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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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