Testimony of our missionary, Spencer!

This is Elder Hadlock’s testimony. It was written separately in the Christmas package he sent home. At the end of his testimony in a P.S. He said, “Tell Grandpa Hadlock that there is popcorn here. That reference is from when Ken’s parents were living here, and Spencer was eating a lot of popcorn, Grandpa Hadlock told him he would have to go without popcorn for two years! lol As a side note, Spencer is slowly loosing his English skills as he picks up the Spanish language more fully. I did need to rearrange some of the words to make sense. We also received pictures, trinkets for Gary and Avery, letters for all four of us and best of all his testimony!

My Christmas Testimony

I know that Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. That as we in this time of season of year, look towards His life and teachings, that we will see our God’s hand in our everyday lives. It means so much to me to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father, who gave His perfect self, that he atoned for our sins. I know the through the atonement of Christ, that we will find mercy and peace.

I love all of you very much! I want you to know this: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” I know that Joseph Smith was given the Priesthood Authority to restore His church again. I know that we have God’s authority here on the Earth today. We can all know of this same truth through reading and praying about The Book of Mormon.

Sincerely,

Elder Spencer Steele Hadlock

Missionary blessings....

Those who have missionaries serving or have served as missionaries, know missionary blessings. We received missionary blessings yesterday. Our city was hit with 8 hours of sustained winds of 100 MPH and wind gusts of up to 106 MPH. We were without power for 17 1/2 hours in 30 degree temperatures. The blessings? Very little damage! Homes around us and around our home we rent out lost shingles, fences, trees, siding...etc., etc., etc. The home we live in sustained no damage that we have been able access. Our rental home no longer has any fences. When we bought the lot, it was completely fenced. So, we have never seen it open like it is. We share fences with 5 other homes, now it is completely open. Wow, weird! The wind took down the big cherry tree in the backyard. I have fond memories of our children climbing in that tree. With the fences, we lost a 20 year old grape vine. A very large and stalky vine. We will see what grows in the spring. Except for the inconvenience of no heat or power, we walked away virtually unscathed. The homes are in tact, the neighborhood is a mess! We were blessed with physical safety!

Another recent blessing was that of a job. I have worked in the school system for the past eight years in various capacities. Last year I took on just a 3 hour a day job as a teaching assistant. Even though it was less hours than I wanted, it was consistent work. When I work as a substitute, it is hard to make plans. I never knew what would come tomorrow. With this job, I can make other plans.

At the end of last year, the Principal told me that she would not know if she could hire me back on, because of funding cuts. She said that she would get back to me in early August. When late August came around and I had not heard back from her, I started wondering what to do. A couple of days before school started I got a call. She said she could offer me 1 1/2 hours of work a day!

With that kind of offer, it seemed I would need to go back to being a substitute. The principal offered four teaching assistants 1 1/2 hr. a day. Slowly but surely the other assistants turned her down. The outcome? I was offered 5 hrs. a day, four days a week. I love the kids, I love the people I work with, I love the school and it is nice to have a guaranteed income that I can plan around. I love those missionary blessings!

Thank you to those of you who worried about us, checked in on us, offered us a place to stay, etc! It is great to be warm again! Yesterday I had a hard time staying warm. Thanks to a car, I was able to warm up occasionally in the car. There were not gas stations or fast food places open. All of the traffic lights were out which made traveling difficult. Power lines were down, especially on Main street which made travel dangerous. Flying projectiles made being outside difficult and dangerous too! I am thankful for a good nights sleep and a warm house and a wonderful family!