17 July 2012

Hola family!!!

This week was pretty calm actually. We saw a lot of blessings in our area and now we are going into the sixth week of the transfer. I really hope Elder Bunker doesn´t leave me.

So this week we are our first zone conference with Presidente Valadez. Which also means that it was my first zone conference as zone leader.  I was kind of nervous before hand. President Valadez had asked us to teach the zone one of the basic things that we do as missionaries. Elder Bunker and I chose to talk to them about working with members. We talked about Ammon and how he got rid of all of the false traditions of the members in regards to the missionary work. Every single time that we as missionaries find ourselves with members, we should try to strengthen them and help them be able to share the gospel with their friends and families.  We also practiced doing practices with members to help them have more courage and know what to say or how to say it. It was interesting as Elder Bunker and I were in front teaching everyone, we felt like somebody was there holding us up and helping us guide the conference.  It was a really humbling feeling and I now know that our leaders in the church can feel our prayers and our support.  Afterwards, Presidente Valadez told us that he loved the lesson that we gave and said it was great. After the conference, I went back to my area with Elder Parker in exchanges. We went to La Comida and did the practice with the hermana that fed us. She agreed to give a Book of Mormon to one of her friends and we are going to check this week how it went. I am excited. It´s interesting to think that the missionaries are really only there to help the member, it´s not the other way around. I really tried to do that this week and even washed all of the dishes after La Comida one day.  Mexicans kind of freak out when you try to help them with anything. Haha.

Bueno. We have some investigators really progressing, and after a long drought, I think we will be having some baptisms soon. We had to postpone the baptism for a couple of reasons, but Yolanda and Salma are progressing a lot. Yolanda stopped drinking coffee this week and she dumped her boyfriend. Haha.  Another investigator, Pilar, stopped smoking without us even knowing that she smoked. She also accepted a baptismal date in agosto.

So, President Valadez has really helped me to learn my purpose as a missionary. I have it memorized in spanish and in english and say it a few times a day. In every moment I have to invite people to come unto Christ. And then I help them. If you want to know really how to go to Christ, read 3 Nephi 11. It is sick. The whole chapter teaches us how. I learned that we not only have to come unto Christ, but we also have to feel the marks in His hands, feet, and side, and give testimony that He lives. We can do that by having faith in Him and His Atonement, repenting, being baptized or taking the sacrament, and recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost. There are few people in the world, including members, that understand and live this process. I know through the Gospel, we can have a remission of our sins. To remit means to send something to another place. So we can actually send our sins to Christ, who has suffered everything. So if you have made mistakes, repent. You have never gone too far.

It was pretty funny, on the bus ride home yesterday from the offices I got pretty bored of memorizing the missionary purpose. My companion was half asleep so I had some genius idea and decided to stand up in front of the bus. All 40 of the people looked at me, like who is this guëro? I then proceded to invite the entire bus to come unto Christ. They all looke at me for a second, and then went back to their own little worlds. Haha. I just sat back down and enjoyed the bus ride. I learned a lot of that experience though. I learned the gospel is not something we sell or throw in front of the entire world. I laughed afterwards, and I am not going to do that again. I just imagine Heavenly Father shaking His head and chuckling to himelf. Oh well. Rookie mistake.

So I need all of the Hubbard´s that think that they are chefs to learn how to make a few things. Use google if you have too. First, pozole, second, enchiladas verdes, and third, fajitas. I really love the food here. The bummer is that we eat Fruit Loops in the morning and at night. Haha. We also wash our clothes with a washing machine that makes our clothes dirtier I think. That´s the joy of downey though. It might be dirty but it smells good! Haha.

So Happy 30th anniversary to the greatest parents in the world! And happy birthday to Aaron! In Mexico they sing a song called the mañanitas every time it is a special event. I still don´t know the words though.

I love you! Gotta go.

Elder Hubbard

CONTRERAS!!! The area where Hubs is serving.