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

Rigoberto squared, 10 minute prayer, tempted by a pool

This week our investigator, (husband of Lorenza) and an investigator of the other elders of Apatzingan both of which named Rigoberto were baptized. The baptismal service was titled RIGOBERTO SQUARED.

This week was nuts and passed by in about two seconds.

On Thursday at 6:30am we were called and told we had to be in Uruapan for a special meeting with our mission president. We got all set up and ready to go and headed out. We waited for a long time, buuuuut it was an absolutely magnificent conference. He pretty much called everyone unto repentance, and then talked with everyone that wanted to talk with him. He helped us to look at life in another way, aaaaand is just the coolest mission president to live.

We also were getting things all super ready for the baptism of another one of our investigators, Basti. She is probably the most timid person on earth, but enjoys learning about the Savior and is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yay... Also her mother is from the church of the Jehovas Witness, pretty much it's all just really crazy in their house...

I ate more eggs this week. I have not vomited.

Last night it rained like it has never rained before. Elder Leon had his baptismal clothing outside drying, and it all fell down into the dirt - poor guy.

In the baptismal service, I asked one of the members who never gets to participate in anything to give the closing prayer. Turns out she didn't know how to pray, and ended up talking for about 10 minutes, and everyone almost flipped a brick.... I thought it was funny.

There is an investigator that has a pool in his house. Elder Hulme has never been so tempted.

I ate menudo. Which is a cow stomach soup. The texture is well, cow stomachy, but the flavor was yummers.

Other thoughts: Scott's kids are absolutely massive.

Mom asked how I feel that this week I will have one year in the mission. Honestly, it is absolutely wild. The last year has had some ups and downs, but mostly ups, and has flown by.

Last night Elder Leon and I went to town on a bag of cadbury eggs. It was glorious.

Sure do love you guys,

and sure do love my life.

child

Menudo (cow stomach soup)

Eating menudo

"Elder Hulme has never been so tempted..."

Elder Solorzano. There is one beer that thou shalt not drink.

3rd week in Apatzingan-eggs, baptisms, jungle animals

August 25, 2014
Well kids, I am finally growing up. Our area is pretty darn poor, and I have eaten three times, where the main part of the food was egg. And I lived every single time. The trick is to just put it in a tortilla, and load it up with as much other stuff as you can, and with lots of salsa so it just burns the egg flavor away.

All went super well with our investigator Lorenza - she was totes baptized this week. I set up the baptismal program, because my companion was in Uruapan. The first lady to speak started her talk with a scripture from Moroni 8, where it just ridicules baptism of children. (All investigators were offended.) But we recovered everything and all went really well. Also, we are working really hard so that the  husband of Lorenza can get baptized within the next little bit. There are just some things that we are depending on.

Mom asked about the jungle animals we have over here. There are plenty of lizards, occasional iguanas, and ARMADILLOS, but they are more sneaky and hidden.

Our investigator Albertina is super good. For whatever excuse, she did not go to church yesterday. But she is reading the Book of Mormon a lot, and understands everything, so that is the best.

Yesterday I gave a talk about the Work of Salvation, which is a really long subject, but the talk was alright.

My stomach was super sick for seven days straight. Every time that I ate, within 3 hours, I was in the bathroom. But we got it all taken care of and life is glorious again.

One of my shoes broke, and I took it to the shoe repairman.YAY.

I had to go to Uruapan twice to do interchanges, and I spent over 8 hours in a bus this week, but it was all goood.

I know that this church is true, I know that we all have a savior and redeemer to help us in every moment, and I know the Book of Mormon is true.

Love you all so much

HUGS AND KISSES. elderhulme.

Lorenza

Efrain - from the other elders

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