Hello,
This week was really slow work wise, not much seems to be happening, but we're working hard and trying to get things done. We found out that our main investigator is afraid of being baptized, since someone has to lean him backwards, and he isn't to prone to trust people. But, we're going to keep working with him. None of our other investigators were available this week, so it was a rough one, but hopefully this week is better. We had an interesting experience, last week a member was telling me that my backpack looked like it was about ready to die, and Tuesday night, as we were biking home I had it packed full of stuff, and it was quite heavy. So as we're biking home, I hit a bump and hear this tearing sound near my right shoulder, so I started asking myself, what was that, and then I heard it again, and I realized that the shoulder of my backpack might be tearing, so I reach back and sure enough it's almost gone. So I start freaking out, and I think to myself if that strap breaks, the other wont be far behind, so I determine in my mind to be as close to home as possible before it happens. Then I start thinking that my companion is probably going to think I'm crazy, but I had no choice, there was no way I could carry all the stuff in my backpack, and we're a mile and a half from home, and it's almost curfew. So at the conclusion of these thoughts in my mind, I start shifting the gears and I take off. I must really have been cooking, because we made it through the door in about 10 minutes (mail stop included), but anyways we get to the mailbox in our complex and my companion pulls up and he asks "What was that?" so I showed him my backpack and he was pacified. Then later, I find out that he'd been thinking of scary stories when I'd taken off, so he'd been thinking something had scared the snot out of me or something, so it was hilarious. On the other side of the spectrum, as we were studying, I ran across something that really impressed me, and made me truly look at life a little differently. If we look at the account of the Saviors' crucifixion in John, it says that after he had died, a Roman Soldier stabbed him with a spear, to make sure he was dead, and an interesting thing happened, Blood and Water came out.... Now, normally if you stab someone, just blood comes out, but if blood comes out mixed with water, it means that the chest cavitity had already been filled with blood, and that the blood had mixed with other bodily fluids. This has happened on a few occasions, where nothing actually physically caused someone to bleed internally, yet their body is filled with blood, so what it means is that some vessel within the Savior must have broken in order for this to happen. It has also been scientifically proven that when a person is subjected to enough physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual torment, it can actually cause the walls of their heart to rupture, which brings us to an interesting conclusion.... The actual physical cause of Christs' death was a broken heart! When I learned this, it truly pricked my heart, and made me realize just how crushing the Atonement must have been for the Savior, he felt so much pain, that it literally caused his heart to break. That is quite astonishing to me. The other thing that really hit me, was that hatred is not actually the opposite of Love, indifference is... Hating someone requires you to still have strong feelings concerning said person, whereas indifference means you have lost all feeling regarding whatever the object of your desire is. Anyways, those are my thoughts for the week, I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and that he gave everything he had for us, so that we could inherit all that his Father has. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and I pray that we may all use it more fully in our loves, and express our Love and gratitude to our Father in Heaven for the matchless gift of his Son, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Elder Hughes
p.s. his new back pack got mailed last week
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Mail Please
Hello,
This was a rather strange week, we had as usual a lot of ups and downs, but there were quite a few cool experiences. ONe of our investigators had acool experience with praying about the Book of Mormon, he said that after he had asked, he felt this odd peaceful feeling, and all his troubles seemed to disappear, it was really cool. He was also able to come to church, so he is making some good progress. Hopefully we'll be able to get him baptized soon, right now we're shooting for the 9th of October. We also had a good time working with a family that we're working with, they're super cool, and they're making a lot of progress, so hopefully they can start coming to church soon (stuff keeps coming up) so that we can get them ready to be baptized. We also found out that one of our other investigators had a wild party this weekend, and has been kicked out of his previous residence so now he is no longer an investigator, and we're trying to work with his ex-girlfriend. Really interesting stuff there, because the lady we just baptized can totally relate, so we're going to see what we can do. Anyways, we also had some good times tracting, but no one was able to/wanted to talk when we came back, so that was kind of a bummer. But overall it was a good week, I had some fun times studying, and I really feel a lot better. I've been studying about how the Spirit works as I've read the Book of Mormon, and it has been quite astonishing to see how much the Spirit really does. I would encourage ya'll to try it sometime, it really is amazing. I would like to leave you with my testimony, I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of God that was instrumental in ushering in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, I know that Jesus is the foreordained Savior and Redeemer of the World, I know that we have a Father in Heaven, that knows us to the thoughts and intents of our hearts, and that he loves us all unconditionally, and that his entire Purpose and Plan for our lives revolves around us returning to live with him for eternity with our families. I know that this life is our time to prepare to meet God, I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ will prepare us for eternity if we live it, I know that God has prepared a way for our etermal progression and happiness, and that we consented to follow this plan, I know that we rejoiced when Christ was chosen as our Savior, and that we all sustained him whole heartedly, I know that Thomas S. Monson is a the Prophet of God called and chosen to lead Gods' children at this day time, of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
This was a rather strange week, we had as usual a lot of ups and downs, but there were quite a few cool experiences. ONe of our investigators had acool experience with praying about the Book of Mormon, he said that after he had asked, he felt this odd peaceful feeling, and all his troubles seemed to disappear, it was really cool. He was also able to come to church, so he is making some good progress. Hopefully we'll be able to get him baptized soon, right now we're shooting for the 9th of October. We also had a good time working with a family that we're working with, they're super cool, and they're making a lot of progress, so hopefully they can start coming to church soon (stuff keeps coming up) so that we can get them ready to be baptized. We also found out that one of our other investigators had a wild party this weekend, and has been kicked out of his previous residence so now he is no longer an investigator, and we're trying to work with his ex-girlfriend. Really interesting stuff there, because the lady we just baptized can totally relate, so we're going to see what we can do. Anyways, we also had some good times tracting, but no one was able to/wanted to talk when we came back, so that was kind of a bummer. But overall it was a good week, I had some fun times studying, and I really feel a lot better. I've been studying about how the Spirit works as I've read the Book of Mormon, and it has been quite astonishing to see how much the Spirit really does. I would encourage ya'll to try it sometime, it really is amazing. I would like to leave you with my testimony, I know that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of God that was instrumental in ushering in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, I know that Jesus is the foreordained Savior and Redeemer of the World, I know that we have a Father in Heaven, that knows us to the thoughts and intents of our hearts, and that he loves us all unconditionally, and that his entire Purpose and Plan for our lives revolves around us returning to live with him for eternity with our families. I know that this life is our time to prepare to meet God, I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ will prepare us for eternity if we live it, I know that God has prepared a way for our etermal progression and happiness, and that we consented to follow this plan, I know that we rejoiced when Christ was chosen as our Savior, and that we all sustained him whole heartedly, I know that Thomas S. Monson is a the Prophet of God called and chosen to lead Gods' children at this day time, of these things I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Weekly Message
Hello,
This week was an up and down one, we had the opportunity to see an investigator get baptized, but I also realized how much I hate when that happens. I love to see someone come unto Christ, and enter the path to Eternal Life, but that means I don't get to work with them anymore, and that is extremely hard. It was interesting, because during her confirmation I felt how much I had loved working with her, but at the same time the emptiness of knowing that she was now in the wards' hands. But, it was a neat experience to get to be a part of it all. Last night also happened to be transfer calls, and we found out that our entire District is saying the same, which is extremely surprising since this will be our 3rd transfer together, which never happens. I think my companion is probably tired of me by now, but he's stuck with me, so hopefully he doesn't go crazy. This week one of our investigators had surgery, and told us he wasn't coming to church because of it, and our other investigator who is supposed to be baptized mysteriously wasn't home when we came to pick him up for church, so things have hit a wall for now. But, we'll get everything sorted out I hope. This week has also been a humbling experience, everything we've tried to do has fallen through, and I spent a lot of time being chastened, but on the bright side, I think I know what we need to improve on, so hopefully things start to get better. This week, I've really been impacted byt he importance of really talking to our Father in Heaven, I realized that I wasn't being as sincere in my prayers as I should, so I started to really put my heart into it, and I must say it was quite a difference, I would urge all of you to try to be more earnest and sincere in your prayers, because in the time that we have with our Father in Heaven, we really are able to receive guidance from him about what to do, and as we sincerely pour out our hearts to him, he will be able to speak to our hearts, because he'll know that we truly want to know. I know that our Heavenly Father lives, and loves us, and that he is waiting to pour out his blessings upon us, but it's up to us to show him that we truly desire them, and I know that if we do that, he will help us in every aspect of our lives where we may need his influence. Prayer truly is one of the most important things we have in this life. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder Hughes
This week was an up and down one, we had the opportunity to see an investigator get baptized, but I also realized how much I hate when that happens. I love to see someone come unto Christ, and enter the path to Eternal Life, but that means I don't get to work with them anymore, and that is extremely hard. It was interesting, because during her confirmation I felt how much I had loved working with her, but at the same time the emptiness of knowing that she was now in the wards' hands. But, it was a neat experience to get to be a part of it all. Last night also happened to be transfer calls, and we found out that our entire District is saying the same, which is extremely surprising since this will be our 3rd transfer together, which never happens. I think my companion is probably tired of me by now, but he's stuck with me, so hopefully he doesn't go crazy. This week one of our investigators had surgery, and told us he wasn't coming to church because of it, and our other investigator who is supposed to be baptized mysteriously wasn't home when we came to pick him up for church, so things have hit a wall for now. But, we'll get everything sorted out I hope. This week has also been a humbling experience, everything we've tried to do has fallen through, and I spent a lot of time being chastened, but on the bright side, I think I know what we need to improve on, so hopefully things start to get better. This week, I've really been impacted byt he importance of really talking to our Father in Heaven, I realized that I wasn't being as sincere in my prayers as I should, so I started to really put my heart into it, and I must say it was quite a difference, I would urge all of you to try to be more earnest and sincere in your prayers, because in the time that we have with our Father in Heaven, we really are able to receive guidance from him about what to do, and as we sincerely pour out our hearts to him, he will be able to speak to our hearts, because he'll know that we truly want to know. I know that our Heavenly Father lives, and loves us, and that he is waiting to pour out his blessings upon us, but it's up to us to show him that we truly desire them, and I know that if we do that, he will help us in every aspect of our lives where we may need his influence. Prayer truly is one of the most important things we have in this life. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love,
Elder Hughes
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hello,
This week has been another busy one, nothing too crazy has happened though other than the weather has finally started to cool off, I think we dropped below 90 for the first time in llike 4 months or something, it was glorious, and I must say there was much rejoicing. This week was kind of the week I didn't want to happen, but it did anyways. We had a lot of appointments fall through on us, and a number of things combined to discourage us, but the work goes on. We did have a cool lesson with a less active member that we've been working with who is now exctied to come to church, and wants us to teach her kids. we also got the sister that is getting baptized this Saturday interviewed, so we're excited. She was able to attend a child of record baptism yesterday, so she's all excited now. We also had a chance to give her a Priesthood blessing, and she was pretty awestricken with what she felt happening as we blessed her, so she's just having all kinds of cool stuff happen. Unfortunately, the other people we have with a date weren't able to make it to church, so we may have to push them back, but I'm still confident that things will work out. Apparently the Bishop seems to think that the ward is really happy with us trying to work hard, so people are starting to try and help us out, but again it takes more time than we have. But, it's good that they trust us, we're pretty exctied about the future. Transfer calls are coming up next week, so I'll find out if this becomes my longest standing area, or just another blip on the missiom map of Elder Hughes. I'm so ready to just not get transferred again, but it's just not going to happen, anyways, we'll see what the Lord has in store. This week I would like to talk for a minute about a unique experience I had while readin the scriptures, I was reading a chapter in the Book of Mormon that I thought didn't have anything too cool in it, but the Lord proved me wrong. It was in 2Nephi 1, I was reading near the end where it talk about rising from the dust and shaking off the chains of Hell, and putting on the armor of righteousness. When I read it I had to do a double take, because I was like "whoa." It was cool, because it emphasized the importance to me of continuing to endure, rising from the dust, no matter what happens, and doing our best to always recommit ourselves to do better (shaking off the chains), and striving to follow the Lord and walk in his ways. It was also cool, because I see myself as a missionary as part of the Lords' army, and it was like a call to me to wake up and get to work. I know that as we try to do these things, the Lord will bless us, and will help us to draw closer to him. I love you all, thank you for your support, know that the Lord will bless us as we strive to live righteously.
Elder Hughes
This week has been another busy one, nothing too crazy has happened though other than the weather has finally started to cool off, I think we dropped below 90 for the first time in llike 4 months or something, it was glorious, and I must say there was much rejoicing. This week was kind of the week I didn't want to happen, but it did anyways. We had a lot of appointments fall through on us, and a number of things combined to discourage us, but the work goes on. We did have a cool lesson with a less active member that we've been working with who is now exctied to come to church, and wants us to teach her kids. we also got the sister that is getting baptized this Saturday interviewed, so we're excited. She was able to attend a child of record baptism yesterday, so she's all excited now. We also had a chance to give her a Priesthood blessing, and she was pretty awestricken with what she felt happening as we blessed her, so she's just having all kinds of cool stuff happen. Unfortunately, the other people we have with a date weren't able to make it to church, so we may have to push them back, but I'm still confident that things will work out. Apparently the Bishop seems to think that the ward is really happy with us trying to work hard, so people are starting to try and help us out, but again it takes more time than we have. But, it's good that they trust us, we're pretty exctied about the future. Transfer calls are coming up next week, so I'll find out if this becomes my longest standing area, or just another blip on the missiom map of Elder Hughes. I'm so ready to just not get transferred again, but it's just not going to happen, anyways, we'll see what the Lord has in store. This week I would like to talk for a minute about a unique experience I had while readin the scriptures, I was reading a chapter in the Book of Mormon that I thought didn't have anything too cool in it, but the Lord proved me wrong. It was in 2Nephi 1, I was reading near the end where it talk about rising from the dust and shaking off the chains of Hell, and putting on the armor of righteousness. When I read it I had to do a double take, because I was like "whoa." It was cool, because it emphasized the importance to me of continuing to endure, rising from the dust, no matter what happens, and doing our best to always recommit ourselves to do better (shaking off the chains), and striving to follow the Lord and walk in his ways. It was also cool, because I see myself as a missionary as part of the Lords' army, and it was like a call to me to wake up and get to work. I know that as we try to do these things, the Lord will bless us, and will help us to draw closer to him. I love you all, thank you for your support, know that the Lord will bless us as we strive to live righteously.
Elder Hughes
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