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.

Bring on the Pizza!

Yummm! It looks like he has investigated the best pizza shop around!

One happy Elder!

  

Elder Cox (from Pleasant Grove, Utah) and Elder Hummel

Elder Cox, Tay's companion for a day

"Home Sweet Home"

Their beds look tiny! How does he fit in this bed?!
Glad to see them using their mosquito nets though!

Kitchen and study area

Bathroom

Elder Hunt, Elder Hummel and Elder Diaz

His six-week Book of Mormon reading schedule

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey Everyone,

Christmas down here as you would imagine is different. They had a lot of fireworks and it was like the 4th of July, so I am wondering how big of a celebration it will be for New Years haha. Thank you everyone for writing me. I love having emails and seeing what is going on and also I love pictures so send more of those, even just random ones! 

This Sunday was a little disappointing because we had invited 33 people to church and they had all promised to come but we only had 4 there. One of the investigators there though was a little boy who is only like 12 and he walked 20 minutes just to come to church! His name is Bryan and he is a stud! Also some of you asked about Elder Nix. He was probably my best friend I had out here. But it's okay, things will get better and I will just have to work harder to find his people too.

Thank you everyone for the gifts and all the fun stuff that was sent. I have almost eaten all the candy already. Some I am saving for a day when I feel like I need it! I am sorry it is so expensive to send boxes down here. Mom and Bree you both should talk and maybe send the packages together to save some money...I think it would save some but I don't know. Christmas was good! We got to call home, then we went and ate at some members houses. One house is a member named Geronimo and they fed us tamales. I am sending pictures of those. Then as soon as we got done there, we went and ate at the Stake President's house, President Perdido. They fed us soup with chicken and I, being the lucky guy I am, got the chicken foot. YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT...THE FOOT! ha It was an interesting experience.

Also a little annoying this week was we had set up 8 baptisms and the people needed to come to church because they have to come for 3 weeks before they can be baptized. Not a single one came so it kind of bugged and ruined the day. We didn't really have that great of a Sunday because of that, but we are starting over and trying to get people to come to church so they can be baptized. They said my area is hard because no one wants to come to church and now I know what they mean. But I will just have to work even harder to get them to come.

Yesterday marked my 2-month mark in the mission. It is kinda weird to think I have been gone that long. I still remember the day I left and all that. I feel like it was just yesterday. Now I know what they mean when they say time flies. I still feel like I am never going to be able to learn Spanish though, but I will just have to work harder and keep my head up. Oh yeah, and you all better be praying for me!

We have been eating at President Perdido's house a lot lately, and it is really good, so we haven't been having to eat only ramen haha. Also I found out it is good to make a PB&J on tortillas, just so you all know. Also I tried star fruit the other day. It was amazing! I loved it. Also I ate a yellow lime...no it was not a lemon. The yellow lime is really sweet and delicious, I actually loved it.

Another cool thing was we had a zone P-day together where all the zone got together and we played soccer and watched "The Testaments". It was so great! Also yesterday I got to give Elder Diaz a blessing of comfort and it was so cool to feel the Spirit as I gave it.

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful examples they have been in my life and for all the things that have been done for me. I honestly could not have made it out here without you all!

Love you all!

Love,

Elder Hummel

PS: the pictures are of the house, Christmas tree, the area in front of the house, how I clean my garments, the road we walk down to go to other towns and hitchhike on, a drawn out map of our towns in our area, our desk, my foot, the jammies Bree sent me, tamales, our shower and just a cool picture I saw haha. Love you all!

"Home Away From Home"

We assume this is a pic of the back of his house

Christmas Decorations!

These five pictures are all of the area around his house

And this is his washing machine!

This must be the "spin cycle"!

And this is the "clothes dryer"!
(Judging from this photo, we're a bit concerned about his washing technique!)

The long road they walk on to get to other towns.
They have found hitchhiking gets them there faster!

A drawn out map of his area.  As you can see, it is a long
walk to get anywhere!
(No wonder he has lost 20 lbs!)

Desk and study area

A result of all the walking . . . a blister, within a blister, within a blister!

Christmas jammies from Bree! Ninja Turtles . . . YES!

Tamales 

Where he takes his nice "cold" showers!

Christmas gift he received from a member

"The Armor of God"