She is home -- and it is the best! How fun to have such a beautiful, all-grown-up woman hanging around with us old folks. . .even if she sides with The Dad most of the time with teasing The Mom. We have her until January, when she will return to BYU.
October 26, 2010
I just want you to know I'm not going to write a full-out email. I've seen miracles this week and have really enjoyed the work here. It still doesn't feel like I'm coming home, but because of that, I'm not writing much. Thanks for all your love and support. I'll talk with you soon!
I just want you to know I'm not going to write a full-out email. I've seen miracles this week and have really enjoyed the work here. It still doesn't feel like I'm coming home, but because of that, I'm not writing much. Thanks for all your love and support. I'll talk with you soon!
October 19, 2010
hi family!
This week has been great! We've been working on things as we're coming to the end of this transfer to be ready for the next. Temple Square has slowed down a lot so we're all trying to stay busy and not smother the guests with love and greetings when we outnumber them 3:1. Ah well.
We had the chance to take several spanish tours. Most fresh in my mind is a the tour with a creepy man...then a tour with a man from Honolulu, HI. It was a HUGE contrast because the Honolulu man was so distinguished and courteous. He kept doing numbers games with us. In the middle of the tour he talked about nine-times tables (you know....9X1= 9, 9X2= 18) and how it was so perfect; how each time the two digits in the numbers added up to nine. It was fun. He also made a trivia question with a King in Hawaii who was the first monarch to sail around the earth in a year that was the same backwards, forwards, upside-down, and reflected in the mirror. It is now permanently in my brain and he was impressed when I guessed it. Anyway, he was delightful but he didn't believe much in Jesus Christ; he believed in God but he had a hard time accepting the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We told him about the significance of the Book of Mormon in the sense that it adds to the testimony of the Bible that Jesus Christ truly did live again and ministered to the people in Jerusalem and the Americas. He wasn't really interested in learning about it, in the end, but he left with a good impression of the church.
We also had an opportunity to talk to several members on Sunday. It was the first time in a long time that I've had multiple people tell us "I'm a member" and expect us to walk away. However, there was a Brother Palmer that we spoke with who, right after he said that, said "but I guess we all need to be better" and we talked to him for a good while. He has been struggling a lot lately with the death of his son who was in prison. He expressed a lot of regret for the things he never achieved in this life (a family and children that he could raise) and really opened up to us as we were discussing the wonderful knowledge we have of how to find happiness in life. We talked about how people can often take faith and this church for granted and turn against it as other things seem to increase in importance and seem more enticing but take away from the core elements of happiness. It was amazing because we found answers from scriptures that came to mind and were able to help bring peace (or the hope of peace) to him. It just helps me better understand that everyone, whether they know it or not, can use a missionary.
So...not much to say. Life goes on. We're in the referral center a bit more lately to call up the friends of those that came for general conference and to get sisters off of the square so that we don't overpower the guests.
Oh! I remember! We took a man from Italy around the square (he was on a layover on the way to CA) and he was most interested in the beliefs of the church and we showed him all around temple square. We told him pretty boldly and clearly about the beliefs and that he could find it for himself; he kept saying that "that makes sense" or "yes of course. it should be like that" kind of things and he said he was interested in learning more from the missionaries. It was great. he said "well I'm sure you have a contact in Italy that I could talk with, right?" and S. Corrales and I said "Actually, yes we do!" and he filled out the card. So great! It's such a great thing we're able to be a part of and I honestly thank God for the privilege of being a missionary. There's nothing like it, in my mind, and I'm impressed by the great plan that God has for all of us.
Love, Sister hulet
Email Chat with Jules:
MOM:
Did you remember meeting Dad's cousin from Las Vegas -- Mark Slack. Grandma had to call us late on Friday night when she heard word about that. It seems he got a kick out of telling you who your father would be.
SISTER HULET:
oh yeah! I forgot about that! It was crazy! They had a couple non-members that came up with them for the Jazz game and thought we could show them around. We were in the tabernacle and he asked if my parents were originally from PA. I said "no, my mom is from ID and my dad is from Ut" and he said "Southern Utah? Like Parowan?" and I said "Yes! Why? Do you know some Hulets?" and he said "I'm your cousin. Your dad isn't Mike Hulet is he?" and we chatted a bit but since it was a tour we didn't really talk long. It was nice because Mark and then a Matheson who has family in Parowan ended up being the only ones who were listening the whole time. The other people were in and out of it the rest of the time. It was lame but Mark was great. :) He said that "Carma will probably kill me if I don't call her up and let her know that I saw you" and I laughed and said that was true. I knew I saw somebody we knew.
MOM:
So will there be anything special this last week -- some fun zone activity before it all comes to an end?
SISTER HULET:
I go to the temple tomorrow with my "departing class" with President Holmes and Heritage Park Haunted Village tonight. Then a departing dinner on Tuesday next week (so I won't have much of a Pday...just FYI). Service at heritage park on Thursday and that's it! :) gotta go!! love you!!! bye!!!
October 12, 2010
I put a more challenging subject for you all....try to guess that one!So it's been a good week....weird for me....but good. And actually no big thing comes to mind to write about. Oh! I know! General Conference talk by President Packer. There was a large protest about it. So on Thursday night we closed the square down early and stayed in our apartments the rest of the evening as a preventative measure (President Holmes is a bit of a worry wart :) ). As far as we know it was all pretty peaceful besides some people that were pretty fired up about President Packers remarks. I didn't get to hear his talk so I don't know what the big "dill" was. ("dill" in Utahn is "deal" for all of those who don't know Utah jargon..haha...right, rando? we have to deal with some pretty foreign terms). But it was all well and good. Then...oh! we saw President Monson at the "Music and the Spoken Word" Broadcast there to receive a declaration from Utah Governor Orrin Hatch declaring 10/10/2010 Mormon Tabernacle Choir day, haha. I thought it was funny...but no one seemed to be laughing with me...anyway it was a historic day because it was 100 years from the first ever recording of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (aka MoTab). Glenn Beck was also there and it was all pretty cool to be a part of (although I did wonder how we would celebrate such a day....and whether it would include food; maybe a Utah Thanksgiving and we can be like the Canadians to make it our own day/excuse to eat lots of food).
Anyway, we've been busy in the referral center calling the friends of those that we talked with on Temple Square. It's been...ok. I've had a lot of good conversations. haha, although there was one girl who apparently has been avoiding the calls of the guy who put her name and number down because he is interested and she has a boyfriend and is not. So that was potentially awkward but we had a good conversation in spite of the situation. Fun times.
Oh!! We had the best tour ever with this couple from British Columbia. So fun! They came down to SLC because it was on their list of things to do in life and they wanted to see the Tabernacle. We were taking them around and found out that the guy was a gardener (or was) and he talked a bit about the flowers (the grounds people are pulling up all the flowers to plant the tulips). Just a few days before I had made friends with a grounds crew girl named Lara who, when S. corrales and I walked up to her, offered this huge pink begonia to us and said "Eat it." so we took off a petal and tried it (tasted like sour apples) and she said "No, just stick the whole thing in your mouth and chew." So we hesitated but did it (of course! hulets ALWAYS try something at least once!) and it was awesome! I cried because it was so tart! So as we talked with this guy from Canada, S. Corrales got really excited and told him about the flowers that we can eat and offered to let them try. So we all ate one again, haha. It was awesome, and it was such a good experience because we were able to talk about things comfortably and really show how the gospel of Jesus Christ can help us all, no matter what stage of life we are in. They wanted to learn more and wanted to stay in touch as well. So great! I attribute it to the begonias.
So that's what we've been reduced to: they aren't feeding us well enough (in fact, not at all...) and we are eating the flowers to stay warm in the changing weather. Life is good and I have felt very much the love of God as we've continued to press forward with His work. I have felt His strength and truly know that He knows exactly what we are going through and what we need when nobody else knows. I'm grateful for that.
Be good. I love you all and I miss you and am no longer in denial that I'm coming home (as in fully aware of it), but trying not to think about it because it causes more of an emotional roller coaster than I would like. I forgive you if you stop writing letters although for all of you who haven't written me you have two weeks left to repent. :) Thanks for all your kind words and prayers; keep praying for me and be happy.
Love, Sister Hulet
September 28, 2010
Hey family/friends/whoever-actually-reads-these,
We've seen some random miracles happen: we took a tour with this girl from CA. She had just a short time and we tried to show her what we could. She wasn't really religious but she had some friends that are LDS. We told her about temples and prophets and authority and shared how all of the buildings had come to be (because of the pioneers, right?) and I didn't really expect a lot when we asked if she'd want more information through missionaries and she accepted! And she wrote down her friend's name and number for us to call to see if she'd be interested as well! It was crazy!
Then there was this man from FL who had a lot of questions. Sometimes he'd throw out the question and then, before we had time to answer, he'd already have moved on. He was taking pictures the entire time and listening in between that. We taught him very briefly and had a good conversation with him as well. At the end, we talked about the BoM and how it was the reason why the church members came out here: they had received an answer that it was true and knew that Joseph Smith had been the prophet to restore Christ's church. We told him how that was something we believed today and it was a personal answer/promise that is available to all of us; that we can pray to know the truth. We asked him what his thoughts were on it and how he felt about it and he said "Well, I'd like to learn more about this church." So we told him that he could have the missionaries to come and teach him more and he said "that would be great". It was so amazing!
I think the biggest thing I've learned from this week is, once again, it's nothing that we do as missionaries; all of us are just little pawns in God's grand scheme. I feel very privileged to be a part of it.
Funny thing with S. corrales: she doesn't really know a lot of the words to songs in english and she was trying to sing "Be Still My Soul" all the while singing "Please take my soul" haha. I let it go one day but then told her about it the next day when she kept singing the same thing. hahaha. She said "Oh!! this makes much sense; the elders always laughed when I sang in MTC" haha.
Next thing: Dad and Mom, I met a girl named Natalie Riker who was in the same stake (originally same ward) as Uncle Les and Aunt Ginger. She said she knew them and said to see if they knew the Rikers and remembered Natalie, the youngest.
Rando: who is your ZL? someone wanted me to ask...I don't remember who that is though. oh wait, now I do. Let me know.
Did I tell you that instead of having a "chat" zone they now have two "teaching" zones where the sisters still teach over chat but also teach people they meet here on the square. so cool! Btw, one of the people we taught is getting baptized!
Ok. that's all. sounds like everything is really busy but going well for all of you. Mom, tell S. Wu that the sisters here are no longer able to write sisters that are outbound; president wants them to maintain singleness of heart and mind.
love, sister hulet
September 21, 2010
Hey,
Hmm...I'll finish up what we ended with last transfer and briefly go over this last week. So S. Moseng and I found out that we would both be out of the Chat Zone on Wednesday. So we tried to wrap it up with our investigators and have them contacted by the missionaries in their hometowns. One of our investigators, William, went to the church Sunday (the day before we found out that we would be leaving) and met the Elders there. From that, they said that they would call and set up an appointment with him. He was really sad about not being able to talk to us. We had called him (when we looked back) everyday for about 2 weeks and were able to teach him about the restoration of the authority and Christ's gospel, God's plan of happiness, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was amazing and he was so into the scriptures. He was able to, finally, receive a hard copy of the Book of Mormon from the Elders and started to study it more and more. He said that church was different from what he was used to (he was catholic), a little bit noisier because of the children and a mix of hispanic and caucasian people, but he loved Sunday School. He said he was happy because he was able to answer some of the questions they asked and understood what they were talking about because of what he had been taught. He said that he would go back. After the missionaries have contacted the investigators we have to stop calling them and teaching (we can stay in touch through email) but he seemed to have a hard time letting go and we really committed him to learning what he could from the missionaries and to continue reading and praying. He is so good and so humble as he was learning and as he studies; I was really so impressed the whole time that we taught him. He said that he had been reading the BoM and praying about it for an entire month before he called us. It was a great blessing for us to teach him.
Larry (the ranger from Texas) was having trouble with believing fully in the BoM and what we were teaching and we realized it was that he hadn't really investigated Joseph Smith being a prophet. We realized that we were not able to teach, fully, about the BoM and what its significance was; what it tells us. That as it testifies of Jesus Christ, it also testifies of the reality that Jesus Christ restored His church (authority and all) through Joseph Smith and that the book is evidence of the power and authority that he had received. So we taught him more about it and about really praying and asking God if the Book of Mormon is true. He was really struggling with it and facing a lot of opposition from his family and, possibly because of it, he took offense from the local missionaries who called him up. Anyway, we had to tell him that we wouldn't be able to call him anymore and hoped that he would be able to meet with the local elders (in spite of his being offended....). Oh well. He's still really good and I have high hopes for him and his family.
Morgan (the 22 yr old) was still doing well. We told her that some more sisters would be able to call her (they have) and teach her more. We're still waiting for the missionaries to contact her and are now trying to find a church that she can attend that will fit with her schedule (she has to conduct music at the catholic church every Sunday). She's still going strong, still reading the BoM. Her major is focused on planning events and conferences so she works a lot with that and she has told us that the Book of Mormon is the first thing she uses to de-stress and that she loves to read it when she can. She's so amazing and we hope to continue to hear about her progression.
We started teaching a kid named Chris who is interested in a girl who is LDS. We were able to teach him about the restoration and the BoM and how we need to find it out for ourselves, but we didn't feel he was ready for the local missionaries yet. So we've also had to pass him on to other sisters and hope he will be contacted soon. He was really good and his "friend" has good brothers who have returned from their missions and he lives closest to Kirtland, Ohio. It was fun to talk with him because he had been raised going to a church but stopped going when he was 8 yrs old. He said that everything (going to church, reading the scriptures, praying) was pretty weird for him just because it had been so long since he had done it. But he really wants to see what it is all about and wants to explore the Book of Mormon so we're happy about that.
We also heard about our investigator in Norway (Joao, who is studying to be priest) has been contacted by the missionaries and will be meeting with them on Friday!! He wanted all the materials from the church and to learn all about it so we hope to continue to hear from him and about how things go for him. And then I think that's about it.
So Moseng was transferred to Cover Zone and is with a sister from India. I was transferred to the North Zone again (same as last October's conference) and am....training again. My companion is named S. Corrales and she is from Uruguay. I wasn't necessarily unhappy or happy about training but it has been good. It's been a lot different from the other sisters I was with because she doesn't know english as well as they did. So the approach has been different and I've tried to be a good support. She is really amazing because she has such a desire to really fulfill what our purpose is: to invite others to come to Christ. She loves to serve everyone she sees; she's pretty stubborn about it too :) She's such a great example to me because of the love she has for EVERYONE who comes to temple square and the compassion she shows. She's the first to give a hug to someone she sees is in need and she loves to be the one to comfort them. Our ways of teaching are different but it works really well. So I'm excited to be with her.
Life is good though. My feet hurt and my legs ache again and it's a really good feeling for me. We're all gearing up for conference and look forward to the direction we will receive from the leaders of the church. We saw President Monson (the prophet) at "Music and the Spoken Word" (the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast) last sunday and that was pretty exciting.
So that's pretty much it. So remember: TUESDAYS. that's your special day.
Love,
sister hulet
Sister Hulet
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