Hola!

mom, the new rule about missionaries is very very good, in respects to what you said, people getting there crap together before they leave high school. it raises the bar just a little more for missionaries. woo! second, let me know as soon as you know where she is going! Elder hollands talk was very good, his understanding of the scriptures is something that makes his talks so excellent. always good. another package?! i would love that :) there are actually somethings that i would ask for, and that is the holy writ. i heard they are now making preach my gospels in a small version, that is easier to carry around and all! if you could look into that and, if possible, order one in portuguese one in english, that would be awesome! also, i found a pair of work shoes here for 35 REals (17 dollars) in a distribution store of the company 3M (maybe dad knows of it) so it was wayy cheap and they will last the rest of the mission. woo! 

dad, i did indeed get to watch all of the sessions, except for the priesthood one, but that is alright because i will just print out the talks in the future. i think the new missionary rule is great, the only thought that comes to my head is that if it had been like this a year and a half sooner, me and michelle could have served at the exact same time. but cant change the past, and that will be very good for the church. you are right, because my companion is leaving next transfer, i will be here another 3 months, which means that this will be my second area where i will pass 6 months. that is a ridiculous thing! it is really really rare to stay in an area for 6 months only once, but twice! lets see if it happens more, but i will be here a very, very long time. it sounds like penn state is doing well! im glad to hear it. also, oregon sounds like a machine, i am sad to miss that, but all will be recompensed. 

onto everything else!

well this week was REALLY REALLY BUSY, and i will explain why.

well first of all, monday and tuesday we had transfers.  we had alot of people get transfered, and so monday and tuesday was everyone leaving and tuesday and wednesday was everyone getting here, so we were at the bus station all day tuesday coordinating all of that. a sister coming into our zone from iguaçu falls forgot her luggage (long story) and it turned into her not getting to her area until today, the trip to falls is 10 hours each way, so this whole week was her traveling with another sister, getting her luggage and all, and then coming back. she will be getting here today, i think.

then, tuesday night we traveled to londrina for the next leaders council! and wednesday the whole day  was that, which was really really good. this time it was in the house of the mission president, it was a really nice spirit. then on thursday, we traveled back from londrina to maringá.

friday we gave the "zone meeting" which takes place of district meeting each week we have a leaders conference, and its basically like a 3 hour training on what we learned and what we want for the zone, and that went really well! it is sweet having the same companion more than 3 months , because our teaching and everything is on the same page.

saturday morning, before general conference (the first session is 1 pm here) we had a service project in the sisters ward. a family who lives on the second story of a downtown apartment moved to another downtown 3rd story apartment, about two blocks away. the project went from 8am to 1230pm, and we did all of it. it was incredible how we were able to get it all done in four and a half hours. i just worked, worked worked, i have less time to do exercises here on the mission so it was a good opportunity to exhaust myself. anyways, so 1230 we finished, i took a shower in their new house (see the photo i sent, i was absolutely disgusting) and we went to lunch, and still managed to get to conference 1:30, so a little late, but still!

then saturday and sunday was general conference! which only is broadcasted in the chapel downtown, so we went ans stayed around there the whole day. i loved general conference. all of the talks were soo good! and i love all the general authorities, but as you may already know the one whose talks i like the most is President Eyring. his talk was unbelieveable. every talk he gives goes along with what i feel like is always the conflict in my life, building a foundation of faith and coming closer to the knowledge of god, in order to make it through diffiulties and hard times. i cant wait till next april.

this conference i did something different, that i would reccoment to you guys. normally, we are all scribbling notes on all the talks, which is what i have always done. but last april i got to thinking that i am going to study them in the ensign starting the next month, so i should do less not taking (since ill have the full talk later) and focus more on revelation that i need to be recieving. soooo, what i did is that each day (one time saturday, one sunday) the night before i prayed about it and wrote down 2 questions of my soul that i needed answered. and it was crazy because each day they were completely responded! and if i had switched the questions with the days, (saturdays questions on sunday) they wouldnt have been as well responded. so i know it was something of God. these were my questions:

Saturday

1)How can i be more happy?

2)How can i get to know christ better?

Sunday

1) What is missing in my journey of mortality?

2) What do i need to change about myself to progress better towards exaltation?


soo it was a great experience in conference, and a very rushed week! but everything is ok, because i am not even that tired. im ready to go another 10 months at least. these last weeks i have really been having the desire to ask to be able to extend the mission another two transfers, or 3 months, but it would complicate the plans to pick me up, so probably now :/ i will talk to my president soon and see if theres a way to do it before you guys buy the plane tickets, i will just look into it!

tell joseph that i sent him a letter via mission ties, and will every week. tell him that i love him. 

i got to go now, but i love you guys! busy weeks are great weeks! and i will tlalk to you next monday!


Elder Hoskin