Another transfer...come and gone

Happy Valentine's Day! (well almost)
This past week has been really great. Another transfer is now over and a new one just started today. I am still with Elder Noll in Taylorsville, which is great because we finally have a lot of good work going and a lot of amazing people we are teaching! I love being a missionary! My district has changed a lot though. We lost the sisters to another district and picked up another set of Spanish elders instead. Elder Hernadez is now back in my district again with his companion Elder Parra. Elder Parra went to Mountain View High School with me and wrestled there. Cool, huh? The only problem is that Elder Hernadez and Elder Jolly do not get along and I am afraid that they might be back at each other's throats again as soon as we have district meeting tomorrow. We will see though, there has to be some reason the Lord made such a big change. Elder Hernadez's area is about 3 miles west of Elder Fordham and Elder Jolly which is about 3 miles south of us. None of us are close to each other or touch each other. I think we are the only district in the mission that does that. Go figure. I am still district leader and I have to say that I am excited to do it again and to keep giving trainings and really learning to love the missionaries in my district.

The Lord has blessed us with many miracles this past week and we are so excited that He has done so! Steve Wright is excited more than ever to be baptized and to start coming to church. We are trying to help him to get clothes lined up so he feels comfortable in going and that is all he needs. We feel the Spirit so strong everytime we visit with him, it is marvelous. I love teaching people that WANT to be taught, haha. Humility is a major requirement for gospel progression is something that I have really learned. Here is a quote that I wrote to President Miller but I wanted to share with you because of the limited time: "Then we have the baptism of a man named Steve Wright and his son Austin (hopefully). That is the one that I am most excited for of all. The gospel has really helped Steve to change and find purpose again in life. When we tracted into him, he was just separated from his wife of 10 years after they had both hit each other. Then he found out that she had cheated on him for the whole duration of thier marriage with various other men. To make matters more interesting, he tore his rotator cuff and his ACL as well that week and lost his job. Talk about a huge wallop. He was heavily contemplating suicide when we knocked on his door and he let us in. After meeting with us a few times, things started to change. He started to smile again, then came true laughter, then he shaved (for the first time in months) and now he is getting nice clothes again so to come to church with us. What a miracle. He has read the entire first half of the Book of Mormon already as well as a lot of the Bible again (he has been Southern Baptist his whole life). He said if all those things hadn't happened to him, he would never have let us in the house but would have just argued with us. Instead he was humbled and open, and the Lord has really changed his heart and brought him true peace and happiness again. This makes everything that we do in the mission field worth it and I love Steve so much and I know the Lord loves him too!"
That is Steve's story and it rocks! The Lord is truly amazing - He put us there (tracting of all things) and we got to his door on exactly the right day at exactly the right time with exactly the right message and words. Only He could orchestrate such an event and I am so grateful we have been living worthy of the Spirit to be able to take part in it.

All the other people we are teaching are doing really well and progressing, we are excited about it. Elder Noll might actually start liking missionary work for the first time in his mission! Sad news: my old camera finally and completely died. No way I can save it anymore, but I still have that other one that Mom sent up a few months ago, so no worries. I am still taking pictures and everything, just not on the camera that I have grown to love and enjoy.

The weather has gotten cold again! Bah! Oh well, we have a half car still, so I can't complain to much. Better to be driving half the time than not to be driving at all. Especially when it doesn't get much above freezing all day long. I am going to live another 6 weeks on a diet of potatoes and salad, wish me luck, haha. At least people try to make it differently and creatively every night so it isn't too bad. Plus we get fresh fruit a lot more often than I ever have on my mission before, that is a huge plus. Especially when they have raspberries, yum!

Well, here is a challenge that our mission president has asked us to give at every dinner appointment we have from now on and I figured I should probably give it to all of you as well. "The 21 day challenge: take the next 21 days to find someone for the missionaries to teach! At every individual and family prayer pray to be led to someone who needs the gospel right now in their life or pray for them to be led to you. Pray to be able to recognize them and to be given the words you need to say. Write down everyone your family can think of that might be interested in meeting with missionaries, then pray over the list by name and pick one to invite. Then invite them to meet with the missionaries in your home on the 21st day of the challenge. To truly show the Lord your faith, set an appointment with the missionaries far in advance and do all you can to have someone to be there to meet with them. The Lord will bless and guide you to those who are prepared for the truth. Your family will come closer together and there will be a spirit of love and closeness in your home that you have not felt before." There it is. I highly encourage everyone to do it, because it will work. I know the Lord answers our prayers and it really does bring the Spirit into homes and lives and families to do missionary work than anything else I have ever experienced. Please write me back if anyone decides to do this and what the results were. Also, ask Sister Moilon in the 18th ward about her experiences or Bishop Louden - they have enough stories to share about this principle and how it has blessed their lives.

I love you all and pray for you all constantly!
Elder Hughes