Monday, February 24, 2014

It's a sunny day in Nuevo Mexico! | week 73


Hello Familia!!!

Happy Monday to you as well. I like you mom like the new starts that monday brings. For us it is even more literally a new start every week, because our key indicators drop down to 0 and we start over. It sounds like you are all doing great. I love all the pictures. I am getting better at taking pictures. I need to get ALOT better, but I am working on it. Thank you for the package update. Mom, you sound trunky in your letter haha. I miss you all too, and am excited for the day I get to see you, but meanwhile the field is white and ready to harvest. Just think Mothers day will be here before you know it!

We had a great week. It went soooo fast. Oh my goodness I can hardly believe it. After 3 months of diligent effort, we are starting to see the fruit and much of it has come in the last week. I am so grateful for that. I have learned that the Lord blesses us when we don't give up, and we keep going. Sometimes I think he reserves the blessings until we have proven to him that we are willing to do what it takes.

Some of the highlights of the week:

The # 1 highlight of the week was the S's got baptized!!! Their baptism was amazing, spirit filled, and wonderful. It was great. Those are truly our Pay Days as missionaries. They came to the waters of baptism through the efforts of many missionaries over a year and a half. I am so grateful that I got to see it. The water heater was broken in the church, so their baptism was icy cold.... we felt bad for them, but it all worked out. They were filled with so much faith. Just before M got baptized, I felt the spirit so strongly. I love that feeling. It witnessed to me again of the sanctity of that ordinance, and how important it is to our salvation. Their faith strengthens mine.

Our investigators are doing awesome. C and her family are soaking up the book of mormon, and they are so awesome to teach. I love teaching them. They are so excited to learn and to grow. They ask really good questions, and the spirit is always strong. She has read into 2 nephi already in the Book of Mormon. 

Another investigator we got this week, named B is really special as well. Her mom and daughter have gotten baptized recently, and she has seen the difference the gospel has made in their lives. She lives a really hard life, in a lot of poverty, and many other really hard circumstances. The member we took out with us pointed out to us that she has the "hungry for happiness" look in her eyes. That is so true. I have seen as we teach her that she truly is a starving spirit, in desperate need for nourishment. I am so grateful that we have the "living water" and the "bread of life" to offer her. I am excited to teach her more this week.

Elder W, our AP and my good friend came out with us for a day this week, and we had a blast. He is a huge example to me, and is such a good friend. We also got to go down to Columbus and teach a family that he baptized when he started his mission here. They are inactive, so it was really special that he got to do that for them.

We helped a member roof a house this week. It was a first for me. It is a really really old house. It was pretty fun, and as usual for me I got sunburnt :)

One miracle from Sunday. It was 8 pm and we didn't have anything to do, so Elder P had the idea to go see a recent convert family that didn't come to church that day. So we went, and we sat down without a real plan of what to teach them. I opened up my scriptures, and I had the idea to teach them about the parable of the prodigal son, and the beautiful story of repentance, forgiveness and redemption that it teaches. We were amazed as we finished teaching them to hear from the father, that he needed to hear that exact lesson, at that exact time. It became an emotional evening for all of us. I think it is my favorite thing in the world to know that the Lord has used me in some small way to care for one of his children.

We have our work cut out for us this week. It is going to be a doozy. To my dismay, it is the last week of the transfer. So next week I might be coming to you from a new place. Either Elder P or I are leaving, but we have no idea who. I ADORE our branch here, so I would be really sad to leave, but I have learned that every transfer is inspired so we will see what happens!

I want to leave you with my testimony of the Savior. I truly know that he lives. HE LIVES. He loves us. He atoned for each of us. On Sunday in our little Columbus group of just a few people, we had sacrament meeting, and then for Sunday school we watched a movie. We watched The Testaments. There in that little rented school, watching a movie about our Savior on a dinky little tv, my testimony of my savior was re-witnessed to me. I say re-witnessed, because It is something I already knew, but I love to be reminded of what I know. I never tire of it. I love all of you, and I love this gospel. Take some moments this week to think about the Savior. Much of our problems come from not remembering, and forgetting. The word remember is so important. Read the sacrament prayers again and you will see why. All that the gospel and the temple teaches is about remembering. So I challenge you to remember the Savior this week. I try to every day here on my mission, and that has made all the difference.

I love you all so much. Adios until next tuesday, from hopefull here in Deming, but maybe from a new adventure!!

LOVE

your son/brother/grandson/friend/cousin/nephew

Elder Hughes




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