7 lessons, favorite family, missionary forever

This week was really busy.

Tuesdsay I had some interchanges with Elder Matthews. It was super fun. He is rad.

Wednesday was normal.

Thursday, I had interchanges with my zone leader until Saturday in the morning.

Sunday, we came to Guadalajara for a meeting that we had this afternoon, aaaaaand we will be here until tomorrow to sign my visa and get all readied up again.

Last Monday I was quite stressed out, but I am all better right now. We stayed up until 1:30am one night. Bad decision. Worth it.

We had an absolutely amazing day on Saturday. We worked all day with the bishop, and we taught 7 lessons with investigators with a member present, which was a treat. Aaaand we had a lesson with Federicko and Mary Cruz.

Excluding you guys, they are the family that I love most in the world right now. On Saturday we had another lesson, where I cannot even begin to explain how strong the spirit was. They both have come super far and are progressing super duper duper well. Every time we have an appointment I get super excited from that morning. And my companion notices it because I start singing and getting all weird at 6:30am. cool.

It has been a true testimony that the Lord is preparing people to hear the gospel. When we found them, we were searching for someone else. I approached and asked if we could visit them in another moment, and now in the new future, they will be making life-changing covenants with God.

I studied a little bit in the talk by Elder Lynn G Robbins about which way do we face. I encourage all of you to read it or listen to it from this last general conference. 

I keep on getting onto these spiritual highs - it is not something that you can explain. At times I want to be a missionary for the rest of my life, where you can just focus on helping other people complete what God has prepared for them, feel the spirit all the day long, and have super funny experiences where people get all up and in your face for not worshipping the virgin.

I love where I am at

This gospel

God

The scriptures

You guys

Take care.

Elder Hulme.

Lazaro Cardenas Monument

bakerys on wheelz

Elder Cadena and I

"Thanks for sending this kid on a mission"

First things first.

This week the whole mission had the normal 3 month interviews with President Camarillo.

He told me to tell you all the following:"Hello," and "Thanks for sending this kid on a mission."

So that's that.

We had a really good week this week. It has been really quite busy, and now that I think about it, the last seven days felt like about 1 day.

We have been having some awesome experiences. Our investigator Federicko and Maria are doing super duper well. The father is progressing super well. He has been coming to church, and has completely quick drinking. It is quite amazing to be able to see how much a single person can progress. There has been a large amount of praying, using the scriptures, and fasting to help him to progress, but little by little, we are getting there. He is getting super excited to get baptized. Last night we had an awesome lesson with them, where another family accompanied us in the lesson. It was nice to have another set of testimonies of all the blessings that the gospel brings into our lives.

One of the conference talks that I liked asks, "...if I keep living how I am now, will I obtain all the promised blessings of my patriarchal blessing?" This week I spent a little bit of time analyzing my patriarchal blessing, writing down all the blessings promised, and everything that I must do to be able to get them all. It was a really really really really helpful experience - all that have their patriarchal blessing ought to do it.

While sweeping, you can get soaking wet because it gets so hot over here.

I bought a shampoo that has a whole bunch of plants in it.

I have been pounding the trail mix mom sent me.

I found probably one of my favorite graffitis in Uruapan walking to the bus station after our interviews with our mission president.

I am totally McJealous that you guys are headed to Yellowstone.

I hope you all have incredibly stellar weeks. I Love you all so much.

Enjoy Yellowstone and the cool weather.

Elder Hulme.

These are live chicks, painted, being sold in the street

General Conference, No Electricity, Albertina Baptism

Yay

Conference was killer this week. You all know it. In Mexico, everyone goes to the chapels to watch general conference, so we watched church on TV in the church building.

Saturday was pretty nuts. We watched the morning session, then in between we ate lunch and had a weekly meeting with the Bishop, while everyone else socialized and ate da food. Then we watched the afternoon session. Afterwards, we had the baptismal service of Albertina, which was grand.

And then we had a little bit of time, so Elder Martinez and I left to contact people and bought some tamales. And then we went back to watch the priesthood session. Church from 11am-9pm.  It was lovely.

This week we didn't pay our electricity bill and we couldn't pay it for a little bit of time. Aaaaand, we had 3 super funny nights of planning in the dark (super romantic with the candles).

My favorite talk was on Saturday From Jorg Klebingat. I want everyone to listen to it and meditate the crap out of it in their brains. He talks about how we all ought to be principally responsible for our own personal wellbeing, which was really nice. He talks about taking initiative and not complaining. It is a concept that if everyone does it, the world would be better. Obviously ,the whole world is not going to do it, but if we try - excellent.

Dearest family. My package got here this week. I love you cats. I was a bit dense, and excited, and didn't realize that parts were for my birthday, so the pants and Nalgene are already out. Ooops. 

This week in the lessons we had and in general conference, I reached a whole new level of feeling the spirit. I realize that there is not a more satisfactory joyous feeling than the true and whole gospel truths, and living them. There is nothing I love more than feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost in my life. And fortunately, Elder Martinez and I had multiple inexplainable spiritual experiences this week.

The other day, I saw a man on the street with a beautiful leather backpack. I offered to buy it from him and exchange him a different one I had. He said later. I called him later and he sold it to me. I am a happer camper.

Elder Dance is a winner

Albertina invited us to eat tacos

Progress, Albertina, Tarzan, top of Apatzingan

Things are progressing again. It is nuts how quickly you can grow a genuine love for a person. We love Albertina a ton, and she is progressing super well. She is going to be baptized this Saturday after General Conference. She won't be able to be confirmed until the 12th, but it's all really really good.

We have an awesome family - the parents are named Federicko and Maria. This week we had an incredible lesson with the father. We were teaching the plan of salvation and we got to talking about the atonement. He had expressed to us that occasionally he drinks, and that he can get aggressive, and how sometimes he feels like it is destroying his family. We explained that through his faith and the atonement, that he can get rid of the habit of drinking and that Christ will strengthen him in everything. At the end of the lesson, he gave the closing prayer, asking God to help him to quit drinking. It was an amazing experience. He also went to church yesterday.

Every day we are able to see how important and full of truth the messages that we share are. 

At this moment there is honestly nothing that I love more than feeling the spirit in the lessons.

This week we taught a lesson with Tarzan, from the circus. He was a reference. He wants to listen more, buuuut the circus left yesterday, crap.

Today Elder Martinez and I and Elder Matthews and Elder Cardenas walked to the top of APATZINGAN.

I know that Christ has made it possible to return to God's Presence. I know that according to our obedience to the gospel truths, that we will be able to achieve everything that God has, and that he loves every single one of us individually.

Take care of yourselves family.

I love your guts. Lots.

E L D E R H U L ME.

Tarzan from the circus

Apatzingan

The top of Apatzingan

Be loyal, excited for general conference, teaching bathroom cleaning skills

Hey kids that is some Great stuff.

Simon looks sharp as a devil for Homecoming.

And I love the photos from Timpanogos Caves.

This week was a really good one, and it went by particularly quickly. We had some hard struggles, but I learned a good amount of staying loyal to your word. My patriarchal blessing always tells me to be loyal to what I say, and I am thankful for it. You run into too many experiences where  the appointments you have fall through, or the members you were going to work with don´t show up. If you say you are going to do something. Do it. period. 

Today I got my hair cut, because it was getting really long.

It made real live tears leave my face when I heard that Camille passed away. That is the toughest thing in the world. I cannot even image how they feel. Help them to feel loved. Keep on praying for them and that God may comfort them. 

Is anyone else really excited for General Conference this year? I am. Also the people who talk different languages will have the opportunity to talk in their natural tongue, and they will translate it into English, so that will be interesting. Simon and Julia will interpret for Uchtdorf's talk. Boom.

Albertina is progressing quite well. She has been passing through enough problems in her life. But she makes sure that she is always keeping the commandments; I feel like we all ought to be a bit more like that, even though life can be really tricky. We still know what is right,  and we ought to do it. 

Elder Martinez is super great. He comes from some $$$ (He started his own cell phone business at the age of 15, and it makes a good amount of money, and then he was working at another job before his mission.) In the next little bit I will be teaching him how to clean bathrooms, because he has never learned, but shatters them. Our bathroom is designed really poorly and there is not a shower curtain, so water gets EVERYWHERE, and then when we walk it gets really messy. He is not the first I have taught to clean things.

The fall weather in Utah looks ever so enticing. 

I love you all soooo much

If I were to spend the rest of eternity with one family, it´d be you guys.

(Sure am loving missionary work. and every day I have to think. Would I be making Beaner proud right now? MAKE BEANER PROUD.  Hulme family slogan.

Sure do love and appreciate you mommmmyyyyyy. TAKE CARE. Have lots of fun and eat some real live milkshakes.)

Elder Martinez and I eating Morisqueta. wahoooo.

Sunsettttttttt

This is Elder Cardenas (Peru), and Elder Matthews (Brigham City Utah)

Training Elder Martinez, 7th week in Apatzingan

Don't worry, I am alive. I did get a little bit sick this week, but that is alright.

This week we ate a good amount of tacos, but mainly just some lovely tacos of tripa.

Elder Leon turned 21 this week, and we threw him a 20-minute party and ate cake.

We had a lot of love in church this week. We had 8 investigators, which was quite nice.

This week Elder Solorzano finished his mission, which is quite nuts because he was my first zone leader that I had in the mission. 

On Saturday president Camarillo called me and told me that I was going to train another new missionary. But he always asks that we keep it a secret from our companions. So I was totally on the super sly side until Sunday night when they told us. We got all his bags ready and went to Guadalajara on Monday. We got to Guadalajara on Monday at about 6pm. And we were working in the night. That night there was a whole bunch of missionaries that were going to train, and we stayed up a good while sharing stories. It was good. On Tuesday we had a meeting with president. They gave us a super tasty breakfast (because we hadn´t eaten) and we met with the new missionaries.

My new companion is elder MARTINEZ. (more than 4 letters). Aaaaand he is from Puebla. He likes computers and stuff like that and is a cool cat. We left Guadalajara at 3pm and got to the house at 10pm. 

This week we found some more really great investigators. It is honestly quite nice being in an area where the work is able to progress and where you can find new investigators.

I have been reading in the book of Alma, when Alma and amulek were preaching in a whole bunch of little towns and whatnot. It is interesting that the people were so incredibly cruel back then. Fortunately we don´t see the same kind of cruelty, but at the same time there are plently of people who do not want to accept the gospel. But it helped me to realize that God needs us to preach to everyone, so that everyone can accept the gospel, do the ordinances neccesary and return to his presence.

This week writing and spelling in English has been especially hard.

I ate a sweet potato this week. Golden...

Answering mom's questions:

1. Everyone companionship has a cell phone. They are the same as your old Nokia bricks; they make phone calls and send messages.

2. The tortillas is in a restaurant of a sister.

3. If I felt I had a lack of colors of ties, it would be a nice looking black tie, and green that isn't shiny or super bright. I like all ties. Except pink. 

Sure love you all so much. 

ELDER HULME

Sometimes you find elders eating cookies, in your bed. Wonderful.

Elder Leon's 21st birthday.

Tacos of tripa

Elder Hulme and Elder Leon

Add caption

Drug bust, Gospel and foot pain, obedience

This Friday we had to go to Uruapan for a zone meeting. It is a 2 hour bus ride. The bus was pulled over by the police, and there was straight-up a drug bust on our bus. We were there for a good 30 minutes while they pat checked the guy and found a large amount of weed.

Then when we were on our way home, they had shut down the whole entire freeway. We were waiting for a good 2 hours with  a whole bunch of people that were not pleased. The good news is, if you are trafficking drugs, there is a small chance that they will find you. Also the good news is, we are safe as can be.

There is a less active member that we visit occasionally who can relate any gospel subject with foot pain--The atonement, also applies to foot pain. The importance of reading the scriptures... foot pain. 1 Nephi 8... FOOT PAIN. Lessons are really interesting with her.

When you kids forget about me, read D&C 24:10-13. 

This week I made tortillas in the restaurant that we eat in on Tuesdays.

We went to the world's saddest zoo.

I did not eat anything extravagant.

Yesterday we had an awesome lesson with a new family of investigators that we found. They do not belong to any sort of church. They are educated and pay attention in the lessons. They are super loving and kind and accepted baptismal dates. Now alls we gossa do is keep on keeping on and help them progress. 

This week Elder Leon and I did everything possible to be 100 percent obedient. From a suggestion that we had with our mission president, he promised us that if we did it ,we would have the spirit to be with us, just as promised in our baptismal covenant. And honestly, this week was easily the most spiritual that we have had in a good amount of time. It was incredible to be able to see the blessings of God, and to be able to grow my testimony of OBEDIENCE.. Be obedient, even to the smallest things.

In this month's Liahona there is a super good talk about parents keeping their kids away from pornography. I suggest all to read it. Because it was stellarrrrrr.

I know that Christ atoned for every single one of us. I know that through him we all can be cleansed, and that if we rely more on the atonement, we will be able to feel the love that God and his son have for us.

Love you all

Eder Hulme.

Waiting during the drug bust

Still waiting