Two Changes, Two Comps and A WHOLE BUNCH OF BLESSINGS!

hola!

Wahooo for Mexico Missions! I am so excited to hear about all the new missions but most especially about the ones in Mexico! And Happy Days for Nathan!!!! He will love Mexico! Tell him that he will be sleeping in a hammock his whole mission, and it is even more hot than my mission. The reason they sleep in the hammocks there is because it is super humid at all times. Right now, it is like 90 degrees here and someone here who served his mission there told me that this was the coldest it ever was there. ha ha that is crazy! Also, not to worry about the spanish, it will come in no time, if he is diligent and does his work for the Lord. In time, he will even find himself helping his comps to speak more properly.

All of us will be able to speak spanish at the family outings!!! Wow! I can't believe that Colton gets home in a couple of weeks! It seems so fast! And Katherine too!

I had only heard a little bit about the new missions cause my friend the old zone leader, told me that pres told them of like only five missions, so how about that?!! 58!!!

So far, we don't know anything about what parts may or may not be taken out of our mission. I will tell you when I know anything.

Darby finally wrote me and she hit up the temple and has about a month before she enters and is like I was; super excited and ready to get out there! :) She will do great!

This week, the zone leader, my best friend, got changed to be the assistant and the assistant got changed to be the new zone leader. It was pretty crazy and what not. President doesn't want people feeling like they haven't had success in the mish if they weren't like district leader, zone leader or assistant, so he is just picking random people who the spirit says to put them as assistants, usually they have been senior comp for a change or two and then ya, boom… assistant. I know that's not how your president did it parents but I know that all presidents do things different and has revelation for the best way for their mission to do things. I love pres. He is awesome!

This week we had a big crowd in sacrament meeting! I was super happy for all the people coming to church.

Wow!!!!! I literally just fist pumped ha ha MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!! Aunt Shelly going to church! I am so happy and I hope that she is doing it for herself and that she keeps going!

So, for the first six months I was like still up to date on everything cause all the movies were the same and what not but now, I have see posters for Taken 2?! and stuff like that. I feel super out of the loop ha ha I am truly getting lost in the work of the Lord! Which reminds me mom, when you send that package, if you haven't already, could you send me a copy of Jesus the Christ and The Miracle of Forgiveness and The Teachings of Joseph Smith, not the one we study in church, the other one? (you can also just put them in my birthday package) I reading Articles of Faith right now. I just want to be able to read them to help in the work.

It's gotten so hot here I have to sleep on top of everything with the fan on high and I am still sweating all night! It is like ninety today! I heard that in summer it gets up to 122 degrees! I will be roasted!

Oh, Elder Lopez wrote me and sent me pics so I did the same for him. I am seeing that he is like one of my best friends in the whole mission! I love him like my brother. It was way awesome that we could love the work and work hard together. He says to tell you guys hi, so hi for Elder Lopez. ha

In 2nd Nephi today I was reading about how we are supposed to be baptized and follow the example of Jesus Christ. Nephi tells us that if the Son of God, who was and is holy and perfect, needed to be baptized to complete all the commandments and to be completely obedient to his Father, what more need have we, imperfect beings need to be baptized, even by water, so that we can complete the will of the Father and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He then goes on to tell us what Jesus told him. Jesus says that if we are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, if we have made that covenant with Heavenly Father to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and then we reject him or say that there is no God, it would have been better for us to not know him at all. I personally would be scared to even think that there is no God after that message from our Savior. I encourage all of you to believe and if you lack faith, pray for faith and God will bless you with the ability to have more and more faith! I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Oh Mom, don't watch those coming home videos anymore. I cry thinking it is only a year away now. I feel really weird to say that I am almost just three months shy of a year. When I had my call, four and a half months was an eternity to wait, now it is just two changes, two comps, and a WHOLE BUNCH OF BLESSINGS! The Lord is truly changing me here!

On Wednesday our zone is going to the temple. We asked for permission and the president gave our zone permission. I am excited to go again.

I love you with all my heart and my soul. I know you are all great people! Have a great week and do what is right!

Love,
Elder Hancock

P.S. Mom this is for you…

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE!

I Am Not Superman, I Am A Man Of The Lord

hola hola hola!

We were going to go to breakfast with the other Elders today but they aren't at their house, so we came to write our letters instead.

I did not get transferred. I have at least six more weeks here and with this companion. I know this is where I am supposed to be and what I need to do. At first I was feeling a bit down in the dumps and feeling like I was worthless because I am not senior comp, then I prayed and I felt this voice telling me that, hey it's okay, in time it will be your turn, right now, you need to help him have his turn and the Mormon Message that D. Todd Christopherson gives that says, hey I am the farmer here, I know how I want you to grow, and in time you will thank me. It was in my mind the whole time, so I know there is a special plan for me. The Lord has allowed me to feel that I will have my time in the future.

Poppi, our President told us that the Ward Mission Leader is the one that holds the ward progression together, because he makes the missionaries work and the ward's work go smooth together, and we think that the Ward Mission Leader is one of the most important callings, only reserved for people who want to work. So, see now how important it is, because those missionaries don't know anything about the area, and he knows the people and what their stories are, so he has a lot of responsibility. In our eyes, as missionaries, if you have a good Ward Mission Leader, you have a great ward and vice versa. So, just be a good leader and how much more efficient their work will be.

Today, we are gonna have to sacrifice a letter for pics. How does that sound? I cannot do it all, I am not superman, I am only a man of the Lord. ha But, really it takes so long to send the pictures and I have promised for two weeks that I would send some, so I wanted to get them to you today.

Thanks for being such great parents! I love you with all that I am! :D Go to the temple and do great things! wahooo for the obra del Señor!

Enjoy the pictures!
Love, Elder Hancock

Baptism in Panuco of my friends.

8 of us in that little taxi

 

 

 

Tender Mercies

Well, hola hola hola!

This week was amazing! I have seen a lot of blessings from the Lord. Other than that, I am super glad to hear about people leaving on the mission and putting their papers in, with the news of those weddings, please get married in the temple! It is the key to being able to enter into the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom! Sooo this week was super awesome and I had a lot of insight and help from the spirit!

Some of the spiritual experiences were that; well, this week we were a little or a lot prideful, because last week pres was super happy with all our work and we got big heads sooo the Lord humbled us. We weren't having as much success, in the beginning of the week and it was super hard. Then we talked it out as a companionship, and we decided to change our ways and humble ourselves before the Lord. When we did this, immediately I saw the blessings flowing in again! It was amazing! I have never noticed the blessings of the Lord soo much and soo powerfully in my life before! I am super happy that the Lord will bless us, if we are obedient and humble, if we have love and are diligent.

I saw the Lord's hand in my life this week when we had a super awesome experience where I felt the prompting to tell this hermana that if she believed that Christ could help her, that we had the power and the authority and she had faith unshaken, then she could receive a blessing from us that would help her to stop having these urges to drink coffee in the mornings. It was a big promise and it took a lot of confidence in the Lord and the spirit to make it, but we gave the blessing. She asked if I could give it cause I was the one who made the promise with her. It was a tender mercy of the Lord to give that blessing; to see how and feel just a little bit of how much our Heavenly Father loves her. I could feel His love for her and how he wants her to do what is right. Anyways, she came to church this week and it was super awesome! We had 30 menos activos at the church this week! Fifteen for us and fifteen for the other area which has the zone leader in it.

This week we had interviews with pres! and guess what........ I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!! WWWWWWWWAHHHHHOOOOOOOO hahaha jk we all pass but pres was super happy when he was talking to me and I don't know why. I told him that Paul died and he felt bad for me. Then in the closing prayer he asked for a blessing to be upon me as a missionary who is doing all he can with his whole might, and for my family who is mourning at this time that they may know that Paul is growing and doing what he needs to do. It was super awesome!

Soo there were rumors after the interviews that people were going to receive kids in the mission. I saw that the Lord has changed my heart, He has helped me to go from jealousy and asking myself, why don't I get a kid, or a chance to have one, to thinking, well good for you, the Lord wants you in that position, please train them good; the people here need the help of strong missionaries! It was super cool to see that the Lord has helped this ole heart of mine to be softened! :D But, later that night I heard that I might get a kid also, sooo I am a little scared but I am glad that Heavenly Father can trust me with that responsibility, if I do get one.  I know that it would be what I need in the mission to help me grow!

Mom, I am sorry that I didn't send pictures like I promised I would last week when I wrote, but we went to the beach as a zone today and I forgot my cord and came straight here after. I am putting it in my agenda that next week I need to send some when I write! Also, remember that changes are next week so I may write late or on Tuesday, if I am going to another area or getting a new companion. I don't know what will happen, I could move, get a new comp or stay just as we are now, whatever happens, the mission goes on but I just wanted you to know so you don't worry.

I just realized today, that I have a year and a week since I received my call and a little over a year in the temple. Wow!  I love the pics you all send me! A lot of the Elders miss their families more when they have pics of them, I feel the opposite, I love the pics because it is like a motivation; you guys are saying to me, you can do it!

Have a great week and I love you with all that I have, thank you for raising me right, and having patience with me, I am seeing everyday more and more how grateful I am for you guys!

I love you all and hope you have a great day!!!!!!!!! Go to the temple and do what you need to!

Love, your good ole son,
Elder Hancock!

Obedience Brings Blessings

I am sorry this is out late, as many of you know and probably many who don't, I lost my brother this past week and it's been a rough week and a half for me, otherwise I would have had it out sooner. Thanks for bearing with me when it's late like this.
Mimi

Hola,

First off, mom, are you okay? I just read your letter about Uncle Paul. I am surely sorry for all that, I pray for you everyday so I hope that you had help in your hour of need. Keep going to the temple, it will always help. I have decided not to talk more about this cause it will just make you remember it and be sad. If I am funny and uplifting, you don't have to think about it right now. ha ha

Soooooo Here's a HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG FROM YOUR FAVORITE SON!!!!!!!!!

It was a tough week, but just because we are opening a new area. I wasn't stressed until we tried to visit people and all of the addresses they gave us were old and they did not want to hear us. We have been trying really hard to bring the menos actives to Church right now, before teaching investigators. We are helping as much as we can. But, really it is going great, our numbers for week one, were some of the best in the zone, so that was pretty cool to see.

My comp and I are becoming good friends. President said that it is his first time as a senior comp and I am supposed to help him by being his support system and what not. I am happy helping him.
President said that I have strong bones, he was saying that I have all the right tools I need for the mission. I just need to keep figuring out how to use them in the best ways, not just the correct ways, the best ways.He said "you have strong bones, as they say", and I was thinking, I have never heard that one ever in my life, pres. ha ha I told him that he is like my dad in the field and he humbly said that he wasn't and I told him that he takes the time to talk to me and teach me like my dad and he was happy with that. ha.

Our house doesn't have power so we are going to try to fix that problem later today. My comp is not too happy about it but I just can't help but laugh. It's hilarious for me. It just an adventure. Oh gosh, I am loving the mission. It's great! :D

Something that should put a smile on your face and make you laugh. We got eight missionaries in a taxi today! It looked like a clown car. It was one that was a super small one.

If this letter is short, I am sorry. I am also taking a questionnaire from Preach My Gospel for the mission today, while I write your letter and President's letter.

Oh, I was happy to hear about Mirella. The day of transfers, I talked to the hermanas serving there, and they told me how she and everyone was doing there, sooo I was super super happy!!! :D

Oh gosh, that's cool that Ephraim has an ice skating rink now. ahhhh I went ice skating here in Tampico for a Zone Activity and it was super awesome. They only had the rink for like a week or two. It was legit. :D

Something spiritual that I have seen and lived, in this area and in this time in my life. It is an absolute truth that obedience is the key to receiving any blessing, we learn of this in the Doctrine and Covenants, that when ever we receive any blessing it is predicated upon the law of obedience that we receive that blessing. I have been trying this week to be not only obedient, not just strictly obedient, but humbly obedient. I testify to all of you that if we are humbly obedient, then the Lord has the right of way, to work miracles through us. We must be humble to be vessels that the Lord wants to use. If we put ourselves aside and just do what the Lord wants us to do, miracles happen every time. I bare my testimony of this, I know that it is true! I know that I have seen miracles from the Lord and that He has helped us here in the new area, opening it! I love this gospel and I find more and more love for it everyday! I share this invitation to try this out this week, be humbly obedient, you will see miracles. As a representative of Christ, I share this in His name, Amen.

Okay, I am leaving now. I love you with all my heart!!!!!!!! Have a superb week and do all that you need to do. Keep up the amazing work!
Hasta la proxima semana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! les amo mucho! hagan todo lo que dios quiere que hagan!

Love Elder Hancock