Happy Labor Day!!!

Good morning everybody!
This week has been going pretty good. The only problem I have is that I feel like I am babysitting instead of having a companion. Elder Gosch is always positive and optimistic and has great faith and testimony, but has no sense of responsibility or tact when talking to people. We have been working on helping him to develop those, but it seems really slow going. That is ok though, at least he follows my example in being obedient (most of the time), although he still does not get up on time or study on time. I don't want to nag him and bully him into doing stuff, but that is the only way he really seems to respond. I am praying for more understanding though and to see what I can do to help us become more unified and work together and be exactly obedient. I am sure everything will work out. This week the fall weather has started to roll out, although always with Utah's famour bipolarity. It will be 95 degrees one day and then 70 degrees the next day. Then back up to 85, then down to 68, you get it. At least it hasn't gotten too cold yet, still manageable for short-sleeve wearing weather. Plus I am not getting sunburned nearly as much or having as nearly many problems that way. I do enjoy wearing a light jacket in the morning when I start working out, it is kind of fun. The bummer is that you can already see some snow in the mountains, it just barely melted like a month ago and now it is back. Crazy! Everyone we teach is really enjoying that scripture case, they have noticed a big difference from a cereal box covered in duct tape to the one that I have now. Good change. Although, several people told me they were planning to get me a scripture case in the near future and now are bummed that they cannot. That is ok though, I really don't like people buying stuff for me anyway.
This week was filled with amazing miracles and the Lord has truly answered our prayers in so many ways! Being on a mission has strengthened my tesimony of what "mighty" prayer actually means and how we pray with might prayer everything will work out and true miracles happen. You are so filled with the Spirit that it makes all the difference. Another thing that has been happening a lot lately to me is people pointint out how much I must have sacrificed to come on a mission. But I don't feel that way at all, I don't feel like I have sacrificed anything. They aren't very happy with this answer though, especially the youth. Oh well, it is the truth.

Tuesday was a good, solid day. Not a ton of stuff happened, but we got to teach some people and have some good experiences. We got to see the Miler's again that night and they are doing great! He is set up to get interviewed for the priesthood soon and they both are trying to get their patriarichal blessings done and in order. They both have the Spirit about them and are both solidly excited to work towards the temple. The whole ward is loving them into the gospel and giving them the added strength and support they need. The only problem is at church, that isn't happening too much. No one actively tries to sit next to them, which can make the biggest difference. We are working on getting ward members more aware though and the difference that they can make, hopefully things will work out soon. We got a call on Tuesday with someone who desperately wants to be taught the gospel, a true answer to my prayers. Bummer was that he is out of town until this upcoming Wednesday-ish and so we have to wait to meet with him until then, but we sure are excited. His name is Thomas Woodworth so pray for him!

Wednesday was another amazing day! It always is because we get to attend the temple!!! We got to see the Falkner family again on that day, and Dad is only about a month away from coming home. How exciting, that means that Deylon can finally be baptized!!! The whole family is excited for it and have moved from extremely less active status to semi active status. They make it to church about half the time, we are working on getting them to be full time. We saw Olivia too on that day, she is excited and ready and willing to pay tithing and do everything else. But her family is still pushing her very hard to not be baptized and since she is only 16, we kind of have to agree to their wishes. I think Olivia would be baptized tonight if she had the chance, but it just hasn't happened yet. Tom Hansen is doing very well too. He proposed about a week ago to his girlfriend and both are excited to getting married in the temple. He is set up to be ordained a priest soon and then wait a few months to receive the Melchizedek priesthood, then go through the temple! I love less active people who turn their lives around and come back to church and then become hyperactive, doing everything and then way, way beyond.

Thursday was a true miracle day! We taught Raymond and Candee Martinez and it was amazing!! The lesson was on tithing, which is probably the hardest commitment for them to make, they love to have extra money to spend on extra things, and taking away 10% is a huge sacrifice for them. Raymond is fully converted and was all set to go on paying tithing and doing that. Candee is much harder to convince and it was her I have been praying for this past week. She is still coming around from being offended and leaving the church and is now excited to be active again, except for the money thing. By the end of the lesson though, that was truly conducted by the Holy Ghost, she was in tears and I had almost joined her. She bore her testimony at the end about how she could feel the Holy Ghost telling her she needed to pay tithing and although it would be very hard, she was going to do it!!! We saw them again on Sunday at a family barbecue and they let us know then that Raymond has picked a date to be baptized and even shared it with his family! He is excited and ready to be baptized on October 23 and has everything moving for that direction. Including getting Sundays off work more and more regularly, getting to know his fellow ward members, etc. It is the best news that I got all week and I have never been so happy as when he told me the date he wants to be baptized on!

Friday was another awesome day! We got to see the Gonzalez family again and they are all doing amazing! They have been able to keep the house so far from being taken away and they attribute everything as a blessing from the Lord for paying tithing and other things. They are just awesome! They all love to do baptisms for the dead and help out at church in any way that they can. All are excited and praying to get sealed in the temple next June and have everything prepared for them that needs to happen. Sister Gonzalez still receives verbal answers to her prayers and amazing visions and stuff like that. Erick is still feeling the Spirit strong and their kids are all doing amazing as well.

Saturday was kind of a long day. Not many people home or willing to talk to us. It seems to be the standard on holiday weekends. It still was great to do missionary work though and to have that spirit and great feeling that goes with it. All the dinners this week were awesome!!! All the member families have been doing missionary work and have people for us to start teaching in the next few weeks!!! You have no idea how excited I was to get that same report night after night and to see the joy on the member's faces from having done missionary work.

Sunday we got to hear about how Raymond Martinez has picked a date, and so it was the best day all week and the most amazing happy, joyful day ever! Noa Bowen is also on date for Septmeber 18 and is excited for that. Whitney Snell is on date for September 25 and is excited for that. Another miracle happened in the fact that her mom and dad finally took her to church!!! It was great to see them there and even better to see that they felt the Spirit and enjoyed it. Kamomi Nay is still on date for September 25 as well and the whole family is excited for that!!! It has been an amazing miraculous week for everyone that we are teaching and for all the experiences that happened!

Well, time is running short, so I got to go!
Love and pray for you all!!!
Elder Hughes