16 Enero 2012

¿Que Onda?

This week flew by and I had a ton of fun. So part of my area is another town kind of by the border of Morelos called Parres.  We never went there when Elder Leyva was here but I want to go so we went on Tuesday. It is tiny. There are like 10 total streets there and a ton of catholics. We only did some contacting there this week but more than half of the people accepted us.  There was an old guy that we saw in the street that I told Elder Perea not to contact but he wanted to anyways. Old people talk forever and never change. So we just chilled for about 30 minutes trying to get rid of him as he told us that he talks to God every night in is dreams. He says that he is JW, catholic, and evangalist. He was kind of goofy. We had a good lesson that day with a lady named Alejandra Guzman and they believe everything we teach. We helped them understand the Atonement, baptism, and they said they know that they are just catholic for tradition.

Wednesday was one of the best days of the mission. I don´t even know why. Elder Garcia and I went to a meeting for leaders in Taxqueña all morning. Another time Presidente Chávez just did his thing and tore it up. He taught us that we should have pure testimonies and not testimonies that are polluted by others like the rivers in DF. Another thing that he taught us is there is a time for everything and us as people need to be happy with doing the right things at the right time. For example right now I should be here and I shouldn´t want to be anywhere else. We just have to enjoy every part of life because it is over so fast and we will miss it.  Then Elder Garcia and I went to Topilejo to do work. We went to teach two contacts for the first time. The first one is a store owner that lived in the U.S. for a while named Samuel. He says he is catholic but just started bashing on it and knows it´s not true. Then we explained the Book of Mormon and the Restauration and he loved it.  After that we taught a guy named Uriel. When I saw him and his family for the first time I knew that we had to contact them. I just felt it. They went into their house and I knocked on the door and they accepted. Uriel said that we was going to be baptized when he was 16 but his parents wouldn´t let him. He is over 30 years old now with a family. We taught him the  Restoration too and invited him to be baptized. He accepted but didn´t want to set a date. It was so sweet.  He is pumped to ask God for the answer.  After every good lesson I get so happy for some reason.  It is the best feeling. I am like skipping down the sidewalk.

On Thursday we had the meeting again in the morning but it wasn´t as good. Then Elder Garcia and I went to Ajusco to do work. It was pretty boring over there. We only taught one lesson and then visited a sick lady. I stayed the night over there. Ajusco is just like scout camp. The house is like a war bunker. At least we had hot water this time.

Friday brought be a little bit of bad luck but it was pretty funny.  I contacted another taquero-the people that make and sell tacos. I am friends with four taqueros in Topilejo. That is almost all of them. Haha.  That night we were leaving Hermana Paola´s house to go to a Family Home Evening. We were walking and I was looking out into the distance at Mexico City below when something just blindsided me in the face. It didn´t really hurt but I looked and it was a barbed wire fence. It had hit me right in the forehead. Haha. It bled a ton and Hermana Paola was freaking out. She brought out cleaning alcohol and cotton balls and then we went to the branch presidents house because it was close. Elder Perea and I were just laughing a ton. The president´s mother in law cleaned me up. She isn´t a member. We had a FHE with them afterwards and we taught all about the Atonement. It was the first time ever that they listened to Elders and we have another appointment for this Saturday. 

On Saturday we had a sick lesson again. We have been teaching a lady named Elisabeth for like 2 months but not very many lessons. On Saturday we taught her husband, Lucio, for the first time. It was a really disorganized lesson about the Restoration but he loved it. He asked us what he has to do to become a member of the church.  He prayed at the end and it was really powerful.

Today we cleaned the house really well and then played some soccer. 

I love to be a missionary and teach all of these wonderful people. The baptisms are pretty slow right now but we are preparing a ton of people. I am just trying to be the best missionary that I can be and have a good attidude. I love Topilejo so much and I want to spend my whole mission here. We are starting to work with members really well and there are more faithful members here. I know that this work is God´s work. It is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands and nothing can stop it. So be part of it or get mowed over. I love you all and miss you all and hope that you will remember what is really important in life. Have a great week;)

Elder Hubbard

Map of Topilejo

9 Enero 2012

Hey Family!

So this is the one year of my life that I will be serving the Lord every single day. It`s going to be sweet.  This could have been the longest week of my mission minus the first one in the MTC. With my last p-day on Saturday, it just went on and on.  This week Elder Perea and I taught 23 lessons which is a record for me by far. They were all good lessons but Elder Perea and I are still getting used to teaching together and we practice a ton to get better.  The bummer is that we are not going to have our baptism this week because Fransisco couldn`t come to church yesterday.  We will just have to wait but he is still excited for it.

The most interesting man we found this week was one who lived in the middle of nowhere. We recieved a reference to go visit  Pablo so we did. It could have been the funniest lesson of the mission. First of all we get there and he is waiting outside for us with his goofy smile. Outside his house he had a garden of herbs which is kind of weird for Mexico. I asked him what he talked about with the other missionaries and I said that we were there to give him a Libro de Mormòn. He pretty much just ignored it and started going off about herbs. In like 5 minutes he brought out a jug of brown liquid that he had concocted and threw it down on the table. He then told us how it healed his eyes, that it has cured cancer, Parkinson`s, and Alzheimer`s. He didn`t want to hear anything about the gospel, he just wanted to have us promote his stuff and make him a millionaire. It was hilarious. He started bringing pieces of dead plants to me and explaining what they do. I wanted to laugh so hard. We just left after a while, and after him trying to convince us to take some to the people we visit. Oh and it was alcoholic too. I would best describe it as moonshine.  The secret to every cure in the world has been found in Topilejo by Pablo. Mind boggling.

This week was another holiday in Mexico. The Wisemen Day. When they come to give gifts to all of the girls and boys like Santa Claus. Someone asked me why they don`t exist in the U.S. and I said I think it`s because they don`t have VISAs.  Haha. I might be the funniest person I know.  For this day we had a family home evening. We invited a bunch of investigators and members but only the family from downstairs and Hermano Oscar and his family came. It was really fun though. Elder Perea and I taught a lesson about the Prodigal Son and then we played charades and ate Rosca. It`s the designated bread for the holiday.

Yesterday I lost my cell phone in a bus! But Hermana Katia called the number and some kid from the city has it and she was going to go pick it up today. We went to pick it up so hopefully that worked out. 

I love being Elder Perea`s companion. We laugh and yell a lot. I make fun of him for his accent and we practice English all of the time. His mom his a member and his dad isn`t. His mom is a nurse and he is the oldest in his family. It seems like I don`t teach him anything but I think he is learning. We worked so hard this week and I was tired every night. We planned well and contacted people a ton too. This week we just have to help investigators go to church.

This morning we went to pick a package up from Aunt Jenny`s family. Thank you so much! I feel loved.  The picture I sent of the meet are tacos al pastor, the family home evening, Rosca, and Mauro and I. 

Okay, I am out of time. Have a great week and I love you.

How are Elder Stockard and Elder Christiansen doing? I need American stamps!

Love,

Elder Hubbard

Tacos al pastor 

 Tyler and Mauro

 Wisemen Day FHE

 Rosca~holiday bread

31 Diciembre 2011

Happy 2012!!!

This has been such a great but fast year. Definitely one of my favorites. Minus the years when I used to be able to wear boots and suck my thumb. Those years are priceless.

For the new year I now have a new companion. He is from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuaha and started in the CCM on December 7. He is so cool and we have started out really well. 

On Tuesday morning we had our transfers. We always sing "To bring the world His truth" in spanish and in english. That fits because I have been singing that song since I was a little kid.  I love it even more now. I said goodbye to Elder Leyva and went with Elder Perea back to the house. He is nineteen, is really obedient, and wants to work hard so he is a perfect companion. I am really lucky. He is pretty funny because he never wants to eat. He buys two bags of Pringles every day or an apple and just munches on them all day. He never wants to eat La Comida so we got to work on that or he is going to offend somebody. Haha.  We moved all of his stuff in and taught a few lessons and contacted a bunch too. I don´t feel like I know anything to teach him but he is doing really well.  I will be happy to be in Topilejo another few months.

On Wednesday we taught 6 lessons. It was a really good day.  We taught Fransisco about the law of Chastity and he took it really well. He is already married so that will make life a lot easier for us to baptize him. His date is set for January 14th. I can´t wait, I love that guy so much. One of our lessons was with Alvaro and Taide. It was really good about the Plan of Salvation and they realized why we should not baptize little kids. Perfect. Just a little bit more and we can set a date with them.

On Thursday we had a class in Taxqueña for the people instructing and the new missionaries. It took all day but was so good. Presidente Chávez is such a beast at teaching. Every time I listen to him I just want to do every little thing I can to serve. We talked about the vision of our mission- to be, to do, and then to have. And then all of the parts of to be. If you´re lucky I will teach it to you someday.  He also talked to us how we are preparing for the rest of our lives and Satan is just waiting for us to leave our mission to eat us. He said now is the time to prepare for the rest of our lives. It is our first estate.  There are so many returned missionaries that don´t go to church it is sad.

Yesterday we taught Fransisco again and this time about praying to overcome temptation and then repentance. It is the first time that I feel happy about the way we taught repentance because Fransisco felt that he should change and he knows why. He always refers to the Church as "our religion" like he is already a member, I love it. The rest of the day we didn´t have much success. All of our appointments fell through but we contacted a bunch. And we ate chile rellenos which is always a plus.

Today the Elders from Ajusco ate breakfast with us and then we went and played basketball and fútbol for like 3 hours. It was so much fun and I am getting better at soccer. Elder Perea is a baller so he is going to teach me some moves. It´s starting to rain a little bit now. For New Years tonight we don´t have any plans. We can´t work so I think we might go to bed early. The rest of México will be shooting off their cannon balls and fireworks and partying. 

We started running this week in the morning and I feel about 6 billion times better.  My legs are a little sore and I am a little more tired than usual but I feel a lot better.  I feel a lot more excited to be a missionary again with Elder Perea.  We ran out of water yesterday, so if you smell something that would be me. The trucks take like a month in the dry season to deliver water. I think Hermana Lulu is going to give us some though.  Wells are so underrated.

So I am glad everybody had a good Christmas. It sounds like a lot of sewing machines were involved. Thank you so much for the ties and the shirt and the pants. Elder Leyva says thank you for the hymn book too. Happy New Year and be of good cheer.

I love you a ton!

Con cariño,

Elder Hubbard

 Elder Perea is my new companion! with Elder Leyva

This is Elder Perea, Malpica, and Garcia

Christmas Eve phone call!!

Thought I should let everyone know it was wonderful talking to Tyler on Saturday!! There were seven of us here and we all got to have a turn visiting with him. He sounded like Tyler only with a slightly thicker tongue. He is already having difficulty remembering some English words. He would say something in Spanish and then try to remember the English word he wanted. That was funny. Oliver started fussing when I was holding him and talking so I said to Sam, "Grandpa come get Oliver." Tyler said, "Grandpa," and started laughing. He also got to hear Oliver for the first time. He said he was glad to know that he really existed. He wasn't sure. He was allotted 40 minutes to talk to us. We went over the limit just a little; 1 hour and 45 minutes later we hung up! The call quality was fantastic. There was no delay and he was very easy to hear. Although I miss him terribly, I know that he is where he needs to be at this time of his life and that we as a family have already been greatly blessed for his service. We just love him!

26 Diciembre 2011

Merry Christmas!!

I hope that everybody had fun with their families this weekend remembering the birth of Jesus Christ.  The primary sent me some Christmas cards that I loved, especially the one that said, "I love baby Jesus!!!" Haha.

So we find out about transfers last night. Elder Leyva is going to a zone called Iztapala in the area Ejèrcito del Oriente. That place is ghetto, I feel kind of bad for him.  He is kind of bummed and hasn`t said much about it. I am staying in Topilejo and recieving a brand new missionary. I don`t know who it is yet but I will find out tomorrow. I am kind of nervous and don`t feel like I know anything to be able to teach him. I just got here! I am going to try my best to be a good example and show him a lot of love. This means I will be in Topilejo for three more months! I probably will serve my whole mission here. That is what the family downstairs wants. Haha.

We had our p-day on Saturday but we are just writing you today because we didn`t know we were supposed to on Saturday. It threw off my groove. This week was feeled with way to many days of activities and not teaching. I feeling like something is missing. I can`t wait for tomorrow to start working again.

I am just going to keep it short because I will write on Saturday again for p-day on New Years Eve. So write me before Saturday.  It was great talking to you this week and to kow that everything at home is good. I have such a good family. 

And Elder Stockard, good luck this week. The MTC is a lot of work but it get`s so much better in the field. Just study hard and be obedient.

Love,

Elder Hubbard

 

p.s. Somebody please drink so egg nog for me!! (Dad)

 Six month tie burning (He purchased a tie he didn't like to burn)

 President and Sister Chavez

 Topelijo (Tyler's home away from home!)

The time has come!!

Oliver is 6 months old today. He will be spending his first Christmas with us!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we will be talking to Tyler tomorrow. Aaron made a test call today to make sure we could get through. We will be talking to him from the sister's house that he lives over the top of. We are all very excited. Aaron, Lynze and Oliver surprised us by showing up last night instead of tonight. Mark and Bree surprised us by showing up tonight instead of in the morning. Tyler has been gone for six months. It's been a long six months and a short six months. Those mom's who have had son's on mission will understand what I am saying. Merry Christmas to all!

19 Diciembre 2011

Hey family!
It`s almost Christmas! This week we aren`t going to be able to work too much. We have a Christmas activity for the mission on Wednesday and Saturday is another p-day which means on Monday won`t be.
This week went by too fast to remember. The longer I am in Topilejo the faster the weeks go by. Transfers are in a week now and I will find out what is going to happen on Sunday.
On Tuesday a Jehovah`s Witness wanted to pick a fight with us. That is always kind of funny. He told us how he is chosen and better than every one else. He also said that we didn`t know that our church was true. Even though he didn`t listen and I doubt it made a difference in his life, I bore my testimony to him, and it made a difference in my life. I know without a doubt that this is the Restored church of Jesus Christ and I when I told him that I felt it in every part of me. I would tell anybody in the world that Jesus is the Christ and that is church is on the earth today because He loves us.  That night we taught the family of our friend who is inactive. They are all members and really good people. I think it was the best lesson that we have ever taught together. The Spirit was there the whole time and a lot of love too. I love the feeling I get after good lessons.
On Thursday Elder Garza came to Topilejo for intercambios. He is from the place where Tommy is going on his mission. And says it would be less dangerous and more relaxed there. Haha. We went to the offices to pick up my package! Thank you so much. I love getting packages from home. The best part were the pictures. I think I have about 1000 pictures of baby Oliver. Haha. He is such a good looking dude. When we got back Elder Garza and I taught this lady who live in England for like 7 years. She has an english accent and everything. She was studying for her doctorate. She is really nice and I hope things keep going good with her.  She told us how she felt that she wanted something but didn`t know what. We taught her about how Christ is the bread of life and she felt the Spirit.  We also taught a lady who`s brother just died and doesn`t know anything about the Plan of Salvation. She was so happy to hear God`s plan for us. We have so many good investigators! They just won`t come to Church.
On Friday we had a branch Christmas party. I had to sing with the priesthood holders. It was a lot of fun and we had a ton of investigators and references come. The food was pretty good too. They make a Christmas drink here like wassail but it has about 20 different kinds of fruit in it. It was so good.  I can officially say that I can eat almost any kind of spicy food and it wouldn`t face me. If food doesn`t have chile here than it doesn`t have any flavor. Probably still can`t eat that Asian viatnamese spicy food though. Bummer.
So this letter is really short but that is all I got.  And sorry I don`t have any new pictures. I have watched Joy to the World about 50 times this month. It still doesn`t feel like Christmas because it is not cold and I am not at home. How is BYU basketball doing? I can`t wait to talk to you this week! It will be so good. I hope I don`t cry...Haha. I love you and miss you and ton!
Love,
Elder Hubbard

We will be talking to Tyler on Saturday morning. We are all so excited! I cry every time I think about talking to him. I will have to try to keep myself under control! He has been gone six months on Thursday. It really has gone pretty quickly (most days anyway)!  Merry Christmas to all!