Elder VanBuskirk: Alex: Hidalgo is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week was my first week in Hidalgo. Let me just say it was awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well one thing this week we were visting sister Alicia Diez, a inactive member. So we knocked on her door y she looked very tired, so we asked if she was all right. Next thing we knew she fainted. We called a member to come y help us move her to her bed. Well her 15 year old daughter was making her depressed because she was making y wanting to do bad choices, so her mom worried like all of them do y she fell into depression y fainted. Well we gave her a blessing y we sang her some hymns until her husband came from work. After the husband told us he sees now he needs to go back to church because we were there to help. Y guess what? They went to church yesterday!

Well on Thursday we went into town to have interviews with president George. Well I had mine a week before y we talked about why teaching the Book of Mormon is important to everybody h he challenged us to hold it in our hands for a week.

Well when we were on the way we were almost in a bad car crash where we were about to die if it happened. So way before the meeting we dropped off our suits with the branch president y his wife because we need to go an hour away to go to the meetings y right before we left the zone leaders told us that we don’t need our suits after all, so the only member close was the branch president’s house. But only his wife was there, Sister Sandra y we gave her our suits,.y after we left she had a very strong feeling to pray for our travel there y back. So she prayed y afterwards she felt good. I know it was her faith to act on the Holy Ghost that I’m able to write you today! So that was cool.

Well we did a rama (branch) family home evening on Saturday at Brother Walter’s family. His wife just had surgery it was great. They are planning on doing 2 a week to help the less actives y the inactives to come back to church. Y this week we already have two lined up. Y yesterday i said the sacrament prayer again for the bread y I gave another wonderful talk on Sunday the day of rest.

So all week we go around with our list of 400 members to see if they live there still or other new information. So that was fun. Well that was my first week here y we are working hard with the active members to read the Book of Mormon y pray because a lot of them don’t. I love it here y thanks for all your love y prayers.

LOVE ALEX OR ELDER VANBUSKIRK

ADIOSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi mom. Love you. How are you?

I love it here. It is like Coita - a small town, but the area itself is huge! It is big enough for another group of us but it is a rama (branch). But we sat down and made a plan for 2016 to work with the members to make it a ward this year. We have 70 people that come y we need to have 150, so we are working super hard. Like twice a week we are doing branch home evenings at members’ houses. So it is working out great.

The Seventy over Mexico wants every branch y ward to have a plan and make one every year. Well the mission leader is named Juan y he is 82 years old y he almost have been a member for a year. The branch president is Awesome. He is so humble y really wants to help. The active members want to work hard because they don’t want to travel almost an hour if they take away the church, but there are some members say that they are going to do it because some don’t have faith. We have 400 members y only 60-70 go to church‬. The area Seventy said that any ward or branch with less then 150 people will be taken away y will join us with another ward to make150. I know we will get it done.

My comp is the only child of his mom because his mom y dad are divorced y his dad has 2 other kids. Only my comp y his mom are members. We get along so good y even the members say that we are made for each other. He has been out for 14 months.

We went to some small school classrooms on Saturday where they teach the kids the basic English y they invited me in to shake each one of their hands y take a pic y practice with them. They want me to stop on by every Saturday, so that was cool. When I was answering there basic questions I would answer too fast, but I thought I was doing it slow. Haha. So the teacher had to re-say it to them slower. It was fun y I enjoyed it a lot.

I’m just happy I’m alive. Did you ever finish your card?

I only have 5 transfers left in my mission y I’m feeling lately that I will finish here? But no say. This transfer will end on Feb 1 y then I have 5 tranfers y they are six weeks in each transfer. It is going on by super fast You need to call the travel office next month.

Love you more how is the family? So nate is leaving tomorrow? Tell him I say hi y I love him y tell him to write me. Love you, thanks. How is the family? Grandma Signs said there will be a family reunion in are house y you got the couch? That will be great to see everybody y you know I’m a helper. Hey tell dad that I will take some money out to make no-bakes for the branch but they will pay me back.

Thanks for sending my package. What is in it? Did you send the contact cards to? I’m going to send one full of stuff for you guys y for me, but thanks. You need to send the V-card. I’m dying to see it.

Love you. I’m glad all is good there. There is a lot more pictures, but I’ve got to go. Love you. Say hi to everyone y give them my love y I will pray for you.

Thanks Mom. Bye. Love you. xoxxo You are always in my prayers. Bye have a good week

Bye love you xoxo

The certificate was a joke from the young women y my comp that I passed Beehives, because my comp was helping fill them out y he messed up y he wrote my name on it just for fun.

Yes, that’s our house on Google Earth, yes, but it is now red. love you

(Funny story. During his first time emailing me he was describing where he lived and giving me directions so I could find his house on Google Earth. (I'm the kind of mom who NEEDS to know exactly where my child is on the planet, so I always try to find their house on Google Eart,and "walk" down the streets where they walk! But this time he kept saying it was a big red and white house, and I keep following his directions as best as I could, but couldn't find it! he probably thought I have a terrible sense of direction, but I don't! Finally I figured out that his house must have been painted red and white since the GE cameras came rolling through. Sure enough! Above is what I saw on GE, and below it is the house he is living in now. Mystery solved!)