July 29

Dear Family,

Well I am very very excited that Eddie made the choice to be baptized sounds like he had quite the turnout for his baptism and party afterwards. What I would give to have 3 different members of the youth to participate in the ordinances. I know he'll have a lot of support and be a great future missionary. But continue to make sure he stays in the church Heston get him to do baptisms for the dead and read with him at the barn, get him to every Weds. night activity, and get him going on family history he'll have name after name that he can take of his own ancestors. Activity in the church is the key keep him active at the church and in the gospel.

But this week was a good one. We will be having a baptism coming up this week with A. We found out he grew up in Distrito de Federal. but was born in Nejapa de madero, Oaxca. So if Sam you know the geography you can help the family know where that is. Also Al is progressing really well they both came to church this Sunday and are both excited to continue to come to church. It's such a blessing working with people that are willing to keep there commitments. We've had no problems setting those b.d.'s it's just getting those people to do their own work, use their agency, and act has been our struggles but we'll be looking good to get these people baptized and maybe a few potentials at the end of August.

But something I learned this past week is basically if someone reads in the book of mormon they're going to progress and get baptized. And it's the same with us as we strive to live in the gospel if we read each day we'll overcome our obstacles that are in our lives. If we don't we're on our own. There's a promise in Msh 2:41 if we keep the commandments we'll be blessed both temporally and spiritually if we don't we won't and it's a commandment to read in the scriptures. We shouldn't put them "at rest" (don't know the reference offf top of my head but it's in alma) Creo..... But as we read each day we will be blessed each day and as we don't we won't it's as simple as that so family continue to strive to read the b.o.m each day and be blessed.

But I love you all hope you have a great week and yes I did get the letters from sunday school, the day I sent my last e-mail. haha

Con amor Elder Hobbs

July 22

Dear Family,

   Well this week was a fun one. We have still been working with A and she has been progressing super well we've finished teaching the plan of salvation to her as the spirit indicated to do and next thing you know she misses chruch because her mom is in a hospital in Corpus. So we don't know how severe or what's going on just that we have taught the plan of salvation and she has that knowledge. She really enjoyed it and has continued to read the book of mormon like crazy. We've taught the first half of the restoration and I basically just marked her pamphlet with 6 or 7 references for each theme so hopefully that'll keep her busy while she's up in Corpus till we hear back from her. But it's just been so much fun teaching her and to witness the changes she's been making. We went over a B.D. Checklist(basically just a map till her baptism where you mention commandments,lessons, and things they'll have to do) And we mentioned no coffee and she hasn't drank any. And we mentioned tithing and the first time that she went to church she asked us why didn't they pass around the trays for her to pay. haha So me and my companion picked ourselves up off the ground after those comments. It truely is a pleasure to find one of god's elect and chosen prepared people. We just hope all will be well with her family and that she can have the peace she needs. And I forgot to tell you she works for lens doctor and is the manager at some glasses store and knows her spanish vocab for the eye that she's been teaching us. haha

   Our next investigator A M has been progressing really well also. He's been reading the book of mormon and tonight we'll be teaching him about some commandments. He came to church this last week and had a really good time. He's liked church alot. We were actually at his niece's 14th birthday with him. He wanted to introduce us to his family so we got to meet quite a few people and even got the other elders some refferals as we enjoyed some burgers with everybody. But the coolest part of the whole teaching process with him is that he looked up online (i don't know how) his origin which is the farthest south state of Mexico and how it correlates with the book of mormon basically he found out that he's a lamanite and he was very interested. We also talked to him a little bit about family history and he's been super excited -  so tell President Saunders thanks for my calling before the mission I've been able to use it here and there with a couple of investigators and less active members. But back to the south part of Mexico..... It was funny I felt prompted to leave mormon 7 which is an invite that Moroni left to the latter day lamanites which talks a lot about baptism  after the first lesson we had had with him the only problem is he read the story of Abanadi instead just at random.

   But all in all our finding has been a little bit slimmer numbers but I feel like our quality of investigators has been up really well. Like I've said my companion and I have stayed together now for the 3rd transfer and we've been doing really well together at this point we have been teaching super close to the 50/50 ideal style of teaching so we've been having some really spirtitual lessons lately. It's such a great blessing when the lord entrusts you to work with people that are so prepared. Me and Elder Livingston have been having a lot of success and having a lot of good times together.

   But I'd like to let you know to be expecting something in the mail this week. And also that I have not gotten that letter that I was supposed to be waiting on i don't know if you forgot to send it or the chupakabra mauled it but quien sabe. But things have been awesome I love being a missionary

Love Elder Hobbs

July 15

Dear Family,

 

   What a week it has been!!! And speaking of transfers the call came in this morning and turns out............. I'll be staying in Country Club. I'm super excited to stay this place is like home and I couldn't imagine leaving so the lord has permitted me to stay and continue to serve. It's funny I can now say that i'm the ancient of Brownsville everyone in the zone isn't even close to the same time as I got now that one of our zone leaders just left. So I'll still be here in Country Club. But what an exciting week you've all had I'm super excited for Eddie's baptism make sure to get me a picture and if you could please please get me his e-mail I'd like to write him a quick e-mail next week.

 

   But as for the week here in Country Club we found this lady A last week like I had told you at a gas station and she has already read all of 1 nephi and about 5 or 6 chapters that we've assigned her and she is just taking off in the gospel I can't tell you how prepared she is. Just being with her in lessons just iluminates you with the spirit to see her desires. Basically she has two little problems. Just a belief on god that has been increasing and also she drinks a little bit of coffee. After all the people I've come across in my mission so far I can say she of all people NEED the gospel the most. She has been through a lot in her life. She has two kids with autism one with severe and the other mas o menos. She has also came off of a divorce and has been left with all the kids to take care of and when we're over at her house you can just see how much it wears on her to have the kids all to herself to care for.  She has fear going into public a lot so she was a little timid to come to church for the first time but we sent her 1 ne 3 7 for a little pump up and she said that that gave her a little spark and she loved it! Her kids were all handled by the primary and she really enjoyed the members and they really pulled through for us and helped her have a good time so she's are little miracle in the area right now.

 

   We also had a guy show up in the spanish ward at random. He offers funeral services and goes door to door knocking and he knocked on a member's door and bless her soul whoever she is. She invited him to come and he showed up. He had a good experience and we're excited for him to come back next week. Also one of our investigators in the spanish ward came to church this last Sunday and he had a great time he only came for 1 hour becuase he had work but he said he'll see if he can arrange stuff to be there next time. We got him some good fellowship and his neighbor is a member so we'll get him rolling also. The lord has been blessing us right and left in the area I couldn't be happier. (def. not content with what's going on i'm just very excited for the people we got).

 

   Also I got the chance to translate for a guy from Florida that was telling me all his gator hunting stories in the chapel it was super funny he made me want to go there someday to go hunting with him.haha but it was pretty darn tough to translate it seemed like the speakers were speaking extra fast and their vocab seemed a bit strange to so I struggled a bit but my friend didn't care to much he still enjoyed coming. But it was such a great week what can I say..... I love being a missionary!

 

Elder Hobbs

July 8

   Well this week was a great one we had the oppurtunity to have a baptism with our investigator J.... Habiendo Sido.... So that was a really cool moment we actually had quite the time getting him to his baptism. haha so we had an appt. with him Saturday night at 8 to make sure that all would be well for his baptism and it turned out he never showed so we called him all night but he never answered. So in the morning we went by his house at 8 in the morning to wake him up so we get him rolling and had his ride scheduled for 830. So as it turns out he went back to sleep after we left and our ride called us and let us know what was going on so we gave him a call and he told us he wasn't going to show until 11:30 because he needed to rest and I was being a bit bold with him to tell him why he needed to be there in order for his baptism and so he hung up on me and wouldn't answer after that. So we call the ride and tell them to not leave until they have him and they say they can't because Hno de la yata is on the high council and had to be on time. So we start asking every member to give us a ride and it got to the point where the opening himno started and we still have noboody. And finally a member agreed to help us out so we get over there. Get J dressed and he came with us and he apologized for wanting to sleep and the baptism turned out really really well aftrer it happened he told us his misisona is to get his neighbors baptized too. haha So we're very excited for him to get rolling.

   Next cool thing that happened this week we we're using the bathroom at a stripes (gas statino) and we were sitting on the benches for a bit planning on what we could do because some things fell and we had no where to go and as we sat there a lady came up to us and asked if we were mormans...... (Best question ever to hear as missionaries) So we get her info and ask her if she's a member and she says no but I want to be..... And me and my comp are just praying please be in our area!!! So turns out she is and she has investigated the church up farther north in Texas and told us that the day we talked to her we saved her because she has had a lot of trials in her life and they were really starting to weigh down on her. She is coming off of a divorce and has two autistic kids and she just really needed that little pick up that we gave her by being right where the lord wanted us to be. So we're very excited to have the chance to apply matt11:28-30 in her life I know she'll really need the help of christ in her life Msh 24 is are next chapter we'll be leaving her with.

   But other then that that's what happened this week. We actually got the 4th of July to work. But we could only visit members. We just shared a couple of scriptures about independance day with everyone in 1 nephi 13 and i wanna say 2 nephi 10 or 11ish and people enjoyed to see that in the book of mormon just  another little testimony of the bom it prophecys of the revoultionary war. But that's too bad about grandma falling off her bike, that's all your fault momma jk. Hope all will be well with grandma that's too bad she was bleeding all over. But hope you have a great week I love you all. nos vemos. les amo

Elder Hobbs

July 1

Dear Family,

 

   What a week!!! Things are going by super super quickly. We had a great turn out for the month of June as a mission we turned out with 106 baptisms and as a zone in Brownsville we fell short of our goal of 20 with just 17 but that's the 3rd highest the zone has hit in the past couple of years. It's been fun serving the lord as a district leader. I should be having some interviews coming up this week from some missionaries in the district and we also just had an investigator just pass an interview in our area that should be getting baptized next week. The lord has been blessing us and i know we have a lot of good things going on.

 

   We have been teaching an investigator for the past month named J. He kinda is a little slower but he loves church and loves having lessons with us. He said a prayer just the other week lessons with him have been the funnest ever because you never know what this guy is going to say. haha But we got him over his tea problems and also over drinking and he's already read up to 1 nephi 15 ish and he loves reading in the pamphlets we leave with him. He has already been sharing them with his neighbors and friends and one of his biggest desires is to preach the gospel with us. But we'll be excited to report a bit next week on how it goes.

 

   I just want to share a quick missionary momenty just this last week I was riding my bike while we on a little trek(btw country club is biggest bike area in brville) and I was thinking to myself "how can I leave this area". I was have truely changed into the missionary that I have wanted to be here in this area. And I've had moments of thinking just get me out of here or why did I have to come to the area, I'll be honest. But as I've seen the changes in myself I've seen the changes in my area and then that's when you can see the changes in the people you teach. But I truely feel like I've found myself in the area  and that I have truely become a man/missionary. It's amazing how tailor fit missions really are and how much the lord really understands what we need and as we get beat down and we have trials of faith it's all for a reason. Nothing is in Vain unless you allow it to be. Unless you fail to understand what is being taught to you.

 

But I love you family hope everything continues to go well.

 

Elder Hobbs

 

June 24th

Dear Family,

   Well I hope you enjoy some of these pictures that i sent I'm still working on sending more pictures but hey it's better to be focused n missionary work rather then missionary things as sister Trayner would say.  

   Here is a picture of the Brownsville Zone in the month of May when we baptized 22 people!!! So we took the picture because that was something that hadn't been done for a long time (or maybe even ever). And for the month of June we are at 16 of 20 and will be praying mightily for 6 people scheduled to be baptized throughout the zone so keep them in your prayers also. But right now the Brownsville zone is the place to be in the mission we're seeing miracles right and left and leading the mission as of now. As old Devil hands hatfield would say(Levi) put your team on your back.

   Something else that is really interesting that I failed to tell you all is our entire zone covers the English ward....haha that's 26 missionaries in one unit. haha could you imagine 26 missionaries in the West Weber 3rd Ward. And our Spanish ward just received another set making us up to 12. So sometimes we overwhelm the members. haha but the biggest reasons that we have so many in these wards is the stake president is working really hard with the mission president to work on splitting Brownsville and Harlingen into 2 seperate stakes rather then just the one and when we succeed we will be that much closer to getting a temple down here and then opening the door to so many people to do there temple work that cannot cross the checkpoint borders farther north. As i've explained before South Texas is it's own little country because half the people here can't go south to Mexico and they can't go north to pass the checkpoints but I'll leave you to figure out what is keeping them from doing so.

   We had an OK week we found quite a few of new investigators and are still struggling with the same struggle we are working on getting people to church. Our investigator J couldn't come because he was in Mexico for something and the 2 older ladies were busy with their families ultra vec so we will be making some plans with them to be there on Sunday and keep the SABBATH DAY holy. Never forget to do that anyone who reads this letter the sabbath is one of the most important commandments that we so often treat very lightly. Go to church!!!! Not Mexico. haha

But President gave us his last training and it was super sad to see him go. I'll always remember my interviews with him and the love that he showed to me and the missionary that he's helped me to start becoming. We had a video of where we watched the atonement and missionary work with Elder Holland talking and it reminded me of the moment where president helped me out the most. At the moment of my mission where I was at my lowest all it took was pure love from president to lift up my spirits. Continue to strive to be that example to those around you whether your in a calling to serve many or whether you are presented with opportunities to serve. Seve and love those around you and help impact the lives of others. I love you all family and keep working hard on study
ing the scriptures and doing the little things.

The baptismal picture is L McKinnon from Tampico that is super super awesome. He was baptized by Brother Avalos the guy on the right he's the one who did the baptismal ordinance for L and those two are best friends now.