Elder Hyrum Portlock: November 2014

Monday, November 24, 2014

Nov. 24, 2014

Wow! this week was great! well first to start off Thanksgiving was good, well they obviously don't have thanksgiving here but Elder De Jesus Bought tacos ( which the tacos here are small and Heavenly!) and some juice and we ate them on the top of the roof, was a night to remember, I made a sign that said Thanksgiving, ViVA Mexico which means Live Mexico. This Week as well we have a investigator that is really good, He is very interested in our lesson and I'm exited to see the change in his life. Today I bought a Hammock but I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon its really cool!, I need to do a better job with making notes on what to write home because once again I don't know what to say. But its really hot here, I'm really missing the cold weather. Well I've really started to notice that I'm getting Fat, well my face is a bit thicker and oh my, My stomach welll......I have a baby, like literally..... haha I cant wait to start training for my next marathon when I get back haha. Well My Spanish is getting better, I'm still having a really hard time with it, but I've decided to just put all the English away and read everything is Spanish, its really helped me, its weird to think that I speak another language, it just seems so normal to me now! And its weird to think that not many people would understand me haha. its such a blessing in my life. Well thank you everyone for your letters and for who you are, you have all impacted my life so much and I think about you all. Well take care for now and keep being strong! con Amor

Elder Portlock

A weird banana

An interesting caterpillar

Backflips on the roof!

This one is my favorite!

Monday, November 17, 2014

November 17, 2014

Well this week I thought that we would have 5 investigators in the church. well there was only one, I was a bit sad because we have some really good people that we are teaching and they can't progress if they don't attend church, they have to attend 5 times... haha oh well ill just have to stay patient. Well also this week was great! Elder De Jesus enterd the other half of our area that we had not enterd before niether with Elder Muñoz becasue its a bit more dangerous, for this we enter only from 12 pm to 5 pm, at 5 we have to leave becasue it gets dark, but the area is awesome! I wish I could send pictures but I'm not aloud to bring a camera becasue if I do it will get stolen... well, wow its very poor, this area is the area that is on the side of the mountain with tons of hills and little shacks. haha well Elder De Jesus decided that we wanted to give a Book of Mormon to the very last house on the mountain, the very top house and share a lesson, haha well thats what we did! and we enterd the house and found a very nice family, unfortunalty they wont be new investigatores... well anyway they were very poor! the house was on a huge slant on the side of the mountain and the size of the house was a bit smaller that the shed in the back yard. The walls and ceiling was tin metal and sheets. The floor, well the floor was just earth. I had never seen such a poor family, but what they did have was the best view of Tuxtla haha it was great! I'm never gonna forget visisting the house and reaching the last house at the top of our area. Well I dont know what more to say haha, I do wish that my Spanish would get better, right now I feel like I'm forgetting Spansih. I think I'm just getting frustrated with it and I need to repent and have patience, but with this its such a great learning expeirience for me. Oh, and this morning we went to the canyon and saw more stuff! wow ! it was amazing. I feel really bad, but I don't think I will be able to send pictures this week... my memory card is not showing up on this computer. Well family and friends I love you all and I think the best for you. Hurrah for Isreal and never forget that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.

Elder Portlock

Monday, November 10, 2014

November 10, 2014

Well friends and family this week has been pretty good. Well first to start off the past Sunday this kid named Khaleb in the ward came up to me and said I'm getting baptized this Saturday, can you baptize me haha of course i said yes! and well it happened. It was an amazing experience. Different because I din't teach him because he is 8 and the ward prepared him. Well the morning of the baptism we went to go fill up the font. haha well I guess the pipes weren't working so well so we spent a good few hours filling the font up with buckets of water! it was pretty neat. There is a big well outside the church building where it holds all the water so we tied a sting to the bucket, threw the bucket in the hole, and pulled out water and filled the font up one bucket at a time. The font wasn't completly full haha but because Khaleb is pretty short because he only has 8 years old it was perfect. haha the water came up to my knees and he had to bend pretty far, but the baptism was a success. The other special part of the baptism is that the ward made a really nice looking baptismal pamphlet for Khaleb, when his mom arrived and saw the pamphlet, she broke down in tears because she couldn't believe we would do something so nice. She was very grateful for the help. Also I gave him one of the HLJ rings that my mom sent me! He was way happy, so for his baptism I talked about receiving the holy ghost and also about HLJ and talk about the significance of Haz lo Justo. I was very happy I had that opportunity.

Well on Wednesday during our district meeting the zone leaders gave me two packages yay! my Birthday package my mom sent me! haha it finally came. and the package had a few religious pictures, I guess they put that on so people wouldn't steal anything. orrrrr my mom put them on, which I don't think she did haha. Well, I got a photo album and socks and candy and CTR rings and stickers for the kids. It was awesome! I also received my Christmas package haha well right now its in the closet waiting till Christmas. haha I had to hide it so Elder De Jesus wouldn't open it haha. well things are doing well here.

This week a lot of our lessons have been really good! wow! the spirit has been teaching this week! I'm never gonna deny the spirit ever in my life because I KNOW that its real and its such an amazing feeling! well our investigators that we're really focusing on right now is M. D. J she is amazing and very happy we found her. She has been looking for help for a while and we're teaching to her needs right now. Some of the other investigators are doing well as well. we don't have anyone ready for baptism yet but I have faith. The work here is amazing and I'm so happy to be a part of it!

Haha well I always forget what to write so as I remember the things I'll get them on the blog in time haha, well Elder Jesus and I get along really well, we have a lot of good times and stories. Well Friends and Family I love you all stay good and stay true.

Elder Portlock

Dia de Muerto!

My Birthday!

Smoothies!

Smoothie!

Whoo! Number 19!

Family Santos! I call her my mom out here. Haha. She gives so much!

La Reunion Distrito Y Reglos

Bautismo de Khaleb

Comida que sabor muy bier!

Monday, November 3, 2014

November 3, 2014
Dear family and Friends, Thank you all for the Birthday wishes this today. haha Im finaly 19 and I don't feel any different haha. Well This week was a bit different beacuse I got My new Companion Elder De Jesus. He is Great and we have a lot of fun together! My district has two hermanas named Hermana Canalisto and Hermana Grou, I hope things get better because the hermanas don't have a house in their area and they have to travel 15min. each day to get to their area. so were doing some major searching haha, This morning I was woke up by a HUGE bang on the door it scared me really bad. hahahaha As I opened the door, a little frightened, there wasn't anybody there. I looked down and there was doughnuts with a sticky note that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY! haha It was Elder Jimenez and Elder Schitdlein. They jumped out of the bushes and took a picture(: I'm so happy I have good friends here haha(: they're taking me out for lunch today and later I'm eating cake with some members (: Today is a good day haha(: Well Halloween was pretty normal. People dressed up and went trick or treating haha, but we kept working so it wasn't very special haha. oh! we did eat this kind of pumpkin pie but it was a bit different. They pretty much just cook the pumpkin and then eat the inside, It looks terrible but its actually very yummy (: but it was pretty much normal. I'm Glad to see that you all had a good Halloween haha, oh and mom I didn't get the package yet haha but that's totally fine, its probably in the mission home, Ill get it soon(: no worries(:

Con Amor

Elder Portlock