Elder Taylor G Hakes: 02/06/2017 THE BEST 6 YET!?

Yo team!

Life is so good in PG Arkansas right now. This transfer has been a huge-normous blessing. I've loved everything about it! I like making lists, they seem to work. So let's stick with that today.

1. I missed Cheryl's baptism, that was about the only bummer. But she made it! YAY COVENANTS.
2. The transfer day was awesome. I got to see and talk with just about everyone I love, and it might be the last chance before I go home so that was really great. So many missionaries I am going to miss. Other side of that coin: so many lifelong friends.
3. My new companions are so rad, Elder Fielding and Elder Wright are both ballers. And we're all like the exact same height. I wish I had a picture demonstrating that, my bad. We get along great, life in the apartment and doing work is great. I played nice guy and let them have the queen beds, I'm spending my last month on an air mattress in the corner hahaha. Elder Wright has only been out 1 transfer, so I figured it was too early in his mission to ruin his sleep. It's kinda fun though, feels like I'm camping.
4. The area is demographically really similar to just about everywhere else I've been. Small town, kinda rural, some bigger cities nearby. Northwest Arkansas in general is really nice. Fayetteville is a nice big university town, Bentonville nearby is so rich with Walmart execs. It's a good atmosphere, I like it. Or maybe I've just lived in hickville too long.
5. The ward seems great. Sacrament was wonderful, met a lot of wonderful people. They are everywhere, right? We have a family or two to teach, so that's great. We've taught one of them, they are having a tricky time getting revelation but seem to be super sincere, that's all we can ask for :)
6. We spent the weekend basically engaged in back-breaking service opportunities for ward members. Still sore. But they love us already. We helped Jake Aldridge carry like 3 tons of wood upstairs into his new downtown studio apartment which he is remodeling. He owns the bakery beneath it. And give us cheap food. The bakery is called Fat Rolls. MERCY. Diet, RIP. We helped our ward mission leader Bro Fox move his mother in law too. Took awhile. They're great people.
7. This might be the best one: played some real, competitive, basketball today. YES. My old comp Cooper Anderson is serving in our zone in Fayettville, he called us up and you know we didn't hesitate. He and his companion are so good. My whole companionship plays, we had some others there, it was awesome. I can barely walk. And have little time to keep emailing haha.
8. The Lord's hand is apparent sometimes. I love those times. This is one of those times! I'm excited to sprint to the finish.

Here's some selfies of the crew, I know it looks like I never dress like a missionary. I promise I do, I just remember to take pictures when we're doing service haha.

Weather is nice, life is good. Love ya'll!

Elder Hakes

This is Cheryl Sheard who was baptized! We said goodbye this night.

Here is my favorite man in Missouri, Duane Sherrell, our neighbor in Mtn Grove, and his wife hiding in the back, Belle :)

These are my boys!!!! On the left, my trainee and son, Elder Buhler. On the right, Elder Buhler's trainee and my grandson who I just met, Elder Smith. I'm the shortest. What is up?

These guys. Elder Wilcox and Elder Stevens, two of our former APs. This is significant because we found out we all want to be orthodontists. We'll smile at this picture down the road no doubt.