October 20

well... its official, i'm not gonna be a baby anymore! This is my last week of entrenamiento. In the mtc I thought by now I would know everything, but its funny how different the mission really is than what I had originally thought. It is sooo much more, and so much better/harder. I have gained a new love & understanding for the phrase of line upon line precept upon precept. with myself, the mission, and investigadores. 

I GOT THE PACKAGE. it was such a fun thing to read all your letters!! It was super funny because hermana Arriaga read all the letters as well and loves hearing about our family. I always tell her funny stories about my crazy family in spanish to practice, and it was the icing on the cake receiving Sam's tarea. jajaja enrrrrrriiqqqqqqqqque is our favorite punchline. It was so fun to talk to Isabel about all of you and share her experience. She shared her experience in R.S. about our family and the others she stayed with and I was tearing up becasue she said the exact same thing grandma Hancock said in one of her letters. sometimes we think that our little bubble is the only bubble that exists, but really there are truly good people all over the world. I love all of you muchismo and I'm so grateful I am around such good people here. We ate lunch yesterday with the family Romero and they asked me what you sent me, I told them I recived like 3 sweaters (and all the other stuff) and they started laughing as I told them how concerned you are about me freezing. DONT WORRY MOTHER. I have enough sweaters to keep me warm for the 3 days here that are cold. I have not had one day yet where I have been cold. :) 

This week we have cambios, I dont feel like I will change and I am praying that I dont. This week was super hard, but i feel like its just about to peak in our area. Our progressing investigador Ivonne was set to be baptized this week in the noche de blanco. where our mission pres comes to the stake and all the missionaries baptize this week who have people. We were super excited because Wednesday, Ivonne recived her answer and cried with us in a lesson saying how she wants to be baptized. This was SUCH an anwer to our prayers. she has been asisting the church for like a month now, going to all the activities, but her progress has been a little slow becasue she is supppper shy and hasnt recived much support from her family. it took us like 6 lessons to have her finally say the prayer, but it is so easy to see the light of christ in her. she started working this week because her family is in desperate need of money. the people here are so poor. and started working sundays..... we havent been able to meet with her all week because of her work and we were so devestated. she was so excited for this night of white and to be baptized.. we were able to meet with her yesterday and she understands the importance of the sabbath and is going to try to get sundays off. please pray for her.

I've learned a lot about the spirit this week.. how its so important to be in tune with the spirit and to rely on him. how great it is that god has given us a member of the godhead to be our constant companion! that is such a big deal. in 3 nephi 19 after christ visits the americas talks about how the gift of the holy ghost is what the pueblo desired most. I desire the holy ghost. as we all should. god truly knows us. he knows our needs and feels what we feel. he doesnt want us to be discouraged,  feel inadequate, feel like we dont measure up in the eyes of the world. he wants us to be happy, to KNOW how much he loves us. I love this opportunity to share this with people. fore them to truly know that GOD LOVES THEM. ahh how sweet is the work! 

gracias por sus oraciones y por la amor me muestran. se que con todo mi corazón que el Señor nos guías en la vida si nosotros permitimos. Solamente necesitamos abrir la puerto de nuestros corazones por El. Te quiero mucho!

con mucho amor,

hermana hobbs