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

"WE WALK AND WALK AND WALK...FAST!"

Hey everyone!

How are things going on the home front? Things here have been busy as normal haha but what can I expect when i am hastening the work? I have had a little but of a difficult time this week. First our baptism didn't work out so that sucked and I have been just thinking about home a lot, but I know this is where I am suppose to be. Also we had invited and confirmed 21 people coming to church Sunday and we had a total of 1 so that really sucked, but it's okay. 

So our area is pretty big in my mind. We were in a town called Champas and had to walk back to La Noria...I found out it takes an hour and a half walking straight, non-stop, to get there and it was hot like normal...now i see why they say this is the area where people lose the most weight because it is hot and you walk all day every day. Also I have become an expert at hitchhiking, so that is fun. We just get the car to pull over, climb in and contact the person while we drive so it is an interesting thing. I was a little sketched out the first time but it worked out great. Also I did not know I was physically able to move as fast as I am and still be technically walking! So it is pretty impressive.

Yesterday I had splits and went out with an Elder Hunt from Georgia. It was awesome to have an American companion for a bit. I didn't realize how much I missed white people haha. The lessons were great. We met this guy who looks and acted like Mr. Miyagi. Everyone calls him Hermano Maestro. He is so nice and cool. Also I have started eating things I didn't think I would. The other day I pulled a star fruit off a tree and started eating it, it was so good! Also I have been eating oranges and green melons, they were just so good. 

Another thing that was hard this week for me is my good friend in the mission, Elder Nix, had to go home and won't be coming back out, so that really put a damper on my day but I am going to stay in contact with him and hang out when I get home. He is from Fruita, Colorado so I am not too far away from him. Also we haven't had a lot of luck with our investigators keeping commitments and that gets annoying, but I know things will work out. Me and my companion are working great together and so that is always good, haha. He is a great guy!

The food here has been pretty good so far. We have eaten a lot of pupusus and we also have had a lot of Top Ramen. We get up early, work out, get ready, eat quesidilla or Top Ramen, then we study and go out and walk all day, stopping to buy chips and stuff, then walk some more and when we get back to the house at 9 or 9:30 we eat some more Top Ramen and then we go to sleep. It is a great day, haha! Also, I eat a lot of peanut butter just with my finger, plain peanut butter. Things have been good and fun. We have had tamales 1 time and we will have some more on Christmas Eve. Also pupusus are tortillas stuffed with cheese basically. 

I am so excited to open the presents I have on Christmas! It is going to be so fun and great. I have been so tempted to open them early but I know you all would shoot me for that! Also I loved all the cards and everything I got, they made me so happy and made my day that much better! Christmas will be hard without everyone but I know in 2 years it will be a great experience to be home, maybe even only talking spanish to throw everyone off! But all in all the mission is going good.

Another cool experience I had is we were out contacting and I went to a little store to buy water and they sell water in bags and I bought two, then I went to pay and the guy said "no, it is free for missionaries."  Also I had a drunk guy buy me a soda yesterday which was great haha. I also had to say the opening prayer and the bread sacrament prayer in church, both in spanish, so that was an interesting experience, but I loved it at the same time.

Thank you everyone for writing me and for everything you do for me. I really wouldn't be able to be out here if it wasn't for each and everyone of you guys.

Love,

Elder Hummel

Thank you all for everything and hope all is going well at home and excited to write you!