October & November....

Nov. 19

MOM I hope you have a wonderful B-DAY!!!! :) It’s the last one I 

will miss. :) But I know you and dad are doing something fun.:) 

Hope it goes well :) I am glad to hear the home is still going 

good. :) Also I have to say thank you for the photo that you sent.:)

It was great!!!! And really made me happy to look at it. :) I will

be sending a card home soon.:)with some other things.:) I also 

hope that you and dad have something planed for Thanksgiving.:) 

We are going to cook some meat!! the Zone is going to get together

and have a party. But it was kinda hard to get some of the 

Africans to agree to do it. But it’s all in the works. :)I am 

looking forward to the package :) I will let you know when it

gets here. :) I still wonder what happened to that other one that 

has been lost for awhile. But we will see. :) 

Sounds like you had a great stake conference. :) I can’t wait to

go to the temple again!!!! :) We really have blessing after blessing after blessing. 

So the story this week is this. 

I think it is amazing how when you know the gospel and you

are friends with someone who is not a member, how much you want 

them to take the step to come and taste the fruit. The reason why 

this hit me so strong is that I have this friend here named 

George. We go to a school every Tuesday and Thursday to teach 

English to anyone who wants to come. George is one of the teachers

at the school and we have gotten really close. We have talked 

about the gospel there is no way that I couldn't. He even told me 

how he has found that the other Churches are wrong. I have taught 

him about the Restoration and everything. But I feel what Lehi 

felt when he said that he wanted others to come and take the fruit

also. I know his time will come. Maybe I am here just to plant the

seed. But I think that this is the way that Christ feels about us.

He knows what is best for us. He wants us to come and take what He

has. And we can.:) So that is just one thing that really stood out

in my mind this week. :) 

Well I love you!!!! :)

And happy Birthday!!!!!!! :)  I can say that your birth was one of the best days of my life!!!! :) 

SLY

Your son

Elder Hodges :)

Nov 12

Snow.......... I would love snow! even if it means shoveling. Anything

cold is wonderful to me. :) ha-ha But really it is super hot here!!!!

And it is getting hotter! Even when it rains. The rain is HOT!!!!! How

weird is that???!?!?!?! Like I’m not kidding!!!! You get hit by the

rain and its warm. It’s not like shower warm but its warm!!!!!!! And

you can feel that it’s warm. Then after the rain it gets soooooooo

humid so you sweat like a dog. I have started drinking 3 liters of

water a day.

So that’s Mombasa. :) hahah

 But I am glad that you have had a fun week :) But it sounds like the

boys were the ones who really had the fun. :) I can’t lie I really look

forward to playing with them again. :) It’s going to be sweet to talk

to you guys soon. :)

 It’s kinda funny to me that people are sad that Romney lost. The reason

why I say it’s funny it’s because everyone here is so happy that Obama

won again. They see him as a Kenyan. He is like the pride and joy of

the country. But I can’t lie; I really do wish Romney won. But you know

I have been reading the old testament. (man that is hard) But reading

about king David who would not kill king Saul because he was anointed

by the Lord. Kind of makes me see that the Lord puts people in when

they are needed and takes them out when He wants to. So I feel its ok.

But the story this week is small.

We do spits on Sundays and see people so I was with a member and we

taught our best investigator named Violet who is just AMAZING!!!!!!!!! The most prepared person

I have ever seen for the gospel.   We taught her about the plan of Salvation. And it is just great to 

see the light come into someone when they understand something. When they have seen hints 

of it all of their life but now that someone explains it they get it and they love it. That’s what 

happened. :) She was blown away :) I am so happy that God let me be the one He used to tell 

her the truth. :) It’s amazing!!! :) She even started saying things. Like “the whole world needs this."

and asking if all members know these things. :) She is super amazing!!!! :) She is one of those 

people that if I came on mission just to meet her then it would all be worth it. :)

How do I think I have grown the most on my mission?? That is a HUGE question. That’s like 

asking you what one of your kids taught you the most about being a mother. But I guess if I 

had to pick one it is I have found that I am much more devoted to the
Savior then I was before. Also a much stronger urge to repent and always try and become 

better. What is the most important thing to know before going on your mission?That one is 

still hard but I think it is easier. You need to have your own personal relationship 

with Christ. It must be real and come from oneself. But that is my thinking I don’t know about 

others.  But I think I also at least a little bit about those days your talking about when you feel 

like you just can’t do it. But then you roll out of bed and you somehow through the enabling
power of the Atonement you can still do all you need. :) 

Well I hope you have a great week. :) 

I have two names on my tag. One Christ gave me and the other is from you!!!

Thank you so much!

Nov.5

Well it’s good to hear from you!!!! have I told you that I love you? Well I love youJ  

Sounds like you have had a crazy week!!! going to the cabin with 6 kids that is a brave thing. Did Aimee come with you to the cabin to help out a bit? I hope so. But I still bet you guys had a lot of fun!! :) I have to say that I look forward to going to the cabin again sometime. So I hope you’re not too old to go with me to the cabin. :) But I do also have to say that 5:30 is to early up there. But I bet you all had a lot of fun! :) 

Well I am happy that you are still having fun at the MTC. It sounds like such a great experience for you guys. :) Question. are you and dad planning to serve a couple mission after you get done with the MTC? :) 

Well I guess the story this week really is not a story but more of like what happened. I don’t know how to explain it. 

But it was crazy one day it rained ALOT in the morning and here in Mombasa the soil has a high water content so the water didn’t sink into the sand but it just sat there. So we were trying to go to appointments all day but we would find that the roads and the streets and all the paths that we would use to get to peoples houses were all flooded. So half of the day was trying to find ways to get to peoples houses and that was funny. :) So we had fun that day :) 

Things here are going well we are getting a lot of progressing investigators!!! :) we are hoping that things will keep moving forward well :)

Do you ever get the feeling that you hope that you are doing it right? 

Well sorry to end on that strange question but I look forward to your reply :) 

Mom I bet you are having a great time in Idaho. :) Tell everyone hello for me. :) Give them all a hug for me too. :) I hope they are doing well. :)
Well sorry there is not really a story this week But I should be sending some photos next week. some cool ones of the beach and of me holding some crocks. :) We are planning to go to a zoo kind of thing today.
Thank you for the great quotes you sent!! I hope to have an amazing homecoming!!! But I like the thought that I have to work for it!!!! :)
Sorry I have no idea for a package and the 2nd one has not got to me yet. I don’t know where it is. But I am looking forward to it. But if I think of anything to send I will let you know next week. :)
Wow that is so cool about the MTC!! :) Sounds like you are going to working

hard!!! :) That is great!!!! :) So you think the number of missionaries

coming in will go over 3000?? wow that’s a lot!!!!! So great!!!!! :) I am

looking forward to seeing more people out in the filed!!! :) This is the

time. :)

I just read your notes from Bednar!!!!  WOW They are great!!!!!!! I look

forward to using what he said!!!! :) Thank you for taking the notes and

sending them to me!!! :)

That’s sad to hear about BYU. But it still sounds like they played well when

we see that they were playing a top 5 team. But sounds like they could have

won. Sounds like The QB is kinds letting us down well I hope things will

work out in the games to come. :)

Well I hope in the MTC you teach the missionaries how to be united. Like

how do companionship inventory and all that. The reason I bring that up is that here in this

mission we are having a HUGE problem with the missionaries being united. In fact, this last 

 weekend was going to be a transfer weekend. But the day when we get the news the Assistants 

tell us that president just came with a revelation that the mission needs to work out some things…

Scripture. D and C 5: 34… and that because of that the Lord does not want any transfers this 

time. so the whole mission is the same. This has never happened before and I have never heard 

of anything like it happening. so it’s a big thing. Some people think that a member of the 12 is 

coming or things like that. But what ever we just need to get our game on. So about that I have 

a question. How do you unify people??? Like we have been doing activities and all that but I 

guess it's not doing it. So do you have any ideas?

Ok so the story this week:

We are in church and we see a new face. She is sitting next to a man whose wife just died, 

so we didn’t know what was going on. But we set up a time for us to talk after Church is over. 

My comp and I do Splits with some members so we can teach all the investigators that come 

to church on Sunday. So I go with a member to meet this lady. Her name is Violet. She is the 

sister to the women that died a few months ago. And her story is amazing. She was living in 

another town where the church is very strong. But her whole life she was hearing that the Church 

was a devil worshiping church. Then her sister who lived in Mombasa became a member. 

Years go by of the family shutting the sister out. Then the sad day came when the sister died. 

They took the body back to her home to be put to rest there. And because she was a member 

the Church was a big player at the funeral. And the night before the funeral Violet has a dream 

about someone telling her what will help her family most giving them support and all that the next 

day at the funeral the district President of the Church in that area got up and spoke. She said 

that he told the family everything that was in her dream. So she no longer thought that the church 

was devil worshipers. but she didn’t want to join. Then she moves to Mombasa to help with her 

sisters kids. And they take her to Church where that 1st time she came to church I was giving the 

lesson about eternal families. She told me she was touched and that she has decided that this is 

the place where she wants to be. :)     

I like her story :) She is a great investigator. :) 

Its funny every email people ask how is the beach. :) they want to know

about the beach. :) Sounds like a lot of the family wants to come to Kenya.:) It is a great place. :) 

It gives a great feeling for the work!!! When I go to the beach it always amazes me what the 

Lord has made for us. :)

Wow sounds like the MTC will be on fire!!!! Where are they going to put

that many new people? Are they expanding the MTC? And to what missions are

they all going to too? We hear that they will be opening 50 new missions

soon. I think that is so cool!!!! :) And it sounds like you will be running

the MTC branch by yourself for a bit. I bet that is going to be crazy!!!! Keep me

posted on how that goes. :) I know you can do it!!!! :)

That is great that you’re learning a lot in Isaiah you can teach me when I get

home. :) I would love to understand that book better. :) Right now I am

trying to read the old testament the whole way trough. Something that I

have never done before. But I am looking forward to it. Right now I am in

the book of Judges. I never realized how huge the 5 books of Moses are.

That guy wrote a lot!!!!!

That is good that BYU is stepping things up. It’s just sad it took them this

long. Well Hope it will make next years team better. :)

How about basketball has that started yet?

thank you for the team building ideas. I will work on finding what the Lord

wants me to do. :)

Oct 29

So you gave a report? :) How did it go? did you tell everyone that I am just sitting on the beach getting a sun tan?  I hope not. :) But I do like to think that I have a tan but no matter how dark I get I still feel really white. :) I wonder why????? ha-ha :).

So I don’t know if that will help at all. But you can always tell them how much I love them!!! :) It would be great if you could throw in some funny joke about the bishop or br. Powell. :) or even both that would be great!!!! :)
I still think it is so unfair how many Apostles you get to hear from. But I am glad that the family and I can get some of the light that you receive from them :) Great blessings!!! :) Sounds like a great talk that you heard! :)  
For me this week has been busy busy busy!!! We had Zone conference so that took up most of our time this week with the planning and all the things that we had to do. But it was great and it was worth it!!! :)

  

OCT. 15th

I can’t wait for conference!!!!!! I was thinking one night. I was eating our wonderful meal of Ugaily and Sacuma. :) (You will find out what this is one day) and I was talking with my comp about watching conference. And I looked at the clock did the math and realized that you were watching the first session on Saturday. That was strange. It was funny too. I also thought how long it took you guys to fall asleep. :) looking forward to watching it. :)
We got a text saying that the age had been lowered but we didn’t know if it was true or if the Elders were playing tricks. But now we know. I was thinking that the new kids will be super lucky!!! I wish I could have gone at 18! But I came at the best time for me. :) It’s really going to shake things up. So is 18 the age they are asked to leave or is it just a option?
Thank you for talking to Elder H for me. :) It’s good to hear about the college guys. :)
That is crazy to hear the story of the kid in the MTC. I hope he dose ok. :) I am sure that he will be good. :)

Well for me my week has been great!!!! We are finding new investigators!!!! :) That is always great!!!!! Some of the ones that we have are really progressing!!:)
There was a sweet thing that happened yesterday. :) One guy just came to church no one knew who he was or what he was doing. Afterwards I met him with a branch missionary He told us… “I don’t know what led me here but I had to come, I have wanted to change my life, I didn’t know how but I know that this is where it can happen. After listening to everything here I know it’s the place.” :) Oh man I was so happy!!!! I think it is just so cool how the Lord works!!!!! How he just leads people who are ready to the right!!!! How no matter how far you have fallen He is always willing to lead you right back to the place that can help and lead you back to Him!!! Oh it is so amazing!!!! How can we not serve such a God?
Well so that was a big high light for me this week. :) Well sounds like you have been having a great week with everyone!!!!!! :) I know they all had a great week with you!!!! :) The days of having everyone in the house are fun times. :)
It is a small world!! :) Its funny how when you do things people start coming out of the wood works that have done the same thing or who have been there or something... It’s just cool :) I will watch for Bro. Francom I might have already met him but there are 3 branches here in Mombasa so I will watch for him.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Your son

SLY

Elder Hodges :)

I love you guys :)