Monday, June 30, 2014

Saludos de Guatemala | week 91


Hey guys!

Thanks for the email Dad. Sounds like the summer is heating up out there. Congrats Zach for earning the Lunchbox! Thats what we do in the Hughes family work hard hahaha! Proud of you man and I'm so excited to come see you play this fall. Wooohooo! 

Well President and Hermana Watts are home. It feels weird not having them here but we have felt a love for our new mission President and his wife. We havent met them yet but on Wendsday we will have our first interveiws with them.

Whew been a crazy week! So much to tell you guys. We have been working really hard to help the Zone baptize this last week. As a mission we are really close to meeting our baptismal goal for the month. Im not sure if we reached it but we shall see.

We had baptisms on Friday that went really well. A, J, and A all got baptised. It was really special. Angelica is such an elect daughter of God. You guys wouldnt beleive the opposition that she has faced. I dont know how she does it but always meets her difficulties with a smile. She told me after her baptism that she felt so good and that she felt a warmth come over here. Ahhh. Thats what the gospel is all about. We saw a miracle just before the baptism started. It was pouring rain outside right at the time that A was going to be leaving here house to head to the church. She has a little brand new baby and she cannot let her get wet. Elder G and I ran home to grab a few last things for the baptism and we decided to pray. We knelt together and asked for Gods help so that she would be able to get to the church. During the prayer the storm quietly tapered off and stopped raining completely. A tender Mercy from the Lord.

We set a baptismal date with a woman named L this week. We had one of the coolest lessons with her. She is actually the sister of a member family I knew in Acatan. She has been interested in the church and her 15 year old son was baptised at the start of the year. She hasnt taken the step of baptism for many reasons. Recently we have seen a change in here and on Saturday she opened up and the spirit helped us commit her to baptism. She started crying and said ÏTS TIME! The whole room was filled with the spirit!

We have been seeing lots of blessing and little miracles everyday. The lord continues to bless us here. 

As a zone today we got up early and went to Durazno. Its an area in our zone. Its like an hour away in Bus. We found a cool hike that takes us to a little Pond lake thing haha. We had a great time and it was so nice to get out of the city for a little bit. It was really the first time Ive been able to do anything like that here in Guatemala haha. Been in the city the whole mission. But we are so tired haha.

I love you all so much. I hope you know that. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us personally. He has sustained me through everyday of my mission. It is my prayer that we can all be ready to follow the whisperings of the spirit that will guide and direct our lives. We are the Lords hands here on the earth and God has lots of people ready for us to help. He is just waiting for us to act. So if you have felt that you should visit, call, or help someone. Just DO IT! Its kind of like the nike ad haha. Just do it.

I love you all. Know you are in my prayers day and night.

Love

Elder Hughes







Monday, June 23, 2014

Saying Goodbye to the Watt's | Week 90



Well HEY!

I hope everyone is doing well on this Monday Afternoon. Im excited for all the summer activities that you guys are going to be having soon! Mom I really felt your concern and love in your email. Thank you. You and the family have been such a support for me during my mission. Thank you there is something so nice to get such inspiring letters from you every week.

Well It was a great week! The only sad part was on Wendsday we had a multi Zone conference to say goodbye to President and Hermana Watts. They shared their last messages with us and bore their testimonies. I know I have said it many times but I love my mission President and his Wife. I want you to meet them someday.

We were running around all week. Lots of lessons and work to do. Sion is really getting heated up right now. Lot of people progressing. We have been able to do alot of divisions and to cover more ground.
This week A, Familia Y and two grandchildren of an older woman named M should all be baptised. Its going to be fun! A is doing great and she is so happy. I have met very few woman with the faith that she has. We should have 16 baptisms in the zone this week!
The lord has blessed us with oppourtunities to help those around us. Just today we were coming back in a taxi when we saw a man unconcious in the street and he had running clothes on. We quickly jumped out of the car and helped him. He passed out and as he came to he passed out again. First aid merit badge comes in handy in life haha. We helped him and he started throwing up and convulsing. The firefighters got there quick and we left.

I got to have my "last" interview with President Watts today. My temple recommend is going to expire so I got that renewed. We are excited to welcome in our new mission President this week. Should be exciting. Not sure how things will change but I already feel a love for him and his wife.
I was pondering this week about courage. Living in the last days as a member of the church definetly requires some courage. There is a lot of opposition in the world. The moral fabric of the world is moving farther away from the eternal laws that we have been given. President Monson said in this last conference " We all face fear, experience ridicule and meet opposition. Let us all - all of us- have the courage to defy the consensus, the coarage to stand for the principle, courage not compromise, brings the smile of Gods approval. Coarage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently"
Riley and Zach have courage. Do the right thing always. Your freinds will respect you forever when you decide to do what is correct not what is always popular. Respect for yourself and from others lasts forever. Popularity ends on yearbook signing day.

I love you all so much! Have a great week and remember to SMILE!

Elder Hughes


Monday, June 16, 2014

Feliz dia del Padre! | Week 89

Hey guys!

Well Happy late Fathers day Dad. I hope you had a good one. I hope you know how much I love you. You have been such a huge example to me. Your selfless service and sacrifice for our family has made an eternal impact on my life. Thank you and I look forward to returning home to my earthly father in October. Love you Dad.

Well it has been a very busy week. On tuesday we hosted all the new missionaries at our house. Its kind of crazy coordinating everything but all went well. I got all packed and on Wendsday went to change conference. I have been sent to zona Molino as the ZL here. They sent me back to my second area hahahah! I was really excited because I was only here for one change last year from june to july haha. I loved this ward and it is so exciting to come back to an area where I was before. My new companion is Elder G from Guatemala. He is a great missionary and we are getting along great. We are actually in a Trio right now. We are also here with Elder S. He is from Colorado he is going to end his mission in like two changes but is going to be with us for a little bit. We all get along and it has been fun to work together.

It has been really weird walking around here in the Zona 6. I keep having Deja Vu moments. The members were really excited. The ward here has continued to do really well. The missionaries have been baptizing alot and the ward has been growing. There were 180 people in Church on Sunday. One of the coolest things was when I was here a year ago we started teaching a family called the familia M. When I got here the my comp told me they had recently gotten back in touch with them and Angelica the wife is doing so well. She is going to be baptized on the 28th of June. What a blessing after we found them over a year ago!

We hit the ground running this week and saw a miracle. We contacted a man named M outside of his house on Thursday. It was so crazy how receptive he was. We immediately set an appointment with that very day and taught him. M has had lots of problems in his life drinking but wants to change. He even came to church on Sunday. He loved it and the ward is really supporting him.

We are also working with a family named the Familia Y. They are doing great and while facing some opposition came to church on Sunday. They should be baptized near the end of this month.

I was reading a talk from the last General Conference a Talk by Henry B Eyring called "The Priesthood man" He talks about his priesthood heroes that he looked up to as a child and young man. I was so blessed to have grown up with amazing leaders and they truly have been my heroes. But after all is said and done Dad you have been my "Priesthood Heroe" President Eyring said that "When we choose heroes, we begin to copy, conciously or unconciously, what we admire most about them." And that those who are heroes "do not easily recognize that they possess heroic qualities. In fact they seem to have difficulty seeing those things that I so much admire in them." Thanks for being my Heroe Dad I love you so much and im so grateful that you opened your heart to the Gospel and decided to be sealed in the temple. I look up to you so much. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

I know that my Savior lives. He is our heroe and has saved us from death and the effects of sin. He just asks us to repent and to align our will with the will of God. I love you all. have a great week and keep your faith burning bright!

Love

Elder Hughes


Monday, June 9, 2014

Say What? | Week 88

Happy Monday!

Well coming at ya from another great week in Guatemala. I cannot beleive how fast that week went by. Not even feeling the time right now. SCHOOLS OUT! Haha. I remember the shouts of joy haha. Z Man your playing freshman football wooohoooo! I didnt think you were going to do it. Is Mr Hunter still coaching the team? Tell everyone I say hi! I love the hot tub in the back. I'll be home right in time to use it this fall haha!

Well we got change calls last night and to my suprise...... I have a TRANSFER. Im a little nervous right now I wasnt expecting it but we will see what the Lord has in store this week!

We had a great last Leadership meeting with President Watts! We all felt the spirit really strong and it was so sad to know that next month they arent going to be there. We are cherishing every moment we have with them. They are going to be coming around soon to say goodbyes in a couple of weeks. We had a great week with 8 investigators in Sacrament Meeting. Ingrid Lopez is progressing well and should be baptised on the 21st. I have mentioned the Archila family! They are rocking it right now. They read ten chapters in the Book of Mornon this week. So cool! They are progressing they just have to get married that is the only thing that complicates things. Im sad to have to leave these investigors. It doesnt matter where im at you always get attatched to the people and its hard to say goodbye.

You guys should see the way it rains here haha! We got caught a couple times in storms this week. I have never seen it rain harder in my entire life haha. Umbrellas and jackets are no match for the Guatemala Rainstorms. Haha!

I dont have anything crazy to tell this week more than anything Im anxious to see where im going to go. The assistants just told me that my change was really "interesting" haha 

I love you guys so much. I have been so blessed to have been given such a great family. I love the pictures mom. Enjoy the summer and make some memories! I had to continue with Taylors baseball quotes from last week so here is one for all of us.

"Follow through: stopping at third base adds no more to the score than striking out"

Im determined to "endure to the end" of my mission haha. Enduring is an importandt principle in this life. We can all be baptised and recieve the Holy Ghost but if we do not endure to the end we will not be able to return "home" to our Heavenly Father. So no matter if we are stealing second or rounding third in our lives. Let us all finish strong and return home to our Father in Heaven. I love this gospel and I know that it blesses everyone one of our lives. I love the Savior and testify that he lives and loves us. God is there and he listens to every childs prayer. 

Have a great week! Until next time!

Love

Elder Hughes




Monday, June 2, 2014

A rainy day in Guatemala | week 87

¡Hola!

Hey guys! Mom you sound happy and that makes me happy! Im glad you guys had a great week I was remembering this week that Riley and Zach are getting our of school.I love the idea about Sunday picnics haha. That is one thing Im so grateful for the many "moments" you and Dad created for us kids. Those are the types of things that are never forgotten.

I listened to your Mormon Channel audio. I love that story that President Hinkley told and I actually was talking about it this week with my companion. Good job mom thats a great way to share the Gospel with people who are not members. 

Well I dont have a whole lot of news this week. It has been raining all day today haha. It started last night and hasnt stopped. Its kind of nice on a PDay but we got soaked a few times this week.

We had zone conference this week which was so inspiring. It was the last one with President Watts we felt the spirit so strongly. Its is pretty amazing the affect they have had on all of our lives. We are going to have are last leadership conference with them tomorrow. Im sad.

Some cool experiences this week. On Friday we were walking down the street and found a woman who was shoveling a ton of sand into a house they are building. We stopped and asked if we could help and If there was someone else there to help here. She was all alone and had to move 7meters of sand. There was a mountain in the street haha. We stripped off the backpacks and began to help. Well four hours later we got the job done. We were soaking wet and dirty haha. It was nice though because we were able to talk with her and her family about the gospel. Even though we walked away dirty, wet, and really tired I had the best feeling in the world. There is something that happens to us when we stop to serve one another. A different type of happiness and joy floods over our lives. The Lord guided us to the one who needed our help.

We set some new baptismal dates this week with I L who has been listening to the missionaries for a long time here in Guatemala. We have seen a huge change in her. The spirit has touched her and she has found a new excitement to learn and to progress in the church. Pretty cool.

We also have been working more with the A family. They are a young couple that we have been teaching. The husband L just had an emerency surgery where they had to take out a ton of kidney stones. You should see his scars Holy Moly. He is getting better now and he has been humbled a bit. We had a super spiritual lesson with them last night and they accepted a date for the 21st of June.

We have lots of other investigators and people we are working with. Sunday wasnt the most successful day as far as people coming to church with just one investigator there. 

I have been thinking about a phrase President Monson said

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved"

We all have problems and tasks to be finished but I support President Monson. Lets not overlook the people in our lives. It is the people that surround us that really matter. Tasks and problems come and go but loving and lasting memories  of service to others never ends.

I hope you all have another great week! I love you all so much. Thanks for your support and prayers I feel them. I love you Mom, Dad, Riley, Zach!

Your son,

Elder Hughes