May 18, 2015

Hola Familia,

All is well in the Zone. We are doing well and working hard. Just gotta keep it up. As for all the wonderful pictures I've sent! haha. They are from our last 2 P Days. One we went to the ZOO!!! It's a free Zoo that's in the middle of the city with cages. There is a man made river in the middle of the city and if I walk all along it there are all kinds of animals in their cages. Lions, tigers, and bears, OH MY!!! I think that's what the movie says not too sure it was long before my times....haha- NO but there were tigers, birds, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles, reindeer, iguanas, vultures, etc. It was pretty fun! Its just a quick walk an you see a bunch of animals. 

Then the other pictures are of a mountain hike we did! Honestly it's like 5 minutes from our house where it starts. In my area all around are hills and forest so we easily can go hiking and check stuff out.  SO we just went up the hill it's like a half hour hike. Super easy and relax but super beautiful and fun. We enjoyed it a lot! There are also some other trails of the same hill but we will see if I go and do the other ones. Orizaba is pretty awesome! Honestly....Mom and Dad maybe you should buy a vacation home here in Mexico!!!! Its really beautiful and it wouldn't be very expensive to pay for them to make a house;) Plus I could come visit converts and members:D I'll let you think it over!! haha.

As for the week....we are planning on doing divisions in Ojo de Agua its like Mesa and Phoenix it's right next door from Orizaba. As for the family we had......the mom put a block on everything! The whole family absolutely LOVED the church!!!!! All of them!!!! BUT she says she can't do it because shes catholic and it would be betraying their parents and what they taught them.....so that was some tough news. Because it is an awesome family with a great potential of becoming amazing members of the church...but they won't make any progress. SO we left them and we aren't gonna be able to teach them anymore.....so sad but we just gotta move on. 

Also my companion had diarrhea all week hahaha. I thought it was the Americans who were supposed to get that!  hahaha. But he is feeling better now. Today we met a person that told us that he was in Utah living for 4 years. BUT sadly it isn't the area where he is living now....but we asked for his direction and we are gonna send it to the other missionaries. Also today in the grocery store and old man  came up to me and wanted to start an argument with me because my name tag says ELDER. Supposedly that's not a word and its made up and he wanted to know my name. I politely told him that for this time my name is Elder Hakes. SO he got mad hahahaha. So I shook his hand and said nice to meet you with a big smile and walked away.  Then I was going down the escalator with my companion and he was standing above us looking down and yelling stuff. It honestly made me laugh a little bit. I don't understand when some people try to make a scene out of things that don't really matter. 

So that's what I learned today. Always have priorities in your life, your day, your hour of studies etc. Worry about the things that are truly important. Don't worry about the meaningless things. As a parent if you have time to choose spend time with your kids or work more, go with your kids. They will need a good father or mother to guide them in our lives. As a person we must make many decisions in our lives.....choose the eternal things never the worldly things that will only be lost. I know its hard but I also know the Lord will bless us. Now days people would say it's crazy to go on a mission and leave 2 years of studies, a girlfriend, a job, a scholarship, etc etc behind. But looking at all that one can learn in a mission......there's no doubt that a mission is the correct decision. If there are young men struggling with this decision.....ponder it out in your mind and gain your own testimony. Then SERVE the LORD. He needs us in these days and he needs us to be ready and willing to serve with all our heart  might mind and strength. And as we do it we learn than any college kid could learn. I know this is true and testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Love,

Elder Hakes