Re: Happy New Year!

Email received December 30, 2013

Dear family,

I am super happy that Christmas passed super well and it sounds like you guys had a very fun time. Actually the day after Christmas went really well. A lot of people were in their houses and we taught a lot and worked super hard. Elder Mortensen has taught me a lot. He has really taught me how to be more relaxed about the work and remember that numbers are really people and not just something to report to the zone leaders to show off or something. We’ve got to remember our purpose in each house. Sorry if i took up a lot of your guy´s time. I was able to do all that i needed to do that day and i felt very happy all day long. Elder Santiago is very impressed with your Spanish and Hermana Gutierezz thought your accent was perfect. He really enjoyed talking to you all. He is such a good missionary. I am so impressed with him. It’s weird and kinda hard for me to think he will be gone soon. Me and him went on an intercambio last Tuesday and we talked for a long time. He told me he is having such mixed feelings right now because he really is excited to go home and start his life but he says he has loved his mission more than anything in the world. And he also gave me some advice. He told me that throughout the mission i will pass through plenty of moments of Gethsemane. But never let those moments get you down. You have to just roll with them and put all your trust in the lords plan and brighter days will come. The most important thing is to fear no man. Never let your basic fears or anxieties get in the way of preaching the word. You never know who needs to talk to you on a particular day. So open your mouth and be friends with everybody. Its weird to me now looking back to just one year ago- i don't think i was very personable. I was always a little intimidated talking to new people. Well now im serving people who will be your best friend for just spending two minutes asking them how they are. they really are such a special and dear people to me. I love them so much. I love this work so much. It’s such a special time to be a part of this work as well. I came out at the right time for me i know it. I’m right where i am supposed to be and like i told you at Christmas, I’m really home. Now new years will pass pretty crazy i assume. We will probably have to be in the house early that day. But my plans right now are to go teach our part member family and hit them super hard with the word of wisdom, they have already committed to live it again but i want to be sure they understand why especially for that night. The 14 year old daughter told me she really likes her beer but i testified that this is a commandment from god and he will give her the strength to follow it. I know he will. I know she can. I have the faith she will. Its not a bad thing to have hope and faith. Even though a lot of the times you will be let down a little bit. The investigators a lot of times for whatever reason don’t come to church but the lord really does know what he is doing. I’m only here to follow his plan. It’s all we can do and i still hold faith that miracles will happen and the people will feel the need to come. They are very laid back and the more i think about it, the more i start to realize I’m pretty laid back too. And if i can get myself to church every week i have faith that they can too. I love you guys,

Elder Spencer W. Hulsey

Re: Hola!

Email received December 17, 2013

dear family,
Sorry about yesterday, we were in azua for a long time but it was a ton of fun. I really enjoyed seeing the missionaries i knew and the spirit was very strong. My poor companion really didnt know too much of what was going on because it was all in spanish. He doesnt have bad spanish just that usual gringo block. Tal vez yo tengo eso todavia pero cada dia estoy mejorando poco a poco mas. Me gusta mucho el idioma. I really am loving the DR. I definitely can feel you all walking with me everyday. Its really such a blessing to have a family who loves and prays for you. Especially with the knowledge of forever families. To me its such a blessing preaching to people about a message of families being together forever. What a blessing it is to these people to have a temple so close by. I love the santo dominigo temple a lot. My mission president gave me a temple recommend holder with a picture of the temple that says Mision Santo Domingo Oeste 2013. Ok so i will explain the whole socks and flip flop thing oh and the pants as well because if you noticed, I made those pants i was wearing, kinda. Anyway so in the mornigns for study we need to be in missionary clothes but not shoes and i don´t actually leave the house until 2 in the afternoon. It's the schedule president gave us trainers. But anyway i get this call at about 830 here and it was Brother Roper telling me he was on Calle Las Mercedes looking for our house so i went out to the street but was too lazy to put my real shoes on so i just took the chancletas with my socks. the pants, its a tradition for every dominican missionary to make pants down here. Meaning you find a man who makes pants and ask him to make you some. So i made those pants for pretty cheap and they are pretty nice. Luckily all my shirts and clothes have been holding up great. I will be able to skype with yall at 3 my time so noon for you guys. I am super pumped and yes i plan on just using 40 minutes because its the guidline in the white handbook. I have some pretty crazy stories to tell you guys. I told a lot of stuff to my comp this week. He has been really struggling out here especially with his testimony. I tell him everyday that no matter what he will never regret the decision to endure to the end of his mission. And reminded him that its just like the himno says, Solo el que trabaja, se siente feliz. The only way to feel happy is to work. Its all we can do. Wow its crazy how grown up everybody seems. I know its only been a few months but it just seems crazy is all. Cant wait to play some ball with adam when i see him. We will play dominican style. They definitely play a little bit different down here.
Well I love you all and hope this week is great!
Love Elder Hulsey

Email received December 9, 2013

My dear family,
estoy muy tranquilo, algo un poco diferente aqui es la frase que lo que? es como que tal. So i have some pretty big news actually, im training right now so my new comp has only 1 month and is fresh out of the ccm. Crazy right? the lord has trusted me with a pretty big responsibility and im super pumped for the challenge. Its definitely different but im super excited. His name is Elder mortensen. He is super tall and super funny and his spanish is improving everyday. Im super blessed to be training a guy like him. It sounds like adams birthday was a lot of fun. im happy he is my little brother. So i still don´t have all the news as far as skype goes but i will know for sure next week. By the way expect an email a little later next week. We are going to have a christmas conference next monday and it will go all day. We are going to this place called azua for it and im pumped because out on there basketball court there is this huge utah jazz logo. ha there is also this company here that has totally ripped off the jazz logo and im going to try and take a picture of it to show you guys. ITs pretty funny. I heard the jazz arent doing to good this year though. oh well still going to be a fan for life. So basically the dominicans started preparing for christmas when i entered the field. We always sing christmas hymns here in sacrament meeting. Something cool is that we received permission to eat with members on the 24th and the 31st of this month. Im super excited for this. We already have this member named nancy who said she has been dying to cook for us ha im so grateful for her and her family. super nice people. yes my stone passed the last week of the transfer. I was really fine, ya i was uncomfortable and in pain but i was blessed with strength beyond my own. I know the lord hears all of your prayers and has allowed me to feel this many times here. I don´t want you guys to ever feel worried or sorry for me. There are people with a lot worse here. I have been able to give quite a few blessings here to quite a few really struggling people. I know the priesthood is real. I know i have direct access to a loving heavenly father who is always waiting to answer my prayers. Much like president monoson i find no greater joy than following a spiritual prompting and finding out it was the answer to somebody prayers and i always the lord to know that when he needs an errand ran, Elder Spencer Hulsey is ready, worthy, and able. I remember this talk by jeffery r holland we listened to in the ccm. It was very powerful. It was part of training for new mission presidents a few years ago and it hit me super hard. He talked a lot about christs mission. Often times on missions we get to caught up in the hard things that we miss out on the good things. I find out 3 people from my group already went home due to anxiety issues. It really made me sad. I am not saying in the least that these people deserve any degree of disrespect or dishonor. But i remember in the talk Elder Holland pointed out some great stuff. Why cant everything just be easy, why isn't my only fear that of catching a cold due to the amount of time i spend in the baptismal font, why wont these people accept the truth, why wont they read the book of mormon, why is it simply just hard at times? well if you look in the bible at christ´s life and say wow sounds like he lived the easy life you would be absolutely and 100 percent crazy. Do you think it was very easy to be cast out by your own people, do you think it was easy to suffer the atonement, do you think it was easy to be tempted by the devil after fasting 40 days, do you think it was easy that despite all the miracles signs and wonders the people still rejected you, the message, and everything you knew would give them happiness? then why if it was never easy for the man we represent should we assume it to just be easy for us? The truth is its not easy but i promise you it is worth it. I cant even remember the faces of people who have rejected me, or scared me or anything else that was bad. I know they happened but i really find it easier to just remember the good.
Anyway i love you all and hope you have a great week,
Love,
Elder Spencer W. Hulsey

Email received December 2, 2013

Querida familia,
So really quick i will be staying in Bani for the next 6 weeks at least. I will be receiving a new comp tomorrow though which is good because Elder Manubay has been here for the past 8 and half months and he really needed the change. it was only his second area and he is finishing his mission in may ha but anyway it sounds like thanksgiving was a blast. I ate the pies you sent me and they were very good ha its been a while since i have had pie but the flan down here is super good. i love being down here in the republica. Church well its always interesting and always different. Last week the chapel was full but this week it was a bit empty but its ok because the branch does have the animo to work with us and we are pumped to get things really going down here. We are working so hard to accomplish our goal and it does look like we have at least one family already reactivated with a few more on the way. We have been teaching less actives like crazy and we are having a big bonfire for an fhe tonight way out in the boonies and we hope some less actives can come. Wow poor grandpa i hope he can pass. I hear the jazz arent really doing too well this year either ha looks like i left at the right time huh? ha anyway everybody sounds a bit baby crazy over there but its awesome. I love having a big family and a super close family. Something kinda funny is the branch right above us has this recent convert named frank. He is the coolest and a super funny guy and we are trying to set him up with our young womens president so yesterday we had another choir practice and we totally got them talking and he fell so in love but she still isn´t sure. He made her help him with the hymns though and i think it will all work out for them ha Anyway i decided that i will also be bringing these two little girls home. one of them is super funny and has a problem with her voice so she sounds like a man but she is only 6. She is adorable though and the other one is a sad story. There is this special needs girl who has palsy and lives in the poorest part of my area. Her family cant afford much but they are less actives and are really trying to get to church but its hard because they don´t have a lot of money and live pretty far from the capilla. They told us she loves when we stop by though. she loves feeling normal and being treated kindly which was the biggest reason the family joined the church. Because nobody told them their daughter was cursed just that she was loved and a blessed daughter of heavenly father. She always smiles at me as we walk by and i always smile and wave at her and its hard to fight back tears sometimes. so she is coming back with me in 20 months. Happy birthday to adam this week. Can´t believe he is already ten. I toats remember when he was born. i sure do miss that little guy. So i sent a letter home in the mail this last week. There is something in there for everybody, nothing too long or too special but stuff that i could do. I will get to skype with you guys at christmas. I should get more details later on that.
I love you all and hope this week is fantastic for you,
con mucho amor y un abrazo por cada uno de ustedes,
Elder Spencer W. Hulsey