Travel Plans!

Hola familia!

Oh man what an awesome week. It's been pretty hard but also pretty great. For some reason I can't really remember at all what happened, but hopefully something comes to mind soon. So I guess first off I got fired as district leader last Saturday. I guess they like to change district leaders every 3 weeks but I guess they kept me in a little longer. It's kind of weird not being in the leadership position anymore, oh well. So the big news of this week is that I received my travel plans this morning! I'm scheduled to leave October 8. I fly from Salt Lake to Dallas/Ft. Worth then to Buenos Aires Argentina then to Asuncion Paraguay! All in all I think it's a little over 20 hours of traveling! (The biggest flight is a 12 hour flight from Dallas to Argenitina). So I can call home as many times as I want from all of the Airports and for as long as I want (There are no rules about calling home from airports). I'll probably try to call home from SLC. Then I have some time to call home during my first layover, so I'll probably try then too. Then I've got about a 2 hour wait in Argentina that I can probably call home, then I think they'll have me call home from Paraguay to let you know I made it. This might be too much calling home. Write me and let me know what you think would be best. Also in order to call home I need a calling card. They sell them here but I don't know how many minutes they have on them, so if you send me a package this week be sure to send some of those calling cards. Also please don't send any food in this package, there is no way I'll be able to do anything with it if it comes this week, but thanks for all of the packages you've sent! It's been really nice getting things from home, and the packages have been super thoughtful.

So Davis left this morning which is kind of a bummer because He and I had the same schedule pretty much, so I liked running and doing things with him at gym, but I only have a few more gym times left so it's good. I don't see Andrew very often, but he's gained 10 pounds! He's really worried about it, it's funny. I don't know if I've gained any weight because I don't remember how much I weighed before, but I've been weighing myself this week and I've weighed pretty much the exact same all week. I may have put on between 2-5 pounds since being here, but I feel like as soon as I breathe some of that South American air all of the weight will magically fall off. I saw Luke last night, he's such a happy guy. I was way excited to see him. So I get to see my old roommate Gibson a lot and I love it. He and I talk, he's got a good attitude. The more we talk the more we both feel like we kinda want to room together at Snow again for at least one semester after our missions. I'm not sure yet but I think that sounds pretty fun. Also I realized last night while talking with a member of the Branch Presidency, he's a radiologist, that I might want to do something in the med-field. A lot of the people that I've meet here that I really respect do something in the med-field (like my teacher Hno. Lee). A lot of them have given us anatomy lessons and related them to the Gospel and I'm so fascinated by it, but we'll see how I feel later. I'm not making any decisions now.

Well this week has been pretty much the same as the rest. I did really finally take to heart what they mean when they say the way to get out of a slump is to work. I was thinking that as I worked in class and things and I thought that's what it was talking about, but I think it's talking about going the extra mile. It's when you start sacrificing your personal time to study a little more and serve a little more that the Savior's sacrifice can start working in you. It's pretty tough because our time is one of the only things that we have control over, but when we make the sacrifice to give it to the Lord, He blesses us so much. I have been so happy doing this during this week. My Spanish has improved and I have had the spirit more. It's hard to figure out when to do it but if you plan out how you're going to use all of your time during the day then it's easy to see how you could study the Scriptures for 10 minutes here or there. I think so much time is wasted when we don't have a plan on how we're going to use it so we have to think of things on the spot. Just some food for thought for you guys.

I love you guys so much! I miss you but I know I'm in the right spot. It's kinda hard to focus on being here when I know that by this time in 2 weeks I'll have been in Paraguay for a few days already, CRAZY! But I still have so much to do and learn here that I'm going to try and finish strong! Have a great week and keep being righteous. Also I don't think I will be sending home an email next Friday because I have in field orientation, but I will probably send one home Saturday.

Con Amor,

Elder Hulsey

P.S. Please do not come visit me at the airport and make sure no one else does. I'll call home so there is no need to come visit me.

A whole week already‏

Email received September 21, 2012

Hola familia, como esta

I can´t really type that great because the computer is in dutch right now and it´s having a very hard time switching back to English for some reason, so sorry about all of the weird characters! So first off I cant beleve how fast this week went by, it seems like I was literally just barely typing an email and now I´m doing it again, so sorry if this one is a little boring. But man this week was pretty much AWESOME! I was way stoked to hear that all of my cousins are getting some nice exposure to Spanish. Boo with his new comp and area then Sam giong on splits with the Spanish missionaries and Jeff with his dreams! This is awesome (so yes I am getting the letters forwarded from dearelder, thank you so much, keep it up!) So my Spanish has improved big time this week I´m pretty sure. We´ve been speaking sooooo much Spanish and it´s been so helpful. I even used subjunctive the other day without even thinking about it (and I think I even used it right!) And dad I loved when you sent me a letter that said "ojala" that is literaly my favorite thing to say in Spanish, I don't really know why. So as far as my visa and things go, I went to the travel office and they didn't know anythig. But I think I'm getting my travel plans this week! Then I'll know if it's come through! I can't wait to get to Paraguay! The MTC has treated me very well and I love it, but I can't wait to go apply everything I've learned en el campo. Also everyone complains about the food here but I like it. There are so many options so I can always find something to eat. Although my stomach has not been in a great place lately, but it's nothing bad at all.

 

The choir is so great! We get to sing in it as long as we're here! (But we are not singing in General Conference). I really like the song that we sang last week. It was a really cool rendition of Precious Savior Dear Redeemer, I loved it. Also we don't have this choir this Sunday because we get to see the Brigham City temple dedication! Tuesday devotional was so dang awesome! I believe the guys name was Elder Kaulliker from the 70. I honestly don't remember very much of what he said, but I recieved so much great personal revelation! Also we had a district devotional review with a member of the Branch presidency (brother pickering) and it was great. I always learn so much and feel so pumped and inspired after those. We sing called to serve every tuesday for the opening hymn, it's pretty awesome, I get choked up a lot during the hymns. They bring the Spirit so strong because they're simple testimonies of amazing truths.

So turns out big Jake Loitz is in my building, sleeps right under me! He has the weirdest district. Nobody is speaking the same language or going to the same place, I really don't get it. But I also see mrs. Jones a lot. It's nice seeing familiar faces. Yesterday I ran into brother Webb again. I love seeing him. He always gives me hug and makes me feel happy. He's a really great guy. Speaking of hugs I gave Jake Loitz a hug when I first saw him here.

Two things this week that really helped me spiritually. The first one is that I realized that I have been Way too uptight about things (big surprise right). So I was praying for help and I got some. Then I asked my teacher about the balance of not becoming a robot missionary but still being 100% obedient. He got really emotional and the whole district had a really good talk about this. Basically we can't do anything on our own, and it's only through the atonement that we'll ever be able to do anything. I was studying how Mosiah 3:19 and Ether 12:27 work together and my teacher brought up these same scriptures to help me. They're awesome (also use d&c 45:3-5). The other thing is I realized I really have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. My whole life I've always wanted a testimony of it, but I can't honestly say I had one. I never doubted that it was true but I just never really knew. But I used faith and for years I read it faithfully, I think I've read it through cover to cover probably 4 or 5 times, but I never knew. But now is the very hour that I need to know it, and I do! I know more surely than I really know anything that the book of mormon is true. I love reading it so much. It makes me so happy and it's so simple yet profound. I love that book more than any other book and I'm so grateful for all of the sacrafices that went into it. During the Sunday fireside that showed us the opening clip to the Book of Mormon musical on broadway and it literally made me sick. It was so disrespectful to the book and to all of the lives that went into getting us this book. Their point in showing us this was to show us all that the church did to make it a positive thing for us, it was actually pretty cool. It was a really awesome fireside. The book of mormon is true and Jesus Christ lives, I know this so strongly. I love you guys so much, have a wonderful week!

Con Amor,

Elder Hulsey