Half way through september already?!? WHAT!?!? | week 102

Hey there family!

I hope that all of you are doing well, and enjoying your week! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Elder G and I had another great week this week. The Lord has blessed us so very much. I love working with the young adults here, it is a blast! We have been blessed immensely.

We were able to teach alot this week, which always makes me so happy! Those that we have been teaching are doing well. There is always some degree of opposition in this work. I always cringe as it comes, and it comes every time. There is an unmistakable pattern of it in this work. I have seen it over and over again. We have seen that in some ways with those we have been teaching. Things start to get complicated as people near their goals to be baptized. I do know as well that God always wins when we put our trust in him. I have seen it over and over again as well. The key is to not give up. A and M are both progressing well to their dates to be baptized. I love them both so much. They both have had powerful experiences already that have made their faith stronger, and mine as well.

I want to tell you about someone new we started to teach this week. She is really special. Her name is S. She is from a place called White River. It is a reservation of native americans. Her sister, T was baptized this last  spring here, and has really embraced the church. She brought S to school here, and it has been a huge change for her. S has faced an unbelievable amount of hardship in her life. Life is not good on those reservations. They start using drugs and alcohol at about age 12 or 13. It is unreal. S could barely speak from her emotions as she related to us just a part of the darkness that she has experienced in life. I cried from sheer sadness as she told us her story. Thankfully she is now in the right place! The best place! She has left behind and old life, which takes so much courage. There is very intense peer pressure there. She will be mocked and ridiculed for her recent choices of stopping using drugs. As we have begun to teach her the basic truths of the restored gospel light has into her life. S has some great friends here that have helped her.

The joy of this experience can be seen in a wonderful text we received from her friend this week: "Hey Elders! I just wanted to say thank you for everything! S was so excited after we met with you guys last night. We ended up reading and talking about Alma 32 for 3 1/2 hours after we left the institute. She asked about Joseph Smith and told us her concern with believing that he really saw God. We showed her the restoration video and after that, she said "How can anyone think that he was bad? How can anyone not believe that he got answers for himself and answers to help us? What is so bad about that?" She told us everything she has learned so far and pretty much bore her testimony to us. I feel like she knows more than I do! haha :) anyways... I just wanted to share that with you guys and say thank you for the lesson last night! Is there another chapter we could read with her before we meet again?"

How awesome is that!!!!! This is what makes me want to be a missionary forever.

M as well has had some great lessons this week as we have taught her about the Plan of Salvation and of Jesus Christ.

There are many others who we are working with and teaching. We taught a guy named Mt from Burma (which is near india) He was really cool and had some amazing questions.

I am so grateful for the chance I have been given to be a missionary.

We had the chance to go to the temple this week, which was wonderful. Going there always reminds me of the big picture of life. We get so caught up in the little things down here on the 'field' that sometimes we need the bird's eye view to be able to accomplish what the Lord needs us to do. I am grateful for the ordinances and covenants there. They have blessed me so much.

I love each of you, and I hope that you keep smiling and keep serving. That is where true happiness is found. Happiness is a choice!

all my love

Elder Hughes