Busy...Busy...Busy....

Dear Family!!!!!!!

Thank you for the Love that you send in your emails! :) It really makes me feel so great inside! :)
Ya missionaries will LOVE the people they teach!!! :) I know with me being so far away from you and the family these people fill as much of the gap as they can! :) It is wonderful! :) For me leaving my family was the hardest part. I can walk as much as I need to no big deal I can take the crazy places we go, the weird food we eat and anything. but the family not being there for me was the worst! It left a hole in my heart. But soon after talking with members and investigators I found that the hole was not as big. Now no one can replace you or dad but the love they show you really helps!!! :) All that happened in my first area. And then with every move the hole is opened up a little bit again though not as bad. But then you once again find it being filled with love toward other people. :) I think Love is so very important. You look and Love is the glue that holds the gospel together. Like the 2 greatest commandments. LOVE thy God with all thine heart. LOVE thy neighbor as thy self. The Plan of Salvation would not have happened if God did not love us enough. The Atonement would not have happened if Love for others had not been more valued than the pain that Christ suffered.. We would not keep the commandments if we did not Love God. Love is what makes things possible. :)
Well my week has been really good. :) I have been out of my area most of the week. I have been out and about all around the Zone doing all kind of things. Working with the missionaries. So it has been fun. :) Also I tried a new fruit today. Called jack fruit. And it is HUGE like I mean HUGE!!!! :) I would have to say that it was like 3 times the size of a football. I have some pictures that I will send. :) It is good.
Well I think I am going to just start righting you letters only. Because I wrote this nice long email to you talking about your nice MTC week and all that then telling you about my week then the whole network around here in Kitale crashed so we could not use the computers at all. So long story short I am kind of not happy with the computers right now and I'm sorry but your email might be affected because of it. Meaning it might not be as long or as good of an email, I’m sorry about that. :) But I still love you :) 

I am glad to hear that you have been having a great week this week! :) It sounds like you are staying busy with the MTC and all that. I bet you have a blast there! :) I am so happy that you get to do that. But I also know that the home ward is missing you and mom a lot! :) I bet you have some great people there. I have a quick question about the MTC. Do you ever get missionaries that are going to the Temple Square Mission? Just a question.
Also sounds like you had a great time at the education week. :) I would like to go to some of them when I get home too. Who all did you hear from? I just remember how crazy Provo always gets when that time comes around! Traffic is nuts! But I have to say that from now on for me I will have no problem with traffic. Here in Kenya its everyman for himself on the roads.
Well my week has been interesting. I have not been in my area since Wednesday. I have been going around to the other areas in the zone working with the other missionaries. Man its was crazy! so much moving and so much walking it was wonderful and super hard at the same time. :) I didn’t get back into my area until Sunday. Then to make things even better I have to pack to go to a Zone Leaders Council in a place called Kisumu. I get to leave for that tomorrow. Its going to be hard being out of my area for almost 2 weeks. Because I won't get back here until Friday or Saturday. Also to make things a little more interesting, I have to go alone because my comp is not a ZL so its only me who is going and will meet up with other ZL's when I get there. Its going to be interesting. But I am looking forward to the trip. I think it will be cool to see another part of the mission that I have not been too yet. :) so this coming week is going to be a fun one for me too. :) I hope that all goes well back home. :)

SLY

Elder Hodges

Life in the Wilds...

This week had been really really good! :) even if a few days were a big bust.
We have been working hard and been trying to help the branches :) They really need some help we are trying our best. :)

  We got our street board sign done so that we can get the word out to a lot of people. And we are trying to do that at least once a week now.  Where we go out with a lot of things and share for a few hours in a spot. We got a lot of hopefuls this last time that we did it and we are just praying that they will truly want to learn more. :) Did you ever do street boarding on your mission?
We are working on finding more and more people to teach and I think we are really making some head way. :) We have one investigator that will be baptized on the 12 of Aug. :) His name is Peter :) He is a great guy :) We are trying to make more people ready for that same day. :)
We also got 2 STRONG new investigators this week that have already said they want to be baptized. :) So we are looking forward to that  :)  Also this next Sunday we are having a baptism of a man named peter who is one amazing fellow. :) It will go very well I think.
So it has been a wonderful week for me. :) We also have started to going to a

university here in town and we are sharing with a lot of people there but a lot of them need to be more humble to have the Spirit touch them the way they need so pray for them if you can.  I know  that you have a lot of things that you are praying for. :)

So this week I am going to start with my 2 stories this week :) 

Story # 1 : I went on exchanges this week to do some interviews. :) And this is the same place where I hiked that mountain. But we didn’t go to the mountain this time but we still had to go into some deep bush. :) And what happened is we were going to see a less active member family and to get there we had to jump across a river. So as I was jumping when I got to the other side I landed hard I was fine but something on my bag slipped. The bag came off my shoulder and went right into the river. The water was going to take it away I let out a "holy crap" then I tried to go get it. But the kid who I was with named Elder Kigongo from Uganda thought I was falling into the river so he grabbed my arm and stopped me from getting my bag but I turned to him and I told him I need to get my bag in a loud voice he let go and I grabbed the bag before it was washed away. Good thing the bag is water proof all but the two big holes in the top. We got it and my scriptures only got a little wet so that was good.   Then we went to the members place and that’s where we found that I had lost my name tag. So when we were coming back we looked for it but it was no where to be seen. Then we asked a member that lives close to the river if he has seen it but he said no he had not. So we went on thinking that my tag was lost forever. But then the next morning we had a knock on the door to the flat and the member had found it in the river!!!!!! oh man I was so happy!!!!!! It was super cool!!!! :) I was so happy to get my tag back!!!!! :)

Story # 2: So we had planed on having a baptism yesterday. :) We were all exited. :) And on Saturday we took time to go clean the font and to fill it up with water. :) That took a long time and it was late and we needed to go see one last person before we went home. So we left it with one of the members from the branch to watch it and he did and turned the water off and everything... it was good. So we had a good night sleep that night. We get up the next morning and the member that we left the water with texts us that he looked at the font this morning and that all that water has gone out and that the Church has no water to fill it up. Because the churches water gets turned on only now and then. So they fill tanks so they can have water to use. But we used that water to fill the font the day before. So long story short we had to pray really hard and hope that the water would be turned on. So we went and did sacrament meeting which I spoke in by the way and then after that my comp. and me with a member of the branch presidency went up the road to where we get water,to ask if they could turn it on for us. But they said that they could not do that. :( So we had to postpone the baptism until 2 weeks. 
So those are the stories this week. :) I hope you like them. :) I think they are funny :)
So just in case you are wondering my week has been really good. :) I have had a fun time!!!! :)
We are looking hard for new people to teach! :) so I hope that goes well. :)

Love,

Elder Tyler Hodges

 Dear Family

I am so happy to hear from you!!! :) I am glad that you and dad have never missed a week in emailing! :) That means a lot to me! :) Thank you for the love! :)
I have had a wonderful week.  We are moving along great with the work here. We have some very strong people that we are teaching and we are hoping for more. Also we also having a baptism next Sunday so we are looking forward to that blessing :) 
The Zone is doing good too. :) we had transfer new this Saturday and we expected a lot of us to be moving to new places. But turns out only 1 person is leaving. His name is Elder Arinetwe He is a great Elder from Uganda and he is going to my first area! Riruta :) To tell you the truth he is not to happy about it because this is his 1st area and he loves it here but I have told him all the good stuff about the new place that he is going and I know he will grow to love it there. :)
Another really good thing for me happened this week. :) We picked up a new elder into the zone. His name is Elder Musawruwa from Zimbabwe. He is a great guy I have served around him before but the really cool thing for me was that he came from Riruta. My first area! :) I was asking him about all the people there that I baptized and all that and he would say Yes they are still strong in the church they are still coming! :) And that just made me feel so good!!!!! :) It was wonderful!!!!! :) 
 So Football is going to start????? :) :) :) :) :) :) :) I  hope this year is GREAT for the team!!!!! They need to put BYU in the headlines!!!! How great would it be for the Church to have their name out there like that plus Mitt running for the presidency and all that this could be a HUGE year for people to learn about the Church and what it is. :) I hope it all works out well :)
Well it sounds like everyone there is doing good and I am glad to hear that mom is back at the house to keep you under control :)

 Habri Yako :)

That’s a greeting in Swahili. But it’s kind of crazy because there are so many languages here.

 Like I know how to say hello how are you doing in 4 or 5 different tribes.  It’s kind of hard 

keeping them all straight. :) I will tell them to you some time. :) 

This place is super cool!!!!!!!! You see things that you only see in movies!!!! 

Like yesterday I watched this monkey try and steal these bread things from a shop, the shop 

owner saw the monkey and chased after it but the little guy almost got away with the bread. :) 

and here you see that kind of thing a lot!! :) 

This week for me has been a great one!!!! We had a wonderful

zone conference about the Atonement and it was just plain amazing!!!!!!!

President B. told us to read the triple comb. by Christmas

underlining all the things about the Atonement. :) I’m looking forward

to doing it. I have already started. :)

 Because of the Zone conference we were not able to get a lot of

work done because we were all out of our area for about 3 days. But I

have to say that it was worth it! :) it was wonderful!!!! Stay cool Stay pure!!!

Love, 

E.H. 

Lost phone & Good news

It has been a busy summer and I apologize for not keeping this updated.... Life is still good in Africa!!!!

 I am so happy to hear from you!!! :) I am glad that you and dad have never missed a week in emailing! :) That means a lot to me! :) Thank you for the love! :)

So this week has been a really good one. :) 

This Thursday I was on exchanges in a place called Matuma. So I was there for that day, we all meet back on Friday morning to swap back to our comps. My comp and I headed to our area in a matatu and we get home to do some weekly planning and I needed to talk to one of the other elders so I ask for the phone. My comp feels his pockets looks around keeps looking and looking and looking. Then I say the phone is gone? So long story short we kind of look up and down and all around looking for the phone we had some people try and call it and everything and the answer was… your right.. NO PHONE. We think it was left on the matatu in that case someone was happy that he found a nice new phone. So we had to spend most of the day in a store called Safaricom. That is the phone service we use. Trying to get a new phone and make it so no one can steel anything off of our old one. We got out number back and everything but we lost all of the contacts. But we have a nice new phone. :) It’s cool.
Also this week was transfer news. And we all didn’t know what was going to happen so we were all biting our nails waiting to find out what is going to happen. And the news is that everyone but one is staying!!!  I am staying here. :) This is the first area for me to be in for more than 4 1/2 months. :) I think I will be here 6 months. :) And I really like it here so I am happy!!!! :)

 I have had a wonderful week.:)   We are moving along great with the work here. We have some very strong people that we are teaching and we are hoping for more. Also we also having a baptism next Sunday so we are looking forward to that blessing :)

Another really good thing for me happened this week. :) We picked up a new elder into the zone. His name is Elder Musawruwa from Zimbabwe. He is a great guy I have served around him before but the really cool thing for me was that he came from Riruta. My first area! :) I was asking him about all the people there that I baptized and all that and he would say Yes they are still strong in the church they are still coming! :) And that just made me feel so good!!!!! :) It was wonderful!!!!! :) 
 So now I think it is time to do the story this week. :) Its really cool this week.
So on Tuesday we meet with a new investigator named Pollycarp. ( Ya I know its a strange name)  on that day we taught him lesson 1 about the restoration and talked about the pamphlets that we gave him to read. And he READ them!!! Like he was asking questions about the Urim and Thummin and all that kind of stuff. So you knew that this guy reads!! We gave him a book of Mormon and gave him some places to read and, like we always do we came to the strong point where we have to ask God if these things are true. We asked him to do it and he said he would then we made another app. for that Friday. So we meet with him again and we ask him if he prayed to know the truth and he said that he did and that he knows that it is true. He said I need to tell you guys something. I prayed really hard last night to know the truth. Then after praying I went to bed. I had a dream. I was on a ship. I have never even seen a ship before I don’t know what they look like. But I was on the ship and the people wanted me to preach to them I didn’t know what to say or do and the people kept coming and asking if I would share the gospel with them but I didn’t know what to share. They were even trying to give me money but I could not take the money. Then a voice from an unseen person told me to read Alma chapter 34,36, 40 and 41 also 2 Nephi chapters 2 and 9. He got up and started reading the ones in 2nd Nephi and he got so into the reading that he was late for work. Then he told us that it was on his mind all day. thinking and thinking about what all this was. Then it came to the time when we were going to meet with him. And the thing that we shared this time was Lesson 2 the Plan of Salvation. And if you look up what he was told to read in the dream and see what its talking about. You will find something cool!!! :) So He was looking forward to reading the next things and he wants to become a member of the Church! :)