Greetings Arizona Dwellers!

Well another week has gone by here. It was good! The other missionaries are still staying with us.  They are having a hard time finding a house. We didn't have changes last week so I still have the same companion. We might have changes on Wednesday but we won’t find out until tomorrow. He only has three changes left, so like 4 months.

I’m glad you liked "One Good Man". It's definitely one of my church favorites! So... you went to your first stake dance...Ha ha I remember going to stake dances!  Crazy to hear that Josh and Ryan have their papers in. I feel like they are still so young. Yeah...“The Best Two Years” is so great, and now that I’m on a mission, it’s even funnier. My mission is definitely very rewarding. I’m glad to hear you are praying for me. I really do feel those prayers. 

We have been having some fun exploring in new areas farther out in the mountains. Since we’ve been having such a hard time finding new people close by, we are venturing out farther and farther. Yeah, so Mothers Day is coming up and I’ll try and find a place to Skype from this week. I think the 10th is when they let us talk here, so plan for that day. Let me know what time works best when all the family can be over. I love you guys a ton and can’t wait to see y’all. Mucho Amor!

Elder Hoy

Blessings of the Temple

Hola from Central America! This week was full of fun and surprises! So this week was ''Semana Santa'', the holy week for the Catholics. This is where they do all their processions which is really creepy. It really showed me how much the Great Apostasy ruined this world.  It’s a total bummer.

The Trip to the temple was way good. I saw my first companion and we were able to talk for a long time on the bus. He is doing well.  We were able to bring three investigators and they all loved it! One of them came to church with us on Sunday as well. Her name is Daisy. The only problem with her is that her boyfriend doesn’t want to get married and doesn’t want to speak with us either. That’s really unfortunate, but she wants to keep coming to church and start praying that her boyfriend changes.

 Also, the elders in the area next to us got their house robbed so they are living with us until they can find a new safer house. It’s sooooo fun living with 2 companionships. One of the elders is from Ohio. His name is Elder Bauserman. The other one is Elder Calero from Nicaragua. He is really cool and likes skateboarding so of course we get along great:) Changes are next week which is crazy! This change went super  fast! We'll see if I stay with Elder Candray or not. We continue to get along good.

But yeah I love you all! I’m so grateful to have temples and for the wonderful spirit you can feel there. All of the people that went just talked about how peaceful and happy they felt there. It’s such an amazing blessing to have the fullness of the gospel on the earth. Have a great week! 

Love,

Elder Hoy

I'm Happy!

Beautiful San Salvador Temple

Fields of El Salvador

Me and Elder Martinez (my 1st companion)

Hola From El Salvador!

Well things continue at about the same pace. We were able to bring an investigator to church this week, a young boy named Steven. His mom is an inactive member. She got cancer in her legs and had to get one of them amputated. This trial has been hard on her and so she doesn’t treat her kids very well. She always criticizes them and tells them what they do wrong and all that. We tried to teach the importance of her role as a mother but she just doesn’t want to change. It made me realize how grateful I am to have a mother that loves and supports me. I LOVE YOU MOM!!! 

We are going to have another trip to the San Salvador temple with investigators this Friday. It’s going to be a really cool experience. A lot of people get baptized after these visits so we are praying and working to bring a lot of people to it. I’m pretty settled in now to the area and getting along with all the members. I’m really glad I inherited dad’s people person skills… And his good looks :) Everyone always compliments the photos I show them. They say that dad looks like Tom Cruise and that you guys look so young.

I’m so grateful for all the blessings that our Heavenly Father has blessed me with, especially my family. Say Hi to all the people there, especially the Showalters. Tell Jeff thank you for the leatherman he gave me! I use it almost every day for something! I miss them a lot. Start planning a trip to buffalo for when I get back! Well I love you all and hope you have a great week! This week I officially complete a year! I can’t believe it!!!

Here are some photos for the week, Me and a baby cat in my pocket, and of course a picture with another little Salvadoreño kid.

Love,

Elder Hoy 

Baby Kitty

Me and a little Salvadoreño

Awesome Week!

So this week has been pretty awesome. I loved General Conference. All the gringos were in the stake president’s office watching conference in English to get more out of it. When President Monson started talking about the Gilbert Temple Dedication I freaked out and shouted ''I LIVE THERE!'' It was really awesome to hear all of the talks and reaffirm my testimony of latter day prophets. I loved Elder Uchtdorf”s talk about gratitude. That made me think back on all that I’m grateful for. Our Heavenly  Father has blessed us so much. I especially realize that after seeing how the people live here. But it is just amazing to see how people here can still live such happy and positive lives despite their humble circumstances.

That’s one thing I’ve also learned from” Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway”. I finished it this morning. It is honestly one of the best books ever. One of the things I love is that we can lead a positive life even in the face of horrible circumstances. It’s just all down to our attitude and positive thinking. I’m trying to put that in practice in the work here and just be happy even if people reject us.

Jeffrey R. Holland’s opening talk was also such a straight powerhouse. He is such a champ!  Rejection has become a common part of my life here, and I used to let it affect me. But now I just bear my testimony and leave them. They have their agency.  They can use it to condemn themselves if they want!

Fun fact! Carlos H. Amado, one of the Seventies that spoke in the first session, well I’ve met him! He spoke to us in the CCM in Guatemala when Quentin L.Cook came. He was kind of hard to understand , but his message of the life and atonement of Jesus Christ was really good.

 I also liked Elder W. Craig Zwick's talk about not using harsh words or saying something before stepping back and understanding the situation. I’ve found that in my life I’ve said a lot of things to people without thinking and I’ve offended them because I didn’t take the time to see the situation through their eyes. But I’m trying to change that and follow the ''think before you act'' rule.

I love you all so much! Things are going good here. I’ve been a little sick but nothing serious. Have fun this week! Oh and we did a Luau last week for our zone and had a water balloon fight. It was a lot of fun. My companion  really got into it and even wore jeans and a t shirt. That's what the pictures are of.

Elder Hoy

Zone Luau and Water Balloon Fight

My Companion in Jeans!