September 12

I changed areas, after 4 changes in ciudad Mante. I'm in Tantoyuka, Veracruz, which might be part of Big John Nuttal's mission, who knows? It's really beautiful here, with lots of hills and lots of hills. I left Mante at 10am and got to Tampico at 1;40sh pm and the next bus didnt leave til 3:20pm so I was with the financial secretary that is from Lehi and we ate McDonalds and left to Tantoyuka but didnt arrive until 6:40sh and had a few minutes to buy food and then go to a cita and ya, thats why I didn't write yesterday. Today we had the district meeting in the morning and we ate and went to the doctor because Elder Murga gave me his throat infection he had last week and I'm on some medications right now, but I'm good, I'm not too bad off.

I'm district leader again here, and guess who my companion is? Elder Ortega. I was stunned when they told me the changes on Saturday that after two changes I'm going back with him. Aint no mountain high enough that kept us from being apart, haha. But its cool, we got along really well and we already know each other really well and were both really excited for it. This is a rama here, it sounds pretty good.

I got the package, thanks alot. And the letters that I wrote almost a year ago in Victoria were never sent off so I just gave them to the Hna. Call a little while ago to send them off through the connection they have, and she must have sent them home with Elder Remund when he left, because hes from Missouri. I dont write letters, I don't quite find the time to do it. I loved my time in Mante, to tell the truth i felt like a King there, we owned Mante on our bikes, I knew hundreds of people there and saw some miracles and was part of alot there. in 4 changes we baptized more people in that time frame than all of last year put together. I have felt like I have become closer with our Saviour and alot better person and alot was due to experiences there in Mante. I know that God is preparing His children to come unto him, its his desire mas grande like it says in moises 1:39. The time is going by fast, Mante seems like it was a dream that already went away and I don't even have a day here and thats how it seems. We have a short time here in this life and not to much time to waste it doing things that dont tiene chiste. Alot of members and converts thanked me alot and said alot of cool things with changes in the ward and their life, it was really cool to know I was part of it.

The kids at home seem little and they shouldn't be in that stage of life of highschool they seem younger and younger every year, the highschoolers. That's awesome for them, they need to enjoy every moment of it cuz time flies and its too short to not be happy. Help others come unto Christ invite them, a small invitation isn't going to scare them or make them think less of you and tell the missionarie s you want to work with them and ask them how you can help.
I love you all and have a great week
Elder Hobbs

September 5

The baptisms went through really well, Ana and Monica could be baptized and the other companionship had another joven that was baptized as well. The service was really good and it was a happy and great day for them. The week was alright, we were really uptight about the baptisms for Sunday. I did divisions with elders in a branch about an hour outside of the city, it was alright. this week I'll do diviisions with the zone leaders, maybe Elder Goff before he goes home.

Thats awesome about the baptisms in WW3, like the first convert baptisms I've ever known about in the ward.
I havent got the package yet, Pres. Call comes up tomorow , maybe it will be there. Im eating good, I actually started getting fat a little while ago so im trying to loose it and doing push ups every morning and listening to Acts in spanish, the regular routine.
its week 6 and its my fourth change here, is really probable I wont be here next week, but I could do another change here in Mante, i really like it and i know there is alot of work here that God wants us to do.
Have a great week, love one another and read your scripures
love Elder Hobbs

August 29

We had an alright week this week, we found some new people and have two baptisms planned for next week, a mom and her daughter, the mom sometimes as little attitudes that remind me of my own mother and little kwirks and comments and attitudes that she has, this lady, Ana, has changed alot, we found her last change and in el principio she was kind of rough on us and never opened up to express anything, her daughter is 17 and has loved everything about the church and the book of mormon but the mom has been a litttle stubborn, theyve gone to church about 5 times and the mom finally started reading in the book of mormonr 3 weeks ago and doing her prayers and God has worked miracles with her softening her heart.
I did divisiones with the other missionaries in the ward, it was cool to see what they have going on and to show a few pointers, today im going to go out to do divisions with a companionship that lives outside the city in a branch. Elder Goff only has a few weeks now, its crazy to think i knew him about a year ago and hes already going home, the mission has gone by fast , im completing 14 months tomoro so theres only 10 left. its been pressuring me sometimes the idea but also helping me work even harder to think that the time is short and i got to get as much in as i can.
have a great week love you all
Elder Hobbs

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