Elder Taylor Hummel: ANOTHER WEEK BITES THE DUST!

Hey everyone,

How are things going in the Land of the Free? Things are going good down here but we still don't have any luck with investigators coming to church. Last week we had 1 so that was depressing. I have gotten use to it though, so we will have to work harder every day. I have a goal by the end of the month I want to have 10 coming every week. We had Divisions this week I was with Elder Cox but I will tell more about that later.

Do you guys remember about the 12 year old boy I told you guys about named Brian, who is "pilas", that is like cool just so you know. He is great! We visited with him and he said he wants to be baptized but his parents do not like the church (even though the mom is a member), and it is frustrating. All I think about is Dad, because I imagine it would have been the same if Dad was younger when he found the church. He didn't even come to church on Sunday because his family wouldn't let him, so that makes things hard.

For the new year I started thinking a lot about goals and what can help me. So one of my goals is every change...every 6 weeks...I am going to read the Book of Mormon just so everyone knows. If you all want to do it with me that would be fantastic. You read the intro with the testimony of the 3 and 8 one day, then Joseph Smith and explanation of Book of Mormon another day, then it is 6 chapters a day. So that will be hard and a lot of reading but I think it will help me out so much! I have been challenging people to read the Book of Mormon and I haven't read the whole thing through in so long that I figured I better so that is how I will do it. Also, I am going to try to be more organized with my contacts and everything so I am way excited! We have been doing great contacting. Sunday we contacted 168 people and I got 85 so I was pretty happy that day.

We have been working hard talking with members trying to get new investigators and that has been hard because everyone says they don't have anyone we can talk to. I challenge every person who reads this to give the missionaries one person -- a friend, family member, someone -- because it helps a lot and is a huge blessing. I promise, as a servant of God, that you will receive so many blessings and feel happy for bringing someone to Christ.

My Spanish is slowly getting better. I gave a lesson on my own the other day at a Family Night and it seemed to go pretty well so I hope that means I am improving. Also I have been talking a lot more in lessons so I feel like I am really improving. I know it is hard and will keep getting hard but I know if I pray and ask for help I will receive it and many more blessings. I know you get tested and tried before you receive your blessings so I will keep working and waiting for those blessings.

So people told me when I came to my area that it was a hard area and they were right! I was looking at records of recent converts over the past like year. We only have 8 of them and of those 8 only 3-4 come to church. We will have to work on that and get more baptisms. Please pray for me, I need all the help I can get.

We got to go on divisions this week. I was with Elder Cox. He and I stayed in La Noria, so it was cool to be the one who had to run the area and decide when and where we went. It was great to talk to him because he knows how difficult it is to learn the language and all. He has only been out 6 months and he is awesome! He is from Pleasant Grove, Utah, so we had a connection there, too. I am glad I got to do it and learn from others.

Also Sunday was fast Sunday and that is the hardest day of the month because we start fasting at 12 noon on Saturday and walk all day with no food or water, so I struggled. I mean I love food and water haha! Also I got up and bore my testimony in Spanish so that was such a cool experience and people seemed surprised I did it with how little Spanish I know!

I love you all and I want to thank you for all the prayers, emails, and blessings you have sent my way and I am sending them home too so I hope you all feel my love and know I am thinking of you!

Love you all!

Love,

Elder Hummel

P.S. The pics this week. We have some of the house; a pizza place that was delicious; one of me; one of me with Elder Diaz and Elder Hunt, because Elder Hunt trained Elder Diaz and Elder Diaz is training me so that is cool; also there are pictures of me and Elder Cox.