So for the update for the week, it has been raining like crazy
here, which is helpful for me for the majority of the day because it
makes me more ok with being inside so that has helped. But it has meant
that we have been playing basketball instead of soccer, It is fun but I
do love getting out in the sun for soccer. Elder Beeton and I have
been unstoppable which is always fun. We are yet to lose a game after 4
days of playing short 3 on 3 games. We even beat a team that plays
everyday and has this big 6'4" black guy that is super thick and
athletic. I had to guard him and he worked me but I did hit a game
ending 3 with his hand in my face so it was all good in the end. I
thought I would mention that to Jesse just so he knows that he is not
the only basketball player that I beat on the court. It isn't fair here
either for the Elders that play against us, so you better be practicing
hard all of the time if you want to be beating me when I get home. I
wish that Elder Beeton could have the kind of communication and
execution that we have on the court together in the teaching room in
Portuguese.
Another note on Elder Beeton, he is
a BYU fan and a Cowboys fan. So we both enjoyed the football updates
that we have been receiving from both of our families.
In
other news, We have been made the new zone leaders. We have been
helping the old zone leaders as they have been leaving the last two
days. We had to be up at 2:30 this morning to see off Elder Littlefield
and 5:30 yesterday for Elder Knight. We have been super tired because
of this, but we have had some perks, they passed down some goodies and
laundry detergent which was nice. We are super excited for tomorrow
because we have 3 new missionaries coming into our zone for the first
time since we got here and being zone leaders we get to do all the
orientation things for them and give them the tour and what not. That
will be way fun. Our district also has been asked to be hosts which is
where you are the missionary that receives the newbies on the curb and
takes some pictures for their family. I look forward to talking to
those shell shocked missionaries and watching the drama of the cry fest.
So tomorrow will be an awesome day.
As far as
our new fake investigators we are having pretty good success with one
of them and with the other we have been really struggling. They are
supposed to get progressively more difficult as we are here so I guess
it is expected. It is annoying that we know that they are fake because
they are our teachers because sometimes we feel like we have done
really well and had the spirit there teaching them and then they give
us a response that is not very promising. Because they are our teachers
sometimes we get the feeling that they are going to shut us down and be
stubborn on their questions just to push us and challenge us. It is
super annoying when we start to think that.
I
thought that Christina and Amanda would be interested to know that both
of the sisters in my district are into ballet and dance. Sister
McChesney danced with the BYU ballroom dance team. The highest one that
travels and stuff. I am pretty sure that she has came and danced at
CSI before when you have gone and watched them. She is the one with
brown hair by the way.
Dad, I have really
enjoyed the singing we do in the devotionals as well. The first time
that we had a devotional it was really exciting for me and fun, but this
last one Sunday night we sang a song that I am not really familiar with
and it is driving me crazy that I cannot remember it, but the lyrics
were amazingly powerful and they hit me really strongly. I will have to
try to find them so I can show you the words in one of my next letters,
but it is going to be difficult to find an English hymn book in our
area. I have a branch President named Jackson. He is a tall lengthy
guy that was a track star for BYU back in the day and is an orthopedic
surgeon. He is a pretty good president but his eyes bore deep into your
soul as he looks at you.
We had our first
mission conference this week because it was fast Sunday. That was the
best meeting that I have been to this far here. I was feeling the
spirit was super strong the entire time and all the messages are amazing
and taught me a lot. They spent quite a bit of time on Prophets in the
modern day which my testimony of that and the need for that has really
been growing over this week. I had just read the end of the 1st
official declaration to the church the night before where they talk
about what they would have done had it not been for receiving revelation
from God to do what they did. I don't know why my testimony of the
prophets today is being strengthened right now, but I am grateful for
it.
Being Fast Sunday and since Jared and
family reminded me that was how Grandma Hobson kept track of the time
for her missionaries I spent some extra time thinking of her on Sunday. I
had one Elder bare his testimony on the fact that he knew we had family
on the other side of the veil that will help us throughout our lives
and especially on the mission. I know that as it says in D&C 84:88
that she is there in the angels that are all around me. I think that
Grandpa Harold is there as well supporting me. When Elder Holland gave a
speech once at Stanford he opened it up with saying to the students
that we believe in angels and if they don't then they might have a hard
time understanding his speech. I defiantly believe in angels and think
about the ones that I love most every week when we go to the temple.
So
I have a quick little spiritual thought that I would like to share with
you all since 9/11 is in a few days. It is in Doctrine and Covenants
Chapter 64 it is verses 9-11. Notice the page number, verses, and the
date that Joseph Smith received the revelation. I don't know if you are
familiar with that insight but it is a witness to me that the church is
true and prophets receive modern revelation. Joseph Smith was a
prophet and seer no doubt in my mind.
We also
watched most of Elder Holland's talk yesterday where he talked about
Jesus asking Peter if he loved him three times. That was really
powerful and made me think about how much I love all of you and that I
know that I need to love the savior even more then that. I hope that I
will have my love for my Lord and savior strengthened as I am on my
mission so that I can truely love him more then anything else. I think
that may be one of the reasons that they have young men serve missions
where the contact with the people they love here on earth is minimal so
that we can come closer to Christ and rely on him in every thought and
action. I know the more he is in our lives the happier and better off
we will be. So even though I miss you all, I am grateful that your
absence will be filled with our Lord and savior. Which I hope and pray
that will be the same for all of you. Until next week.
Love,
Elder Hobson
No comments:
Post a Comment