Thursday, May 24, 2012

More Idaho Letters: Week 4 & 5. Goodbye Boise!


Week 4

Hola fam-bam and close friends and fam :) hope this finds everyone well and enjoying starting school and such lol. I am so good and loving the mission :) Best news of this past week... I GOT MY VISA!! I will probably be leaving around September 4th... right after the transfer ends. Just 2 weeks away! WOW! Its just crazy.
 
First off, so these pics are of our apartment :) we just cleaned today haha. And Jeff's baptism :) and me at the Consulate and my Visa. And then we went and played tennis today and Elder Nelson and I played singles for like 2 hours. We played Utah vs BYU hahahaha. We love that pic ;) hahha. He wanted me to warn you that he just had the shirt, he doenst like UTah. He wanted me to make sure the fam didnt hate him ;) hahaha. But dont worry.... i won lol. It was close... but BYU came out the winner ;) hahahaha.
 
First off, mail wont come to us until like... this Thursday... cuz the mission office is closed till then. Boo! But hopefully Ill get a lot when it opens so send stuff :) haha. So send lots of stuff lol. Ill start with some housekeeping stuff.
 
Mom, Im doing great on shirts, garments, toiletries, and stuff. I will be all prepared for Mexico. I never changed my Wells Fargo information so thats weird. I was a little worried cuz I want to Wells Fargo to check the other day how much was on my card, and it was low. But then I got your Dear Elder saying dont worry about it. So i wont lol. Just warning though, I will need money this week and next for groceries, cuz I used my mission card for the bike. But I should be able to sell the bike back.... and get some money back. So thats exciting! And I will need money for Mexico... obviously haha. Also, question. Should I get cash out here before I leave like at a bank and at the bank exchange some of it into Pesos?? Let me know if I should do that and if I should Ill do that next Monday. I wont do it till i hear back though haha. So maybe find out if I should do that. Thanks :) And how much cash should I have when I leave?
 
For the last package... I love pictures and just some little snacks maybe :) idk exactly what else.... just whatever you want I guess :) should I send back my first sim Card yet from my camera?
 
Well the family sounds great. Loved austins pics!! My comps and I loved looking at them. So legit and it looks like he is having a blast at BYU. Cant wait for us to be back there together after our missions :) Mom and Dad you look so good :) love your hair Mom, looks like you havent dyed it at all. And Dad looks great... loving his smile as usual ;) hahahhaa. Looks like you're doing well with just 3 kids. So excited for the big change next year too!!! Is that Spencer?? HOLY COW!! Ripped much?!?!?! hahaha. Now im really just the lame skinny one ;) hhahaha. CHiste! JK. But seriously kinda lol. And Madi... you look so cute ;) Im sure you're just rocking 8th grade and having a blast being the top dog. You look so cute :) and Parker you are so cute too! Im sure football is just a blast for everyone :)
 
Yea Mom! I have gotten so much mail this week. Amazing long letters from Taryn, Cass, and Hayley, as well as Hannah and Ashley and a couple other friends from BYU and Zella :) and of course the fam and others. Its been great! And yea!! hayley sent me a tape recorder with an awesome message! Im excited to send it back! Gotta do that lol. We've been so busy!!! But I am working on writing back. Its a lot harder in the field... but dont worry... I will :)
 
Can't belive Alex is in the MTC and Nige leaves in 2 days!!!! :) So excited for both of them :)
 
So, now about me :) first off, I would like everyone to go on to LDS.org and watch Staying within the Lines by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland :) its a mormon message on the youth section. AMAZING! Watch it for FHE and just talk about it. THe message is bold and so spiritual, and I am in love with it. It makes me so grateful that I always stayed morally and spiritually clean in preparation for serving a mission, because you have to be. Elder Holland and the music and images invite the Spirit amazingly in this amazing video.... So I cant wait till you all watch it :)
 
So this week was great! We had an awesome baptism Saturday with Jeff Row. I understand you Mom have been emailing Sister Hoffman (Jeffs best friends Mom) about it. She and her family are awesome and Jeff is so cool. The baptism went great and I was able to play the piano and bear my testimony. I spoke of how I didnt know the purpose of me serving in BOise, and why the Lord was sending me up here, but working with Jeff I know part of the reason was to help him come unto CHrist and take the steps to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost so that he can one day return to live with our Heavenly Father and also serve a mission :) and his confirmation on Sunday was an amazing experience. The SPirit was so strong, and then after we went to lunch at the Hoffmans and had a blast. Sister Hoffman said she was going to be emailing you Mom about it, so keep an eye out for that hahaha. So my first baptism that I taught from start to finish in Boise is done :)
 
So, we have about 12 progressing investigators, 4 of which are a family of 5. The Wookwicks are an amazing family :) their son Dakota was just baptized 2 weeks ago, hes 15, and he got the whole family to take the discussions. THey are ON FIRE!! So spiritual, they have been prepared so much to just recieve the lessons. It has been a pleasure to go over and teach them. We have another lesson with them tonight, and will be baptizing them hopefully in like 2 weeks! Thatd be awesome if it was right before I left! But well see. I love them so much and the Spirit is SO STRONG in every single one of our lessons.
 
Fynny story haha. So the other night Elder McDonald had to go with the Zone Leader cuz he was sick, so it was Elder Nelson and I, which was a blast :) so fun! But we were riding our bikes and we passed by a lady and stopped and started talking with her. She was like 60's but very fit, and nice. She was just chatting with us, and we were like well if you ever need anything just let us know! She was like oh how about a date haha. And we all kinda laughed and Elder Nelson was like well actually we do have a singles ward. And the lady (60 mind you!!!) she got all serious and looked at Elder Nelson and was like "No... I mean a date with you." Serious, straight face. I ABOUT DIED LAUGHING INSIDE!!!! Absolutely hilarious..... super super awkward... so we got out of there pretty dang fast hahahhaha. Elder Nelson was just like talk with me Elder Hoyt as we were riding away.... and I just laughed even harder hahahhaa. It was great. so funny! Hilarious things are always happening.
 
But the Lord also always puts us in the right situations. Just the other day we passed by the Stake Patriarchs house and he and his wife had just prayed for some help to move a couch when we pulled up! And last night we were just riding past apartments and this guy called out to us to come over. So.... we walked up to where him and like 6 of his friends were all smoking and drinking. Super nervous.... we were like whats up? He wanted to talk... so we sat out on the grass and talked. It was a rough crowd there, but this guy Gabriel was serious. He was an awesome guy, just in an awful situation. He thought he was going to teach us something, but the Spirit turned out to teach him way more than he thought. His friends were jerks, and by the end were like throwing stuff at him. We walked off with him, and he just started crying. We saw in just the 45 minutes sitting there with him the Spirit change him, and we pray he was affected for good. He doesnt live in our area... but hopefully we will see him again.
 
We have so much work to do and are always sooooo busy! The work is great though, the time flies by, and we have a blast :) Elder Nelson and I and Elder McDonald all get along great! I love them both, and Elder Nelson will hopefully be at BYU when we get back so we will hang out there :)
 
But yea, the work is going so well. I am sooooo excited to be in Mexico! And have so much to learn, spanish and from the Spirit :) but Im super excited to work. Well, this has been a long one, and I gotta get going, but I love you all so much :) love all the letters that I have been getting!! Keep that up :) I love hearing about how everything is going. I am not homesick at all... I obviously just miss everyone so much but I really am loving my mission :) and its just going to keep getting better!
 
I love you all so much!!! Mom, Dad, Austin, Spencer, Madi, and Parker and everyone else :) I pray for you all nightly. Love you all!
Elder Hoyt, Seth :)
 
 
Week 5
Oh my goodness... just one week till I will be in Mexico!! AHHHH! haha. Hola fam-bam!! I love you all, and think of you often, but love hearing how all of you are doing :) I have so much for this email... but first I gotta send you some emails Mom to add to the list :) these are of my MTC teachers and branch presidency members! So sorry to all of them that these are just coming in haha. So jpatino23@gmail.com ; jennyleighelsey@gmail.com ;vonjolley@comcast.net ; mansfuield.vicki@gmail.com ; llisonbee@gmail.com ; Thanks so much! Please add those to the list :)
 
So, just some housekeeping stuff first. haha... So mom... my ATM Wells Fargo card got canceled this last week cuz it got to low at some point, so i am reordering a new one :) no worries! I just went to use it this morning and couldnt haha. So I called and find out that was why lol. But I have money in there, so this week I will have cash and pesos out and ready for mexico next week :) no worries Mom! i was just like whats going on lol. haha. Thanks for keeping money in there, always make sure I have at least some lol. I'll get both my bags under 50 for sure. I have quite a few errands to do this week, so i will be working at getting all of those done. Sorry i seem to have gone money this month, its cuz my mission card here was confusing cuz I was a visa waiter. But I will be not spending money once I get to Mexico! Im learning to be thrifty ;) haha. A much needed quality that I am learning ;) sure you'll be happy about that parents. Thanks sooooo much for the package!! loved the pictures and the food and the supplies :) thank you so much! Im so excited for you all to move into the house in November!!! It looks absolutely gorgeous :) Cant wait to see pics when its all decorated and stuff Mom! I know youll have a blast doing that :) and thanks so much Dad for the email! I love the emails that you send, you can send it just like that every week. Once I get to Mexico itll be a lot of emails lol. Work sounds great and Im glad you are all staying so busy :)
 
So, talking about my flight plans for next week! President Cannon showed me just this last week what I will be doing. I dont have it in writing yet, but I saw the email that he had received. So I should have those plans in writing very soon! But I leave next Monday at 8 in the morning! We will be getting to the airport super early so I will be able to call then :) then I board and leave at 8 and fly to LA International :) I should have a layover there I think, but Ill let you know, and then Ill fly to Mexico City. I am alone for this leg of the trip, but in Mexico City I am meeting up with at least 2 other Elders going out to Merida :) So I will have a layover in Mexico City where I can call hopefully :) then Ill fly to Merida!!!! Should be about 10 or so hours of flying.... or maybe a little less lol. With 3 oppurtunities to talk on the phone and let you know how Im doing. So make sure the whole fam has their phones on them that day :) Ill email one more time this week before I leave, probably Saturday, and make sure that that is good :)
 
Ok!!! Finally get to the work that Ive been doing lol. I loved hearing from Hermanas Jenkins, Stewart, and Adair. Wow... what an amazing testimony by Sister Adair. I can only say Amen. That is why we are out, that is why I am out. I am growing closer to my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost daily. I love being able to read the scriptures daily and really ponder them and I pray sooooo much. All the time. I have so much to improve on, but dont we all? that is all part of life. learning and progressing in what we need to do here on this Earth to make it back to live with our Heavenly Father.
 
So this week has been pretty crazy! First off, Elder Nelson got a new companion on Thursday. His name is Elder Masiva and he was just transferred over from a different area. We split the areas again so I am back with Elder Mcdonald in our 3 wards. But we still all live together so that is good :) we all love each other and have a blast in our big companionship study and all learning from each other and chatting. Our area is doing so well! Except for our bike problems. Seems like every other day we have a flat or something. I have decided I officially hate bikes!! I am SO GRATEFUL my mission is all walking. I love walking. it is so much easier to walk and talk with people. Seriously.... cant wait!
 
So.... we have the Woodwicks baptism this weekend :) some background on them. A family from New Orleans who has been in Boise for about a year. Their 15 year old son just got baptized after being introduced byu some friends, and the family got interested through him :) we started teaching them 2 weeks ago.... and the whole family is getting baptized this Saturday!!!!!! :) Their is Jett and Tabitha Woodwick, a couple in their 40's and their 2 daughters Hailey and Schylar, all getting baptized. And.... they asked Elder McDonald and i to baptize them!!!! So... when I leave for Mexico I will have 5 baptisms :) and be able to actually do 2 of them. And I think Ill be confirming them. We are super close with their family and cant wait for them all to be baptized :) I KNOW the Lord sent me to Boise for a purpose. Part of that purpose was the Woodwicks. They want to keep in contact with us and Ill be giving you their emails to keep them updated when I get them :) but that will be awesome!
 
Also, we were tracting the other day in an apartment complex and randomly came across this guy from Iraq. We had a bad hour of tracting, a couple slammed doors and a guy answered his door naked to me. hahahaha. Super Awkie!!! lol. But right when we were about to call it quits, I chose a last door. Abdul answered the door :) about 60 and from Iraq... he let us right in and went on and on about how the Church helped his son here in America and how he loves the Church and how jesus Christ has helped him in his life. He just had open heart surgery, and has only been in the US for 1 month. His english is good, and he is recovering for 2 months from the surgery. So... he said he cant wait to come to church and he wants to learn more about the Church :) AMAZING! The spirit was so strong and he felt it and asked what he was feeling. We got to testify of the Spirit and how the Spirit works. We cant wait to go back on Tuesday :)
 
There is also an elderly couple we have been doing service for named the Dullmeyers. Jack and Eileen both grew up in new York City and are incredibly smart and amazing people. Last night we visited with them and talked about the Church for about an hour and they are just the best. They are both quite older, and jack is going through pancreatic cancer and the corresponding treatments. But we really hope to influence them towards baptism. But right now we are just their friends :) my companions all make fun of me cuz I just LOVE talking with elderly people. I love hearing their stories and what they have done in their lives. It makes me think of Big Grandma Eunice and how amazing she is :) SO... let her know how much I love her and I am thinking of her often!!!! :) she is an amazing example to me!
 
Well, we have a super busy last week ahead of us. We have so many appointments and things to do in preparation for leaving. Im so pumped and it will go so fast! Also.... on my facebook Mom... please go on and confirm the Hoffmans friend requests :) they want to see my pictures lol.
 
I have really been working on recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost and learning how he speaks specifically with me. I also am pondering my relationship with Christ and what he has done specifically for me. There is so much to think about.... but it is amazing. The other day I was doing language study out on our Balcony. I was just thinking about Mexico and how excited I was, and just the other night I had prayed to help me feel and recognize my Saviors love for me. I was sitting there and just felt an overwhelming sense of the Spirit, just felt so good about myself and Mexico and being on a mission :) I know that feeeling was from the Spirit and from my Savior Jesus Christ. I strive to do those things daily to have the Spirit with me so that I can powerfully and boldly proclaim the message of the Restoration. And Im so excited to learn how to do it all in Spanish :) haha.
 
Thanks so much for all the letters and emails and packages this week! Hayley sent a package and you the fam did :) so thanks! Love you all! I will talk to you all sometime this next week and then call a week from today!!!! I love you all so much and think of you daily. :) Ill also send a couple pics from just this morning!
 
With all my love, con amor,
Elder Hoyt :)




2 comments:

  1. Hi, I am trying to figure out how to write a message.

    I love you, grama

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think it worked!! I just LOVE the letters that are forwarded..... Thanks to mom!!
    The pictures are wonderful, keeping the distance as short ad possible! Your testimony is amazing and has helped me. It is so fantastic. I got to sew some items last night at my ward's Relief Society's function for dolls to be donated to a hospital. The time shared as sisters is a treasure.
    I love you and am so thankful for your letters.... Thank you and also glad you look so well and happy!!


    Live, grama

    ReplyDelete