Week 18

We are killing it in our area!!! So they were actually considering shutting down our area before we got there because it was having no success and there were really no hispanics to teach and the ones that were there previously being taught weren't progressing. But we HAD A BAPTISM LAST WEEK and WE ARE HAVING ONE THIS SUNDAY AND THEN ANOTHER NEXT SATURDAY THEN 2 ON NOVEMBER 9th!!!  

So the schedule for baptisms is as follows:

 

October 20th (Last Week) - Freddy

October 27th- Leonardo (The guy from Venezuela)

November 2nd- Teresa (I haven't told you about her)

November 9th- Julio and Luz

 

So we went to point loma (the beach town in San Diego) and we went walking around and I bought a pair of some sick sunglasses that were 60% and we had chocolate waffle icecream sandwiches with bacon at the pier made fresh and it was the best thing ever!!! It was only 2.95! 

(My glasses are different then the one in the picture)

Then we have Freddy's baptism which went great! We had a hard time gettting him to that stage but HE DID IT!! The Spirit was soo strong at the baptism and he went up and spoke afterwards in front of 50 people and gave an incredible testimony I had to hold it in lol It was powerful!.

I love you all! I am out of time! :))) 

Week 17

So the other week I forgot to mention that as a district, we have 10 missionaries in our district, we went to this incredible taco shop named Lucha Libre that was featured on Man V. Food and other travel channel shows, and when we went in I was like crap this place is sooo expensive how am i going to pay for this, then I saw that the had some hotdogs for like a buck 50 so I was going to get that. Then there were some summer sales guys for AMP security, and they walked up to the front and said that they would pick up our check!!!! It was $87.40!! I was soo shocked and also felt incredibly blessed.  I got the surfin california burrito which had huge grilled shrimp, french fries, carne asada, sliced advocado, pico de gallo, beans, rice, sour cream, and a homeade chipotle sauce. IT WAS TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    So then this past week my companion and I were looking for a potential investigator's house and some members pulled over and gave us $30 for "lunch money" and we were like sweet! and we happened to be right by Lucha Libre so we went there for dinner..... and there were more members and they paid for us!!!! So I got another Surfin California burrito and still had the $30!!!! MIRACLE!!!!!!!!! It was super awesome!! It was also great because we sat down and ate with them and there kids had on Tinker bell shirts and Ninjago!!! I flipped out and started talking about all the Tinkerbell fairies and the movies and was able to talk about Ashlyn and her favorite fairies and then I was about to talk about Brockoli and Kai and the golden dragon and all of that awesome stuff! :) oh how I miss them :) 

Another miracle is FREDDY IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SUNDAY AT 4!!!!!!

Another Miracle Below!!!!

 

So the guy above is Leonardo from Venezuela, he is our brand new investigator from this week. we had interviews with president on the 10th so last Thursday. In the middle of interviews with President Clayton he walks in (We were at the stake center) and says he wants to get baptized into our church and wants to meet the missionaries... WHAT!!!! If we didn't have interviews that day no one would have been there and he would've walked into a locked door! He ends up living in our area and we met with him later on that day. So he is getting baptized on November 2

!!!!!! We met with him and taught him (which is super hard because he speaks perfect spanish and his vocabulary is very educated unlike our spanish because the people we come into contact with speak very rough spanish and uneducated so our vocabulary is pretty ghetto and uneducated lol). So we ended up going to the Mormon Battalion the next night and he loved it! He also has super good questions and we hit a roadblock with him about the Law of Chastity, which was a hilarious conversation which I cant repeat because of the young audience reading and following. But he is super good now and we gave him the book of mormon on Thursday and by Sunday he was already in Mosiah 3 and he came to church and also a fireside which was 30 minutes away! he is awesome! He is meeting with the branch president tonight to ask some really good questions and how he can serve in the church!!!! once again MIRACLE!!!!!!!!! We are in one of the roughest areas when it comes to the missionary work and we have seen so many miracles!!!! :))) The Church is True!! :))))

Love you all,

Elder Hays

Week 16

So here is F****y (Luis A****** V****** Pliego), he is one of the reasons why conference was so special.

    

So F****y came to conference with us, which is a miracle in itself, because he works every Sunday and that last time that he went to church was 6 months ago. So we ripped him outta bed and had a member come pick us up for conference. He got smacked in the by the Spirit. his world was rocked, absolutely loved all the talks and really admires President Monson. Everyone at church really fellowshipped F****y so well, he felt as if he was with his true family. After the Morning session we all had a luncheon with tons of homemade mexican food. All F****y wanted to do was read in the scriptures. So why we were all eating F****y went into a private room and read in the book of mormon for 1.5 hours and said that he couldn't stop reading, he felt drawn to it.

F****y has one difficult life for a 20 year old kid. Heavy drugs, Alchohol, pornography and dysfunctional families surround him. He has change so much because he was in the center of it all at one point. We dropped him off at his house after conference, and I felt like I let him go right into Satan's hands. We went by later that night, and he was a little buzzed. We were disappointed in him and wanted to rake him over the coals, because he knew better. Immediately after thinking that I leaned over and whispered to Elder Seymour and told him to let me take care of it. I noticed that he was talking to his mom on the phone, I didn't know much about his mom except that he didn't live with her. I felt the strongest impression to ask him about his mom. I knew immediately that he drank because he missed his mom, I was able to feel his pain for that moment and I knew what he needed. So we took him for a walk. I sat him down at a bus stop and listened to him talk about how he was sorry for drinking, I looked at him square in the eyes and asked if the reason he drank is because he missed his mom and that at church he felt the Spirit so strong that more than anything he just wanted to share that experience with his mom. He was quiet for a good while and then with tears in his eyes he said yes. He then shared with us how his mom isn't supporting him in his choice to be baptized, and that he hasn't seen her in 5 years and that he just wishes that she could take part in this change that he has undergone. I told Freddy how much I love him and what I see in him. The Spirit was so strong and the words just kept flowing, and I dont really remember all that I said, but it was exactly what the lord wanted Freddy to hear. 

 

 

Love, Elder Hays

Week 15

Hey Family!!!

Today I hit my 5 month mark on the mission!!! It is flying by!!! :) :( The weather is great and it is starting to get cooler!

 

So we went to Point Loma last week!!! it was awesome!!! It is super close to where I am serving! :)

 

That same night we went and visited a referral that the sisters gave us. Their names are Julio and Luz. They are so amazing right when we met them I knew that they were going to get baptized, they had definitely been prepared by the hand of the Lord. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they had some awesome questions. They are recently married and Luz is 4 months pregnant. We talked about Eternal Families and i shared with them about how we got sealed in the temple and the Spirit was so strong and you could see a light go off in their eyes. They knew that everything that we were sharing was true. I invited them to be baptized and they said yes! We are trying to get a baptismal date for the 12th of October. They want to keep learning and coming to church. They actually have gone to church like 5 times and they came again this Sunday! Super AWESOME!! We have an appointment with them tonight and we are going to the Mormon Battalion. So it is going to be a very spiritual experience for all of us. 

So I went on Exchanges with Elder Barton this week and I was in Logan Heights again, man I love it so much there. We had some super spiritual experiences with the people there. All of the lessons we had were super powerful. We had a lunch appointment with Brother Sanchez. We had Lamb and all this super yummy high quality food! I was not expecting it because logan is super poor and dirty. But his house was clean and well kept and he actually works as a chef in Down town San Diego, and it was sooooooo good, 4 star quality. He has been a member his whole life but never active. In mexico city his parents housed the missionaries, but him and his dad were never active. He then got married and had his daughter Frita at 20 (Oh yeah he is the same age as dad) and she has mental handicaps and HAD epilepsy. The missionaries in Mexico City when Frida was 9 gave her a Priesthood blessing and healed her!!! She was having seizures multiple times a day and everyday, ever since that blessing she has not had 1 seizure!! That right there built my testimony. 

 

LOVE WITH ALL MY HEART!!!

Elder Hays

 

 

Week 14

Well this week was nuts! I wrote a lot to dad about my week and I have like 10 minutes to write you. :( But I am doing good, I am exhausted and super sore from working hard! I have learned a lot from my studies that have built my testimony so strongly. I shared with someone the first vision for the first time and the Spirit was super strong and I had the thought come into my mind that it was true, I will probably remember that moment forever. We are also taking the trolley which is super fun and we are meeting tons of white people, just no mexicans.... :( The branch is doing great and I went on exchanges this week and served in the heart of logan Heights, I WAS SAFE!! But it was so much fun I love it! It is sooo ghetto!!! Whoop whoop! We also rode the trolley and got off at Qualcomm stadium (Chargers stadium) little did we know that the game was getting over with and we got lost lol but it all worked out!! it was just a funny situation!! :)

My wrist is okay, I can type, write, shake hands and it is fine, but in certain positions, movements, and if i put weight on it i have really bad pain so I think I fractured something and I cant make a tight fist so I don;t know I have a doctors appt on thursday so i will find out.

So I weighed my self today and I am almost to the 30lb mark for weight lost on my mission. I don't know if it is from all of the rigorous walking, because we go up huge hills and trails up these borderline hills/mountains lol yeah my shoes are pretty dusty lol. I also don't know if it is from nutrition. i eat close to about 2000 calories a day but i am rigorously walking for like 5 hours a day. So it makes for good exercise! Sadly my muscle is softening up so I need to crank out pushups and stuffs once this wrist stuff is taken care of.

So I talked to some drunk guys last night and they were telling us all about the games and how the dolphins are 3-0!!! I can't believe it! That is awesome! Too bad Cameron Wake is injured! Isn't he our best DE, but don't we have that one rookie DE that did super well in the preseason? That is also nuts about the Canes! I hope you get to the game. So do the dolphins and Canes look for real or are they getting lucky? That would be sick if we could have an awesome season. I honestly think with the Heat winning back to back championships Miami is earning respect and that is motivating the other Miami teams. I wish I could watch it on monday! Will you draw me stick figures of the games?

How's Fantasy Football???  You guys could've still drafted for me! I would've picked Dustin Keller! Just kidding!  i am soooo happy for the dolphins and canes! i found a Nfl schedule on the side of the road, so I am up to date, I just need to know the scores :) oh that is freddy in the middle he is getting baptized and is supppper awesome!! :) The food situation is okay but not the best or the worst. I appreciate your guys' help.

So we are teaching Freddy and tons of random people but it is in English so we have to pass them off to english elders. and freddy is getting baptized on october 26th but He has to stop working on sundays so he can come to church!

 

So check this out! My best bud from Calexico just got emergency transferred to train a new elder and he is in my zone so I get to see him every week!!! :)))

 

 

That is so cool to hear that Aunt Denise is playing this year! How is your team looking? When does the season start? I really miss football! i miss just being able to toss the football around! I am tempted to buy a football but i don't know if I am allowed! i was so hard this week, because I was eating tri tip at an investigator's house and the game was on, and i couldn't watch! :p How was Super man? and Wolverine!? any other good movies? Yeah me and my companion went to Mexico last week and the mission president joined us it was so much fun! JKJKJKJKJKJK but it is fun being so close to mexico I am starting to feel like I am becoming Mexican! We have to do a tour of Mexico after the mish, just you me and mom. It would be so much fun, I have got all the safe, and beautiful places to go visit on a list. Dad, the time is flying by so fast, I can't believe that it has already been 4 months, the next time I check it will be 6 months. I have a feeling that I am going to be transferred next week and training a new missionary or I could stay and be the next district leader and train. I don't know yet. the suspense is killing me, we find out next Tuesday

whether or not I am staying. It would be nice to get a new companion though because he is driving me crazy! :p lol it has been a hard 6 weeks with him, but luckily it only felt like 3 weeks.

 

Oh check this out i walked 2.5 hours to a meeting lol and then the next day 2 hours to church :p i was poooped lol :) I dont think it will always have to be like that.

well I promise to email you more next week! :)

See you in less than 2 :)

Elder Hays

Week 13

 

So mom and dad I am okay! I am safe and sound! The reason i told you those things were not to freak you out just to be honest with you :)

The Lord protects his missionaries, in Logan Heights the gangs actually escort the missionaries, i am not lying, they know not to mess with us because we are "Jesus' boys".

The good thing is, I only go to church there and in meetings we are on the outskirts of logan more towards the gay area lol!

 

To be honest there is not much i can do about the food situation. I AM DRINKING TONS OF WATER! i am okay, to be honest I have a small breakfast in the morning and then a medium to large lunch at 11 a and then a apple around 7p, I am hungry,but  I am okay. The Lord keeps blessing us and providing us with food. I can only afford frozen meals and apples and milk, gatorade or stuff at the gas station are considered luxury items and are bought only when absolutely needed. 

 

We now have our own apartment, it is beautiful and has an incredible view, yes it is safe, the Lord has blessed us for our patience.  I am in San diego so i have access to everything!!

Well it is super hard and tedious to type with this brace

BUT I AM OKAY AND HEALTHYish lol :)

HOw are the kids doing? :) I misss them :(

 

So Elder Seymour and I were riding our bikes looking for an address when we were going down this pretty big hill underneath the interstate. We were going top speed when all of a sudden my back tire popped off and my chain wrapped around itself, causing an immediate brake. Next thing I know I am over the handlebars hitting head and shoulder first then skidded for about 7 feet. I ended up getting some pretty bad road rash and according to the doctor I might of fractured a bone in my wrist and tore a ligament in my hand (I am in a brace for 2 or more weeks). 

 

So here is the miracle. Where i landed on my shoulder, the shirt is ripped all the way through, BUT THE GARMENT WAS UNTOUCHED!!!! and my shoulder is perfectly fine. I also hit on the side of my head and face. BUT when I was going down, it was super slow mo (Just like in the movies lol) and my head gently rested against the ground, no whiplash, not even a mark. With all my heart I know that it was angels protecting me. I honestly should have been in the emergency room, with how i hit and how fast i was going and how abruptly i stopped, BUT the Lord protects his missionaries! 

I AM OKAY!!!!