A Super Duper Long Letter

I'm not even going to edit this one.  It's just a good, long, very long, I mean really long letter...

Hello,
I always keep a family photo with me for two reasons.  One is that I like you guys.  The other is because the old ladies like looking at photos and I've always got to be on the "in" with the old ladies.  And last week I was looking at the family photo that I keep in my missionary handbook (rules of being a missionary) and realized that it's us against the rest of the world.  That in the end, family will be all any of us have.  I think we've got a good team.  Y'all are sweet.  And yes, I broke down and have adopted some of the Southern vernacular.  It's a mix now of Utah, and Southern Gangster.  Yeah, I'm that cool.  Ha!

A principle that I am learning very well is that of being careful what you pray for. I've been praying for faith, and the only real way to strengthen faith is by having it tried.  So we've been getting hit by problem after problem and trial after trial, all the while being made stronger.  I really have learned so much in these past months.  About the Gospel is one thing, but also about people and about myself and my goals and time/general management.

I've seen so much poverty and laziness and so many people who are lost who don't even know it.  People seem to be drawn so easily to falsehood and paranoia.  What Joseph Smith said that Jesus said is definitely true "They draw near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of Godliness, but they deny the power thereof." That is what reigns here.  The preachers put on a show so that going to church is more like a show than an opportunity to grow.

Anyway, I gave myself a haircut today, and I think it's pretty good.  Short and low-profile.  Just finished all my chores for the day, too.  Laundry, bed making, cleaning stuff.  We got a new sink on Thursday.  I called and asked the building to send someone to fix our leaky faucet, and they gave us a new sink, basin and all.  The only thing it's missing is a disposal.  That would be so nice to have!

I've got a recurring knot in my back.  Any guesses how to get rid of it?  The muscle is beneath my shoulder blade making it impossible to massage it.  It feels like the muscle is attached to the top of my right lung.  It may be from bike riding?  I really can't figure it out.

This was my philosophical question of the day.  Which is the greater miracle?
1) Jesus heals a leper with his hands
2) A vaccine is created to heal all leprosy
This came from our investigator Denise's concern that miracles ceased in Biblical times.  While I thought of it, this came to mind.  I think I know the answer, but I'll omit my thoughts for now.

Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy spoke last week.  We made it to the youth fireside.  He talked about how it's easier to avoid temptation than it is to resist temptation.  He compared the temptation to fresh baked cookies.  If you walk into the house (after committing to yourself to never eat a cookie), and there are fresh baked cookies, that's a tough thing to pass up.  Your best move is to leave the house and get far far far from the cookies.  But how hard is it going to be if you are in the kitchen with your mouth salivating, smelling the cookies, looking at them just sitting there?  Is it easier to avoid or resist?  Exceptional fireside - I thought it was very well presented.

My district leader is great.  Something about him - he and I kicked it off great a month and a half ago when I went on a teamup with him.  Teamups are when you trade companions for 24 hours.  I hope to serve with him for a whole 6 weeks at some point.  His name might be part of why I like him.  Elder Robison.  He's from a little city halfway between St. George and Vegas.  Grew up on a ranch there - just a great missionary.  Elder Robison just has a good ring to it when you say it.

Simon - way to make it into the better band.  Start writing your own music. Clarinet hip-hop is what we need more of here in the south.

Elder Guinn and I have made millions of foods:

• All breakfast foods including, syrup, pancakes, french toast, eggs, biscuits/gravy, this exquisite sweet potato hashbrown meal (sweet potatoes, bacon, onion), and smoothies.
• We make killer sandwiches lots, with good bread and way too much spinach.  I make corn lots, fresh and frozen and eat it like elotes, Nacho Libre style. 
• Salads - I made some salad dressing out of yogurt.  It was bad.  I put shredded carrots and stuff on salads.
• Elder Guinn made some stew today out of Brother Rice's beans and pork and chicken.  It's not bad except for the beans.
• COOKIES!
• Mostly we just avoid allowing the members to get KFC for us.
• I'm about to make eggy noodles which should be way good.  Please send simple recipes.  Or more ideas of filling but healthy things to eat.

Mostly as of now, we just try to eat all our food before it goes bad.  I think Elder Guinn doesn't care for vegetables, so I eat most of them veggies.  Fruit is way spendy, but there are usually stands we go to that I can get cheap food stuff on the fly.  We have access to $.10 peaches!  I've developed a LOVE for Grape Nuts - the best breakfast.  Also, Homestyle Bushes Baked Beans - I eat a 1 lb. can of those every week.  Last week we made some enchiladas calculated at $1.00 each, and they were so so good!  After all is said and done, we really just mix everything we have with something else and call it a meal.  I may just make a photo documentary of it.

Mom, I think I finally understand the pain you feel when the house is messy.  Messy houses are a no go for me now.  I keep this place nice whenever possible.  And if it is cluttered it eats at me until I can clean up.  To keep a floor clean requires so much sweeping.

I got a picture of Freddy and I and will send it home ASAP When I can print it from Elder Guinn's camera.

I love you all,

Elder Hulme

p.s.  I just walked into the kitchen and Elder Guinn looked up with a guilty face.  I noticed he was holding a spatula and our stove was on with a frying pan on it.  He stated, "I'm doing an experiment."  To my delight, he is currently frying cookies.  Not a bad idea.  Use low heat.

Pie Chart and Photos

Xander drew a pie chart for us that shows how his time is spent.  He says, "Teaching and traveling are way fun.  Finding is fun too.  Service is like taking a break, so it's very enjoyable."

This is his current companion, Elder Guinn.  He was supposed to go to Suriname the same time as Xander, and now they're together in Alabama.  He says that they speak Dutch when they're alone.

Photographed While Eating

We were tipped that the new Mission President in Alabama is a faithful blogger. We found proof that our son is eating. VaLene has been a bit concerned that he won't have any food when he is not at home.

Simple Acts of Kindness

Yesterday we took some bread to the nice retirement home.  Sister Poelenitz lives there and we do sacrament for her since she can't leave due to health issues.  She's only about 50, but way physically disabled.  We cut open her watermelon for her, and that act of kindness to her seemed to be the most rewarding thing I've done out here.  Just helping an oldish woman.

I don't think I've told you all about Freddy yet.  He's an old retarded guy we used to help play Bingo.  He's funny because he will make eye contact with you, then cock his head and crack up laughing.  I'm going to find a way for us to continue helping Freddy with Bingo.

We live 6 miles from where we work, so it's about a half hour hilly bike ride each way.  But at one spot, we cross a bridge over a cool stream.  The cool part about the stream is that there are a ton of great blue herons that nest near the bridge, so we see a bunch of those birds every day we ride.  It reminds me of going bird watching with Dad.

I am surviving the humidity.  We've been very blessed in surviving these temperatures.  We have exceptional air conditioning which I opt to leave on always.  It's cooling down just a bit.  I sure hope I leave before winter.  I'm not prepared for wintery situations at all.

Picture Postcards

Dear Home,
I've never sent a post card before, but I figure this is much the same thing.  This is me and Elder Dansie and Demarcus.  Today is August 2, 2010, and it is hot and wet outside.  I was informed yesterday that I will be taking over Ensley, and Elder Guinn will be my companion*.  I'm going to have to be lead by the spirit, because I don't know how to get to anyone's house as of now**...and no way am I buying a GPS.  It'll be good to have a refresher on Dutch, though.  Apparently, Elder Guinn hasn't forgotten quite as much as I have.  Mission is going well.

*Elder Guinn was also called to Suriname/West Indies, and he was in Xander's district in the MTC.  They were both reassigned to Birmingham, Alabama due to Visa problems.

** I speculate that Xander falls asleep soon after his seat belt is attached, and that is why he wouldn't know his way around.  His entire life, he has fallen fast asleep in the car.

This is when my coat was in home ward, so I don't fit in.  Elder Dansie did a District Training with us.  Being a missionary is fun.  I sure enjoy serving the Lord.

Rickwood Field is the oldest baseball field in America.  Elder Dansie got a flat from a big nail in the road, so we were walking that day.  This shows that Ensley, Alabama used to be a real city, not a dying one.

Photos in Alabama

First off, the address.  Xander has sent us 2 different zip codes, and we're just now learning that letters and packages will be returned with one of the zip codes.  The following address appears to work correctly:

114 Crabapple Lane Apt. F

Birmingham, AL 35214

(35204 is the wrong zip code that was posted for a while)

Xander and his companion, Elder Dansie

Gotta' appreciate him representing the proper bicycle brand even while on his mission

The missionary apartment.  Looks fine from the outside.

Ew.  Gross.  Saggy, ugly, ripped sofa.  Boxes stacked in the corner?

Not too bad for a missionary apartment kitchen.

I guess this is where they study

Xander knows I can't stand a mattress with only a sheet (missing a mattress pad).   He did not like me forcing a brand new bulky mattress pad on him when he went to college.  But a bare naked mattress is so much worse.  I can only hope that maybe he was washing the sheets?  The clutter.  The need to vacuum.  The ugly Ninja Turtle blanket.  I did my best.  That's all I can do, right?

Fresh new haircut.  What a nicely shaped head.  Basketball on P-day.

I think they're taking that song, "I'm trying to be like Jesus" a bit too far.

Bingo Was His Name-O

I've been eating like a polynesian lately.  So much food!  and I'm still always hungry :) it's fun though, I've lost fat anyway from biking so much. 


I've been awful about writing people back recently.  We play basketball on P-Days and they play so long that I don't get an opportunity to write hardly at all, so if you could apologize for me, I'd appreciate that. 

We do a lot of service.  This week we helped a woman move.  We volunteer weekly at the library here and also at the old folks home.  At the library we do random funny jobs, like organize DVDs or make gift bags.  At the old folks home we do Bingo for the old people with fake money.  They seem to like it.  We've been to an awful old folks home that was disgusting and stinky, but the one we volunteer at is a lot nicer.  I still will do everything to keep my family away from a place like that.  There is very little joy there. 

So yes, lots of humanitarian work.  I don't think Elder Dansie likes it as much as I do.  We helped this guy move a couch into his apartment.  The couch looked like it had had dogs living on it for about 15 years.  Nasty, but we got it in. 

We do this cool thing a lot called "inspiration tracting."  If we have spare time like an hour or two, Elder Dansie and I use the map and pick 4 streets in an area.  We pray and ask to be lead to which road people are ready to hear the gospel.  Then we each pick 3 from the total list of 8.  Usually we each pick 1 or 2 of the same streets.  In so doing, we allow the Holy Ghost to tell us where to go knock on doors.  Every time we do this we find someone, at least one person, to teach.  It's pretty cool. 

Well I'm going grocery shopping now, Love you!