Ode to Mexico - Last Letter

August 10, 2015

I ONCE GOT TO A LAND EXPECTING SOMBREROS AND NACHOS.
WAITING FOR MARIACHI AND PEOPLE WITH MUSTACHES.
BUT TO MY SURPRISE EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT.
THE FOOD IS THE BEST.
THE ART IS INCREDIBLE, AND THE PEOPLE ARE DEEP IN CULTURE-THE PEOPLE BETTER.
I LEARNED TO LOVE THE LORD AND HIS WORK.
I GAINED MY VERY OWN TESTIMONY - THAT IS WHAT I AM MOST GRATEFUL FOR. AND MOM'S COOKING.
I ATE A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU SHOULDN'T.
BATHROOMS BECAME MY SAFE GROUND.
I LIVED WITH COMPANIONS. GREW UP.
I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES AND USING THEM TO HELP PEOPLE.
I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THE SAVIOR AND WHAT HE WANTS FOR US.
MY TESTIMONY OF THE PRIESTHOOD FLOWERED AND SO MUCH MORE.
WE SHARED THE GOSPEL. MANY CHANGED, MANY STILL ARE LOST.
I CRIED WITH THESE PEOPLE, REJOICED, LISTENED, WORSHIPPED AND MUCH MORE. AND I TRULY LOVE THESE PEOPLE AND THIS LAND.
(SORRY IF THIS LAST LETTER IS A BIT SCRAMBLED)...
I MAY NOT HAVE HAD MILLIONS OF CONVERTS, OR HAVE SAVED THE WORLD,
BUT I FEEL THAT THERE IS ONE LIL AMERICAN BOY WHO IS VERY VERY VERY GRATEFUL FOR HAVING COME ON A MISSION.
THERE IS NOTHING I WOULD HAVE RATHER BEEN DOING FOR THESE LAST TWO YEARS.
I HAVE LEARNED MORE THAN DESERVED, AND I WILL REMEMBER THESE THINGS FOREVER.

                    I LOVE YOU MEXICO
                    I LOVE YOU MEXICO
                    I LOVE YOU MEXICO
                    I LOVE YOU MEXICO
                    I LOVE YOU MEXICO

LOVE YOU FAMILY. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK IN THE AIRPORT.
If I have a frosty in hand getting off the plane, don´t be surprised. American ice cream is a good thing.

Love you all,
Elder Hulme.

hearts forever.

P.S.
Hey fam,
One week more and we can all HUG TOGETHERS.

I´d say go nuts with a banner or something in the airport, IT'S THE BEST OPPORTUNITY THERE IS TO BE OBNOXIOUS IN AN AIRPORT AND NOT GET IN TROUBLE.

Sure love you
Today we went to get you kids some small lil gifts.

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY.

UNCLOG THAT DRAIN, bucket-filling font makes for memorable LAST baptism

August 3, 2015

Well boys and girls this week was a crazy one. AND I LOVED IT.

One morning, I was sick of showering and having to be soaking in all of my shower filth, soooo I decided to get down to the nitty gritty with a metal hanger and UNCLOG THAT DRAIN. It was about 20 minutes of Elder Hulme saying "que asco"and "wakalaaaaaaaaa" (which means gross). Let's just say that sister missionaries used to live in this apartment, aaaaand there was about 18 inches of rotten stinky hairy hair ball hair and it was gross gross grossy gross. But now I am good at doing it seeming as I´ve had to do it in 4 of my areas..

Satan was workin it hard this week to get Mayra not to be baptized. The poor thing had a ton of sad things happen to her  this week, but was ever so excited to be baptized. We got to the chapel on Saturday at 4 to fill up the font to be ready at 6. We started up the filling and after ten minutes, all the water  stopped.

We hooked up a hose to the outside from the street water system.      nope

We hooked up another hose to the cleaning closet to filler up.....   nope

My companion almost drowned trying to syphon up the water from the underground well into the font....    nope

We HOOKED UP THE SHOP VAC, TO SYPHON THE WATER FROM THE WELL. NOPE

After a long while of trying everything, running, praying, and the only thing getting wet were my pants. We got to work filling up the font bucket by bucket from the 9 foot well where I dropped the keys weeks before. Bucket by bucket by bucket by bucket, my companion and I were on our knees grabbing the water, then taking it to the window, handing it to a young man to throw it in the font. 

We got that font filled - with water and grass. We were covered in sweat, dried off, and started the baptism.

Everything went quite well in the program. Mayra was super super happy, and that is what matters.

When we got into the font, the water was only up to my knees. But she was still baptized on the first go - we just had to use more of a planking approach.

She had the biggest smile on her face afterward and we are so happy for her. She is an investigator who progressed incredibly fast, and it was amazing to see how she changed. From being a coffee and cigarette addict, grouchy, and now a loving mother, free from addictions who has decided to follow the example of the Saviour.

I look back on everything that happened that day, and I am happy that it did, because I will honestly remember this last baptism for ever and always. 

Today I took my suits to the dry cleaner. They told us that they won't do it, because they can't finish the job before I go home. Looks like I´m coming home with dirty suits. (Don´t worry I´ll hit´em up with the Febreeze to get the stink out.)

Sure love you all

Love your guts,

Elder Hulme.

P.S. Hey kids just a heads up... It may still be in two weeks, but remember in the Acts how Saul was totes destroying the church and then the Lord is like, why do you do these things? And then he changed his name to Paul. I never tried to destroy the church or anything, but I´ve changed. I know it. I hope we all can accept this... Mainly I´d prefer it, that after I am released and I'm no longer ELDER, if everyone could call me OLIVER (as Dad suggested in the earlier years of my life). I´d sure appreciate it.

Love you all so much.

Have great weeks. 

Elder Hulme

soon to be OLIVER (instead of Oli)

The mini zone

These pictures with Mayra are my favorite

Knee deep font filled by the bucket required a "planking" approach

The doctora that got rid of all my warts

Paradise, FYS, I love the temple, sick again

July 27, 2015

This week was hard, but at the same time it was the best.

On Monday they told us that we were going to go to FYS (the new version of EFY over here). We went with 40 other missionaries on Wednesday. We got up bright and early, headed to the offices, and went to a suuuper nice hotel where they were doing the FYS. Our mission was to teach the youth how to present a pamphlet of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to their friends, aaaaand commit everyone that was there to go on a mission. We got to the super nice hotel (we are talking like fancy nice, hidden, in a cute forest up in snowbird hotel). We got there, and as the 747 youth were singing called to serve, we sprung in there like hidden ninjas and sang really loud the last 2 verses. I never went to an EFY as a youth, but this time around was a blast!! Then, we split off into groups and did our part. It was interesting because you could tell who were the obedient, the rowdy, the rebellious, but they were all just great, and we loved them all. Being among so many youth had a super fun spirit, and it was a blast of a Wednesday, I saw youth from every single one of my areas and it was great.

On Thursday, we had a stellar lesson with Mayra about temples and family history work. She was interested to go to the temple and we got everything all arranged to go on Saturday to have a lesson with her on the temple grounds.

Saturday came around the block, we had everything readied up, aaaaand the brother who was going to drive us, did not show up, did not show up, and did not show up. (I was about to explode). We ran to his house, and his wife told us that he called and said that he wasn't going to go. (I almost exploded) We ran back to the chapel with the investigator and the other member, aaaaand we saw the brother who was going to take us with some sweat on the face and a charming smile, and we got him all convinced to go again.

I LOVE THE TEMPLE. Just being on the grounds I could not quit smiling. I had to repent for having so many explosive feelings, but afterward, it was heaven. We had an amazing lesson with her, that I will be down to talk about when I get home, because if not, this email would take a week to read.

All week, I was battling some sick symptoms: a sore throat, runny nose, weakness etc. Then on Sunday I was not feeling so well. Sunday after lunch I thought I was going to pass out. So then I thought about the quote from Gordon B. Hinkley´s dad "forget about yourself and go to work." I tried that, but after about fifteen minutes I had to lay down on the sidewalk. I talked with the mission doctor, and he told me to rest up for a little bit. I got home and after 20 minutes, the cookies were tossed. I then fell asleep on the bathroom floor, and fell asleep for the rest of the night. (My body misses clean countries.)

But I am loving life. 

Mayra is going to be baptized the next week.

I am very very very thankful and glad for serving a mission. Easily the best decision I have made so far.

I love you all

Elder Hulme.

The picture of the temple with trees is PARADISE

Warts, Dairy Queen, Home Teaching, I'm a Happy Camper

July 20, 2015

Wooooooooooooo. That's how we feel right now. This week was awesome.

Did I tell you guys that I am getting some warts removed? The doctore made some large craters in my feet and finger, and then shot me up with liquid nitrogen (really really cold feels really really hot). The liquid nitrogen is supposed to make some large blisters, which makes walking and brushing my teeth a riot. BUT I´M A TOUGH GUY.

On Wednesday, we had interviews with the mission president. Let it be known that President Jack B Egginton is the best man in this entire country. Honestly I love him soooo much. He is so funny, and took the whole interview to get to know me, understand my desires and my feelings and is a great great guy. afterward, my companion was treated to his first large blizzard from Dairy Queen. He loved it, <3 I love Dairy Queen. I´ve only been twice on my mission, and they have been 2 excellent experiences.

Mayra mayra mayra is our investigator. She has been coming to church every Sunday for the past four weeks. She has always been a devoted, mexican Catholic, who has always smoked, and drank, drunk drinkied coffee, buuuuuut we have been working really hard with her. On Friday, and yesterday, we have had some of the best lessons in the whole wide world. Yesterday we had taught the ten commandments and the word of wisdom, and the spirit WAS THICK. After a good amount of questions, answers, testifying and letting the spirit testify, she has firmly accepted to be baptized the on the 1st of August. It is  a huge blessing getting to know these kinds of people, I love it sooooo much. 

EVERY SUNDay, in elders quorum, the only thing we talk about is... as translated... doing visits (hacer visitas, /// home teaching), nobody, NObody, NOBODY, does it over here, and every week it is a new episode of do your visits. It is pretty funny, because they think that giving them the same speech every every every Sunday will help them want to do their home teaching. But it's all good.

I am a happy camper where I am. I may have blisters, or funky callouses on my knees from all the prayers, but I am happy where I am, what I do and who I have become. The gospel has been restored through a living prophet. Be grateful.

Love you all supers much

Elder Hulme.

On this bus you can see the road. Safety first.

Der ma tol o gist

July 13, 2015

I went to the dermatologist today because I was allllllll warty. Those places are expensive, and I´am going to have to go back for a couple of more visits. Turns out I´ve got some weird skin. Remember how I have really stretchy face skin? Supposedly that is due to a condition called Ehlers Danlus syndrome, so that is cool.

THIS WEEK WAS GREAT. Satan was working really really hard to get us down, but we won this time. We had the baptism of our investigator R. It was the best. It was a bit tricky because we did not have hardly any help from the ward, so we had to do literally everything, buuut it is alright. The baptism was very spiritually edifying. Her son who is a member spoke, and gave a very inspiring, short talk, aaaand, it was great. After the baptism, I definitely dropped our house keys into a 9 ft deep well, full of water. Luckily, long arms, a rake and a pole did the trick.

Yesterday as we drove to the house of the brother who we ate with in his car, his car broke down hard, we got it jumped, and then it died, then we got it jumped and then it died, so we walked to his  house. Overall it was pretty fun, even though we pushed his lil car in the sun for 2 hours. 

Today we played some basketball. I never liked that, but I do now.

I love seeing the gospel change the lives of who we work with. R used to be bitter, hating, and not very friendly, and, even though she doesn't show it in her facial expressions, she is now a happy person. She is more controlled, and we are ever so happy with her and with her changes.

I really love you all. I think you guys are the cat's pajamas.

Keep on praying lots.

Elder Hulme. 

Thieves are allowed here

Baptism

I dropped the house keys in a 9 foot well.

Semana Milagro

July 6, 2015

Great great great week. Lots of trials and hard parts, but all in all great.

On Tuesday, after writing, we visited our investigator who was progressing really well to be able to be baptized the 11 of July. As we taught the law of chastity, we found out that it would be necessary that she be interviewed by the mission president. That night I called him, Pres. Egginton. My first encounter with him was one of the best things in the world. He is sooooo funny. I was trying to explain to him why she needed an interview and all that, but he wasn’t really getting the hang of it, and he said that he´d be able to do it in a few weeks, and our souls were crushed.... Trial.

During the rest of the week, we had some super experiences. We were praying a lot for our investigator that, if possible, some sort of a miracle would come into action.  On friday we had our zone meeting, and we heard word that the mission president was going to be there. He got there at 1pm, we quickly talked with him (the assistants then had explained a little bit more about the special interviews and what-not). He told us that he could do it after the meeting that we were going to do with him. Sooooo then we called her at 1pm to see if she could get there at 3pm or 2:30 for the interview. Aaaaaaand as the best part of the miracle, she was going to be able to get there. LIFE SAVERS. Miracle. She got there, had a stellar interview, and is still getting all readied up for baptism. It was so incredible to see the hand of the Lord in that moment. She came to church this week and is really excited, even though her facial expressions don´t show it... 

I have been pretty good about not biting my nails lately, but it is a little bit harder to type.... hmmm. 

Yesterday a member gave us some homemade ceviche, which means chronic to-the-bathroom dashes...

This last week, there was only 1 day that we were able to go to bed on time and get up at 6:30 (all the other days were either late to bed or really early to rise) so  I have been suuper tired. 

Ummm No I am still with my same companion. The training is a 12 week process, so we just finished the week 6. 

This weekend the companion of Elder Robbins finished his mission, so Elder Robbins was with us in a super trio all weekend, it was super fun. But we went to bed late due to the sleepover which makes for sleepy mornings.

Our new mission president is hilarious. He is very very energetic and super loving. I love his guts. 

I am really glad to be where I am. It’s hard, but I love it.

Love you all

Elder Hulme.

Pee eich a tee. Phat. Sirloin Stockade.

The mini zone

"Hi, I'm Ali Hegerhorst, and I'm on your toothpaste box."

Elder Peterson, great secretary friend from Washington

The painting I love near our house

Post feasting (Sirloin Stockade?)

June 30, 2015

Today ladies and gentlemen, the district of Tlajomulco got fat. We woke up super extra early to clean the house and start to hand wash the clothes (washing machines are a dream), studied, ran, and got my companion’s hairs cut, aaaaand then went to Sirloin Stockade. It is like a mexican Chuck-a-rama but with all the same things as Chuck-a-rama. I ate a strict diet of spinach, lettuce, carrot salad, salad salad, apple salad, brownies, and ice cream. AND I FELL IN LOVE. Easily the best 137 pesos I´ve spent in a good while. The dudes from this side of the border love the mac n cheese, the oven pizzas, and all the gross stuff and it’s sooooo funny.

This week was splendid. We are working with this super investigator named M. She is a single mother has four kids of the ages 17,12, 2, 1. She is super willing. Willing to read, to pray and this week was the first week we started teaching her and she went to church. It was the best. She didn´t know where it was, so we got with a member to go pick her up Sunday morning. Normally when we get to the houses of the members they go to church in hood rat clothes and take about 45 minutes to get ready. But M is a GEM. We got there and she was all readied up, her three youngest kids all dressed up, and everything set. I WAS A HAPPY CAMPER MOM AND DAD.

We also have another investigator who we are getting all prepared up to be baptized in the next coming month, named, R. she is great, her son is a member, who we are helping to get active again. She always looks grumpy no matter how happy she is and it is so funny, because when you start to talk with her, you never know if she is grouchapillar or happy. #boxxesofchocolates.

Yesterday our day started at 4:45am. We had to get to a meeting with President Camarillo, the follow up meeting for the people in their training and their trainers. He gave us the last goodbye, and it was good. I am going to miss him almost as I did you guys at first, But this Thursday we will be getting to know President EGGINTON. Egginton. There is not a g after the n. 

we are working hard

sweating more

and loving life more

Sure love you all

I am reading in Alma 15-22. If only I could be a meat butcher like Ammon. or a super testifier like Aaron.

E L D ER 

H U L M E

hugs n kisses