Hello! | week 91

pretty awesome street sign

Hello there family!

It sounds like you guys had a great week and a good time with grandma and grandpa! We are quite the giant's family!!! I think you guys have gone to more games in the last two years of our missions than our whole life combined haha. I love to see the pictures of your smiling faces. I hope you gave grandma and grandpa my love. I love them and think about them often. Benson is a train town so trains come through it every couple hours, and I always think of you grandpa.

Well, things are very hot here in the desert as well! I have gotten used to hot temps the last couple years :) I am very grateful for air conditioning.

Other random news: There was an earthquake here on Sat night!! I was laying on my bed reading, and our trailer shook pretty good. I honestly thought that there was an animal under our trailer. Then the members we live with txted us and told us that it was an earthquake! The epicenter was right by Duncan!

On physical fitness news, we participated in a cross fit event early sat. morning. It is called "the murph." It was pretty tough, but I have gotten alot stronger and it went well. It is a mile run, then 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, and 300 squats, then another mile run. I did it in 47 minutes. Watch out Tanner, when I get back I am gonna take you down :) and we will have to find a cross fit gym because I really like it :)

It was a good week for us here, kind of an uneventful one. We have been laboring on to find more people to teach. That is the hardest part of the work here in this stake. There are lots of mormons and EVERYONE knows who we are. Elder T and I always joke that in Benson we never have to introduce ourselves. It really is no joke, we never have to. People usually say "we know who you are" and then shut the door haha.

We are going to focus alot on finding through the members this week. We have made a plan, and we are hoping to engage our whole ward in the work. I think I have learned as much about being a member missionary as being a full time missionary here. I believe that is one of the many reasons why I was called here to Arizona. I have learned so many things.

We had some really cool experiences this week with some less active members. One lady named D, is kind of a funny story. We found D tracting one day. And we started teaching her, and weeding her front yard. Well the next week in ward council we were going through the ward list and D was on the ward list!!! She had us fooled. Well this week we made it back and taught her again, and asked her if she was a member. She then told her story of how she joined the church, but lost her way. Well we taught her again, and invited her to church. Her neighbor is a member and didn't know that D was a member of the church. So D's neighbor brought her to church, and D loved it. It had been 20 years since she had been back. 

Some Elders in our zone had an amazing baptismal service this week. It was for a lady that I interviewed for baptism. Her name is Da and she is so special. Her interview was so wonderful. She has an incredible testimony. It strengthened mine. She has suffered a couple of strokes, and so she has difficulty expressing herself, but she was able to convey all that she needed too, and the spirit conveyed more. She has been a recipient of the ministry of angels. Her baptism was no less inspiring. I was grateful to witness it.

That experience has made me reflect alot on expressing ourselves, and communication. Sometimes I feel very much like Da as a missionary, where I just can't seem to get it all out coherently. Our words can sometimes feel weak, simple, stumbling, and inadequate. It is hard to express what we feel, especially spiritual truth that is only truly conveyed by the Holy Ghost. I am ever so grateful for that precious gift. We as missionaries pray for his help before every lesson. I am grateful for that kind of spiritual communication that reaches far deeper and softens hearts and souls. In Darlene's interview, I felt much more than she said. That is what the Holy Ghost does for each of us. It bridges a gap that we cannot close on our own. So remember to look for his help!

We just got a txt that President and Sister Passey just arrived in our mission! Today is the transfer day for them! We will meet them this week, we are very excited.

Thank you for your continued love and support. 

Next week I will most likely be coming to you from a new location...... :( Transfers always make me sad, but this will be my last one probably until my transfer to Rocklin :)

I love you all so very much!!!

love

Elder Hughes