November 9, 2015

Doing good! 

Glad life is good there. 

I was thinking about big Masi this past week and when he would be going home! haha I don't know why I was thinking it but I had the thought that he is probably leaving the mission pretty quick here. A bit like Elder Pinedo. Leaves in a week and day. Kinda crazy. Lots of things to do haha. 

That's too bad with the Toros. I wish they were doing better. No one wants to play to win just to be popular nowadays.... That's what I felt like the problem was with lots of the teams the past couple years and especially this year. It's crazy to think football is ending there!! 

It's really weird too because its going into summer here and so I feel like football is going to start up in a couple of months and this is when the boring baseball season starts haha. Well, baseball is fun to play but not as much to watch on TV. Yea, I don't know how I feel about Christmas in summer... hahha how weird huh!! I think they do fireworks is what someone said to me. 

I had a question for you but I can't remember what it was now... hahha. Should have wrote it down... Lets see, I made more sopapilla´s because why not and they are amazing with dulce de leche so yea!! 

I cant think of any stories... We found 2 families to teach!! So that's awesome!! My mind is literally blank and I can't think of anything else that happened this week.. Forgot my little notebook that I usually write in. 

Oh, it rained again last week but now its getting hot. Past 3 days it has gradually been getting hotter and hotter here. I hear summers are about as fun here as they are in Arizona!! 

How are Jennie and Joe?? 

How's the shabin?? Got a cabin yet?? :) 

Love you guys and I hope all is good with everyone!!

Con amor,

Elder Hakes

November 2, 2015

I was thinking that you might be thinking about me yesterday.. hahha. Yesterday was awesome!! Let's see... woke up to Feliz cumpleaños!! haha. then we went to church and in Gospel principles our teacher didn't show up. So me and Elder Pinedo taught the class! We taught like 8 people the restoration pamphlet. had 2 investigators at church. I gave the prayer in sacrament. After church we went to Family Rodriguez's house for lunch (Can you accept the friend request for my profile, she posted photos but it didn't let her tag me in it because I wasn't her friend. Lilia Rodriguez, I think that's her first name haha). We ate millanessa's, rice, bread, and a huge American flag cake! It was good. Oh and fast Sunday is different here, they start with Saturday night the fast here so yea, wasn't breaking my fast don't worry. 

What else.. taught 2 more families who are investigating and are awesome families...... hoping for a baptism this next month.... ;) haha. Oh yea and when we came back to the house in the night Elder Pinedo had made me a cake the night before (because we had some time to make it last night), but we ate yesterday night. He was all excited haha it was really funny!! He decorated the top with sugar and matches to light haha. It was a fun day!!! Little bit different than with you guys but it was good :) 

What else happened this week... One of the kids that we were teaching his family asked me if I was from Spain so that's good!! He didn't think that I was from the US which means my Spanish is getting better!! But I don't like the accent of Spain Spanish so I'm going to work on that ;) 

Tell Dan I said thanks for the packet of letters!! It was awesome!! I have a lot of reading to do now!! haha. Thanks to everyone who wrote something too! I didn't get a package this week but we'll see if in the next month it comes. It rained this week again so that was cool. I was told it usually doesn't rain this much but I don't mind it! 

Lets see.. what else has happened... Last week for PDay we ate in Herma Rodriguez's house with a bunch of other missionaries which was fun!! Still haven't found the Rugby jerseyIi want but I haven't given up cuz hey, I'm a Hakes/Brinkerhoff, and we dont quit no matter what. So, yea going to find that jersey someday in the future. Today we are going to have lunch with one of the members in Elder Pinedo's 2nd area because he ends the mission pretty soon and wants to go say goodbye. So that should be good! Lets see, everyone is telling me my Spanish is really good but I feel like its just alright. I don't know haha. Lets see, ah! 

This week we worked really really hard and prayed and prayed for new investigators and guess how many we found. 2.... 3.... 4.... NO!! 17!!! Yea!! Our district and zone leaders didn't believe us for a minute!! haha. But in reality, we put our trust in the Lord and went to work. It's amazing what He will do for us when we ask for help, show our faith by our actions, and pray for help. He ALWAYS helps us. ALWAYS. We just need to ask for the help. 

Love you guys and have the best week ever!! I got some work to do but talk to you guys in a week!! ;)

Con amor,

Elder Hakes

October 26, 2015

Brent's getting married!!!! Jeez. You don't know how weird and exciting that is. It's like a part of me is like wooohoooo and then the other part is like this weird... Brent can't be getting married. He's just a little boy.. hahha. oh well, haha. Tha'ts awesome that he is getting married and I'm going to have another sister!! Yes, iIm going to have my interview with her on 25 de diciembre. haha. 

Lets see, what happened this week. It rained again and was cold. Elder Pinedo was dying. Doesn't like the cold for nada. haha. I was fine though. Threw my sweater on and brought my umbrella and taught the word. Oh, just remembered a funny story..... you're going to like this. So we were walking the streets knocking on doors because we didn't have a lesson with anyone. So, I was like we are going to knock on every door on this street!! Because we need to find investigators so yea, we started to knock on doors. No one was opening the door because it was colder that day. So we knocked like 15 doors and no one opened. Then , the next door opened and we talked with them and left a prayer in their house (going to return a different day), then we kept going and knocking. So, Elder Pinedo and Emanuel passed a house and I was like in my head, we didn't knock on this door. So, I said to them really loudly, "There is someone in that house that wants to hear the word!!!!!" Yea, don't know why I said that either...... but I said so yea hahha. So, we walk over to the fence  of the house to clap and guess what????  There was a woman doing her laundry!! And so I was hoping she didn't hear what I had said like 3 seconds before super loudly..... but when we started to talk she looked at us and had a huge grin on her face. Also she was trying not to laugh like the rest of us hahaha. When we left we all started laughing after we were far enough so she couldn't hear. But hey! She said we could pass by another time to teach her and her husband because she was too busy right then and her husband wasn't there ......so it turned out good in the end :) Hope that made you guys laugh if not oh well, because it made me laugh, like a lot haha. 

I feel like my English is leaving my brain and I cant remember how to speak in English anymore.. It's almost easier to speak in Spanish! This will be interesting in December for Christmas haha. 

Lets see, all is good here. We celebrated Elder  Pinedo's birthday this last week with the family Rodriguez. Awesome family. Always trying to help us in whatever we need. Its kinda like my other mom haha. Not quite the same though ;) 

I love you guys and I'm glad to hear all is good over there in Arizona, hope you guys are having fun with out me, probably is really hard ;) haha. 

Nos Vemos!!!

Con amor, 

Elder Hakes

October 19, 2015

AHHHHHH!!!! I always felt like Brother Tucker and Brother Crites would end up being a bishop or something like that. They just seem like they would haha. 

 Glad that you guys are having fun with everybody. Shabin sounds really nice right now haha. I miss the forests and quading as a family. 

How are Jennie and Joe?? Still alive up there in Wyoming?? 

I figured that Toros would have a rough year this year. There problem is they only had like 3 or 4 decent to good lineman and if they lose one or one doesn't really want to play, they won´t be good. Sounds like that's probably what is going on right now. Tell Cody to tell Thor, Schwan, and those guys I said hi. Tell them they got Big Hakes in Argentina Rooting them on win or lose he´s still rooting for 'em. Tell Cody I said hi too. haha. Hows he doing?? Never hear anything about Cody. Just Brent, Carlee, Dad, Emily, and a little of mom ;) 

Mom, I'm sure you didn't mind having to go to primary this week ;) hahaha. Probably was really hard to talk about your sons in the mish too. 

Oh, yesterday was Mother's day. In Argentina. Their mothers day is in October. Not sure if that's how you spell October but I think so.. haha. We made little cards for the 20 moms in our ward and gave them a bon o bon chocolate. Nothing too hard! haha. One of the moms later in that day told us that the missionaries have never done anything like this in total the tiempo she has been there. Sounded like she was almost going to cry. I guess our little gift really touched her heart. The little things really can do great things. 

What else happened... Oh yea, I translated yesterday!! So what happened was Elder Johnson, the couple missionary who he doesn't know Spanish but his wife does, yea, so he came to our ward yesterday and went to priesthood with me so I could help him understand what was going on. So all of the lesson I was translating for him what the conversation was saying and all that. he had me write it in a notebook and he would read as I wrote. Then, at the very end he wanted to say something. So I'm thinking, ehhh its not too bad to write down whats going on and then out of no where he wants to talk and my hearts pumping a little bit because I wasn't ready for this and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to translate everything, oh it was terrible. But then I translated everything and life was good :) Looks like what Hermo. Chandía said about me needing to know castillano really well was true. Everything is going good here and I´m picking up the language pretty well. I can talk pretty fluidly and get most of my thoughts across. My companion and I can have conversations about pretty much whatever. Except animals, geography and different things like that. 

Yea, so I made a goal these past weeks to only talk in Spanish no matter what. If its an English missionary or whoever doesn't matter. I talk in spanish. Well, besides when I need to translate like yesterday or things like that, but my goal is going really well and I think I´m learning a lot faster too. The only thing that sucks is I'm forgetting my English words already.. It's almost easier to talk in Spanish than English haha. NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THAT!!! Felt like I´d never get to the point where I'd like to talk in Spanish more but I'm kind of at that point. haha. It's my companions birthday tomorrow so were going to have to celebrate somehow. But yea, good stuff.

Love you guys, and hope all is well with everyone. Chow chow!

Con amor,

Elder Hakes

PS

Oh yea!!!!! Had my first Asado this week!!! It was the best thing ever!!!! Oh it was amazing.... I ate so much meat... The asado and chorizo and salad, and a little salsa. Oh it was sooooo good. I wanted to just stay there and wait for him to bring me more and more meat. But I restrained myself.... a bit. haha. But it definitely was the best food I'd had in the mish so yes I'm happy :)