photographer took a bunch. As soon as we get them I will send you some. These are random pictures I have been able to get from family members who did take some pictures. I will send more when we get them from the
professional photographer.


Dear Mom,

I decided to double my efforts this week. Rather than feeling sad about missing Jaren's wedding, I made a decision to work harder.

This week has once again been... yep you guessed it. crazy! Haha first off we had our conference with President Cordova! He came to get us all ready for the visit of elder Christofferson this Saturday! I'm soooo excited for that! And of course that was another 4 hours of being blasted by the spirit! Always a good time! I learned a ton. He also just opened it up to a bunch of questions so I got the chance to ask him some deep doctrine questions I have been wondering about. You know how much I love that!!!:) I took some pictures with him afterwards so I will send those too. We have been working really hard this week. I think I got food poisoning again. I was up all night with a fever. Satan was trying to keep me in bed Sunday morning but I didn't let him! I had a baptism and nothing is keeping me from that! haha. I am feeling better now so don't worry:) Back to work!!

Zone Conference this week with President Cordova which means 4 hours of being blasted by the spirit! Always a good time! I learned a ton.

The other elder is Elder Lewis.
We were in the Missionary Training Center together.

They took the picture right when I was giving my awesome mission president a hug. I love that man!

We have an awesome family we are preparing for this Sunday! They are so awesome! Also, in the zone conference we had, I met an elder who just left my first area, Carlos A. Carrillo, and he said that one of the family's I taught got baptized and want me to go with them to the temple when they go to get sealed!!! It will probably be in December!!! I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited for that!!! It will be amazing.

I had to take a selfie when president wasn't looking.
It was necessary I promise:)

Missionary in Mexico goes on the Radio

P-day Ping Pong

 Hey mom! That is so cool that they did that special musical number! I bet it was amazing. I can’t believe Bishop Burton got released! Will he be in the high counsel now? Does he have another calling yet?

I bet Jaren is super excited to see his first full season of NFL since his mission!!! haha.

I can’t believe Tanner is home!! I didnt even realize it but he looks just like my MTC companion without red hair. Tason has a baby??? Is this his first? That is so cool!

Elder Tanner Beck (Elder Hackleman's cousin),  see's his nephew, Tayson's son, for the first time at the airport upon his arrival home from his mission.

It is so crazy to think the the big day is this week. Maybe I won’t be there physically, but to make up for it, I will do my best to baptize a family the same day of Jaren’s wedding! That would be pretty cool:)

This week was pretty good. It is kind of hard with my new companion. I guess when I got here, all I wanted to do was be the greatest missionary on the planet so even when I got discouraged because I couldn’t speak the language, that just motivated me to work harder. Now it pains me to see somebody who has it so easy. One day I took out my journal and showed my comp my list of baptisms I have. I told him if he wants to have a list like that one day, then he should start trusting in me as his companion, but more importantly trusting in the promises of the Lord if we are obedient. One thing I have learned is that in the mission, everybody thinks that companionship's are made up of two, but they usually forget the third companion, the Holy Ghost. If we don’t have that with us, why are we here? I guess this is the Lord telling me, 'whoa there Elder Hackleman! Slow down there! Time to learn some patience!' so I guess I accept it;) anyways, I’ll stop complaining now.

Last week we did something pretty cool! Some random guy contacted me in the street and asked if we could pass by another day to talk! Obviously I said, “por su puesto!” When we passed by, we found out he was a doctor who sells natural medicines. He also has a radio show he does 4 times a week. He wanted to know what our church’s stance is with drugs etc. I shared with him the Word of Wisdom. He thought it was so interesting he invited me on his Radio show. I got special permission, and me and my comp went on the air!! He asked us questions about our church specifically about the Word of Wisdom. He then asked me how many times I have taken a sip of alcohol in my life. When I said never he followed up with the same question about drugs. When the answer was the same, he said he wants to do a survey with all the youth in Mexico to see how many of them could answer in the same way I did. He said that on average, only about 2 or 3 percent of the youth could say they have never done those things. He then backed us up medically specifically about why coffee is bad for you. I’m sure that one struck to the core of many people here because the coffee industry is HUGE here! In fact I am pretty sure my favorite TV show, Dangerous Grounds came here. Then he asked us a lot of questions that he said were 'misconceptions a lot of people have about the Mormon Church'. Things like how we don’t practice polygamy? At the end of the radio broadcast, I invited anybody who wanted to learn more to call me, and then invited everyone to church that Sunday! We immediately started getting calls from people just thanking us for being examples to the youth in Mexico. It was pretty cool! The guy said anytime we want, we can do it again. He said we can go on the radio and invite people to activities we are having in the church if we want, or we can just share a message. I had a good:)

That is all for now. Gotta go prepare my district class. Love you mommieieieie!!!

Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Aug 10, 2015 at 9:24 AM, Amy wrote:

Dear Elder,

Well, it was a wonderful day yesterday, Nathan, Jaren, Collin, and Nick sang four part harmony during Sacrament meeting. They sang "Come Thou Fount". It was beautiful! Jaren didn't really want to sing but I was able to talk him into it and I'm sure glad I did.

Bishop Burton was released from being a bishop yesterday as well. Then after church we had a parents meeting for football. Tim had a meeting so he wasn't able to go so I took Jaren with me. It really got him pumped up, he wanted to jump in. Maybe he will end up coaching some day. Anyone who loves football that much needs to find something to do with it that's for sure. Working this summer building decks has done a number on his knees. It has made him realize he will never be able to play again on a competitive level. He is pretty strong though after lifting and building. He asked me Saturday if I thought his shoulders were as big as yours now. I just laughed at him and I think I hurt his feelings. Your dad said, oh, he might be getting close. Oh, bless his heart.

We are gearing up for the wedding on Saturday. Nathan, Jaren and I will be heading out after he gets off work tonight. We plan on driving to Ft. Collins tonight and on to Utah tomorrow. Your dad and Grant are coming on Wed. with a rental truck pulling a U-Haul with Jaren's stuff.

I will make sure to take a lot of pictures for you:)

So what is happening to you this week? I love to hear all your stories!

Love

Mom

Dear Dad,

I still cant believe my brother is getting married... freak! tell uncle Jeff he needs to send me an email with a few tips on how to be a good uncle because I'm sure it won't be long until Jaren and Chelsey have a baby ha ha! I am going to have to start practicing my uncle Jeff imitation! oh how do I remember all those late nights at bear lake, almost choking to death on my own laughter:) I am so excited for my older but smaller brother. It is the only way to obtain the highest grade of glory in the celestial kingdom after all.

Anyways, life is good here! Just getting ready to talk to Elder Christofferson. That will be the fourth apostle I will have met in my mission! I'm so happy:)

Something pretty cool happened last week! I was sitting waiting for a bus, when somebody behind me said 'whats up buddy'? It took me a minute to register that somebody was talking to me IN ENGLISH. haha that was crazy! So I turn around and meet a gringo who just happens to be from Utah! He started asking me how the mission was going and how many members we have here and stuff! He then said he just moved here a couple of months ago when he got married to his wife (who is from here). I asked him if he met her on his mission, (assuming he was an ex missionary). Turns out he isn't even a member!! What the clank! He is from Utah for Petes sake! Anyways, I got their information and everything and we are going to go share a message. I totally want to baptize him! I could baptize a gringo in my mission! That would be sooooooooooo sick:)

Life is good here daddy. Just take care of my jare bear.

Love you!
Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Aug 10, 2015 at 8:00 AM, Tim wrote:

Dear Elder,

We had a great week! Guess what!!! Bishop Burton was released yesterday! The new Bishop was his 1st Councilor, Bro. Fokken.

Also, I attached a photo of our ward program from yesterday. Notice the "special musical number"? They did fantastic!

Well, Jaren is officially moving out tonight. Your mom, Jaren and Nathan are heading to Utah tonight after Jaren gets off work. They'll spend the night at Grandma's of course. Grant and I will load a U-Haul trailer and tow it out using a rental truck on Wednesday. I think the boys and I are going to stay with Uncle Jeff on Thursday night after we unload the trailer at Jaren and Chelsey's apartment. Uncle Jeff is going to help me make about 500 mini sandwiches at his place while your mom makes the Wedding cake and cupcakes at Jaren's place. By this time next week, you'll have a sister-in-law!

Grant starts football practice today! He twisted his ankle on Friday so he had to go in early today to get it wrapped. Nathan earned enough money to pay for his Titanium stuff this year. That really helped us out a lot! In fact, he earned enough for so that he has a little extra for clothes if he wants.

How was your week? What new adventures in sharing the Gospel did you have? I feel so bad that you aren't here for the Wedding, but I know the Lord will bless you for your sacrifice. I can't believe that you have already been out a year! How is your health??  

I love you so much Peanut. Be careful and keep working hard!

Amor,
Papá

Smile, Your In Orizaba, Mexico!

Smile, your in Orizaba

Here I am with my zone leaders.
It translates to Smile, your in Orizaba. that is the name of the city I am in.

Baptism Pictures and Letters Aug. 3, 2015

Baptism! Greatest family ever!
That is alot of white:)

One of the elders in my district from the Missionary Training Center, Elder Lewis, came because he is in my zone.  It's good to be with him again!

Another Baptism!

Ok finally. I am here, and actually have time to write. I feel like things have finally settled a little bit. Sort of haha. I am feeling perfect once again luckily. I think I put all the weight I lost this week back on haha. Not really but this week I ate a ton because I went so long with hardly anything. haha.

I want to see a picture of the cupcake tower

I can’t believe the wedding is so close. I told Jaren I would kill him if he doesn’t send me tons of pictures. I bet it is getting pretty expensive isn’t it?

Life has been pretty crazy here. Lots of work. This Sunday we had a bunch of confirmations? I that the word in English? Where they get the Holy Ghost¿ Anyways it was a great day. We are getting ready for Elder Christofferson to come! That will be awesome!!! I think we will get a Question & Answer session with him. Do you have any questions you have always wanted to ask? I guess you probably asked elder Oaks but let me know if you have another one! haha.

So I have a story for you. The family that I sent you a picture of is totally awesome. The older lady is the dad´s mom who lives with them. I have never met a non member who studies the scriptures like she does. She studies better than most members! She is very smart about the scriptures and always kept our commitments. The week before her baptism, after she had done everything we asked, she told us she wanted to get baptized, but that she hadn’t received an answer yet if it was the right path for her. For a moment I was very sad because as missionaries we make so many promises about if you just read and then ask God with faith, they will ALWAYS receive an answer. I knew she had been doing everything so I couldn’t figure out why she hadn’t gotten an answer yet about Joseph Smith. Then I felt prompted that her issue was not receiving an answer, but RECOGNIZING the answer she had already received so I showed her the scripture in Galatians about the fruits of the Holy Ghost and what feelings come from Him. Peace, happiness, love, and so on. As she was reading that verse I felt inspired to do something that not only had I never done before, but a little... different. I doubted it at first and thought it would have a negative impact but the thought came back even stronger to do it, so I did it. When she finished reading the verse I said in Spanish, obviously this is a rough translation, “so now you know the feelings that come from the Holy Ghost, but there is one more thing that you should know before this Sunday which was the day set aside for her baptism. After somebody gets baptized, you have to start praying to the devil.” The room went immediately silent and I could literally see the spirit testifying on her face. I waited for a minute in the silence and then said, “Look obviously that was not true. We obviously would never do something like that, but Sister Dolores, how did you feel when I said that?” She responded that she felt ugly and gross. I told her, “Now you know you HAVE received an answer. How do you feel every day when we come by to talk about God and Christ?” She said she had never felt happier in her life so I told her look, “I just showed you pure evidence of the difference of the feelings you will have when things come from God and when they don’t. You just felt the undeniable difference between the two. I not only felt the spirit testifying in the room that what I said wasn’t true, but I could see it testifying to you on your face.” She then started crying and said she had received an answer from God and she just never realized it. Needless to say, they all got baptized that Sunday.

So that was pretty crazy. I’m not going to lie, I was scared to say it but now I don’t regret it one bit. I had never felt the spirit in a lesson so strongly. At first when the thought came to mind, I thought saying something like that would drive the spirit away so I said a little prayer in my heart and made a quick promise with God that if I followed that feeling I had, I needed Him to do His part and make the difference undeniable because that was something I couldn’t do. So instead of the Spirit leaving, I had never felt it so present. My companion afterwards told me he thought I was going crazy, but then when he saw the effect it had on everyone in the room, he said it was the most interesting way to help somebody recognize the spirit he had ever seen.

It is amazing how effectively the spirit works. It’s almost too easy, but yet there are so many people who won’t even bother to try it.

Everything is good here! Thanks for the love and support! Keep me updated on life in Nebraskaville!

Elder Hackleman



PS: I never heard back from Jared:(

On Mon, Aug 3, 2015 at 8:03 AM, Amy wrote:

Dear Elder,

Good morning! I sure hope I get pictures and stories today:) How are you feeling? Are you able to eat yet?

This week was a good week. Grant and I built a cupcake stand for the wedding. I think it turned out pretty nice. Jaren made a wind chime for a wedding gift for Chelsey. We are construction central around here ha ha.

Nathan was invited to sing in church this coming Sunday. He asked Collin, Jaren, and Nick to sing with him. They will sing a four part harmony version of Come Thou Fount. They practiced yesterday. Jaren videoed it for me. It sure sounds good. I am looking forward to hearing them sing.

Next week we are heading out to the wedding. Jaren, Nathan and I will head out on Monday and Tim and Grant will come on Wed after football practice. We are renting a van to drive all the stuff out including as much furniture as we can fit. We figured out renting a Uhaul is way too much money for old cheap furniture. It would be better to take the thousand bucks and buy used furniture once he arrives.

What's new in your neck of the woods?

I sure love you.

Love,

Mom

Cupcake Stand Built By Amy and Grant for Jaren's Wedding.

Hey daddy! This has been a crazy week. we had a bunch of confirmations on Sunday so that was awesome! I can't believe Nathan is going to be a Junior!!! and Grant a freshman. what the clank!

So Elder De Leon is good. He told me a story about when he got to the mission. He said everybody who came from the Missionary Training Center with him, went to President Cordova's house for breakfast before they went to the offices. He said that afterwards in his first interview with president Cordova that he had, President told him that while they were eating, he was watching them and saw that he was pretty shy and wasn't as talkative as the others. Then President told him, I am going to send you with somebody that will help you become very very social. This elder has the best record in the mission right now and is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen so make sure you learn a lot from him because he will teach you how to baptize like a mad man. When he told me that, I felt pretty good:) haha.

Life is good here. It is super hot too. I'm just lucky I'm not in the port of Veracruz right now. This time of year it is about 120 with very high humidity. My area is super hot but it is more or less dry.

Dad, thank you so much for the money. I used it to buy a pillow. I have been having a lot of neck pain because  I have gone about 2 months without a pillow. I will sleep good tonight though!!!

We are getting really excited for our visit from ELder Christofferson!!!


Thanks for everything dad!

Elder Hackleman

Nathan, Jaren, Collin and Nick Practice Song for Sunday, August 2015

"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"

Collin went to the temple - July 2015

Sorry the picture is blurry. This is Elder Hackleman's dear friend Collin with Elder Hackleman's brother Jaren on the day Collin went through the temple for the first time. Collin has been called on a mission to Mexico and will leave in October. Collin, Seth, and Dustin were three best friends who always wanted to go on a mission to Mexico and as it turns out, all three were called to Mexico!

Hey mom!

So I can’t even tell you how happy I am for Collin! That is so cool! Did Nathan like my email?? (Elder Hackleman sent an email “for Nathan’s eyes only. Nathan admitted Seth was so proud of him for being in the show choir and was secretly jealous because he never had the nerve to try out himself).  I have been really worried about him all week. Remember all those times you told me one day my bad relation with him would come back to bite me? Well it has bitten me so many times. I love him so much!

Life is good! but absolutely crazy. Once again I barely have any time to write today. Forgive me mommy but I promise at LEAST 6 pictures next week, deal?:) Everything is great. My new companion is teaching me a lot of patience which is always good!

I am worried about Jared mom. If it is ok with you, I am going to keep this email a little short so I can write him. I don’t know what I will say except to say.

I love you mom! I’m glad life is easier for you now! This week we had 5 baptisms! I love the family we baptized! They are soooooooooooo awesome, but pictures are coming next week I promise:)

Thank you for all that you do!!

Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 9:20 AM, Amy wrote:

Dear Elder,

Collin went through the temple on Friday. It was very nice. He invited our family to go with him. It sure was an exciting time. Nathan and Kate went on a date to the temple. They did baptisms for the dead while we were doing endowments. That's a pretty cool date.

Grant is in Colorado with grandma and grandpa. Tara's son is there as well.

How are you feeling? Are you able to eat without getting sick? I have not seen any pictures of you for a long time. How is it going with your new companion?

Chelsey headed back to Utah on Thursday and will stay there now until the wedding.

Nathan has been asked to sing in Sacrament meeting in a couple of weeks. They said he could have anyone sing with him that he would like. I think he is going to have Grant, Jaren, and Collin all sing with him. We are going to try and figure out the music today. They will most likely sing a 3 part harmony song. I'm excited to see how it turns out. Yesterday Nathan said something about wishing you were able to sing with them. Collin is being a surrogate for you:)

Well, it's official, I am done with school. My last class was on Thursday. I am sure glad to finally have a summer with my boys! Going to school over the summer was one of the hardest things ever with all the extra stuff going on around here. Now I can focus in on my calling as Relief Society President. I feel like I have really been floating along for a while so it's time to do some more diligent work.

I'm not sure if I ever told you, but Joel paid for your mission for the month of July. It seems like every time we are in a position where we don’t know where the money will come from, Joel has helped us out at just the right moment. He sure has been good to us!

I know you have a lot of people you email,

How are things for you? Tell me everything. You make me so proud!

I love you.

Mom

New Companion July 2015

Here I am with my first companion I will train along with the mission president and his wife! I look funny in this picture... i was sweating pretty bad because the port is sooooooo humid!

Hey mom! I’m sorry I don’t have much time to write today. It has been a CRAZY week here as well. I will write more next week. Sorry I have to keep this short. I did read your email though and thanks for the emails. Tell the Perez family I will be praying for them.

Ok I hope I don’t forget anything. So much has happened this week. Needless to say, I never thought I would be happy to say this on my mission, but I HAVE A SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This is just a word missionaries use to describe a brand new missionary. When a missionary says they have a son, they are talking about a new missionary.) We just got back from Veracruz. First off, we had interviews with President this last week and he told me he wanted me to be a trainer. He said he is absolutely amazed at how I can go to the supposedly 'harder' areas of the mission and start baptizing immediately. He said he wants me to teach the new missionaries how to do that and for that reason he might have me train for the rest of my mission.... haha I have never heard of that before! I also talked to him about football. I told him my situation and he told me that he wanted me to do the exact opposite of leaving early. He wanted me to write a letter to the church and ask permission to stay in the mission until he gets released as mission president. hahaha He started at about the same time as me so that would be another year:) hahaha he is such a good guy, but then he explained that I just need to tell him a couple months before I need to go and he can buy my plane ticket and everything. He said normally he tries not to do stuff like that but he said the church won’t have any problems getting permission to do it because I am a hard working missionary and not just someone who wants to go home early. He congratulated me on my work and my scholarship too! It made me feel pretty great :)

Anyways, we just got back to our area from Veracruz. We were there all day to receive the newbie’s. For that reason I have like no time to write I’m so sorry. My companion is from Guatamala! President Cordova and I were talking before he assigned everybody their comps, and he told me that there is an elder that is SUPER nervous so he is going to give him to me as 'the only person that I have ever seen that didn’t seem to be nervous on the first day of his mission'. Knowing this beforehand, and knowing the feelings of being a new missionary, when he called our names out I stood up super excited and yelled PRESIDENTE! AQUÍ ESTÁ UN COMPAÑERISMO DIVINO!!! (President, this is a divine companionship!). Everybody started laughing and it really broke up the ice and the mood of the room. My new companion quickly realized that I am not an uptight kind of guy:) haha the whole time I was thinking about Elder Oaks and how he was cracking jokes the whole time in your meeting so I wanted to do something similar. Afterwards president came up and thanked me. He said that it is always like a funeral when the new ones come because they are always so serious, but the minute they learn to start enjoying the mission, is the moment they start to have success. Then he said, you helped them to start enjoying their missions before they even left the offices!

Anyways, my comps name is Elder De Leon. (Elder from lion is what it means in English hahaha).

Ok this is all I have time for. I will try and explain more next week but we have to be in the house now. Sorry! I will try and send a picture of my comp, the mission president and his wife and I.

PS. I got the letters from Brother Kenny! It literally was the greatest thing ever! Next week I will write a letter thanking him. He is soooooooooooooo awesome!!!

I love you all! Hang in their mommy. The times will get better:)

Elder Hackleman

On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 10:00 AM, Amy wrote:

Dear Elder,

How are you doing today? Did you have transfers? What investigators do you have?

Jaren baptized the guy he has been teaching on Saturday. That was pretty neat.

We had a family go through the temple on Friday and get sealed to their kids on Saturday. It was a wonderful weekend! I don't know if you remember the xxxxxx family. I think you went with me to their apartment once to visit them. They are a young couple with two little kids. It was a very spiritual weekend!

Well, this is my last week of school. I am so excited to finally get some time off this summer. It really has been a crazy summer. I will enjoy the final time I have with my kids without having to work or spend the day in my room doing homework!

Nathan and Kate did a color run on Saturday. I think they had fun but it sure was hot!

Last week a girl from Nathan's school and seminary class committed suicide. Her name is xxxx xxxxx. It has really been a shock to everyone. Nathan has been very quiet about it. I think it is really hard on him and he doesn't know what to say. He said she and he were the only two in their class who were always there. I think they only missed a day or two all year. She was a quiet but very nice girl who always said nice things to people and had a smile on her face.

It just goes to show you never know what people are feeling inside.

I think Nathan has really been having a hard time in a while. He could use a letter from his older brother.

I love you so much.

On a much better note, I spoke with Collin yesterday. He is going through the temple this week and invited us to go along with him. He is looking so forward to going on a mission. I told him when you three all get back from your missions I expect you all to where sombreros and let me take a 3 amigos picture of you. He thought that was great.

Can't wait to hear from you!

Love,

Mom