14 Agosto 2012

Hey family!!!

How´s it going? I can´t believe I am going to have another sobrino!! I can´t wait! While I have been gone, our family has gotten huge! And counting. Felicidades Aaron and Lynze. I can´t believe you went to Monterey!! Dad, Mark, and Bree look like studs in their wet gear. Haha. I remember the last time we went there the Mexican restaurant got me really sick. That was just the beginning of things to come.  Shayla, you never told me if Jeff knows Orrin Bunn. 

This week was a lot of fun. Last tuesday, Elder Bunker and I were in a mall while Mexico was playing soccer. Every store had their TV on and a ton of people were gathered around. When Mexico scored a goal, it sounded liked we were in a stadium. People are pretty pumped here that they won.  Chilangos.

We saw a lot of progress in some of the people that we are teaching this week. One of them, Rosalía, has gone from smoking 7 cigarrettes a day, to like half of one and is already in first Nephi 17. But her sister, who was one of our best investigators, left us. She moved back in with her husband in San Pedro. We were pretty bummed about that. Another, person that we are teaching, Tanía, is the daughter in law of a member here. She is really smart, and captures everything that we teach her, and then teaches it to her husband. He doesn´t want to let her go to church but she is convincing him little by little.  She read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and was asking us about the Urim and Thummim.  We also found a new family to teach this week. I love teaching families. We were walking down the ciclopista one day and I contacted them. They accepted really easily and then we went to the appointment like a week later. The mom´s name is Monica, and she told us that she and her husband had been walking along and her husband, Genaro, said that he wanted to get closer to God. Two blocks later, and we contacted them. They think that is the answer to their prayer and we have another appointment with them to go back. The work has been harder in this area than in any of the others, and I don´t know why. Maybe it´s because we spend so much time in micros and meetings.

I have been studying and practicing spanish a lot more lately. All of the sudden it is more interesting to me. I have practiced the pronounciation a lot more and it is actually really cool. I don´t want to sound like a gavacho any more.  The Chilangos talk so funny and use some really goofy phrases. Elder Bunker and I have a lot of fun mimicking them. I´ll be bummed when he goes home in 3 weeks. 

Today we went to the Dinamos that are in our area. I don´t know if that is a word in english but it also means rapids. It is the Rio Magdalena and is in our area. It was awesome. We went with Elder Paxman and Elder Sanabria.  It was nice to get out of the city and enjoy nature. There was a path and a park along the river and we just walked around for a while and afterwards ate quesadillas. Here, if you want a quesadilla that has queso inside, you have to ask for it. Weird huh? If you just ask for a quesadilla, they won´t understand. You have to ask for a quesadilla de queso. 

So that´s about all she wrote. The zone was pretty relaxed this week, not much happening. I have been learning a lot these past few weeks, and the Ensign of this month was sweet.  It helped me a lot.  I sent Travis Marker a letter like a week ago, but I forgot he would be leaving soon. Just let him know. Bueno, I love you all a ton!! Thanks for everything and I pray for you each by name every day!! 

Elder Hubbard

7 Agosto 2012

Hellooooo family!!!

How is everybody? I had a great week here in Mexico City.  I have decided that it is sometimes like time doesn´t exist here because the weather never really changes. It´s never really hot or cold and about every other day it rains a ton. Last night I ran from the bus stop to my house  in like 20 seconds and got soaking wet.  I have decided that I love Mexico. It´s so different than the US.

One day this week I chilled in the mission offices for a while because Elder Bunker had to go sign for his VISA again. Apparently he was illegal. Haha. I waited for him for most of the day there. I helped Hermana Oillataguerre (she and her husband are a missionary couple). Most of the time I was asigning the referrals on the computers to the right area of the mission using Google Earth. I also made a map for President Valadez of all of the missions here in DF.  It was a nice change working in the offices for a day.  It reminded me of when I used to help mom out at the junior high.  The good old days.

So this week we almost didn´t teach any lessons. We dropped a ton of investigators too. But I don´t feel bad because we are working hard and we contacted a ton of really good families that accepted us. I love teaching families the most because they have the opportunity to some day go to the temple to be an eternal family.  We do have a few investigators that are going along pretty well though. One named Sol, is going to get a prothesys leg pretty soon. We taught her about priesthood blessings and at the end asked if she had any questions. She asked,"When can you give me a blessing?" Haha. We gave her one right there and I know it will help her.

I also had a cool experience on sunday. Every Sunday night Elder Bunker and I have to train the district leaders in whatever we feel like is necessary.  The district leaders also have their companions there. One of them has always had a hard time paying attention, and just acts like he doesn´t want to be there. He has some obedience problems as well. I talked to him and his companion by themselves and starting asking him some simple questions, encouraging him a lot, and showing him his strengths. We saw a complete change in him afterwards. He participated, made good comments, and thanked us at the end for the training. I felt so happy to be able to help him and feel like I have learned a lot about being a better leader this week. All you need is love.

As a zone leader, I have definitely spent less time in my area work and more time in buses and meetings, but I am still learning what the Lord wants me too. I know that here is where He can teach me what He wants me to know for the rest of my life. I love my Father in heaven and I am here to serve Him and His children. It´s really hard but a lot of fun. I have been so healthy here in Mexico too. I don´t know why I brought a whole Pharmacy of medicine because I never use it. I feel bad that Max got sick. I saw some adds for the Bourne Legacy. I think I bought that book for Mark one year. You have see it and tell me how it is. Anyways, I´ll stop rambling now. Have a good week and I love you wall. Choose the right!

Elder Hubbard

 Dominoes!

 micro that goes to Cristo

 Miguel Angel´s baptism

 tacos de carnitas

 Elder Call´s last day

Highway

31 Julio 2012

Querido familia,
How`s life?! Just to start off, I would like to ask a special favor. Mom, could you please send the letters from Tommy, Kevin, Miles, and Had, and anything interesting from the Olympics to DearElder?? It gives me a lot more time to be able to read them.  So I can`t send any pictures this week because I am not smarter than the computer that I am using so I can`t get it to work. Hate it when that happens.
This was a tough week, but now it`s over and a new one has begun.  A wise man named President Chavez once said that if we aren`t able to conquer our weaknesses here in our missions, it will be a slim chance that we will be able to conquer them afterwards. So I have been trying to find my weaknesses and and overcome then.  If anybody wants to point any of them out to me, that would be great.
The best part of this week was probably Miguel Angel`s baptism. He is a little stud. The ward helped us a lot with his baptism too. We didn`t have to fill the font, make a program, clean up afterwards, or anything. We just showed up. It was really nice. I felt really good in his baptism. Elder Bunker baptized him and I confirmed him on Sunday. I think that was my first time ever. It was a really good experience. We are now working with Miguel Angel`s cousin who needs to be baptized and reactive his family as well.
We have really been able to work with the members lately. After La Comida, we always explain, demonstrate, practice, and evaluate with the members ways that they can share the gospel.  I was on exchanges in an area named Hidalgo with Elder Poston. He told me that he hadn`t really put it into practice. He is new to his area so we went to a members house. Elder Poston is really really good, and really sincere, I love him. He told the member that we were going to leave a pamphlet on their table to give away if they felt like it. But I wanted to show Elder Poston how to work with the members so we did all of the steps right there. While I was demonstrating how to give away a Book of Mormon, the member said that as he watched, he felt that he should give the Book to his friend and is going to do it. Remember, the words of Christ explain, but the Spirit shows us what we should do. It`s the best way to teach.  We have had little miracle all week doing this with the members.
On the same exchanges, Elder Poston and I got caught in a real life traffic jam. And it wasn`t caused by Bishop Wadsworth going down the road at 5 mph on his bailer. Haha. We waited forever. But the funny thing was that it was about 6 lanes of traffic that cut our micro off from the open highway. It was right there in front but we couldn`t see it. It reminded me of something that I heard once that in life we try to follow Celestial road signs but we get stuck in Telestial traffic jams. It is so true. Sometime we try to do the best, but we aren`t perfect and we come short. I have come short a ton of times in my life.
So that`s the story for this week. I know that Christ lives and that he can make up all of our shortcomings. The thing that I like that I have learned on my mission is how to repent. I know that when we start to repent, our view on the world, ourselves, and Heavenly Father changes. It is the best. I invite all of you to particpate of the relief that repentance brings.
Love,
Elder Hubbard
I heard that the USA sent only Jimmer to play in the Olympics instead of the whole team? True or false?

23 Julio 2012

¿Qué tal familia?! Como les va?
I hope you like suprises because I forgot to tell you that my preparation
day is on Monday this week! It´s because there are transfers this week.
Every six week it will be like this as long as I am zone leader which
probably won´t be too much longer. Haha. the good news is that Elder Bunker
is going to stay here with me for another transfer!! This is his last one
before going home! We were so excited when President Valadez told us that
we were staying. Elder Bunker and I are really good friends. He is a great
missionary. I am pretty sad though because my great friend Elder Call will
be coming home on Wednesday. Don´t be suprised if he ever drops by the
house for a visit. Haha.
This week I had my first interview with President Valadez. It was really
short because he had them scheduled from 9 in the morning until 6 at night
without any breaks. He is so much different then President Chávez was but I
can really feel is love and concern for me. He asked me how I was and
showed me a few scriptures.  He told me that he loved the zone conference
that we did and that I am doing a great job. I hope he´s right.
I made a great discovery this week that I should have done about 13 months
ago!!! It´s name is Preach My Gospel. Ever heard of it?  It might be one of
the coolest books ever. I started studying from the beginning this week and
I have already seen the results as a missionary. I invite every member to
study it and think of how they can apply it to their lives. Every member
has responsibilities and in PMG they are all there.  I have especially
learned a lot from studying the lessons that we teach. I realized that this
work really is the Lord´s work. He does everything. He gives us the
prophet, he gives us the Book of Mormon because he knew all of the
confusion that was going to come, he answers are prayers, he blesses our
families when we live the gospel, and he loves us.  He really does want us
to succeed and he cries with us when we suffer. It means a lot more than I
realized to say that he is our Heavenly Father.
I am not gonna lie, the missionary work was pretty slow this week.  We
actually found some really good investigators though. In the first lessons
I made a few people cry, and don´t even know how. One of them I asked if
they were happy and the other if she wanted to get married to her
boyfriend. Instant tears. We have been in a slump for a while now with
baptisms but this saturday we are going to have the baptism of a nine year
old named Miguel Angel. We found his family that was inactive and now they
are all going to church again. Miguel Angel´s brother even got the
priesthood yesterday! They are a really poor family but love to give us
what they have. I am amazed at the love that some people have for the
missionaries.
They almost ran over my companion this week with a truck! They really need
some more of that Tommy Tompson´s driver´s ed here. He would not be too
pleased. The truck was flying down a hill in reverse and luckily I was
looking and yelled "aguas" at Elder Bunker and he got out of the way.
Aguas. Haha. It means like watch out or careful here.  But I am glad Elder
Bunker is not in the hospital. We also had to deal with a couple of Elders
that got beat up this week. That was crazy. President Valadez closed the
area that they were in.
Bueno. That´s all I got for this week. I hope that the next letter with be
more exciting.  I was thinking about all of my friends that are on missions
right now. There are a lot of us. Miles, Had, Tommy, Kevin, Mitch,
Jake, there are a bunch.  I am glad they are out here with me. I love you
all! I pray for you every day.
Elder Hubbard

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.

July 10, 2012

¿Què dicen familia?

I can`t believe that it is already Tuesday once again!!! Where does all of my time go? This week was really really good.  I got the package that you sent me! Thanks a ton. Elder Bunker has been enjoying the Starbursts. You really don`t have to send me that many packages. Save the money to spoil me after the mission. Haha. I saw something funny on my way to pick up the package. All of the buses here have their destination written on their windshield. I saw one that said that it was going to Cristo. I wanted to get on it but it flew by. That was my shot. Bummer.

I knocked a ton of doors this week. Un buen. On the 4th of July I was with Elder Paxman from Arizona. We were in his area that is here really close. He and Elder Sanabria actually serve in the same ward as us.  We had some really cool experiences. We found 12 future investigators and at the end of the day taught somebody named Flor. She told us how she recieved her answer to knowing that our message is true.  To celebrated Independance day, we bought ice cream before going home at the end of the day.

I met President Valadez this week!! We had a zone leader`s meeting with him. He is about the exact opposite of President Chavez. He talks really fast and about several subjects. But he is really good and I felt the Spirit a lot when he was teaching us.  He is pretty young and has his wife and a 13 year old kid with him.  He talked to us about the basic things that we need as missionaries and about really making our purpose of inviting others to come to Christ a part of us.  I am really excited to be able to learned from another mission president.

We were walking down the Ciclopista this week when a kind of drunk guy called out to us. He was sitting down on some steps of an abandoned house. This guy had some problems.  He told us how he was from Nicaragua, his family had been shot to death, he still had some bullet wounds that hadn`t healed by his stomach (he showed them to us), he had no food, no money, no home, the rats try to eat him when he is sleeping at night. Nooombre. I felt pretty bad for him and thought he was being sincere. We invited us to meet him at church so we could help him. But he never showed up. We also bought him some water, juice, and peanuts.  We`ll see if find him this week what happened. Things could always be worse.

What else? On Saturday, all of the young men and the priesthood got together and went to do some contacting in the streets. It was nice because the mission leader came up with the idea and we didn`t do anything. The relief society made us breakfast and La Comida. I think we recieved about 19 references from the activity.  I contacted for about three hours with a 13 year old. He was nervous but things went well. I tried to get him excited to serve a mission.  I think he liked it.

We found some really prepared people this week also. It is interesting how many times that I have seen in my mission that the Lord puts us in the exact right place and the right time to be able to find His children.  Sometimes I feel like I should knock on a door and nobody comes out. But about twenty minutes afterwards we find ourselves exactly were we need to be. If we had gotten there 20 seconds later or earlier, we wouldn`t have found the right person. He is all knowing. His plan is huge, but he works in the simplest ways. So I have no problem when I knock on a door and get rejected because it is the Lord`s way of carrying out his plan.

This morning I studied about the Anti-Nefi-Lehitas. Those were some cool converts. They are a group of people that had been converted to the Gospel after years of being really wicked.  I read how their king lead them as they buried their swords, never wanting to shed human blood again. When their enemies came up against them to battle, they came out to meet them, knelt down, and prayed. Their enemies killed many of them but afterwards had compassion on them and were also converted. I want to be this kind of example. They would rather die than sin.  Like Elder Uchtdorf said, we are always in the middle of an eternal journey. The end doesn`t come until our Savior says it`s over. There`s always time to be born again and to give up everything so that we can gain everything.  I love every day of this mortal life, the good and the bad and I am trying to enjoy every second.

Anyways, enjoy the scorching heat of Nevada as I am chilling in the 70`s. Love you!!!

Elder Hubbard

el Gavillero

3 July 2012

What´s uppp family!!!
I can´t believe that it is already Tuesday and I am writing you once again.
The time is going by even faster now. We are already in the middle of the
transfer. Pretty much, we only work 4 days out of the week so time just
flies by. I feel like I am just starting the week out when it´s Sunday
again.  This week we were absolutely soaked by the rain. Somehow we both
forgot our umbrellas and in the afternoon it started to downpour. We kept
working like it was normal. There is no earthly force that will stop us.
Haha. But we were completely drenched. We got to an appointment and an
investigator gave us a towell to dry off with and hot chocolate.
So we were able to have some investigators in church on sunday for the
first time since I got here. It was interesting because a week before our
ward mission leader gave us the ward mission plan. Part of the plan is that
two new investigators come to church every sunday. The first sunday two new
investigators came. It was so simple. We know that missionary work is for
the members to do and when they start doing it, the Lord blesses us because
we are doing it in His way. We as missionaries can put goals, and plans,
and do the work, but really, our only job is to teach. The Lord blesses us
more when the members do their part.  The two that came are named Yolanda
and Salma. It is a single mom and her 11 year old daughter. They are super
good.  They loved the church too. The members did a great job in
fellowshipping them and at the end of the services, they didn´t want to go
home. They have a baptismal date on July 14th. Yolanda even asked us if we
could visit her more often so they can progress faster.
My mission president is officially President Valadéz. Nobody has met him
yet except for the assistants. They say that he is super nice and shows a
lot more love. We are going to meet him on Friday in a zone leader meeting.
Elder Bodine explained what President Valadéz wants for the mission. He
wants us to work hard, be strictly obedient, and have the Spirit. He is not
going to change the things that President Chavez has done, unless he feels
like he should. I am pumped to meet him.
I feel that every week my letters are getting shorter and shorter, but it´s
just all going by like a blur. So I am pretty sure that this is the
happiest that I have been in my entire mission. The area is awesome and
it´s beautiful. My companion is a boss and we never have any problems. They
gave a pozole to eat twice this week. So good. We are teaching some
escogidos.  Jimmer is a stud. My family at home is happy.  I am glad to
hear mom and dad are spending their entire vacation on the road. Life is
good. That´s all I got from Contreras. I love you all and I miss you!!!
Love,
Elder Hubbard

 The picture of this bum could be the best picture I have taken in my entire mission.