February 26, 2009 - (I didn't get an e-mail from Tennison on Monday, so I was a little worried and sent him an e-mail that he must have a good reason. It looks like they took some time to have some harmless fun.) I received this e-mail and pictures today. YEAH!


Hey Mom, I'm sure that you have been super worried, but yeah everything is going awesome here!

Monday was really busy we went and played basketball and soccer and then after we went bowling and ice skating! haha it was a blast! It took more time than we thought butI thought I would give you a quick email right now to let you know everything is going well!

Tennison and Elder Hilario Ice Skating

Tennison and the Elders in his area bowling

Self explanatory (Reason I didn't get an e-mail)

Rosario

Tennison helping kids with homework.

Napping with the kids

Baptism of Sergio

Wow I've seen so many miracles in the last week its amazing! I gave one of our investigators a blessing because she had some sort of problem. She went to the hospital and instead of having to have an operation she just had to take some medicine! It was sweet! We are finding tons of people to teach!!!!! It's awesome. We literally run to every appointment because there just isn't enough time in the day to teach everyone but we try! That means that my companion is the bomb! He only has two months in the mission, but man he really wants to work and work hard. It's awesome! It's funny because he has a hard time getting up in the morning because he's not used to working so hard but we were doing awesome!

We also found a member yesterday that lives in Houston but is down here to take care of some things! He was baptized about 2 months ago but he's here by himself and was praying to find us the night before, and he found us the next morning! Coincidence? Don't think so! He took us out to dinner last night and is going to help us today so we don't have to waste money or time because we can go in his car!!!!!!! I'm super excited! Yeah I'm doing amazing! no te preocupes! I'm trying to send some pictures but I don't think the computer wants to cooperate! haha

Tennison with member from Houston.

I love you take care! Tell Beau to go kick some butt in state! I really wish i could be there but I'm sure he'll do amazing! I love you guys!

Elder Hunter :P hehe

February 16th E-mail (Sorry late posting)

Familia,

Sounds like you guys are doing awesome! I bet Beau is just absolutely loving basketball!

Well, my week was kind of crazy because I'm in a new area and it's absolutely enormous. It's like 5 times the size of my old area and its really cool! Well, the start of the week my companion was really sick when I arrived. We went to our district meeting and then after we rushed to the doctor because he had a really high fever. She gave him a shot and since then he has been doing absolutely amazing! On Friday we were walking through the center of town to catch a bus to go to a different part of our area, when we were stopped by some gringo. I'm pretty sure he stopped us because he recognized that I'm a gringo also and so he new I could speak English. He was a calvanist and couldn't speak any Spanish. He kept telling us that we preach lies and that he was going to pray that we wouldn't find people to teach. He kept trying to use scriptures and argue with us and well my companion still doesn't have much experience and was trying to argue with him because he can speak pretty good English. I just smiled, said "thank you" grabbed my companion and walked away! haha There really is no point in arguing with people like that because they won't change! So it was a good teaching experience for me to teach my companion!

On Sunday I woke up at 4 in the morning because my stomach hurt. I was just laying in bed at 6 I got up to turn on the boiler and take some Pepto Bismal for my stomach then like ten minutes after I took Pepto Bismal I threw up! Oh, I absolutely hate throwing up! Then I threw up again! After that we went to pick up our investigators to go to church. Only one was home and her name is Rosario. We went to church and I was feeling really dizzy and sick of the stomach. One of the counselors got up and introduced me and then surprisingly said and Elder Hunter is going to share a few words with us so I gave an unprepared talk. (The Bishop said i did really good!) haha! Then I sat down and rested. It was also the first time I got to bless the sacrament since I've been here! But yeah, then the bishop had all the people that had served missions or are serving missions (Us) come to the front. He presented us and one of the young men had just received his mission call so the bishop presented the call to him! Well while we were standing in front I had the urge to throw up again and ran to the bathroom upstairs! Oh man was it a crazy morning!

So the answers to your questions. My area is awesome! I like being senior companion it really isn't much different but its cool! My companion feels better! The town I'm serving in is what I think would be a typical town here in Mexico! It is fairly big! We have one ward in this city and we meet in a house of prayer because we don't have a chapel! Don't worry I feel a ton better now. I think I had food poisoning from some pizza I ate! I don't know why but it's always the pizza! the most Americanized food I can find here! haha!


Oh yeah, we also had a baptism on Saturday. A little kid named Luis. I didn't get a foto because my battery died in my camera, but hopefully my companion will be able to pass me the foto to pass home! Also, that girl Rosario is going to be baptized this Saturday. She is awesome! She knows like everything. Her family doesn't want alot to do with the church, but they'll support her. Rosario told us that she had a dream that she was a missionary and after was married in the temple. That was a pretty cool experience! Well love you guys!


I love you all lots! Take care!

Elder Hunter

Sorry to all of you who were looking forward to a post last week, but I'm still in the process of translating it, so I'm not so sure if I'll post it.

02.09.09


Hi Family, Well this last week was great. We had four baptisms that were awesome! One complete family!



and a little girl. Her mom was inactive and we reactivated her and baptized the little girl! It was awesome!


I also got transferred from my area. I am now in Cuautitlan in an area called Tepotzotlan. It is totally different than St. Teresa. I'm actually in the city. It's sweet! My companion told me I have to be careful because there are lots of gays and girls! I guess I'll just find out what that means. (When Tennison wrote this e-mail he had only been in the area for 2 hours.)

Elder Hunter and Elder Martinez
Tennison's last meeting with Teresa and Edgar bef0re transfers

My new companion's name is Elder Ficachi, he's sweet! He is sick right now so hopefully he gets better so we can work a lot! Yeah we're the pokemon according to my old companion Elder Martinez Picachu and Hunter Ha Ha! But yeah it's going to be great! Oh, I'm also Mayor (Senior Companion)! haha So I'm excited! I'm glad to hear everyone back at home is doing wonderful!

Tennison studying under his baby palm

Keep working hard at everything you guys do!

Take care! I love you guys tons!
Elder Hunter

01/26/09

Hola Familia,

Well actually my week was awesome! I have lots of stories that I could tell, but I'll give you a little overview!

First, on Tuesday there was a meeting and I think it was one of the most spiritual meetings that I have ever been to! It was amazing! The rest of the week we worked really hard and on Friday we were able to baptize Hermano Edgar, he is the husband of Hermana Teresa my very first baptism! He is freaking awesome! He has the priesthood now and everything. When we were teaching him, every time we would make a compromiso (committment) with him he would just say sí and never really had questions about anything and was willing to do everything. It was awesome! Now the goal is to see them in the temple a year from yesterday being sealed as an eternal family! I'm so excited for them!


We also were able to baptize the grandma of this family of girls and I think they will be baptized this week or the next we just have to convince the dad because he is a little hard, but with prayers it'll work! And Wario (Oscar) is awesome we can only teach him on Saturdays and Sundays because he has to work during the week! But he loves going to church he goes every week on his own so it's awesome!

Transfers are in two weeks and President told me that he is going to join my area with the other Elders that live across the carretera (highway) so I'll probably be leaving. But I think either way I'd be leaving because I'll have about six months in this area and well its awesome. I love it but I'm kind of ready to experience algo nuevo (something new)! haha

I love you guys and everything you do! McKay is getting so big its crazy! I'm sure he is just a little ladies man already!




Well I love you guys!

Elder Hunter

Oh crazy that Mitchal comes home on Thursday that went by way quick!!!

Family,

I'm so glad to hear that everything is going well at home and that you guys are staying extraordinarily busy like usual, which is good! Well this week was good. I'm learning a ton because my companion is really pushing me to do things which I'm not used to doing, but really wow its helping! Ha ha

We were talking about one of our investigators and how he looks like Wario from Mario Bros! I hope he'll get baptized, because I want to have a picture to show you guys! I think you guys would love it!

I received a second Christmas this past week! I received a package from Hayley along with four letters from her and also one From Sister Quartey which was really nice and a Christmas card from the Sommers! I dont know if you already know what was in the package Hays sent me but it had socks which was nice, a bag of snickers, dried mangos, El Fudge cookies, and some Hawaiian chocolates along with some letters from her friends and family to me which was awesome and funny to read! She also made me a shirt that said I love(heart) Hayley. She made the shirt extra large just in case I gain weight . Well I sure hope I don't gain that much weight! It was great!

Ok so I want to hear some of these stories that McKay is coming up with!!!!! (Note from Mom: something to do with babysitting and jumping from banisters).

I do have my pair of shoes from Missionary Mall which are still doing just fine so I'm wearing those every day and I don't want them to get worn out, but they are working and I thinkI will wait to see what happens at the transfer to see if I want to buy new ones or not!

Also we played soccer today in the morning! It was a blast! I think I'm getting better by playing less or maybe the missionaries I play with just aren't that good! Ha Ha But it was a blast!

Thanks so much for everything Mom I Look forward every Monday to reading the letters you have sent me!!!!

Take care! I love you guys!!!

Elder Hunter

Family,

So this week was great! My companion really knows how to work and can teach really well! I feel like this week we were really successful! I think this transfer is going to be a good one. WE have some really sweet families that we are teaching and I'm pretty sure that they will get baptized, but we will see what happens. Sorry, I have a picture that I was going to send to you but in this internet their aren't any adaptersm so you're going to have to wait until next week.

Remember how I said that my companion is a little weird!? haha Well, the funny thing is I actually get along with him really well! We are always telling jokes and stories it's really fun and helps me a lot with my spanish.

That stinks for Tyla (she broke her arm) it's probably a sweet green cast though. You should send me pictures! Tell my Brothers to keep working hard in school and sports and most of all when they are home!

Well I love you all tons! Take care!

Elder Hunter

Hola Familia,

This week has been good! A little different! As you know, now I have a new companion who is mexican, his name is Elder Martinez and he is from Guadalajara. I'm kind of surprised because he's actually obedient and works really hard which I like! He just works a little different than all of my other companions but he has already taught me a lot in this week. He is also a little different because he was like a gothic before the mission so it kind of puts a little twist on things, but he always has jokes so its cool! He has 20 months in the mission so lots of experience, which provides to me a great opportunity for learning!

Well, I'm glad to hear that you guys have been pretty relaxed (at least that's what Beau tells me). I'm glad my friends still come and visit you. I'm sure you enjoy it Mom! You should tell people to send me pictures so that I can have some cool things to show my companions. Like through the Mail Mail. I mean I like them through E-mail but I cant really look at them like I would like too.

Oh, so this family that we found, well i should say that the dad found us when he was drunk! Well they went to church this Sunday and they didn't really like it. They are going to this church that is called Pare de sufrir which lots of people are starting to go to. But, I think they will come through, we are still working with them and we'll see what happens! Also, we are working with this family that Elder Francis and I found. They live in a part of our area called La Cañada which is a lot like the area of where dad grew up. Anyways, it's kind of funny because its like seven girls. But they are totally down for going to church and they always read and pray when we ask them to, so it's sweet! I think we are going to baptize the Grandma Angela this week and probably the rest next week. So that will be really cool!

But, yeah, other than that we've just been knocking doors all week and my companion makes me contact almost everyone on the street, so I'm starting to get good at that also! He's always got a lot of ideas on how to contact people! So it's cool!

I went shoe shopping today but all the shoe stores are like shoes that are dirt cheap and aren't any quality at all, so I think that I might have to travel a little ways or wait until the end of this transfer to see if I get transfered anywhere! But the ones I have will do for now, I just don't want them to get too worn out! Oh yeah, for New Years I celebrated by going to bed early because we had to be in the house by eight! I was super exhausted!

Well I love you guys!

Love, Elder Tennison Hunter