Happy New Year!

Hello everybody!
Well, this past week has been pretty fantastic! We were truly blessed to find so many people who seem at least somewhat sincere in their pursuit of the gospel. It all came about because President Miller called us on Sunday afternoon and asked why our numbers were so low and what he could do to help. I didn't really have a satisfactory answer for him, so he promised to pray for us and to set up exchanges with the zone leaders to come work our area with us. So that is what we did Monday and to tremendous success. We tracted in one apartment complex for about 3 hours and found 3 new investigators, some people who had just prayed to get in contact with the English speaking missionaries! What a miracle! It totally got me pumped up again to do missionary work and to talk to everyone in our path and invite them to learn the restored gospel. I have been thanking God for that experience ever since and tracting has taken on a whole new light to me and I now really enjoy it. We start meeting with our first person tomorrow. Plus we picked up another new investigator yesterday from the unbaptized list (but blessed as children) and are picking up an African American lady tonight over dinner. PRAYER WORKS! I know that to be true, but it is a great blessing to have it verified every once in a while. I know Heavenly Father is there and that He loves each and every one of us and wants to help us to come back to Him. Thank you for all the prayers from home to find people as well, they helped a ton!

In other news, Christmas was a truly special day and was AMAZING in every sense of the word. We opened Christmas presents with the Spanish elders in the early morning (and managed to find presents for Elder Hernadez to open since he did not get any). That was very good because they were not getting along anymore at that point and so us being there helped them to cool down and be hospitable to each other. Elder Hernadez did get transferred and now Elder Jolly is companions with Elder Fordham, which seems to be going along a lot better. Another answer to prayer there. Then we went to Aunt Kara and Uncle Blair's house for an hour. Grandpa and Grandma Walker met us up there and we had a good time visiting for an hour. Reminded me a lot of our Christmases at home with presents strewn in piles everywhere according to what person they were for and just the congenial happiness and family togetherness. It was very nice. Then we went to Bishop and Sister Rassmussen's for brunch down in Draper. It was a lot of fun to get to seem them again and to talk about how the work is now going in their ward and stake. It felt like coming home to visit with them almost. Then we went to the Gonzalez family home. Man, did they put out a spread. It was delicious! Costa Rican food is probably fastly becoming my favorite. Really good chicken in some sort of spice, beef-potatoe-carrots cooked together in some other spice, then pork in gravy with carrots and potatoes and peas. What really touched me though was that we had so many missionaries there - about 11 - and they served us. They wouldn't let us help with anything, nor would they eat with us. They acted like the best waiters or waitresses I have ever seen - they said they wanted to give back to us for the best thing that anyone has ever brought their family, the gospel. It really touched me heart. It was great to catch up with them too and see how they are doing. Then we stopped by some more people that I had taught before and that I had known really well before in my old area. Then we came back up to Taylorsville and visited a few families for Elder Noll. In the evening, we went to the Cremer's home and played Catch Phrase! and Curses! with them. It was a blast! It wasn't as good as really being at home and at Grandma Hughes' house for Christmas, but it was still a day that I really enjoyed very close friends that I hope to cherish forever.

Christmas Eve was a spiritual experience. Instead of watching movies and playing games during traditional "lock down" days of the year, we will now have mission conferences. With speakers from the Seventy or the Quorum of the Twelve. They are going to simply be spiritual feasts. This past one, Elder Jensen came and spoke to us about his memories and thoughts on missionary work and Christmas. Then we were privileged to open gifts so graciously provided by the members in the mission. They had donated so much in answer to the call made by Sister Miller to have presents for every missionary. Everyone there got at least two big presents to unwrap and they were all full to the brim with treats, clothes, gift cards, you name it. Ironically enough, the basket I received had a Utah "Utes" hat in it. Very funny. Everything else I received was amazing though and it was another touching and humbling experience to receive so much from people I don't even know or will probably never meet. Then we had another chance to listen to speakers - they went through the Christmas story and we sang many, many hymns. Then Sister Miller addressed us and then President Miller addressed us on the need for obedience. He was in tears and I think everyone else in the room was as well. The Spirit was there so strong, it was almost tangible. A fog of goodness, hope, and cheer that surrounded and ended the entire evening is the only way I can think to describe it. It was FANTASTIC!

The rest of the week was really good as well with the new people we found to teach and the other people we are teaching making very slow, but steady progress.

It was great to have a spiritul powerhouse kick to the face this week for Christmas to get me really motivated to keep doing my best in missionary work. I am going to work harder, be better, and give it my all. That is what I came out to do and that is what I am going to finish the rest of my mission this year doing. I am working on a system to get letters to where I really want them to go. I found out that none of the letters I mailed out the past transfer got to the people I sent them too and some of those were very important letters. I am sorry for this and will try to do better and get them in a secure location to be mailed. P-days seem to keep getting shorter and shorter though, I don't know how that works. So the time I write letters in keeps seems to get smaller and smaller and harder and harder. But I can and will do better and letters will hopefully make it to their correct destinations.

Elder Noll and I are still together and I am still a district leader. I am liking it though and finding it has really helped me to learn and grow. Especially having the charge of other missionaries and their welfare has really opened my eyes and my heart and I have learned that revelation really does flow right when it is needed if we have lived worthily of it. I really enjoyed this past transfer and look forward to this one being full of more amazing experience and great blessings from Heavenly Father. To keep inviting people to come unto Christ and to be baptized so that they can return to live with our Heavenly Father. This is His work and He is at the head of it. Of that I am sure and know without a shadow of a doubt.

Much love and prayers,
Elder Hughes