This first letter was to Eli for his birthday. It was written on stationery with zoo animals on the bottom (We wrote Friday that Eli was going to the zoo to attend a birthday party that day). There are two rubbings of Elder Hancock's name tag on the front.
Mike drew a picture on the back: sun up in the corner, tree, house, person at the door accepting a Book of Mormon from two elders with name tags, one elder is bald and the other has sandy hair. The caption above the house says,"This is me sharing the Gospel. This can be you sharing the gospel. I will bring happiness to people that need it. I will be bringing happiness to people who have no hope. The Church is true, Eli. I love you so much."
Dear Eli,
I have been so blessed and happy that you send me letters!! I keep every single one of them!!
I cannot believe you are turning 4 YEARS OLD!!!! What do you want for your birthday?? Maybe I could send you some candy!! Sshhh! Don't tell Mama! You are such a good brother. You are my best friend. I hope you got that Star Wars light saber you asked for.
Guess what! Sister Dowman used to come on Sunday with stickers to put on the back of our name tags. I saw a Buzz Lightyear one and got it before anyone else did because it reminds me of you every time I look at it. Every day I think about you. You are my inspiration. I am always thinking about those silly little things you say.
Mom told me you were starting gymnastics!! Can you do a back flip yet? That would be so cool if you could. Every single little letter and picture that you draw makes me so happy. I love you so much!!!! You are so awesome!! Take care of Mom and Dad!!!!
Always and forever,
Your loving brother,
Elder Michael Boyd Hancock
Helaman 5:12
Dear Family,
Wow, I can't believe it is June already! It is crazy that I have been here in the MTC for almost 8 (ocho) weeks!!
My whole district got our travel plans this week. But, I am pretty sure that we will be here for a little bit longer. Only one elder out of our district will be leaving on time. Elder Cornia (my new companion) is going to Merida, Mexico. He and another district that is going to Mexico City North (Derek Miller's mission) went to the Mexican consulate in SLC just last week.
We went to the travel office and asked if we had our visas, and they said no. They said all of the missionaries that are going to Mexico have to go through the Mexican consolate in SLC before they get their visas. Basically, every missionary who goes to Mexico has to sign papers at the consulate and then they get permission to enter the country. We actually won't get our visas until we enter Mexico. We just get a pass that says we have permission to enter the country. We will find out what is going on this next week sometime since we are supposed to fly out on June 11th.
I am getting really excited to enter the field. I love it here so much, but I am ready to Serve the Lord. Most likely, I will get reassigned. That would be really cool. The BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!! That is what we like to say.
This week has been a crazy week. We got 450 new missionaries on Wednesday. There is one zone that got 48 new missionaries. That is a ton!! We probably barely have 30 or so in our entire zone. Before, like two weeks ago, it was only 15. Really crazy.
The Spirit I feel every day is so amazing. An elder in our zone, Elder Birks, hurt his foot pretty bad. We thought he broke it for awhile. He went to the doctor that day, and they all said he broke it. So, he set up an appointment for the next day to get another opinion. He asked one of the elders that was leaving for the Peru MTC to give him a blessing. It was such a powerful blessing. We felt the Spirit so strong. When Elder Birks woke up the next morning, he said his foot hurt differently. He went to the doctor and they told him he just hurt the ligaments in his foot. He was so happy to hear that, because he has been here for almost six weeks. If he had to have surgery, he would have been stuck here for another six to seven weeks. We all knew the blessing was a miracle. We all got to see the powerful Priesthood in action.
I am so happy to be here as a missionary. There is nothing better in this world. I love you all so much. You are all so supportive of me. I know you all have sacrificed so much for me to be here. I am, and will always be, grateful for that.
I know the Lord loves me. I know He loves you. Each and every one of us. He knew that people on this earth (His Children!!) would make mistakes. He knowingly sent His beloved son to this earth to die for us. He paid the ultimate price for us. Going through my pains and struggles have made me stronger. I wasn't going to go on a mission, but He sent me a BIG wake up call. It was really hard to get back on track. But I can say with all my heart, "VALE LA PENA!!" IT IS WORTH IT!!! It is through Christ that EVERYTHING is possible. He is my Lord. He is my Savior. He is my Redeemer. He is my Rock and my Foundation. He is Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is begging, pleading for us to make it. He loves us more than we will ever comprehend.
I love you all so much. Never give up hope. Don't EVER lose faith in Jesus Christ. I love you all.
Always and Forever,
Elder Hancock
Helaman 5:12
P.S. I need some more stamps.
P.P.S. Some muddy buddies sound nice :)
Watch for my phone call next week if I get my REAL travel plans.
This next letter was in the same envelope with Michael's letters. It is from his best friend, Danny, who left the MTC for Peru this past Thursday.
Dear Hancock Family,
Thank you so much for the package! My district loves you for the fresh bread and the candy.
I don't see Mike a lot because we are both really busy, but it is nice to catch up with him for a couple minutes. It is crazy that we are both serving missions! When I get back, expect me to come over and hang out with Mike and talk about our mission stories, and we will probably be talking in Spanish!
Thanks for being my 2nd family. You guys are awesome. I can't wait to come back and visit again!
Elder Reimschiissel
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