Elder Derek Hyde-Peru Lima North Mission

This Could be Our Last Email From Peru.....June 21 2010

2010-06-21T13:43:00.002-06:00

Well today we are on a little weird schedule. We are going to play soccer on an artificial turf. We have to go in the afternoon so that is why we came to internet late. It was a really busy week, it was an alright week but I think the tiredness is starting to set in. Just kidding.

Some things that have happened, I stressed a little about the pictures I had to send to the mission office. The first few emails didn’t work, the other was to big, stuff like that happened then I finally sent my USB with the missionary that is doing the video. I also sent a card to have made. It will be like a business card with my name address and all that good stuff. It will be cool.

I think this is the last email that I will be sending from Peru. Maybe they give us a little time next week but I don’t know. wooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww time has flown by really fast, I don’t know how to feel right now. I feel like I have done a great work, but it is a little weird to think that the next week I will be in my house and I wont be able to preach the gospel. woooooooowwww it hurts a little. I have been able to do have a lot of special experiences here in Peru and I hope they stay fresh in my mind for a long time.

Well love y’all a ton and hope that this week is full of blessings.....
love, elder Hyde.
hasta luego maybe next week.

Working for a Beautiful Wife...........June 14 2010

2010-06-14T12:26:00.001-06:00

Our plans for today are to play a little soccer and I have to go to the offices to do a few things. I need to give them my pictures for the slide show. Wow, I still don’t feel like I should be dying.

Well it was a great week, we had three baptisms. Kelly was not one of them. We have not been able to find her. I think her family is telling her some things and she is losing excitement. We are still praying for her but we will see if it is her time or not. We are really excited to help bur but Satan has a great hold on some people, (I am not saying her but her family and boyfriend).

We did have a lot of great experiences this week though. We had a talent show that went great. We, all the missionaries, acted. We had fun.

We also have been teaching a single mother and her daughter that had a lot of problems before we started teaching them. We started teaching them and we have seen a drastic change in them. Especially in the daughter, at first when we started to talk about the gospel she did not want to listen. But when we started to teach her mom she saw the change in her attitude and she started listening. We can feel a greater love between them and a nice spirit in their house. They have been progressing a lot but the mom says she needs more time to change some things.

This week we are going to be working twice as hard because I am not trunky. These last few weeks are the weeks I have to win a more beautiful wife.

Well, the time has come that I have to say goodbye, I hope that this week goes great and that we can all see the blessings of the Lord in our lives. This is something that has helped me not to be too trunky.

HASTA LUEGO LOVE YOU ALL
LOVE ELDER HYDE.

Short Letter, Teaching Kelly June 6 2010

2010-06-08T13:45:00.002-06:00

All is well here, a little bit bad weather wise. but it's all good.

This story is for Aunt Tammy, She speaks Spanish and can interrupt what Derek writes.

Elder Hyde dice hola a tia Tammy. como esta tia. esta semana fue excelente.
I do have a story, these last few weeks we have been working with Kelly, sister of 27 years and she wants to get baptized but her family influences her decision a lot. She accepted a date and then called us and told us no.v We have been trying to excite her but she always said mas adelante(translate Tammy please) She has felt the spirit strongly but just is afraid of her family. So we decided to sing songs, bring the spirit, teach and challenge her again. She was still a little hesitant and we had to ask her directly what her fears or doubts were. We then were able to solve them and she was really excited and accepted a date. She came to church and is really excited for this Saturday, her baptism.

Sorry for the short letter, I wrote to Alden and to Grandma Baker.
Love you tons,
Elder Hyde

Alden's Graduation and Grandpa's funeral May 31 2010

2010-06-02T20:05:00.001-06:00

We don’t have a lot planned for today, earlier we went to the bank to take out money for he last time. Wow, it still hasn’t hit that I am ending my time here. We are then going to do something but have not planned out what we will do.

Give my congratulations to Alden for getting a white tassel. I hope you had a great graduation. Sounds like you had a great party, and a great lunch, thanks for making me hungry.

Well I have to tell you it sucks to hear about grandpa. (sorry for the word) I think you made the right choice to tell me in writing. The news hit hard at first but thanks to all the things I have been able to learn and teach here in the mission I know that he is in a much better place where he is now resting from all his troubles and worries. I understand the big picture or the great plan that God has given to us to know that he is a lot better off now. He is a lot happier now. I have always liked Alma 40:12, Grandpa is now in that place that one day we all will want to go. Send lots of love to Grandma from me please. Tell her that she is in my prayers.

Graduation and funeral is over so what could be the next event that you are looking forward to? You got me stumped there.

Well all here is just great,
Love you all a ton,
Elder Hyde

New Area, New Companion, Feeling Earthquakes May 24 2010

2010-05-24T10:36:00.002-06:00

I have actually felt a few earthquakes in the last few weeks. They are pretty small, most of them happened at 2 or 3 of the morning. Yesterday we felt one at like 5:45 in the night. They were small though. It is getting a little cold here but for me it is normal, my comp is always telling me to put on my sweater. I never do because I am not cold.

Today we are going to play soccer and clean the house because we have interviews tomorrow. We get to visit with President Perez. We actually had stake conference yesterday and president talked. He gave all of us hugs, and in his talk he and his wife sounded a little trunky. : )

Well a little about my area and my new comp. I am in Independencia, it is the zone of the offices. It is a really good zone, we are 8 missionaries and a couple, or what do you call them missionary marriage or something like that, husband and wife, the Earls. They are from Utah and they don’t speak to much Spanish but it is really good for not going to the MTC and CCM for mucho tiempo.

My comp is Elder Cardenas, he is from Arequipa. he has 2 months in the mission. He is from the group of my son, tranamil. he is really cool. We are working hard we had two baptism this weekend, they are good youth. We then took out 4 other dates Saturday and Sunday. They are for the 5th of June. ooooohhhhh speaking of June you don’t have to pay for this next month. ya you're debt free. : )

I gotta go, hope you have a great week and that all goes great with graduation. Tell Alden Congrats for me and give him a big hug.
HASTA PRONTO. CHAU.
LOVE YALL A TON.
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Last Change...... to Independcia May 17 2010

2010-05-18T18:38:00.004-06:00

Hey family whats up? Here it is a little cold. Changes are in and I will be leaving to go to Independencia. with an elder Cardenas. I have not been there before. Elder Ridge goes to Tahuantusuyo and Elder Morton to Ventanilla. They are all close to each other.

So this week was good. We ended with one baptism and a confirmation. We were a little stressed out about her and the things we had to do, interview and some things like that. I also had like 6 other interviews to do for the other missionaries. It was a great week.

I was able to catch up on my journal that I didn't write in for like a month. We also left with a few members to visit some members less active and also investigators. Monday we had p day libre we played a little bit of soccer and then ate lunch with branch president and watched a movie with his family.

Tuesday we had a meeting and then got to work we had a great day with Fabian who walked with us to teach and do some contacts, he likes to talk to every one.

Wednesday we had a great day walking and teaching the good news to everyone. Preparing the people for their baptisms.

Thursday we had to do all the interviews.

Friday we had to go to the dispedida or the farewell testimony meeting. It was pretty good. I guess the next time we go to this meeting we will be the ones giving testimonies. That got me thinking a little about how much time has really passed by and how fast it has gone. With that meditation it got me a thinking that this last change I have to work hard so I don't regret anything. It will be hard I think going to a new area, new missionaries and new members starting all over. Also leaving all the members that are so cool here in Collique. Well all is alright with that.

Saturday we had the baptism, joined with the other 2 missionaries, they had 3 baptisms. It was a great service.

Sunday was good they asked us to speak in the branch and I spoke again on the atonement. I tried to tell the joke of Jesus and Satan doing the competition on the computers. It was alright but I didn't think they got it, or it doesn't work to great in Spanish. I had to explain a little and then they got it.

Well I hope you have a great week and we will talk next week.
Love you all
Love elder hyde

Another Great Week in Collique May 10 2010

2010-05-12T16:46:00.002-06:00

Well all here is just dandy. Here to we are waking up to cold, but it is now getting a little bit warmer. thruout the day it is hot. but I dont think we are expecting any snow, maybe a little mist of water. I hope I did not confuse you too much yesterday in the phone call. (He speaks Spanish better than English) We had a great week, first we started with p day that we ate tacos from Guatemala, and we watched a movie, I don’t remember what it is called but it was about a team of rugby in Africa. It was pretty good. So I hope you have been making a list of the good movies that have come out, so I can spend all my time watching them. :)

Tuesday we had a visit from Elder Gavarret. It was really good, he got us excited to keep on working and not get to uptight about numbers. The only thing is that that meeting was about a five hour meeting. We had no time to go to our appointments so we called them to say sorry and set another appointment.

All week we had been helping Sister Jessica Acosta get ready for her baptism. She is really cool; she was invited by one of her friends and one day showed up alone to the church. We sent up an appointment and we challenged her right of the bat and she accepted. She was really excited and it was really amazing the testimony that she shared after her baptism, as we listened she said the words “yo sé” or in English “I know”. Those two simple words hit me a lot. I think everyone in the room felt that great spirit that I felt. That helps me a lot to hear those two words. Because if we would not have taught her and challenged her to do the things we challenged her to do she would have never been able to feel the great love that God has for every one of us.

Friday we had a service project that we moved a bunch of earth and then Saturday we had another that we were trying to build a house or reconstruct it. We then got ready for the baptism and all went great.

Sunday in the church bishop called us up to the stand to help with the confirmation and in that moment he told me that I would have to do it. I was a little surprised and nervous because it has been a whole year since I have done it and I wasn’t sure what to say. I said a small little prayer in my heart and gave it a go. It went really good. I asked my comp if I sounded nervous in my speech. He said no, but it sounded in my head that it came out nervous.

Then after the sacrament the bishop called us again to give talks. Well my comp was assigned a topic the last week but bishop didn’t ask me he had two other speakers lined up. But when they don’t show up, I was the backup, who else but the missionaries.

We had a little work to do Sunday before we were able to call. My comp called first and I slept, then I called and my comp slept. Then we finished and got back to work until 9 and we ate and did some reports. Well that was basically our week here in Collique.
Well love you all a tons. Until later. LOVE ELDER HYDE

Book of Mormon Challenge 60 days May 3 2010

2010-05-03T09:23:00.003-06:00

Well this week went really good. We had been working with three families less active and the three of them have gone to the chapel. It feels really good when you see them go to the church and feel the spirit there. A lot of the less actives are less active because they are passing thru some problems. Sometime I feel like a psychiatrist, because the people are always telling us their problems and we have to tell them how to resolve them. But the answer is easy. Go to church, pray and read the scriptures.

Yesterday one sister was having a really hard time with her daughter that we baptized, she had to change schools and it was a big change for her and the daughter doesn’t want to study. I think we were led by the spirit yesterday to her house. As we were walking to another appointment that we had planned, I felt really strongly that we should visit them. I was very happy that we were able to help them. Something I don’t really like is that when they tell the burdens it is almost like it becomes yours. I think I now know what it means in Mosiah 18:8-9.

It was a really good week, we took out 4 new dates. Thursday, the Chavez family (Maria, Milagros, and Julio) and sister Mariela Amaya. Before she just wanted to listen to us and she felt that that was enough. She didn’t want to get baptized or go to church. She always put excuses not to go like the studies. But the last week she went and felt really good and she told us this week that she wants to get baptized. Wow what a great experience.

We also had to split the wards with two other missionaries because there are some missionaries that have problems with their visa to go to Venezuela. So we took the two wards where there are baptism, and left them with the one that doesn’t. We have been working really hard these last weeks.

I am getting along with my comp and I feel the blessing of the lord, so much in the baptism and being able to feel and follow the spirit. I have had a great time serving the Lord and I will make the best out of the 2 months that I have left. Not that I am counting.

I challenged yesterday the sister Meri (from up top with problems.) that she could read the Book of Mormon in 60 days. Before I leave we will be finishing the Book of Mormon. I too committed to read it. I know that the lord loves us. He wants that we all are happy he just asks that we do the little things to receive the big blessings. I love the Lord and I love all of y’all.
I hope that this week goes great.
LOVE ELDER HYDE
chaaaauuuuu
talk to you Sunday...................................

No More Joking Around. It is official April 27 2010

2010-04-29T13:59:00.004-06:00

It is official. Elder Hyde has travel plans.
He will be arriving in Utah June 30th!

_____________________ _____ ______________ ______________ _______ ______
DELTA AIR LINES 30JUN LIMA ATLANTA GA 1220A 815A
DL 150 WEDNESDAY J CHAVEZ INTL HARTSFIELD JAC
NON SMOKING BREAKFAST NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 6:55 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 767-400

DELTA AIR LINES 30JUN ATLANTA GA SALT LAKE C UT 1055A 1258P
DL 2960 WEDNESDAY HARTSFIELD JAC INTL
NON SMOKING FOOD FOR PURCHASE NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 4:03 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 757-200/300

Spiritual Lessons, Funky Phone Call and Earthquake April 26 2010

2010-04-26T17:40:00.001-06:00

Well how is all in Utah. Well I hope all is well. Everything here is going great. We had a great week.
Tuesday the temple
Wednesday we had a visit from one of the assistants; he came to our area and walked all day with us. It was a good day we had a few lessons that were very spiritual.

One of the lessons was with a family less active, they are having a few problems as a family and are passing thru a hard time. We had a very good lesson about the plan of salvation and how it can help them if they just will endure to the end. We have had a lot of spiritual experiences this week. I have really felt that the spirit was guiding my words because they were things that I never have taught before or said in the lessons. We are helping some really cool people progress but we have found it a little challenging because almost all are living together.

I heard about your funky phone call in Spanish. It was from brother William who we helped get married the last month. ¿where was Joe? What time do you go to church? The wife of William finally got confirmed yesterday and it was a great happy day for me.

We had to go to the branch and out of the blue they asked us to talk a little about the temple. Well very unprepared I got up and just bore my testimony, it was really cool again I felt the spirit guiding my words.

There was a small earthquake here the other day, just a small one that was at three in the morning. It was an early alarm clock, not to big of a deal. Well I am really enjoying my time here in Peru, and the time that i have to teach the great news to all the great people her in Peru. They are so kind and loving to us even though they are not all members and they don’t really know us they are still loving. Well that is most of the time.
I love you all and am glad to be in the family.
Elder Hyde

Cake and Egg to the Head on My Birthday! April 20 2010

2010-04-20T19:44:00.002-06:00

Hey what a great week. It was a good week full of work. We have been working with the members a lot getting to know them and getting help from them.

This Sunday we met a sister named Jessica and she has attended the church, we set a baptism date with her for the 8th of May. She is really excited she has a few friends that she studies with that are members. She accepted a date really fast.

We also have been teaching some really great people that love listening to us but have a hard time making the decision to get baptised.

One of the bishops called us Saturday and told us that we had talks for Sunday. So I spent all of my study time getting a talk prepared so cccoooooooooolllllll. Come Sunday I am so ready to give my talk. Bishop comes up and says happy birthday elder. We have a surprise for you in the meeting. I was thinking well what it could be. So come time to give the talks and the bishop only calls my comp and not me. So I think that was the surprise. But I was so prepared to give a great talk. But there is always next month.

I also had another surprise waiting for me in the night at the pension. Cake and eggs to the head. Well I was not the only one who enjoyed the egg my comp also (by accident) got egged. That was fun, not. The pension is so cool and great. I had a great b-day. The members are so cool and the pres invited us to eat and we talk for a while. He also has a daughter who completed years on the 17th. So we went up and visited them and wished her happy birthday. I have grown so close to that family, they are so great and loving.

Well today I had to have an interview with pres to get my recommend renewed so he showed up early to the temple and we had an interview in the car and he gave me my recommend. I felt so special that pres would do that for me. It was a great day in the temple like always. I just can’t wait to get home to be so close to one that I can go in whichever minute that I want. But that doesn’t mean I am trunky, Just excited to get home, There is a big difference.

Hey have you heard from Jody Taylor? When does Kyle get home? It should be in this month no? hey send hellos to the ward, and all the family. We here are doing really good and we are enjoying the work and doing a lot of good. We hope all there is great. I love you all very much and well we will talk next week.
Love elder Hyde.

Explain the Offer.....................April 12 2010

2010-04-13T20:40:00.003-06:00

Hey my family. All is well here in Peru. We have had a great week. We spent the first few days with elder Caceres saying goodbye and then

Wednesday we picked up my son. His name is elder Tranamil. He is from the south part of Chile. He is the only member in his family of 5. He is really excited to be here but still a little nervous to talk to the people and teach. So I am doing a lot of talking, but everyday with more practice he is getting better. We have been working a lot in the highest part of the mountains where the people are really humble and willing to listen. It has been a great week. Right now we don’t have any dates but in the last few days we have received some references that I know we will be able to challenge for baptism.

Our zone leaders are elder Ridge and Quintana. And in my district, is elder Morton. I think we will all die here together, WELL that is unless I decide to take president up on his offer!!!!! Well this week we have basically been doing contacts and trying to find new people.

We have found some people very interested in learning and getting baptized but that have some problems that they have to resolve. One of those things is that they need to get married and the other is that they study too much. Yesterday we talked with a young women really interested but she has to go and study everyday in morning, and she can’t miss any of the days. Along with those there are other problems but not so big, mostly they have doubts that we have to resolve and to the water we go. : )

My comp now is a little bit more serious than my last comp, so walking in the street is a little bit boring but I think my kid is just a little shocked from all the weird things that are here and the weird things that happen here. For example today we are a little late getting to internet because where we usually go, they didn’t have internet. Come to find out that last night some one cut the cables and stole them to sell them and make a little bit of money. It is so weird here, they do anything for money. Well I love you all tons. And hope all goes well this week. Love your son and brother
Elder Hyde. Manda saludos a todos alli.

Sometimes we are able to email each other. This was the conversation today.
I (MOM) responded to Elder Hyde,
“You had better explain the offer!”

Elder Hyde:
“So you know that there are going to be a few changes in the north and well lots of elders are going to be changed and the mission north we are fairly new or in other words almost all the elders here have less than one year. So pres asked me to think about if I could stay a month longer to help the new pres. What are your thoughts mom?”

MOM:
“As your mom I want you to do what you feel is right. I support you in your decision!
When do you have to tell the Pres. Are other missionaries being asked also?”

Elder Hyde:
“But mom I want to know what you really think????
I DONT KNOW WHO HE HAS ASKED OR WHO HE WILL ASK BUT BY THE NEXT INTERVIEWS I WILL NEED TO TELL HIM”

MOM:
"Dad has been teasing me that you would be staying.
I have told him that it would not happen
This better not be a joke."

Elder Hyde’s last email:
“Mom mom mom sorry, mom it is all just a joke. : ) love you mom gotta go. love elder Hyde”

Do you think this was all Elder Hyde’s idea? You better talk to his dad.

Conference and Cadbury eggs April 5 2010

2010-04-06T09:43:00.003-06:00

Well we have has a really busy week, we have had a lot to do.

Monday we had to clean the house because they changed our plans and Tuesday we had interviews. So we had interviews Tuesday, all went well. Then we worked in the afternoon and had some lessons and we prepared a young woman for her baptism. It was the sister that we got married the last week, this week we got her baptized. The bishop didn’t want to confirm her till the next week.

Thursday we had to do our district meeting to work out a few things. Then Friday we had the farewell testimony meeting. It has been a long week with lots of activities.

Then you know Saturday and Sunday was full of conference. I was able to listen to them all in Spanish. It is a lot easier than the last time I was here in Collique. : ) I was able to enjoy all the session, even though I was a little tired I really enjoyed the session of priesthood. I enjoyed all of them really. I did get your package and it was great. To stay awake I took the Cadbury eggs. They were delicious.

This week is transfers. I just got the news. I will be staying here and I am going to give birth again. (Training a new missionary) My comp will be going to Moyobamba. He is excited. I am excited too to stay here; I think we can still have a lot of success here. I hope my “son” comes with lots of excitement to work. We are going to work really hard, I can’t get trunky.

I love yall and hope all goes well this week.
love, elder Hyde

She Didn't Want in the Water, Then We Couldn't Get Her Out March 29 2010

2010-03-31T12:28:00.001-06:00

Well this week went pretty good. A little stressful, but great. We have been working with a couple so they could get married. One moment they were excited and the other they lost that excitement. It was like a roller coaster, up and down. We were also preparing a young man of 23 years for baptism and also a little girl, her mother is a member. With her was where the stress came.

So this is the story, we can only find the mom in the night, like 8:30, 9ish. So we went to find her and talk Thursday about the baptism and she wanted to move it again until the next week. We did all we could to convince her that it would be better this week for conference and all the next week. We got her to stay for Saturday. We got the interview and good. Come Saturday we tried to find her to set the time for the baptism and we finally found her at like 4 and we said six. We then called everyone and told them when it was. Then we ran to get other things done. Come 6 o’clock and we were in the chapel. And lo and behold the brother we sent to fill the font barely was getting it started. So the mom started giving us crap. We didn’t have the clothes either because pres had them. We called pres but he didn’t answer, so we booked it from the church to where we could take a car to go to the house of pres. We found the clothes and booked it again to the church. We changed, took pictures and then we got to the most important part, the baptism. Well I had the privilege to baptize the girl, but she started to enter and she got scared and left the water. After a minute talking to her with her mom we got her excited and got her baptized and we shut the doors and we could not get her to leave the water. A little stressful but all good. : )

Back to the couple, the wedding was Friday and they started taking out papers Thursday. It was a little stressful for us because we have been trying to help them for like 3 weeks. We finally sent them happily to Barranca to get married and they got there and they returned happily married. It was great to be able to help them. The husband is member but the wife is not so she has the goal to get baptized. Well, that is all that comes to my mind about this week. It was a week full of work and good times.

Love you all. Have a great week.
Love elder Hyde

I Know the Lord is Happy With Our Work March 22 2010

2010-03-22T09:21:00.001-06:00

Hey this week was very interesting and a little stressful.

First we had some investigators that got unexcited for their baptism and so we were a little stressed about them and how we could get them excited again. So we spent the whole week with them to see what we could do to help them. We got one excited but the other was a little hesitant. But we assured her that if she would take this great decision that the lord would be very happy with her. But we couldn’t get her to accept. She went to the baptisms that we had and I think she liked the feelings. We just haven’t been able to find her after that.

The other was the sister of President Diaz, our branch pres, she thought it was too fast but we talked with her and really showed her she didn’t need to know much. We focused a lot on the atonement of Jesus and the things that we need to do to pay him back, well not pay him back but to show that we are grateful for the thing that he did. It was a very spiritual lesson. I think we were all edified. Well we finished the week with 5 baptisms. It was a great day.

The mother of president also was baptized with her daughter. And all that was a surprise to the branch president. The mom told us not to tell him and that they wanted him to know when they were dressed in white. So we had to make a plan to get all the things done and how we could do everything without pres knowing. So we did pretty good, pres changed in baptism clothes and we sent the women to change. Pres sat in the room and we surprised him when they walked in the room. He was surprised and really happy. He made the comment like five or six times after that his mom had always been so hard and didn’t want to accept. This week was branch conference and he said it was a great activity (the baptisms) to finish the week.

We had 4 baptisms in the branch. The two others were little kids, hector and Geraldine. It was a good experience the water was cold and hector (I baptized him)when we got in the water his teeth were shivering and I tried to hold his chin shut but it didn’t work and he started cracking up. The little girl was baptized by my comp and she could not stop laughing. It was kind of funny. I really enjoyed my week.

Friday we did service and we basically killed ourselves from 11 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. We were digging a trench so that they can put sewer pipes and water to the houses. It wore me out. I was basically dead Saturday in the morning and was lucky that I could get Hector out of the water.

It was a great week. I really enjoyed myself and I know that the lord is happy with our work. I am too. I love you all and hope all is well and all goes well
Love elder Hyde

More Baptisms, More Blessings, March 15 2010

2010-03-15T15:52:00.002-06:00

What a week, we had a great week this week. It was a little bit stressful one of the days though.

Monday we went to a park to play soccer and we ended up playing Foosball tables and air hockey. It was fun even though we spent a little bit of money to play. We then got home exhausted and decided to sleep. We sleep and then got ready for a Family Home Evening with a family recently baptized. They had a little girl of like 3 or 4 years that sat on my lap and fell asleep. It made me a little trunky. It was a fun night.

Tuesday we had a great reunion (Zone Meeting) and then got right to work. We have been working this week mostly with a little branch Villahermosa and we seem to be having a lot of success there. We have been able to get a lot of work done there.

Wednesday we had been trying to find Vicky to see how she was and finally today we found her but extremely busy. So we set another appointment for Thursday. Today was a day that we are trying to find couples that want to get married and that we can help. We are trying to help 3-4 couples that want to get married and the wife’s can get baptized. One of the husbands can be baptized also. We are hoping to get them excited to take out their papers.

Thursday was the day of stress. So we went to Vicky today and she said well I got good news and bad news. Good news she wants to get baptized. Bad news, she is going to move and is leaving Friday. She is not moving to far and will be coming Sundays to church. But we wanted to baptize her before she left. We tried to talk her into calling and saying that she couldn’t come and she would be there Sunday in the night. She didn’t think they would go for that and so my comp said it’s an emergency. We should call the Zone Leader and they will come interview her and we baptize her now and confirm her tonight. So she said I am ready to baptize me now and let’s do it. We had to then run like chickens with our head cut off. We ran to call the ZL and then to find the keys and then to call and cancel our appointments. As DL I had three interviews to do. So we switched a little. My comp with one ZL and I went with the other. We did the interview fast and tried to get back to the chapel before the baptism. I got there right in time to see her go under the water. I missed the picture but we are going to fotoshop me in.

Friday we did service my hands are so weak and girly. I got two blisters on my hands and then decided to put my gloves. We then got to work. We have had a really great week. I think the lord is blessing me and my comp for all the hard work we did. I think I am seeing the fruit of the work in Moyo. We have 8 dates and 7 of them are for this week the 20th. We also had a wedding the 26th of March and maybe will have more baptism the 27th. The lord is very loving and I feel the love and blessing from him.

Saturday we went to work and to set more dates and then we saw the branch president working and we decided to help him dig a trench. We worked in our shirts and ties. And I think we called attention to everyone, they were wondering what are these weirdos doing. But I don’t care, maybe it will be a way we can enter in their homes.

Sunday we were split in three, the three wards that we have all wanted us to speak and we had to tell one of them no. We spoke two times and then did divisions to get a little bit more done. We visited all our fechas and tried to animate or excite them. They are all excited. I am too.

I am really happy with what we were able to do this week and the blessing from the lord I am enjoying too. We are going to work a lot harder this week to help these blessings coming.
I love you all and hope all goes well.
Hey send love to everyone and hugs and kisses to you and all.
until next week love you tons,
love elder Hyde.

Hard Work Equals Blessings March 8 2010

2010-03-08T09:19:00.002-07:00

Well we had a really great week. In my district we ended up with 4 baptisms. This week we had a lot of lessons with members because we have one returned missionary that loves to do stuff with us. We had a baptism this week and it was really a spiritual experience and it helped me learn or remember the reason why we are here in this time doing the things we are doing. Really the sister was very happy and it was great to see her after crying, we are now going to be trying to baptize her family. Really that is the reason why I am here is share this great happiness and joy with others.

We also had the energy after to go out and set two more dates. We did divisions and I set a date with a member’s mom and then we got back together and set another date together, with a little girl.

We also had a good experience with a sister we have been teaching. We decided that we would stop for a while teaching her because she has all the lessons and she doesn’t want to accept. The reason we leave them is so they can see the things they are missing, usually it takes a week or so. But with her it took 2 days. We told her Tuesday that we wouldn’t be passing by a whole lot and Friday she told us she is going to get baptized on the 20th of March. That was so awesome.

We are getting a lot of blessings from the lord and hope they will keep coming. We are going to continue working really hard so we can have more success. Wow yesterday it was really hot in our room and I could not sleep. So I am moving today on like 3 hours of sleep. I hope to be able to rest a little.

Here the weather is always warm. There are a few days well almost all the days that in the afternoon it is really hot. We have a new bottle of water that has a filter so now anywhere we go we can ask for water and the members can get it out of the tap or if it is necessary the toilet. I hope there is never that emergency.

Oh yeah a little about what we did last p day. First we came to the internet. Then to the bank to take out our winnings, and then off to the a big mountain that somebody had the great Idea to climb. There we did a little torch and burned all the bad traditions (habits) that we have. It was the Olympics because this months we are trying to break records, in every area we have a record and we have a prize if we are able to break it. So we also watched "Remember the Titans". We finished the day at 6 and went and got to work. I will be trying to get pictures sent some time soon.

Well that was basically the week. So this week we will get more things done.
Love you all a lot and wish the best in this week.
Love elder Hyde

Back to my Birthplace March 1 2010

2010-03-01T10:58:00.002-07:00

Well It has been a great week.

Monday we had the day to work and say goodbye to all the members in Moyobamba. It was a great time. It was the hardest thing not to cry when we left the fam Cubas. I did it though. The hardest thing there is a little kid that when I went to shake his hand, he grabbed my legs and gave me a hug and started to cry. I was shocked and a little sad.

Tuesday we had to pack and get ready to leave. We left Moya at 2 pm and got to Tarapoto at 4:30 pm. It was a long trip. We had an elder that left at 6 pm to go to Iquitos and so we all had to go early to the airport to see him off. We waited there for another 3 hours till our flight left.

Wednesday I met my new companion, we came home and unpacked a little. I washed a few things so I could work in clean clothes. There was no time to send them in Moyo. We then got to work. We have been working hard all week. This is a great move, I am back in my birthplace (this is where I started when I came to Peru) and I am enjoying it. Some people remember me and the memories are all coming back to me. It is good to be able to see some of the people and see their reaction to seeing me back. They can see me speaking a lot more. My companion is Elder Caceres from Guatemala. He is so funny. He has 2 months in the mission. We are getting along great. We joke around and really estamos enjoying this time. We are going to have success in the work of the Lord in this change. I can taste it now. It is going to be great.

Well I don’t have much to say right now. I do have to tell you I had my first bad experience with a dog this week. It came out of nowhere and vanished in a twinkling of an eye. Don’t worry I washed the wound with alcohol and water and all that I had with me.

I got the package with the calendar and candy. Thanks, it is a great calendar.
We did not feel the earthquake. People just talked about it or I would not have know that there was an earthquake.

Love you all lots and hope that this week goes just great.
Love Elder Hyde

Leaving Moyobamba, Leaving friends, Gong to Lima February 22 2010

2010-02-22T09:20:00.003-07:00

Well here I am in moyo for the last time. Today we found out the changes and I am going back to Lima. i will be going as district leader. Pres wants to leave the mission with lots of elders with experience being leaders, so he is dropping a lot of zone leaders and putting in new ones.

It is going to be hard leaving here, even though we didn’t have many converts and the work was a little hard. The members are so great and we shared so many great moments together.

This change went by really fast. i will be in the zone Santidad. I might be returning to my old area of Collique. because that is where the district leader is at. But maybe it will be another area. I don’t know yet. It will be alright being district leader, a little bit less responsibility.

In this zone leaving will be me, my comp, elder Ruiz, elder Zarate, so that makes four of us. My new comp is elder Caceres. I have not heard of him I am sure he is pretty new.

Well this week went great. We had some members go preaching with us, which was something really good. We also had some really good lessons. We watched a few church movies this week with some families that would like to get baptized, but have some problems with the law of chastity.

We had a great p day. We all went the waterfalls that are here like 45 minutes. They were so beautiful. It let us relax a little too. I was so tempted to jump off one of the cliffs into the water. It looked so refreshing. but as a missionary I cant do that. We have taken lots of pictures and they are all so beautiful. I will be making a cd of the caves and the waterfalls and be sending it in this next week.

Nothing to much exciting happened this week, just hard work and having fun while doing it. We have to do some informes today so it will take away some of our time to work and say goodbye today. We are leaving here tomorrow in the night.
I love you all tons and hope that all goes well in this week. Tell Chloee happy birthday from me. And also Tyson.

love elder Derek Hyde.

Worked Really Hard This Week, Went Caving February 15 2010

2010-02-15T12:09:00.001-07:00

Well it was a great week. We worked really hard. I feel good about what we did. I feel like this has been the week that I have worked the hardest in the whole mission. We taught like crazy this week. And we have challenged I think just about everyone we teach.

We had a fun activity this week with the members. We did the great show of laughs. We did what we did in Iquitos. It was fun. We did all the same games. We did cake to the face, but it turned on us. The members told us that we should be the ones to answer their questions. So we tried but we ended up with shaving cream in our faces. My comp did not like it but I enjoyed myself because, after I got three plates to the face I turned on everyone and we had a great big war. It was fun but my comp had run to the bathroom so nobody could get him. I hope that the members enjoyed it. Well it was a little stressful for me because the activity should have started at 7 but no members showed up at that time, they started showing up at 8. But after that it all went really well.

We did go to the caves on Monday it was really cool. The cave was dark and there were a lot of bats. My comp was really scared and he was grabbing his neck the whole time, and saying lets go, we shouldn’t go any more. But we didn’t listen to him and kept on going. We finally came to a part where we couldn’t find a way to keep going so we turned around and it seemed that we ran out as fast as we could. We climbed in like 1 hour y half and left in like 20 min. it was a great pday..

Today will also be great we are going to some waterfalls. Well I gotta go.
Love you all send lots of love to my niece and nephew and tell them happy birthday from me.
Elder Hyde

Church News about Peru Missions and New President February 13 2010

2010-02-14T16:41:00.006-07:00

New Peru Lima North Mission President July 2010

Lawrence Paul Blunck, 53, and Karen Janeece Hawman Blunck, four children, Peru Lima North Mission; Canby 2nd Ward, Oregon City Oregon Stake. Brother Blunck is ward Young Men president and a former counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, high councilor, counselor in a ward Young Men presidency and missionary in the Peru Lima Mission. Partner, Blunck & Walhood LLC. Born in Hood River, Ore., to Alfred Carl and Beverly Kay Garrett Blunck.

Sister Blunck serves as a counselor in a stake Relief Society presidency and is a former counselor in ward Young Women and Relief Society presidencies, seminary teacher and gospel doctrine teacher. Born in Sacramento, Calif., to Phillip Arthur and Grace Ardele Hawman.

New Missions for Peru July 2010

To better align resources and adjust to the ever changing needs of the Church, 10 new missions will be organized in July, while 14 other missions will be combined with neighboring missions. The resulting number of missions will be 340.

To see a map of new Peru Mission see this link.

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58775/New-missions-10-announced-in-seven-areas.html

Create the Peru Cusco and Peru Lima West missions from a realignment of the Peru Arequipa, Peru Lima Central, Peru Lima East, Peru Lima North and Peru Lima South missions.

Rain RAIN rain...... Feb 8 2010

2010-02-08T13:30:00.002-07:00

This week for us was rough. Monday was great we played soccer in the rain. It was fun.

Tuesday was a little stressful because we had to get some things ready to send a package weekly to Lima. I had to prepare like a little training to help the missionaries and then get everything ready for the interviews.

Wednesday we traveled for 2 and a half hours to go to Tarapoto. It was a long trip. We had the interviews and as the privileged zone leaders president took us to lunch, he took us to the hotel where they were staying and I ate a beefsteak al pobre. Or beefsteak to the poor. It was a big plate and it was really good. It was a steak and eggs and rice and fried banana and a salad. It was not that poor. We then had to travel another 2 hours and a half back to the house. By this time we were really tired and it was raining. We did a little bit of tracting. But it was a little hard working in the rain.

Thursday it rained all day, it is hard to enter in the houses, I think it was because our shoes are dirty. Ha ha ha. We have been planning an activity for this Thursday. I hope it all goes good. I think we need more help from the members. It is a little hard because there are very few members and my comp has kinda a bad attitude about that. He thinks that all of the members don’t want to help us. But we really haven’t tried to get them to help us. So this week that is what we are going to do.

Friday it rained all day, we have been working so hard in the rain but it wipes us out walking all day in the rain without being able to teach a whole lot. Our whole zone did not have a great week because of the rain. We are praying for a better week. I know that if we just keep working hard the fruit is going to come, I have no doubt. We just need to find the members that are going to be the most eligible to help us find new people that are ready. Now almost all are back from Lima, and we are going to take advantage about that. Sometimes I am grateful for the rain because it takes away the hot weather but also sometime I hate the rain because it stops us from being able to work hard.

This week we found a sister that grows sugar cane. We spent a few min with this less active family eating sugar cane, it is really good and sweet. I wish I could grow some at home it would be soooooo sssssssssswwwweeeeettttttttt.

There is a sister in the ward that wants to buy my ring. I don’t know why but everyone is envious about my ring. Maybe it is because I am soooo cooooool and everybody thinks they will remember me if they have my ring. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Rodil who has a baptism date showed up again to the church, but today the member saw him a little suspicious, they think he is taking advantage of the members. They say he is making up his story and he is just here to get take money from the members, some are saying that he just wants to get baptized because he thinks the church is rich and that it might be able to help him(or he can rob it.) I have been a little stressed with this because I don’t know if it is true and I don’t know what he can do to us if it is true. We are going to visit him and try to get everything straight. I hate to judge him, but it is hard not to when all the members are telling us things like that. I will have an update on that next week.; )

Today is really good weather, I am glad that the rain let up for today. We have some great plans, we are going to go to some caves and maybe to a river that starts from under a big rock. It will be really fun and amazing to see things like that. God has created such a beautiful world and today I hope to enjoy it. And to think that He created all this for us. All this is so beautiful and I am sure it is important to Him. The most beautiful things and most important to him are us, we are the only things that He wants back in His presence.
Love Elder Hyde

The Lord blesses us when we work hard February 1 2010

2010-02-01T09:44:00.001-07:00

This week was really good. As a zone we finished this week with 5 baptisms and we finished the month with 9. It ended up being a good month. I was a little nervous and stressed that we were not going to end good and pres was going to kick our butts. But I feel really good how we finished with this week.

In our branch, most of the members took a bus to Lima to go to the temple, we are without a whole lot of members and so the work this week was slow without them. We had to do a lot of contacts for ourselves. It didn’t help that I have had a cough all week. Monday I felt so bad I had a cold. Well I had a fever and my body was weak and I had a headache and stomach ache. We didn’t go out to work I was all day in my bed.

That just gave us more reason to work really hard the other days. We did like 164 contacts or to say we talked with that many people in the whole week. We were so tired by the end of the week knocking doors and talking. We felt like we talked to all of Moyobamba. We did not have a whole lot of success in these contacts and we were a little bummed come Sunday. Then all of the sudden in Sunday school, a man with sunglasses walked in and we sat by him and to our surprise he was not a member but had been assisting in another part far from here. We taught him after the meetings and he said I have decided to be baptize and no one can tell me no. So in this week I have seen the blessing of working diligently. The lord blesses us in the times that we least expect it. This man has 36 years and he is a very humble man, he was in a war against Ecuador and he got hit in the side of the head with a bullet, he has a small whole there, it had cut a vein and shut his eyelid so he cant move it.

We really had a great week, we worked hard and feel really good about what we did. We just are hoping that pres is also happy with the work. We have had some experience this week that we will never forget. Like Saturday as we were doing contacts we found a Jehovah Witness. We taught him a little and then he asked us to pull out our bibles. And justly I had taken out my bible to be able to carry more copies of the book of Mormon. And my companion also, so we were without our bibles and he burned us a new one. I laughed my head off afterwards, because my comp felt dumb, but I was like who cares the Jehovah witness doesn’t have power like me to burn.

We also found in the street one guy that we had contacted before, but in this opportunity we found him drinking with some friends. He stopped us, and invited us to a pop, but we said no we are going to the house, so he bought the pop and sent us home with it. It was a little strange, but we left with a free coke. But then a chick that was a little drunk came over and tried to invite us to drink with them, my comp called her a *not nice name*as we were walking away. I also in that moment started to laugh my head off. We had a great week…. We are planning on having another great week this week. I will give giving training this week for interviews. I hope I do well and hope that I can help the other missionaries. I also hope that you all have a great week and that all goes great. Love you all so very much
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Ups and Downs of the week January 25 2010

2010-01-26T11:41:00.001-07:00

Well we had a really interesting week this week.

Sunday we had a sister come to us and she told us that her grandson had 9 years and he wanted to get baptized. So we spent every day this week teaching him so he could get baptized before they go to Lima tomorrow. So we taught him everything and we went to have his interview and the elder that did the interview found out that he only had 8 They had been lying to us. Well I don’t know if it was a lie. Here they have a bad habit, they also say the age that they are going to have. Like I am 21 because this year I am turning that age. It kinda ticked me off. But that’s life. He still got baptized but it just won’t count for the mission, just for the branch.

We did have another baptism. Teofilo, he only has one leg. He lost his other due to diabetes. It was a little hard to get him baptized but we did it and you could feel a wonderful spirit. My comp was in the water and he helped me dunk him. It took 3 times but he was very happy. The other day he said something really funny. He said I have been baptized but I can never be to clean. It was so funny. He has 80 years. He is a great guy.

One of the sisters in the ward was really sick this week. She has a disease that is called Gilbert syndrome. Hey if you want to do a search for me and tell me what it does and what it is exactly I would like to know. I was really worried this week. A little bit stressed out. First for the family and then for the baptisms and after that for the confirmations. Wow but after all is said and done what a relief. I have a little bit of a fever and cough right now but I hope to get over it soon.

Well it was a great week full of its ups and downs.
Have a great week and I love yalll and hope everything is great.
Love your son. And brother and uncle. Elder Hyde.

Trip to Lima, Saying Goodbye, and New Companion Elder Moreira January 18 2010

2010-01-23T14:18:00.003-07:00

Well this week was alright. My comp said goodbye to the family Cubas and they all cried. We then did some other things and got my comp ready to go.

Tuesday we got everyone to come here to Moyobamba from our zone and we had a sleepover because we wanted to leave early in the morning. And well you probably know that we didn’t go to sleep very fast we played Uno and also some other card game. It was a really good last night with the entire zone.

Monday I had a little time so we went to a store here and looked at the cameras because I wouldn’t have time in lima to do it. I bought a Panasonic Lumix. When I got home and looked at my old one it is the same kind. But that is alright, because my old one is a good camera, just that it didn’t have sound and that it killed the batteries and that it was huge. The new one is the opposite of those things. I was very happy with the purchase. It was 480 soles. Like 170 dollars. It is a little bit better quality then the other. 10 mega pixels and 4x zoom.

Wednesday we traveled early in the morning to go to Tarapoto and the airport. I had time to kill in Tarapoto so I hooked up with elder Sweet and we played basketball for a little. It is so hot there just standing on the concrete with your shoes and everything you could feel the burn.

We flew out of there at like 8 and got to Lima at like 11. It was a long, long, mas o menor horrible flight. I was so tired but I can’t sleep on the airplanes.

Thursday we had a great reunion and got all the packages packed in my suitcase and left to the airport. We flew home and got to Tarapoto at 10 at night and I was tired of traveling so we decided to stay in Tarapoto the night.

We then left Friday at like 8 in the morning and got home at 10. it was also a long trip and I felt really sick afterwards. My comp and I went to lunch and the sister said that we were really pale.

We have two people that we are getting ready to baptize a kid of 9 years and also a man of 80 years. He has lost a leg to diabetes but has a really good attitude and has great faith in the Lord. He is excited. We are also trying to excite his granddaughter too.

My new companion is elder Moreira he is from Ecuador. I am still trying to get to know him these last few days we have been working really hard and have been so tired that we haven’t really talked, we get home plan for the next day and get ready for bed and we are out. But my goal this next week is to get to know him and know more about his family.This week we have a lot of good things planed. I hope that we will be able to accomplish all of our goals.

President said that if we are not baptizing we are not happy, and if we are not happy we are sad and if we are sad it is because we are not baptizing. In a way it is true and it is the way that we feel that we are working. Even sometimes that we don’t baptize we are happy just knowing that we did what we could for the week.

We have four new missionaries in the zone. We have planned today just to play in the chapel a little and get to know everyone a little better. Then next week when we have a little bit more time to plan we will go sight seeing.

Well my time has come to an end. love you all so very much and pray that all goes well in this week.

love your son, y brother elder hyde

Letter to Our Family From Elder Garnica January 11 2010

2010-01-23T14:09:00.004-07:00

Here is something my comp wants to say.

Good day Hyde fam.
It is a pleasure to write you. In this opportunity I want to express my feelings of thanks to be in such a great work. In these 22 and a half months of the mission I have had the chance to be a companion of your son, in 2 different opportunities. This has been a great blessing for me. Elder Hyde is a good friend and great missionary and a little fat too, but it has been really cool to be with him.
Thank you for helping him go on a mission. for me it has been a blessing to be able to live great moments together. I know that the lord calls us to serve in the time and place that he needs us.
Lots of greetings,
Elder Garnica
bolivia tarija.

translated in english by elder hyde :)

Changes and Trip to Lima January 11 2010

2010-01-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

Hey my family what is up? We had an alright week. We did a searching game on Monday and it was fun we ran all thru moyo to find different things.

Tuesday we had a good reunion as a zone, we all shared our stories of our conversions or the time that we found out for ourselves that the church is true. It was a very spiritual meeting.

Wed we had a work visit and I was with elder Alcantara. It was a great change we set a date with a brother that only has one leg and he is 80 years old. We thought we would have a hard time getting him to church but he was very excited to assist.

It was really good yesterday in church, a lot of people came to the church. We spent a lot of time this week working really hard it is our last week to set dates for this month.

Today we found out the changes, I will be here still for this next change. I will be with elder Moreira he is from Ecuador. My comp, elder Garnica will be going to Lima to train, he has always wanted to have a kid. So his wish has come true.

I will be flying to Lima Wednesday at night. I won’t have a lot of time to buy a camera so I will probably be buying here in moyo. I found a pretty good store that will have a good quality camera. I will be very careful looking here and will make sure that I get a good one. So half of my district will be changing and all from here have gone up a step or to say they changed from jr. to sr. or sr. to d/l. It is something really good. We are going to have a great change. We are going to change this area of moyo. We are going to do some great things here and we are going to baptize the helk out of these people.

I sent you pictures on wed. I hope that they get to you soon. I love you all and hope that all goes well You all are always in my prayers.love elder Hyde

Happy New Year Jan 4 2010

2010-01-06T08:39:00.002-07:00

Well we had a very interesting week. We first had our P day. We played in the church. We played with water and got sun burned. We played bobbing for apples and I won. I was the fastest one. We then went and spent a little time with the family Cubas and played Uno with them. They are an awesome family. As you will see we have spent a lot of time with them. Trying to get them excited about the mission work. We had a pretty spiritually draining week. A lot of fiestas and not a whole lot of work. We found other things to do though that were pretty productive. We did a poster to measure the references that we receive from our members. This is what we did when we didn’t have visits to do. I think it will give the members some excitement to see what they are doing and to put a little competition in the reference.

This week I decided I needed a new feeling that these things that I am teaching are true so I asked in a simple prayer and received my answer. Yesterday night, we were teaching a sister about prayer and about how it was important to receive an answer about Joseph Smith. I gave my testimony and the spirit was very strong. I felt it, my companion felt it and I know that she felt it. She was a Little dumbfounded (I think that is the word)

We also did some practices with the family Cubas to help them get to know their neighbors and also so they could get comfortable sharing the gospel. It was so Coooool. There I also felt a strong conviction of the gospel. Really I can say that prayer are answered and not in the way we think. But in the way that the Lord wants. So I still have the hopes that the Lord will answer our prayers and help us find the investigators that we need and well it wont be how we want but I still have the hope that we will have the success that we need.

Saturdays we spent a little time with the Cubas family and played a game searching scriptures. It was fun and entertaining. We also had an activity that we had giant pictures of Shrek and the Incredibles and cut out the faces and took the pictures of the families that passed by the chapel. It was also really hot that day and we got burned a little bit. But it was also fun. The people here are a little scared to do weird things though we going to think of a way we can do it better. We are going to print the pictures and give them to the families free and that is the way we are planning to have new investigators.
We are planning a great week this week and I will have a lot to count to you to you next week.
Hey I love you all very much and pray that all is well there.
Love you,
Elder Hyde

Letter to Elder Hyde's Converts in Pucallpa Dec 2009

2010-01-04T08:27:00.003-07:00

ESTIMADO AMIGOS
ESPERAMOS QUE TODOS SE ENCUENTRAN BIEN. NOSOTROS ESTAMOS MUY BIEN Y EN ESTA GRAN EPOCA DEL AÑO, ESTAMOS PENSANDO EN TODO LAS COSAS QUE EL SEÑOR HA HECHO PARA NOSOTROS. ES UN GRAN TIEMPO PARA REFLEXIONAR EN LAS COSAS QUE HA PASADO ESTA AÑO. PARA NOSOTROS ESTE AÑO FUE EXCELENTE, UNO PORQUE PUDIAMOS CONOCER TODOS USTEDES. FUE UN GUSTO CONOCERLES Y FUE REALMENTE LOS MEJORES TIEMPOS DE NUESTRAS VIDAS. LES DESEAMOS LO MEJOR QUE EL SEÑOR LOS BENDIGA Y HAGA DE SUS HOGARES UN PEDASITO DE CIELO ES EL SINCERO DESEO DE ELDER GARNICA Y ELDER HYDE

DESEAMOS QUE TENGAN
UNA FELIZ NAVIDAD Y UN
PROSPERO AÑO NUEVO

QUE VIVA PUCALLPA

A Very Merry Chistmas

2009-12-28T09:48:00.005-07:00

Hey my fam. What’s up, it was so good to hear from you all on Friday and especially the little critters. They are growing up so fast I think when I left Tyson and Chloee couldn’t talk. So it was different to hear their voice. It was fun to hear them sing and talk about the things they are doing. They are so cute. The swimming pool that you have there is about the size of my house. We walked from one side to the other counting the feet and there are only 20 to 23. It’s huge.

Well Monday we had p day and it went good, we watched remember the titans and then did some other important stuff for the zone. I took out money from the bank to give to the elders so they could get reimbursed for the things that they buy like water to drink and other things important like that. Sorry if that is written in Spanish way, I can’t help it. It just flows a little bit easier out of my head. I don’t know if you caught it but I think I talked better in Spanish and than I did in English. Sorry about that. I hope you understood.

Well Tuesday we had a Christmas talent show, we did a few acts like one of the fast contacts, we acted out in a funny way the way that we do our contacts. We also did Robin Hood, two of us acted rich (of course it was the two gringos) and then one rob us he said ¨I rob the rich to give to the poor¨ and my comp acted poor. Robin Hood gave him all our things and when it ended, my comp said I am rich, and so Robin Hood stole him and that is how it ended. It was fun. The other one was a little gross. So I won’t explain it. Well I guess I will. One person was sitting on a bench and one by one we went to sit next to him. We then smelt something and thought it was him. But when all had sat next to him, he started to smell something too, but it wasn’t him, he looked around and then just left. And when he left somebody came out from behind the bench and was doing up his pants. Ja ja funny. Nobody really got it though. We did these skits Tuesday and Wednesday. We did it in the two branches that are here in Moyo.

We ate with the fam Cubas Thursday and sang songs with them, and played uno. It was fun we stayed out till 11 and then came home and slept. Like I said in the phone that family is really humble and they are fun to be with. It was a good experience for me to be able to buy dinner for them and spend the night with them. They said it was the best Christmas they have had in their life’s. it was great to be a part of that. I guess where they were at it wasn’t that big of a holiday and they just spent it with their family doing a whole lot of nothing.

Friday we talked with the family and it was great.

Sunday we got surprised because the branch pres said we had talks this week but he told us half way thru Sunday school. We did ok, I talked about the atonement and how it has cleansed us from our sins and how we are examples of the way that others too, can be cleansed. My comp talked that all of us are members and for this we are all angels that the Lord has sent to preach the good news. It went well. We had great week. For us it was a very merry Christmas and we will have a great new year. We are going to work really hard to have a lot of success this next month.

I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE THAT ALL GOES WELL IN THIS NEXT WEEK AND HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR.AND ALDEN YOU PLAY THE GUITAR REALLY GOOD. YOU SHOULD TRY TO FIND THE SIMPSON SONG AND PLAY THAT.

Looking Forward to our Christmas Call December 21 2009

2009-12-21T21:30:00.001-07:00

Hey my favorite fam. I hope all is well there, all is well here in moyo. A little warm but all is good.

We have had an ok week. It ended a little hard. We had a few dates that fell because they didn’t come to the chapel. Yesterday nobody wanted to listen to us. We felt a little rejected but it is pday and it is almost Christmas and we are so stoked. I didn’t receive the candy I hope that they didn’t eat it in the offices. I still don’t have my calling cards but today I will be purchasing them.

Monday, you know what we did Monday, we ate with pres and then traveled home. The highway is beautiful just a little scary.

Tuesday thru Saturday we worked all day, we had our reunions. It has been rainy a little all week. Every day it has been sprinkling. It doesn’t get too cold but it does get you wet. We have been working to find new investigators all week and it seems that the work here is a little slow but we are going to turn that around. It is a little hard in this time of year because everyone is drinking and leaving. Our members our very good but have a hard time giving us references.

I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS GOING THRU MY HEAD AND I AM HAVING A HARD TIME REMEMBERING ALL THAT I DID THIS WEEK. I HOPE THAT YOU CAN FORGIVE ME FOR NOT WRITING A WHOLE LOT. WELL IF YOU HAVE QUESTION PREGUNTAME FRIDAY. I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. I HOPE THAT ALL GOES WELL BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. ENJOY YOUR VACATIONS AND I WILL TALK TO YOU FRIDAY.

Well love you all hasta luego until Friday
Elder Hyde

Dinner with President Perez, Package from home and Baptism. December 14 2009

2009-12-15T21:32:00.007-07:00

What’s up sorry it is so late we just got done with interviews and eating with President Perez. We had chicken cordon bleu. It was delicious.

Wow. It has been a long time since Alden spoke in church. My farewell was almost 18 months ago. I don’t think I have gone more that a month and a half without talking in sacrament meeting. I almost fee like Dad now.

We are eating on our own. We could get a pension but for right now I think we will keep cooking because it is a little bit easier for us. In the nights, sometimes we go out to eat and we get 1/8 of chicken for $1. It is cheap. Sometimes we get hamburger, A Hawaiian Hamburger with pineapple and peaches inside it might sound weird but it is delicious. You asked what kind of cereal and milk do you eat. There is a cereal brand that is called angel and they have bunch of different flavors. We usually get a variety of flavors. I am sorry but my English is horrible. I have forgotten how to spell. (Good thing mom knows how to correct his spelling)

We have 8 Somos (Elders?) in our zone. There are two Gringos here me and Elder Crum. He is from Arizona. He is new, he has two changes and is still picking up on the Spanish.

Today the President came. We just got done saying goodbye to him. I got one package that looks like a Melaleuca box. The next package I will get will be Jan 13. 2010. That is when I go to Lima for our meetings if I stay as lider de zona.

This week we had the baptism of Walter, he has 16 years. At first he was a little doubtful, or a little disappointed that the other elders left. But we got his excitement up and he entered the water and it was a wonderful experience.

My time is just about up. I am glad that all is well there. I am glad that mom is alright. I told pres today that all is well and that mom is getting better. (Interesting that he told the President this when he did not know the results of the scans showed that the chemo is shrinking the tumors. I will be asking him about that!)
Love you lots,
Elder Hyde

Sad to Leave Converts and Members, Love the Jungle! December 7 2009

2009-12-07T22:44:00.001-07:00

Yes I love it in the jungle. It is really pretty here. I could move here after the mission. ha! ha!

Wow, what an interesting week. First we spent Monday and Tuesday visiting and saying goodbye to my converts and also the members. It was really hard, I have really grown to love the people there, they were so kind and loving. It was especially hard to say goodbye to the family that we lived with they had been so good. I almost started to cry, but i left the room as fast as I could so they couldn’t see me.

My comp left early Wednesday morning so I took him to the offices and hung out with some other missionaries waiting for the change meeting. When we finished the meeting, my comp and I went to McDonalds and ate ice cream and then went and rested the rest of the night.

Thursday we had a meeting with all the zone leaders that lasted almost the whole day. We ate after that at papa john’s pizza, it was really good.

We caught our flight at 8:00 pm and made it to Tarapoto at 9:15, took a taxi to Moyobamba and that took about 2 hours, it was a pretty drive even though it was dark and I was half asleep. It was a very good, interesting but very very long trip. We had been sitting all day on our butts. My butt by the end of the day was really sore.

We will be taking the trip in the day time because president is coming next week and we will be eating with him. We finally made it to our house at 12:30 in the morning and went right to sleep.

Friday we spent cleaning the house because it was a pig sty. They left like 4 bags of garbage and like 100 boxes of milk. We did find and interesting way to use the boxes though. We made a tree, it is really cool. We bought some decorations for our tree. It has lights and everything.

We tried to get to know the area but it is a little hard when the two of us are new. The other elders left with not a whole lot so, this week we have a whole lot of finding to do. I know that there is a lot of possibilities here for success. So far we only have 1 date that the elders left us but in this week we have the goal of 3 more.

The members here are really cool. We only got a little time to get to know them yesterday, but they are all very loving and something that I really like about here is they talk with a really thick accent.
It is really pretty here, it is really really green. Today we took like an hour bus ride to go to another area in our zone and oh my gosh it is so pretty. I think i took like 20 pictures. We went to a little place today and played soccer, it was really pretty and the good thing it is that we are in the rainy season and it is not to hot, and it wasn’t raining.

Well it is not a lot different being zone leader, well at least i don’t feel it yet. We have a few more reports to do, but other than that it is normal. Well the other thing is is that i have a cell phone and it is a little weird still to have it.
Here we don’t have a pension so we have eaten cereal and milk for breakfast and have eaten chicken and french fries for dinner.
Elder Garnica is good, it has been almost a year now and we are back together. We got along great and i think it will be the same this time. He is a little bit different, because he is a little trunky he is going to end in February.

Well that was basically our crazy and interesting week. I will probably have more to write to you next week, right now we are still lost.

I want to try to write a Christmas letter to all my converts. I hope I can do it so it sounds good. I will put a photo of my comp and I by our tree of milk boxes
LOVE Y´ALL
Love Elder Hyde

Two Baptisms, Changes this week. Where will I go? November 30 2009

2009-11-30T13:39:00.002-07:00

Well we had an excellent weekend. We finished with two wonderful wet people.

First we had the sister Eustaquia Luna. This is the sister of the fam Luna, they are really cool. Eustaquia has been listening to the missionaries for over a year now. Every time she accepts a date something gets in the way. Usually it was her husband or family. She asked us if she could do it without telling her family. We said ya if you think that will help you get baptized. So this is what we did and it worked out. She is really a good lady and has a strong testimony about the church. She told us that they did their wedding the same way. The family didn’t know, they didn’t believe it until they saw the papers of their wedding. That is how we did her baptism.

We also baptized Karla, a joven de 12 years. It all started with a contact that we did when we were in a threesome. We contacted the father and he said we could teach his family. The mom was listening for a while but didn’t show much interest in getting baptized. We worked mostly with the daughter. After about two months teaching and trying to get permission we finally got it. We had a really good experience with her. She really loves music and magazines, and has magazines of a lot of artists. She loves to talk. We would go to teach and it would take about two hours to teach her and then they invited us to eat.

We had one baptism at 5 o'clock and the other at 6:30 pm. I had the privilege to baptize both of them. I only have one pair of pants and my companions didn’t fit me. So I did the first baptism, wrang out the clothes and packed them to to to the other church to do the other baptism.

Well that was basically our week. I guess I will be visiting and saying goodbye to the people that I helped baptize. I will be flying to MOYABAMBA to be LIDER DE ZONA. Zone leader with my old companion, Elder Garnica. I was with him in Pucallpa. It is going to be another adventure. I am kinda excited but also really nervous. WWWWWWWOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!
I think President is putting a lot of trust in me and I am going to do all that I can to make him proud. It will be a great change. I will miss this area and all the members that are here.
It will be great to get to know new ones.

I have had a lot of experiencias especiales. Sorry I forgot how to say that in English. I love you all very much and can’t wait to tell you about my new area.

Other fun things
Derek got our last package and it did not look like it had been gone through.

Derek attended testimony meeting for the missionaries that are going home this week. He thought there were about 22 elders going home. Four of Five of them from Utah.

President Perez mentioned that he had spoke to Former Elder Rich and that he would be visiting Peru this week.

Derek’s “Son”, the elder he trained, will be going to Iquitos. He will serve in the opposite zone that Derek served in while in Iquitos. He hopes he did a good job training him.

Tomas is baptized, Great week even with illness. November 22 2009

2009-11-23T08:32:00.001-07:00

Holy crap, it must be cold there. I wish we had snow here, we just have a lot of pollution in the air that sometimes looks like it might be snowing in the distance.
Hey we had a weird week this week. Weird, but alright. First we had a free p-day that we could do anything we wanted, we played Uno, our pension had cards. We also went to print pictures, which took pretty much all afternoon.

Tuesday we had a reunion with the district and I talk and gave a training about the Book Of Mormon. It was really good and I found a quote in “Preach My Gospel” that says we should value The Book of Mormon because it is very special and we should present it in a very good way so the people will want to read it. I have come to love the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has all the answers to our questions. It is a very important book in the conversion of the investigators. If they know the Book of Mormon is true they will know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the church is restored. I love the Book of Mormon.

Wednesday we had a full day of work, it was a hot day but my comp was feeling really cold. So he put on his sweater and everything. We went to teach and all was good we just couldn’t walk fast because if we did we would have to enter in the house to sit on the throne. So it wasn’t just he was cold but with the runs.

Thursday one of our dates fell because she feels bad and her husband was putting bad thoughts in her mind about baptism. We reset it for this week and she is not going to tell her husband. She has been listening to the missionaries for over a year I think and finally she is going to enter the water. She is what we call a dry member, she has assisted the chapel for a long time everyone knows her and are trying to help her get wet.
Thursday we spent half the afternoon in the house because my comp could not eat or hardly move. I did get my package, it was full of goodies, thank you. I love the shirt(BYU), the other elder gringo likes Utah and we fight some times about who is better.

Well the rest of the week we kind of took it easy because the four of us were a little sick, all have been in the bathroom and vomitando in the street. It has been a really gassy week. We have been farting and burping all weekend.(sorry for the grossness but I don’t have any other words to explain it.)

One highlight of our weekend was that Tomas got baptized, it was really good and he was one of those references that is prepared to get baptized. Bishop is a good friend of his and got to baptize him. It was really special. Other than sickness, we to had a great week.

Today we will be playing I think. I need to print some pictures so I will be prepared to say goodbye a todos here if I leave. I don’t want to leave but I have that feeling that I will be.Well my time is up but I love you very much and can’t wait to hear from you next week.
I hope you all have a great week.
Elder Hyde

2009-11-16T13:29:00.001-07:00

Well Family everything here is going great. We had a really good week.

We have been working with our dates that we have for this Saturday, we have three. We are so excited, we announced them in sacrament. Wow speaking of sacrament, we had the primary program and it was alright but, wow first we start late. Second it is very disorganized and we didn’t finish the reunion until 12:30 when we should have finished at 11:30.
We have found a really humble family that we have taught two or three times and they are really interested in the message and baptism. We had the chance yesterday to find the father of the family and he said he has been praying for the true church. We hope to help them progress really fast. They need to get married though. So we are going to be praying they can get their papers ready and can get married and baptized.

To answer your questions.
Todavia or still I have not received a package but it is alright because they are coming really slow. One elder just barely received one that his mom sent before conference.

My comp is still Elder Rodriguez or my son. He is from Colombia.

Well my shoes are wearing out but I still think they are good. The worst part is where they are sewed and it is coming undone but we have a guy below us that fixes it really cheap. So that don’t worry about that

Well I don’t need anything but if you would like to send me some chips that would be awesome. Maybe Doritos salsa verde or something that burns. Maybe some fritos chile cheese or the other flavor.

We live in a house of a member. Two other missionaries live on the second floor in a small room and us in another and then the family lives on the third floor. The dog is on the fourth. It is a big house and the pension and the family is really good to us. They are very loving. We live very close to the church like two blocks. But a funny story our pension has a car and he drives two blocks to the church, no wonder he is a little fat.

Yesterday we had a mouse hunt. We finally killed it after about ten minutes of chasing it around the house.
The gringo we have in my zone, Morton, Gomez, Hill, Atkinson, Crum. No mas

Well that is about all the time that I have. I love you all and hope all goes well this week.
Elder Hyde

Workin' Hard November 9 2009

2009-11-09T09:17:00.001-07:00

Hey my family, we had an excellent week. We ended up with three baptisms. Rosa, Monica and Maria. They were all really good. We had been working with Rosa since I have been here in Comas and even before. She had a few problems that we had to resolve and finally we were able to get her wet. It was a great experience. The other two were little girls from inactive families. They were our golden children.

We also got a reference from the bishop that is really good too. He really is a golden investigator. We first got to know him in the chapel. He lives way up in the hill and we don’t go there very much. So the first week we were not able to visit him and he came to the chapel. The next week he asked us why we didn’t visit him. This week we challenged him and he is really excited to change his life. So he is one that we will be working with this week.

Well today we are going to the center of Lima so we don’t have much time to write.

I love you all so very much…
love Elder Hyde.

Some things moms love to hear and others not so much. November 2 2009

2009-11-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

This week was really good we had some good experiences.
A while ago I received a letter from Grandma Baker. She told me that her bishop’s son is serving in the Peru South mission. He had an experience where they were going to be attack by several people, they followed the spirit and continued past the people without incident. They felt Heavenly Father’s guiding hand in this experience. The same has happened to me.

This happened last week and I forgot to tell you. Some young man tried to rob us. He said, ¨good night, I have a pistol and so give me all you got¨. I had my camera and my credit card. My companion only had books. We didn’t give him anything because here they don’t hide the guns they pull them out and stick them to your head. He just had his hand in his jacket and he just tried to scare us to see if we were stupid and see if we would give him our stuff. We were led by the spirit that told us he didn’t have anything and that we should ignore him.

This week nothing quite that interesting happened, but that is alright. We had a lot of meetings this week, so we did a lot of traveling. The chapel of the Zone leaders is a 15 minute bus ride. The sisters that are in my district had to move to a different house. They sent me to basically hang out the window and hold on to a dresser and mattress that was on the top of the car. It was kind of fun but also scary because on one of the streets that we drove on the drivers are crazy and come really close to the other cars, so they were really close to my body. It was little scary but fun.

We have 3 dates for this wee, two little girls, de 11 años and Hna Rosa, who has been listening to the missionaries for a lot of time. We finally got all her problems resolved and she is ready for her baptism. We will be working with them to get them really excited this week. We will also be setting more dates so that we can still have good numbers.

Well this was our week, we feel that we are working good and I am so glad I have this chance to be here in the great and marvelous work, I feel really privileged to be here. Well I got to go so I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
Until next week,
Elder Hyde

Teaching but difficult to get commitments October 26 2009

2009-10-27T21:25:00.002-06:00

What a week. This week was pretty good. we were able to do a lot of good things.

This week we had ward conference and so we had activities all week. Monday we did a FHE with Rosario, the sister that had a hard time getting baptized, it was really good. We talked a lot about the family.

Tuesday we had a sports night the members invited us to play a little soccer.

Wednesday we had p-day and changes, I slept all morning and I woke up refreshed we went to lunch and then went to a store to get stuff to kill fleas and also to make cookies, holy crap the chocolate chips are expensive. 8 soles for a small bag. 200grams. That is like $2.50.

We also had a lesson with one sister that had a date to get baptized but she is not married and her husband is in jail. She didn’t understand the importance of marriage.

Thursday was really good we had a mission night in the chapel, we invited all the members to come and invite friends, well a lot of members showed but friends no. We watched the movie ¨for small and simple things.¨ It was really good, the members are a little bit more excited to help us.

We are planning to set more dates with a few more investigators this week. We have some really good young people, but the problem is their parents. Even though they are members they won’t let them get baptized. The worst thing is, is that they wont talk to us.

We also have some really good adults that also want to get baptized and have told us, but the problem is that they are not married. The two biggest problems we have, permission from fathers, or they are not married. There is a law here that says that if they are not married they still have the same rights as the couples that are married.
We are teaching a young woman and her mother and they are really cool, but we can’t get them to accept a date. They invite us to eat every time that we go and they say they feel really good when they listen to us, but we need to find a good way to get them to know that, that is their answer. We are going to be working hard this next week to have some people accept a date and also to find new ones too. Well I love YOU ALL AND I hope that all goes GREAT
Love,
Elder Hyde

Fun Ways That People have found Derek”s blog and interesting places!

2009-10-26T22:24:00.000-06:00

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Trunky Meeting. Staying put this Change. October 19 2009

2009-10-19T11:40:00.002-06:00

Hey my what’s up.
I am doing well we had a really tiring week. I feel that we have worked hard
I hope everyone had a great week. We, (me and my son) had a great week. it was a little slow and busy but it was great.

Tuesday we had the chance to go to the temple, and like always it was excellent. We then went to Burger King and ate hamburgers.

Wednesday was just a normal day and Thursday we had also a normal day.

Friday we had the trunky hour. The testimony meeting was Friday and it was great.

Then Saturday we had a meeting in the morning at the CCM in Lima. We had a talk with Elder Christofferson, and bishop Edgley and also elder Clayton from the quorum of the seventy. It was a really great day. We woke up at 5 and got ready, left halfway dead.

This week we have not gotten a whole lot of sleep. Well my comp has not been able to sleep to great, I think he is also getting the cold. We also have been waking up really early like every other day. But it was a week, well worth it.

I am ready for Wednesday to be pday, a day of all sleep. I don’t have to worry about changes, my son and I are staying here, waaaaahhhhhoooooooyyyyyyy. Today is also just a normal day of work we have appointments all day.

I am listening to the conference and wow it is so great I want to put it on my mp3. Well we had a great week and are planning to have another great week.
I do not have the Spanish bible yet, but I have plans to get it when they have them at the distribution center
I hope you have a great week this week and I hope that all goes well.
LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elder Hyde

The Lord Guides Us in our Paths October 13 2009

2009-10-14T07:45:00.003-06:00

Hey family what’s up.We had a great week.
We just got back from the temple, it was amazing just like it always is!

We have been doing a lot of contacts, or in other words we have been trying to find a whole lot of new people. We are teaching less lessons but we have had really good ones. We have set a few dates too. We have worn ourselves out with all the walking we have done, and yes we are starting to go into summer and it is getting a little hot.

We found a family this week that have a lot of questions and it’s a little hard to teach them, but at least they are pretty good questions. We will be going to teach them tonight. They are going to invite us to eat. Something that we can see here is that if they like the lesson and they feel the spirit, they usually invite us to eat something or something to drink.

Something I had happen to me a lot here is the Lord talks to me while I am talking to the investigators or I find something I need while I am sharing the scriptures with the investigators. For example I was reading to one sister Alma 38:4-5 I would advise you to read it. It helped me a lot. I know it will help you too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!This has happened a lot.

One of the greatest spiritual experiences that I had this week was Sunday. We had a slow day and I was about to give up, we were in the house and everything, I said no we can’t give up just yet. So I knelt down said a quick prayer and asked that we would be guided right to the person that was prepared. We left not knowing where to go, just walking in the street and all of the sudden a person pops in my head. We went and we didn’t have the opportunity to teach, but I asked her if she would get baptized and she said yes. (well it is a daughter of a member less active)but it was still a really good experience and a great answer that I received from a quick simple prayer(and enduring to the end.)

I know that the lord guides us in our paths and that no matter what the problem He is there for us. Just like it says in Alma 38:4-5If we put our confidence in him. He will free us from all our trials. I have been sharing that scripture with everyone and inviting them to put it in practice, I want to make the same invitation to all who read this, that we don’t lose the confidence in God and that we don’t lose the patience in all our trials. :)

I love you all very much and hope that this week goes awesome.
Elder Hyde

Great Conference Week October 5 2009

2009-10-06T11:44:00.001-06:00

Well it was a great week; we had a great weekend. Conference was so good. I loved the Saturday session, the morning and the priesthood session. They had really good counsels for all of us. Most of all I loved the talk of Elder Ballard (priesthood). He talked about the role of sons and fathers. It was a powerful talk by Elder Holland, about the book of Mormon. It was great.
This week was a little hard, a few things happened that screwed our time up a little. We had interviews that lasted a long time, conference and also our comp got a new comp so we spent a little time getting that changed. We have found some really good people this week I hope.

Monday- we wanted to go to this house of inquisitions, but we couldn’t the Catholics didn’t want to let us in. so we went to a coin house, where they have old coins and show how they have changed with time. It was ok, but not what I was hoping to do.

Tuesday- I tried to give my district excitement to work. We talked about referrals and working with the members. It is really important that we work with them, like we heard in conference.

Wednesday we worked a full day. We had to stay in the house a little while to fix our bathroom. It was one of the things that killed us this week.

Thursday we had interviews and we also started late.

Friday we got a new companion and lost time.

Saturday we had conference all day.

Sunday was also full of conference.

Now I am excited to get back to work. I would live to have conference every weekend. That would be the best thing ever. I think I took conference for granted at home. I didn’t get much out of it. But here in the mission they are the best.

I know that the church is true and that the Lord is always there for us. He has his arms stretched out ready to receive us when we need him.
I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in this time and in this place, to help everyone I can in this time.
I love you all so much and hope your week is good.

Hey maybe you could do something for me. Can you find the poem “Footprints in the Sand” in Spanish?
Well I am going to run to the bank now, so I will talk to you next week.
Love you all so much, your son Elder Hyde
CH0A CHOA

Broom Hockey, Fireworks, Interviews and Baptism September 28 2009

2009-09-28T09:59:00.002-06:00

Hey my family how is it going? This week was a little crazy, we are still in a threesome and it is going alright. We had one baptism, her name is Daniela and it was really cool.

I just have to tell you that I need to get better in writing in my journal. I am a little behind. But I have promised myself that I am going to do it this week. I am really excited for conference this week; it is going to be really good. This is what we did this week.

Monday: We played hockey with broom sticks. It was really fun, we broke like 3 brooms.

Tuesday: We had district meeting that went all right, we had a good time, I am trying to excite my district to work harder.

Wednesday: We worked really hard today, it was really fun. We had a lot of lesson today and throughout the week we had a lot of success this week.

Thursday: We also had a good day. I had interviews for my district and they were easy, they are getting easier for me. That is the one thing I didn’t like at first, the interviews, well still it is not my favorite but I can live with it.

Friday: We also had another interview for my baptism. I was able to do it because it was not my area. The thing is, is that the district leaders can’t interview their own investigators. So it was weird for me because I had basically been teaching her but got to do her interview. Sorry if this story doesn’t make sense.

Saturday and Sunday were really good we had a lot of success those days teaching and tracking. And the baptism.
Yesterday we watched a really cool catholic firework display. They had a doll with fireworks in it and It made it look like he was dancing, it was sweet.We had a really good week

Today we are going to center to look at a place where they killed people it will be interesting. Where they kill them in strange ways.

Hope this week is great for you.
Tell Courtney happy wedding and I am happy for her. Congrats.
LOVE YOU ALL GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK.
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Three Missionaries Serving together. Wonderful Stake Conference. September 21 2009

2009-09-21T10:47:00.002-06:00

Well we had an alright week this week. Right now we have 4 baptisms. We have another one for this week and we are trying to get permission from a father for 2 others. We have another sister that wants to be baptized and can this week, we just need to find her.

One of the highlights was stake conference. It was a really great conference. It was one of those multi stake conferences that is transmitted from Salt Lake. We had President Uchtdorf and Elder Holland talk to us. It was really cool I didn’t know that elder Holland could speak Spanish. It was funny to hear him try to mumble, he speaks like a gringo. It was funny. They pressed really hard on the subject of paying tithing. We need to pay tithing to enjoy the blessing of the temples and all that good stuff. Here there is a small problem with tithing.

It was a really strange week, one of the elders went home and his comp is now with us until we can find a comp for him. It is really weird in a threesome. I don’t know if I told you but my comp reminds me of elder Noble (Cameron). It is kinda weird too.

How is Cameron(a cousin that is coming home from Tempe Az on Oct. 22nd) doing, is he trunky yet. He will be finishing this change, no. Wow time flies when you are having fun. Hey, have you heard anything about Danny? I need to write him. I just have no time. I will be writing letters today.We have been having a lot of fun this week, and we will start having more this one. We are going to try to do family home evening with the families in the ward. It will be awesome.

I love you all very much and hope all is just dandy alli.
Love Elder Hyde

Training a New Companion. Baptisms September 14 2009

2009-09-14T09:44:00.002-06:00

We had an excellent weekend. We had 4 baptisms, 2 that we set this week. It was really cool.

My companion is Elder Rodriguez, he is from Colombia and the work is going really good. I am having a great time being a father.(When a missionary gets a new missionary to train they consider it as being a "father".) It’s a little bit more responsibility but it has helped me a lot. I have found things that I have not been doing well and I have been trying to fix them. It is going to help me a lot.

My shoes are alright solo the inside is going bad I will try to do something to get them fixed today or sometime this week.

We made cookies and they were good. I think I will make the other package today.

I have been taking pictures and I will be trying to send some home sometime this week. I don’t feel very safe carrying my camera all over. So I haven’t taken as many but I will try harder.

It has been a really great week and I hope that this week is even better.

I hope all goes well this week for you.
Love elder Hyde

Elder Griffen says hi, he is the other district leader in the zone.

Lots of Meeting.....Short Week......Short Letter.... September 7 2009

2009-09-07T21:37:00.000-06:00

Hey we had a busy week. We had a lot of meetings this week. We went to the bank and also had a reunion Tuesday.
We had the temple on Wednesday; Friday we had a farewell for the elders and sister that are ending. Not much more happened this week than that.

We had some really good experiences teaching this end of the week. We tried to get a young woman to accept a date, but she still has a few doubts.

I don’t know why but I don’t have a lot to write. We found out our changes and it says I am going to................................................................................................................................................................stay and get to know my area a little bit better. I am finally going to get my newby well I think. I am going to have a kid.

Well about the comment about the dad wanting to pay for the baptism. We challenged the kid and asked the dad to sign permission and then the dad asked how much does it cost to baptize in your church. For his baptism I guess he had to pay. So he was expecting to pay for his son too.

I love you all tons and hope that everything goes alright this week. Sorry that my letter isn’t that long. It’s only been like four days since the last time I wrote so that is why it is short.

LOVE ELDER HYDE

Into the water......finally.....yes and even under the water....September 2 2009

2009-09-02T14:08:00.001-06:00

Hey my family how is everyone?

We had a great week. We finally got the sister in the water that we have tried for the last 2 weeks. But what is the chance that it wasn’t easy to get her under. We had entered the water and I said the prayer and went to dunk her but she stiffened up and I wasn’t able to do it. She was really scared about me dropping her. Well we had a bigger elder that just happened to be with us that day, get in and get behind her for support, but still nothing. About 20 min passed and the ward was trying to help her but nothing. So I told her watch I am going to practice with Elder Sanchez which was bigger than her. That was a mistake, his feet came up and we both slipped, but at the last second he came up and said look how easy that was. I don’t know if it helped or if it scared her more. Well after that she finally let us dunk her. Satan was working hard with her. She is going to be a really strong member. I am glad that we finally got her baptized.

This week we also found a really cool family. One of the kids wants to get baptized and his father was willing to sign the permission and also was willing to pay for his baptism. We are trying to get the whole family but the dad says he has other religion and the mother is not married with him, so we are trying to get all the kids baptized.

We have a lot of families that we are teaching and hopefully we can get something going with them, most of them need to get married first. It kinda sucks here because they just don’t know better.

I am getting the hang of my job as district leader and I hope I am helping everyone else.

I think that letter from Jose is really funny. Did you understand it. if you want tell him. "HEY, ESCRIBANOS EN ESPAÑOL, PODEMOS ENTENDERLE" and Joe can translate the letter for you. He told me that he wanted you to find him a chick that wanted to teach him English and he would teach her Spanish it was a little mixed up in the letter, in other words he is looking for a wife. Jaja

Well we had a beautiful day at the temple and we will be watching a movie that I bought about President Monson.

I LOVE YOU ALL AND HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK. CHOA CHOA. LOVE ELDER HYDE....

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

2009-08-25T10:03:00.003-06:00

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

2009-08-17T15:49:00.002-06:00

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

2009-08-10T10:28:00.002-06:00

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

2009-08-05T13:07:00.004-06:00

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.

Excellent Week. Leaving Iquitos....going to Lima July 27 2009

2009-07-27T10:34:00.002-06:00

Well we ended the week with excellence. We spent all week spending time with our investigators that got baptized so that they didn’t fall thru. So it was a really busy week. We had 6 baptisms and one of them was the father of my friend that passed away in the accident. They have been waiting for that moment for a long time. It was a really neat baptism that we had. One thing that hit me was when he gave his testimony, before he was saying “um I don’t have that great of a testimony”, but that testimony that he shared was AMAZING.

Well it will probably be my last baptism here in Iquitos, because I am leaving to go to Lima. And the scary part is that I will be DL (district leader) and I will have a kid (I am going to be a papa (trainer). AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH well I am going to do the best I can because the lord has called me. I know that some challenges lay ahead but also some wonderful experiences. I can’t wait. Well I am a little nervous.

We had been working really hard in the area and have had a lot of success. It was an amazing change we had a lot of fun and success. We helped strengthen the members and investigators. We had a few weeks of slow and tiring work. But that time paid off. We ended this change with 11 baptism. I am really going to miss this area. I have so many converts. I have more than 30 and I won’t have time to say goodbye. I will do my best and if not I will leave them a note with my companion.

We had a really cool activity this week, we called it eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die. We tied in the plan of salvation. What we did is everyone started out with some money and we had a store and a dance club and also a theater where they watched “Ice Age 3” we told them to go wild and spend their money. Then after an hour or so we turned off everything and told them that they died. We moved to another room and separated them in the kingdoms depending on how much money they had. We said that sometime we have a little to much fun here in the world and we will have to pay the price for that we the lord comes to judge us. It was really fun.

I forgot to tell you that last Monday we had the privilege to watch "night at the museum 2" we are the highest baptizing zone here in the zone. It was funny.Have you guys seen that or Ice age 3? I think here it comes out on disk before it comes out in the theaters. Here they don’t have ratings on the movies.

The area that I am going to is called Tihuantunsuyo. (TI-WAN-TUN-SUYO) I don’t know my companion yet because he is a newbi and it still in the CCM. I should leave on Wednesday.

I should be able to get my suitcase that I left in the mission office. I think I will be leaving a lot here so that I can take my hammock and all the stuff I bought here in Iquitos.

Well, Talk to you all next week. I just want you to know that I love you all so very much and hope all is going well there. Love you all and pray for you everyday.

Love your son, brother, and uncle,
Elder Hyde

Awesome week Family Home Evening with Families July 20 2009

2009-07-20T15:07:00.003-06:00

We had an awesome week. We ended it with two baptisms. One that his family are members and the one that we have been working with to get married. It was great. I also saw a family get baptized that I had been working with but they are from another area. They were living in our area while their house was flooded. We got all their papers for their marriage and taught them. Then they moved back to their house and it was a free baptism for the other missionaries. We had a massive baptism; with like 15 people it was awesome.

It had rained a lot this week again. But also it was freakin hot. When the weather is like this it tires you out. Every night we go home plan and want to hit the sack.

We have had a lot more success this week, which is good. We have also had a little fun Because this week is going to be stressful, we have like 6 baptisms planned.

This last p day we played in the mud, it was mud soccer. It was a lot of fun, slippin and slidin. We finally won the other Zone. It was really fun, we also got permission to watch batman. It was an awesome movie.

Well I have a feeling this is my last week in Iquitos. I think I am heading to Lima. Even though I don’t want to. Every one tells me I am going up to district leader, but I really don’t want to. But I will take whatever calling the lord wants me to. I know that the lord prepares a way for all his children to fulfill their callings.

Sounds like you had a nice relaxing busy week. We have been having FHE every night with members, it has been a really good week with that. We have been able to get to know the members and also have some fun with them. We had one this week that I was getting pick on in the games. We played hot potato and every time you lose you get painted with lip stick. I was covered this day in lipstick my whole face was red.

Another one we got a young women soaked. It's called a trip to the stars. You put a shirt on the head and on the count of three they look thru the sleeve just as you pour water down it. It is really fun. That was basically our week. It was a really good one, and I hope this next one is just as good.

LOVE YOU ALL AND I PRAY FOR EACH AND EVERYONE.
LOVE, ELDER HYDE

Letter for the participants of Aaron's Camp Derek's Testimony

2009-07-13T09:52:00.003-06:00

Our Stake has a week long camp for the young men 16 years and older. This is a spiritual camp where they teach each other from "Preach my Gospel". Many lives are changed because of the spiritual experience the young men have while participating. Derek attended this camp for three years before going on his mission. He was asked to write a letter for the camp this year.

HEY AARONS CAMP,
I HOPE THAT ALL IS GOING WELL UP HERE AND THAT YOU’RE KEEPING THE FIRES UNDER CONTROL.

WELL I WANT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT AARONS CAMP FOR ME HAS HELPED ME SO MUCH. WHEN I PARTICIPATED, I LEARNED A LOT. IT HAS REALLY HELPED ME BE A BETTER TEACHER OF THE GOSPEL.

HERE YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN THE LESSONS THAT YOU WILL BE TEACHING IN THE FIELD. PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING AND TRY TO BE LIKE A SPONGE, SOAK IT ALL IN. I HAVE HAD SOME REALLY GOOD EXPIRIENCES HERE IN PERU AND A LOT OF THESE EXPIRIENCES REMIND ME OF THE SPIRITUAL EXPIRIENCES THAT I HAD AT AARONS CAMP. I KNOW THAT AARONS CAMP HAS HELPED ME AND I KNOW IT WILL HELP ALL OF YOU IF YOU LET IT. DO ALL THAT YOU CAN DO TO LISTEN TO THE SPIRIT AND TO THE TEACHERS.

I KNOW THAT THIS CHURCH IS TRUE AND I KNOW THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST LIVES AND LOVES EVERY ONE OF US. I KNOW THAT JOSEPH SMITH WAS A PROPHET CALLED OF GOD TO RESTORE THE GOSPEL IN THIS TIME SO THAT WE COULD ONE DAY LIVE WITH GOD AGAIN. I KNOW THAT IF WE JUST ENDURE TO THE END WE CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND ALL THAT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HAS. I KNOW THAT THE LORD IS WATCHING OVER US AND WANTS US TO BE HAPPY. I KNOW THAT PREACH MY GOSPEL IS A BOOK THAT WAS WRITTEN BY PROPHETS TO HELP US IN THIS WORK, STUDY IT, READ IT, AND ENJOY IT. I KNOW THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE WORD OF GOD AND HAS AND WILL CONTINUE BLESSING THE LIFES OF MANY.

ENJOY THIS TIME THAT YOU HAVE THIS WEEK, BECAUSE IT IS REALLY SHORT. SINCERELY ELDER HYDE

HOT Rainy, Family Home Evening, Massive Marriages July 13 2009

2009-07-13T09:41:00.001-06:00

Hey my wonderful family. I hope everything is going great. We had a really busy week. I started writing in my journal again and regret not writing for the last month. I did put a few experiences that I do remember though. The last week ended up a little sad because we had no baptismal dates set. The president said to the leaders that he was a little worried, but it was just a bad week.

This week we have set 6 dates and they are for the next two weeks. We have also been organizing a massive marriage, that we finally had Saturday. We had one couple that got married and she will be baptized this week, but also we had a family from another ward that we found that got married and will be baptized. It was really cool to help them, but with that came a lot of stress. We ran here and there trying to get things ready, finding papers and all that junk.

We found a young lady that we started to teach and right off the bat she said I want to get baptized, it was cool. I have seen the blessing of the lord this last week. It has shown me that when your mind is in the work and not in the house, the family, or other things, the work moves forward.

We did another activity this week. We dressed up as the book of Mormon and the bible and went out and passed out pamphlets with the youth. It was an alright activity. I felt a little strange but it was fun.

Youth conference is this week huh sound that the food is going to be good. I miss your good cooking, when I get home I am going to get fat. (Shane and I are going to Youth Conference to cook the meals for the youth.)

These last two days have been really freaking hot. I was out for half hour and my whole body was wet. I was sweating so bad, I couldn’t believe it. We were suffering, until all of the sudden it started to rain. Saturday before the wedding it started to rain. And yesterday it started to rain really hard. We had to walk about 1 mile in the rain. We were soaked.

This week we have been working really hard with the members doing FHE with a different family every night. It has been a really good thing for them, well and for us to. It gives them a chance to invite someone, so we can then teach them.Well we have had a great week and will continue having a great month. And also a great year.

Love you all a lot Love Elder Hyde

Sticky Fruit, Great Companion, Short Letter July 6 2009

2009-07-06T10:25:00.004-06:00

Well our last two weeks have been really good. We have had three baptisms and we have been enjoying our change together. My companion and I are getting along great, he is really funny. We have a a little bit of a drought with investigators. We are finding more this week that we will put with a date.

The weather here is a little rain and it is getting really hot. Everyone is telling me I am getting skinnier. I kinda hope so.

I have gotten really bad at writing in my journal. I haven’t written in it for the past three weeks. So one of the days I am going to go back thru and remind myself what has happened. It will be easy because we have our agendas that I will be able to look at to remind me.

The last week we went to a little place in the jungle and ate a fruit that when you eat it closes your mouth. It leaves a really sticky liquid on your lips and feels like you can’t open it. We also played a little soccer and a little volley with a less active family.

We had a really cool activity this week. We got the ward together and had a night of games. We had an eating contest, played musical chairs, pie in the face, arm wrestling, and balloon popping contest. It was really cool, we had a great turnout. And the members enjoyed themselves and told us we need to do it again. So I think we will start doing more activities like that.

Well we have got to go, sorry if this is not a great letter. I promise that next week will be a lot better.
Love ,
your favorite missionary,
ELDER HYDE

Short Letter, Website problems June 29 2009

2009-07-01T20:22:00.001-06:00

Hey how’s it going? Everything is good here. We are having problems with the web site so I think we will return later to write.

I just want you to know that we are doing excellent and that we had a good week we ended with 2 baptisms. I am really good health wise and MOM YOUR ALWAYS IN MY PRAYERS!!!

LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH
Love, Elder Hyde

New Companion Going to Celebrate Hump Day! June 22, 2009

2009-06-22T12:01:00.002-06:00

Hey my family, how is everything going? It has been a wet week here too. Either it is raining or you’re sweating really badly. Either way you’re wet.

Everything here is great. My new comp is awesome. Elder Lazo is from Arequipa, in southern Peru. He is really cool and is helping me a lot. We had a great week and found and set a few more baptism dates. He has 5 months in the mission but he teaches really well.

Last week Elder Portilla left and went to Lima where it is really cold. I am glad that I stayed and am not in Lima.

This week I have been learning, in my free time, how to make a hammock. The kind of hammock that I sent you guys. It is going to be sweet. I got the package and I love it. I love the m&ms and the camel. I really love it all, the pictures are awesome, but what happened to dad´s hair?

Hey I was wondering how Cameron is doing. Haven’t heard anything of him, and all the other cousins either.

Well my comp is really funny, and he likes to laugh. We have some good laughs this week.
We are teaching a young man who has been given the priesthood but was not baptized. Don’t ask me how it happened it just happened. His whole family are members but went inactive, and now they are getting active, and they thought he was baptized. Well it will be a really easy baptism. We also found a young woman yesterday and she is excited to get baptized. She has friends in the church that have got her excited.

I am excited for this week because I can play with fire. I am going to burn one of my shirts. One of the shirts that I had before the mission is now junked up, ripped, and I am a piro.

There have not been riots lately, so there is nothing to worry about.
My suit jacket is here with me. I just don’t use it until I change.
We eat in the morning and night in the pension and it is ok food.

About the trip to Lima from here. First you have to take a boat to Pucallpa or Tarapoto.
Then from there, there is a really dangerous road to get to Lima.
I do have my scripture cases of tiger skin. And he I going to make me a tie too.
I hope you have a great week.
LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY MY HUMP DAY WITH THE MISSIONERIES. :) (We are feeding our missionaries on Derek’s Hump day)
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Another Six Weeks in Iquitos. New Companion and Good Friend Dies June 15, 2009

2009-06-15T11:07:00.005-06:00

Hey hey hey. How was your week? Ours was alright. We ended the week with a baptism and finally the other was confirmed, after almost a month. We have had a little bit of a rough time these last few weeks. I don’t know if I told you but we as a mission ended may with 404. Which was awesome.

This week we had to stay in our house again because there was another riot. It’s not too bad it is just an excuse to put garbage in the streets and break bottles and play in the streets. (Soccer and volley)

Something really sad happened this week, one of our members was traveling to Lima on a bus and Thursday we heard that the bus had rolled off a little cliff and the member had passed away. We went Saturday to see his viewing and he looked pretty bad. It was kind of a sad moment for me but I knew that he was called to the other side to complete his other mission. He was a good friend and helped us a lot. Everyone says that he went knowing that something was going to happen. He told the bishop in an interview that he felt he was going to die. It was a little strange.

Well today we found out the changes and I will be staying one more change here and my comp is leaving. My new comp will be elder Lazo. I am glad that I am staying, but I am going to die of the heat. It gets so hot some days. I am just glad I am not going to Lima.

I hope you all have a great week this week and a fun one too.
love Your son ELder Hyde :)

Alligator burger and civil unrest. June 8, 2009

2009-06-08T13:54:00.005-06:00

Hey, hey, hey, what’s up its great to hear that you got the package, have you tried out the hammock. Well those things are for y´all, you can do what you want with them.

We had a pretty good week this week. I was a little less stressed out this weekend.

Well last Monday we went to a restaurant that sells good American hamburgers. But it was really expensive but delicious. This week I think I will try the alligator burger.

I don’t know if you heard anything about Tarapoto or Moyobamba but there is like a civil war and so the other day we couldn’t leave very much. When we did it was in pday clothes. It makes me so trunky and I feel so bad when we don’t go out or when we are in pday clothes. This happened the last week too. We woke up with a bunch of garbage in the streets and people breaking glass bottles in the streets it is a little weird here sometimes. But nothing to worry about. Read more about this story http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/06/05/peru.indigenous.clash/index.html?iref=newssearch

We have been trying to prepare a massive marriage, and get people to obey the law and commandments, we are trying to get two couples to get married and then baptized. We went to another area to find a couple that we had been helping but we didn’t know the exact direction. We asked like 20 people where it was but they didn’t know how to give directions very good so I just got more confused. We finally asked someone if they could show us and we finally found them. It was a miracle that we found them.

On Thursday we went to the church and the bishop told us that one of our old investigators was getting baptized this week and we were shocked because he doesn’t have permission from his parents and bishop said well he is going to seminary but we cant give him credit because he is not a member yet. We are going to talk to him this week and hopefully resolve some things.

I bought a memory stick to store all of my pictures and then delete them from my cards I am running out of room on them. It is 8gb and it only was like 25 bucks. It was cheap.

I love you all so very much and hope that this week rocks.

love Elder Hyde

13 Baptisms for the month.....BUSY.....June 1 2009

2009-06-01T13:09:00.001-06:00

Well we had a pretty good week this week. We ended up with 4 baptisms and confirmations. I got to baptize all four. It was a family of three (yesica, Melissa and Mateo.) and a kid whose sister is a member and now we are working with their mom. It was really good; we decided to do a massive baptism with all the missionaries from our district. We had thirteen baptisms together.

My comp and I ended the month with 13 baptism but as of right now only 12 were confirmed, because the other said that the bishop told him he should come to church with a shirt and tie. He doesn’t have one. So this week I will give him one of my shirts and ties.

During the week I am not to stressed, but come the weekend the stress rushes in. The last two weekends have been a little stressful, but I am sure it is just because of all the success and trying to get things done. The wards are throwing a little more responsibility on us, like they want us to teach the gospel principle class and other things. But it is all part of the mission and I am enjoying myself.

It has really been nice to sleep in a hammock. But I don’t use a mosquito net. But a lot of bug spray I do use and it seems to work good.
I did finally get the digital frame to work. I found the reset button but had a little bit of fear to push it. I pushed it and it didn’t erase anything but now it works.

I did get the package sent. You should be getting it in the next week, week and a half. It cost me 84 soles to send it. Like 27 bucks. I hope you enjoy what’s in it. The hammock doesn’t look that sturdy but it is.

I hope you all have a great week and that all goes great. I love you all very much. Love Elder Hyde

11 Months today! May 25, 2009

2009-05-25T08:48:00.002-06:00

I am so glad that you are doing well and I am praying that it continues that way. It sounds like everyone had a good week full of things to do.

We also had a great long week fulllll of things to do. I got a little stressed out this week because of it. We had two baptisms that went great but one did not show up to his baptism, but I didn’t have much faith in him, he was an investigator that the sisters here had been teaching and they had set a date for his baptism and interviews. The first two interviews he didn’t show up. But the third he did. And he passed and he said he wanted his baptism at two. So we went to pick him up at 2 but nobody was home. He just wanted to be in the presence of the sisters. I was a Little stressed this weekend, but I am better now. One of the baptisms we had didn’t show up to church to get confirmed so we will do it next week.

Well about the goal, we had enough baptism dates to get the goal but we couldn’t lose 1 date. But some of the companionships lost dates this week. So I don’t know. Nothing is impossible for God, only if we have faith in Christ.

RIGHT NOW I HAVE 8 BAPTISM THIS MONTH WITH MY COMP BUT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE 5 MORE THIS WEEKEND INCLUDING THE CONFIRMATION WE NEED TO DO.

I have not heard anything from Set just from my comp, when I went to Lima I talked to elder Garnica about him and the other investigators that we had.

Well I am a little jealous of the central air. It is really really hot here and that would be really nice right now. So I hope you enjoy that.

Alden is ended his junior year this week. Wooooow time flew so fast when I first got here to Peru he was starting school.

Today We are going to watch a movie, I think we are watching “What a Beautiful Life."

Last week I bought a hammock and have been sleeping in it all week. Then I got a cheap one from a family and I will be sending it home in my package today. I am finally going to send a package. Sorry it took so long.

I was thinking of some of the things you could send me and I got a little trunky. I was thinking of a nice glass of milk. But real United States milk and some real American beef. But I know that you can’t send those things but I was thinking a box of cake mix with some Betty Crocker frosting. That would be awesome.

Well I love you all so much and can't wait for pictures of my baby sobrina (Brielle is Britney’s baby. It is odd to think that she will be walking when Derek will see her in person.)
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Teaching in Street Clothes May 18, 2009

2009-05-18T10:14:00.001-06:00

Hey how is everyone doing, I am doing really good, we had an ok week this week, it was a little slow but it was good. Monday we went to a zoo again and played volley and soccer. It was fun.

We then had normal days Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday we had interviews with president. They were really good and short. He said, like you said, that he has seen a lot of changes in me and my person.

Well it was a weird day Saturday. President Perez called Friday and said that we couldn’t go work in shirt and tie. So Saturday we worked and taught in p day clothes. It was really a weird feeling teaching in street clothes. He heard that there were going to be riots or something that might have been dangerous. We were obedient and did as we were told.

Sunday in the morning it rained really really hard and like nobody showed up for church. This was ok because it was our turn to give talks and it wasn’t nerve-racking because nobody was there. Well we had few investigators to so that was the bad part.

We are teaching a really good family, a mom and daughter and son. They are so awesome they really were prepared for this time, she was the contact that I told you about. She is really excited to learn and for her baptism. She has a date set for this 30th. She really knows a lot about the bible and asked a lot of really good questions. Like yesterday we taught the word of wisdom and she asked about the meat and animals and even blood. She is awesome I am so excited for her, and her family.

Today it is going to be perfect weather it is a little hot, but it is cloudy and might rain a little.Today we are going to play water balloon volleyball and then watch a movie.It will be a good day.

I love you so much and hope everything goes good today and this week. cuidense mucho and take care,
Elder Hyde

My Visa, Our recent Converts May 11, 2009

2009-05-12T15:31:00.002-06:00

I finally got my visa on Wednesday. This is how my flight to Lima went.
Monday I found out I had to go to Lima to get some paperwork done so I could be a legal citizen here. So Tuesday in the night I was in the plane. Wednesday in the morning I was sitting in an office building waiting and waiting and waiting and more waiting. Then we went and sat and waited in a chapel and then went to the airport and waited some more. So we did a lot of waiting today. I wasn’t able to sleep on either one of the airplane rides, I couldn’t sleep Tuesday night, they told us to sleep on the couch in the offices which was really uncomfortable. but now I am back in my area happy as could be. : )

This week was awesome. Number one we got to talk to you all and then we had the 6 baptisms.After we talked Sunday night we went and ate dinner at a converts house. There was one of their daughters that did not want to accept a date. she was hard like a rock and was not going to break. se have been working with her a lot, and finally yesterday I got her to accept a date, other than in November like she wanted.

A little information about our converts.

Maria. She also was hard like a rock when I came here, and didn’t want to accept a date even though her husband Alfredo was baptized. We had basically dropped her and we left the book of Mormon for her to read, and finally she accepted. I was so shocked and happy.

Jenny. The mother of the kids we baptized my first week here, also was hard when I got here didn’t want to accept, but we worked really hard with her and now we are trying to get her husband.

Melisa. The cousin of a returned sister missionary. The sister helped us a lot with this one. She is a really good young women.

Sheyla. Didn’t want to accept, but I told her to pray and really ask god if she should get baptized. The lord answered : )

Diana a young girl whose parent are members.

Erick. A young man who has been investigating the church for 4 years and finally got baptized. He finally got permission from his parentsIt was a great week for us. It was a great experience for me to help these guys realize the importance of baptism.
I love you all, Elder Hyde

Mother's Day Letter May 10, 2009

2009-05-12T15:02:00.003-06:00

A Member of our Bishopric asked all of the missionaries in our ward to write a letter to their mothers. During the meeting on Sunday our letters were read. This came as a huge surprise to all of us. Bless this man for the wonderful gift he gave to me on Mother's Day. Here is the letter that Elder Hyde wrote.

Thoughts about my Mother

When I think about my mother I remember all the things that she has done for me and all the thing that she has taught me in life. Not only the things I need to know here in the world but also the spiritual things. I love to think of the stripling warriors and the things that their mothers taught them. They taught them the way that they should live and the way to put their trust in the Lord in all things. The stripling warriors were 100 percent obedient to their mothers and they were protected from the world. I know that when I apply the things that my mother has taught me, that I too am protected from the world, and am more happy.

I have seen my mother throughout the years use a lot of different attributes that with time have rubbed off on me. Now that I am here in the mission I have been able to use some of these attributes that I have learned from my mom. First is Patience. These last few years I have seen my mom endure many different challenges. She has always endured them with patience. He in the mission, it is necessary to have patience. Patience is needed to help people overcome weaknesses and challenges, and also sometime with your companion.

Also the attributes of charity and love I have learned from my mother. In my life I have felt the love and have seen the love that my mother has for others and for me. It is key to be able to love the people here to help them feel my love and the love of our Heavenly Father. I remember a little book that my mother had that she would read to us. I don't remember the name of the book, but I remember the story and I really like on of the phrases in this book. It says,"I'll love you forever, I'll love you for always, where ever we are, my mother you'll be." Right now I know I am really far away from my mother but I can still feel her love and I hope that she also can feel of my love for her.

I know that my mother was hand chosen for me and that all our mothers were chosen to be our mothers for a very important reason. I will be eternally grateful to my mother for everything that she has taught to me and the things she has done for me. She really is an angel sent from heaven. I know that all mothers are angels. May God bless each one.
Love, Elder Hyde
PS I hope she isn't crying.

Derek knows that it doesn't take much for me to cry. The tears started when Brother Combe said that he had asked the missionaries for letters.

Staying in Iquitos, Baptisms, Getting my Calling Cards. May 4, 2009

2009-05-04T10:24:00.002-06:00

Hey, things here are going great. This week we baptized a kid whose parents are members. The month of May is really special. First we get to talk to our favorite moms and families. We also have been challenged to have 505 baptisms as a mission. That means that every companionship will need five baptisms. We have set a goal for seven this month. Right now we are preparing ten people that have baptism dates and are really animado. We have a few others that still have not accepted but soon will. This week we hope to end with six baptisms, that is how many we have planned. Here in Iquitos I have really felt the blessings of the Lord and all of His love. He has been blessing us like crazy. I am happy that I am staying here this next change. I will be staying with my companion too.

This has been my week:

Monday for p day we watched Madagascar 2 as a zone, it was really good I enjoyed it and then we slept all afternoon. We went back to work and had a lesson with one young lady that wants to get baptized but not until November. She wants to do it for her birthday. We are trying to get her to do it this week with her mom and niece. That would be so much cooler.

Martes We had a couple of young people that really want to get baptized but their parents don’t want anything. Some of them are 17 years old but still can’t do anything without permission from their parents. I am trying to think of some ways that they can present that they want to get baptized more than just saying “I want to get baptized.” I want the parents to feel like their kids are doing the right thing.

Wednesday we taught nine lessons. They were all really short, because we are trying to find new people. We found some that are no pasa nada. They aren’t that great and won’t progress.

We did find one that is really excited to learn more and has already accepted a date to get baptized. It was an awesome contact. Sometimes when we do contacts we think in our minds should I contact them or no. With her I just started talking without thinking, now that I look back on it I know that we were directed by the spirit and that she is one of the Lord’s chosen. We also have been teaching a young man that has problems with drinking. We found him the other day and he said that he wants to change and get baptized and he needs help. He asked us straight up if we could visit him everyday so that he is not tempted to go out with his friends and drink. It was Awesome.

Saturday we had a baptism that was really good. We invited the woman that we contacted and she showed up and is really excited for her baptism. We had a really good week. I hope for a really good week this week.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND WILL TALK TO YOU SUNDAY.
I will be purchasing my calling cards today.
Love, Elder Hyde

Feeling the Spirit in Spanish April 27, 2009

2009-04-27T09:49:00.000-06:00

We do not know how long we will have to talk on Mother’s Day. I will be getting calling cards this week. We have a member in the ward that sells them and it will be easy to get. I still haven’t got the package but I am sure that it will be great when I do.

We finished the week with three baptisms. It went really good and I was able to baptize two of the three. It seems that they always choose the senior companion, it is probably because we talk more and gain their confidence faster. It was a great week. We have a few baptisms planned for this week and then for the next week too.
Changes are this next week and I might get my package. Oh, I have one request to make. In the next package you sent could you send a thing of pepper? I need to add a little flavor to my food (rice). That is one thing that I am missing.

I felt the spirit strongly this week telling me promises that I can give the people. I was able to speak Spanish to them. I felt that the spirit was speaking to them thru me. I know that the Lord is with us doing His work. We are never alone and I know that he is with you all too. He will not leave us if we are obedient and worthy of His company.

I had a trunky dream this week that when I got home the little ones did not recognize me. It was kinda sad. But I know they cannot forget their favorite uncle.

I love you all a lot. I hope that your week goes really good and that all is well.
Love Elder Hyde

Birthday Week April 20, 2009

2009-04-20T11:11:00.003-06:00

I have had a good week. We had a lot of support from the members and we set five or six baptism dates. It was a great week. We had a baptism planned but it was stake conference and so we didn’t do it. We are saving it for this next week.

I had a great birthday. We had good lessons and also got an egg to the head and cake to the face. Ya it really happened. I don’t know why, but they have some really weird traditions here.

Last week we went to a stadium and played soccer and then went and bought souvenirs. I will be sending a small package home this week and it will have something for everyone. Also some photos. Today is a free day and we can do anything we want.

My companion is from Pisco which is in Peru. He is a “Chombon”, no just kidding. He had six months and Yes now I am the leader. We are teaching a lot of good people.

Ailton who is a man who has friends in the church and wants to get baptized. This week is his date.
Janz and Carlos are two kids whose parents are members.
Erick who has been investigating the church for four years.
There are others that will soon be entering the water. We have been working with a couple that if we baptize them it will complete a family. We have been working hard with them. Yesterday the wife accepted. It was really cool. We just need to get him to accept now. This week we will be working really hard with him.

I have really felt the Lord’s help here. I have had the help of the Holy Ghost telling me what needs to be done and what to say. I know that the Lord loves us, everyone of us and he really wants us to know that. He is ready to give us his blessings but first we need to ask and work for them.
I know the Lord has blessed us so much in our lives and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity I have to help others have and feel the love of the Lord.

I love you all tons and I am grateful for your love and support.
Love, Elder Hyde

Easter in Iquitos April 13, 2009

2009-04-13T09:46:00.003-06:00

Happy Easter, Easter is not the same here, they don't really celebrate on Sunday. They celebrate more on Good Friday. We didn't even sing Easter songs in sacrament meeting. It was weird to me.

I didn't get my package but I know that President is coming and might bring it.

Not in a million years did I think I would eat turtle and actually enjoy it. We have been eating a lot of fish and guess what?, I have been enjoying that too. The only thing is that you have to be careful with the spines. I have only tried one fish that I haven't liked. It was good that I was just trying it and it was not what they gave us to eat.

Here in the jungle it is winter. It is the time of rain and heat. In Lima it is summer. That seems weird.

We had a really good week. We had two baptisms and they chose me to baptize them. They are not the strongest converts that I have had, but they wanted to get baptized. We had some really strong spiritual lessons this week and found two jovenes that really want to get baptized. They have been going to church for years. Now they just need permission from their parents.

We also had one lesson that was not so great, it drained me spiritually and I felt like crap.

I became trunky for some reason for the rest of the day. The funny thing is that day was one of our best days number wise.

Monday we went and played volleyball in the rain. It was really fun. We also looked at the different animals that they have . It was a little better than the one in Pucallpa.

Sounds like all is well there and I hope that everything stays that way.
I love you all very much. Cuidense Te Extranohata Luego
Love Much,
Elder Hyde

I loved the pictures of the kids.

Mucho Amor De Iquitos April 6, 2009

2009-04-06T09:54:00.003-06:00

Well we had an ok week and we ended it with a great conference. I loved it so much. The four sessions I watched in Spanish and the Priesthood I watched in English. I understood a lot more than last time and took some pretty good notes. I think it will be interesting to see how much I understood. I don’t know if I understood or if I wrote what I thought and what the spirit told me. I really loved what President Eyring said on Saturday morning, he talked about enduring our trials. He said the disciples that endure their trials with patience and look at it as an opportunity to learn and grow, are those that have more happiness in their lives. All of it was really good.

Some highlights of the week.

Monday for pday we just played soccer, the 2 zones got together to played. All my buddies were there. We rested all afternoon.

Tuesday we had interviews and mine lasted like 1 minute, maybe less because we had interviews in Pucallpa like two weeks ago.

Wednesday for lunch we ate TURTLE it was actually very delicious. It reminded me of the roast we had on Sundays. I have a photo of me eating the foot or fin, whatever you call it.

Saturday and Sunday, conference that was the bomb.

Today we are going to a park to look at animals and play volleyball.
This next week we have two baptism planned.

Well gotta go I love you all and hope that everything is well
les quiero muchisimo (i want you a lot, is what it means but it is not that strong) that is what I heard a lot when I left Pucallpa and I was a little scared.
LOVE Elder Hyde

First Week In Iquitos March 30, 2009

2009-03-30T10:11:00.001-06:00

WELL I AM HERE IN IQUITOS AND I AM PRETTY USED TO THE WEATHER BEING IN PUCALLPA FOR A WHILE. OUR CHANGE WENT PRETTY GOOD THE ONLY ROUGH THING WAS THE FLIGHT. WE HIT SOME REALLY BAD TURBULENCE AND IT FELT LIKE WE WERE JUMPING. THE BAD THING WAS THAT IT WAS JUST AFTER THEY GAVE US OUR DRINKS, SO IT WAS A LITTLE MESSY. THE WORST THING WAS THE GUY BEHIND US HAD HOT COFFEE. AND IT WENT ALL OVER US AND HIM.

IQUITOS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT HERE THAN PUCALLPA IT WAS KINDA HARD TO LEAVE THERE AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT I MADE FRIENDS WITH. BUT IT IS WHAT THE LORD WANTS SO I DID IT WITH A GLAD HEART.

WE HAD 3 BAPTISMS THIS WEEK HERE IN IQUITOS AND ONE ACTUALLY CHOSE ME TO BAPTISE HER. I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT TO GAIN THEIR TRUST AND CONFIDENCE. I AM GETTING TO KNOW THE AREA A LITTLE RIGHT NOW SO I AM STILL A LITTLE JUNIOR RIGHT NOW.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE AND I WILL PROBABLY LISTEN IN SPANISH AND UNDERSTAND A LOT MORE THAN LAST CONFERENCE.

TODAY I HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW ELDERS THAT I MET BEFORE AND IT WILL BE GREAT TO BE IN A ZONE WITH THEM. THERE ARE A LOT OF MISSIONARIES HERE, BUT I HEAR THAT PUCALLPA IS BIGGER, BUT HAS FEWER MISSIONARIES. OUR AREA IS MI PERU AND IS NOT TOO BIG.

WELL I AM EXCITED TO BE HERE AND READY TO WORK HARD TO FIND MORE PEOPLE TO TEACH.

WE DO HAVE A PENSION, BUT I MISS THE ONE IN PUCALLPA. SHE WAS THE BOMB. SHE WAS LIKE A MOTHER FOR US. SHE DID EVERYTHING. THE PENSION HERE IS GOOD. I DON'T KNOW WHY BUT EVER SINCE I GOT HERE I HAVN'T BEEN ABLE TO EAT A WHOLE LOT. IT IS WEIRD "I AM FAT BUT DON'T EAT A LOT" THAT IS WHAT THE PEOPLE HERE TELL ME. I GUESS IT IS A TRUE FACT.

WELL GOTTA GO
WITH LOTS OF LOVE, HUGS AND KISSES TO EVERYONE.
LOVE ELDER HYDE

Last Week In Pucallpa.......Going to Iquitos March 23, 2009

2009-03-23T09:15:00.004-06:00

Hey hey hey how is my family? I am doing really good we had some really cool experiences this week.

First we had a huge marriage for like 13 couples that wanted to get married and afterwards were baptized. We had one couple that got married but they didn’t have the attendance (at church) that is needed to be baptized. It was a really cool experience to be able to participate in.

The youth of the stake had a culture party where they danced different dances typical of Peru. We went to see how many new people we could find to teach, so we got to see the different dances. It was cool.

This week it has rained really hard for three days and some of the streets were flooded. I made sure to keep away from the crap holes. : ) ( See story of crap holes on Jan. 7 2009)

Yesterday I did my last split here in Pucallpa with Set. Yep, that means that I am leaving. I get to stay in the jungle. I am going to Iquitos. The area is 9 de octubre. I am going to be comp major. (senior companion) aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I hope I am ready for that.

We are planning some baptisms for this week and I am a little bummed to go but I know that I will have much success in Iquitos.

This week we are going to do a talent show for the stake to say goodbye we are going to do a number.

I hope everything is going good there, it sounds like everyone is having fun.
I love you all and send my best with lots of love .
love, Elder Hyde

Dental Work Without Being Numbed, What do you do when a girl wants to greet you with a KISS? March 16, 2009

2009-03-16T21:17:00.006-06:00

que tal mi loving family how is it going in Utah? Well everything sounds like it is going well and it sounds like everyone is in good spirits and health.

I am doing really good it took the whole week to get my tooth fixed they do things a little different here. Well I had a root canal and the first visit he put a hole in my tooth and the next two he spent cleaning out the nerve and then the last he put a big hole in it and put something inside and then filled it.
So it was a long process without the numbing. But all now is good.

I am doing good health wise, and I have been flossing and brushing everyday, so I don’t know why my tooth went crazy on me.

I really enjoyed the last package. I would have to say my favorite are the M&Ms and the peppered jerky, they were very tasty. I love all the things that were sent. I loved the calendar and the pictures from the kids I have a whole collection on my wall by where I study.

I have a funny experience that happened this week. You know how they greet here with a kiss on the cheek. We went to a member’s house where we found one of their friends, this was the first time she had talked to or greeted missionaries and so she leaned in to give me a peck on the cheek and I like jumped and then my comp told her that we couldn’t do that and she was really embarrassed and took off. Well I felt bad and so we went to find her and got to know her a little. We got to teach her and explain our message and why we were there. We have visited her a couple times and now has a baptism date for the 28th.

The cool thing is that the member that she is living with didn’t want to go to church and so she came all by herself, which was amazing because the day before she said she would only go if someone would go with her.
In the church she met new friends and she like it a lot and I think she knows that it is true,. We also had another young women come to church this last week and she said that when she left that she felt like a huge burden was lifted of her shoulders. She also has a baptism date for the 28th. The sad thing is that I really think that I am leaving this change on the 25th. :(

Well my time is up.

I want everyone to know that I love them very much and hope to hear from ya next week.

LOVE ELDER HYDE

Interviews with the President, Set blesses the Sacrament March 10, 2009

2009-03-10T15:31:00.002-06:00

Sorry that we didn’t write yesterday we had our interviews with president and we didn’t have p day
We are doing pday today This morning we went and played soccer in a big stadium and last week we had a big Baroque. Yesterday I got your packages the one with the beef jerky and also one from Chantel with the calendar. It is great I love it. I can’t think of anything that need right now. So what ever you feel like sending.

You are going to notice that I took out about a hundred $$$ from the bank.(One hundred Soles is about 32 dollars.) You know my front tooth that I had filled a few years ago it has opened up and is infected and now I need to get it fixed we have found a pretty good dentist so you don’t need to worry. I don’t know shy I am having this problem because I have brushed every morning and every night and often in the afternoon. Well other than that all is good

Mom I remember often when you would talk to others that you were really happy when you saw your boys passing the sacrament or blessing it. I now know how you feel. First seeing Set baptize and then this Sunday he blessed the sacrament. It really is a sense of pride when you see that.

Set’s cousin Claire has returned and we are going to talk to her, hopefully this week we will dunk her in the agua.
Something that happened that wasn’t too great, is that the brother in law of Set doesn’t want to get married to Set’s sister. We lost her baptism unless she decides to leave him. We will keep trying to talk to him. I think he knows that she wants to get baptized and he thinks that if they are two different religions it will cause problems. But he is the one causing problems now. We don’t really know what to do....Pray for them.

Well I've got to go
FAMILY thanks for all your love and support........and candy.
You’re my favorite family
nos vemos love Elder Hyde

nosotros tambien tuvimos una semana excelente March 2, 2009

2009-03-02T09:16:00.005-07:00

As you can tell Derek knows Spanish! His letters are becoming more difficult to translate. I will do my best. He throws is Spanish words but he also organizes his sentences differently. My comments are in blue.

We had a pretty good week. Like I commented last week that we had a baptism planned for this week, it was a baptism of a young girl that we have been working with to reactivate su mama. Everything went great. The best part of all is that Set (nuestro converso) baptized her. That was freakin’ sweet!

We have also organized a matrimonio massivo (huge wedding) and we have a family (the parents, the kids are members) that is going to get married and get baptized.

The sister of Set is going to get married and then get baptized the day after. The wedding is the 20 de marzo(of March) and they will get baptized on the 21 and then cambios (changes or transfers) are on the 25. I really don’t want to leave.
This area is chevere (Fantastic? On fire? The BOMB?).

Claire is going to come back this week on Thursday, I think and then we are going to baptize her. I think she wants to return and enter the waters. We have been waiting for her for a long time.

The sister of Set is really cool too. We have taught her a few commandments. (law of chastity and word of wisdom) She understands why we have these things and is going to start living them. She is also very prepared for the gospel.

We have a family that some are members and the parents want to be members but they lack the marriage and that is why we are here. : )

We are going to work extra hard this next week because we have seen the blessings of the lord. Like it says in Mosiah, when we do what the lord wants he will bless us really fast. We want to keep finding the hidden blessings of the lord.

Have you guys been trying to give references to the missionaries there? The work is so much easier with the help of the members. The baptisms that we have had are from the references from the members.

I love you guys very much and hope that you have a great week. May the lord bless you and help you in all that you do.
con mucho amor, ( I love you so much, this is the best thing that I could be doing, thanks for all your love and support, you are the best family!!) ((when you are interpreting you can think what ever you want ;D ))
Elder Hyde

Teaching the Sister of Set and going on Splits with Set February 26, 2009

2009-02-23T10:31:00.005-07:00

I am doing great I just have a little bit of a cough still this week. This week was an ok week.
Monday we watched Lion King in Spanish it was awesome. It rained all day so I wasn’t able to go shopping. Probably today I will get something small for everyone.

Tuesday my comp was not feeling well. We had a few lessons but we were in the house a lot.

Wednesday we taught the sister of Set and she told us she knows that it is true. She feels that what we are teaching is true. She said that she has listened to a lot of different religions and that we are the only one that she really wants to visit. It was really cool the only problem we have is her husband well not yet husband they are living together and he really doesn’t want to listen to us. I don’t think that he wants to get married. Well we are not here to destroy the family, we are here to help it. We are a little confused about what we should do. Not much happen

Thursday not much happened.

Friday we had changes for the day and I was with elder Vasquez and my companion with elder Rich. We found a guy that didn’t believe that in the bible it states Jesus saying that he came to the world to suffer for ours sins. He is crazy.
GUESS WHAT?? For lunch this day we ate fish. When I first saw the fish on my plate I freaked because it had the head fins tail and skin. I ate it and it was pretty good.

Saturday we started the day with service with Elder Rich and Vasquez, it was pretty good. Then we had a gangster bbq at a member’s house.

Sunday we went to church and then ate lunch and went on splits. It was awesome I went with Set and my comp with another young man. We spent all day separated so that we could get more lessons and more contacts.We have a baptism this week, her name is Sharon. She has 9 years and we are reactivating her mother. They are a great family and they have even tried to introduce us to some friends which is awesome.

Well my time is just about up so just want to tell you have a great week and I am going to make this week great tambien.
Love you all TONS love elder Hyde
Ya I saw Elder Morton today. : )

Set will be a great missionary February 16 2009

2009-02-17T13:01:00.002-07:00

Hey hey hey a todos. How’s everything? Sounds like you are all right. Well this week I have been feeling a lot better but I still have a stuffy nose and a cough but all is well.

You know that we baptized Set, the young man that didn’t want to accept a baptism date last week. This week we have been talking to his family and his sister wants to change her life. I really believe that this is one family that heavenly father has prepared for me to teach. Set walked around with us yesterday and he will make a great missionary, he has told us that he wants to prepare to go on a mission. Yesterday we were able to give him the Aaronic Priesthood and we have a feeling that he will be the one to baptized his sister and his cousin. Oh freak, he is an awesome convert. He recently got a job and told his boss straight up that he would not work on Sunday, He said that is my day to go to church. : ) aaaawwwwweeeeesssssoooommmmeeeee

Well to tell you about a little tradition they have here that is a little weird. It is called carnival and it is all of February. What happens, mostly on the weekends, some of the people get water balloons and buckets of water and try to soak other people. Thinking about it is kinda cool but, when you know and see the water that they use it is not. A lot of the people use dirty gross, crappy water. Sometimes we feel like Samuel the Lamanite, because we have not gotten hit yet.

Well just wanted to tell everyone that I love them and thanks for all the love and support. I am going to go shopping today and find something small for every one’s B-day. I will be sending a package soon. I love you all tons and hope your week is great.
love Elder Hyde ç

I can walk up to someone an talk to them....February 2009

2009-02-17T12:56:00.002-07:00

Derek wrote this in a letter to a friend.

"My Spanish is getting better every day and I can actually carry on a conversation with someone.
I am getting better at just walking up to someone and talking to them. At first it was kinda hard but now it is my life. Well it is about six o’clock and it’s time to get back to work."

Staying in Pucallpa Set is baptized February 9 2009

2009-02-09T13:03:00.004-07:00

Hey, hey, hey how’s the family. Sounds like everyone is all right except for the kids. (nieces and nephews have had colds)

We had a good week, I found out today that I am staying in the area (Pucallpa) and am really happy about that. We are going to work hard this change.

Monday we played soccer and volley and got burnt because all of us white boys forgot sunscreen.

We had a baptism this week, his name is Set, it turns out that he didn’t go to Lima so we set a date and it was this week. It was so awesome. He is a really great young man and wants to serve a mission and teach his family. He said to us his family wasn’t going to support him. He told us he is reading the Book of Mormon to his family at night before they turn out the lights. I was so surprised when he told us that because he told us that he family was not going to support him.

Wednesday I started getting sick and sneezed like a hundred times .
Thursday I felt like crap and we worked all day in the rain. Pero, we needed to get things done so I tried to do it with a good attitude.

Yesterday we talked in church and I used the January Liahona and the talk from President Eyring and the quote de President Monson. "We are in the Lord’s work and we are entitled to his help." It was really good I think. I had some people tell me that they felt the Spirit really strong. I tried not to burn the ward to hard but, just a little. That talk is really good you guys should read it if you havn’t already. Well I love you all tons and hope you all have a great week.
Love, Elder Hyde.great bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggggggggggggg hug

We Had A Great WEEK February 2, 2009

2009-02-02T09:10:00.002-07:00

HEY I AM DOING REALLY GOOD. I GOT YOUR PACKAGE AND I HAVE ENJOYED THE CANDY AND THE NEW JOURNAL IS PERFECT. WELL I HAVE BEEN HAVING COMPUTER PROBLEMS AND DONT HAVE MUCH TIME. SORRY THAT THIS LETTER IS GOING TO BE REALLY LAME BUT I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I AM DOING REALLY GOOD. WELL I NEED TO LET MY COMP USE THE COMPUTER SO HASTA NEXT WEEK. LOVE ALL OF YOU TONS. WE HAD A GREAT WEEK

Send a Happy Birthday to Conner from Elder Hyde. Love yall gotta run, hopefully I have more time next week.

Spritual Lessons January 26, 2009

2009-01-26T09:55:00.004-07:00

It's good to hear that you are all doing good. That is really cool that
Dallin Craven is going to South Africa. Hopefully he is ready for the heat.
My week went really well. I don’t have to much time I think I might have enough time to write and tell you about spiritual lessons that we had throughout the week.

It all started with a reference from one of the members in our ward. We
contacted her and set up an appointment. We visited her and she had called her cousin to come listen to us. These last two weeks we have been visiting them frequently. Every time we go we can feel the spirit so strong. They don’t asked stupid questions either, they are very good questions that we can answer simply with a scripture or two. They are keeping their commitments to read and pray. They know that it is true. One of them was having a hard time accepting a baptismal date because his family is Catholic and he doesn’t know what they will think. He also thinks that it is really fast to accept a fetcha. (baptism date)

We talked to him one day this week and we read Mosiah 18:8-10 (the
part where it says "mourn with those that mourn and stand with those that stand in need of comfort.") and he said that he wants to do these things. then we read verse 10 and it says then what is stopping you from being baptized. It was amazing the spirit was so strong and then the three of us prayed. then we sat in silence for about 2 min. He said yes I want to get baptized.

They are going to Lima this week and won't return till after changes so I kind of want to stay here for another change. He says that every time he prays he feels peace and calm.(answer from God Galations 5:22-23)

This was a good week and my eyes are better. My health is good. The weather here is off and on rain and after the rain it is really, really HOT. We are thankful for the rain, but the bad thing is the mud. Well, my time is almost up. I just want to say I love yaÂ´ll very much. I hope you all have a great week this week.
Sorry if this letter isn't very long or very good. The time limit is killing us.

Juan Carlos is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. January 19, 2009

2009-01-19T08:57:00.002-07:00

There was a case of disobedience in the mission so the rules have gotten tighter. Now we are limited to 30 minutes at the computer and we can only write to parents.

Last Monday we went to the nature park. It was awesome and we had lots of fun. There were lots of different animals and different artifacts to look at.

On Tuesday I sent some cds with my pictures on them. I hope you get them soon.

Wednesday, satan was working hard on us this week. First with all the rain, then today I woke up with pink eye, in both of my eyes. It kinda sucks and it hurts when the light and wind enters them. We bought some heavy duty eye drops. We got a reference from a member and she is really interested in the gospel. She has a baptism date for this week.

Thursday, we have a baptism this week for Juan Carlos. We passed by to go over the interview questions and set up the appointment for his baptism.

On Friday Juan Carlos passed his interview with flying colors. His baptism is set for Saturday and he wants ME to do it.

Saturday we prepared for the baptism, filled the font, then went to work until 6 pm. We gathered all our stuff and went to the baptism. It was a really good service and we felt the spirit really strong.

Well my time is about up, sorry it is so short, I will try to type faster.
Love you all todos,
Love Elder Hyde

Transfers and Commitments January 12, 2009

2009-01-13T16:40:00.004-07:00

The beginning of my week was a little difficult, just getting used to the change. Every missionary works a little differently or in this case a lot differently. My Companion is Elder Garnica and he is also from Bolivia. He is from a different area than my last companion. We get along really good the only thing is he works really differently. One way that he is different is that he is kinda pushy with the investigators.
This week it has rained a lot. Not quite as bad as last Sunday and just so you know I have not fallen in any more crap holes.

We worked on Monday because of transfers. Elder Garnica flew in and we picked him up at the airport. We spent most of the day visiting members and investigators to say adios. (to elder Torrejan)

Early Tuesday morning we sent the other elders off that were leaving the area then we had p day. We did play soccer and volleyball again. It was fun. We then got lazy we ate and slept. When we got back to work we went to visit the people whose baptism fell through the last week in December. This was Tereza Y Sergio, She wanted a sign from the heavens. This day they were more than ready to accept a new date and the have chosen January 17th.

On Wednesday we visited Juan Carlos, he is the 14 year old that we have been working with. He has every thing he needs to be taught and we are just waiting for his father to sign the permission slip. I actually got to talk to his father for the first time. It went better than I expected because elder Torrejan said that he was really bad and doesn’t want him to be baptized. I did not see that side of him today. We asked him to sign the paper and he did so we have another fetcha (baptism date) for January 17th. Juan Carlos is really excited and ready to be baptized.
I am running out of time but some other things that happened. Tereza wants more time to think about her baptism. I don’t know why she is changing her mind a lot, I guess it is part of life. I think her son wants to get baptized, he just doesn’t want to disappoint his mom.

Sunday we gave talks again in sacrament.

Today we are going to a nature park and I hope to get some cds to make copies of my pictures so I can send them home. (he has been saying this since Christmas!)

Flooded Streets and Surprises January 5, 2009

2009-01-07T15:17:00.006-07:00

P Day we played soccer and volleyball as a zone and then my companion and I went to central to buy some cool stuff. On the way there we passed a shoe store, inside the shoe store there was a women without a shirt on, but that was not all she didn’t have a bra on either. That was a little bit of culture shock for me I have to admit.
Elder Torrejon bought a backscratcher and I bought this thing that hangs on the wall and says "Feliz AAO Nuevo Pucallpa". It is awesome

Tuesday it rained like crazy. I like it when it rains for two reasons. One because it is not as hot and the other is the people feel bad for us and let us in their houses. This time of year is kinda bad here because of all the drinking. Here is an example, we have taught a lady named Noami and her children. They sell beer and it is really distracting when you have drunk people outside. Everyone is getting drunk.

Wednesday we sent Pol, one of the members of the bishopric to buy fireworks for us tonight. We gave him thirty soles, some of the fireworks he bought looked like they were homemade. I am sure some of them were. He bought one that was really cool but pretty illegal in Utah.
We had to be at our house not later than 8 pm. It was hard to find people home. We found a few and spent a little time with some members. We went to bed at 10:30 pm. We set our alarm for five minutes to midnight so we could light our fireworks. It was fun but I felt the effects of it the next day even though it was only like 20 minutes.

Thursday we only went to member’s homes because a lot of people were sleeping and drunk. and all that not so good stuff. Loud music is a distraction too and almost every street has a bar type place, so every street has drunks.

Friday it rained again but not as bad as Tuesday. People are starting to go back to work and there are not as many drunks. Holidays and weekends are their drinking days.

I think my Spanish is getting better everyday. Well I hope it is.

I found out that I am staying and my companion is leaving to Lima because he is going to die, which means he is ending his mission this month. I am kinda bummed that he is leaving but I think I will survive. My new Companion is Elder Garnica from Bolivia and he will be senior companion. I don’t think I am ready to be senior. For the first few days I will act as senior until he gets to know the area. Elder Layton is also staying and his companion is leaving.

We started our fast on Saturday, I was very tempted by all the goodies in the fridge, but I made it. The president said that we are able to drink water if we need to. At first I thought it was weird but now I think I would die if I didn’t.

It didn’t start raining on Sunday until about 8:30 while we were walking home from the bishop’s house. It was raining so hard that the street we were walking down was flooded. The water was almost to our knees. It was actually kind of fun. Suddenly something horrible happened. I fell into a big hole that I didn’t see because of all the water. The water was up to my chest and it smelled really bad. It was so bad that when I got home I took off my clothes and showered really well. It was a septic thing that I fell in. It was funny but really stunk.
THAT WAS BASICALLY MY WEEK.
love you all mucho (tons) love elder Hyde

My Christmas Week December 29, 2008

2009-01-07T14:32:00.008-07:00

Monday, December 22, we played Lucha Libre and watched a movie. My companion and I slept. We had FHE and watched “Joy To The World”. I think I watched this movie 10 times this week. It is a good one for the Christmas season.

Tuesday we worked until 7 pm then we went to a place called Plaza De Almas. The missionaries and ward members sang Christmas hymns, it was fun. We actually sounded good, I was surprised.

Wednesday we did service for one of the members of the bishopric at his house. We mowed his lawn and did it with shovels and machetes. It was fun, except it was really hot and I felt like I was going to die. After that we got ready for the day and went to lunch. We ate with the former bishop and we took pictures with his family. We took pictures with other families That night we made our pre-calls home.

In the night it was not easy to sleep because of all the firecrackers. I could have sworn they were lighting them off in our room, it was so loud.

On Christmas day we studied the scriptures that were attached to the gifts as we opened them. It wasn’t much of a study but it was fun to see which ones made sense in Spanish. In the phone call home I said “QUE” a lot, it is because it is habitual, everytime I don’t understand something that is what I say. We also got new beds and we spent the morning getting them up. We went to lunch and it was good but we had eaten a lot of sweets and could not eat much more. After our phone calls home we decided we are going to go on a shopping spree this week with the 300 soles that grandma gave me ;)

Friday we found out that our baptisms fell thru. They want to be baptized but they think that it is too soon. We had other interviews that we had to go to for the other missionaries in the district.
I had been falling behind in my journal writing, so Friday I caught myself up and it is up to date now. We walked around a lot today and then we found an investigator home and we taught them. We also had another interview.

We have an investigator named Juan Carlos, he is 14 years old. He is really interested and wants to get baptized. He is basically a member the only thing stopping him from getting baptized are his parents. They made a deal with him, that if he exercises everyday and losses weight and he needs to wait for his birthday which is January 18th.
We have a calendar that has a picture on each month of the coordinating season. It is odd for me….January has a sun and July has a snowman. I found that really weird and at the same time really funny.

THIS IS MY REPORT. ALL IS WELL, ALL IS WELL

LOTS OF LOVE FROM A SMALL PLACE CALLED PUCALLPA
LOVE ELDER HYDE

CHRISTMAS CALL

2008-12-26T13:56:00.001-07:00

Derek called at one o'clock (3 pm Peru time) in the afternoon on Christmas day. Our daughter Britney and her family were here.
Alden, our last child at home, Shane and I, and our neighbor Ken were also here. We put Derek on speakerphone and called our daughter in southern Utah on the cell phone. We also recorded the call so we could listen to it again. We spoke for a little over an hour. It was wonderful to hear his voice and know that he is well. We talked about the jungle and the people in Peru. We talked about his pension and the baby monkey that they have. He told us about his experiences there. He talked about his learning of the scriptures and that he enjoys studying and wishes he had studied more at home. He bore is testimony is Spanish. It was a wonderful call and very difficult to say goodbye.

This is Derek's 6 MONTH Anniversary!!!

Twas the Week Before Christmas and Packages Arrived.....December 22, 2008

2008-12-23T07:13:00.011-07:00

Monday we played dodge ball and basketball with all the missionaries in the zone. That was fun. We wanted to be lazy so we went home. Our pension lives right next door so we went over to watch the testaments. They have a baby monkey, so when we go to eat we get to play with it. It is so cute.

Tuesday we had a district meeting and then had a dentist appointment. They drilled two cavities and only filled one so Elder TorrejonÂ has a hole in one of his teeth and has a hard time eating. I took out 100 soles from the ATM because we have run out of money paying for the dentist. It was easy to use the ATM. It took about 33 dollars out of my account.

Wednesday we had another work visit and I went to a different area and we taught a crazy guy that said he is like a mirror, when he prays for himself he doesn’t receive but when he prays for others they always receive. It was funny, he said that God didn’t give him gifts and then later he said that being a mirror was his gift. It was weird.

Thursday we had a dentist appointment and we don’t have to go back again. All is well. We had a work visit from one of the assistants to the president. One of our contacts we made today wanted to speak to me in English. He is from Toronto Canada and spoke very good English. It was hard for me to speak English, for some reason my brain wanted to speak in Spanish. I would start the sentence in Spanish and end it in English. After that we had a few lessons it was time to end the day so we took the assistant to the hotel and there I received my packages and letters. I felt so loved! We opened them as soon as I got home and had time.
Friday we had lunch with President Perez and everyone else received their packages. We got from the president and his wife a bag for our bathroom stuff. (like toothbrush soap and stuff like that) We also received candy from them. From your packages I decided to open the

gifts on the appropriate day

(12 days of Christmas) But as soon as I saw that one of them could be pictures I had to open it. I was right! It was pictures and I didn’t recognize the little kid in the pictures. I saw Tyson in the swimming pool but who where the others?

Saturday we had a few lessons planned and then we had a small activity at the church for Christmas, then we had a few more appointments. We watched “Joy to the World” a few times. A lot of people here think that we do not celebrate Christmas.

In church on Sunday we gave talks and the December Ensign that you sent came in handy. Thanks for sending it. That was basically my talk. I asked my companion if he understood it and he said yes. I felt pretty good until I realized that I had read most of it from the Ensign.

When I opened the two packages I felt the love rush out. I also got some dearelder letters and other stuff like the paper for voting. I got Paige’s announcement, I didn’t have a clue that she was getting married or was even close to that age. That was a big shocker!. (Paige is Derek’s cousin that is his age)

Sending love from Peru, Love Elder Hyde, talk to you Thursday

I Am Trying To Be Like Jesus December 15, 2008

2008-12-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

We are still teaching the Gonzalez family and trying to get them married. We are teaching basically their whole street. It is fun. On this street we started teaching one lesson outside, because inside it is hotter than it is outside. The neighborhood kids started gathering around. One time this week I think we had 20 kids gathered around. Most of them are at or above the age of baptism. It felt like Jesus when he said “let the little ones come unto me”.

Christmas in Peru December 15, 2008

2008-12-17T09:27:00.003-07:00

We have our Christmas tree. We drew it on a piece of cardboard. It is freakin awesome.

This Friday is our dinner with President Perez. The office has two packages and they should bring them that night. I am so excited to get them!! Now that we have a fridge, I can put the homemade candy in it and eat them the way I love them.

Teaching December 15, 2008

2008-12-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

There is a guy, Luis, that we are teaching. His family sells beer and I guess he doesn’t like it so he wants to find something else to do because it is a temptation. We are teaching him and his family, he listens and is very nice. We have planned to watch the testaments with his family.
This week we have started to proselyte early in the day so we have had quite a few lessons.
On Thursday a return missionary from our ward came to our house. He is so trunky, he wanted to be back on the mission. We told him he could go out with us the next day. He didn’t show up though. It was raining hard that day. We had another work visit and I was senior companion again. It was ok, but we didn’t teach too many lessons.

Try Playing Football With a Soccer Ball Study and Learn December 15, 2008

2008-12-17T08:32:00.002-07:00

For P day we played soccer then played football with the soccer ball. IT WAS FUN.
Tuesday we went to a different dentist for my companion and he said that he only had seven cavities. I think the other dentist just wanted money. On Saturday He had one tooth fixed and another taken out. The dentist told him to rest. We spent all day at home. I didn’t feel very good sleeping so I studied and learned. I am studying the Book of Mormon. Holy crap I wish I would have been better at studying before the mission. I have learned a lot. I read three verses in Alma 43:19-21 and learned so much, it is amazing.

Phone Call on Christmas Day... December 15, 2008

2008-12-16T18:57:00.001-07:00

I have my calling cards, they only cost like 15 soles and will last me about an hour and a half. We have a phone in our room and I think we will spend the day in our room. What time in the afternoon do you want me to call. Should I call the cell phone or the home phone?

A NEW TEMPLE IN PERU

2008-12-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

TRUJILLO, Peru 13 December 2008 Plans to build a new temple in Trujillo, Peru, were announced today by the First Presidency — the highest governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This will bring the total number of temples worldwide to 146 already in operation or in the planning and construction phases.
The new temple in Peru becomes the third temple in South America now in the planning and construction phases, along with ones planned for Manaus, Brazil, and Córdoba, Argentina, bringing the total number of temples in South America to 17.
“We are confident that this will be a blessing to the many faithful Saints in this and surrounding areas who have had to travel long distances to enjoy the blessings of the temple,” said the First Presidency in an announcement letter to ecclesiastical leaders.
“We commend the Saints for their devotion and faithfulness, and are thankful for the blessings that will come to them through the construction of this new temple.”
To members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temples are the “house of the Lord,” the most sacred place on earth. Temple services bind families together forever, teach the purpose of life and explain God’s plan of salvation. Temple attendance strengthens Latter-day Saints’ commitment to living Christian principles, emphasizes personal spiritual growth and increases devotion to family.
The Trujillo Peru Temple is planned for construction on the site of an existing meetinghouse on Teodoro Valcárcel Street in Urbanización Primavera, Trujillo. It will serve more than 88,000 Latter-day Saints in the region.
Latter-day Saint missionaries began preaching in Trujillo in 1960. The first baptisms in the original Trujillo Branch — a small congregation, then part of the Andes Mission — were performed in February 1961. In 1963 the first meetinghouse was dedicated in Trujillo. The first stake in Trujillo (a stake is similar to a diocese) was eventually organized in January 1978 by Thomas S. Monson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — the second-highest governing body of the Church. President Monson now serves as worldwide leader of the Church.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the tens of thousands of meetinghouses where members typically meet for Sunday worship services and midweek social activities and where visitors are always welcome. Temples are used solely for the performance of sacred ordinances and religious instruction aimed at strengthening members’ relationships with God and their fellow man. They are closed to the public after they are dedicated.

Ice Cream, Coconut, Pizza With Mango and Pineapple, Shrimp December 8, 2008

2008-12-08T08:31:00.002-07:00

This week was a pretty good week.

Monday: We went to a nearby stadium and played soccer, It was fun and I am better than I remember being. After that we went to the zone leaders house and as a district bought 10 liters of ice cream, it was delicious.

Tuesday: We had district meeting, that we have every week. At lunch we saw some coconut trees and asked the family where we could get some. There was a lady down the street that sells them. So after lunch we went to get some. We had to retrieve them from the tree. There is a rule though that says we can’t climb trees. So we had the member that we ate with do it for us.

Wednesday: We had another work visit but this time I went to a different area. It was fun, I got to meet more people.

Thursday: The past couple weeks my comp has been having tooth problems and so he called Sister Perez and told her and she told him to go to the dentist. So we went and turns out he has 15 cavities and 2 others that really are bad. That is not the bad part. They want 750 soles to fix it. I don’t really believe that he has 15 I think they are trying to take advantage of him.
We had a FHE with a future elder. We watched “The Testaments”. He bought a pizza. To answer your question from last week, the pizza here is different, but is still good. We had a Hawaiian pizza and it had mangoes and pineapple, it was delicious.

Friday: We had a bowl of soup for lunch and while I was eating I found two big shrimp in it. It freaked me out but I ate them. It wasn’t bad but I don’t care for shrimp.
I guess the mission doesn’t want us to have pensions anymore so they are getting us fridges and microwaves and stuff like that. Today we received the fridge. It felt like an early Christmas

Saturday: I was thinking about Christmas today and got a little bummed because here it does not feel like Christmas. It doesn’t even feel like December.

Sunday: We were able to go to the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional and it was really awesome. I had the choice to watch it in Spanish or in English. I chose Spanish because I want to increase my Spanish speaking and listening skills. I think Elder Uchtdorf was talking directly to me. He said one phrase that hit me. He said something like this. “The most memorable Christmases were the ones with the most humility”. I think this is going to be one of the most humble Christmases that I will have. I will make it the best for others and by doing that it will be the best for me too. Last night was the bomb. It was awesome. I really enjoyed all the talks. I really enjoyed what I understood of President Monson’s talk, He said that Christmas is a good time to think of Jesus but we should think of him more during the year and throughout every day.
Well that was my week. love you guys tons love Elder Hyde

Miscellaneous things from Pucallpa December 1, 2008

2008-12-03T12:28:00.002-07:00

About Pucallpa. The actual city is not jungle like but there is a river on one side of it. I think around the city is completely jungle. I am not sure of the number of people here but it is a big city. Not as big as Chicago or Salt Lake City but it is not a village. It is very hot and humid. There is Industry here and most people are mototaxistas, people that drive other people around for money.

We have a ward and the people are really nice, there are two families that invite us to family home evening and they invite investigators.

The mission pays to get us drinking water. A lot of people don’t drink water, they drink soda. That is why they don’t have teeth.

One of our family traditions is to go to “Forgotten Carols” by Michael McLean. Derek had asked what day we were going. This is his response “I know you will have a good time tonight. I will probably be listening to the Forgotten Carols on my mp3 player". Love you tons, Elder Hyde

Another Week In The Jungle December 1, 2008

2008-12-03T12:08:00.003-07:00

Last Monday we played one round of capture the flag, then the Latinos wanted to play soccer. We played that for a while then spent the rest of the time making cds of my pictures. I will send them home after I ask around and find the best way to send it. I have some pretty cool pictures that would not burn to the cd. The videos I took will not burn also.

Here’s a cool story about the GONZALEZ family, the family that came to church. This family is prepared! This week we visited them and they listened, asked questions and know that it is true. The husband had very little work before we met them, after he came to the church his work started to pick up a bit. That is one of their blessings of going to church. Since we have been teaching them they say there is a different feeling in their house. Right now we are trying to help them get married and then they can be baptized. This family was ready to hear the gospel.

Wednesday we taught a lot of lessons. Nothing too exciting happened.

Thursday we went and visited some other elders for a while, we stopped in a gas station to get some change and we bought a mountain dew. The cost was outrageous, it was 4.5 soles, I think about two dollars. This was for a can not a bottle. It was good though. The rest of the day we walked around trying to help me get to know the area, because on Friday we have mini switches and I have to be the senior companion in the area.

Friday the mini switch or we call it here a work visit went really good. It was better than I thought it would be, we taught a few lessons that we had planned, then we found some new people to teach.

Saturday was a day of ANIMALS. I held a parrot looking bird and got a picture with it. We went to LUNCE (his pensionita?), lo and behold, they had a BABY MONKEY. After we ate I played with it for a few minutes. It was really cool, I have video of it. I was really tired that day too because I only got like three hours of sleep. I think the reason was that we have to sleep with mosquito nets. They don’t circulate air very well so it was really HOT. I have fixed the problem now and have slept better.

Sunday was a good day! The attendance in sacrament meeting here has been going down dramatically. We are not sure why. One reason may be that a lot of people have DENGAY, or are really sick. We went and visited some families and our investigators. One family gave us popcorn. I love the popcorn here. I loved the popcorn that you sent me also.

Today we are going to a stadium and playing soccer as a zone. We will probably catch up on some zzzzzzzzzzzzzs.

In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle..........November 24,2008

2008-11-24T21:16:00.005-07:00

I am in the jungle and loving every minute of it!! My trip to Pucallpa was good, it was not too long only about an hour. I sat next to a young woman, 17 years old. We talked almost the whole flight. I was surprised that I understood her and was able to talk to her. I got her name, address and even her phone number. So you know father, it is only a reference for other missionaries, nothing more! :) When we got off the plane it was sooooo hot. It was even worse in a suit. I think they said it was only about 89 degrees.

Elder Layton was in the same plane and he is in the same district. He even has the same pensionista.

I loved the package from home. I finished off the M&Ms and popcorn on Wednesday before I left Collique. The popcorn was excellent. I loved it. One reason we had a microwave in that area is because we didn’t have a pension. We cooked our own food. We also had a rice cooker. Towards the end of the change we found a pension and they cooked dinner for us. We still made our own breakfast. A few things that they made us were weird, like cow intestines and fish with the scales still on it. That was in Collique.

Here the Pensionista is the bomb. We have had nothing but good food. But I didn’t say it wasn’t weird. We have had alligator. It was really good, it tasted better than some of the chicken I have had here. That is the weirdest thing that I have eaten.
The Jungle is very beautiful and very, very, very hot!!!!!. It is a lot different than Collique. I am actually thankful for the cold showers. Our shower consists of a bucket of cold water. It feels so good because it is so hot in these neck of the woods. My apartment is a small little thing. We have one room to sleep, one room to study, a little tiny bathroom and a small kitchen with a sink. It is not much of a kitchen though just a sink.

My new companion is Elder Torrejan. He is from Bolivia, Santa Cruz. He is really funny. It is funny to hear him try to speak English. One night we had a salamander in our room , we caught it then in got loose in Elder Torrejan’s hand, he freaked out. The best part is that I got it all on video. It was awesome.
The language here is not much different, they just talk different it is like they are singing. It may actually be a little easier to understand.

On Saturday we contacted a family that was sitting on their porch. We taught them a lesson and invited them to church. LO and behold they showed up. It was really cool!

On P days we go to a small house that has a bunch of computers. It cost about one sol for an hour. That is about 40 cents an hour.

I love you tons,
Elder Hyde

Jungle Here I Come, Make Room for Elder Hyde November 17, 2008

2008-11-17T21:56:00.008-07:00

I found out this morning that I am going to the jungle. The area is called Pucallpa. I hear it is beautiful. I hope I am ready. I heard it is harder to understand (language) there but I will get better fast I hope.

Monday our zone played soccer and had a lot of fun. I got my hair cut and then we cleaned our house for the rest of the day. We had inspections the next day.

On Tuesday we had interviews and the assistants talked to us for a while. It was good. We worked the rest of the day, nothing exciting happened.

Wednesday we were talking to a guy that we were contacting.
We were pretty much arguing because he was saying that all churches have something wrong with them. Elder Maldonado wanted to prove him wrong, after about 45 minutes I reached my hand up to him, said thanks for you time and started walking off. My companion had no option but to follow. Elder Maldonado said thanks for helping to get him out of that situation. After stuff like that I just feel so spiritually drained.
We talked to another young man in the Miguel family that wants to get baptized, so now that is five in this family. We will baptize two this week, well I won’t but my companion will. They are a really good family.

Thursday we went to an appointment and the lady was there, she opened the door and asked us to hold on one minute. A minute later she came back with her bible in hand. My first thought was that she was ready to bash. We taught her the first lesson and then she started asking questions. One was “Why can’t women hold the Priesthood” and another, “Where did black people come from if God created one race.”

Friday I got your package and did a lot of work. I have already eaten one bag of the M&M’s and the Swedish fish, I love the picture of Alden and I have read one of the talks. Thanks I love it. I can’t wait for the next package.

Saturday we did service again and if you want to send me some gloves I will probably use them in a future service project.

Sunday was another normal Sunday. They asked the missionaries to help pass the sacrament. It was a good week.

Funny language story….I was trying to make a contact and I wanted to say “have you talked with missionaries like us before.” But I said “Have you talked with us like us before”. My mind was working faster than my tongue.

Tell Michael Drago and Logan Child that the eagle projects sound cool. Tell them great job and congrats for me.
Tell everyone hello from me.
Sending my love from Peru to you. love Elder Hyde.
Next time I send love it will be from the jungle.

Teaching Families November 10, 2008

2008-11-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are teaching the Familia Miguel. This family consists of a lot of people. The Grandpa is not a member, two of his daughters are, and right now we are working with the granddaughters. We have their dates set for November 22nd. They are really good people.
We are teaching a young man named Gabriel Alejandro, he also has a baptism date for November 22nd.