In the Jungle

Houston never ceases to surprise me..just when i think im getting used to it all, a crazy week like this one rolls up!!

it all started with the zoo...last p-day we took a trip to the downtown houston zoo as a district! it was actually a super nice day, not too hot, so all of the animals were out and active!! but before we know it the clouds opened up and DUMPED rain on us! haha we waited it out in the gift shop and then had to head home anyway so it all worked out! my hermana and i needed to take the bus back, and on our way back to the bus stop we discovered a HUGE park in downtown houston! it has kinda a Central Park (New York) meets Golden Gate Park (San Fransisco) meets D.C. vibe to it...lots of trees, fountains and statues, random artsy sculptures...it was awesome! planning on spending a whole p-day just exploring that park and maybe having a picnic with the other hermanas one day...we'll see!

so sometimes my brain doesn't work before 7am and i accidentally leave the keys in the gym which means we are locked out of the gym AND OUR APARTMENT and no one in the complex that is awake at this ridiculous hour has a key to the gym because it turns out it costs extra and the office doesn't open until 9am so thats cool.....until COLOMBIAN MAN COMES IN FOR THE WIN!!!!!! we met this guy from Colombia about two-three weeks ago and he recognized us as missionaries because his wife was baptized in Colombia and asked about where the nearest chapel is and what not so she could continue to attend...but we hadn't seen him after that! but turns out homeboy goes for a casual morning jog on the mill and was in the gym when we went back to check! so we got our keys by 7:45am, reminded him that he and his wife would be welcomed with open arms at church, AND made it to district meeting with time to spare!! GOD IS GOOD!

okay, confession....i kind of LOVE public transportation! taking the bus is a riot every single time! the people you meet....man, it's just the best! this one lady i met was like Queen Latifa in her 60s..super loud and proud haha we had an awesome conversation about Jesus, Our Lord and Savior! even though i didn't agree with everything she said, i loved that she wasn't shy about her beliefs! We really shouldnt be timid about the truth guys..we got it, so let's share it! no shame in loving the Lord and letting others know why they should too ;)

so we went to visit this awesome member couple, to get to know them a little better and see how we could serve them, but when we knocked on the down out popped VICTOR! Victor is, if i had to guess, in his late 60s-early 70s, from Mexico, has three teeth--but a smile from ear-to-ear!! he loved the brief message we shared with him and invited us back for an official lesson tomorrow! he is the happiest old man already so i cannot wait to just add even more happiness to his humble life!!

so we got lost in a jungle...didn't no Texas had jungles..especially in the middle of Houston for heaven's sakes! we thought we were taking a shortcut to a members out when BOOM! STUCK ON A SIX MILE LOOP IN A JUNGLE!!! it was probably the most disorienting but awesome thing ever..we got some crazy looks from the hard core bikers that were all suited up for the ride because we were casually hauling in our sunday best ;) but we made it out alive, an alligator bite or two later ;) and now have another adventure to add to the "p-day bucket list" so holler at your houston advetnures!

ate at a michoacana this week..aka an all spanish store! got four tacos for four dollars AND a quality mexican ice cream with a smile ;) you best believe im going back! gringa and all!

had the opportunity to watch the General Women's Conference on saturday night and it got me PUMPED FOR CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND!!!!! we get to hear from the Prophet!! i loved telling people that we have a modern prophet and apostles that lead and guide the church today..and that they can lead and guide us because the proper priesthood authority of GOd has been restored...it just makes sense! of course we would have a prophet..God loves us too, doesn't He? i would encourage everyone the write down questions you have in preparation for general conference..i promise it will be answered! maybe not in the way you would anticipate or maybe even want...but the Lord with answer your questions through the mouths of his beloved prophets ;)

the church is so true everyone..i promise! but don't take my word for it...go find out for yourself! and when you do figure it out, bear your testimony and challenge someone else to find the truth!

God loves us and wants whats best!
and don't forget that I LOVE Y'ALL TOO!!!!!

THANKS FOR THE PRAYERS :)
paz y bendiciones,
hermana hull

ps go see MEET THE MORMONS in theaters OCT 10th!  
we get to watch it at zone conference TOMORROW!!!missionaries cheat sometimes ;) with permission

 missionaries at the zoo!!!! 

random park in houston! 

washington monument meets houston texas? casual

i love members!!!

nasty cicadas in texas....they look like aliens..no joke out of this world!

i love ice cream 

i love members 

even though sometimes we get lost in jungles....I LOVE MY CUTE COMP!!

Raining cats and HOGS & NO i'm not a nun...

wait... am I still in Texas? 

well hellloooooooo again! another crazy week on the Lord's errand so let's get down to the needy greedy (think nacho libre)!!

in our mission we do something we call "OYMing" which stands for Open Your Mouth...its basically just talking to everybody and their mother on the streets, in buses, in stores, etc...so last p-day i sat by a lady at the bus stop and asked if she spoke spanish, she said yes, and i asked if i could practice my spanish with her and share a message of hope and happiness...she agreed! the conversation was going really well and she was really genuine in her listening, so i was super sad when the bus rolled up...BUT GUESS WHAT?! WE WERE GETTING ON THE SAME BUS!! So the conversation continued...and the blessing was that the bus was COMPLETELY empty other than us! so i was able to teach the restoration to her in the bus without distractions..the spirit was BOOMIN! normally houston buses are jammed packed so it was definitely a tender mercy from My Loving Savior :)

speaking of miracles and such...MANUEL!! he is a 19 yr old boy we met when we went to go visit the Avalos (recent convert family). He is so prepared to receive the gospel! Manuel and his parents are visiting from Mexico and are loving the lessons.. Manuel has a huge desire to come unto Christ and follow his example! He excepted a baptismal date after our first lesson forOctober 5th and it just so happens TO BE HIS BIRTHDAY!!! so you best believe we are going to throw him the holiest fiesta this world has seen!!

i now understand the saying "when it rains, it POURS" houston does rain like no place else!!! literal rivers in the roads...sidewalks overflowed...but we had to make it to an appointment with a referral and felt like it was important enough to tough it in the rain and let me tell you ive never been more soaked in my life haha pedaling through ankle deep water and getting completely drenched by passing cars was THE COOLEST!! the sidewalks were a straight up SPLASH ZONE and we basically swam (on our bikes) through the lakes that were made in the parking lot...but it was awesome! and we made it to our appointment! and Juliana accepted a baptismal date for Oct 12th! she was in a car accident and broke various vital bones that made her unable to walk...but a member knew her situation and suggested the elders come give her a blessing..that was two weeks ago..when we went to see her this week she was walking around and able to take care of her two little girls! her faith is incredible and i cant wait to see how the gospel continues to bless and enrich her life!

oh! the members in my ward are the coolest! one guy named Eddy is a single dad of four, drives around a red minivan, AND  is a bouncer for a night club!! casual...

also, they have this crazy tradition that if its your birthday or (if a missionary is leaving-and there is cake-which was the case this week..hermana jaegar is leaving this transfer) they all start chanting "Madida!! MADIDA!!" which means "BITE! BITE!" and when you go to take a bite of the cake (without utensils) someone shoves your face in the cake!! i was like what the greatest tradition EVER!!!!!!!!!

oh..an english elder accidentally forgot to turn off the baptismal font when he was filling it up and it overflowed and FLOODED the womens restroom!!! haha it needed a good cleaning so we'll just call it a casual blessing in disguise ;)

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE HAPPEN ON THE DAILY!! LOOK FOR THEM!! 

also, i was reading a brad wilcox talk entitled "his grace is sufficient" (awesome btw..y'all should read it..for reals) and a quote i LOVED from it is "Jesus doesn't make UP the difference. Jesus makes ALL difference." its so true!! he has already paid the price for us..and is there for us every step of the way. i dont want to give away more of the talk because really everyone should go read it! but the atonement is amazing and we are all so blessed to have it! its up to us to use it  :)

well, church is true guys..i promise!

paz y bendiciones!!

hermana hull

p.s. - forgot to explain the nun thing! a lady on a scooter rolled up behind us and we said hi and stuff and she was like "i knowed y'alls was nuns cuz of yer long skirts..." to which i immediately replied " im not a nun." haha it just shot out of my mouth! haha i then went on the explain how we were missionaries, our purpose here, and what happens after our missions are over...ended up being an awesome "OYM" moment!! 

my zone is cooler than your zone..

HOLY HUGE MUSHROOM!!! 

the get-up for storm ridin...i look like megamind...

and MARBLE SLAB!! the cashier gave us a 25% discount just for being missionaries! the nicest!

FREE FANCY CAKES FROM A MEMBER!!! 

A surprise picture we got mid-week from Hermana Hull!

and my comp thought i was so weird when i went to write in the area book in this position.,..it was comfortable..judge me

hermana C and her girls!! our favorites :)

all the hermanas!! love my cute ladies :)

KIKO IS THE MANNNNNN

more with the C girls!!! they are hilarious! 

casual district selfiessss

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

Former Drug Lords, CT Scans. and MOSIAH!

Please say lots of prayers for our favorite Hermana. She was super sick this week! But you know Emily - always positive!

 okay so once pday was over last week we were out on our bikes again..as usual..and ran into this guy named Quincy! turns out the my Hermana and other comps have talked to him in the past and we all lovingly call him "Big Brotha Quincy!!" his story is CRAZY: used to be a drug lord, hustler, pimp, etc...had been to jail twice...but then got hit by a car and had to have four brain surgeries and a huge recovery process and now thanks the Lord  ("God is good man...for real..God is GOOD") for his second chance. he has completely turned his life around and is doing awesome! now he just needs to learn Spanish so we can teach him!!

97.1, 101.9, 102.2, 103.1--no, these aren't radio stations unfortunately....these would be my temperatures on Wednesday in order...I got sick AGAIN! but I'm determined for it to be my last time getting sick on the mission because it just stinks. the toilet and I are straight homies now because I was throwing up allllllll Wednesday(talk about a sneaky ab workout--blessing in disguise!) at one point woke up with my head in the toilet! turns out I passed out or something haha luckily our mission doctor happens to be in our ward so he was able to help me out BIG TIME and prescribe me medication and tell me what to do to get my fever down and my stomach more settled. he got super nervous though because I was showing signs of appendicitis..so he had me go into his office to get some blood work done...AND  I had to get a CT scan...in order to get the CT scan I had to drink two huge containers of this nasty silly-putty textured rotten berry "smoothie" haha it was fine though and everything worked out and I am all healthy and ready to go and my appendix didn't rupture and life is good!! but being sick like that did mean I was on house arrest for four days...no leaving the apartment-doctors orders...

on the bright side I got to check out the family history site (super cool) and get some solid studying in!! I was reading in Mosiah and can I just say ABINADI IS A BEAST!!!! he is such a solid disciple of Christ and definitely an example to strive to follow. his unwavering faith and strength found in his knowledge of the gospel blows my mind. the church is true because Abinadi said so. other reasons too of course...but he sold it for me! (like re-sold it..because I already had a testimony and all but like you know what it mean...)

oh! we did teach this one lesson with an African American lady named Brandy. she saw us emailing last week, asked if we were missionaries, broke down crying and asked for us to stop by and pray for her. so of course we stopped by and taught her, her cousin Mercedes, and little son named King. they LOVED everything we taught them about Joseph Smith and the comfort we can find in the scriptures! Mercedes even asked for her own copy!! I wish to the high heavens they spoke Spanish so we could continue to have lessons with them, but we will graciously turn them over to the English speaking missionaries...

yesterday we were FINALLY FREE!!!!! while I was sitting in church it hit me that everyone in the ward (other than most of the missionaries) were converts--first generation converts--how cool is that? their testimonies and inspiring stories encourage me to work hard to bring more souls unto Christ and continue to strengthen my awesome ward!

I feel so lucky to be a missionary and LOVE and appreciate my opportunity to ride a bike and go out and preach!!! being sick for four days straight really re-charged and re-committed me to this work! it really is so important and there is a reason I am here! being a HEALTHY missionary is the BEST!!!

love you all as much as Argentinians love their mate (think"ma-tay" - one of the hermanos in our ward is from argentina and drinks it ON THE DAILY..he's obsessed)

paz y bendiciones,

hermana hull

HOLLA FROM HOUSTON FOR REAL

IM HERE!!! in hotter than hades, humid as heck-HOUSTON!!!!!!! and i love it. 

we got to the airport met our president! president is the coolest...he is way chill and super in tune. he wants the best for us but also lets us exercise our agency a lot..which i love! his family is hilarious and i love them already! 

the first night i got there i sleepover at the lady's house named sister q. or something..she married this guy from palestine and her house was full of camels. no joke. glass camels, stuffed animal camels , you name it, she's got it. but she made us feel right at home and told us more than we wanted to know about houston but it was awesome! i then met my new companion! absolutely LOVE HER! her name is hermana H from utah and she was been out for 10 months. she is outgoing, funny, loving, patient, etc...and we work together like PB&J! 

oh president asked us to say a 15 minute long prayer a day...such a struggle at first..but now i LOVE IT!! i have time to pray for everyone and everything and my relationship with Heavenly Father is getting stronger than ever..challenge: DO IT! 15 minute prayer! its the BOMB!

there are 11 people in my district..which means 11 missionaries to ONE ward.. weird huh? but its a HUGE area so its necessary..i am in the Houston 1 spanish ward. 

speaking of HUGE my area was originally a car area but had to get switched to a bike area aka its a whole lot of ground to cover!! but i actually love riding my super nice bike (thank you dad!) we live in a kinda ratchet apartment with cockroaches but its so homie! and safe. people look out for us here! i can get mail sent directly to my apt so please message me on facebook or email me to get my address! 

the first day we talked to this lady named Lorena who was sweeping her porch and she ended up inviting us in to eat...MENUDO aka cow's stomach/feet in a soup...SOOO GROSSSS and she would grab the bones out of our bowls to suck the fat off..so nasty..but she invited us over again and is now a new investigator so i guess it was worth it! also we teach this family from Angola that speaks portuguese..but we are learning! they know a little spanish and english too so our lessons are just a big mess of languages haha but the spirit helps us figure each other out haha

met this homeless lady named Donisha! she was super sweet and so positive for her situation..i meet the coolest people...another lady stopped us on the stret too and asked for us to come by this saturday! we tried to spell things in sign language and write on post-its to understand each other haha it was awesome! found out she is a member! so cool! also, met this guy named eddy.. a homeless guy that has been a member for two years, endowed and all, that found out i was from california and just broke out into song! any california song he remembered he would bust out singing whether or not he was mid-sentence haha awesome.
people here, even if they dont listen to our message, still love that we are serving and respect and look out for us! its amazing.

also, houston is a huge melting pot (in case you couldnt already tell..) people are from all over! ive met and taught people from mexico, columbia, guatemala, el salvador, ecuador, peru, angola, ghana, nigeria, etc..and ive only been here 5 days! i love learning all the different little dialects and hearing how different people speak spanish differently based on therir country! my understanding is at about a 75% i would say and my ability to respond and keep a convo going is about the same..im learning as fast as i can and feel so lucky to have the spirit helping me! i get to go to the houston temple every three months starting in october!!! so pumped about that...oh! guys..best dessert..freeze a banana..then melt some peanut butter and poor it over the frozen banana and then drizzle chocolate sauce over that! satisfies any ice cream craving and is literally heaven sent!!!!!! its a nice cold treat because it is literally like living in an armpit here..random rainstorms, constant moisture, heat up the wazoo..but it really is the best! okay if i want to send pictures i need to go..but i love you all and appreciate the prayers!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!


hermana hull hits houston ;)


P.S. - my pday will normally be on mondays and we will email around 10:30ish my time!! CANT WAIT

wet bike seats

cool down your life hairbands

ambulances!!! my future ride!!!

struggles of having a bike....dirty skirt...

helmet hair...

and OOPS!! there it is! dont worry one of our friends is a tailor!

ghetto apartment=hang drying the clothes! love it

the new zone!