Apatzingan Jungle, Panaderia De Jesucristo

Look HOW CUTE DA BABY BUNNY IS

Elder Hulme can fly when you let him loose in the wilderness

Apatzingan commonly known as APATZINGRANCH

We get tacos

Hmmmm 

This week was just a solid good one. I don't know why but we have been super happy this week. We pretty much worked our butts off every day of the week and also have been quite tired, but it's all good. This morning we played some good old fashioned soccer, and it was a goooood time, and all is super well. 

We had some good adventures. Our area is super cool, because we have part of the downtown area, but then pretty much where all of the people live, you are in the jungle the whole time, wahoooooo.

We have got some killer investigators right now. One that is progressing really well is named Albertina. We taught her a few times this week, and she was the second person to get to church, following the bishop, and everyone was asking her if she was a member, and she always said, "Not yet, but I'll get there." So we are really excited for her.

There are plenty of people who sell pan///bread///baked goods in the street, the best one is by far, PANADERIA DE JESUCRISTO. Sometimes when we get bored, we tell stories about how not only the Church of Jesus Christ was restored, but also the bakery. So, hopefully we don't get struck by lighting.

Our district is small. It is me, Elder Leon (companion) Elder Solorzano (finishes his mission this transfer, from Monterey) and Elder Lopez (also from Oaxaca has 13 months in the mission). We get it done as a district.

The district

Today I bought a mirror, because there is not a mirror in our house, and I have not seen myself, when I get ready, in 2 weeks.

Yesterday in church was super great, we are having some large success here in Apatzingan, and it is just the best. I feel like all my hard work is finally paying off. But no matter what, the important part is just serving God, so we are going to keep on doing that.

We have an investigator who is named Lorenza. I will try to get a picture of her; poor thing has a type of arthritis that is suuuper severe, and reminds us a lil' bit of a witch - she cackles and everything.

Straight up this church is true.

Love you tons. ELDER HULME

Dogs in church, Lost money at church, Shade is lovely

August 11, 2014

Wahooo. Thats pretty much how I feel in Apatzingan right now. It's a riot over here. and I love it. here is some good stuff going on:

• Yesterday in church, there was a dog the size of decca running around in sacrament meeting.
• Things there are NOT in our house: toilet seats, places to put clothes, cooking, stove, and lots more.
• All the water in the house just comes from outside, and you can't change the temperature of the water.
• It is always so hot, and the houses just turn into ovens, that pretty much every lesson we teach, we teach outside in the shade and it's LOVELY.
• Church yesterday was a fiasco. A lady was carrying 16,000 pesos around (a crap ton of money in Mexico), and claimed she lost it in the church. Everyone was searching, and double-checking, and especially blaming. The bishop gave her a blessing so that she could somehow find the money. She left, somehow found the taxi driver that took her to church.... she had left it in the taxi.

Rule #1: Don't carry around lots of money
Rule #2: Don't put it in a plastic bag, because you could forget it in a taxi.....
All is well.

Answers to Mom's questions about my companion:

Elder Leon is super rad. He likes to jump over stuff with me.

He is from Oaxaca.

He has 9 months in the mission.

He is sleepy kittens, and usually gets out of bed real late. (he'll be breaking that habit soon.)

He does not speak very much english.

We get along really well, and he is just a straight up solid dude. He got baptized 4 years ago, and is shaped like a straw - tall and narrow.

Missionary work is absolutely stellar in Apatzingan. We find new investigators on the daily, the ward works a lot and is super helpful with missionary work, and we take a lot of taxis. I have to shower in the mornings and the nights because we sweat so much.... We've got some really cool investigators, One is named Rigoberto, who works on a lime farm, he is always super tired when we talk with him, because he is always getting home from lime farming, but he is progressing quite well. His wife has a crazy form of arthritis, and poor little thing suffers, but she likes the gospel and likes it when we talk with them.

This week we had a zone meeting. We left at 6 in the morning and got back at 6 at night. Apatzingan is super far away from any other city, luckily we only have to do that trip once a month. 

Honestly all is super well. The gospel is crazy true, and changes lives every day. Do everything you can to live and love the gospel. Say your prayers a lot, read the scriptures, and love one another. 

Love Your guts

Elder Hulme.

Transfer to Apatzingan, New Companion-Elder Leon

a-pot-sing-ghan

Well, after a lovely 7 months, I left TONALAAAA. They called us on Sunday and hooked us up with the news, and yesterday, I totally was on a bus from 11am until 7pm. At seven, we got here, I got with my new companion, Elder Leon, and we went and taught. Yes, my companion still has less than 5 letters in his name. wahooo.

Now that I am here, I cannot think of anything that happened in tonala the last week. We worked our butts off the last week, taught tons of lessons, and shredded the streets (as Jonny Bigelow tells me to do). And all payed off quite well. My last Sunday in Tonala, we had 18 less active members at church, a few investigators, and we had found 5 new investigators, and 3 of them accepted baptismal dates, and I am happy to say that I left that area with a lot more than what I got there with. 

It was honestly sad to leave elder Mar. I love that guy so much. But don't worry, I held in the tears really good.

What can I tell you about Apatzingan? Well it is crazy hot. It is in the state of Michoacan again, and it is one of the prettiest drives in the world from Guadalajara to here. Everything is super green and super great. My companion, Elder Leon, is from Oaxaca Mexico, and is a cool skinny little thing. He talks really fast and a lot, but luckily, I understand him, except when he mumbles. Mumbler.  Our area was closed for about 6 months, and then they sent the missionaries here again less than two months ago. Our house has nothing of a closet, and no storage, so we will be doing some make-shift things to hang up my clothes. Aaaaaaand, last night when I went to bed I was sweating, and when I woke up, I was still sweating, wahoo. You shower with cold water always, because you are always hot and it is super refreshing.

Nalgene was lost in the journey, so that was sad. 

I am still a district leader, but it is going to be a lot different, because this district is only us two, and one other companionship, so it's gonna be a riot. 

I am super happy and sticky to be here.

Love you tons.}

Sorry I took so long to write

Elder Hulme.

Cool Tonala things

I picked him up

Silly kids from da streets

My new suit

Elder Hulme and Elder Mar

I found Elder Lux!!!!

Green

Elder Leon

Torta ahogada, ward progress, free pizza & cake, finished BofM again

July 28, 2014

Local pothead, gets crazy on the street freestyle rap

The world's cutest dog Kilo. (Elizabeth and Andy's new pup)

Elder Hulme, machete and mowing lawns (lawn mowers are better)

The favorite neighborhood drunk RUEBEN... has his name tatooed on his body more than five times

Budhin, the best bakery item

Ingredients and process of torta ahogada, in plastic bag

I think I had already sent you guys photos of a torta ahogada, which means a drowned sandwich. But Elder Mar and I took it to a whole new level today. We have seen tons of people do it where they put it all in a plastic bag and you eat it like a hot otter pop. Lets just say, it's one of the ghetto-est, loveliest creations of god. We ate them in our house today and it was tasty stuff.

This week was a really good one. Unfortunately, the investigator pool is a little bit low. We have been looking for new investigators all the week long, but pretty much we did lots of walking and little finding, but we live to tell the day, so it's all good. 

This week, while waiting in front of a door with really shiny glass, Elder Mar flexed and said, "Look how big my muscles look," and it gave me the chuckles.

Last night I woke up at about 5 in the morning, and I was all  turned around in my bed. I don´t know how it happened. 

Everything is super good with Elizabeth. We are finally getting a little bit of support from the ward with them, where they go and visit her and establish some what of a friendship. Aaaaand the ward is progressing super well. We've had some new families move into the ward that are a lot more excited about working, and they help to get things done, so it's great. Yesterday, someone called us and asked if we wanted to stop by their house and pick up some pizza and birthday cake. The answer was YES.

This week, I finished reading the Book of Mormon. Honestly, I have always known that the book of mormon is true, and every time that I read it, and I pray asking God again, I can feel a reconfirmation that it is true. How the Holy Ghost works is one of the most interesting things in the world. But it sure is the best. The book of mormon is the most correct book on the planet. All of you ought to read it, and get an even stronger testimony.

Sure love every single one of you.

Don't murmur like Laman and Lemuel.

Elder HULME

Sneezing, Elizabeth, cement, new suit

July 21, 2014

This week was a goooood one. Also just so it's clear, Elder Mar always sneezes tons. We decided to count one day. He got to thirty seven. THAT IS LOTS OF SNEEZING.

So this week, I was on divisions with the zone leaders, which was a good thing. I was with a cool cat from Murray, Utah, Elder Summers. Everything was suuuper good. We had everything all planned out to have his companion do the baptismal interview with Elizabeth while we were on divisions.   At about 7:40pm, they sent us a message saying that Elizabeth had to wait another week to be baptized. So pretty much my whole heart dropped and felt like a turd. Then when I called them to take the daily dats that they take every night, they told me that it was all a joke and that everything was all good for her baptism. Needless I was about to punch someone in the throat, but at the same time suuuuper excited.

The baptism was Friday and everything went stellar. Elder Mar baptized her, and I confirmed her on Sunday. All went super well in the baptismal program. We asked Elizabeth to share her testimony during the program. When she got up, she talked about how for a long time in her life she has been feeling like there was something missing in her life, and that now that space is filled. It was a rad experience. And everything is going and has gone golden rod with Elizabeth. I am super glad that someone who really needed the gospel, was able to find it, and wants to live it and have it in their lives. 

This week we offered to help an investigator put up a cement wall in his house, it was already there with bricks, and we loaded it up with cement. It was super fun and I got covered in cement. But it was cool to see how they do the walls and what-not and to learn a little bit. 

Pretty much that is what was going on this week. We had tons of interviews and baptismal interviews this week. Oh today, I may or may not have bought a new suit. Okay, I definitely did, but don't worry about it kids, it looks good. 

LOVE YOU ALL A TON

Elder Hulme.

Their kid is the cutest lil guy

There are these little things called mototaxis, which are great because they are faster than buses, and if you can sweet talk the person, you can get them for just as cheap as a bus.

This one cost the same as a bus, but it took us to a part of our area in 15 minutes, which normally takes 1 hour 10 minutes to walk. Yay.   

They take a motorcycle and turn it into a person hauling machine

Last minute speakers, B of M, baptisms, budin

This week was a winner, and flew by in about six seconds. 

Yesterday we were waiting for a bus, and they played the Shut Up and Let Me Go song by the Ting Tings, and it was a good time.

Also yesterday, after sacrament meeting had already started, one of the counselors of the bishopric came up and told us that the bishop forgot to assign people to speak, and wanted to know if we could do it. We spoke: Elder Mar about Joseph Smith, and I spoke about the Book of Mormon. What I gained from it all, in the 12 minutes I had to prepare a talk (before and after passing the sacrament) is... How pitiful it is that it took me until I was really in the mission to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is ridiculous how I always had it in the house or on my phone, and never took advantage. From the mission, I am glad to say that I honestly know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that if we correctly use its teachings we will be able to fulfill everything we need to do to receive eternal life. Read it up.

I was in a baptismal interview this week, and when we finished the first prayer, I looked at the person I was interviewing. With tears in his eyes, he looked at me and asked if he could tell me something. I told him yes (thinking, ohh cruddd, what's going on?) He began to tell me how he was thinking to not be baptized that week, but during the prayer he could feel the spirit tell him he needed to.... Honestly it was one of the most spiritually impacting things that has happened in a good amount of time. And I am super happy that it happened.

Everything is going killer well with Elizabeth. Everything is all set and ready to go for Friday. She is super great willing to live all of the commandments. We are suuuuuuuper excited for her. Aaand, it's really cool because all of the missionaries of my district have baptisms this week. 

Yes, today we went to my favorite bakery. The best item is by far something called BUDIN (boo-deen). It's like a brownie, but not chocolate, with raisins, and budin and I are in love. 

Super glad all of you are doing well, and it is absolutely crazy that its already the 14th of July. Time goes quick... 

Sure love you all sooooo much.

Take care, much love,

Elder Hulme.

Ate an habanero and chicken foot, Jaime/Elizabeth, yay for tacos, missionary work

Today we were in my favorite fruit and vegetable store, and we started talking to one of the chumps that worked there, and he told me he'd give be 20 pesos to eat a whole habanero pepper. I was super up for the challenge, and a bit scared, but I did it, and I lived. It was a bit like eating a lot of gasoline with some matches, but with a really good flavor. I had some sweet mouth after-burn for 35 minutes afterwards, but it's all good. 

This week was a bit trickier. Sadly, our super great investigator, Jaime, and his son moved to the other mission, so that was the worst. They were a super poor family and hadn't been paying their rent for a good amount of time, so they had to head on out. We are still trying to get a hold of him so the missionaries over there can get in touch.

On the good news, everything for Elizabeth is going super well. She impresses me on the daily. She doesn't have the slightest of problems with the word of wisdom, and is already married, and with all the commandments we teach, she is super willing to obey them. AAAAand, even though she works the night shift (starts work at 8.00pm and finishes at 8am) she still comes to church, and tries to learn lots. She's a GEM. Also she invited us to eat with her this week. That was super good because we had a lot more time to chat with her and she opened up more. Also, her husband is super rad - he has been a member his whole life, but less active for a good portion of it, but he is a cool cat. 

A sister gave us this almond chicken to eat this week, and I totes ate the chicken foot. It was tasty tasty.

On Friday, we had a zone conference in Guadalajara. The zone meeting went long, and our food appointment was on the other side of our area. We got there at 5pm and I had only eaten a banana and 2 celeries. We were super hungry and she gave us tacos. We are convinced that we both ate 30,000,000 Yay for tacos. 

Even though it seemed like all the people that we talked with just wanted to bible bash, and the rest of the people we went to visit didn't want to listen or weren't there, we still had a good week and we learned a ton. 

There is a quote in Preach My Gospel that talks about how there is no other work in which God worries so much about, except missionary work, and its true. I am so grateful to be able to serve God, and more grateful for everything that he gives us and all the millions of ways that he helps us.

Love you all tons

Elder Hulme.