Week 25

Yeah the beer can story was something that I won't forget lol! :) Yeah work has been going slow but it is okay! I was also sick ALL week lol so we only went out for 2 days but we got a lot of work done!

The weather here has been a little chilly! We are walking and biking still and It will probably be like that for awhile. It is okay, I don't mind it. It means we get to try and talk to people. I say try because usually no one wants to talk to us lol usually they yell out "MORMONS!" and everyone runs away lol so street contacting goes okay lol

So we are dropping a lot of our investigators because they are not progressing. So the idea for missionary work is to find an individual willing to let us teach them and leave with them for certain commitments that invite them to repent and to prepare for baptism. So for example a commitment invitation could be for them to "Will you read 2 Nephi 31 before our next visit on Thursday, and pray to know if baptism is the path you should follow?". So people accept the invitation, but they don't do it therefore they are not progressing and after awhile if they are not progressing then we drop them so we can focus on people that are willing to keep commitments. We still keep in touch with them and help them and love them, but we just stop seeing them frequently. 

We haven't added anyone new because everyone is white... therefore we can't teach them, all the Mexicans we find live in Mexico. So it has been hard. 

 

So i went on exchanges with Elder Cuautli and we went and had a pretty interesting day, we went and taught someone that was on the street and I swear that this guys must've had some sort of leprosy or something his leg was jacked up!!! We went and taught him and left him a book of Mormon, but it was crazy! 

 

Last Night we went to the Temple and saw all the light with Freddy and Geovany and Yasmin. It was soo cold, but super pretty and they had musical performances. It was super spiritual and Everyone that came with us felt the Spirit super strong. 

 

Love you all!!!!! 

Elder Hays

Week 24

Hey guys! I am glad that you liked your letters! :) All is been going pretty well over here! Thanksgiving was REALLY GOOD! I ate some delicious Tamales and Tacos and Turkey and I ate with like 3 families so it was awesome! So I have a pretty funny story about thanksgiving night.

So, our investigators told us to come by at 8p for dinner, and we were walking around and it was about 7:45p and we see their dad and daughter get out of the car from black friday shopping. Yasmin walks out with this big box for a theater system and wont let us help her. So I run up to the dad to help and he hands me this huge box. It was really dark out so I didn't see what it was but as I started walking to the house there was enough light for me to see that it was a 40 case of beer! So I was like crap, I better just run this up there real quick before anyone sees me with this, I was thinking that just the mom was up there since it was early and that it was no big deal. I get up there and open the door AND THE WHOLE FAMILY WAS THERE! There was like 20 people all looking at me and it was super funny, everyone was staring and then I said " Traigo la cerveza" or I brought the beer! Everyone was laughing and I explained the situation and how we DON'T drink and how it isn't ours and it all worked out good, we ended up teaching one of the uncles there which was super cool! 

I will definitely save the packages for Christmas! :)))) Thanks! :) And no we dont have a christmas tree, I am glad that you guys had fun doing the party! I definitely wouldve eaten all the food.

 

Ok I will put the walmart giftcard to good use. and yeah the Visa gift card would be great! 

 

The work has been slowing down because we baptized everyone that was progressing lol which is good! :) So we are having to drop a lot of our investigators so right now it seems as if we have about 3 investigators. In order to find more people we have to go knocking door to door. We serve in a predominantly white area and there are very little people who speak spanish. We have a goal of adding 20 people to our teaching pool so we will see if we can start teaching and baptizing more people. :) It doesn't help that I am sick :p 

Love you guys!

 

Love, Elder Hays

Week 23

Hey Family!!

I got your package! thank you so much! I am suuuuperrrr excited for it! Right now I am emailing at the San Diego State University Library! It is so weird being on a college campus lol! There are so many cute girls! But don't worry I am still staying focused lol This week was pretty slow, but still good.

 

I am super glad to see that you are having such a great time in Charleston! I never would've thought that it be THAT awesome! It looks pretty from the pictures, what do yo guys plan on doing for the actual thanksgiving day? oh this is kinda not to good news, I noticed in Dad's letter that he mentioned skyping on Christmas, I am really sorry, but that is only for foreign missionaries, I just get a phone call, UNLESS we get Ipads before then, which is possible because it has been mentioned that our mission will be using Special missionary Ipads. So there is a slight chance :) 

I am sorry this is such a lame email, but honestly NOTHING HAPPENED THIS WEEK! so I am kinda just rambling so you can get a long email :) 

 

Oh yeah last night we ate tamales ( A really delicious and fattening Mexican meal that I can't describe) they were to die for!! we had to bike for 30-40 minutes to get them but it was worth it! A member made them for us so that was good! we have been fed a little bit more than usual, Freddy (our recent Convert) has been feeding us a little when we go over, which is like every day because all of our investigators are related and live on the same street and in the same complex so we spend hours teaching all the people there, but it is all in the same spot lol. Which is weird for the mission. We also ate boiled pig feet which was not half bad, the texture was terrible, but hey it was free food! :) 

 

I love you guys!!

 

Love always,

Elder Hays

This is my district in the Logan Heights Branch after our District meeting.

 

 

These are most of the missionaries that are around Downtown San Diego (English and Spanish) after we did service in the famous Balboa Park.

Week 22

 I am getting so skinny! Still keeping my muscle for the most part. I have just been eating fruit and cream oatmeal in the morning with a scoop of Protein and sliced banana, then for lunch a small "lean" gourmet frozen meal with a protein shake with frozen fruit. then for a snack I eat some of those Quaker rice cakes (WHICH ARE SOOO YUMMY AND HEALTHY!!!)  with apples and carrots and then i eat some vegetables too! We usually skip dinner, and eat a snack when we get home. It has been great we have been fed a little bit more, just not as much as English missionaries lol :) There is definitely a difference between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. The members here in Logan have only really been members for less than 5 years and are all converts, so they don't know much of the organization and stuff like that. Our branch just started the dinner calendar about a month before I got here lol, it is all good though, I absolutely LOVE IT!!  WE ARE EATING WITH THE BRANCH PRESIDENT AND SOME RECENT CONVERTS ON THANKSGIVING :))) I love my branch president so much, I have learned so much from him. Also He has really bad Parkinson's and doesn't make an excuse for anything. Last May his Parkinson's got so bad that he could really function, yet he still magnified his calling. At that time he had already been branch president for about 4 years and thought that he was going to be released when they call the new stake president, but the new Stake president kept him in despite his condition, then President Lopez (my branch President) found a new form of medicine that is in a patch, and he has gotten better ever since. He is probably the best BP or Bishop that I have seen. He was invited out of the stake to be BP because he is that good. He said a comment during ward Council last week that really struck me. He said, " Home and Visiting teachers are the most important callings in the church. Even greater than the responsibilities  of the Prophet". That is a bold statement, but after thinking about it, it makes since. Bringing lost sheep back into the fold is so important, even Thomas S. Monson can't accomplish it all by him self. We truly do become more like the Good Shepherd when we expand on those callings. I have a testimony of that, there are so many people that are less active that need our help, I see it as a missionary every day (mainly in Calexico, because I have no members in my area her in San Diego). All they are looking for is someone to be looking for them. 

 

This week was slow, but good. We had a baptism this past Wednesday and we might have one on Saturday. one of our investigators came to the baptism and now wants to get baptized! so we have 3 people that will be getting baptized in December! :) Busy Busy. We had tons of meetings this past week so we didn't get out much for teaching, but it is all good :) it is hard when it comes to finding those Mexicans because we live in a predominately white area, but we have the faith necessary to find some. We actually did find a complex of Mexicans so we started knocking on their doors, no real luck yet. :) all of my recent converts are doing good. The Garcia family in Calexico is at church every Sunday and passing the Sacrament and Julio I believe is in the Elder's Quorum presidency! :) They are awesome I love them so much, it stinks not being able to teach them, cuz they would feed us all the time lol.  :D I miss you guys, that is why i always keep you guys close :) (reference to the picture I sent you) Oh yeah and I also climbed Mt. Miguel last week for pday :p I was pooped, it was super hard to do but so worth it! :)
I miss you guys and i think about you a lot, but the time is honestly flying by, the times around the holidays will be hard, but I promise that these 2 years will soar by. I am doing the Lord's work, in turn he will bless you and he has blessed me, I have grown so much in these 6.5 months. I know that this is the RESTORED church of Jesus Christ, we honestly are the only church on this planet that follows the Bible exactly. We do have a prophet that has been called of God to be a special witness of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I know that power of the Atonement is real. I have felt its effects everyday. I am changing through its power. We can become more like Him through accessing the power of his infinite sacrifice. As we put everything on the altar of sacrifice (a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and whatever is holding us back) we are promised to feel the comfort of the Holy Ghost (the First Comforter) which then sanctifies us. This sanctifying power cleanses us and makes our bodies clean like the temple and as we make a peace offering to God, by attending church, partaking of the Sacrament worthily, going to the Temple regularly and doing all we can to follow him, we are promised with the presence of the Second Comforter, Jesus Christ. Mom and Dad right now the Lord has asked a lot of sacrifice (Nothing comparable to His), but I know with all my heart that as you continue to remain strong in the times of trial, you will feel more than the Holy Ghost in your life, you will feel the overwhelming love of the Savior as you have been prepared for His presence. I have learned this on my misison. Everyday I study the Atonement and it literal applies to everything. For almost 3 weeks I studied the law of sacrifice using the Bible Dictionary and the Scriptures and my eyes were opened. The law of sacrifice of the times of Moses actually directly applies to us today, and it all falls on the Atonement. Right now you are sacrificing a lot, but there is always more. I know and promise you that you will be comforted throughout these 2 years and the rest of your lives you apply these things in your life. I have never been happier before in my life, and i have never sacrificed so much before either. Our nature doesn't want things to be hard or to have to sacrifice anything. That is why the Lord has given us the law of tithing. We pay tithing not to help fund the Church, but to give to the Lord only a 10% of our money which is representative of our time and efforts. The same applies to the time we are in now. I am almost 20 years old, I have spent all my life with you, but now the Lord is asking for my tithing, 10% of my life only 2 years of my time and my efforts. the windows of Heaven will be opened. I know this to be true.

Love always, 

 

Elder Hays