It's Letter Time!

Pues, hola familia!!!!

We aren't having district meeting today, because of changes. Our Zone Leader, Elder Bolon, is going to Tampico tomorrow to pick up his new companion who is american, and I am going to speak nothing but spanish to the poor guy because I know the blessings of only speaking spanish. It is a huge help to learn the language when you get here. This is why I am writing later and also because I had to go get another haircut today.

Yes, we did have a baptism this week! In fact, we had two! I loved it! My comp baptized them both, but I got to confirm one of them! That was a little scary because I don't quite know a whole lot of spanish for the blessings yet, but it all went well!

This week was kind of crazy because of the baptisms and because this week is cambios. I am here for six more weeks with Elder Lopez, so I hope all goes well and that we can reach the goals we have planned for. We planned for four baptisms this cambio and we want to have like six or more if the Lord will help us get all of them.

I love your drawing of the blessing in the hospital poppi and I love all that you are all doing! Tell the whole family that I love them and I will always be happy to hear from them! I am excited that you did a whole phone call in Spanish, poppi. I can't translate as good now because, I have forgotten some English words. haha

Sooo, about Ty, I am super happy for him and I know that it will bless his life more than he will ever know. I have seen so many blessings and so many changes in my heart everyday that I am in the mission field and I have had spiritual experiences that I never would have had before the mission here; things that I am glad I am doing, that I have seen are helping me to become the man that God wants me to be! I pray everyday that I will be open to the changes in my heart, that the spirit wants me to have and that Heavenly Father wants me to have. 

I don't have a lot of time, so please write and tell Ty, that I love him and that this is the best decision he has ever made in his entire life! Follow the spirit in all that you do and it will all be okay!

Also, tell Ben congratulations and I am glad he is getting married in the temple.

I want to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Poppi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was going to write it last week but I forgot ahhhh.

How was the temple dedication? I did not get to see it.

I feel like I should write more about the week and what not. So, this week was great. Me and my companion are doing great and we are going to work harder than any other missionary this week cause we watched a video on repentance. In this video it had a talk from Jeffery R. Holland. He speaks about how, when we are tired, want to give up, think that all hope is lost and we can't do anymore, think of what Christ did in our lives. He never gave up, sat down, etc. What he did then, and what he did with the children in the Americas, is, that he was the perfect example of how we can live our lives and he knelt down and prayed, not for himself. He prayed for the people. I'm not saying that praying for yourself is bad, I'm just saying that it is pretty awesome to pray for others too.

I love to see the progression in the family also. ohhh tell Alex that I hope she has a great week and does cool stuff with that crocodile dna and whatnot.

I love you all and hope you do the right thing in everything you do. Smile and be happy. Be amazing. Get better poppi, I pray for you everyday. Keep doing what the Lord would want you to do; do the work of salvation or in Spanish, la obra de salvation.  :D

Love, Elder Hancock!

Yay! It's LETTER DAY again!

Hola, 

This week we have had some major trials of our faith as missionaries. We haven't had any baptisms yet but the miracle is what I am going to tell you; but first, I hope that you are getting better poppi, and loving every minute of life. I pray every single night that you and the family will be able to have the opportunities to serve our Heavenly Father and when I read what you write I feel like the prayers are answered every single night!   

At times I find myself thinking about after my mission, and I think how in the heck am I going to be a great parent like you guys have been to me? Then, I read my patriarchal blessing; I have read it a lot on my mission. I think about the promises that are made to me in there and I can see part of the blessing coming to pass already. It says that I will have challenges that will perplex me and these are the challenges that everyone in this world has to overcome. I see every day that I am having to overcome the challenges of life, to put aside the natural man; what I want to do, and to think to myself, what is the Lord's way in this situation. Also, I have been studying a lot about Christ in my study time. I used to not like that the Book of Mormon said the exact same things as the Bible, but now I can see that it is because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Also, that the people in the Americas needed to have the same teachings of Christ as all of His other sheep. In my blessing it says that I will come to a knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ completely and fully. I can see that I am learning about the gospel of Christ more and more everyday and how it affects my life! I hope that I can come to a full knowledge of his gospel. That is my ultimate dream. I can also see that on the mission (and this week) I am changing; not physically, but mentally, to where I don't really think about what I need when we are out walking and I start to think about; what does this investigator need? Or how are we going to help this person go to church and feel the spirit?

We have two investigators who are really miracles! One, her dad has some problems with the church that we found out about like Monday and we have been praying all week for her and for our investigator that was supposed to get baptized two weeks ago. This week on Sunday we found out that her dad will allow her to get baptized and her baptism is on Friday at seven. The other, was in church when they announced the baptism for her and asked my comp why they didn't announce her name; she wanted to be baptized also! It was a day of miracles!!!!!!!!! We have been praying for three baptisms this change and Sunday night we noticed that one of our investigators has already been taught everything and she has been interviewed and this week she told us that she wanted to be baptized. We truly had the Lord test our faith until the end and He tested us because we can only grow when we truly trust and have faith in the Lord!

I have noticed in the photos that daddy has a lot more of a sincere smile after the accident, because he is truly grateful for the things that the Lord has blessed him with, like family and the gospel in his life. I think of this as a huge blessing in my life. I am loving that daddy is trying to write spanish to me ha ha and es te qierro no qierre hah you said that you love yourself with that one hah but it was ok, I understood. Tell Kent that I understood all that was in his letter and paper, it is just a little slow for me to speak with those concepts ha ha Tell Alex that I love her and she should take a picture of the crocodile stuff. 

I have lost a lot of weight so I am scared as to if I will gain it back now, because my appetite is back up and I am eating a lot. A lot of the food here is healthier and I am walking a lot too, so that is good . I don't know if I will be writing from Huejutla or not next week because this is the last week in the change, and I don't know if I am going to be changed or not yet. I will make sure I write no matter what and let you know. 

I am excited to hear of those preparing to serve missions. My advice is to prepare by reading your Bible and Book of Mormon a lot and knowing how the Book of Mormon can testify of the Bible. All that the people have is the Bible and know nothing of the Book of Mormon, so you need to be able to let them know how the Book of Mormon testifies of the Bible. Both are true, both are needed.

I hope you have an amazing week and I love you all. Do great things this week. Oh, would you write my cousin in Mexico and tell him that I love him. I don't know why that is important, but do it. :D 

Love life and serve the Lord with all thine heart, might, mind and strength and He will do the rest.

Love, ELDER DAKOTAH HANCOCK

News from Mexico, it's LETTER day!

Hola, 

Well, it is that time of the week again!!!! AHHH YEAH!!! THE CROWDS GO WILD! haha 

This week it was way busy and super super crazy! On p-day last week we got a text saying that I needed to go to Tampico at 6:10 in the morning. So we bought my ticket. Up until this point I thought that my companion was joking with me and I didn't really need to go to Tampico! ha ha but I went and Elder Martinez needed to go tambien. When we got there it was for our visa stuff. So, the first day, my pictures for the visa weren't correct so after that I was informed that I had a training in Tampico the next day also, so they were just going to keep me there over night, and try to get the visa worked out the next day. It seems like God wanted me there for that long because the next day my visa didn't work again and this time for some reason the lady couldn't do the paper work and the pics were bad again, so I was informed after that, that iI was going to be there for another day. By this time I had started to miss my old area and started to think that Tampico was my new area. The third day everything finally worked out and I finally got home like at six thirty or seven in the night… ahh sooo that was a crazy week right there. 

I was able to change my money while in Tampico and pick up a couple of shoulder bags to take the place of my one that broke. I got ones sort of like I got while we were on vacation last year. 

While with the other elders in the offices I saw the blessings of having a companion that doesn't speak english.  As we were talking with the other elders in the offices and what not it was all in spanish and I was one of the only new ones to be able to keep up with the conversational spanish and the others would only talk when it was about the lessons and what not like that. The moral of the story is, that I saw the blessings of my companion and how much I have grown. I am thankful for my companion and we are getting on the same page as one another. wahoo! 

We didn't have our baptism this week, we are praying really hard for everyone, so we can possibly have three baptisms this change!

Tell everyone I am doing very great and I appreciate all the prayers and support that everyone gives me. I can feel the power of your prayers everyday. Remember to give someone else a smile today. :D 

aha I love all of you and I hope that you have an amazing week and do always follow los susurros del espiritu santo!

Love, Elder Dakotah Hancock

This is me in front of the Tampico Temple. 

Letter Day from Mexico!

**Thank you for all your support and prayers. We got to email back and forth for a bit today, since we were on when his email came, and so I have added in some of that to his letter. He is learning and figuring out how best to do the work. He is experiencing lots of neat things, as well as some not so neat, but he is growing from every experience he has. He is maturing, as a person and he is continually humbling himself before the Lord, and finding answers to any problems he has come up against. It's so rewarding for me, as a mother, to see him growing and learning and developing a deep desire to serve the people even more fully than he thought possible. The Lord hears and answers prayers, even the little prayers of a new missionary struggling to find his place in the work or even just to be able to become accustomed to the different foods he's being fed. Dakotah is feeling the prayers sent his way and he is thankful for them. He loves being a missionary and he loves serving the Lord.
Mimi




Hola,

I am feeling a lot better and the praying is working because the food is a lot better this week than before. One thing I thought about was, what would mother do if people weren't eating her food? That seemed to kick my stomach into gear and the food is pretty great now! One meal that almost made me sick last week; I have had twice this week already, and it has not made me sick. This week it was really hot and there was no rain, I missed it! haha
I can't send any pictures this week. We are in Central because I had to get a haircut and so we are emailing from here and this computer doesn't let me send out pictures.

Tell Kent, that I can see why he is jealous that I am here and he isn't. ha ha but tell him after the mission I want to come and visit, so I've been thinking and he shall come tambien. I am happy for Kent in school, tambien Alex.  Ohh there is a missionary who is in love with Alex and he only has till december left haha. He is one of my best friends in the field. Has Ty Dudley gotten his call yet? Make sure to let me know.

Poppi, the language is coming along pretty well, all of the people are astonished when I say that I only have a month in Mexico and they all think that I spoke it before the mission. I have to reassure them that I did not, and it is only thru the gifts that the Lord has blessed me with, that I can understand and what not. I understand what is being said but sometimes I have troubles with what to say back to them.

Anyway, I was having a bit of a hard time and then I just started to think, my mission is supposed to be fun and something that I will remember for the rest of my life; I need to stop being a baby and only thinking about me. I need to force myself to have fun in EVERY situation and that will help me to love my mission. Well, it is working and I have seen a difference.

I try, everyday, to act like good ole Elder Calhoun, and make the work fun for me, personally, but most of all, for others! I try to enjoy every day and to always have a smile on my face and to act like I did back home, being fun loving in all things.

I have been reading and studying as hard as I possibly can and I had felt like my companion was being kind of mean to me, but then I realized that in my studies I need to search for things that can help my investigators, and with my companion, I need to be the bigger man, take any tone that he may use, that feels mean, with a grain of salt and just love him for who he is. I have learned a lot from him and I am not mad at him in any way. He may get transferred this change, and I may get another trainer to finish up my training because they might need him to train a new batch of missionaries coming in; there are like twenty coming in. The president wants the more experienced trainers to be the ones helping the newest missionaries. If he does leave, I will be sad but it's what the Lord wants so I will be okay. I am thankful for my mission and I can see the blessings in my life.

We have a baptism this week and I am super excited because it is my first baptism!!!!!! :D

My week has been exciting! I got to go to a town called Panacaxtlan last week and I forgot to tell you about it; the people there are amazing and I love them with all my heart! I love to teach them too. They all understand spanish but most only speak a language called nahuatl and it isn´t even close to spanish. The reason I got to go both times [I went again this week] was because my companion is the district leader and he has to interview people for baptism there. As missionaries, we are not allowed there without special permission because the non members there do not like the missionaries and they have even done some pretty serious scary mean things that I wont tell you, so you don't get worried. But, to go, we have to have the stake president with us and it is usually two companionships and a couple of the councilors of the stake president also. It is a way fun experience and I love them a lot!!!

I hope you all have an amazing week and I hope you do what is right and what the Lord wants!  I love you and can´t wait to hear from you ohhh and I'm not sick anymore ha

Love, Elder Dakotah Hancock