Crossing Paths

So this week was so good. Loving missionary service.

Fun fact: Relief Society in Portuguese is Soc Soc, which is Sociedade de Socorro, e toda mulher precisa de SocSoc.

This week I have been thankful for answered prayers. We had an experience with S, a 15 year old who lives close to the chapel. He has been playing soccer with people here for the past a few weeks, and when we talked with him last week, he was really interested in the learning more about the gospel. He said he has been feeling strongly that he has needed to be preparing to be baptized, but he didn’t know where, or why baptism was important, so we’ve been teaching him, and he’s preparing for baptism this coming month! Awesome how the Lord crosses the paths of those who want to serve Him!

At Zone conference this week we talked about the basic doctrines of the gospel, or Evangelho, of Christ: faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then enduring to the end. This is also our purpose as missionaries—to bring the gospel to others and invite them to follow Christ.

President Silcox talked about 3 Nephi 11 and Christ’s love for everyone. He talked about Christ establishing His doctrine, about and how contention about doctrine, and contention between people is not of Christ. We have to eliminate this contention to actually follow Him, and to be effective missionaries.

The Sister Training Leaders talked about learning to understand the Spirit and how we need to listen and follow promptings, even if it’s hard sometimes. This all has inspired me to recommit to my calling as a missionary, and to try better to be worthy of receiving the Lord´s spirit while teaching true principles. I’ve borne my testimony many times this week about the Restauração.

I got my sweet package delivered at Zone Conference and opened it that night—YES. The coolest tie that ever existed! (Letters and tiny pineapples tie with "be optimistic" patch sewed on the back.)Thank you! I was seriously so amped. Ha ha.

Loving learning and feeling the Spirit. I’ve read about Elijah recently, and about “whole-souled” faith—real faith, tested and tried, to the very core of our beings” faith. Awesome. Also reading 2 Nephi—one of my favorite books from the Book of Mormon, and chapter 4 is awesome. I heard one time that to get the full effect, you need to read Nephi’s words out loud (like a monologue of sorts, which I’ve never done, but maybe I’ll do that soon). I’ m almost done with the Book of Mormon in Portuguese and I’m really enjoying the experience. I feel like I’m learning more because I have to read carefully to understand.

We have great people here, and we have stake conference this weekend. Should be awesome!

You are all a blessing in my life!

Love you,

Elder Hughes

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Bonus email exchange:

From David to Elder Hughes: Yesterday I went with the Eagle scouts and Bro. Mills to the Napa Valley Gun Club. We worked on the Shot Gun Merit Badge. We had three scouts. They needed to hit 12 out of 25 clay pigeons. And do that two times. All three got it. At one point Carson was 14 for 15. Kid can shoot. Had I been a scout, I would have qualified too. And I have a kickback bruise to prove it.

Elder Hughes to David: At scout camp I did the shotgun merit badge, and it was the last test of the week—and the last extra badge I had to get before my Eagle. I was doing super poorly (like terrible) only hitting 3 of every 15 or so. I went about 3 times that day to shoot, and eventually they told me I had to just go for it, so I said a prayer and then shot 23/24. God knows guns. And me.

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