12-26-2017-Opening presents

Hola a todos mis amigosssss 

How has everyone been?! Enjoyed Christmas?! Ya spoiled little children.

I hope you’re enjoying Christmas break as well. That was always the beessssst. I slept so good during those breaks. I forgot what sleep is.

So this week was pretty good! It went by super fast too. Last Monday we went hiking “Flatiron” and for like 2-3 days my legs were KILLING ME they were so sore!!! It was awesome. But I mean every other time my legs had been sore in my life, I didn’t have to ride a bike to get around everywhere. So that was the worst part. I had to bike with sore legs!! And then one day this week (can’t remember what day) it was sooooooo windy!! And the wind was blowing so hard and it was blowing against us too. So it made it a lot harder to bike and my legs were ON 

Now I have realized that my trials now are not mental, they’re physical. At the beginning of my mission my trials were just all mental! Mentally tired, frustrated because I couldn’t speak the language, having to think soooo much about what I want to say because I had to piece together the sentences, etc. And now, that’s the LEAST of my worries. 

I have fallen from my bike mannny times (don’t ask me why), my legs constantly hurt, especially when we want to get somewhere fast because we are running late. My energy is physically gone, not mentally. 

Language -  ✅

Mentally tired -  ✅

Physical trials - ???? 

But despite the trials, I’m HAPPY! Cause happiness comes from the message I am sharing. And when I get to share it, it makes me happy!! It makes me happy when I know I’m being obedient, and when I know that I have been forgiven for my sins. The physical trials really try my patience, but I keep going forward with a smile! And I laugh! People probably think I’m crazy because I’m laughing my head off on my bike riding down the street!! I’ve had to walk insanely far because of bike problems, I’ve fallen off and gotten scraped up, my companion has has like 7 different bikes because it’s just problem after problem for him (and if he has a problem, I do too because I’m with him 24/7). But you know what?! WE’RE HAPPY!!!! 

Be happy and learn to laugh at your problems. You either laugh at them or you cry. Who wants to cry? Nobody. 

That’s all I got for this week. Love you all and Merry Christmas and a happy new year! 

 

 

12-18-2017- p-day hike

Hey everyone! Sorry I’m getting these emails so late. We went on a hike today! And it was awesome. We did “Flatiron” in 4 hours. It was awesome! 

We didn’t have any bike problems!! Well, Elder Matamoros didn’t have any bike problems! He took the tire off of one bike and put it on the one he bought. It’s ghetto but awesome 

We had our Christmas ward party also! And of course, it was Hispanic. So we had tamales, hit some piñatas, sang some songs, and sat and took pictures with a Hispanic Santa! I don’t think I can go through Christmas without tamales and piñatas. They know how to party!! It was awesome. 

We did a service also. We literally bagged 4000 cookies for children. They’re tuning the light rail into the polar express for children. It’s going to be so awesome! And then later that day Elder Johnson (now Jake cause he went home) bought us Raising Cane’s and it was bliss. I love that restaurant. It doesn’t exist in Idaho so I’ve got to take advantage of it will I’m here in AZ hahahaha. 

We finally went to the temple with a recent convert, Elizabeth! It was amazing. We have a goal of trying to get people to the temple 30 days after they’re baptized. It was 5 months later. But she made it!!! And it was awesome. We went with the other sister missionaries in the ward too so that they could help her out. Cause yeah. 

December has gone by so fast! And I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel like Christmas. Christmas for me has to have snow in it. There’s no snow!! It’s actually really warm during the day and it’s like a summer in Idaho. Maybe a little colder than an Idaho summer, but it’s right there. Christmas is coming fast! 

An update with living conditions: the church is trying to get all missionaries into members homes and I think it’s awesome. When I first moved into a members home, not gonna lie I thought it was going to be terrible and weird. Cause where we live we literally act like their children (or grandchildren). And at first it was a little weird cause you don’t know your limits. After living on your own for over a year, it’s a little bit of a change. But now after time, they’re literally like our grandparents and we just chill with them. We just act like it’s our own house (we treat it nicely of course). They sometimes cook for us! Last night we had enchilada pie. They’re super chill too. Now whenever we are there it’s just like hey what up Grandma hahaha

Those were the highlights of the week!! Love you all and be safe in that terrible weather

Élder Hepworth 

 

Helping clean the mission home

 

12-11-2017

What’s good everyone!!!

So hey, this week better! A whole lot less problems with bikes and falling and everything! So yay everyone clap. 

As I have said in my other emails, I am always laughing. Yup. STILL LAUGHING!!! You’ve got to enjoy the mission, right?? And so many funny things happen I will often times remember some funny experience and just start laughing. So people probably think I’m crazy 

Oh wait I almost forgot! I did almost fall. Well, my bike fell, but I just floated down like an angel. So, we were riding on the sidewalk just living life singing hymns and loving life. And I tried to pass this trashcan (for some reason people put their trash cans on the sidewalk, right in the way of people trying to ride or walk on it) and it still had stuff in it so it was super heavy. My companion was riding in front on me and he passed it, not big deal. Well my handle bars are longer than his, so when I passed I hit it and it turned my tire and my bike fell but somehow I was still standing up and maybe stumbled a little bit. Hit my leg on a tiny post sticking out of the ground. Nothing major and just got a little bruise. I was riding pretty fast too cause I was like nahh I ain’t slowing down for this. I probably should have slowed down. Oh well! Now I just kick the trash cans out into the street as I pass by. No jk  I would never. But I am getting pretty good at dodging those things. 

Elder Matamoros is just kind of reckless. And one day when we were pulling in (with our bikes) to our driveway, there are some trash cans on the left side of the house where we usually pull around to. And Elder Matamoros just decides to run into one of them with his bike just because  he hit the trashcan and the trashcan slid back and hit the gate behind it. I was laughing so hard  and when he did it, I was like, “por qué hiciste eso?!” And he was like, “de qué hablas??”  he wouldn’t admit that he did it. Or anything. He was just like I don’t know what you’re talking about. What trash cans? 

Oh also, I’ll send you pictures to prove it. But I bought a rack to put on my bike. It’s quite handy! I’ve carried food on it  who needs a car?!? Not us!!! Sometimes we get hungry and we don’t eat out too often (we shouldn’t anyways) but we just feel like we should receive some award.. so we buy pizza and Panda Express! 

We’ve gotten so many referrals from the Christmas Lights at the temple too. Last time I checked we had received 20. But we got like 7 more from some sister missionaries last night. So yeah it’s a ton!! And it’s awesome. So grateful 🏽🏽

Well that’s all I got for this week! It was a good one. Just like all the others! Stay happy people. Even in your trials. It’s the best when you can laugh at your problems.

 Love you all and happy holidays 🏾🤶🏽

Élder Hepworth 

 

 

12-4-2017- Getting a smart phone

Hey everyone!!! 

So this week was crazy. Crazy awesome! Hahaha yeah it was just like other weeks. Problems? Yeah there were problems. Fun? Yeah we had fun. Did we have our patience tested? ALWWAYYYSSSS!

So, I’ll start with the MILES that we had to walk. So, Elder Matamoros has always had problems with his bikes. He’s just a big ball of bad luck. So anyways, one night he was using this bike that the people we live with (our grandparents lol). The bike is trash cause it was sitting outside for years. Well, Elder Matamoros was riding it back from dinner (it was suuuuper far away and out of our area) and all of a sudden the entire pedal came off on the left side  like the pedal and the arm. All of it!! And so, us being missionaries, I had to stay with him! Duh. And we walked allllll the way back home (probably a mile) to put the bike back and then we walked alllll the way over to this other missionaries apartment to grab a bike that nobody was using. It was probably 2 miles or so. And we were kind of in a hurry too because we were going to do a little thing with the young for youth conference. WELL, when we got to the youth thing (tired, winded, but still laughing super hard that I almost fell over cause life is fun still) they had just started this movie that was going to last an hour and a half and it was 8 o clock. So we peaced out of there and went and visited more people. 

Oh yeah and I don’t think I told you guys last week! But my companion fell twice in one day. And one time it almost peed myself it was so funny  he was going straight and he just fell like he doesn’t even know how either. And I turn around and I see him laying flat on the ground and he just looks at me and screams “HOWWW” 

Oh and we are getting some bomb referrals from Christmas lights at the temple. We’ve gotten like almost 10 (like 4-5 of those yesterday) and for sure 4 of them are solid. So we’re making progress! 

I will send a video of our week too so look forward  that!

Love you all 

 

"Who knew we were going to get smart phones?"

 

11-27-2017

Hey people!!! 

So, this week was good!!! I mean my family went to Las Vegas so I guess there’s was pretty dang good too! But I’m saving souls so I’m not mad about that! 

But this week we did just about the same stuff! 

Hahaha but something funny! Elder Matamoros is like allwayyysss having bike problems! And so last Monday we took his bike to a bike shop and we just left it there for little under a week. And so he was using a bike that our grandparents (people we live with) had. It was tiny and funny looking and he was like, “THIS CHICK MAGNET THOOOO!!” (Totally kidding and joking and I laughed my head off).  And then we were riding down the road and we came across some other elders and they said they had a bike that they weren’t using. So went to their house to grab that bike cause it was bigger! Well, yeah it was A LOT bigger! It was even funnier looking!!! It was super tall and he had to like jump onto it to even get on and ride and then he just looked sooo funny on it. I laughed for that whole time. And every time we would get to a stop he would try to find a post to balance himself on cause he didn’t want to have to CLIMB DOWN off his bike  

And then another experience with Elder Matamoros. He’s a super funny guy! So, we were leaving our house to go to church yesterday. And we always say a prayer when we leave the house. And he had a piece of pie in his hand. And he was saying the prayer. And before he started praying I told him to pray for his pie too and he was like yeah you right. And so he prays and he starts to pray for his pie and he legit almost started crying because he loved the food so much. He just loves food so much in general and he was so grateful for that pie and he legit almost shed a tear  it’s not like he starves or anything, so it was suuuuper funny!!! 

Oh and yes we did have a thanksgiving dinner! And it was like a real American thanksgiving! So I was happy and there were mashed potatoes. And I love potatoes. HA people always joke around that I’m from “potato land”. And so I joke around too! I tell them that we just eat potatoes like apples  we just take them out of the ground and eat them! Hahahah it’s so funny. A great conversation starter

Well that’s all I got! I hope you’re all doing well. I pray for you. Love you! 

Élder Hepworth 

11-20-2017

Hey everyone!!! 

This week was a lot nicer to me! I didn’t fall!!! Everybody can cheer. Yup. Thanks. 

So lately we’ve had a lot of lessons planned with people, and I’d say about half of them go through. And whenever we have a lesson, it’s a good lesson! Like oh yeah. But we don’t have anybody that’s progressing. Sad. But like I always say, I keep working! Working hard! On my bike!! Life is good and I literally laugh all of the time. 

My companion is the funniest person. He is always cracking jokes and laughing, and well... laughing is contagious! I have a video of us just talking about our week (the last week when I fell, not this week) and it is soooo funny. And we didn’t realize it was funny until we watched it after! So I’ll send that. 

You really see some funny and fun stuff on a bike! People flip us off, scream at us, honk at us (almost always scares me), etc. It’s awesome! I imagine that most of the people we get honked from are members. There’s quite a few members here!!! Hahahahaha. 

I don’t know if I told you last week but last week (not this recent one) we bought tamales from a random kid on the street  was that dangerous? May have been. But he just comes riding up to us on his bike and asks if we want tamales, and i said that i don’t think I have any money, but my companion (likes food) was like yeah what kind you got  and so we just got some tamales and I had the idea of giving the kid a Book of Mormon with the money (cause why not? $7 and eternal salvation right?). So I took a Book of Mormon and we gave him his money and the BOM, and we got our tamales! I ate some. It wasn’t poisoned or anything. But they tasted SOOOO GOOOOOOD! 

Oh and our grandparents (people we live with) left for over a week! We got a whole house to ourselves. Soooo... basically we aren’t going to do anything differently. But hey. Whole house to ourselves. That’s legit! 

We didn’t do much other fun stuff. But we did work hard! Love you all. Have a FANTASTIC week. Don’t get mad, don’t get sad. Cause that’s how Satan gets ya! 

Élder Hepworth