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

New Companion, New lessons

Haden got his new companion this week.  He seems to be happier with it than he expected.  Either way, he is doing the smart thing and looking at the positive and learning what he can from each new experience.

Also this week he finally sent some new pictures.  There aren't very many, but better than nothing.

Finally, I want to encourage all of you who read this blog to send Haden a handwritten note for Christmas.  He gets a lot of emails and comments every week, but I think it would be cool if he got a bunch of Christmas cards in the mail for Christmas.  It's his first away from home, so every little bit would help.  Doesn't have to be a novel, but just a short note to let him know you are thinking about him will do a lot to boost his spirits.  His address can be found on the Contact Info page.  Be sure to put enough postage and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks again for all your support. 

Below is the letter......

It Was a Week of Miracles

It was a week full of miracles for Elder Hoots.  He has been working very hard on being the best missionary he can be and after all the positive things he had happen to him last week, the good times keep coming. 

One of the stories in this letter is in his words "intense."  Amazing experience that he'll never forget.

Read on to hear about all the good things that are happening and don't forget to send him a quick email or leave a quick comment to him.  Even though he can't reply to all of them, he really appreciates it and it helps keep him going.

Week on the DL Leads to a Stronger Testimony

We got this week's letter from Haden and it is a long one.  He's been on the DL all week so he's had some time to reflect and he spilled his guts here.  It's a pretty powerful letter.  I tried to put as many links as possible in there for things that are easy to look up.  If you have any other questions about any of it, please let me know.  Or you can always go to Mormon.org and they do a very good job of clearing things up.

Also, after a 2 week absence we finally have more pictures!  The Picture page has been updated, so check them out. 
Read the letter below.....

Just another good week in the mission field

This week brings us a little longer letter and once again more pics.  As always, you can check those out on the Picture page.  Check them out.

Read Haden's letter below...

BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!

My bad this week.  I haven't had time to post Haden's letter, so it is a few day's late.  I'm sorry to all those loyal followers that have been waiting for it. 

He also sent more pictures this week again!  Check them out on the Picture page.

Monday was Haden's birthday (20 years old!!!), I forwarded him all the wishes that people posted on his facebook page and as you will be able to read below, he really appreciated them.  I know that every little bit of encouragement helps him get through the tough times.  I also told him about all of those that gave him gifts,

I know that in a lot of Haden's letters he is using words that those who are not members of our church may not be familiar with.  In each post, I try to make those words links.  The link will take you to a site that can give you some background on what that means to our church.  So click away and you'll see what he's talking about.  As always, if you have questions, let me know.

Below is his letter....