6 MONTH MARK

WHAT THE 6 MONTHS THIS WEEK?!?!

HELLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
so im pretty sure Heavenly Father has quite the sense of humor because He pulled a good one on us this week....

so we really felt like Carmen and Antonio were ready for baptism this week so we decided to do whatever it took to get them in the water haha we took over members, visited them almost everyday, on days when we couldnt visit them we read over the phone with them, watched the joseph smith video with them, said countless prayers with and with out them, fasted for them, etc....but they still wouldnt accept the date! they told us they knew they needed to be baptized and wanted to be...just needed to get an answer from God to know when..they wanted a sign...so we were praying like crazy for them saturday night to know what we should do...and we decided to go over early in the morning on sunday before church and let them know that as messengers of God..WE were their answer! when we walked in their apartment early sunday morning, antonio had been up for a half hour already watching the Joseph Smith video.. WHAT..and we told them that we were their answer, read a couple scriptures about acting in faith etc......kneeled down and said a prayer with them, both of them felt the spirit so much they started crying!!! but then they go..."we will be baptized, we know we should be...we just need an answer from God" what?! you just got it! but they promised to come to church...

funny thing about church this week is it was a big regional conference and the stakes and ward boundaries got changed......aka CARMEN AND ANTONIO ARE NO LONGER IN OUR AREA :( pretty stinkin sad about it....we lost a chunk of our area due to the boundary changes and it just so happens that the chunk they took is where all of our investigators lined up to have baptisms this month live (including Flor, the avalos, the cabezas...investigators/member families we love)......hahah good one...im finding Heavenly Father LOVES humbling me ;) 

but its fine! im so excited to explore more of the untouched parts of my area! i know the Lord is preparing hearts to receive us :) you best believe we are gonna be handing out baptismal dates like candy on halloween! im excited to work my tail off to find more of my hermanos(as)!!!

oh! cool story real quick though...
we went to go teach an investigator with some members..but he wasnt home..so as we were walking through the complex back to the car i remembered something president challenged us to do and so i stopped everyone and had us each walk with a Book of Mormon in our hands haha it was a freezing cold night so there wasnt anyone outside that we could see, but i was confident we would be blessed for making the little extra effort.. as we passed the laundry room, i saw a guy with his back faced to me and its funny how the spirit works these days because it was literally a "GO TALK TO HIM" in my head...so the second he turned around i waved and smiled at the window! he came right outside :) so i started asking him the typical questions..where are you from, how long have you been here etc...he is from Africa and his first language is actually french! (you best believe i whipped out every french word i know.. "par le vous frace?" 

and then he goes (looking at all the books in our hands) "so uh..whats going on?? whats that? NICE! we jumped right in to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it is another testament of Jesus Christ and that if he reads it he will find answers to any question he has ever had and it will strengthen his relationship with jesus christ, etc etc etc...and he LOVED IT!!! he goes "no way! i have actually been praying to find a way to grow closer to jesus christ..i just want to know him! can yall come back and teach me more? i live right here and am very interested!" and then he offered to say the prayer and talked about how he knew it was no coincidence we all ran into each other etc etc etc...he may only know like four words in spanish but still...MIRACLE!!!

anyway, yall have a great week!! love you so much! thanks for the prayers!!
hermana hull 

 saying bye to the avalos...little jashly kept going "im gonna miss yall" and started BAWLING as we left...SOOO ROUGH

SAYING BYE TO FLOR AND FAMILY.....

 BYE BYE ABUELA FLOR :*(

 AND CARMEN AND ANTONIO AND BABY MOISES

5 Month Mark!

5 Month Mark!!!!

okay runnin short on time again so ill just get down to business:

THE STORY OF CARL

so we had just left an appointment and were getting ready to leave the apartment complex when these two old ladies flag us down and ask us if we have a phone this old man can use to call his wife..what? sure. so we go over and the old man goes "my name is carl. i took a pretty bad spill back there and i dont know where i am. i need to call my wife. 558-....... my name is carl. i'm feeling a little dizzy. i dont know where i am..etc" so we called the number he said..wasnt real. didnt exist. so we got him to sit down so he wouldnt fall over again...(little bit of a struggle when he tried to break into a car he thought was his..carl. thats not your car. please come sit down.) but we got him to sit while we called the police. the police were all "carl?! we've been looking all over for that guy! his poor wifes been worried sick! thank yall so much!" sweet. so we are waiting for the police to come get carl when he stands up and starts to walk away.."carl? where are you goig? the police are on there way, can you please come sit down? we dont want you falling again." "well, thats part of the problem..i reaalllyy have to go..." "you have to go to the bathroom?" "something FIERCE! but its alright, ill just go around the corner..." "no carl. just a sec.." i then proceeded to knock a few doors...no answer...until finally this lady from Cuba answered the door! at first she wouldnt let him in because she explained she was home alone and didnt want a man in her house..but as soon as i explained the situation she let him in. while carl was using the bathroom, i took advantage of the opportunity to get to know her and teach her a brief lesson about jesus christ ;) she was a doll! doesnt speak a lick of english though so got a little freaked out when carl kept trying to talk to her in his husky new yorker english haha anyway...the police finally showed up and we got carl safe and sound in the car...just as we were about to leave, carl taps on the glass, and motions for us to come over..."i just want to thank you two girls for saving my butt tonight!! God bless you both!" 

other than that whole incident...the most exciting thing that happened was that Carmen and Antonio came to church!! the night before we went over and read in the Book of Mormon with them and sang for them..they cried when we sang and committed to come to church..and they totally LOVED IT!!!!! such a huge answer to prayer!! 

okay..tis the season right? so to share a little christmas thought, i was reading in the liahona (ensign spanish edition) and i happen to have a favorite part! i know they have it in english too...but i like it in spanish better! (weird how it doesnt translate over the same haha) anyway, here it is!

(SPANISH)
El presidente Howard W. Hunter (1907–1995) dio unos consejos prácticos que nos sirven para lograr ese propósito:

“Esta Navidad, resuelvan una discrepancia. Busquen a un amigo olvidado; desechen una sospecha y remplácenla con la confianza; escriban una carta; den una respuesta amable; alienten a la juventud; manifiesten su lealtad de palabra y obra. Guarden una promesa; olviden una ofensa; perdonen a un enemigo; pidan disculpas; traten de comprender; examinen lo que exigen de los demás; piensen primero en alguien más. Sean bondadosos, amables; rían un poco más; expresen gratitud; den la bienvenida a un desconocido. Hagan feliz a un niño; regocíjense en la belleza y en la maravilla de la tierra. Expresen su amor con palabras y vuelvan a hacerlo”3.

Sin Cristo, no habría Navidad; sin Cristo, no habría plenitud de gozo; sin Su nacimiento y Su expiación, no tendríamos Intercesor, ni Abogado ante el Padre, ni Mediador que hiciese posible que volviésemos a la presencia de nuestro amado Padre Celestial y viviésemos juntos como familias eternas.

 

(ENGLISH)

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) gave some practical advice that helps us do that:
 

“This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.”3

 

Without Christ, there would be no Christmas. Without Christ, there can be no fulness of joy. Without His birth and His Atonement, we would have no Intercessor, no Advocate with the Father, and no Mediator who makes it possible for us to return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father and live together as eternal families.

paz y bendiciones!!

hermana hull

last week we went to the HUGE MALL downtown and the christmas tree was UNREAL!!! okay literally yes it was artificial..but it was GORGEOUS AND HUGE AND HAPPY 

 

 

 

the sweet thing sent me a batch

and everyone is dying for the recipe!!!

THANK YOU GRANDMA GORGEOUS for the 7 LAYER COOKIES!!

 

 

 do we have a christmas tree? we have like a foot tall little tike and a paper one on our wall! you get creative ;) 

four months and TRAINING?

 happy fourth months with hermana ihrke!!

crazy news  and some sad news...

CRAZY NEWS

so i got a phone call this thursday...President Ashton.."Hermana Hull, the Lord has called you to TRAIN this next transfer, will you except the call" WHAT?!?!?!?! when he phrases it like that you just cannot say no! (of course i would never say no to a calling..i was raised better--mom and dad you rock;))

SAD NEWS

that means hermana heckel will no longer be my comp :( she is training and opening a new area! super exciting for her--but i will probably cry about it later..i love that girl so much!! but we were having too much fun..i knew we couldnt stay together for much longer haha 

anyway......miracle this week? normally Hermana Cabezas drives us home from our lessons with her because they are always our last appointment of the day and they live about a half hour away on bike..but this time her husband wasn't home and her girls had gone to bed so she couldn't! we had NO IDEA how we were going to get home on time because it was 9:10 and we have to be in by 9:30...so we just prayed SUPER hard and pedaled equivalently...i may or may not have been chanting "si yo puedo si yo puedo" over and over as i pedaled harder and faster than i ever have in my life haha the chain on my bike popped off TWICE so we had to stop and fix it..AND we hit a red light...but miracles happen because we were safely in our apartment, door closed and locked, by 9:27!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Estamos bien bendicidas!!!!!! we are convinced angels were pedaling for us..because there is NO WAY we did that on our own!!! 

other cool things this week...hmmm...we made homemade sushi and taught some guatemalan members how to use chopsticks!! definitely not something i ever expected to do on my mission...OH! another thing i didnt expect..HOUSTON IS NOT HOTTER THAN HADES ANYMORE ITS COLDER THAN CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!! what the plot twist? literally FROZEN! no snow..but it is the coldest cold i have ever experienced because the humidity latches on to your bones and creeps into your heart! but nothing a warm smile and some hot beans can't fix! the members are taking good care of us ;) 

I ALMOST FORGOT! remember Irvin? of course you do..the guy who is very interested in Abraham Lincoln and loves the U.S.? so he came to church this sunday...saved him a seat in the FRONT ROW because that is what he requested..he runs in late WITH A MCDONALDS DRINK IN HIS HAND!!! i was like "you bought that yesterday right?" "uhhh............no. sorry..can i just finish it real fast?" hahaha bless his heart.  but he made it into the Marines so idk how much we will see him anymore.. he goes "i swore before God to defend the constitution...so if i dont...yall gotta shoot me or something"

more stuff happened this week but im struggling to remember so i'll just send pictures and if that sparks something...we'll see haha OH WAIT! started reading "Jesus the Christ" and can i say MIND BLOWN!?! it is such an amazing book..i can feel my relationship with our Savior increasing more and more every word i read! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

have a blessed week ya'll! thanks for the prayers!! 

hermana hull

 my zone is kind of a party

 act your animal? i do what i can

 having some fun in the parking lot while waiting for our ride to get out of a meeting!

 casually rode a silver dragon? idk

 IRVIN MADE IT INTO THE MARINES! Pray for him!

 SUSHI WITH THE BEEEEEEEEEEST!

 hermano madora is one c l a s s y man! helps us out BIG TIME! my ward rocks

 KIKO IS THE MAN!!!!! love my Tio ;)

abc it's easy as 1, 2, 3 (months!!!!)

im already 1/6 done with my mission!!!!!!!!!!!! what is life??? lovin it. wanna know the crazy things that happened this week?

started on the bus last monday where this guy named Alan called us out ("hey! you guys are mormons right?" "YES WE ARE!!") and we were talking to him about his beliefs and what not...and when we asked him about his beliefs in our Heavenly Father he goes "so like God started out as water ya know? like have you seen terminator and there is that water guy? God was like that in the beginning...etc" WHAT?! it was too bad our bus came so we didnt have the chance to say much more other than "We know that God is our loving Heavenly Father that has a body of flesh and bones..We know He loves you Alan!! have a nice day!!" 

then there was a girl on the bus playing on her phone...i recognized the sound effects and casually asked if she was playing fruit ninja...she said yes..and dont ask me how it happened but next thing we know we are talking about Jesus Christ and the church and inviting her and she wants missionaries to come over etc!!! its amazing how when we have the gospel on the forefront of our minds, sharing it becomes e a s y!!! another example...a member took us to a desserts boutique called Ooh La La and i couldnt decide which cupcake i wanted..so naturally i turned to the man next to me and started asking about his favorite cupcakes and stuff..and then figured out he was Bocar from West Africa and next thing i know i am writing down the chapel address, mormon.org, etc and giving him a lesson right there in front of the cupcakes!!! (I ended up getting Ultimate Chocolate in case you were curious)

oh! okay remember Irving from last week? the one that wants to be president of the united states?? i think he really is serious..because one night after teaching him a lesson on faith or something he texted us the following message: " By giving counsel to me: God has given you a great responsibility. In the future, I have a feeling, people will talk about the historical events that happened in the critical moments of 2014 A.D. God bless you guys and have a great day :D" hahahaha if my name isnt in a textbook 100 yrs from now i will be severely disappointed!!! haha all joking aside, he really is making a change in his life and told us he decided to recommit to God and is coming to church this sunday no matter what!! yay!

so we were planning to meet with a recent convert and she asked us to stop by at 9am so we moved our studies around and what not to accommodate and when we rolled up 9am the next day she answered the door wrapped up in her blanket..we had woken her up! haha but she told us to come in and sit on her couch..and then left the room. we were like uhhh.....next thing we know we can hear the shower turn on!!!!! hahaha i couldnt believe it! it was hilarious haha sure ill just sit here on your couch while you take a shower real quick..no problem ;)
 

so  manuel (the one that went back to mexico and then surprised us) was super close to baptism but just had some questions about joseph smith...so we showed him and his mom the restoration video and answered all of his questions and what not and invited him to be baptized this last sunday...we had already gone through the baptismal interview questions so he was all set and then his mom Emilia asks if she could see the questions... "CLARO QUE SI HERMANA!!" (of course!!) so we went through the interview questions with her and she had a testimony and clear understanding of every single point! at the end she said "pues, me siento preparado" (well, i feel prepared!) so naturally we invited her to be baptized with her son the next day!! SHE SAID YES!!! and they were both baptized this last sunday!! my comp and i sang at their baptism and the spirit was UNREAL!! we made emilia cry..which was a HUGE accomplishment because she isnt one to show much emotion!!! it is amazing how happy this work makes me!!! i just cant wait for Emilia's husband to get baptized...he totally couldve but he cant let go of his casual "one beer a week to help me fall asleep"  pray for manuel please! that stinkin beer is the ONLY thing holding him back!! 

okay in general conference....one of my absolute favorite talks was "Approaching the throne of God with Confidence" by Jorg Klebingat. it is a powerful talk that maps out six steps for how we can increase our spiritual confidence! my comp and i are focusing on one of the six steps a week this transfer and ive ALREADY seen a difference!!! go read it! its the best..you wont regret it!

also, Gregory A. Schwitzer of the Seventy toured our mission this week...that was pretty cool.. I sat with him at lunch and asked him to tell me the first vision in German (he served in Germany obvi) and he did! if the Holy Ghost didn't testify to me that what he was saying was true he could've been saying anything. but the church is true regardless of the language! i promise! 

oh last but not least....language struggle of the week: first of all one day everyone i tried to talk to in spanish didn't understand the language and second, "Efectivo" means "Cash" in spanish and "Eficaz" means "effective"...its kinda awkard when you mix those up...multiple times..when talking to multiple people...whoops!!

well thats it for this week!! thank you for the prayers! im praying for y'all as well!!!

paz y bendiciones

hermana hull

a casual night in downtown houston..on my bike...I LOVE BIKE RIDING!!!!!!! LITERALLY ITS THE BEST!!!  

 nbd but we play badmitton on thursday mornings...it gets intense

 and  FINALLY hit up a taco truck!!!! that Gordita is about to make me Gordita because it was uhhhmaZING!!!!!

member named Yolanda and our cute mexican blouses!! she feeds us and teaches with us and loves us and WE LOVE HER!!!

and then got some gifts from a member from guatemala!!! I LOVE MY WARD!!!

 they were happy to get baptized i promise...they just dont smile for the camera.....

trio for the day with a new hermana!!  

 "neener nanner dogs" white bread, peanut butter, and banana...you get creative 

 sister mecham:the health advisor!!!!!!!! we love her

 and elder topham! he leaves the mission soon....nutzo

Three Month Pic! 

TWO MONTH MARK LIKE WHAT????

I would (bike) 500 miles and i would (bike) 500 more......literally all over the place this week!!! my legs are dead. but its so worth it because this gospel is worth it because its SALVATION IM PREACHIN PEOPLE!!

Last pday we went to the galleria (casually taught two people on the bus on the ride over...i love people. and talking to them. about the gospel. what is missionary life) the mall is THREE STORIES!!! casually has an ice skating rink inside AND apartments AND i don't even know because its so huge!! shopping as a missionary is super easy because i can buy like two things..so i wasn't even tempted by the plethora of clothing...its was nice!

on the bus ride home we met a lovely african american couple named Elton and Kay! he was from Louisiana and had the accent to prove it! he also swore like a sailor..haha but he is a veteran so we let it slide...THIS TIME! when we got off the bus he decided he wanted to take us out to eat some quality BBQ at a place called Papa's BBQ!! (dad and david...picture eating at Lucille's WITH A MAN FROM LOUISIANA!! best day ever.)

also on another bus ride we met this lady named Gracie from MEXICO and she absolutely loved us! kept saying "i love you i love you!" she invited us over to her house but we couldn't go because it was out of our area...or mission actually...but she grabbed my face and kissed my cheeks when i got off the bus so i still felt loved...trust me! haha people here just love the missionaries! its the greatest!


went on exchanges to an english speaking area!! my comp for the day was Sister Owens from Citrus Heights, CA!! YAY FOR CALIFORNIA!! her laugh is unreal..i loved it. you best believe i had her bustin' a gut allllll day long!! a member named sister davis took us out to eat burgers/fries/ and pies! it was DE-LISH! she may not look like a threat, but sister davis goes to the shooting range on the weekly and carries a gun with her! why? because she is a TEXAN through and through and thats just "what we do"


haha also we went and taught this lady a lesson and the craziest/most amazing thing happened! my comp for the day was reading a scripture and i was just sitting there thinking about this ladies situation and all of a sudden a HUGE WAVE of love for this lady came over me and i started bawling! i then proceeded to bear my testimony to her of just how much God loves her...because i literally felt his HUGE amount of love for her specifically!!! God loves us each so much...more than my little imperfect human heart could bear...i was bursting at the seams! WE HAVE A LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER!!! I PROMISE!!


on 9/11 we shared a mormon message called " a new hope" ( or " una nueva esperanza") to a ton of people! it is an amazing story of a 9/11 survivor and really is an amazing reminder...GO WATCH IT!!

on friday we had a member call us and ask us to meet her at the chapel (40 minute bike ride) to meet one of her friends and potential investigator...we said of course!!! we met Gabrilla and her daughter Isi who are from argentina!! their accents were super cool...the intonation of their voices is almost italian sounding! they LOVED the church tour and definitely felt the spirit! we have family home evening planned with them for tonight so that will be amazing!

also we went looking for a referral we received from the elders...and we passed by apt 406 four days in a row with no luck.....finally we decided to check again to the ref and it was apt #406A!! we FOUND HER!!! felt a little silly for knocking on a random vacant apartment for four days but hey..we found her!

short on time so ill end with Hermana Silva's birthday party on saturday night...haha latinos know how to throw quite the fiesta!!! it was her 70 something birthday and it literally looked like a wedding reception! the food was amazing, the decor was on point, but the best part was the DANCING!! we didnt dance, of course..unfortunately..i was dying..., but in latino culture the adults are the ones going HAMMM ON THE DANCE FLOOR! they all know these cute little salsa's and cha cha's! So fun!

i finally met my bishop! he is back from his two 1/2 week vacation!! turns out he is Russian...what?? but speaks fluent english and spanish as well! so thats a fun fact!

another fun fact, cant remember if i said this already, but a handful of the hermanos (elders) in my ward lovingly call me "Hermana HULK" haha and always joke that they dont want to get me mad so they will do whatever they can to keep me happy...haha silly boys

THIS GOSPEL IS THE TRUEST AND I LOVE SHARING IT! SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE! ITS WORTH THE OCCASIONAL AWKWARD MOMENTS!! haha i sound like such a missionary huh? well probably because i am! and love it! la obra misional es TAN importante!

love love love you all! and hope this week is another great one!

paz y bendiciones,

hermana hull

PICS!!! 

 Poor little sick Hermana Hull - "nasty smoothie stuff to drink for ct scan..."

 my cute apartment! 

 MATCHING WITH A MEMBER FROM GUATAMALA-WILSON IS THE BOMB

 GREENIE KIT FROM SISTER WEBER! THE CUTEST! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 exchanges!

 sister davis..aka Texan through and through

Random funny sign they found while visiting an investigator! 

  go to jack in the box and get a salted caramel milkshake! TO DIE FOR! we turned a 40min bike ride into a 25 min one just because we knew if we were fast enough we would have time to stop and get one haha 

 why do i love to match everyone?

 this is how we keep the sight and sound rule in walmart...missionary life is a HOOT!

TWO MONTH MARK BABY