Michael's Christmas phone call...

On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 4:28 PM, Michael Scott Hancock wrote:
The rest of the Christmas was pretty nice... pretty tranquil! After the phone-call we left and we took pictures of murals! There are a whole bunch of random murals in Rosario just on walls or sides of buildings, so we went around and took pics :) then we went down to the river...not the best idea cause it was really hot and we could only look and not touch.... :( sad stuff. Then the rest of the evening we spent with the President of the branch... it was a fun day. I´ve already eaten some cereal! It´s better than I imagined! ha! good stuff. Now it´s time for the new year!
We always go to church at 9am! Except for a small period of time in Rivera, because it was too cold that early in the morning.
I like that lesson! That´s pretty creative! And I understand it... if I was just judging people on looks down here in Uruguay, I would never talk to anyone! JK JK JK..... they´re just different!
Jason Perry.... almost 5 min..... and I missed it! FAH!
Anyhow, this is just short and sweet, cause we already visited on the phone! I´m glad the Navidad was great! and I hope the New Year is great too! Luv ya tons!!!
OH, and Dani is down to less than 15 cigarettes a day! Don´t remember if I already told you that. YAY!

Just after Michael's Phone call

Scott Hancock to Michael

It was really good to hear from you it was like you were next door. We video taped an hour of the phone call until the tape ran out. Can you guess what game we got by the video of Alana? thats right Kinect for the XBox 360. they have played it non-stop for at least 6 hours, good investment, keeps the girls in good shape or at least exercising, which they never get, I'm worn out! its lots of fun... So, I really don't know what else to ask other than do you know how much you weigh? and what type of exercise do you do or get? today was Perry's farewell, I have never heard him talk so much before! ha ha. Daniel & April sang "in the hollow of thy hand" and mom said the closing prayer they did good! Is it raining while its hot or mostly muggy hot! Please take care of yourself and your feet! And never worry about being a senior/teacher, just contact as many people as you can, challenge yourself to talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime, see what happens! Love Dad, Your Amazing. Sing on a street corner!!!! :D

Michael to Scott Hancock

Hey! Long time no chat! I actually have no idea what Kinect is.... but it looks like fun! I don´t know how much I weigh, I haven´t weighed myself since Rivera! But I think I´m going down a little, all the sweating seems to do that! My exercise usually consists of some stretching, some sit-ups and other ab workouts, some push-ups, and some rubber-band work outs. We had some bars we were lifting in Rivera, and here we just made some hand weights, we´ll see if they do something.... basically just that. YAY Jason! I´m excited for him! And congrats to the rest of the fam for the song and prayer! It was raining for a little bit, but not much lately, they´re actually going through a dry period they´re saying. So... it´s just hot.... with the sun big and bright, little clouds nothing more. But it´s all good! I usually already sing while walking down the street, I´ll just have to do it louder!
Anyways, thanks for todo! TTYL!

I will be calling on Christmas Eve

Well first things first, the phone call, I will be calling on Christmas Eve, because I´m not sure if we´ll be somewhere else for Christmas. I´m gonna call you sometime from 7-8pm here, so that´s 2-3pm where you are at! It´s pretty much the only time, so if someone can´t make it..... too bad so sad, just gotta wait till Mother´s Day! I´ll call you guys first on the cell so you can get the number! Then you call me! YAY! So that´s Christmas Eve, the 24th, this Friday! Got it?! Espero que sí!
Anyhow, We are officially moved! We only falt our telephone, but it will be transfered before I call! But this last week I was actually really sad because we lost so much preaching and proseliting time with the move, we were running around everywhere dealing with contracts, telephones, tools, the move itself, inventory, cleaning the new house and cleaning and dejunking the old house! Oh, it was a long week. But we are all in, we installed our califon and everything and it´s actually a really nice house, we are closer to everything, the stores, the members, our investigators, the President, there´s even a carth that sells food literally next door. We have two floors, a nice view of the city. It just looks and feels cleaner and we have nice neighbors! YAY! So the good thing is that now, we can work better and more effectively because we´re closer, so this next week we´ll work hard and find some new investigators. As for baptisms for Christmas, very sadly we won´t be having any...... but we do have some people to work with. We are dealing with a lot of less active people and I´m really quite sick of hearing excuses to tell you the truth.... it´s really sad how people get baptised for the wrong reasons! But on the bright side we had an awesome lesson with Rosa´s husband Dani, he´s dropped from 50 cigarrettes a day to only 20, he´s changing a lot, they are studying together every night, and I found out that he´s actually had a testimony about the Book of Mormon for awhile, he had a friend give him one once, it caught his interest and he read it and it gave him such good feelings, and then whenever anything bad would happen in his life, it would pop up some how. He´s really changed a lot, and as soon as he can quit the smoking, he´s getting baptised! He´s really an awesome guy! Oh, I gave my first talk period in the mission last sunday, on the signs of the second coming... my comp talked as well, but he took 30 min, so I only had to talk for 10, but It was really good if I do say so myself :) We also had interviews with the Pres. and did a little Christmas program, Pres. Heaton actually dressed up as Santa Clause, it was pretty sweet! They gave us lots of goodies, and I got a some gifts from Grandma Snelson and Aunt Amy, so I´ll be opening those up on Christmas too! AWESOME, christmas with presents even in the mission, and in a new house, how exacting! would be better with baptisms, but we do what we can!
I also finally got the letters from the young women today, so I´ll send some replys later on!
A Uruguayan (that´s how you spell it!) Christmas is basically the same... without snow, and lots of heat! There are Christmas trees and some lights. Not sure about Mass and stuff..... Uruguayan Catholic is different than other Catholics......ya.. to say the least.
I really like that thought you shared, I´ve never thought about it that way either, that perhaps they all just doubted him... But it reminded me of a quote I have that talked about how the only people who know how strong temptation is are those that try to resist it.... to find out the strength of an army, you fight against it, not give in to it. Bad people don´t really know how bad they are, they just live a sheltered life always giving in.... in fact the only person who really knows how strong temptation is... is Christ.. because he´s the only one that has resisted all temptation... He´s the only complete realist. ( it was something like that) pretty interesting. It´s true though, he´s the only one to know how tough it can really get, we have no idea. I am so grateful for what he did, even though I don´t understand it.....I know he loves us... cause I´ve felt it.. especially out here.
Anyhow, I´ve got to go, thanks for todo! I´ll be calling you this week! Be good and read and pray! Hasta viernes! Luv ya tons!

In the city of Rosario!

Just me and my comp in the entire city! But it´s all good, we have BIKES!!!! I hadn´t ridden a bike in over 10 months! It sure is fun, and good exercise too! And the house I´m in is huge compared to the others I´ve been in! and there´s just the two of us, but we actually will be moving to a diffrent house this wednesday because the guy raised the rent, but I´m sure it will be a nice place too! In church the other day, we had a total of 11 people in church! It´s definitely a smaller membership here. In all of colonia it´s kind of like that, a little more difficult of an area, but I see lots of potential, we´ve already found some good investigators and in church the other day we had an investigator tell us that he wants to get baptised, so will be working with him and hopefully he can get baptised on Christmas, but he has to stop smoking first, we´ll see how it goes!
I can´t believe that those two are back home! And in my next change, I´ll already have a year! CRAZY!!!
I did get the camera card and I sent mine back today! I´m not sure what time we´ll be calling, but it may be easiest if I call you just so you can get the number on the machine and then you call me.... you would have to pay for it... but it would make it easier on my part, but I´ll talk with my comp and find out what time! It will be a P'day so we can pretty much call at whatever time!
The members are good here, but I am in Catholic country again... a little tough, I´ve seen a lot of nuns around actually, and the first building you can see from the freeway is a giant Catholic church, but.... we´ll do our best, we have the better help!
Anyhow, that about does it for now! Thanks for everything! Luv ya tons! Keep reading and praying!

leaving La Pedrera!

Well! I´m finally leaving La Pedrera! I´m going to Colonia! A city called Rosarrio! And I´m getting another Latin companion! Elder Samuesa! From Chile! So, I´m excited to go and everything, but again, it will be sad to leave all these people I´ve known for the last 4 months of my life! But that´s ok!
This last week we had a very powerful lesson with a mother of a member who has had missionaries visiting for about 30 years, but has never been able to stop smoking! We had the lesson with her daughter and son in law, I´ve been learning about the importance of the family this last change, just seeing how the Gospel blesses families and helps them grow. We talked to her a lot about that, and her daughter gave a powerful testimony, even started crying, about how her mom has changed and how it would be just really great to see her get baptised! Then I had a strong impression to share a testimony, talking about how I´m just now realizing how important the family is here on the mission and how I never really sincerely got to know my parents, they didn´t know a lot about the things going on in my life, we had the occassional talk here and there, but not like it should be, and I need to make some changes when I get home, then I realized that I have the eternities to get to know them..... but only If I can live worthy to be with them in the Celestial Kingdom, cause I already know my parents will be there... I´ve just got to keep myself clean and faithful so I can be there too.
It was an amazing lesson.
Anyhow, that´s about all I have time for! Can´t wait for the package! If you can send a camera card back, I can send you the one I have! These pics are with the Branch pres and his sons, with Sueli, one of our investigators and The zone of Rivera!
Anyhow, thanks for everything! Luv ya tons! Read and pray!

29 Nov 2010

Sounds like a good Thanksgiving! I made my own little feast, made me some mashed potatos and tried the brown gravy! with some bread, apple soda, and some sausage that Macy Hammond sent me in a b-day package! (I also got some paper and envelopes from her so I don´t need those anymore, but I still need stamps.) It was a nice little feast! And a lot to be thankful for! We had a good week, finding some good people that we will be happy to work with, we finally got something heading towards Fabiana Gonsales´s divorce of her husband and marriage, she´s so ready for baptism, and Shannon is doing awesome, we just shared with them about Family home eveneing and they are excited to start it!

It´s been really hot a few days down here... got up to 35 degrees celsius! We were sweating quite a bit, but we still worked, hopefully I´ll loose a few pounds in this heat! Ya, I´m having fun trying to spend my money wisely here, I´m actually doing pretty good, I have quite a bit left over for this month!

I just finished 1 Chronicles! That part in Ether is really nice for lessons we share with those who are not sure about baptism, but they read and pray and go to church.... we tell them that the Lord led the Jaredites to the ocean, and they stayed there for 4 years thinking it was nice, and they forgot to call on the Lord, but all this time he had a promised land much better waiting for them, they could´t stay there, even though they felt comfortable, they needed to cross the water to get to something better!
Well I´m glad all is well with everyone, thanks for everything, be good! It´s almost Christmas time! Luv ya tons!

22 Nov 2010 Email

Oh did we have a baptism?! YOU BET! It was an awesome experience! From the beginning, I´ve been working with this family for about 4 months now since I got to Rivera, and just seeing the changes and the blessings that have come upon them, how they´ve grown and changed... it really has been a blessing for me, I´m so lucky to have a part in it.
Shannon Millela Quevedo Gonsales did receive her answer and was baptised Domingo 20 de Noviembre, 2010! and confirmed a member the following day! I was so lucky to have the honor of entering into the font with her and to watch first hand this young daughter of God be washed clean and enter into the fold and I also confirmed her and had another firsthand view as she became a member and recieved that most precious gift..the Holy Ghost. It was a large blessing for me, and it felt so good. Her family was there, and a few other members. Her Mom now has the strongest desires to get baptised, and as soon as she can get the divorce and marriage through, it will happen! I probably won´t be there, but it will happen!
It was actually pretty crazy preparing for the baptism, the water was still in the font from the last baptism! and the pump was broken so we couldn´t drain it, so Elder Tippets and I spent our day using buckets to empty the font! it took forever and we sweat a lot! But it was worth it every bit! we then took some cups and rags and fished out all the gunk and cleaned it, and then filled it! It was fun!

The sacrament meeting sunday was actually really cool, the couple that were baptised the week before were confirmed and Shannon as well, so we had 3 confirmations! It was neat! We also have 2 other investigators with a date! Sueli! an older lady who´s really forgetful, she´s already been to church 3 weeks in a row and loves it, we´re just taking things slow with her cause she doesn´t remember everything. And then Andrea! Who had visited with missionaries awhile back and then we visited her again, taught her the first lesson and left her with a Book of Mormon, she read and prayed, and she got an answer as well! She described it as a feeling of peace! She made it to the church yesterday and has a date in December! We are being rejected a lot! but we are being blessed! Definitely hunting!

Yeah, it´s warm her, we actually sleep with the fan on, so the mosquitos don´t attack us with it on, and I use my spray, so I´m actually good on the net!

I am remembering all the things I´m thankful for, oh there is so much! especially after the amazing experience we just had! I´m thankful for my family too and their support!

Luv ya tons!!!! Be good!

15 Nov 2010 Email

This week did go by pretty fast, so fast I probably won´t remember everything.. But this week was a little harder for us, especially yesterday! I think we ran into every atheist that lives in our area yesterday, and everyone else who just doesn´t want anything to do with us, it was a pretty intense rejection day..... we did so many contacts and got no where... I was really actually getting frustrated and thought I might strangle the next person who gave us a hard time. Luckily we decided to finish the day visiting a member and doing a reference activity.... it turned out to be a really nice experience... I felt the Spirit and actually used her restroom to offer a quick personal prayer.... walking home I don´t know what happened, I just felt so happy and content, even though the day was quite the hard one... the Spirit can really give you that peace of mind and help you feel just good. It was another Alma moment, speaking of him, I wish I could just show the people my truth, but I sin in my wish, I should be grateful for the opportunities God gives me and just do my best and never get disanimated!

And on the bright side! Shannon Gonzales has decided to get baptised!!! This saturday we will be having her baptism, I´m so happy for her and her Mom, they´ve progressed so much and it´s been so great to see their faith grow. I love it! I also got to help put in someones floor and mix cement! It was pretty fun! It was on divisions too with Elder Vega! Well that´s enough about me!

Snow.... I miss the snow, it´s been really wierd weather here lately, hot as fire! and the next day rainy and windy! But it´s all good, I like the change.

Anyhow, there´s probably more things I could say, but the times up and I can´t remember is all anyways, thanks so much for writing and the support and love! Luv ya tons!!! Be good! Read and pray!

Our zone conference with Elder Arnold! (he spoke in the last conference) Nov 2010

Here are a few pics from my B-day bash and on the bus from Montevideo! and My Halloween!

Email 8 Nov 2010

Well the Birthday was pretty good! I opened the socks early, cause I ran out.... and I opened the tootsies early....cause I could smell the root-beer! I made a cake of the twinkies and lit the candles the day before my actual B-day..... cause we were fasting the next day, then I opened the rest of the gifts on my B-day! And had a cake yesterday that Andres made for me! As for teaching and finding, we´ve applied a lot of what we learned in the training and even though we had only half the week to work, we worked hard and we had as many lessons and found as many people if not more, than we have had in a full week! We´ve felt the Spirit more and we had a few investigators in the church. Sadly the Moreira Family wasn´t in church yesterday. We had an interesting experience with them, after their first visit to the church we couldn´t have a lesson with them until Friday night becuase of the training and P-day and everything, we found out from Andres beforehand that they said they didn´t like it! Those words sunk like a rock......a very heavy rock..... in my stomache.... that has some very sharp edges so it cuts you when it goes down and even more when it comes out later...... and has a bad flavor!..... we were so nervous to go have our next lesson with them and we prayed so much and planned so much... we got over there and talked with them, and sure enough they explained how they didn´t like it and what was wrong with it and what not, but we were so prepped and listening so carefully to the Spirit that we were able to clear up their doubts and help them feel the Spirit, and in the end of the lesson (making a long story short) they told us that their feelings had all changed, they understood and it was a really nice lesson..... unfortunately they weren´t there yesterday and we have a lesson with them again tonight...... so we´ll see what´s up. Anyhow, It´s so important to be Spiritually intune,..... we don´t teach anyone, the Spirit does.... we just have to be worthy to hear it. I´m so grateful I´m not alone in this work.

Thanks abunch, again for the B-day stuff and for all that you do! Keep praying for the investigators! Specifically Sueli, Wilmar, Familia Moreira, and Familia Gonsales!
Luv ya tons! Chau por ahora!

3 Nov 2010 Email

Well....I did celebrate what little I can for Halloween! I don´t have my cord with me today, because this week´s been a little different, but I´ll send you some photos next week! I loved all the costumes though, it made me proud! It´s one of my favorite hollidays! At first I thought Daniel was the scarecrow, then I saw Beatlejuice! (originally my idea) but he pulls it off real good! :) I loved all the other ones too, Coraline, Pocahontas, Brawny.......HA, and the Elf couple! and of course the blue princess! Where´s your costume Mom?! (nice job on the rats by the way).

I´m still trying to get through that old testament, I´m on 1 Samuel 11 right now, and D&C 89 I just read today! I wish the girls sitting next to me right now had read D&C 89, becuase they stink really badly with the smell of cigarettes! Congrats to Daniel on the Eagle!!!!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Was it brother Dangerfield? I really liked haveing them for the trek parents too, awesome! There´s an Elder in our zone that is from Pleasant Grove and was friends with a lot of my theater buddies from there, it is a small little world!

Well, my P-day was moved to today because the last 2 days we were in Montevideo again, but for a special training! It was really great, we did so much practicing though it was crazy for 12 hours strait the first day and a little less the next we had the training with our Pres. I really did enjoy it, it´s a series of new lessons to help missionaries become better teachers that they´re doing with all the missions right now! It focussed a lot on the compromises and how we need to be doing them more often and getting these people baptised. It was a great lesson! Oh, and we got the Moreira family in church this last week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Their story is pretty fun, we actually found them looking for someone named Ramiro, a reference, turned out a Ramiro lived in there house, but not the one we were looking for! But they let us in anyway and they just so happened to have found a copy of Legacy in the garbage earlier before, and they had been praying to find the right camino (path) in life and we showed up! Coincidence?....... I think NOT! God´s hand is in this work all the way, right there with us and if we are doing our best he puts those blessings in our way there is no doubt of that in my mind! This last week was really good, lots of lessons and new people, we are excited for this change!

Thanks for the update and the prayers, and the B-day package! I actually had to open one present because I needed the socks! But the rest are still wrapped till saturday!
Love ya all tons!!!! Chau!

11 Oct 2010 email

Well I´m so happy the wedding was a success and beautiful and all those lovely things :) I´m glad I could make it too, ha ha! I love the photos and it´s just amazing! The whold dancing thing sounded like it would have been really fun and special to watch.... sweet!
I did get the package! And i wrote a letter the past week about it all! Thanks so much, it felt so good to put on new socks! It really makes you appreciate the small things, the mission..... ya! If it´s too late then some ideas for a future package down the road: Baby powder (or some sort of powder for my shoes), and recipes (easy simple ones I can make out here... some of the stuff from home)
Well this last week was quite the week.... one of the harder weeks, and one of the more spiritual. I think I had my first full on argument with my comp, and the other companionship in our house too. I don´t want to sound racist, but the two latin comps are just closer to the end of the mission and a little trunky, loosing their drive and respect for the rules.... I´m still trying to work on that charity..... it´s difficult sometimes, but with a lot of praying and spiritual help I´m learning to control myself more and my emotions and correct the problems as fast as I can, it´s definitely a challenge.
The other fun thing about this week: We started teaching an Evangelical couple, Ricardo and Diani, they´ve been asisting the pentacostal church, not sure what the name is exactly, there´s so many different churches. Anyhow, we basically got into a nice bible bash.... a lot about the trinity, they just believe in one God, all three as one person, and you know.... I don´t think they´re gonna change their mind about anything, they´re so set in their way, we hit them pretty hard using their own bible with scriptures about the baptism how there was Jesus, the dove, and a voice, and we used the one where Stephen sees Jesus standing on the right hand of God.... and many many others, but they would just change to another scripture and never could answer our questions... but that´s ok... It strengthened my testimony and taught me how to control myself and not argue.... and also that night as we returned home, I went into the bathroom and prayed, thanking God for the knowledge I have and asking him to confirm it.....the greatest feeling came over me, a warmth surrounded me pretty much like someone placed a blanket on me and I cried..... and I knew before and know even more now that we have a Heavenly Father, a Savior, and The Holy Ghost and they are three different God´s all one in purpose to help us. Anyhow, with this same family we sort of set up a deal.... they went to our chruch sunday, and (with permission of course) we went to their church afterward.................................uhhhhhh...............I would like to bare my testimony now that I know that I am in the right church, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church in the world! It was kind of fun to walk into that church in our suits and tags, they greeted us nicely... then we sang for the first hour with an electric piano and a drum-set and speakers on full blast, I could not hear myself think! Everyone was clapping and moving around and shouting Glory Halleluja! and all that stuff. Then a man got up to give us the word! We read a whold 2 versus from the bible, one of which wasn´t even the right verse and we learned nothing! absolutely nothing, it was like watching theater the man shouting and waving his hands all over the place.... not teaching any principles..... just talking. Then we sang even more and some people looked like they were having heart-attacks..... just to sum it up because I could probably go on and on...... It was actually a good experience to see the difference... the organization and order we have in our church, the reverence and the spirit, the ordenaces and the priesthood... all of it. I am so grateful to be in the correct church and know what I need to do, have this clarity and goal and purpose.... I did feel the spirit, I looked back at one point and there was a girl sitting on one of the benches looking at me, she was a girl with down syndrome and she was just staring at me intently and I thought to myself..... that´s a celestial being... in the midst of all that noise I still had that experience....
anyhow, that´s the gist of the excitement, there´s so much more, but time won´t allow it! Thanks so much for the package again, the pictures, and all the love and support, I love you too! And God does too! Chau!

Scott Hancock to Michael
show details Sep 26 (1 day ago)
How is your week, any good prospects? it's got to be tuff, what is the average baptisms for a missionary? Anyway, the continuing saga gose on... Tomorrow I'm going to climb aboard a boom trailer (see image) scary, so I can cut down the tree at the studio, I have trimmed it alot but can't get to the higher ones so we will see what happens. I shot picture of pets with there people at a pet fair, Andra's was one of the main announcers and I shot pets... it was for fun like stretchy pants. I'm praying for you, keep plugging on!! Love Dad

Michael to Scott Hancock
show details 10:37 AM (22 hours ago)
We´re still working with the 2 families and we´ve been having a hard time finding new people, a lot of door knocking and rejection. We´ve actually started focussing a little more on the less active members, we have a list of all the members, hundreds, even though only about 40 actually go, and we´ve been visiting them all. So far it all comes down to 3 reasons why they´re inactive: 1- they moved, 2- they´re dead, 3- they were ofended! I hate with a passion the last one even more and more. All too often people forget that this church is perfect, sometimes the members aren´t, sadly. They loose that eternal perspective and just feel anger. I really just want to drop the cane on them sometimes, but we don´t do that as missionaries, or at least we´re not supposed to. Average baptisms..... I really don´t know... depends on a lot of things. Anywhere from 4-100, I´m really not sure what the average is. I hit my 1/3 mark this week (crazy!) and I have 2..... so.... ya...
Be careful cutting down those branches! The pet show sounded pretty fun, how did Andra score announcing? Anyways, thanks for the update and the prayers. Luv ya tons!

September 27, 2010 Email

I am actually really really really excited for conference! I don´t think they have it in our church cause it´s tiny, but one of the other ones a little more in town ya, I just hope they can get an english broadcast in too. I think I get more and more excited for conference everytime. Just learning about the Gospel and the church in general has been so much fun! I´m now reading D&C and the Old Testament! Good stuff!!! That´s actually a pretty funny story about the dirty windows... the one thing I don´t like about the conference is that we don´t get the priesthood session till the ensign comes out because it comes on past our bed time :( But that´s ok.... we learn patience in the mission :)
We actually cleaned the church this last week, remember Andres Vasques? The less active member we helped get back, he´s the new branch Librarian, and he wanted to clean the church and the other two elders in our branch had a baptism, so we all went over, the 5 of us and cleaned the whole church before the baptism! It was actually really fun! And the baptism was really nice too! So that was pretty fun! I got to bless the Sacrament again, I love being able to do that, I´ve almost got the sacrament prayers down in Spanish :) The weather has been a lot warmer, except for today it´s been sprinkling a little bit, but it´s nice. We actually cleaned our house real good this morning... well as well as we could without water because a pipe broke and we don´t have water right now. But we cleaned it good becuase the president is going to come do interviews in every missionary´s house! While the Hermana and AP´s check out the houses to see what changes need to be made... FUN! We´re still working with the families and more with less active members, but it´s moving a long. Anyhow, haven´t gotten the package or announcement yet, but it should come maybe tomorrow! Anyhow, thanks for all you´re doing! Keep reading and praying! Luv you tons!!!

Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 10:42 AM

Scott Hancock to Michael
Sep 19 (1 day ago)
So another week, it seems to fly by fast, U? Hows the country side? quite? let me know. Brother Goudy reads your blog every week and has ask if its updated. Remember Diaz he will be home in 7 month and you been out just over? Crazy. Finished the front of the studio, Looks good and now I've started cutting down the tree just on the north side of the studio, I put as much of it as I can in the garbage can each week, then I got to wait a week. Daniel and I have to go in to be fitted for tuxes, crazy again! I'm making josh and Andra's slide show hope we get it done, I'm adding short clips inside the show as well, will see how it goes. I'm tired from all the work but my blood pressure is going down, I've been drinking some crazy stuff (Pro-argine-9) that has been reversing the hardening of arteries, anyway we will continue monitor and see what happens. Love ya tons! Dad :D

Michael Hancock to Scott Hancock
10:42 AM (12 hours ago)
It does fly by fast!!! in 8 more days, I´ll be 1/3 of the way done with the mission!!!! That´s insane!!!! I still feel like the new guy! It´s so weird.... I´m in that mixed feeling stage, I only have two baptisms and a third of my mission, I know you´re not supposed to judge mission success on numbers of baptisms... but some times I wonder if I´m just not doing something right.... It´s been a challenge recently... deeling with finding a new house, my comp seems to be getting more and more trunky, he talks about girls a lot, and just dealing with a 4 elder house, there´s more comparison than there needs to be and lots of fooling around, I´ve been saying a lot of prayers lately, asking for more caridad... charity.... the ability to love my fellowman.. or elders... I´ve been trying to watch myself lately, how I act and react to things and it´s been interesting to see... it´s really hard to not have pride and only charity and love... just some of those feelings that creep in here and there... anyhow, it´s just been interesting. I can´t believe he´s going home in just 7 months... it does pass by really fast. Tuxes again! What color this time? you don´t have to wear pink right? :) Good for you and your blood pressure, I try to eat healthy here, but sometimes it´s hard.... I definitely put on some pounds, but I think I´m flat lining it right now :) Anyhow, good luck with everything that´s going on, I love ya tons! Chau!

15 Sep 2010

Well we got our changes yesterday and....... I´m staying! And Elder Cespedes is still my comp! We´ve got a couple really good families to work with, but need to find more people, we´re pumped and ready to go for another change! I´m actually the first comp that Elder Cespedes has had for more than one change! he´s had 12 comps so far in the mission!
You´re reading fast! Andra is actually in that same part! I just finished and am reading in Ether, but chapter 9 in Mormon is one of my favorites, it´s blunt and strait to the point! And I´m starting 1 Timothy in the New Testament, I really like Paul... he was a good missionary! Lots of stuff about not buttering up the Gospel but telling people how it is, we are not here to gain favor of men, but of God. I love it all!
This last week we did more service, we sanded and painted a room of a member, it was actually pretty fun, and we finished pretty fast! We also had another youth activity, we did a treasure hunt and played kick ball, it was cool because two of our investigators came and actually participated! YAY!!! And we had a branch activity.... sadly not many people showed up to that, but the missionaries made a jeapordy game and it was really fun! We have had to drop a few investigators lately and it´s really sad, I hate doing it... but sometimes there´s just nothing more a missionary can do, they have to make the decision.... not really fun... but it´s life, everyone has to make the decision!
We actually cooked some yummy hashbrown creation stuff today! it was pretty tastey! Anyhow, That´s about it from the field for now! Te amo múcho! Chau!

August 30, 2010

Oh this has been a nice week! First of all, the Barrio that I´m in is called La Pedrera, on the street Luis Segui 2342, it´s on the corner of another street... can´t remember exactly what it´s called but part of it is Rosa. I don´t need anything desperately, well...I actually could use some socks, I´m not sure what happend, but mine are all rancid and I can´t get rid of the smell. I´ll send my camera card back when I get yours, it has some fun pics.
I can´t believe it´s school time again, that was the fastest summer (winter here) ever! Crazy how time goes by. Oh fun fact: President Eyring´s niece is now serving in our mission! How cool is that?!
God really does bless you for your efforts! You already know my last week was not so great, so we started off this last week with an area conference with our area pres, Pres. Arnold.... It was really amazing, talking about things we need to do new like kneeling in all our lessons, using silence and a whole bunch of other stuff. I also went on divisions again with Elder Rubio from Peru! He´s in his first change! but he already knows Spanish. He has a lot of energy too, we were walking fast, and he talks so fast, but we actually really had a lot of fun and I loved working with him. Anyhow, we shifted gears and worked hard, applying all the things we learned this last week and it paid off. I felt so good and happy this last week. And to top it off we have a baptism this Saturday!!!! :) :) :) Jessica! 17 year old girl with a 1 and a half year old son, she was living with a boyfriend, but with some help from the Spirit, and maybe a little from us... she made the decision to split up and be baptised!!! It was really a great experience! God does want you to be happy and is there for everyone!
That´s pretty much the biggest news! I´m actually back in Montevideo right now signing papers for residence with my original MTC group, it´s really cool to see them all again! But the 6 hour bus ride I could live without!
To finish up! I can´t encourage you enough to read! I love it so much and it will bless you if you really think about it and study it out and apply it! I just finished John and I´m in Acts 6, and In the Book of Mormon I´m reading about Christ´s coming! I love it all!
Thanks so much for the support and love! I love you all so much and I realize it more everyday as I become more an more familiar with the Gospel! Chau!

August 23, 2010

Thanks for the tid-bits from Elder Shurtluff´s talk. It really is great. I´m really excited for him, for anyone that gets the chance to embark on this crazy journey :) serving the Lord! I actually read that talk not too long ago about the choosing missionaries experience, I really liked it. We actually read the Ensigns, here called Liahonas, evceryonce and awhile and I enjoy it. I really liked that scripture too! It´s really a good one, there´s one kind of like that in Jeremiah, but I think I like this one better! Thanks for sharing that too! And ya, 12 weeks would have driven me crazy! It was just being inside for so long!
I know an Elder from Park City!
That photo is the line between Uruguay and Brazil :) The Brazilian flag!
Anyhow, to make this short... This last week has actually been one of the most humbling and lesson learning weeks of my mission. I consider myself pretty obedient, doing my exercises, waking up and going to bed on time, always trying to read the scrips.... but I am so far from where I should be and I´ve never prayed more to have more faith and confidence before in my life. The week started out with divisions. My comp had to go to a training thing, the same thing Elder Peterson had to go to I´m pretty sure. So I was on divisions with Elder Lenthan. From the U.S. and that´s an example of a hard working missionary. Not perfect, none of us are, but in the theme of teaching well and working hard... he was a great example for me and it was really humbling to work with him. We worked a day and a half in his area in Tranqueras, about an hour away from Rivera. And then the next day and a half we worked in my area. It was really quite a wake up call... Elder Cespedes is a great guy, a fun comp... but he´s already trunky, talks about girls a lot, and likes to take his time, I don´t want to judge, it´s not my place... but just to see how I should be... it was really humbling... we got to help a member fix a shed that blew down, blistered my hands a little bit.. guess I just need to work more with them. And then I got us lost in my area trying to find lunch... and it just happened to be pooring! We didn´t have umbrellas or jackets and we were soaked to the bone! We ended up finding the house though in the end... but I admire him for his patience.. I probably would have punched myself.
One other quick experience... humbling as well. We had a lesson with a girl, Carmen, she´s a young mom of 3 kids. We´ve been teaching here for a little bit, and this last week we studdied a bit about the Holy Ghost, listening and fallowing, and just feeling the Spirit testify... During the lesson with Carmen, she broke down in the middle, just telling us all her feelings and everything that´s happened and how we were born in the Church but she wasn´t and she´s always tried to be good.... just everything through some tears.... I felt the impression to testify.... but unfortunately... I´m not even sure why... I kept my mouth shut... I don´t know if I just didn´t know what to say... I hesitated.. I haven´t felt that much guilt for such a long time. Still even now, I feel if i´d have testified, she would have come to church and even felt the Spirit really powerfully.... I really was upset with myself afterwards, and that night I said one of the longest prayers in a long time, asking God to forgive me for not following the Spirit´s impressions... I feel really bad and I´m sure it was my lesson to be learned. I never want to miss an opportunity like that again.
All in all.... I´m actually really grateful for this last week... it was really tough and really long. But I learned so much and I´m inspired to do better. Sometimes to experience the sweet.. we first have to experience the bitter... I know without a doubt that God wants me to be better and knows I can. I know I can. So this next week I´m gonna have to get to work. God´s teaching me lessons.
I´m glad you´re doing well, and I hope all continues well. Thanks for everything, the love and support.
Love you tons! Elder Hancock.

August 16, 2010

FA! Can´t believe school is starting up again, sooooo soon! That´s crazy, where does the time go!? It´s flying here too! Our week this week, not gonna lie, was really not all that great. Right now we only have a few investigators, and this last week we knocked so many doors trying to find new people but we got nothing! It was really sad! People can be really stubborn sometimes! They just don´t want to talk or change what churuch they´re going to.... it´s really just.... I don´t know... sad. It was also a really cold week with rain.... and sunday, yesterday... We had nobody in church, us, and the other pair of missionaries! NO ONE! We were all just kind of down that day... but, like always, God has a funny way of making you feel better whenever your down, last night before bed, about 10:15, Elder Lockheart called from Cerro to tell me that Jennifer is getting baptised this Saturday!!! I nearly jumped out of my seat I was so happy! I´m sad I won´t be able to be there for it, I had the privelege to find her with Elder Roney and teach her and prepare her for a few months and get to know here, and now....she´s getting BAPTISED!!!!!!! YAY!!!! She´s written me a letter and Elder Lockheart is going to send me some baptism pics! It´s really one of the greatest feelings! A good note to end on in a not so great week. God cares about all of us and always wants us to be happy... even with a phone call. We do though have a few good investigators, just need to get them to start taking these steps of faith.
I played soccer the other day with a bunch of guys in the area! I was the only gringo! and probably the worst player there! They were all really good, the kind of guys that play everyday, ages 16 to 60, I actually was the goal keeper for one of the games and got a nice ball to the face from a few feet away, my face actually went numb afterwards so I thought I was all good! But then I tasted some blood in my mouth... and then a lot more! Then everyone stopped playing, apparently my nose was gushing out blood! I´d wished I had my camera, my face was all muddy! and all bloody! pretty sweet! I went and layed down while they continued playing and dumped water on my face. It stopped and I played a little more... but it was just kind of ironic that the only guy who spoke english ended up with the bloody face.... oh well... at least I blocked the goal!
I can´t believe how fast the wedding is coming up too! That´s so sweet!
Congrats to Terry and Laura and the new baby! Looks good from the photos!
For P-days we play soccer with the group, we ate some pizza today, and I actually made strawberry flan the other day, it was delicious! I´m still getting fatter I think! But I´m working to keep it at bay, and I´ll loose a lot in the summer.......I hope!
I am getting along with my comp, and the other Elder´s, it´s pretty fun in a 4 Elder house. I attached some photos of them and the view from the front of our house, and a couple others. The comp eating is Elder Cespedes! We´re working, it´s just a little slow right now.
I´m reading I think more than ever right now, I´m now in Mark 10 in the New Testament and Helaman 5 in the Book of Mormon, further in spanish too! I love it, it´s so fun to read the Joseph Smith translations too, see what was changed. Anyhow... that´s about all I can really think of right now.... We´re just moving forward and trying to do our best. My testimony is still growing more and more... and I´m also more and more grateful for how my life has turned out because of the Gospel the more I come to know the lives of these people. It´s amazing and humbling.
Thanks for the update, and the support, good luck with everything that´s coming up! I love ya tons! Te amo mucho!

August 9, 2010

Hola from Brazil! That´s right, I´ve now been to 3 different countries on my mission! Rivera is right on the border, lots of people speaking Portuguese! My area is called La Pedrera! We actually have a branch with about 40 members that we share with another companionship. Our barrios are La Raca, Mandubi, and La Virgencita! It´s all definitely been a big change for me and I´m actually really really tired. First of all our area is more of the country, changed from the buisy city to the country, we´ve crossed streams, walked through fields, the other day we almost got run over by a bunch of cows! But it´s really nice, a lot more quiet and peaceful. Other changes, I´m living in a four elder house now, two of which are Latinos and one gringo who actually has a change less than me, so we´ve been getting our Spanish practice in :) I´m actually extremely grateful for the help I´ve receieved from above with the language, I feel I kind of just jumped a level, since I´ve gotten to Rivera I´ve been understanding almost everything, and I can speak a lot better, it´s what I prayed for before hand and no doubt God has answered my prayers and blessed me with the language, I can have conversations with my comp and understand him and everything, it´s awesome! I actually had to call Sister Heaton and the mission doctor for him because they don´t speak much Spanish, and I had to translate for him... ya, pretty fun! :) I really am extremely grateful though. It´s also a little bit of a challenge... I´m usually the only one who gets up on time and does the workouts and stuff.... but I´m trying to get them up, slowly but surely. I´ve actually added the New Testament to my reading! I´m In Alma 45 in English and Alma 7 in Spanish, and now I´m also in Mathew 10 in the New testament, also reading all the JST´s, I just can´t get enough, I love it all!!! But I am really really tired, it´s been really cold up here the last week and I freeze at night, had to leave my extra blanket at the other house, so I wake up a lot! but it´s slowly getting a little warmer, so I think I´ll be ok. It´s a fun area though and the members are all really cool so far. I had a little girl teach me some dance moves the other day.. pretty sweet :) not gonna lie.
Anyhow, I´m glad you liked the card! and I´m glad all the letters have made it. I´m glad to hear the business is staying busy, that´s really good. I do love all of King Benjamin´s stuff, really blunt and strait forward. And I´m reading about Moroni right now, awesome! and only 25! And you´ll have to let me know how meeting the Judd family goes. Ask them who their favorite superhero is!
The big group of Elders is my zone in cerro! I don´t really know what the building is, but it´s really cool! Tongue soup isn´t bad. We do have little heater things but we don´t have them turned on that often because it costs us money, we´d wrather eat :) I really like the jersey, and I actually don´t remember what the black thing is... anyways, I have more pics, but I don´t have my cord with me today so I´ll send some next week!
Oh, also, there´s an Elder Bates out here that we´re related to through Levi Ward Hancock and also Mosiah Hancock! Small world, he says hi!
Anyhow, I think that´s good for now, I´m probably forgetting some stuff, a lot has happened this last week! and I´m tired, but it´s all good, we did have 5 investigators in the church yesterday though so I´m pretty happy! :) anyhow, keep me updated with everything, I love the photos you send and hearing how everything´s going! Love ya tons!!! Que pasen bien!

August 2, 2010

We got our changes last night! I´m finally leaving my area!!! I´m offically over a fourth of the way through my mission! I can´t believe it, I´ve been out over half a year, the time really is flying! I´ll be taking a bus tonight at midnight to go to my new area in Rivera! Right on the border of Brazil, I´ll probably pick up a little bit of Portuguese, not sure how to spell that, too! I also get my first Latino Comp! Elder Cespedes, not sure how you spell that name either! It´s actually a little sad to leave this area, I´ve come to know the people so well, the members, the investigators, the less actives even! I´ve only had one baptism, but I feel I´m leaving a few behind who I´ve had the chance to bring to the knowledge of the Gospel and work with for awhile and will probably get baptised this next change! To tell the truth, this last week was really long! and tiring! We actually had 11 investigators tell us they were coming to church..... we ended up with ZERO! it was really depressing! and we had the biggest rain storm so far, and it got really cold! But I have seen miracles this week too. Jennifer will get baptised soon too, I can feel it, and the Gomez family when they can get married!
In the pics, the little boy is Josue! Jennifer´s son! And yes! that was flan! Marvelous and delicious flan! My favorite dessert out here so far!! I think when I get home I would like B-day flan instead of B-day cake! And that was the Gomez family, I´m sending a better picture! And it´s not jello, we actually made them French toast with homemade syrup! delicious! I´m also sending some pics of other investigators, Jennifer, Lucia, Elizabeth, Gomez, Damien.... just a few of the awesome people I´ve been able to work with :) And a picture of me burning some socks with holes, I also burned a tie for my 1/2 year mark! YAHOOO!!!! Crazy how it flies!
Keep going on your studdies! I´m in the first few chapters of Alma in Spanish, and Alma 35 in English! I´ve also been reading some Bible stuff on the side! I can´t get enough! I love the scriptures more than ever! I´m finding so many ways to relate them too my life! Just reading about Alma! How he wishes he was an angel so he could get people to just believe! I can relate, we´ve had so many stubborn people and slammed doors this last week! I hate it cause they just don´t get it! They don´t realize what we´ve got to share! but we keep knocking to find those few who do! I love the people in the Book of Mormon, I find myself relating to Nephi and Alma and all the rest, I love it! It´s the word of God, don´t forget that! Anyhow, thanks for all the support, I can´t believe the summer break is almost over over there! crazy! keep reading and praying and sending me letters and emails! I love it! Loved the video too! Thanks a bunch, I love you tons!!!! Chau por ahora!
PS (can you check my facebook, I think some Uruguayans will be trying to add me as a friend!) you can let them, they already know I can´t write till after the mission, but they want to see some photos! Thanks abunch!

July 26, 2010

Nope.. just like root-beer, public restrooms, spicy food, and pet control, Pioneer day doesn´t exist here. But it sounds like you guys had fun! And the photos Dad sent were cool, and the video came through just fine! I loved it, a pretty sweet looking float! and the missionaries unfortunately don´t get to walk in parades here.... :( But it´s all good. We survive! It´s really fun to just chill, chit-chat and eat food. For P-day today we didn´t really have anything to do, so it´s just been a pretty relaxing day, we wrote some letters, cleaned the house a little bit, cooked some ´eggs in a hole` (which I actually haven´t had since the states!), and then we chilled at the church for a little bit, Elder Lockheart played a little piano, I swept some floors cause they were filthy!, then we just walked around looking for shoe-polish, ended up buying another jersey and a shirt, just cause they´re World Cup ones and won´t be around for too long. And now we´re writing emails! Just a chillax day! Love it!
Pretty much everyone walks to church, so ya, when the weather is bad, it´s hard to get people to come. Yesterday it actually rained too, but after church thank goodness! We had 3 investigators in church this week! Not the Gomez family, unfortunately, actually speaking of the Gomez family, we just found out that they´re not married last Tuesday! We thought they were, but they were actually just comitted, and Ivana actually smokes! I don´t know why she waited to come out with it just this last week, we´ve taught the Word of Wisdom already and all of that... they really do what to get baptised though and get married, and they´re gonna keep going to church, but the baptism is going to have to wait now.... I´ll probably leave the area before they get baptised... but that´s ok, they were actually really sad when I told them. But anyhow, we did get an older lady named Daisy to church, she´s really an interesting character, she´s a very touchy person, and she made my comp touch an old guys back.... ya, she´s been taking care of her father who was 98 years old I think, he died about 2 weeks ago, it´s sad and all, but I feel he needed to go, plus she can now come to church. We had a young girl in church, Micaela, we´ve been teaching her for awhile, we actually thought she was 8 so it would be a ward baptism, not a missionary baptism, but we just found out yesterday that she´s actually 9, it´s hard to teach her, because she´s so young, so last week I just brought paper and we drew God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost and talked about them, we´re gonna teach her more like that from now on and get her baptised :) and finally we had Jenifer in church, we´ve been teaching her for awhile too! She´s 22, married, and has one kid! Josue! You can see him and her in my pictures :) That´s the highlight I guess of the week, as you can see in the pictures, we had a ward activity, just for investigators to come and members to get to know eachother better, it´s actually the first ward activity I´ve ever been to in the ward, pretty much just because we, the missionaries, got them to do it, hopefully it happens more often. But we only had about 8 members show, and then Jenifer, but I still really liked it. It´s actually kind of hard to explain the feeling... Just these last couple weeks, I feel we´ve worked better with the ward, got them a little more willing to help, we´ve been trying to bring members to lessons, and we´ve been bringing people to church after so many weeks of having no one, and then this activity. We brought treats and snacks, we watched Finding Faith in Christ, and talked, read a few scriptures, and that´s pretty much it, It was actually kind of funny, the first one there was Jenifer! and everyone else was late! But there was one moment I really liked, can´t really explain why... when we started the movie, Josue got a little noisy and cranky and so I offered to take him into the primary room so Jenifer could enjoy the movie with everyone else, don´t worrry, it was right across the hall and the doors were open, so I wasn´t breaking any rules, but I just remember sitting there, playing with Josue and the toys while everyone else was watching the movie and I just felt good... that´s about the best I can do to explain it. Having here watch, doing something with the ward and just helping her in whatever way I could to feel the Spirit so that hopefully one day she´ll get baptised. I pretty much was just beeming in that little primary room, just me and Josue. An extraordianary feeling! Anyhow... it´s been another week of challenges but also miracles.... good stuff :) I love it, I really hope everything is still rolling along smoothly over there, thanks for everything, (I didn´t get any letters this last week, but they told me I have some for tomorrow!) and I hope you get the camera card I sent, probably will be another week.
Anyhow! Love ya! Tons!

July 19, 2010

Well, we had 12 glow sticks and two plastic pieces that you stick the ends into to make a ball. So we had the two plastic pieces represent the Prophet and the Priesthood, then the 12 glow sticks were the apostles. And when you break them and let them glow, it´s like ´letting your light so shine`, the good works of the Church. So we had our completed ball, the Church. Then we took away one of the glow sticks and it didn´t change too much, but it was incomplete. Then we took away one of the key plastic pieces and the whole thing just falls apart. Then we put it back together talking about Joseph Smith and the Restoration, showing that it was the same! and even today it´s still the same... ya, it was a pretty fun lesson :)
I love testimonies, especially here on the mission, I get to hear them everyday pretty much, including my own. Also watching other members, recent converts, and investigators, there testimonies grow, it´s awesome! I just wished all the investigators down here would realize that they need to work first, then they´ll feel it´s true.
I´m happy for Jamie! He´s always been an awesome guy! I think I´m going the oppositte of him though, I´m gaining weight, don´t think I really look much different, and I´m not gaining it really fast, but I am! Maybe I´ll be fat at the end of my mission...hmmmm.... :)
Well this last week was kind of sad... good! but sad... we have to push back the baptism of the Gomez family to August because they didn´t come to church this last week... as a matter of fact, none of our investigators came... we had 7 in total telling us they were going to come, we actually even went to go tell them and get them Sunday morning, but Sunday was a nasty day, it rained all the night before and all day, and it was really windy and cold..., plus it was Father´s day, don´t know why they had it so late this year. But everyone either didn´t answer their door, or told us they couldn´t go because of the weather... we even went to the Gomez´s and they said they´d come for Sacrament meeting..... but they didn´t show.. I´m guessing it was because of the weather too..... stupid weather... it pretty much rains every Sunday and I think it´s the Devil trying to disrupt the work, or God testing the faith of the investigators... it´s actually probably both. I don´t know... I know I´m not supposed to get myself down about it, but it´s depressing when you´re sitting in the front of the church and no one shows... but we did get to pass the Sacrament... I haven´t done that for a long time. And my companion got to give a talk, (so far I haven´t had to yet!) It was alright. This last week I also went on divisions with Elder Medina, a Latino! He actually knows a bit of English so it wasn´t too bad, we talked Spanglish the whole time, it was fun.... but we actually didn´t end up teaching any lessons... I don´t know if it´s because he didn´t have any planned or what... we just ended up at members houses... but oh well.. it was only for two days. We met the new pres and hermana at zone conference this last week, they´re workin on their Spanish, but they speek alright, kind of like me. They´re from Cedar City so I talked to them a little bit about the Shakespeare Festival....oh the memories! They seem really nice. That´s pretty much it... I´m still reading the Book of Mormon, In Spanish I´m just finishing Mosiah, and in English I´m in the middle of Alma...LOVE IT! We´re dealing with a lot of investigators right now who have learned most everything... they just lack the desire... it´s hard to see all these people who just don´t get it! These last couple of days too it seems like all the people we try to talk to and all the doors we knock, they just all say they have no interest whatsoever then leave, or shut the door in our faces... we actually only found one new investigator this week and it´s hard...I don´t think we´re lazy, we work, I mean you could always do better and we try to, but it just seems like no one wants to listen right now... They just don´t care, to put it simply. They just want to sit around and drink mate and live their life like there´s nothing more to it. We just keep praying and trying, plus being as cold as it´s been no one wants to talk with us... but oh well... we just keep trying. Sigamos luchando!
On a more happy note! I think I have muscles in my upper body! Yay for morning exercises! It´s amazing how many missionaries don´t even do them. It´s hard though when you wake up freezing and seeing your breathe! but I love it :) Oh, and I´m happy for Andra! Finally! It´s actually kind of weird looking at the pics, but really cool too!
The package was awesome! and all the candy actually lasted me till yesterday! Don´t worry, it would have lasted longer, but all the members and investigators really like to try candy from the States, I taught a few lessons with the candy and shared a lot of it, so it wasn´t just me :) Good stuff!
Well... this is a long email, I hope you all are doing great over there! Sounds like it´s been exciting, and there´s some stuff to look forward to.. like a wedding! So I feel happy for ya! Love it! Keep praying for us, that we can find those who are ready, keep reading too!
Love ya all tons! Chau!

July 12, 2010

We got to see the end of the game with a recent convert :) Oh.. sunday was a hard day proseliting though, because of the game and also it started raining really hard on and off and the clouds made it get dark really early... so no one let us in and we were wet, but Church was actually really good, the Gomez family came again and loved it and we showed them the font and talked some more about it and talking with the Bishop they decided to change, we´re baptising Herman and Ivana on the 25th and then he will recieve the priesthood and baptise his 2 oldest kids on the 1st! It´s gonna be pretty sweet! We actually made breakfast this last week with them, FRENCH TOAST!!!!! I haven´t had it since the States! and we made some homade buttermilk syrup! oh... so delicious! We also taught them about tithing using some of the skittles :) (ya, I got the package by the way, and everything was there, and it´s been really great! everyone loves the skittles, didn´t even know they had those) But ya, we did the thing the Bishop does, gave them all their 10 skittles and they had to give me back one! They loved it! Great family! We´re also prepping another young girl for baptism, she´s 8 years old so it´s a ward baptism, not a missionary one, but the family is less active and we´ve been teaching her and getting her ready, I actually really love teaching kids :) they listen!
Sounds like the sunday lesson went well then :) maybe I should find some glass... we are gonna do a lesson with glow sticks tomorrow :)
It´s actually really wierd, at the end of this month I´ll be 1/4 of the way done with my mission! Crazy! I feel the language is doing pretty good, but it still has a ways to go! Anyhow, still have a year and a half to go, so it´s all good. It´s sad that the Swenson´s are heading off though.
There are more letters coming so... yup :) I also got some letters from the young women :) I love getting letters!!! :) You should send some pics of the fam!
Anyway! All´s good for this week! Slower week, but we have a bunch of references and things to do next week, I´m pretty excited, and we have our first zone conference with the Heaton´s this week too! So we´re just gonna work hard and find some people! :) I hope it´s all good there! Love hearing from you guys! Love ya tons!!! Chau!

Monday June/28/2010 12:36 PM

This is an older post sorry... out of sync :)


From: Michael Scott Hancock
To: Laurie Hancock

Subject: Re: from Mom

Date: Mon 06/28/10 12:36 PM


Few! What a week! It´s been pretty intense!
Ya I hope she can get baptised, she´s just working Sundays, she actually gave us coffee the last visit, so we got to teach the Word of Wisdom! She said that the coffee was the only problem she had with it, but she doesn´t drink it that much anyway! We´ll see what happens with her.
The US is OUT!!! Lost to Ghana! Now the Guay gets to play against them, and I´m pretty sure they can beat Ghana! Then after that I´m pretty sure they´re gonna end up playing against Germany who is rocking the show right now... it will be pretty intense! I think it is a good thing though that the States went out... at least for all the gringos here... if they did play agianst Uruguay we´d either get teased to death if we lost... or we would get muredered... to death if the States won! It´s crazy down here! It´s their life, soccer! The streets are dead and we can´t get into any houses when they play! and when they win they party like crazy afterwards! I´ll actually be happy when it´s all over... even though it is pretty exciting!
Elder Lockheart is an awesome guy! He´s a surfer dude from Long Beach, California! He even had the long mullet hair to go with it! He´s a lot shorter than me, and even though he´s the senior comp, everyone says he looks like he´s 15! It´s pretty funny! And being new to the area... I´m actually the one who´s been leading the way, talking more than I ever have, and doing the bulk of the planning! It was pretty nerve-racking going from my Dad in the mission, Elder Roney, who did pretty much all of it to having to have the bulk of the responsibility.... I was pretty worried the first day and actually was saying a lot of prayers to myself throughout the day... I´m usually always saying prayers to myself cause I need the help :) but this was more than usual... basically my worries lasted the first day.. after that it was just fine! Definitely believe I had some of the Spiritual help the last few days! But it´s been pretty fun, and it´s not as hard as I thought. I feel my Spanish is coming along better, still got aways to go, but it´s getting better :) It actually was kind of a sad finish to the week sunday.. We have an amazing family of 6, 4 of which could get baptised who love everything and told us this last week that they could come to church no problem! then there was another girl who´s been putting it off that promised us she was going to come, and another lady, whom we´ve been visiting since before I got to the area who gave us a maybe! which is more than she´s ever given us before... so ya! I was pumped and so excited! Those missionaries you hear about that just are smiling and have that skip in there step! That was me literally!! I was so happy!...then sunday came... and it rained and rained... and it was cold!.... and no one came..... :( I´m hoping it was just the rain that stopped them and that they´ll get coming next week... we´re visting them all this week so we´ll find out... I love going to church! love it! But when none of your investigators show... it´s just kind of a let down... It seems like a lot of elders are going through a slow period right now with baptisms and people coming to church... but we´re still working... I guess we all just need to learn patience!.... but I still feel the Lord´s hand pushing me along day by day... it´s amazing! and we get to meet great people everyday...and a few others who are just kind of wierd :)
It is genereally colder... but we´ve had quite a few nice days...not warm... but nice! and about one crazy rain storm a week... it´s wacky! but nothing too horrible yet. Tomorrow is district meeting so we´ll get letters tomorrow, I have gotten a couple letters so... we´ll see :) Got one from April and replied to it last week and got one from Mom this week and I´ll send one home tomorrow. Ya, I love letters :) I don´t really desperately need anything right now... just yummy stuff... and maybe if you can find that men´s shampoo and body wash in one thing... I´m just now getting to the bottom of the one I brought, It´s amazing stuff! Maybe even wool socks would come in handy.. just some ideas! sweets I never turn down! But I don´t really desperately need anything... regular socks in the future... mine are already getting hard!
Anyhow, to finish off, Scripture reading! Keep with it! I´m in Mosiah now in both my English reading and my Spanish reading! And I love it! I sent two pictures of a bunch of scriptures all testimonies of people from the scriptures and some others about God and the Savior! I thought it would be fun if you went through and read them for a FHE, you can start with some Bible ones then move on to the Book of Mormon, and it would be need if some of the family all bore their testimonies inbetween them all... and you can add mine which basically is just that I love the scriptures! Finding all of these testimonies has strengthened my own so much! I´m coming to understand and love the Gospel in a way I never have before! I know without a doubt that we have a Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ, who is our Savior! I´ve felt their Spirit and love everyday for the last 5 months, some days stronger than others! And even though I´m having a hard time getting baptisms... I love sharing this amazing message with people everyday! It´s incredible! I may have to walk a lot all day, get doors slammed in my face or just fingers, or get spit on, have dogs yelling at me constantly.... but it´s just a little tiny taste of what my Savior has already gone through... and the Scriptures help me understand that more and more and help me feel closer to him more and more... and I still have more than a year and a half to learn as much as I can!..... Anyways... I hope you guys do get a chance to read through the scriptures and share your testimonies! It´s been great for me!
Anyhow.. that´s a pretty long email and some pretty good pictures to give you an idea of what fun we missionaries have been having! I´ve got more pics and I´ll send the card home when I get the one you sent me! Anyways, just want you all to know I love ya! and I love hearing from you and I´m grateful for the support! Keep writing and praying and reading!
Love ya, talk to ya later!

On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 2:14 AM, wrote:
Hola! Elder Hancock!

Congratulations on the first Guayan wedding! Good job on being the photographer! Hopefully she can get baptized now?

Good for Uruguay!!!!! They are still in the cup! I was hoping USA would win their match against Ghana, because then they would be playing against Uruguay!!!!
We watched the match. It was pretty exciting. USA did really well, but not good enough. Ghana beat them 2 to 1, so Uruguay will get to play Ghana. Maybe it is
just as well. (We wouldn't want USA to play Uruguay and win or Uruguayans would be upset with USA, and that wouldn't work out too well for you!) :)

I do remember the Tippets, kind of. I remember the mom's name was Laurie. You'll have to ask him if he used to live in Cedar Hills when you get a chance!
How is your new companion, Elder Lockheart?

Yes, we are finally into summer here. It actually feels like summer now, so I guess that would mean it is starting to feel more like winter there. Let me know if you
need anything. Let me know if you get the package I sent... I don't think you will have received it quite yet.

We got the letter that you sent to us in spanish! It was fun to decipher. I am so proud that I figured out the "fun, like stretchy pants" all by myself! :)
Are you getting letters from us? Did you get the one's from some of the Young Women yet?

We are doing pretty well with our family scripture reading.... It always was better in the summer. I've slacked a little on my own personal though. Got to kick it in gear!

We are in 2nd Nephi as family (Isaiah chapters), and I'm in 3rd Nephi for myself. Christ visiting the people... always great! We are always thinking of you,
our prayers are always with you and for the people there. Enjoy every moment!

Love,
Mom

Monday, July/05/10 01:45 PM

From: Michael Scott Hancock To: Laurie Hancock

Subject: Re: from Mom (see below) Date: Mon 07/05/10 01:45 PM

YA!!!! 4th of July!!!! Just another day here! sad thing actually, I didn´t even realize it was the 4th of July until I wrote in my journal the other day.... ha! funny.. We visited a recent convert, Maria, crazy old lady, love her! And we brought some glow sticks to "celebrate", a lot of people here know the holliday actually. It actually turned out to be a pretty good day though, I´ll explain why a little later on. It sounds like you guys have had some fun and are having fun! Sweet! I´m done with breakfast showering and studying by 8, not too bad :) I miss swimming! These last couple of days have been wierd, yesterday especially, it got pretty toasty! I thought it was winter, but it keeps changing it´s mind! I´ve seen some fireworks here though, don´t worry! After every Uruguay game, especially the last one, it´s loco! I can´t say I remember Daniel´s baby blessing, and in all honesty... I don´t remember if I made it to Amelia´s blessing.... I think I did. Man... lots of babys! Good stuff, sounds like fun Independence day!

Down here Netherlands is called ´Holanda´ and they´re playing good, they beat Brazil afterall... it will be a crazy game! Especially with how close the last one was with Ghana, they had to win on a fowl... wasn´t as cool.. but the penalty kicks were intense, we managed to get in two lessons during the game still! But afterwards we couldn´t do anything, so we did our weekly planning then and made pasta! But it was crazy! Everyone partied all night, fireworks, cars honking, people yelling and screaming, running up and down the streets! It was intense! We´ll find out Tuesday what happens, only American team left though!

Now... here we go! This week for us was really special, a week of miracles :) We got to see a cat fight first of all.... ok that´s not the miracle, but it was pretty sweet, actual cats not girls, they were throwing each other against the wall and everything... anyhow, the good stuff. Elder Roney and I found a family of 6, the Gomez family, Herman and Ivana and their 4 children, a younger family, and in short, they are living proof of people prepared before hand by the Lord. We taught them a couple weeks with Elder Roney and Elder Lockheart and I are teaching them now. This last week we had probably the greatest lesson I´ve ever had, there are only few times where I´ve been as happy as I have this week. Last tuesday we had a lesson with them, they study and read and love everything, we pretty much were just answering questions, and then we somehow got into lesson 2 again, the Plan of Salvation and went over it again, with drawings! :) After that we were just talking and spilling out our testimonies basically of the life after this. Then Herman thought for a moment and then said "I have a confession to make." We thought to ourselves, oh no... here we go, something´s wrong, he´s gonna start telling us all his sins or something... But he continued and told us about how he was reading in the Bible, before we came, and he read the promise "Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." He told us that he tried it, he loves his family ALOT, and wants the best for them, so he asked.. then he told us right after he asked we knocked on the door.... After he told us this... we were pretty much just speechless.... We probably looked really goofy just sitting there with our mouths open eyes wide saying nothing... it was a feeling that I can´t describe, on the way home that night we were pretty much just flying and we couldn´t stop smiling or talking about it... we thanked God for that experience.. it was amazing, now, I´ll get back to them in a bit, but the next night, we´d been working hard all day, and we were getting to the end of the day not really finding anything, we were going to head back and decided we´d knock one more street... first door we knocked a woman answered the door, probably 40... skinny and dark, her name was Yolanda, and she actually recognized us and warmly welcomed us, we found out that a few years before she had had the lessons with some other missionaries and she loved them and was going to church.. in the end though, she was going through a divorce or seperation and couldn´t give up smoking quite all the way and the missionaries had to stop visiting... The interesting part is this, her mother figure and best friend had died, she was sick with something strange, and her children were all having problems... just in a really low point.... and that´s when these elders knocked on her door... they helped her through it all..., we found out yesterday, after having another lesson with her, that just recently she´s been having this same sickness and problems with her kids... just really down again... and we knocked on her door..... coincidence? I think NOT! and neither did she! She told us she wants to get back into and try to become a member, it was really cool. And just to finish off the week, we had another lesson with the Gomez family and we read the articles of faith with some other things and then we asked them if they believed in it all... they said yes! and we asked them to prepare and be baptised the 25th of July... they said Yes! :) We got them to church Sunday, testimony meeting, alright! and it was a really good testimony meeting too, testimonies that I think were ment for them, I just felt the Spirit so intensely and don´t think I could stop smiling all of Sacrament meeting, it was amazing! They are going to get baptised the 25th, and then confirmed probably the 1st of August... Herman and Ivana, and 2 of their kids are old enough to get baptised.. the other 2, I hope, will be able to be baptised by their Dad later on down the road. Oh I can´t describe how happy I´ve been, I love this family! And it´s wierd to feel such love for someone who speaks a different language and I´ve only known for such a short period... it´s awesome! I feel we´ve tried to work hard this last week, and we´ve been blessed greatly for it, we just have to continue on :) God does bless us for our efforts and there are people out there ready to listen :)

Well... this email is long enough I think... I might get the package tomorrow, we´ll see. I got the letter from Ariel and I´m gonna reply. I love hearing what´s going on and I look forward to some pics of the celebrating. Thanks for all the love and support! God lives and answers prayers! This week is proof of that! Keep reading and praying! Love you all! Talk to ya later!

Photos: Elder Lockheart and I celebrating the game! Elder Roney and I making tortillas! Some delicious pasta I made! and a group shot at the wedding!

PS: If you see brother Perry! Tell him I really have grown to love his music on the mission, I´ve heard his voice more on the mission than my own mother´s :) funny. I especially love the "Reason to Sing" CD.

-------------------------------

On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 6:39 AM, wrote:


Hola! Elder Hancock!
Happy 4th of July! I guess that is one holiday they don't celebrate there in Uruguay! It was kind of nice this year because the 4th is on a Sunday. So it was like a 3 day holiday this year. Saturday, we had our annual 4th of July breakfast bright and early with the Ward. Breakfast burritoes and fruit at 8 am, we did some yard work, then went swimming at the AF pool. We watched fireworks at Pleasant Grove Jr High. Then today, we went to Chad & Sarah Snelson's ward for Catherine Donna Snelson's baby blessing. (Can you believe 17 years ago today was Daniel's baby blessing?) One year ago today was Amelia's baptism. Do you remember that? Or were you at work? We had a nice visit with everybody afterwards at a park for the luncheon. Terry & Laura came with their baby, Christopher. He is getting huge! I will send you pictures. I finally got a battery for my camera, so I can take pictures again. Yes, still my film camera :) We went over to Mick & Ariel's tonight for some hot dogs. Tomorrow we will do the traditional parade, booths, Los Hermanos..... I will take lots of pictures and send them to you. Hopefully you will get your package this week! It will be a Happy 4th of July package.. okay, well they wouldn't let me send you fireworks in the mail, so technically it's not very 4th of Julyish. But know that we are thinking about you and of course it is not the same without you. But what you are doing is much, much better! What do you think about Uruguay and Netherlands? [Netherlands won] Netherlands are going to be tough to beat! I'm rooting for Uruguay... I would love to see them play Germany! Everyone says "hi"! They all love to get the emails that I forward to them from you. Grandpa & Grandma Snelson put more $$ into your mission fund. I am so grateful for the country we live in! What blessings we have. Heavenly Father truly set up a free nation so that the gospel could be restored. We are so blessed to live here! And I am grateful you are able to serve a mission and help share the restored gospel with others!!!!!! Hope this will be a great week for you! Love, Mom

The Fort in Montevideo...

Video of my area...

Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 15:08:14 -0300

From: Michael Scott Hancock
To: lauriehancock@digis.net
Subject: Re: from Mom
Date: Mon, 24 May 2010 15:08:14 -0300

Phew! It´s been quite a week for me too! I enjoyed the pics and the talk, sounds like it was a good experience. I hope everyone´s doing well.
Some fun things about my week, besides getting spit on like I told you before, I also had someone try to steal my money from my pockets, I just kind of pushed away and we booked it out of there, I also saw a bunny trying to make offspring with a cat at an investigators house, I saw a dog lying in the road that had pooped its guts out... literally! and at the baptism, Adrian got pooped on by a bird right before hand.... ya! It´s been a fun week :)
More about the baptism: It´s pretty much the best baptism I´ve had so far! ha! No really, Elder Roney and I first met Adrian at the Church several weeks back. He was going because his grilfriend is in the ward and he was also investigating a few different churches. We met him and were really excited to start teaching him. He´s 25 years old and a future priesthood holder! so ya! we were excited. We comenced teaching him at his girlfriend´s house. To make a long story short, he is the perfect example of someone truly prepared by the Lord... I was so lucky to be able to be a part of it. Really, us missionaries didn´t do anything, we just taught. He was willing and ready, by week 2 he had already read first and second Nephi! An investigator that actually reads more than we assign!!! WOW! He´s also been attending seminary. He´s a good kid with a good heart. I didn´t really fully realize how big and amazing this all was until last thursday night, when he had his baptismal interview with our district leader. I was just feeling good that night thinking, my first baptism! alright! We left the room while he had the interview and chatted in the hall, Elder Roney said he´s the best investigator he´s had so far. When he came out of the room, I caught a quick glimpse, I could have sworn his eyes were a little wet... At that moment I realized how important and amazing this was... It was that first time I´d really seen that with any investigator, I knew he had a testimony and he´s found what he was looking for, the Spirit was so strong and it felt so good to know another one of God´s children found his way... and I got to be a part of it. We did have his baptism Sunday, in the photos he´s the one center left, baptised by the bishop´s son (middle right), his girlfriend and her sister are in the photos, you´ll have to crop them a little bit, it was a Uruguyan that took the photos. And us missionaries! Right after the photos he discovered the bird poop, sad thing was that he was wearing Elder Roney´s shirt and my pants, only a little bit got on the pants, but he had to change the shirt, then we got the baptism on the way, he had to go down twice because his hair poked out a little bit, but the best part was after that everyone got a chance to bare testimonies, apparently they hadn´t done that for awhile. It was majorily youth who did it and I don´t think there was a dry eye by the end... it was truly powerful and truly amazing. Anyhow.. now I know why missionaries don´t get depressed out here getting doors slammed in their faces all the time... because even just one baptism like that, makes it all worthwhile... I´m so grateful for this opportunity to serve.
Anyhow, that´s the big stuff so far. Glad to hear you got the tile all put in and you figured out about the termite problem... fun fun! Keep writing! Have a great last week of school and stuff! Got a couple B-days coming up! Ha Ha! hopefully I´ll get the letter tomorrow, and I sent my camera card home last week so hopefully you get that soon too! Love you all and I´ll talk to ya later! thanks for the pics!