Monday, October 31, 2011

It's sinking in... the mission is almost over

Dear Mom,
I think that I can actually fit everything now thank goodness. No I didn't get your package yet, but I'll watch for it. I was actually going to talk about my bike, you must be psychic. I'm currently in the process of packing it. Sounds like the hunt wasn't too good this year, but we'll get them next year. I also have a request, the last book of the eragon series comes out the 8th of november, and we need to get it so I can read it, hint, hint.....anyway, this week was a long one it just seemed to drag by. Between everyone reminding me constantly that I go home next week, and the lack of things to do, it just seemed like the week drug on forever. We did get a call from one of our top investigators, and we're excited to meet with her again and get to teach her. Hopefully we'll be able to commit her to baptism. I wanted to send a funny picture home. Since next week is my last week to write, I plan on writing my end address to the world there so I'm going to keep this letter short, but know that I love you, and miss you, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,

Elder Hughes

Monday, October 24, 2011

Short..but...Good

Dear Mom,
This week was good, not much going on in the way of teaching but we did have one cool experience. We taught a referral that met us at the church building with our ward mission leader, and we taught her as we toured the church, and the spirit was very powerful. We ended at the baptismal font, and she actually asked us how long it took to join the church. It was the only time I think I've ever had someone ask me that question, but it was awesome. We also got to teach another lady about the plan of salvation and since she recently lost her husband we got to talk to her about the work that goes on in the Spirit World, and she got very excited aobut it, it was super cool. Other than that, we've pretty much just been doing lots of tracting, but I do feel like I'm continuing to learn, and as the time of my depature draws nearer I'm having to face reality and not liking it at all, but such is life ya know. I know that God lives, and loves us, that Jesus is the Christ, and that we can all receive personal revelation through the Holy Ghost.

Love,

Elder Hughes

Monday, October 17, 2011

Good News

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was crazy, between a 2 day leadership training, an exchange with the zone leaders, and a stake service project, I think I actually spent more time outside my area than in. We were supposed to have a baptism on Saturday, but it actually happened on Wednesday, and turned out to be a double baptism, so it was super exciting!!! Both people got confirmed on Sunday, so it was a great end to a week of craziness. As the end of this mission draws near, I can't help but reflect, and as I've done so I've tried to think of the most important things I could share with people, and I'm drawn again and again to obedience. It is the first law of everything, and the basis of our conversion to the gospel. In short it is the key to making everything go around, without it there would be only empty dreams, and dead works. It truly is the most important thing we can be. Were it not for the Saviors' devotion to obedience, surely he wouldn't have carried on through the agonizing pain of suffering the wrath of God....Through our obedience we show our respect to him, and love to him as he himself stated, and as we learn in the scriptures, we were placed here to see if we would be obedient. I would hope that we all might evaluate our level of obedience and strive to increase it, so that we might enjoy the blessings of our loving Father in Heaven more fully in our lives, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Hughes

Monday, October 10, 2011

Just 31 more days to GO...

Dear Family and Friends,

As I have been reflecting this week on the calling of a missionary, and the true importance of the Spirit in this work, I have had some neat experiences. First it was revealed to me that to feed the Lord's sheep we must do so spiritually which helped me understand why a testimony is so important in this work. Then last night we had a rather neat experience. It was late at night and we decided to stop at one last less-active families house, and as we sat there talking with them I truly felt the love the Lord had for them, and was able to invite them to come back after sharing with them how the gospel has affected my life. They weren't open to coming back immediately, but they definitely revealed that they do want their children to grow up in the gospel, and it really helped us understand what we can do to help them. It seems that the Lord must have had a great purpose in my being here, because I've really had to humble myself, and I've really noticed a difference in the level of my own spirituality. I realize that my time as a missionary is short, and so it with all the power of my conviction that I testify that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God, the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God revealed to us for our day and time to guide and direct us in our life, and I invite all to drink deeply from the rich messages of it's pages and come to understand and experience the power it contains to help us draw closer to our Savior. He loves us, and wants to heal us, I tesifty of these thing in his sacred and holy name, Amen.

Love,

Elder Hughes

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Owl's Are In

Dear Mom,
Everything went well with the move, but I still do need to send some stuff home, hopefully only one box, but maybe two. That stinks that dad missed his deer. The week was alright, kind of depressing having to pack knowing that I'll have to do it again in 6 weeks, but the new area is cool. Funnily enough, I've actually been Christmas carolling in this ward, so it's not new. What did you think of General Conference? I think it was awesome. My 2 companions have been out for 2 and 1 transfer, and are from Utah, and Canada respectively. There cool, but they remind me a lot of me when I had been out that long, and it's hard to figure out where to start to teach them about things. We had a couple cool experiences this week with following the Spirit. A couple of times we didn''t really have anything to do, so we just followed the Spirit and we ended up talking to a ton of people, and actually found a couple that were interested they were really cool experiences. This area is a lot less affluent than Roswell, and the people here definitely seem much more humble. I'm really excited for the things that are happening, we currently have an investigator scheduled to be baptized on the 15th, so we're hoping that it works out. I have to admit when I first learned I was being transferred I was quite upset, but as I pondered about it, I realized that the Lord must have a purpose in it all, and as I prayed about it, I realized that the Lord needed me to do something. I know God lives, and that he loves us. I know Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God, the Savior, and Redeemer of the world. I know that God does inspire his children through the Holy Ghost. I know that Thomas Monson is Gods' chosen Prophet today, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith was the Prophet through whom God restored the gospel in this final dispensation. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.