May 16th / Zone Conference, Pizza, Listening to Elder Holland here in Brazil

Visiting Zona São Miguel to listen to a transmission of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaking in São Paulo.

Dear family! All great here in Mogi das Cruzes!

(Q:  Did you have Zone training this past week? Trying to remember ...)
A. Yes! We had Zone Conference this week. Ours was combined -- Zones Mogi and Itaqua. The Zone Leaders in Itaqua are Elder Merrill, my MTC comp,  and Elder Vasconcelos, who I lived with in Cidade Jardim. Great to see them again! Elder David and I taught a training to everyone called Revelation through the Book of Mormon. I like teaching! We did a prática where everyone there (the two combined Zones) went out on the street to talk to people and invite them to church. It was very cool to have 30+ missionaries all together, stopping people in the area of the church and talking about the gospel.

(Q: How many pizzas did you have during the week?)
A:  I have had 2 pizzas and several esfihas, which are like mini pizzas.

(Q: Did anything happen this week that made you laugh out loud?)
A. Being with Elder David is generally a laugh fest because he’s a very hilarious person haha. As for specifics, I can’t even remember, but I laughed a whole lot during the week!

(Q: What tender mercies did you recognize, or what were you grateful for this past week?)
A: Last night we went to nearby zone São Miguel yesterday to see a transmission of a talk Elder Holland gave at the Stake Center near the São Paulo temple. It was a tender mercy because Elder Holland talked about a lot of scriptures that have been in my mind lately, and he related the scriptures back to families which made them much broader verses to me. He talked about Malachi 4 and how the last promise of the Old Testament from Malachi was also given to Joseph Smith from Moroni to open this dispensation--that fathers and sons -- families -- need to be united. I’d only thought of that scripture as referring only to the importance of the sealing power but it made much more sense for me when he explained it yesterday, that we are preparing now, with our families, for life together in the eternities. “Heaven wouldn’t be heaven without the ones we love.”

Also, we have found a few people to teach, and that has been a mini miracle!

I’m totes gonna read about Ezekiel this week with y’all! I too am reading the scriptures and manuals and such like crazy. I love the scriptures and am having an awesome time with Personal Study.

I’m grateful for your support and emails. I like to hear about the blessings you are seeing!
Next transfer I will hit the year mark of my mission! It is flying by super fast!!

I hope you have an excellent week! Love you!!

Elder Hughes
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Found a very large rabbit.

Quote from this week that I've really liked:

“As Moroni puts it, grace isn’t just about being saved. It is also about becoming like the Savior (Moroni 7:48). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly. The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed.  ... The grace of Christ is sufficient—sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformation process takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.” As we do, we do not discover—as some Christians believe—that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason He requires so much and the strength to do all He asks. Grace is not the absence of God’s high expectations. Grace is the presence of God’s power .”  — Brad Wilcox, BYU Devotional, “His Grace is Sufficient”

Mother's Day Phone Call, May 8th | email, May 9th

Mother's Day phone call: Elder Hughes in Brazil, Syd in Africa, Ben in Utah.

Dear family,

It was excellent talking to you yesterday! And to meet Ben. You all look really good and happy which makes me happy! The call seemed so short, and I wanted to talk more, but I’m just glad we were able to talk to each other.

I’m loving working hard every day. I’m also working to improve my leadership skills—essentially the biggest thing I’ve been learning is that love actually is the greatest commandment and motivator, and the only way to be an effective leader. Something I’m really trying to improve on.

Quick email today ’cause we talked about most things yesterday. We had the Leadership Council this past week -- we had training from President Silcox, the Assistants, and Sister Training Leaders, and this week we will present the same training to the Zone here in Mogi with the Zone and Sister Leaders from the Itaquaquecetuba Zone. Should be great!

Love you all! I’m grateful for the support you give each week and each day! You give me motivation to work harder and find new people to teach.

I hope you see blessings in your life this week!

Zone Mogi das Cruzes

Moving sand to make cement to make a house: me and Elders Ewerton, David, and Miranda

April 25th from Mogi das Cruzes

Pickin' up the moon

How are you all? I love you! 

I’m glad y’all were able to get work done before you left to the old west there in the Utahs to see Syd. I do have saudades of the Utahs. Saudades is a word which here means reminiscences or something. It’s a Portuguese word that doesn’t translate in English. It’s like if “scrapbook” were a feeling. 

I’m glad, too, that you ate at La Dolce and Macaroni Grill. Did you eat french toast at Kneaders? We will do that many times when I get back, and I will be happy. 

The week was good here. We saw more successes in the area especially, which was good. We have more and more church member help now which is great, because that’s a really integral part of the work. Without it, it seems like very less progress is made. We had some good success with a young man who planned an activity with his friends to play basketball and learn about the restoration of the gospel. He brought about 9 friends to the activity and several of them have good interest in talking with us and learning more. Go Dimitri! We´re getting more comfortable in our Zone callings and the companionship is good. 

We´ve seen lots of tender mercies this week where small things happen which liven our spirits or when we´ve been able to help a fellow missionary or member. 

Human foosball (in Napa) sounds like an AWESOME activity!! That would be a dangerous thing here in Brasil I think, since everyone is studly at soccer. I’m improving my skills as we play on P-days but I’m still not on par with the Brazilians. I still move like a football player at times and want to tackle haha. 

Thinking about Mosiah 29:26—the importance of the voice of the people—that verse is one we studied in PoliSci at BYU along with 2 Nephi 2:14—which talks about the ability to act and to be acted upon. Agency is a wild thing that makes my brain hurt at times when I think about it. But we talked a lot about those two verses when discussing the inspired organization within the Church. We talked about the same in Econ, and a lot of what makes everything work is motive: in the Church, we’re motivated by a love of God and covenants, and it’s not about who we think would be better serving at a position than the other person. Spiritual motives help us use agency with much more wisdom. I’m for sure gonna go back over those verses this week. 

One of the biggest things I´ve realized on my mission is that God is mindful of every one of His children and He perfectly knows each situation and each difficulty, and every triumph and victory as well. I read a quote this week that said that the mission is a time for the missionary to repent. That is a very true statement. The mission helps us realign ourselves to Christ and “awake unto God” each day. And that is a tender mercy! 

I also really like the Isaiah verse and quote from Elder Holland*. It’s one of my favorite verses; I don’t think I’ve ever heard that quote before. Thanks for sending it my way! We try to use the words of living prophets in our lessons too, so I’ll be using that one! 

Please pray for rain here. 

Love you! Have a great week! :) 

Elder Hughes

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Isaiah 49:16. “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands”

*Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

     “Even though the power of the Resurrection could have—and undoubtedly one day will have—completely restored and made new the wounds from the crucifixion, nevertheless Christ chose to retain those wounds for a purpose, including for his appearance in the last days when he will show those marks and reveal that he was wounded ‘in the house of [his] friends’ [Zechariah 13:6; see also D&C 45:52].

     “The wounds in his hands, feet, and side are signs that in mortality painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect, signs that tribulation is not evidence that God does not love us. It is a significant and hopeful fact that it is the wounded Christ who comes to our rescue. He who bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love, the emblems of humility and forgiveness is the Captain of our Soul. That evidence of pain in mortality is undoubtedly intended to give courage to others who are also hurt and wounded by life, perhaps even in the house of their friends” (Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 258–59).

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Dinner after splits: Elders Miranda, Hughes, David, Ewerton, Batchelor (fresh out of the MTC), Almeida.
6 pizzas, 6 liters of coca cola, no more money. 

Elder Miranda, Elder Ewerton (pronounced Everton), Elder David, Elder Hughes 

History.

In the mission office: Elders Coimbra and M. Pereira, Elder Merrell, Elder Rieker, Elder Marins and Elder Hirst, also me.

Hi all!
How are you this fine Monday? I’m doing well! 

So yesterday we were waiting for the transfer call ... and waiting ... and waiting ... and finally at 9pm we got a call from the Assistants. Our area, Vila Lavínia, is now the Zone Leader area in Mogi das Cruzes, so Elder David and I are now serving as the Zone Leaders here. I got a call last Monday that I´d have to go to the Federal Police office to do visa stuff with Elder Hirst and when I was there in the mission office, President called me into his office while I was waiting to talk with me about the transfer changes a little early. I had the chance to talk with him for about 20 to 30 minutes which was awesome. Elder David is very excited and I am too about the transfer changes, but I’m also feeling a little inadequate. We´ll see how it goes. 

Last night we had dinner at a member’s house who was watching the impeachment news reports, so I watched a little, I have to admit ‘cause its, well, it’s History. It was pretty wild stuff with lots of angry yelling people and so much emotion. Elder David, who’s Brazilian, was fixed on the TV haha. Not really sure of many details; there aren't any demonstrations where we are ... I just know that everyone here is talking about the presidential impeachment. 

My talk (Sunday) went well ... I think. Maybe. I spoke on finding the Spirit in hard times, and shared Alma 48:7, when Moroni prepared the testimony of his armies before battle, instead of swords and such things. I also shared the experience of when I gave my first talk in church on my mission and how I was the only one who understood myself haha. Many of our difficulties can be caused by misunderstandings of things, and can be fixed by focusing on simple truths, like our testimonies. I think I made more sense than my first talk, and many members were kind and complimented me on my grammar. I just think I need to study more. 

The Stake President spoke after us and mentioned some things in his talk both Elder David and I had spoken about. Pretty cool how revelation works right? He spoke on Moses 1, which is one of my favorite chapters in scripture.

I’m glad seminary is going well! Isaiah should be sweet; I’m excited to hear the quotes of what the brethren are writing and saying about it. I want to take the Isaiah class at BYU when I get back! 

I’m feeling and doing fine. The challenging part now, I think, is that my area needs to be an example in the entire zone. The last Assistant, Elder Almeida who was my Zone Leader when I got to São José, was just released as an AP, and will be a district leader here training an American elder. He’s pretty well known for knowing how to work, so I’m gonna learn a lot I think. Looking forward to this transfer.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Also, if you send a box with things again that gets stuck in the post office, I almost want to buy it from the mail service here ... I desire candy, and lots of it. 

Elder Hughes 

The district.

Working and Faithing

04.11.16

How are you today? I am fairly stressed :  )

Haha, I'm stressed, but it's not that bad. We set super high goals as a district this transfer and pretty much need a huge miracle this week. Keeping positive.

This week we had our ward activity encouraging member participation in missionary work, and almost half of the ward came, which considering we planned without a ward mission leader to help us, was a good turn out.

I was reading in John 15 this week about the vine and branches, and how a branch can only produce fruit when it is connected to the vine—and how we are successful when we're connected to Christ. "Preach My Gospel" says the connection is our calling as missionaries. I was thinking this week about fruits coming from our labors, and the thought came to me that fruit has to ripen before you can eat it, and sometimes we just need to have fiath and hope that there will be any fruit at all in the end. The scriptures say we need charity as well—charity for God and our fellow men. We also need eyes fixed on the glory of God, and we need to be humble servants. That has helped me a lot this week 'cause the district has essentially had a really rough transfer.

I like Job because he was super humble. When his family, and animals, and possessions were taken from him, he said that he'd essentially been reborn again because he entered the wrold without those things. That's part of the mission, I think. We restart our lives as more committed—reborn in that sense—disciples of Christ.

Anyways, that was the week. We're working and faithing. I hope you are well there to the US of A!

It's still really hot here but we're getting by.

Love you!

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.

Hill Walking

What eight months looks like. 

Hi all!

We walked a lot this week. A whole lot. There are more hills here than in São José, so that’s exciting. Also, we’re eating lots of pizza here—regular sized pizza along with small mini pizzas that are sweet and are dessert. Good stuff. Loving missionary work. Working hard and having fun. 

Mogi das Cruzes was quiet on Good Friday—no one was in the streets—and it rained a lot. A whole lot. Easter Sunday was so good. The director of the Brasil MTC spoke in Sacrament meeting at church about the life of Christ and being meek and humble as He was, focusing on the Atonement as the ultimate example of meekness and humility. A High Counselor shared a message about the opportunity we have to take the sacrament in remembrance of the Atonement and resurrection every Sunday. Awesome talks that I really liked. The MTC director then taught Sunday School about the history and importance of Easter that blew my mind. 

I’ve been grateful for Irmã Sonia this past week. She has given us home-baked breads and tea and has taken good care of us. She is an elderly widow who hasn’t visited with the missionaries in years. We went to her house to share a spiritual thought with her but she ended up teaching us haha. It was a great experience to visit and talk, and was a blessing. 

On Wednesday we are going to the temple which will be a welcome miracle! It will be awesome to go, and also to see other people in the mission. 

I've had the opportunity to conduct a baptismal interview with a woman named Maria, and it was a really cool experience to talk with her and hear her testimony. She found the church through a friend, has been learning more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and has decided to be baptized. Her two sons want to be baptized too. Awesome stuff. 

I’m excited for General Conference; I can’t wait to be taught! 

Love you! Will think of you all this conference weekend :) 

Elder Hughes

Me and Elder David

View from my window