Email received 07/08/2013

Hey Family,

Its great to hear that you all had rain.  That must feel really great.  I am really happy to hear that you all had a great time this Past 4 of July.

Well this past week was so amazing.  Yesterday was such an amazing day.  We FINALLY baptized Michelle yesterday.  It was such a beautiful service.  We are so so happy for her.  Her dad drove all the way from Veracruz to baptize her.  He found out Saturday in the Afternoon and drove all night to be there for her baptism.  We were blown away by his dedication for her.  She looks so happy.  But the only thing that was kind of a bummer was that her mom was mad the entire time.  Her mom is a member but she left the church.  We found out a few days ago that her mom was trying to get her to change her mind about being baptized.  She tried it all the way until she was in the water.  For Elder Sanchez and I it was evidence how hard Satan is working on us until the very end.  It is really actually kind of scary but we need to be careful and watch out always.  We can't let him in the door.  Ever.  Also Fernando came to church yesterday with his mom.  He was so happy to be there he really wants to change his life.  He is trying so hard to quit smoking and the things in his life that is impeding his baptism.  We were so happy to have him in church.  Another one of our investigators named Orlando came to church.  He wants to get baptized so badly.  It was so great to have all these things happen.  This is what we get.  After a long time of feeling like we were not having any success and working harder week after week finally we reap our reward.  I feel so so blessed.  My Heavenly Father has blessed me with the things that I need.  He has given me the strength and the confidence I need to bring about his glorious work.  I am so so grateful for those blessings. 

This past Thursday (4 of July) we had our first Zone Conference with our new mission president, President Whitehead.  It was so outstanding to listen to him.  We are so excited to be working with him.  He is going to do miracles for this mission.  He is from St. George.  He is or was Vice President in Dixie State.  In the conference he invited us to read Alma 37.  I read it and wow.  So many things just blew me away.  "Through small and simple things, great things are brought to pass."  I love this scripture because it really makes me think how important the small things are.  We were talking to Michelle about this on Friday and we were talking about if we do the small and simple things always we will really inherit the kingdom of God.  But also the big sins always start with something small and simple.  We have to always keep this in mind.  Perhaps the things we are doing may not be that bad.  Just small.  But little by little it will grow into something so big.  And at that point it will be so much harder to repent.  Or maybe we are NOT doing the small and simple things.  This might drag us down.  Little by little...  That is how Satan does it little by little.  We have to be careful.  We must always have our Foundations built on Christ.  We can never go wrong with Christ as our rock.  He will make us stronger.  Make our weaknesses become strong.  But only if we go to Him in humble prayer.  I love you all so much. 

Always and Forever,

Elder Hancock

Helaman 5:12

Ether 12:27

Email received 07/01/2013

Dear Family,

Sounds like life is going good for you all.  While you all are enjoying a nice HOT summer I am enjoying a nice cool summer.  It doesn't get past 75 or 80 during the day.  In the morning it is actually quite cool.  It will be a big change for Grandma moving down to St George.  It will be really fun visiting her.

Well this past week was great.  President Villarreal went home on Thursday and President Whitehead took over.  We are all super excited to work with and to be lead and guided by President Whitehead.  The Mission has officially split.  Cantera (my first area) is not apart of Mexico City WEST. 

We worked so hard this past week.  Striving our hardest to find more people to teach.  Last week I lost my voice because we got soaked last Monday.  The rain was really cold but it felt great.  It was a lot of fun.  We have been teaching an 18 year old girl named Michelle.  Her dad and her mom are members but she isn't.  Its been kind of frustrating for us because she keeps putting off her baptism.  She waited a week the first time so that her mom could be there because she was in California for a few weeks.  This past week she said she wanted to wait for her best friend to get back from Monterrey.  She has such a desire to take this baptism.  She is reading the Book of Mormon also.  She told us that she was thinking about serving a mission.  She is just putting off her Baptism.  We noticed on Saturday that she is starting to have doubts put into her head.  Elder Sanchez and I started talking about this and We realized that the longer she waits the more time Satan has to put things in her brain.  She stops acting on her faith in being baptized.  I realized that Satan wants us to wait to make good decisions.  He wants us to put off the things that are good.  He wants us to say "tomorrow".  When we feel like we are putting off things that are good that will help us become more like Christ we need to stop and think for a moment to realize where these thought are coming from.  But we have faith that all will turn out good. 

Last week a man named Fernando stopped us on the street asking us if we could help him.  We wrote down his direction and visited him.  When we were with him he told us that he has a bad smoking problem and drinking problems.  He told us that he wants to get closer to God and repent for the things he has done in his life.  We were deeply touched by his sincerity and the desire to change.  We are praying for him so that he can change his life around.  It just happened to be at that exact moment that he was there that he was able to talk to us. 

Last Thursday I had a super weird dream.  The beginning start of the dream I was in present time in the mission.  With 14 months in the mission and everything.  Elder Sanchez was my companion.  But time flew super fast and I was in the car with you all.  9 months had passed and I was home.  It scared me a bit because of the feeling I had in my dream.  That I hadn't done all that I could have.  That I left something unfinished.  It was a weird because we were driving in the car down the street in front of the Elementary school.  But I just had that feeling.  I don't know if its normal or not to have a dream like that but it was the first time that it has happened to me so far in my mission. 

I love you all so much. 

Always and Forever

Elder Hancock

Helaman 5:12