From: Kyle Hudgins <kyle.hudgins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: One transfer done!
Date: January 9, 2012 7:31:21 AM MST

Holy cow i can´t believe that this transfer is already done. I have been in Argentina for 6 weeks already. It is crazy how fast it has gone. Elder Clark says that it just keeps going by faster and faster which is kind of crazy. Elder Clark and I are both staying here in Trevelin but we have two elders from our district that are leaving. Elder Sharp is going up to Zone leader in Coleta Olivia and Elder Syddall is going to the General Roca zone, not exactly sure which part. But I´m glad that we are staying here because we have a lot of unfinished work here in Trevelin. Hopefully we can have a baptism this transfer.

This week we had divisions again. I went to Esquel again and worked with Elder Rozas. He is from Buenos Aires and it was the first day in my life where I didn´t hear or speak any english. Now because of that it was kind of a quite day but it was quite the experience. Elder Sharp said that i was the senior compaion that day because I entered the MTC on Sept 28 and he on the 29 so i had to conduct companion study and stuff and it was pretty hard. They have a training program now that has a list of thing to study for you first 12 weeks and you have 2 hours of comp study in the morning. It was really dificult to try to do stuff for the 2 hours all in spanish as well. But I am understanding more and more. I can actually understand a lot but now that hard part is having the confidence in my teaching. I don´t feel like i can speak the best either but I know that that will improve with time. This last district meeting Elder Syddall told me that i have learned a lot and don’t worry because I was called to speak spanish and teach the gospel and we are all that the Lord has so he will find a way.

This week we worked a lot with menos activos. We went to talk to this 90 year old guy named Sisilio. He hasn’t been to church for a while which is a little understandable because of his health but we go there just to let him know we are thinking about him. But sure enough yesterday he came to church. I was sweet to see him there. There was also another Hemana who hasn’t been there since i have been here that cam so that was also sweet. We havn’t made much progress with the investigators lately which is a little frustrating but I just have to keep working, trying to find ways to teach them so they can grow their own testimony.

It sounds like all of you are having a great time at home. Hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying the cold weather. I love you all and miss all you you. Keep sending pictures!

Les amo,
Elder Kyle Hudgins

Cascadas Nant y Fall

Elder Hudgins at Cascadas Nant y Fall

Kyle with the Esquel District at Cascadas Nant y Fall

Elder Prusse, Elder Rozas, Elder Sharp, Elder Syddall, Elder Clark, Elder Hudgins

From: Kyle Hudgins <kyle.hudgins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Happy New Year!
Date: January 2, 2012 1:18:32 PM MST

Hola familia.

Sorry its taken a little while to get this email out today but we left this morning to go check out some of the scenery of around Trevelin. We went to this place called Nant Y Falls. Its a pretty cool place about 20 minutes south of Trevelin. Its a short little trail that takes you past 4 waterfalls, it was way awesome. I have pictures but this computers wont acept USB chords so hopefully i will be able to send them to you next week.

This week has been really nice. We didn´t really do anything for New Years. We were allowed to stay up late and be with members or investiagors but we just stayed in our pension. It was a little boring but everyone around us had fireworks so we went outside and watched them. They had some pretty big fireworks that would shake the house and stuff. I assume the laws are pretty laid back about buying fireworks here in Argentina. Then yesterday after church we spent the day in Esquel and we had the whole day off so we made a whole bunch of pizza and played Monopoly and card games. It was a good time.

The reason we decided to go out today was because this is the last week of the transfer and some of the elders in our district thing they might be leaving. Its crazy that i am almost done with my first transfer. It has gone by so fast. This whole mission has gone by really fast. I have already been out for 3 months. It feels like just yesterday you were dropping me off at the MTC. I guess time goes really fast when you are having fun and you have a lot of stuff to do.

The missionary work in Trevelin has been really tough. I feel like Elder Clark and I are working really hard but when we look at our numbers at the end of the week, we think man those really suck. Thats the only thing that really gets me down a little but is not seeing the fruits of your work. Im sure the lord is helping that person or whoever in some way but i just can´t see it. But one thing really awesome happened this week. We set up a baptimal date for Paola. She has been talking to the missionaries for about 3 years now i think and never had one. She has two kids that are baptized and she really likes the church. She just hasn´t been able to go becuase she has work on sundays. The date is for the 10 of March because she has to get divorced from her previous husband and marry Juan (the guy she is living with). he is also an awesome guy. He is way nice and my hope is that he gets baptized the same day. They are just an awesome family. Paola and Juan read and pray with their kids Irving and Nacho. Those two come to church every week and when we went to teach, Irving knew the answer to all the questions. He is only 11 but already says he wants to serve a mission. So that is probably the most exciting thing that is going on. The funny that was that the next day we had a ward activity for the new year and she came and we telling everyone that she was going to be baptized. So that was just awesome to see such enthusiasm from her.

Sorry its a little short i don´t have much time today but just wanted to let you know I love all of you and i miss you and i was so greatfull to see and talk to you the other day. It was so nice to be able to see your faces. Hope you all had a happy new year.

Les amo,

Elder Kyle Hudgins

From: Kyle Hudgins <kyle.hudgins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Tough week
Date: December 19, 2011 7:15:00 AM MST

This week was tought! It was soooo hot this week. It was up around 100 degrees at least 3 days this week and I also have some pretty bad blisters on my feet. It sucks buy you just keep working. I know that if i keep doing the things i´m supposed to I will be put in the spots that i need to be. I think it was on Thursday this week. It was dang hot! We went out in the siesta and this town turns into a ghost town between 2 and 5. All the appointments we had fell through. So we decided to know (or clap) some doors but nobody was answered their door. It was seriously the worst day ever. We did that for a couple hours just walking around in the heat. We didn´t talk with anyone. After no success the whole day at about 8:30 we were talking with Hermana Montecino, a menos activa in the branch on her porch. Then a guy in the street calls for us and wants to talk. Hermana said oh he probably is just asking for money or whatever but we went to talk to him anyway. His name was David. His son 16 year old son was just killed a couple weeks ago. He was on his way to the cemitary and was asking us why this happened. He wondered why God would take away his son who was a good kid and not himself, who was a drunk. We talked about the plan of slavation a little and it was really awesome. I think he really felt something. He asked us to say a prayer for him in the middle of the street and it was just so powerfull. We got his information so we could talk to him. Unfortuately we haven´t been able to find him at his house. We will keep trying. But its cool how we just had this crap day, but i just knew that we had to be in the very spot at that moment so we could help David.

You were asking about investigators and stuff but we really don´t have meny new investagators. The 70´s of the area want us to focus on the menos activos. Its not really what i was expecting but there are a lot of kids in the familias menos activas who are not baptized. We had a lesson with the familia Lepin. She was offended by someone in the ward a couple years ago and hasn´t been to church for a while. Whe had an awesome lesson with the family and committed them to reading, praying, and going to church as a familly.

I gave my first talk in sacrament yesterday. It wasn´t too bad we had a good showing of people at sacrament, about 30, so that made it a little better. It was about faith in adversity. Everybody said it was really good so thats cool. It only lasted about 7 minutes and i had to write it all out. But im sure ill get plenty of chances to give talks in the branch.

Well thats about it. Its really weird being here for Christmas in the summer. Its not that big of a deal here it seems. It makes me miss the Christmas spirit in the states. But Christmas eve is the big day here. We are going to a memebers houre in the evening and on Christmas we are going to Esquel to be with the other missionaries and do an asado or something and just hang out it will be a fun day. Can´t wait to talk to you next week its going to be awesome!

Les amo,
Elder Kyle Hudgins

From: Kyle Hudgins <kyle.hudgins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: ¡Hola!
Date: December 12, 2011 7:22:24 AM MST

Hey everyone back at home, I hope everyone is doing good and getting ready for the Christmas season! Anyway, this week was another tough one. I still can´t understand everyone very well but its getting better every day so thats good. I´m starting to participate more in appointments. I can understand pretty well when we are talking about gospel stuff but not really when its just every day conversation. I hate to say it but this week was a little dissapointing. We had distirict conference yesterday. President Peterson came down, the whole district presidency and an area 70 we all there for the conference. Elder Clark and i spent most of the week sending out invitations to the menos activo families. We thought we made some pretty good progress and were expecting at least some of them to show up to the conference. Unfortunately we only had 4 people total (Presidente Ganga and his wife and another regular member and his daughter) make the 30 min trip to Esquel for the conference. It just sucked. Even though none of the menos activo families didn´t show up i hope our presence and us talking with them will make them a little more willing to go to church in the coming weeks. One familiy we talked to, the mother found a new job so now we will be able to reteach the lessons a again and hopefully get them going to church.

There is a lot of work to do here. The members are a little wish washy and most of them are old and feel like they have already done what they need to do and can rest now. I wish we had more people at the conference because thats what they stressed a lot. MEMBERS NEED TO HELP DO MISSIONARY WORK! just a message for everyone at home.

Anyway we had a couple cool experiences this week. We were doing service at this guys house (menos activo). He is like 95 and his daughters are always there and they are way nice. We shared a message at the end and invited the daughter to listen. We talked about prophets and the restoration a little and she agreed with it. She said to come back on Tuesday so that she can give us lunch and wash our clothes. Also the other day we were meeting with another hemana (another menos activo) and she had a friend there. We shared the message of the restoration and she said that she would like to listen to our lessons. So hopefully those go through well. I haven´t really taught too many lessons yet and don´t have many new investigators but now with conference out of the way hopefully we can find some.

So with Christmas i know i can use skype on Christmas day. If you could make a skype account for me and set it all up that would be sweet. Im not exactly sure what time yet. I´ll probaly go up to Esquel for that because i don´t think any of the computers here have cameras.

So yeah. Hope I have some better news next week. Just gotta keep on working. Gotta keep experimenting on ways to get this branch going! I know we will find a way.

Les amo,
Elder Kyle Hudgins

Kyle Hudgins <kyle.hudgins@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Well, missions are hard!
Date: December 5, 2011 7:14:24 AM MST

This sure has been a crazy week. Its crazy to think that im in argentina right now. It is definitely a shock. When i was in the airport, i was just like thinking oh my goodness what im i doing i cant understand anyone! And i still cant understand anyone! it is very frustrating. We have had a few lessons and i haven´t said anything in them because i have no idea what people are saying. It is probably the hardest thingk i have ever had to do. But really i have only been working for a couple days now. im just being impatient. I know it will come with time, i just want to know it now! But yeah Trevelin is pretty awesome. But there is so much work to do here. Its a very small branch here. yesterday at church we only had 25 people there. There are like 15 menos activo familias that our branch president Predidente Ganga has been really stressing us to get to work on. Pres. Ganga is very concerened about the work here. The members of the branch do really do a lot to help out with missionary work. He feels that the only poeple that do that is him and the missionaries. We are a little by ourself here in Trevelin. The district president who is in Esquel hardly ever comes here to a sacrament meeting and he is just very stressed out because of all the work. There is a lot to do, we just need to change some things that we are doing around here. But thats really hard for me when i can´t understand people and can´t speak very well.

Anyway, yesterday was pretty awesome day at church. We had a confimations of an hermana who was baptized last week. She had been investigating the church for 20 years and finally got baptized last week. It was really cool to be part of the confirmation. Also yesterday in tesitmony meeting i felt that is would be a good idea to introduce myself to the brach. It was my first testimony i have given in spanish in sacrament. I was a little nervous but Elder Clark said that is was perfect spanish so that was cool. Elder Clark is a pretty awesome guy. He is from washington and has been out here for about a year. We have been getting along really well and we are doing our best to change this branch around.

I had my first Argentine meals this week. All in all pretty good. On saturday we had lunch at pres. ganga´s we had this raviolli stuff and it was really good. Elder Clark said thats pretty much the norm. Yesterday to break our fast we had chicken milanesa. Its like chicken fried steak but with chicken. It was really good. So yeah im pretty excited about the food here. The milk is delicious and so is the cheese.

Well i hope you have an awesome week, i love you all!

Les amo
Elder Kyle Hudgins