(No Subject)

Email received April 7, 2014

querida mama mia,

Muchos thank yous por tu correo y todos tus pensamientos y oracaciones. (Thanks so much for your mail, your thoughts and prayers.) En verdad gracias a la familia entera. I didn’t try the vicks vapor rub for my toe but I do have a bit of the gripe so I might try some for help with that. I still haven’t moved. The house has been done now for 2 weeks- it’s just the legal and paper work side of it all that needs getting done. We should be able to move this week though. I think I got a little taste of Zack’s world because I had to do some paper work this last week. I had to get the dueno(landlord) of the house to sign the contract and then rush it to the zone leaders house for the APs to come and take it. I feel a little more for Zack and the stress he must feel every day for his missionaries. Me and Elder de la cross will be together for at least 1 more transfer. I’m pretty pumped because I should be here for Sara and Heidi’s baptisms. I am really praying hard for Heidi. She made some mistakes earlier on in her life and they are now coming back to bite her. Namely she had a boyfriend when she was 16 or so and he is very mentally insane and she left him and then married a Norwegian guy legally, (yeah this country is full of crazy things) and now the ex boyfriend is jealous and hates us and says we are just trying to turn Heidi against him. Then he starts to call her terrible things that no daughter of god should ever be called. But our bishop and his wife are amazing and are doing what they can to help her out. So Conference was amazing. I watched it cien por ciento(100%) en español de nuevo. My language has been improving a lot with De la Cruz and he has taught me a lot about the mission as well. He has been out the same as Zack and he is an excellent teacher. I am working hard to try and keep up and be observant of what he does. He teaches really well and I have learned more about how the people think and react based off the way he thinks and reacts. I loved Elder Holland, Elder Anderson, Hermana Reeves, y Elder Ucthdorf’s talks the most although I was a big fan of how M Russel Ballard convinced his wife he was the only ex misionero verdadero y viviente(true and living returned missionary). That was way funny but a super powerful talk as well. It gave me a lot of confidence really. It’s been 8 months now and I have learned a lot about myself. I definitely regret a lot of the I did before my mission and I want to make it all right some day. I really had quite the orgullo(pride) about a lot of things and I have learned now that the humble are the ones who learn. I can’t remember who said it but there was a talk that said prayer doesn’t change god but I can change me. I have learned how to pray and I am learning how to change. I am so grateful for my mission and for the Dominican Republic. I am so grateful god let me come down here to teach my brothers and sisters about the truths of the gospel. This is really my heaven on earth and the holiest place I have ever been. I can get so frustrated at times with the people. They are very open about a lot of things to include making fun of Americans speaking espanol but I have learned a thing or two from my grandma now and I know I can speak better and that I can be humble and just love the people with all my heart. I can’t even believe how much my mission has helped me appreciate Grandma that much more. I’m so blessed to have her as an example in my life and we are all blessed that she made the decision to be the first crazy bean to jump into the pot. My mission has also led me to love family history. I have helped a few less actives start theirs and I have almost completed the mi familia booklet Elder Cook talked a little about. President has asked us to walk with ours in our bags or Books of Mormon to show to investigators, members, or less actives who might have interest. Speaking of, I would love to hear more about our antepasados so I can write more in my book about them. Nothing big just little charactaristics or stories I can read fast translate and write down in the book to show to people about my ancestors.

I love you all and espero que pasen una semana excelente.

Con mucho cariño,
Elder Spencer W. Hulsey

(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