Email received June 24, 2013
Hola Familia!
I`m glad you all enjoyed the broadcast, it didn´t quite make it out here in the city I`m in called Capiata unfortunately but they promised us that we will be watching it soon so I`m pretty excited. This week was pretty great, we had a baptism! Guillermo Flores, the son of a menos activa lady got baptized and it was awesome. His newly ordained priest uncle named Edgar did it and it was a very cool service. His dad who isn´t a member came. When I invited him he said I´d better bring my camera because it´s only the second time he´s been to church. I don´t think he´s planning on making a habit out of coming but it was cool that his whole family was able to come and support him. So as for Caleb Reber going into the MTC this week he´s in for a big treat. It´s pretty scary at first because your teacher will only speak to you in Spanish and you won't really know what´s going on but don´t worry because nobody else that is in a suit coat and has the red dot on their plaque knows whats going on either. Plus you can´t really mess up so when you don´t know what´s going on just do your best (it´s just orientation stuff so it´s not actually that big a deal). The MTC is such a sweet place I loved it so much. I definitely recommend joining the choir and just doing your best. I read a quote from I think Wilford Woodruf this week that said something like whatever we do acting on the most light we have is counted unto us as righteousness (something like that). Pretty much I would give you the same advice Elder Bednar gives and it´s Be a good boy and quit worrying. As long as we´re doing our best, being obedient, and trying to love others than we don´t need to worry about anything else. Enjoy your time at the MTC mi amigo fiel (also I would definitely recommend watching the Character of Christ talk by Elder Bednar one of the Sunday nights you are there after the devotional because that talk really changed my life and helped shape my entire mission). I´m pretty excited about Weston getting his call, I live with another missionary named Elder Barker who really reminds me of Weston and we are having a great time. So we are definitely seeing amazing miracles here in Piro`Y but the adversary is also definitely working extra hard. We have one kid whose progressing really well named Alexis. He´s 18 and he´s been coming to church and he wants to get baptized and serve a mission. He´s super funny and friendly but pretty shy too so we´re praying that things keep going well with him. La familia Cristaldo is awesome! They invited us over for lunch on Friday and I think they may want to make that a regular thing. The problem is that they´re little baby, Jesus (Jesusito is what their little daughter Sol calls him), has been pretty sick and in and out of the hospital. The hermana has a ton of faith but it´s been hard for them to come the church because it´s freezing cold here and he´s just a little baby. But we still have lots of hope and faith that things will get better for them. I´m definitely learning a lot about prayer, fasting, the Lord´s ways are not my ways, and humility. Fasting has become a much more used tool to me now on the mission and it´s funny to me because I always fast for things and they never quite work out how I thought they would, but they work out so I definitely know that the Lord is listening and blessing me. Also tons of prayer. There are seemingly insurmountable obstacles sometimes and a lot of things that I worry about that I can´t control, that´s where prayer comes in. Every moment of everyday I can just tell the Lord that I´ve done all I can do and that the rest is in His hands, and He always delivers. Before I didn´t trust as much in that and I spent a lot of time being worried sick over things that I really can´t even control but now I`m really growing in my faith and trust in the Lord. I can actually know there is something big and important and not have to worry about it because I know I´ve done my part and I know I can count on the Lord to do His, He always does. It´s been kinda weird for me learning that because I thought I must have been doing something wrong or not understanding something right if I didn´t feel stressed out of my mind, but really it just takes hard work and trust in the Lord and that´s a lot easier and more effective than stressing about things out of my control. And as far as humility goes I´ve always struggled with pride, but there´s a part in my patriarchal blessing that I´ve found to be quite true and it´s about finding myself in deeper and deeper depths of humility. I could probably go on for a while about humility because it's kinda my theme currently. Well I love you and I hope you have a wonderful week in the nice hot sun. It´s been pretty cold down here and it´s a different kind of cold, but I´ve actually grown to really enjoy the cold so it´s all good. I'm loving it down here and having the time of my life. I received a letter today from the youth in the ward which was pretty awesome. It helped me remember why I came out here. This work is real, and it´s real awesome.
con amor,
Elder Zachary J. Hulsey
P.S. Presidente McMullin is coming in next week and I´m pumped to get to meet him. Word on the Street is that we´ll be having a big mission meeting to welcome him in, should be pretty awesome!
P.P.S Just some pictures I haven´t sent home yet.
