Good afternoon everybody!
Well, time is really short today. The library is packed and we did not get a computer until 5:15 so I don't have very much time left to write because we have an appointment at 6. Life has been very busy and full this past week. We picked up a new missionary on Saturday - Elder Abbott. He is a visa waiter waiting to go to Mexico, so his visa should come sometime in the next two months. Until that time we are trying to fit in Spanish language study and other things to help him to keep the language while at the same time helping our area to work hard. Should be interesting. He has a strong testimony of the gospel and loves talking to people, which is great. He hates the cold though, more than I thought anyone ever could. So much that it doesn't allow us to get all the work done that we need to, but we went and bought warmer clothes for him today like thermals and wool socks so we will see if that helps at all or changes anything. It is interesting as well to watch someone go through the exact same thing that I went through a little over a year ago - wondering if you are really supposed to be where you are at. Amazingly, miracles still happen everyday to confirm to me that everything is alright and that things will keep heading in the right direction. I hope the same things are happening to Elder Abbott, he gets easily discouraged when we knock on so many doors and everyone rejects us, but the Lord has blessed us with quite a few appointments with new investigators this week so we will see how that goes. I have faith that things can and will work out for the best! In other news, we had leadership training almost all day the past two days. Went over Mormon.org (every missionary is supposed to be using it weekly now), obedience, how no missionary in the world can teach the great apostasy well or correctly, how to do better role plays, better district leader councils, etc. Lots and lots of discussion and debate and trying to figure out where the mission should go. Lots of awesome spiritual experiences as well. It was good, but an information overload for sure. Our area looks like it should hopefully be picking up this week and we have had no trouble finding ways to keep busy. We are working hard and truly being blessed as a result - although Elder Noll still refuses to see it but we are working on that. This past week was actually nice and sunny! No more of that terrible nasty plague that has been labelled "the inversion". I think a better title would be called the "fog of death", but whatever works. It finally snowed this week and cleared out all the pollution and we finally got some nice sunshine to break up winter. It was a treat. Hopefully, it keeps snowing frequently so that the inversion does not come back to stay but the air remains clean and safe to breathe. I find it really hard to believe that Elder Gibson is now home - that is just crazy!!! It feels like he just left and it means that I am coming home sometime soon, very weird. Also, everyone else will be getting home soon, also weird and hard to believe. Tell him that he is awesome from me and hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to respond to the letter that I just got from Brazil from him - except now to his home address, that will be different. Life continues on in the mission field at an ever faster pace. I don't think time ever slows down for anyone, sometimes I wish it would. But oh well. Life is great and I am loving it!
Lots of love and prayers,
Elder Hughes