Exchanges and Learning Patience (1 Fast Sunday left, 28 days left...mom is counting)

This week flew by because we had an exchange with the assistants to
the president on Tuesday and then one on Saturday with some elders in
the zone. I love exchanges to be able to learn so much from other
missionaries and this week I got to go with some great ones. The first
exchange Elder Seegmiller came to my area and we had a really great
day. It didn't go as planned but I feel that we were very led by the
spirit to do what the wanted us to accomplish that day. We found a
recent convert that stopped coming to church basically right after he
got baptized and it was a great lesson. I felt the spirit work through
me as I was impressed to ask certain questions and then had no clue
what scripture I wanted to share but opened it right to a scripture
that answered his question. It was really amazing. Elder Seegmiller
doesn't speak Spanish so I felt bad that I had to teach the whole
lesson but he said it was amazing to sit there and watch the change in
him from the beginning to the end of the lesson. I learned a lot from
Elder Seegmiller about diligence. He diligently does everything that
he can and then the Lord makes up the rest. Luckily we had some
lessons in English at night and it was great to see his knowledge as
he taught.

The second exchange I brought Elder Encinas to my area and it was a
blast. He is a newer missionary and has a lot of greenie fire. We were
both just really excited and tried to teach everyone we could. We
ended up teaching the whole day and it was really good but really
exhausting. At the end of the exchange he told me I reminded him of
his bishop from back at home and said he felt like he had just gone on
an exchange with him all day. Haha I didn't really know what to say to
that. Also that morning we felt an earthquake and it woke us up. The
whole room was just swaying for about 10 long seconds and it woke me
up but I was too tired to do anything so I just laid there. Haha

As far as learning patience this week, I'm still waiting for it...
This week a lot of random things happened that I wasn't really sure
why. Then to top it off, yesterday Adolfo, who was supposed to be
baptized this week, text us after church saying that he think this
church isn't for him and he feels like it was a sign from God telling
him to go to his Christian church that he used to go to a few years
ago. He won't answer our calls or respond to us so we are very worried
about him. On the other hand, Salvador is going to be baptized this
weekend and loved church. Every lesson when we ask him if he has
questions he always asks us if we can teach him more. I'm really
excited for him! :) He even fasted with us and the ward this week for
missionary opportunities. It was really cool.

I'm still trying to learn everything that Heavenly Father wants me
to from the many experiences that have tried my patience this week but
I'm being really humbled as I just take a step back and ask him what
I'm supposed to learn. I know that the adversity that we have in this
life is part of our test to see if we will put our faith in our
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and trust that they will shape us
into who we need to be. As we completely submit our will to Theirs we
can know that everything will work out for the best and that
eventually we will have great blessings because of our adversity. Just
as we learn in D&C 58:2–4

"He that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is
greater in the kingdom of heaven. Ye cannot behold with your natural
eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those
things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow
after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings.
Sometimes we receive the blessings during our trials and sometime not
until much after. But I know if we trust in the Lord and our Heavenly
Fathers perfect plan then they will always come. Trust that we have
loving Heavenly Father with a perfect plan. Trust that all that seems
unfair in this life will be made right through the Atonement of Jesus
Christ. I love you all and I know that this is Christ's true church on
the earth.

Love,
Elder Hyde

Ward Conference & the Spirit

Aldo our former ward mission leader

Zone at the temple

I feel the best when I feel the spirit. This weekend I felt
amazing. The spirit was so strong almost all weekend and it gave me a
huge boost going into my last transfer. This weekend we found out that
my last transfer I will be staying here with Elder Cottle in the YSA!
I was really happy to receive that news! I would have gone wherever
the Lord needed me to go, but I'm really glad he needs me right here.
I love this Ward so much and I feel like part of their family. The
past four and a half months here have flown by but I'm glad I get to
stay here for another 6 weeks.

Since I just wrote on Thursday I don't have too much to say but I
did want to tell you about the amazing Ward conference this weekend.
It started on Thursday night with a trip to the temple and prepared
the jovenes spiritually for the next few days of service, dancing,
tacos, movies, more dancing, and then ended with an amazing church
block with the stake presidency. Presidente Villegas, our stake
president is a very inspired man and ever time I her him speak I feel
like he tells me exactly what the Lord would tell me if He was there.
We were really excited to get our investigators there but Adolfo was
out of town, Leo wasn't home in the morning when we went to wake him
up, and the others all had their excuses. But we had really good
success getting recent converts there. Sergio and Alfredo came and
passed the sacrament which was a really cool experience to see them
both in a white shirt and tie passing the sacrament. They have
completely changed! :) Brandon came and loved almost every minute of
it. He even fasted on his own so that he could be spiritually prepared
to be interviewed for a temple recommend and that made me so happy.
Early that week we promised him a change a heart if he read a chapter
a day from king Benjamin's discourse and so he did so and because we
promised it user the spirit it came true. He is changing a ton.
We also had the privilege of eating with the Pablo family
yesterday. They told us their conversion story while we ate their
delicious food and it was incredible. Long story short the son of the
family went to the city and and told the missionaries they should come
teach him family who lived in the middle of nowhere and so they had to
make a few hour trip to get to their house and then spent all day
there the first day teaching them the gospel. They then had to take a
3 hour drive to church on Sunday's to be able to attend. They got
baptized and then moved here. Since then three kids have served
missions and they are preparing to be sealed in the temple. It's a
really amazing story and the spirit was so strong in their house it
was amazing.

Today at transfer meeting we had to say goodbye to so many amazing
missionaries. About 30 missionaries from the mission leave tomorrow
and it was a great meeting to hear their testimonies and then we heard
a musical number that words won't do justice to describe. She sang
Joseph Smith's first prayer with a piano and cello in the background
and it was absolutely beautiful. I don't think anybody could have been
in that chapel and not felt the spirit. The restoration is the most
glorious thing. Joseph Smith did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
They appeared to him to begin the restoration of Christ's church to
the earth once more. What a glorious experience and blessing we have
to know that for ourselves. I know that it happened because I have
received a confirmation from the Holy Ghost to my heart and mind that
it did. Prayer is essential in conversion and just as Joseph smith
received an answer to his humble prayer we can and will receive
answers to ours. Have a wonderful week and I will tell you how
Adolfo's baptism goes this Saturday next week when I email!

Love,
Elder Hyde

Temple, MLC, and Adolfo

The past week and a half have been super packed! I will try and
share as much as I can but I woke up at 5:00am today to go to the
temple so I just fell asleep for a few minutes in accident. Plus we
have a lesson in a few minutes before zone activity so I will try and
share what I can. :)

Today was an amazing trip to the temple and I really needed it. Our
previous wars mission leader named Aldo came with us and it was really
cool to learn some cool things from him while we were there. He is a
really spiritual man that has studied a lot of doctrine. The thing I
loved the most was the spirit. It is so strong inside the Lord's house
and one of my greatest goals is to make my home feel similar to
walking into the temple, where the spirit is just always present. I
can't wait to be able to go more often than once every three months,
even though I am really grateful that I do get to go as a missionary
because that is a great blessing.

We had MLC (mission leadership council) this week with president
Taggart and then we got to take the training that we received to the
zone and it went really well. We focused on commitments and how we can
more clearly and powerfully extend our commitment invitations. The
most important this is the the spirit it there and we bring the spirit
by testifying and promising blessings. Then we just have to follow up
with them daily and make sure they do what they said they would. :)
that's the part most of our investigators struggle with, actually
doing what they say they will.

Last time I wrote I told you about a guy named Adolfo who sent us a
text telling us that he was ready to meet with us. Well he was right
about that. He is going to be baptized on July 18th and he is so
prepared. About a month ago he was doing a school report on the church
because his girlfriend is a member and it met the requirements for his
paper. So he met once with elder pace and another elder when we were
on exchanges and so that's why we didn't recognize who he was when he
text us. But basically ever since that initial contact the spirit has
been stirring in his heart that he needed to find us again. He told us
he feels like it wasn't a coincidence and that God guided him to us.
He told us that he feels like the reason he met his girlfriend was to
find us so he could join Christ's true church's. He is amazing! He
went to a fireside on Sunday night after church and a lady told him
something that really stuck out to him and is his new motto. "If it
isn't eternal, than don't worry about it." He is really looking for
true happiness and so he has changed his whole life to try and achieve
that. With every commandment or lesson we teach him he always thanks
Heavenly Father for providing him a way to more happiness. He teaches
me so much in lessons. When someone has such a desire to learn and
find the truth it is amazing how strong the spirit is in lessons.
Anyways, I'm really excited for him!

Sergio, Alfredo, and Brandon are all planning to do baptisms in the
temple for the first time this weekend and I'm really excited for all
of them. Especially Brandon who is fighting through some really tough
addictions to be able to be clean to enter.
The gospel is true! Jesus Christ is our Savior and this is His
work. It doesn't feel real that my last transfer is starting on Monday
but I pray that I can do everything that the Lord needs me to do here
before I leave.

Love you all!!!
Elder Hyde