(No Subject)

Email received March 24th, 2014

Dear family,

I have some funny news to tell you- the mission accidently didn’t quite finish the house so we are stuck down here one more week. Now you might wonder why I said funny news. I am trying to be super positive about it. Honestly I laughed when they told me about the mistake. You remember that talk a few years ago by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin that talked about taking and loving what comes our way? I was thinking about that a lot this last week. Remember he told a story about how his daughter had a blind date one night and a man came to the door and she left with him and then ran back into to the house super embarrassed because it turned out to be a different man there to pick up a different daughter who had committed to babysit that night. He said they laughed and laughed and just ended up having a good time about it. I thought about it in relation to my toe. I could be mad about it, feel that I have been mistreated, scared and worried or I can laugh about it and just understand the Lord has His purpose for all things and if we endure them well we will be blessed. It’s really not the easiest thing now. My toe was just operated on and it still hurts to walk on it especially up a super steep hill about 30 minutes but It’s ok. I’m taking good care of it and putting on the special cream the doctor gave me and elevating it and doing what is right. I like a quote from the Other Side of Heaven that says,” Sometimes the Lord calms the sea, other times the sailor, and sometimes you just gotta swim.” Right now I just gotta walk and know that Lord has prepared people for me to go and help and teach. It’s not really worth it to mope around or pout and be upset about the trials but I am learning how to laugh and be stronger through the adversities. I’m excited for this week because we should have a baptism. A girl named Thais who has come to church over a year now and has finally made the choice to be baptized. It should be good. She is very smart and will be a good member. Now we just gotta try and help her family too. I’m very grateful this Easter season. Maybe more than any other one in my life. In truth I was reading an old conference edition of the Liahona (the Ensign) and in the church news section it talked about the relief efforts for the earthquake in Haiti. I never would have guessed how much that earthquake 4 years ago could have affected me so much now. I remembered a family in Bani, the Haitian one that named me the godfather of their children. I remember in the first visit Elder Mortensen and I were sitting there talking with the mom, Roodlina about her life in general. We asked her about her family, religious views etc. and she told us that she left Haiti before the earthquake hit and she still doesn’t know much about her family. She hasn’t been able to keep communication with them. Her husband and her couldn’t go to Haiti because they had no money and working super hard already to gain citizenship here in the DR and also to get legally married. It’s a real blessing to know that even though our earthly communication is limited our heavenly communication is always here. We taught her all about how she is a child of God- He gave her her family and He will always take care of us. He loved us so much He gave us His son to die for us. Jesus Christ really did come to earth and He did set up His church and teach about His evangelio (gospel) and the way to get back to live with God again and the way we need to take to be made clean and have peace. I know He took upon Him all our sins and pain. And I love the happy words the angel said that morning so long ago, that “He is not here but He is risen.” I know He is risen and more than that, that we can rise too and live with our families again no matter what. We showed her pictures of the Santo Domingo temple and told her that we can make eternal covenants there. I know that someday she will be able to go there. I know that life doesn’t end on the other side of the veil. I have this quote on the back of my white bible that says, “I know that we will be with the savior again, that if we are faithful to him, we will stand free, unfettered and unencumbered, and that we will recognize in the marks in his flesh something of his bondage and imprisonment and dying sacrifice for us.” I testify that that is very true. There are families all over who need the gospel of Jesus Christ. They need the peace. It’s not really important if my toe hurts, or I woke up with a headache, or if it’s a million degrees and I’m sweating before I even leave the house. I know that when I leave each day the Lord is with me and is helping me help his children. It’s such a blessing to be a missionary and I’m super excited to see what these next months will bring. Thanks so much for everything and I promise to send some pictures next week.

Con mucho amor,
Elder Spencer W. Hulsey

(No Subject)

Email received March 17, 2014

Dear family,

Thanks so much for all the prayers that you say for me. I really do feel them and am noticing more and more miracles everyday. It’s a blessing to be here in Buenos Aires with elder De la Cruz. I am learning a lot of Spainish and even more than that I am learning a lot of better ways to preach the gospel. It’s really cool getting to learn so much. I am so grateful for these past 7 months I have had. I really have notIced a change in myself and I can’t wait to keep bettering myself. My companion is trying so hard to learn English and he is learning so much. So good news I am moving tomorrow to a very safe house the church just built for us. It’s amazing because they built the place in a little over a month. I’m super grateful for all the hard work that went into it. We will be living next door to a few members as well and one of them is super excited. She said she is an excellent cook but ya hay las reglas (but we have rules). Anyway I got to see a picture of my next mission president as well at a zone conference. He is an American who served in Spain and was on a church assignment I believe in France for 5 years as well. He lives in California. I’m excited to meet him but I will really miss Presidente Rodriguez. I have learned a lot from him. I’m very happy for all of the kids. It’s crazy Emma is almost a senior and in a year we will probably go to Snow together. I really don’t want to leave this country though. There will always be a special place in my heart for these people. Heidi had a problem this last week but she told us that she prayed with faith and things are getting better. Nos dijo que tiene mucho deseos para seguir adelante (she told us that she desires to keep moving forward). I know she can do it. I know the Lord has a special plan for her. It’s such a blessing to be a messenger of that plan. We also found a family and they now have a date for the 10th of May. There are a lot of time rules here for when we can and can’t baptize. Anyway so today I had a bit of an adventure. I had to go to the ccm (Dominican MTC) again so the doctor could cut my toe nail. Yeah- let’s just say that I might have had a minor infection from when I tried to cut it out myself and there was a lot of puss....jaja but one minor operation later and I’m good to go. The doctor said to take it easy on the walking though. Thank goodness we are moving tomorrow. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week. Thanks so much for the package as well. Elder De la Cruz loved the sasquatch thing and the jerky. He said if you want to adopt him you can jajaja anyway I found this store that sells American candies and he is now addicted to gummy worms. i got invited to a members wedding on the 29th of Feburary 2016 so I told Elder De la Cruz that I would bring him as much jerky and gummy worms as possible when I come back for that jajajaja.

Mucho thank you (something a menos activo who is learning English likes to tell me) for everything,

Elder Hulsey