Camera has virus, ironed cookies, we eat iguana, using the priesthood

November 3, 2014

My camera is very very ill with a virus, and I took soooo many good pictures this week, and I want to share them with you.

1. Today we made cookies with mom's super tasty cookie batch pack. It was honestly a large taste of heaven, and we also enjoyed the science that we did with it all. The most fun way was making them in tin foil and with the iron. It turned out more like a caramelized cookie, but it was good. Needless to say, I ate 1 ton of cookie dough and loved every minute of it.

2. The other day we were walking in the night, and there was a guy walking a little bit funny. He walked up to a street sign and smacked it really hard. We thought that he may had been under some sort of an influence, so we walked to the other side of the street. He kept walking, got up next to a tree, got ahold of a branch, and got in a pull-up position, and just snapped a huge tree branch off the tree, and threw it to the ground.

3. We ate iguana twice this week. Both from the same family  (I have photos, buuuut they are not working right now.)

Yesterday were the 4 confirmations that we had from last week's baptisms. It was pretty darn good. They were a large crop of people who were just baptized, so now we have been on a good hunt for new investigators. Not too many of them are showing any sort of really wanting to get things done...

Unfortunately, our recent convert, Lorenza, has been pretty darn sick in the last little bit. Yesterday we went and gave her a blessing and seems to be doing a bit better. It is such a privilege to be able to hold the priesthood, and it feels really really good when we get to use it.

The lessons we keep having with Federico and his family are the best because every time we teach them we feel the spirit super duper strong. So that is pretty darn rockin. They are having quite a few difficulties within their family, but they are progressing a lot within the gospel, which makes everything a whole lot better.

I am really quite happy where I am at. It shatters my universe how fast time goes. I feel like part of it is because it just feels super - always. We sweat every day of the week. 

I will be attaching photos when possible and I sure love you cats. A lot.

Keep on keeping on

Go to the temple

Finish reading the Book of Mormon

Elder Hulme.

Birthday, baptisms, drain-cleaning, Goofy with green eyes

October 27, 2014

Mom's questions:

1 and 2. My birthday was spectacular and super busy. On Friday we bought a cake to save it until Saturday. On Saturday, we were really busy getting everything all set and ready to go for the baptism of Federico and his wife and kid.

3. The week with Federico was awesome, mainly because every lesson we have with them is suuuuper spiritual, and everyone leaves the house high as a kite on spiritual goodness.

5. Elder Martinez and I are doing really good. Our relationship is a bit weird. I clean up all of his messes, which are plentiful. Also, I feel like I am game to clean whatever it takes now. For example, this morning I had to take apart two different drains and clean them all really good. I took out about a tennis ball`s worth of backed-up missionary hair gunk. (I did not vomit, but I wanted to.)

6. I don`t ever have to sign my visa again on my mission.

The baptisms that we had this week were pretty darn stressful, because everyone gets everywhere late. The baptism that was supposed to start at 6pm, started at 6:45, because the baptismal candidate got there at 6:35. The good news is, everything went well. 

I will attach photos of one of the first dogs that I like. His name is Goofy, and we are good pals. If you get the photo right, his eyes turn into crazy green laser shooting balls.

This week was one of the most spiritual that I`ve had in a good long while, and I loved every minute of it. 

We had set the goal to have 5 baptisms for this month. It took a bunch of faith, praying, acting, using time wisely, and relying on God, but all in all, it was ever so satisfactory to be able to say that we completed the goal. 

We had stake conference this week. There was a small amount of blasphemy and it was really really funny.  Our stake center is in Uruapan, where the weather reminds me of Portland, and it is a glorious glorious thing. It has been really toasty the last couple days.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. I am 20 years old, that is old.

I bought myself a carrot cake, it was lovely.

Sure love you guys, and sure love where I am at. I would not change what I`ve got for the world right now.

Take care of yourselves,

Elder Hulme.

A dog I like named Goofy

Birthday cake - Carrot

Birthday spork and bike shop t-shirt

Goofy

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)