New Area, New Companion, New Baptisms

After a few week hiatus, Elder Jaramillo is back with a letter.  As of this week he only has two more months to go.  He will be home before we know it.

Check out the letter to hear about how he feels about coming home and his new area!  The map on the right of the page is updated so you can see where he is now.

Elder Hoots Update

Although Elder Jaramillo hasn't had a lot of time to write a letter to everyone over the past couple weeks he has been checking in with his family.

I exchange personal emails with him every week and the one thing that I can tell you is that he is very happy.  He loves the area he is in and he loves the people that he gets to teach every week.  His lack of letters is not because he is having a hard time, but the complete opposite.  He is having such a good time that he gets so busy and hardly has any computer time.

We appreciate you continuing to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and appreciate all the support everyone has given him.  I hope to have an updated letter directly from the man himself next week and maybe even some pictures.

Tobin

Busy Busy Busy

Elder Hoots has been busy.  No letters for everyone and mostly just short little letters for his family.  He's been busy enjoying the little free time that he has in Mexico, which is a good thing.

He found some spare time to write a little letter last week and here it is for your viewing pleasure. 

Thank you to everyone that reached out to him on his birthday.  I know it meant a lot to him and it did to us his family.

One Year Down....One to Go

As you all know this past weekend was Mother's Day, aside from celebrating our wonderful mothers, it holds a different significance for families with missionaries.  It is 1 of 2 days a year (Christmas is the other) in which we get to actually talk on the phone with them.  So this past Sunday we got to talk to Elder Hoots.  The time was short (50 minutes), but it was good to hear his voice. 

He sounds grown up, he sounds mature, and he can't speak English very well.  Haha.  There was more than one time when he couldn't think of how to say a sentence in English, or he would just be talking along and all of a sudden a sentence was in Spanish and he didn't even realize it.  Despite all of this though, he is still the same kid.  One little thing would set him off into a typical Hoots reaction.  As my dad put it "You don't have to dig very deep to get Hoots."  We all enjoyed the short time we had talking to him and begin the countdown to Christmas when we get to talk to him next.

Hoots also moved areas this week.  The area he is not as nice as the ones he's been in so far, and presents new challenges.  He says they hear gunshots every day, but that it's no big deal.  And because they are the two guys walking around in white shirts and ties, they are pseudo-celebrities in the area.  But nobody messes with them because they know that the missionaries are there to help.  The map on the side has been updated with his new location (Iztapalapa) and his mailing address (on the Contact Page) will remain the same.

Aside from getting to talk to him this weekend, May 11 marked his official 1 year mark in the mission field.  Which means he is half-way done.

He also wanted me to tell everyone thank you for all the support, letter, packages, etc.  They help more than you know and keep him going.  He always plans on thanking you all in every letter, but his time gets short and he just forgets.

Read his letter below.....

Adios Area #2

Haden is at it again with a new letter this week.  This is his parting shot from his second area.  Next week, he'll move to his new area and have new experiences.  He will leave behind his area better than how he found it and I think you can tell from his letter that he is proud of the work he put in.

We are proud of the work that he has put in and that he continues to work hard as his one year mark approaches. 

As soon as I get his exact new location I'll post a new map and some information about it. 

Read his letter below

Happy April!

A little late, but worth the wait.  Sorry I've been slacking lately.  This is Haden's letter from April 2.  I'll post two more letters this week and we should be all caught up!  Hang in there.

Hoots seems to be turning a corner as he quickly approaches his 1 year mark on his mission.  He's been working hard in the area that everyone told him was impossible when he started and the results are piling in.  Check out the stories below.

Elder Hoots Checks In

After no letter last week, we get a short letter this week.  The computer time is limited on his p-day so he tries to get us a letter whenever he can. 

Things are looking up for Elder Hoots.  He has a companion he likes and he's doing well in the area he's in.  Keep praying and sending love, it helps keep him going.

Check out his letter below....

The Letter Hiatus is OVER

After a few week hiatus, Elder Hoots is back with a letter.  His new area has presented a few challenges, one of which is internet time on his p-day, so he has missed a few weeks.  But he is working hard and making us proud.

His address has been updated on the Contact Info page and you can start sending him packages and letters again. 

Thank you to all of you for your support.

New Area....New Experiences

Short letter this week.  He didn't have much time because he had to use his p-day to get settled in to his new digs. 

His new area has been updated on the map to the right.  You can click on the map to check out his new area.  His area extends all the way to Lopez Portillo (just north of the point on the map).

For now, I'm going to take the address off the contact info page because I have not confirmed that it is still the correct address to send things to. 

Thanks for  all your support.

Below is the letter......

Missionary Christmas Letter

My apologies.  For the second time in a row I have posted the letter quite late.  This letter was actually sent the day after Christmas, but as is the case for many of you, things have been crazy since then.  So I'm getting to it now. 
A new letter will be coming this Monday and we will get back in to a normal schedule.

He has also sent a picture of him waiting by the phone on Christmas.  This drama is why we call him "Hollywood"....

If you are planning on sending him anything in the mail, wait until I have updated the contact info.  Because he has moved areas he will likely have a different mailing address.

Below is this week's letter.