August 22

This was a trying week. We had some great things that happened and some not so great. We put baptismal dates with two investigators that have gone to church a few times. We had a conference this week in Valles and we were gone about all day, we got up at 430 and didnt get home til 430 in the afternoon. Pres. Call talked alot about planning and the importance thereof and its like what dad wrote me about planning on the computer makes it easier and it goes faster, thats like a good planning session if you can plan good, it should go better.

We are still on the bikes, I'm going to have to buy a new tire because I've about worn it out and the tube got a hole in it, were pretty extreme with the bikes. I helped my comp write on his helmet a while back in english, ´´Im not scared of the bikes, the bikes are scared of me. Hot Wheels lead the Way´´ Elder Remund went home to St. Louis and will start in BYU at school here in the next while, its weird imagining he is in his house, Igave him the address to the house and told him to visit you
all when he gets a chance. Well this week will be better I'm going to start divisions this week with the district or maybe next week. love you all have a great week
Elder Hobbs

August 15

´´Que te parece, (estoy) fine fine fine, very good very good very good.´´ thats a song that just about everyone knows, and when people ask me how I am I tell them that with the same mexican accent that the singers of that song say and the people get a kick out of it. I'm feeling extremly well and doing so as well. This week I got to go into Tampico for a capicitation Wednesday and Thursday to learn how to be a better teacher, we were in the classroom with Pres. and Hna. Call from 10 am to 5pm every day and in the night working with other misioneros. I felt like I was in the mtc all over again learning learning learning, it was fun. The traveling there wasn't, but it was good, I have alot of things I can do better.
There's promise that was made to Elder Ballard when we was a mission president by a 70s that if every missionary made 10 contacts a day, to get their direction and teach them later and apart from knocking doors, that the baptismal numbers would duplicate in 6 months or something like that so Pres. Call started that about a month ago or more, but no one has takin it serious but recently he has pushed it alot and the first of this week we decided it was time to put the hammer down and give it heck and we started off good, and then I went to Tampico and the numbers went down a little but we decided Saturday night that we had to at least achieve 100 contacts for this week so we had to do 34 on Sunday and we got in 35 and I feel like that may have been a turning point in the mission to help us realize that if we commit to something and put our faith in the Lord, everything is posible. There are so many children of Our Father that are waiting for us, we have to be the ones that go out and do it because members of the church are scared to talk to people about the church. They don't fulfill all of their responsibilities, even though D&C 60:2-3 clearly says that even what you have will be taken away if you are not more faithfull in opening your mouth, so we, as Elders of the House of Israel have to do it. And I love it I really feel strongly that if we do our part everyday, that the results will come to what Pres. Call has in vision, to have a baptismal service every week.
This week we have Zone Conference in the city Valles and thats where Elder Bante is as the Zone leader so we´ll see if I get the package or other mail. have a great week, I loved hearing about the dead calf and the fair, hahaha it would be so typical. I love you all, do you part in the Lords vineyard, be loving and smile, and if not, you really have no hope in this life :)
Elder Hobbs

Aug. 8th

.... the next changes wont be until 12th of September, so I'm going to last more time here in Mante, I came here the end of March, the time has gone by fast, but yet sometimes its seems long ago...and there aren't too many sister missinaries in the mission, maybe ten, but they keep the sisters in safe places, or more safe places and Mante is not included on the list of safe places for the sisters, people always ask us here if there are girl missionaries because they've never seem them, because they dont get sent here amongst the Gadianton Robbers. But i love this place, I've loved being here and seeing the progression of investigators and converts.. God is a God of Miracles and He wants His childeren to follow the gospel and asks us, members of the church, to be the ones to help them out. Thats awesome for the work going on at home, you all dont realize the greatness of what is happening with those families to help them know the gospel and go to church, its opening the pathway for alot more individuals to find the truth as well, maybe their family members in Mexico next or the ones in Utah but the fact of the matter is when we complete the links, theres always another to be completed until all have had the opportunity to recieve the gospel and have had a baptism. its Gods Will and it will be done, but the sooner one can figure it out and participate in the Work, the more blessings one will recieve and more faster will get done the work. May God bless you all to understand the importance of sharing the Gospel and help you keep on keepin on.
Elder Hobbs

August 1st

Let me tell ya that it was a week here in Mante. Its been fun, I love it here, I could live here in Mante I think. The thought has crossed my mind a lot , I could live in Mexico, I think Iwould like to find a job that allows me to live here but make money and doesn’t involve drugs and actuallly today we went to another weddin of investigators of the other companionship of the golden reference I found for them that will be baptised next week. It’s a miracle that God is working with His children, if you don’t believe in things like that its because you don’t know the Gospel of Christ or you don’t’ have faith like it says in Mormon 9. I sent some pictures.... the first day we started using bikes and it rained on us and we came home extremely wet and dirty, but then a strange thing happened, it started raining every day and we came home everyday wet and dirty.... then when I had my bike in the shop once, they borrowed me a bike that I used for a day, its an old timers bike and I really liked it and I felt very classy and would ride it with the posture as if I were and English Man, I enjoyed riding it..... pictures from the baptism of Gilberto, the boyfriend of Karem, and Luis, Karems brother and I were demonstrating ´´the double´´ baptising the two at the same time.... the other picture is Luis and Chikis, Chikis is 15 and is down syndrome and showed up at the baptism with his football helmet on and took pictures with it and doing the John Cena hand wave, and I still hold the belt as John Cena here in Mante, even though i have lost weight and about half my muscle stature. Chikis is Luis and Karem´s brother and He is my favorite friend I think, I love going to their house and talking to him, he´s extremely out of hand, but its getting to the point that he does what I tell him to do more than his own family, sometimes, I love Chikis, he´s got a sweet spirit. When we show up at their house he always yells and I thumb wrestle and arm wrestle him and he always wants to go at it until he wins but even when I don’t let him beat me he yells that he wins and puts his arms in the air histerically like it was the world championship .......... The other picture is from the talent show night that we sang the four of us in the ward combining various hymns and putting it into one, and this picture was when I was doing a hillbilly stomp dance in the song, there was a part where we sang part of put your shoulder to the wheel and I about knocked my companions over when I put my shoulder knocking them down, maybe I got a little excited being on stage.... and the other pictures are my of my ingrown toenail that i got cut open on Thursday, the doctor is a specialist, but i felt like he got a little happy cutting and about cut the the knuckle of my toe digging the toenail out and then cutting out the root of the toenail and stitching it back up, it bled for two days and he said that is normal, that it bleeds lot with the procedure he does, hey put me on an antibiotic and hes going to take the stitches out on Wednesday and he says its looking good, He’s checked it a few times afterwords and right now it actually isn’t bothering me extremely like in the begging. I’ve been walking and riding the bike with one shoe on my left foot and a sandal on the right because i cant put it in my shoe yet. but im expecting to be back to normal pretty soon, it hasn’t kept me back too much from working. so last year before the mision it was one side of my left foot big toe that was operated on and this year, the both sides of my right big toe. crazy.
I’m staying here in Mante again for the next change with Elder Murga still, I´ll be district leader for this change, Elder Remund goes home like the 20th of Agosto, to go to BYU again. I don’t know if I wrote it last week, but I think a huge principle I’ve learned in the mission is that it is impossible to be truly happy without following the Gospel or being obedient to what God asks of us, impossible.
Well have a great week, read your scriptures every day put God before the TV and he´ll bless you all more
love you all
Elder Hobbs