Interviews with the President, Cookies and Flour Sand Castle August 24 2009

Hey my family,
This week was really good we had a good fun week. Well it was all good until Saturday, the baptism fell thru again. This time few members showed up but also we couldn’t get into the closet where the clothes were. The good thing is that she is still excited to get baptized, she came to church yesterday. The only thing is this week, I am going to do all I can to get members there. I am a little tired that they are not coming. Well we had interviews and president sends his saludos or hellos. They were very good interviews and I felt really good afterwards.

One thing fun that we did this week is we made a list of all the people that we wanted to contact. Like 2 pregnant women or 3 baldies, stuff like that to make it a little more fun to contact people. It worked really well.

We had a really good FHE this week, we had a thing of flour and made it like a little sand castle and put a ten cent piece on top. And we took a knife and started cutting it. And well the thing is that we imagined the flour as our foundation and us as the 10 cents. And eventually as satin (knife) cuts our foundation deep and we fall. Then we did another but didn’t take away the top and it had a picture of Christ on it and we taught that when we are built upon Christ rock we are saved and satin has no power. It was really good. I hope you can imagine what I was explaining.
Tuesday we had district meeting and it went alright we mostly talked about our investigators and what their problems or difficulties are and we all tried to help solve their problems. I also bought cookies for everyone to get them excited. I think it worked because most had higher numbers this week. Or maybe it was because pres burned us all.

We had some good laughs this week including one lady didn’t want to let us in her house because she thought we were going to steal something. You can see in what kind of world we live in. A lot of things happen here, so really you can’t trust anyone.
Hey what does your tattoo look like if you had a choice you should have got CTR tattooed there. Ha ha. ( Elder Hyde's mom is having radiation for a tumor in her lung. I have a small dot as a tattoo)

Sorry if this letter is not to great. I have a lot of things running thru my head right now and I think I will just go to sleep all day.
Well all here is well and I am enjoying my time and I LOVE YOU ALL TONS. LOVE ELER HYDE

I WILL MAKE MY STUMBLING BLOCKS BECOME MY STEPPING STONES, TO KEEP GROWING August 17, 2009

Hey sorry for the delay. Today we left early to go to the center of Lima to take pictures of the different buildings and churches and stuff. We also climbed a really tall steep mountain that has a cross at the top, I was so glad when we finally climbed in a car. It was a great day. We ate for lunch papa johns pizza.

Our week, well it started out really well with my first district meeting and my first training that I gave to my district. I think it turned out pretty good. We then did a few practices. Well it just happened to be that the assistants showed up for a surprise visit. Elder Rich and Elder Santiago, I talked to E Rich a little, it was great to see him again.

This week I did a work visit with one of the elders in my district (Elder Hill) and it turned out alright and we had a lot of fun, that day I cursed myself, I told him I hope we don’t eat fish. Guess what we ate for dinner, FISH. Well Elder hill is from Oregon but lived in Clearfield Utah for a while.

This week we climbed a lot of hills in our area we basically went to the top of all of them that we have. There are like 4 or 5. We did a lot of contacted this week because the appointments that we had fell thru. It seemed like the higher we went the more humble the people were. It’s a little different from the states usually there the people higher are richer.

We had a few challenges this weekend, we had a baptism planned and she passed her interview and everything, come Saturday, (by the way it was horrible for us; few lessons, people that didn’t want to let us in) we show up to the church at 6 30 and get ready for the baptism and get our excitement up. And we waited until 7 when our baptism showed up ready to get baptized. But where was everyone else, we had told them throughout the week that there was a baptism and including that afternoon we stopped by a few to remind them. But come 7:45 only two sisters show up, we had no priesthood to help us so we called bishop and he said he was on his way. But by the time he came it was 8 and we had to be in the room so we asked Rosario if we could do it next week and luckily she was alright with it. So we announced it good in sacrament meeting.

Well come Sunday we also had a little bit of a bad day. Nobody that we needed to go to church went to church. So we were a little bummed. We even took a picture of us that looked like we were hanging ourselves with our ties :( Then we went home said a little prayer and started singing some hymns to get a spiritual boost, and really I know that our prayers were answered. We contacted a lot of people that had gone to church and that have heard from the Elders before but were not baptized before and so we still have a chance to get in some baptisms for this month. I love the hymns they are so powerful. Well despite the disappointment at the end of the week we are started a new one and it will go better.

Today we had a great time in the center of Lima and I bought two new shot glasses and some really big socks that will keep me warm at night. Dad about the idea of the notebook, I did start one in Pucallpa just because my comp made me. I was thinking why, but now I know why and I am glad that he made me, for the same reason that you said. (This notebook contains testimonies of members and new converts. We think that he has a testimony of his friend that was killed in an accident while he was in Iquitos.)

WELL LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE THAT ALL GOES WELL THIS WEEK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR LETTERS NEXT WEEK. :)

LOVES AND KISSES ,

FROM ELDER HYDE

Search Ponder and Pray, Teaching and Baptisms Walking up steep hills August 10 2009

Hey this week was very, very good. We ended up having two unplanned baptisms, which the story is really cool. We visited them Monday and they didn’t want to accept a date. We then tried to teach the restoration telling them that we are unclean because of sin and that only thru a baptism correct could we return to the presence of our father. We told them that we had planned baptism services every Saturday this month and they could pick whichever they wanted, I guess that they understood really well because they said this week or in three days they wanted to get baptized. It was amazing.

Well we also have planned for this week 1, and she is really prepared for her baptism she really understands the importance of repentance and baptism. I was thinking that when I left the jungle that I wouldn’t find many baptism, just because it a little bit harder here, but come to find out, if we are obedient and put our trust in the lord, he will bless us for our work.
Well in my district the numbers are really low right now, I don’t know what happens. But everyone is doing really well, I am trying to get them excited for the excellent change that we are going to have here and I am going to do my best to help everyone.

My comps returned to Bolivia, and now I am with a mini missionary, he lives here close, he has 17 years and this is his second mini mission. He teaches pretty well I was surprised. Still he has got a little to learn though.

Yesterday was really cool we found a really cool family, the parents and their three daughters. We taught them and they almost accepted, but still have a few doubts, so we told them, read, ponder and pray are the things that they must do, the spirit will guide and deep inside they’ll know these things are true.

Well like I said we had a really fun, interesting week full of adventure (and lots of hill climbing, in this area you are either going up or going down there is no level ground) My zone is Tuhantunsuyo but I am in one area in comas, with lots of hills everyday we climb up a steep mountain. It is really good exercise. but they feed me so much that I will not lose weight here.

The weather is good, in the mornings it is really cold. (when I got to lima I got a surprise from one of my comps that returned home. Elder Torrejon left me sweaters, shirts, and some other stuff to. I am soooo glad because now I have something to keep me warm.) We even have hot water in the morning. It is so nice, we live in a mansion.

Well this it all I remember this week right now.
LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND HOPE THAT ALL GOES GREAT.
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Comas, New Companions, Exciting Week. Aug 3 2009

Derek was expecting to be a trainer this change. He thought he would get a new missionary right out of the CCM to train. When this happens they become a "papa" to the "new kid". He talks about this in his letter and I thought it might need some explanation.

Hello my family.
All is well here. We had changes on Wednesday and it was a little sad to leave Iquitos. Monday and Tuesday we spent saying goodbye and getting ready, I didn’t get to bed until 1:00 am because I was packing and writing goodbye letters.

Tuesday the leaders called me and told me I had an abortion, my son didn’t show up. He didn’t get his visa I think. I don’t know if he was gringo or where he was from.

So right now I am with two gringos who will be leaving to go back to Bolivia tomorrow. So I will have a new comp or I will have a mini missionary for the change.

Well I am really busy in the night and I don’t have a lot of time to write in my journal but I will try to get better and faster as time goes on so I have more time. Right now I am in an area called Comas. We have had a lot of success this last four days. We went on divisions for an hour yesterday and had a lot of success; It is a really good ward that we are in, a lot different than the jungle. They are a little bit more spiritual here, maybe because they have a temple close.

It has been a little crazy with two gringos, but also a big help, they have been leaders here, but now were taking down to junior so they could leave, so that has been a big help for me they are training me.
Speak about training I guess I have had two abortions, the two of them had problems with visa I think. I guess I am just not ready to be a father. Oh well I am a little glad because I was a little scared with all the new responsibility.

Well this week we had a family that they have been teaching for a little while that are amazing. We went Saturday to do service, and they promised to come to the church. Come Sunday we waited and waited and waited and half way thru sacrament they showed up, it was awesome to see them, today we will set a date with them. Well we are also teaching a women named Rosario and she is amazing. She is defending the church, and she basically taught her brother lesson one using the index. We also have 3 young people that have members in their families, that we will start teaching and baptize. I have really been blessed with a good area.

I hate to see my comps go because they have really been a great help for me. Elder McGary and Elder Mangum. McGary is from Taylor (really close to us.), and Mangum is from Ohio. Mcgary has 18 months and Mangum has 14 one change more than me. We are having a lot of fun here. I will miss them. We will see I think we are in for some big surprises this week.

I love you all TTTTTTTOOOOOONNNNNNNNSSSSSS
LOVE YOUR SON AND BROTHER
ELDER HYDE

I asked Elder Hyde several questions that he answered in a separate email.

He has lived out of one suitcase since November because he has been in the jungle. I asked if he got his other suitcase.
I DID AND I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE WHAT I HAD LEFT.
He doesn’t need shirts, pants or shoes, but he would like some UNO playing cards.

What is your area like?
UP AND DOWN BUT MORE UP. YES IT IS BASICALLY HILL, AND UP HILL IS WHERE WE GO MOSTLY.

How many companionships in your district?
I HAVE FOUR ELDERS AND FOUR SISTERS. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH IT IS A BIG DISTRICT, THE REASON I SAY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH, NOT ONLY FOR THE SISTERS. THE DISTRICT DIDNT HAVE GOOD NUMBERS THIS WEEK IT WAS A LITTLE SCARY I HOPE IT GETS BETTER.