Made a House.

This week was a great one. Easter, going to the temple and then General Conference made for a great week filled with the Spirit.

Going to the temple on Wednesday was so good. We went by bus with another Zone -- where Elder Merrill (MTC companion) -- is serving. We spent the couple of hours there and back laughing and telling mission stories and we talked about things we've learned and some lessons we are learning now. Good day. And it was cool to see all the familiar faces at the temple and get some good spiritual rejuvenation there to the House of the Lord.

Then Conference was amazing.
Totally amped to hear “Come thou Fount (of Every Blessing)”!  

Elder Mazzagardi who spoke Saturday afternoon is from Brazil, and he visited our mission when I was still being trained. He talked with me in English about California. Was missing everyone at home while Conference was happening, but all fine. I was super inspired by the talks about family. The mission is great practice for family life, so that made me really want to do better with all the relationships here on the mission. I felt like I was understanding pretty much everything (in Portuguese), and I had that same feeling in the temple. It was cool to compare the experience of going to the temple when I was first in the MTC to the experience now. Also, we had permission to stay up past missionary curfew to watch the Priesthood session -- which was awesome!

We did a service project and made a house this week, and I lifted a bunch of bricks and cement and got super sore, and got homesick for the gym haha :)

We've had more success in our area. We’re finding many new people to teach and help others learn how to recognize answers to their prayers which is a blessing! 

I had some awesome experiences studying in the scriptures -- really liking Acts right now -- and “Preach My Gospel” this week, and am realizing over and over how important it is to put the teachings and doctrine into practice so we can better understand them. Profound. I am loving the mission and learning so much about the gospel. Feeling really silly for learning the lessons I am now and asking myself how I didn’t learn them earlier, but I guess we learn them when we are best prepared, right?

Watch “On the Lord´s Errand” about President Monson if you have time. It’s awesome.

And that was the week! Love you!

Elder Hughes 

Rain.

Mini MTC district reunion at the Campinas temple. Sister Kinnaman, Elder Merrill, yours truly.