6.19.12 Obregon

Hey,

  

This is E. Mooney´s last week. It´s scary to think of how fast it´s going by. I know that every missionary says this, but I want it to end, but I don´t. It´s annoying. It hurts. But I can say one thing for sure--I want summer to end NOW. And it hasn´t even really started yet.

 

Pictures.

 

Here´s something to gross you out.

 

Here´s a guy that´s from Elk Grove. E. Marsh. Awesome guy. He started out in Huatabampo, and when I went to Esperanza to interview one of his investigators, we were talking the whole time about the city. Now that the bad memories of not having electricity, food, or a washing machine have faded away, I miss the place. Well, I miss the people more than the place, but it´s still cool. He´s a great missionary, and loves every single one of his investigators. He also speaks Spanish perfectly. The gift of tongues is definitely real.

 

I found Jimi Hendrix in the Jardines area. We were busy going on splits this week for interviews. Awesome.

Pte. and Hna. Velez in their last Zone Leader Council. Hna. Velez cried a lot. She loves the missionaries like her own sons, even if she is SUPER strict with each and every one. Except for when we had our last zone conference here in Obregón. She broke down completely when we sang "Called to Serve" as the closing hymn, with everyone on their feet. She then proceeded to give everyone a hug, saying "I don´t care if the rules say I can´t hug you, I will never see some of you again." She´ll be missed.

 

Anyway, the week was good. The highlight was seeing a convert from Huatabampo. The young woman that we baptized lives in Obregón for college during the week, and we were able to go pay a quick visit. Someone from the branch in Huatabampo gave her a triple and she´s becoming involved in the YSA activities here in Obregón. She knows she made the right decision when she was baptized. She knows it and she feels it.

 

Throughout the course of my mission, I´ve thought about the people I´ve helped. Even if I don´t baptize the most, I at least know that many of my converts have stayed. They´re ok. They have a testimony. They´re active. Not all of them, which hurts, but I know that I´ve done my part.

 

I am so grateful for this mission.

 

I just wish that I was grateful for the heat as well. But I´m not.

 

Adios

 

Elder Humbert

6.12.12 -- Obregon

Hey,

 

The reason why I´m writing today is because we had a meeting with Pte. Velez yesterday, his last meeting in Obregon. So P-Day is today. More on that later, if my time doesn´t run out.

 

I love hearing mission stories. And hearing about Nick and all the other youth is GREAT. That is so cool. Hahaha awesome

 

I´ve stopped to analyze the many ways that the mission has changed me. Little moments like that one with Scott have normally been the ways that it has happened. I love the mission. I am so grateful for it. But at the same time, I HATE the heat and humidity soooo much. But I´ll end up missing it at some point as well. Which sounds so dumb to me right now in the moment.

 

We went to Concilio this last week. Pte. let E. Mooney drive both his cars to and from the offices and mission home. He was stoked, even if he´s ashamed to say that he has now officially driven a mini-van.

 

The elders that are leaving with Pte. all testified.

 

E. Beeston was first. He´ll be remembered for his singing voice, irrepressible cheerfulness, the wonders that he worked in every single one of his areas, and for the fact that in almost every single place he´s been in, women have almost assaulted him for having blue eyes and being so handsome.

 

E. Dewey had more success in Cananea, one of the hardest areas in the mission, than some missionaries for the majority of their mission. And the family he helped be baptized are still going strong. He´ll be remembered for being so dang tall and allegedly speaking like Spanish like an Arab.

 

E. Sanchez (he has a Mexican last name, but he´s from Livermore) worked his heart out in Bacobampo as a Branch Pres. He never stopped working, no matter how much difficulties he had, and continued to convert people even if their circumstances did not permit them to be baptized. He´ll be finishing up in Hermosillo with E. Rivas (the guy I trained). I also loved his accent. The guy is hilarious

 

E. Mooney is known for turning the small town of Sonoyta into what it is now. He built houses, gave service, and did not care what any of his leaders told him about how he needed to change the way he worked if he knew the Spirit was telling him to do so. When he knows something is right, it does not matter what anyone else tells him, he will do it regardless. He knows more about the drug trade (he taught so many dealers up there on the border) than most policeman. He never complains and has never stopped working. He´ll be remembered for a lot of reasons.

 

We went with the youth that got baptized a few weeks ago. He wants to go on a mission. No time for details.

 

Our investigator that we testified to loves the BoM. Her favorite verse so far is 1 Nephi 3:7, even though no one told her about it.

 

 

Love you all,

 

Elder Humbert

6.4.12 -- Obregon

Hey,

 

Yeah, I have to write a little quickly right now. Sorry about that. Going to Hermosillo has its perks, but also it´s downsides. Although I might just be overeacting and thinking that I have less time than I really have.

has anyone eaten a chiltepin yet? (the little dried red peppers I sent home) I want to hear the reaction.

 

We went over to our convert´s house the other day and the little 8-year-old wanted to mess around with my nametag.

 

Also, this is called "guamuchi." It´s a weird fruit that doesn´t taste that good.

 

This past month, Pte. Velez has let me borrow some audio CDs that he has--they´re the recordings of the Seminary for New Mission Presidents, 2011. Unfortunately, they´re all in English, so what he´s been doing is lending them out and having the American missionaries write notes and translate them. I would tell you all the really cool things that I´ve learned, but let me settle right now for something short.

 

E. Nelson was at one point attending a stake conference, and the speaker was going over time a bit. The stake president started getting antsy, and asked E. Nelson if he should nudge his elbow to get him to end his talk. E. Nelson kept his eyes straight on the speaker and quietly replied, "It doesn´t matter whose lips are moving when the Spirit is speaking."

 

That quote sums up a lot of things about teaching. When we´ve taught lessons or Gospel Principles class (and priesthood class as well in Huatabampo), we normally don´t finish everything that´s in the manual. It´s not so much about what we have to teach, just what the people learn. I´m positive that students will remember a class where they learned one principle through the Spirit than 10 principles through a person. That´s a lesson you have to learn pretty quick after getting to the mission--it´s one of the first things they teach you in the MTC. So I´ve known about that for a while, but with the time in the mission and that quote by E. Nelson, that knowledge becomes reaffirmed a lot more.

 

We were doing that this week in a lesson. We were just teaching one of the first principles that we teach (God is our loving Heavenly Father), which normally just consists of that saying that phrase, since most Mexicans normally already know that (it´s very rare to meet an atheist here--we normally only have to teach about the nature of the Godhead). But we just felt that it was necessary to testify of that principle. We were teaching a young woman with a member there accompanying us, and we just simply testified, "You are a daughter of God. He knows you better than you know yourself, and even though you have never seen Him, He is always there." I don´t remember the exact words, but I felt the Spirit testify to her as well as to us. It´s nice to just have your own testimony confirmed again and again, even with the most simple truths of the Gospel. She understood and felt it as well. Awesome.

 

One question--has Brother (or should I say Bishop? I don´t know what I should officialy say) Newey ever heard of E. Mooney´s family in Reno? Apparently they´re well known there, since E. Mooney, his father, and grandfather are all classic car lovers, and they´re always there in Hot August Nights.

 

And in response to Andre--thanks for writing, man. I enjoy reading about everything. Make a movie list for me when I get back. And thanks for making fun of Kyle for me, although I already know that you and Steve do it too much anyway. Tell Kyle to not come back with the Barcelona (or Barthelona) lisp. And tell Kellen that I´ll be praying for his Dad. I love you all

 

Oh, and as for my Spanish, does anyone know the best way to lose a gringo accent when speaking in Spanish? I´ve noticed that as long I´m not nervous when talking to people, I can say and understand almost anything I want, but my accent is horrible--or at least that´s what people tell me. Some tell me I speak like a Mexican and others say I speak like a white guy fresh out of the states. I´m just glad that I´ve been able to learn as much as I have though. I do NOT want to lose my Spanish when I get home.

 

Anyway, I´ve got to go.

 

Elder Humbert

And say hi to Sister McGlone for me--she wrote me as well. And tell her that since the heat kills so many plants here that allergies don´t exist. It´s bad, but good.