A birthday bash, building a deck and quarantine.

Bonjour tout le monde! I hope all of you had a fantastic week! I pray you are safe and are finding joy in your day. 

Let's start with a couple of fun stories! First off, we had an incredibly special event happen....it was Elder Hawkins' birthday on the 18th! He turned a grand 21 years old! We celebrated by going to Red Robin for lunch! Later that night, we went over to the Cabrales’ house to pick up dinner to go. Little did Elder Hawkins know I texted Sister Cabrales earlier and planned with her to throw a little birthday bash! She surprised him (and me for that matter) with a cake, decorations, and presents! What made it even better is that we had 6 missionaries there including the Cabrales’ family! We sang happy birthday very loudly and obnoxiously to him and celebrated with everyone for a little bit. The Cabrales family is so awesome! All their kids (Adelle, Nico, Alex, and Camila) are amazing individuals!  Brother and sister Cabrales are super chill and spiritually fire all at the same time! Later that evening I gave Elder Hawkins his birthday present: A Game of Thrones book!  

We also had the opportunity to basically build a deck with the Doniphan elders! Elder Livingston showed us the way and we had fun tearing out the boards and replacing them. I was able to learn a lot and get a lot of blisters which were both very satisfying! We performed this labor of love for our nonmember friend Paula, who was very nice and willing to talk after about our message. We are hoping to continue teaching her. 

Some not so fun news is that we got put under quarantine on Friday. We've done a lot of Facebook work, calls to members and calls to nonmembers. While it’s been different and hard, I would liken us unto the Jaredites in Ether 6, especially verses 5, and 7-9. We are trusting in the Lord with all our souls. Those "fierce winds" in our lives, such as Covid-19 or 2020 in general, are under the guidance of the Lord. He is directing us to our promised land. We need to take up President Nelson's plea to have gratitude and to pray always. Doing both will direct our hearts and minds back to Heavenly Father who is eager to bestow blessings upon us. 

So, when times seem rough and the winds seem fierce, lift up your sails of gratitude. Harness the winds of the Lord (1 Nephi 18: 8). 

I love each and every one of you. Know you are cared about. Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost love you more than you can ever imagine. I hope to hear from each of you if you ever need anything.  

Till next time, au revoir et a bientot! 

Love, Elder Habel