January 30th Things are good!!

Baba & Mama 

Ya this month has come and gone. It is crazy to think that I have been out for 7 months.!?!!?!!??!? Where did all that time go???? I don’t know but it is locked away in my mind as a special time. :) lol

You ask about my English? I can tell you that it is dying! It is getting worse and worse. I know all of you are going to laugh at me when I get home but it will be good, it has to die so that the people here can understand me better :)  

I am so happy to hear that you got the photos!!!!!! :) So you liked the video parts.. ok, I will make more videos then :)  About the flash drive… could you put some good music on it and send it back?  Things like Tarzan and Hercules and all those good tunes.

So the holes in the wall downstairs are gone? Wow! They were only there for how long? Was it 2 or 3 years? :) But it sounds like you guys are starting to work on the basement. :) Your going to have to tell me how that works out. :) 

I am glad that you love the MTC. Really it is a special place. There is a spirit there that can't be found anywhere else. A place where so many young men and women have given up so much to go work for the Lord. There was a GA that asked what a missionary is? He said that a missionary is someone who leaves his family for a short time, so that others can be with their families forever. I think that is good way to put missionary work :) another thought…. As missionaries we go out and preach the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. But we sometimes teach the restoration like it is over, like it only happened with Joseph Smith, but, to think that we would be wrong. The restoration of the gospel is still going on all around the world, in every home where missionaries are let in; those people are being restored to the Lord. The missionaries you are teaching are a HUGE part of the restoration of the Gospel. For us the restoration started with Joseph Smith. To many others around the world it starts with two young men knocking on their door. As for here the work is going forth! (side thought… you might want to try having your MTC kids memorize the “Standard of Truth.” It has some real power to it!) we are still working hard to help these people and it is going very well, as the DL I got to do interviews for baptisms.  In one day I did over 32 interviews!! it was crazy and it took a very long time! 

Is it even a question if I live the mission rules? I thought you knew me better dad. :) just kidding. :) but ya I do live the mission rules! We as missionaries and even all people around the world need to pay a price to have the Holy Ghost with us and Obedience is the price that we must pay, plus I sent a signed paper to the first presidency of the Church saying that I would live all of the rules. How could I lie to a Prophet of God?  

Your comment mom about being a trainer is right, it has helped me grow. :) I hope I become a better person because of this and I know I will.  I will let the Lord shape me into what he knows I can be. :) so things are getting better :) it's good. It is still not where I would like it to be but I can’t have everything right? :)  

When did I ever give president B. a hard time? you should be asking if he is giving me a hard time. :) I like to joke around with him and he just gives it right back :) we have a great relationship. I just wish we were closer.

 I am really looking forward to getting the sandals and what ever goodies you put in there :) I can tell you that getting things from home -like that really makes the work better. :) it gives me a jump start :) every time I get a letter from someone. :) they mean a lot to me :) Ya I hope Jordan gets those things for me. :) I am looking forward to his letter. 

Ya so we have this place we are trying to get a new branch started. :)  the main thing that is stopping us is we need Priesthood holders there and I think we have come up with a plan that will work. That is to have some Priesthood holders from other branches come every Sunday so that they can have a meeting and the sacrament and things like that, then we can progress them to baptism and to the priesthood. :) There are around 10 members there now, they just need to get the priesthood.  But they need to be coming to church to do it, so that is another reason why this meeting thing is important. At least until they have the priesthood there to do it them selve’s.  We are really hoping for it to work out. And if it works out there will be like 3 other branches that will pop up if they do the same thing. There are groups of people that know about the church and want it they just don’t know where to find it. This is the first of those groups that we are working with. We just need to make a way for them to get what they need and for them to teach them selves’. So we are trying to get it started. :) I hope it will all work out. :)

Kansas kids…your missionaries are working hard! tell them to keep up the good work!!!  I will tell you what you should feed them :) You need to feed them Ugaly (maze flour put in water and heated until it is a hard cake like thing that you eat with your hands.) and with that you need to give them Matumbo. (that can also be known as goat intestines) :) I think they will love it! :)   just kidding :)  You guys help the missionaries so much!!!!! I wish we had a family like you here. :) keep up the good work!

I am glad to hear that you guys are working hard in scouts. I can tell you that scouting has really helped me get ready for my mission. so keep up the good work guys :)

Tami, thanks but no thanks on the leadership stuff. But if the Lord calls like Nephi "I must obey." I'm sorry to hear that your girls have been sick, let them know that I love them very much :) and I have to say that the first prayer that I want to hear when I get home I want it to be from Katelee :) I can picture it in my mind and it is so cute!!!!! :) I can feel her prayers :) 

 Training... I don’t like it, lol, but I am learning a lot!! They have just come out with this new training program that I have to use called the first 12 weeks Fundamentals of Preach my Gospel, it is a great program :) plus they gave me a DVD player to use :) its cool and don’t worry we only use it for the program so I'm not turning into a dead missionary don’t worry. :)

There are 6 missionaries and 1 couple in my district. and it is very big!!! To get from one area to another it takes over an hour by car, but that is partly because of the roads and how bad they are. But we get bikes to ride!! :) lol…  I still don’t know if the bike is a blessing or a curse.
 I’m sorry you didn’t get to go on exchanges a lot, I love them!! They are super fun and it breaks the mold a bit, but I bet a visitor center mission is different.

So you want to hear more about me meeting Elder Cook? :)  It was super cool!!!!! He came to see the missionaries and to just do a mission tour.  So all the elders in Chyulu went to Mombasa to hear from him along with the elders in Mombasa. :) We get there and the meetings are the next day so we sleep in one of the Mombasa Elders flats - that was very nice by the way! Then we went to the meeting house there in Mombasa town and we met Elder Cook. He first met with all the DLs and ZLs, and then we went with the other missionaries.  He just gave us training about conversion and obedience it was great and I tried to take a lot of notes. :) Then after it was over he came and pulled me aside and just thanked me for being a good missionary and gave me some things to look up in the scriptures and said that he thinks that I am like Caleb from the book of Numbers in chapters 13 and 14, it was really nice of him to say that. I hope that I can live up to it and he was just telling me to set the example even when things are hard and things like that it was really nice to talk to him. :) Then we all left and went to the beach :) that was super cool!! The beach here is amazing!!! white sand that is soft, palm trees and a nice breeze :) I even put my feet in the water and it was warm! :) it was great!! I really would like to be transferred there. So that’s the story :) it was great!!!!!!!!!! I loved it!!!!!!!!!

Love you all!!!

Elder T. Hodges

Met Elder Cook!!!

Jan 23^rd

Thank you for your up lifting words, but it’s not me... The Lord has His

work planned out and nothing can stop it. Your right it really is the

work of the Lord. :) we know that the work of God is "to bring to pass

the immortality and eternal life of man." and in the first presidency

message in Preach my Gospel it says every missionary has a part to do

in bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. so it

tells us right there that we are doing the Lords work :)

I can tell you that the missionaries in the MTC don’t really know what

is coming :) if they are not worked to the bone when they get out on their 

mission they are doing it wrong! :) But they need to know that it is all about their 

dedication. If they want to work, then they will. But if they just want to go on a

 mission to get a girl at BYU or to tell people that they lived in Brazil- or Africa for 2 years, 

 then they will not even come close to becoming who they can be and helping who they can help.

Even Brigham Young said if you go out to teach the Gospel with

lightness and frivolity, you will go and return in vain. Their mission

will be what they make out of it. Faith without works is dead. they

have the faith; they are there in the MTC getting ready, now they need

to go out and to do their works of faith. :)

It has been a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we got to go down to

Mombassa for mission tour. We got to meet Elder Cook :) not the

member of the 12 but a member of the 70 he spoke in conference, he gave

the talk. "Its better to look up." :) He is a great man. :) He talked

to me privately for a little bit. :) It was super nice :) gave me some

things to read in Numbers 13 and 14. He told me that I am like a man

named Caleb in the story. That meant a lot to me that he said that.

:) If you want to you can read the story :) He really is a great man!

I wish we had more time to talk to him but I am happy for the time

that I had.

My comp and I are getting much much better. I am very happy about it

too. :) but there is still a lot of ground to make up.:) but thank you

for your prayers I know that they have made a difference. :)

I did get the package :) I don’t know what I am going to do with what

you sent for Elder Oten, I am thinking about keeping it maybe for someone in the future :P but I don’t know. 

Also thank you for the candy!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is soooooooooo good!!! In this place those are worth more than Gold!

Well, I will keep Aimee and the boys in my prayers. That is the best that I can do.

I can’t wait to hear where Jordan is going!! That is great that he is going to get them sent! :) 

He better write me as soon as he gets the call!!! :)

Hal? wow I thought he was as healthy as a horse. but I guess he is as healthy as a horse that

 had some heart work done. well I hope everything will work out well. :) I will pray from him.

I’m doing well :) and the fungus on my feet is still there and very itchy! I hope
that it will go away soon.
Ya training is a new part of missionary work. It is hard…. I know
it will all work out. But after this is done I don’t want any assignments.  I don’t want to be a DL… I don’t want to be a ZL…I don’t want to be a trainer. I just want to be a normal missionary. I would like that. :)  Tami I really like your quote  “ become better not bitter.” :) I like that a lot! :) I know a lot of people here that need that. :) I hope you don’t think I am a sister hater because I know sisters are special and bring a special spirit to the work. It just bugs me when they don’t work. So I love sisters that work :)
You guys have a super cute family. I hope you know that!!! I can’t
wait to see how much Katelee has grown. She better still know who Uncle Tyler is. :) And I am super happy to meet little Eva!! :)  But I have found that a mission goes by so fast!!!!!!!!  I can’t believe that is almost 7 months already. It’s crazy how fast it goes.

It sounds like you all should send some of that moisture this way. We need it very badly! people’s crops are dying 

and I don’t know what they will do without any food!  And it is very very HOT so I would love some snow too! :) 

Mom, Dad you two really have your work cut out for you! All of those kids look up to you!

 They will remember what you say and what you do! :) Let them know that they are the people that 

will make their mission amazing! The Lord has called them to the place that will help them the most and 

where they can help others the most. But it is up to them as missionaries to learn how to do that. Learning 

and growing is what a mission is all about! About growing yourself and then going out and helping others grow

 and learn. Help them learn how to lean.

To answer some family questions: Ya missionaries in some places in the mission are not treated very well.

 I can tell you some stories but I think I will do that when I come home so mom doesn’t freak out. :) lol, but things 

are hard in a lot of places…  I have been lucky to have been in some good places, so people just think that we are devil worshipers, 

so mostly just name calling but sometimes it can get out of hand, but things are getting better :)

Things with my comp are getting better and I hope that they will keep going like that.

I am still learning some new games :) I want to learn more. but the game that
 we play the most is football (soccer).  I have seen some Elephants :) and zebras but I haven’t seen any giraffes yet. I have only seen the elephants because they come and eat
the corn of the people,  they come into the towns and things like that. The people here don’t like them.

Thank you so much for everything you all have done form me!!!

Love to you all!!!

Elder Hodges

A New Branch - Maybe!!

Jan. 16th

Well I am glad to hear that you’re doing well :) I am always happy to hear that! This week has been good and very hard in some ways.  Some parts of this week were a missionary’s dream! We might be starting a new branch in my area! :) see I just got permission from the mission to expand our area into a new part of this HUGE valley, because there was a man that came up to me at church one Sunday and said that some people wanted the church over there…. So we go there and it turns out that there are almost 30 people that want to be baptized and have the church where they are.  They have been meeting for over two years, just as people and helping each other grow. It’s just great to see how much the Lord can prepare people for the Church and the Gospel. :)

It sounds like you have had a great time at the MTC :) you guys are going to be great there! I love the quote you gave me it really really really helps! :) You were inspired to give that to me. Like I said I have been having a hard time with my new comp. It’s hard with him. I have found out how important it is to have a good comp on mission and in life.

My Sabbath was great! I got to teach Sunday school, bless the sacrament, and give a talk. It was great! :) I have a new testimony about opening my mouth and it being filled. :)

Well keep up the good work!

LV Elder  H.

(Quotes sent: " don't be offended... the level of offensiveness you 

take upon you in any situation is directly related to your level of 

spirituality." Another statement was " obedience brings blessings...... EXACT obedience brings miracles!!". So true!!  

January 10th, 2012

Sorry I don’t have a lot of time this week so I will have to keep this letter a little short. But Africa this week is good!! But we have not gotten the needed rain at all, and that is a big problem with the members and the people from here because their food is dying. But everything will be ok.    Mud? What is mud? :) lol even when it rains in like 30 mins. its dry, well its not muddy like your thinking, but in Nairobi that place can get MUDDY!!! :)

 So I am trying to get used to this trainer thing. The DL part I’m fine with… Its nice being a DL without sisters…:)...  but training is much different. Pray for me I really need them and also my comp, his name is Elder Kiggundu from Uganda. And I have to say that he is going to be by far my hardest comp to be with. So pray from me. Please. And to make it even better, since I am training him  I am stuck with him for 3 months. I hope that I can make it without leaving him in the middle of nowhere to get lost.

And we have not found any more cobras yet. We think they came into the flat because we killed some chickens and they like to eat chickens. But that is just a guess.

.
I am happy and healthy, well I do have a fungus growing on my feet and hands but we are working on getting rid of it. :) lol its ok.

Mom &Dad :)
All I can say dad is that you are going to be great!! You have no idea how much you have helped me on mission! Mostly preparing for it. There is a reason why you are called to serve there and I know what it is because I have seen how I have grown from your example and from your special spirit. I know that all of those missionaries are lucky to have you there!! You know the MTC president and his wife in South Africa have gone home this week. And we learned that over 700 missionaries have passed under their influence over that time.  Your are going to be training Gods army, and just like the stripling warriors they will remember the words that you tell them and those words will give them what they need and the strength to go against the adversary in battle!  That is great! I can’t wait to hear your stories. Its cool we are becoming a missionary family :) its great! :) I know you both are going to do wonders at the MTC. :) Your going to be the mom and dad of 32- 36 missionaries every week! :)

One thing that I have been thinking a lot about this week is that Heavenly Father gave us His son, and Christ gave us his life. Now what are we willing to give them back. Just something to think about and study :)

Love to all,

Elder Hodges