Hunters Christmas Week.  He is doing good, just not writing much right now.

Well to be honest these last 3 months have been the hardest months to find new investigators that actually want to change their lives. Almost everyone knows me on this side of the island and its because  I have talked to them about the church, invited them to go to church, or taught them about the church. A lot of people wave to me but don't go to church. I feel like a great song on the radio when it comes out, its hot, fresh, and crisp. Everyone wants to know what this song is all about but after a while they are think to themselves, we have heard this before. But don't worry after some time it becomes a classic. That's what I know to be true, that much like our message has been spread for a very long time more and more people become a part of it. I know this gospel to be true and that thanks to Jesus Christ by calling a Prophet called Joseph Smith we can have the privilege to have eternal families, happiness that doesn't end, hope when all there is, is doubt and dispair. I know the Book of Mormon is true and with the Bible, they show us that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that there are many people that are waiting to be baptized by Gods authority. Now I just need to get better and find them, because its go time. I know that this is Gods work and as members and missionaries we can do it!!! Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Hanging with the Brothers!

P-day in Paradise.

Living the dream!

That is great that Angela had her little girl I cant wait to go see her after I come home ha ha!!!! I am doing fine it was a very stressful week because we worked like crazies and we didnt get to see a lot of fruit. I had to help the elders in my district move out of their house. One of them just went home, so I had to make sure the house was clean and ready. It was just a lot of stuff that fell on my plate that I wasn't ready for. But we are excited for a fresh new week!!! I am super pumped because out of the few people we have we are going to baptize!!!! We went contacting in a graveyard and it was fun and we contacted lots of people!!! I am pretty excited for this week!!

     I am really happy right now. As a zone we were able to complete the goal we set as elders. We are so excited for this weekend and for the opportunity to find more people to be baptized! I feel like I have been learning a lot here in Carmen. I have realized that the will of God is what motivates us to baptize everyone! We wanted this goal to be completed, we prayed, we fasted, we did so many divisions with the other áreas, and we ended the month so tired but satisfied! We are completely convinced that this is His work!  We talk to so many people and we invite many to be baptized but many say no but I know that there are people waiting out there.
 CHECK CONFERENCE FOR SPECIAL DETAILS OF HOW TO BE HAPPIER IN LIFE AND TO COME CLOSER TO CHRIST.LDS.ORG. :D

Happy Day!!

The field is white and ready to Harvest!

Great Day!!

Life is Good!!

THIS IS HIS WORK.... NO ONE CAN STOP IT!

Never miss a chance to knock on a door!

Local Museum

Very bold title right? But it's true no one can stop the work of God and I was given a great experience this last week. Sunday night we had an appointment with a new family so we planned on bringing the Family Graniel Torrez our convert family. As we were going to the other family´s house, they are renting the part in back. We came to the door to find that the landlord is a preacher and welcomed us in and then got the family for us. Little did we know that once the family that we came to visit sat down, he said "I would like to share a lesson on how your church is not the true church with the bible." Well my companion and I looked at each other and we were like it's a trap! As he started to try to start his lesson my companion said "We would like to start with a hymn and a prayer." So we sang and prayed. Then he tried to once again teach us. But my companion said "We would like to start with a scripture in James 1:5 that says.

..." Then we just got into the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ. He tried to attack us with the scriptures but while he was doing that, the spirit wasn't there. He said that we must baptize in the only the name of Jesus, because the Bible has many scriptures that contradict. But I told him, we must baptize by the authority of God, that is only given to men by the placement of hands.  Then he started again saying other reasons and I asked him "What did you understand I then said we must have Prophets, Apostles, and Revelation to go along with it. Because by the revelation we can know the correct way to direct the work of God through his ordiances. Then are converts started talking about the importance of Joseph Smith and how god restored his church once again on the earth and how we can know it throught the Book of Mormon. Then we talked about the Book of Mormon and invited him to read and pray about it with the Moroni 10:3-5 challenge?" He couldnt say anything because he didn't listen. So we offered to give him a Book of Mormon so he could know for himself. He rejected that and started up again, but before he could I asked him "Do you have the authority of God?" He responded "I dont know." From that point on we testified and stopped wasting our time because they weren't listening. As we left the family that we came to visit came out and the mom started to cry. She was saying I am so sorry, we are looking for a different house, they are just not very nice people, we know the book of mormon is true!!!!!!!! Ding ding ding! What did you just say???? After 1 minute of crying they started laughing with the Family Graniel Torrez and told us they want to go to church so they will ask for Sundays off! Then they said we would like to be baptized!!!! They arent married but I think we can work on it!!! No one can stop the work of God. Especially when Members, Missionaries, and the Holy Ghost work together. 

Learning about the history of Mexico

Chester likes candy

Quite the pose.

Mans bestfriend!

Checkin' the schedule.

Hanging on the roof.

Our View!

Chillin'

So what we did this week is we went on 3 divisions (Splits)! It was crazy but we ended up having a great week in our área and the other elders got new investigators from the people we contacted on the divisions. Sunday we went around with a kid named Helaman who is getting ready for the missión, and so many miracles happened!!!! We got old members coming up to us saying we have kids that arent baptized, we got people to accept baptisimal dates, we found new people, and we heard a shy young man give a powerful testimony to random strangers. I have no doubt that if we work with faith then God completes or does His part! I love that! I was Reading a lot in the bible and the book of mormon this week and I found that I just get excited when Christ is just telling people to repent because he knows it is the only way they can come to His kingdom. You didn't hear him ever say well for you I willl give an expection. No everyone needs to be baptized by the authority of God and endure to the end! Let your Works be a light and a strength for others to be apart of this Kingdom. Lets invite everyone we know to come to our homes and watch General Conference! This is it,invite your friends! The time to act not think. I know this to be true, because I feel it to be true. The name of Jesús Christ Amen. Elder DeVries. ​

Went to villa for the conference with president and went to the temple!!!!  I loved the temple!!!!! Over a year since I had gone! I understood everything this time in spainsh!​  Yea its great we love it!!! Our convert the in the picture that is teaching a part of the class is Luciano!!!!! He bore is testimony sunday that he has lived 72 years but up until a few months ago he didnt understand why. But now he knows, for this góspel! So cool!!!! Made tons cry in church!!! 13/16 converts of our área at church!!!!  Lots of work and we are getting baptismal dates. Teaching a lot and contacting even more.  We had 130 at church.

WE ARE TOGETHER STILL IN CARMEN!!!! 

                                                                               ZOO

 we have a lot of investigators that are getting ready for baptism!!!!!  I am so excited to work my hiny off more in this área and help the zone complete there goals that they have put down!!!  We are pumped!!! Thanks dad!!! I am super excited for this transfer I know that we will have lots of success for our área and the zone!!!

              Soccer on Beach















                                    New Friend

Chester made himself a new home!

Zone Leader Conference

Well I had an experience that is for sure. We played soccer on the beach in the morning and we always play without shoes but I went for the ball and I stepped on a piece of glass. I was just going for the ball that was right out side of the field. It started to bleed a little bit but then I just went home and washed it out and wrapped it up with some stuff mom gave me and I slid it back into place but I can still feel the little cut. So I learned  you have to look where you are going always, so you can get to your destination without harm. Now I relate this to our investigators, we have to help them see the whole picture or guide them and prepare them for lifes' unknowns such as temptations. That is our goal to have converts that stay strong and when they fall down they know how to get back up.   ( I just need to have someone tell me where the glass is at. ha! ha!) 

Command Central

Studying Hard!

Storm Brewing!

View from the roof

 Island Breeze keep coming.....

Welcome to the Blog of Elder Hunter Darren DeVries. I currently have served 14 months of my mission. Some call me an old missionary but we are really the youngest and hottest things that are in the mission. Ha! Ha! Alright well so life as a missionary has been awesome and I love every minute of it! We had a rough month in July because here in Carmen City, they bought a statue to worship for 7 million US dollars and they partied from the 15 of July to 31 of July. It was a difficult month finding new people with everyone partying  but we were able to pick the wheat from the tares. We have a few people coming up with a date for Baptism and we are excited for them!!! We have a lot of investigators just from contacting and we have a few part member families that we are teaching!!! Then to top it all off  The president of the Mission called us to be Zone Leaders. I still can't believe it because me and Elder Petersen are still together because he called us both. We are going on 5 months in the same house. We are loving it! We contacted a huge ADO bus while riding into Villahermosa and back,  it was awesome to feel like a real missionary and do that!!! We also are trying to get the members more involved and help us with the work here, because this is the Members work we are just here to help! I would like to invite everyone of you to read the Story of Joseph Smith in the Pearl of Great Price and then think how many of your friends haven't heard of that story, and more then anything haven't prayed to know if it is true. I invite you to write down your friends names and give these names to the missionaries with the direction of the house and go with them! Be a part of the RESTORATION!!! Love you  and I know you will feel the importance of the gospel if you do it! I got my package!!! I love the Dove soap! It is awesome but hot in Villahermosa!  It was a alright week, Zone Leaders do a lot of different things but we are getting used to it.

Elder Hunter Darren DeVries 

We had a really good week and we will continue to look for more people to teach. It is incredible to me that God has given me this many people to teach. We are trying to find more for August and we will continue to go and look for them. This week was pretty fun we had a 4th of July party and we cooked hamburgers. It was pretty good! Then we beat  a Captain America  pinata. Then the next day we had our baptism and it was amazing.  It was really good and simple but you could feel the spirit very strongly.Then the next day we had ward council and we talked about how the work was going in the ward. Then our mission leader Roberto told us that the Bishop likes us a lot and that he is starting to realize the importance of the bishopric helping us retain these converts!!! Made me happy to see almost all of our converts at church and we are struggling to find new people that progress but we are finding them slowly but surely!!! Love it and I cant believe I only have ten months left.... well oh yea and we had Zone Class and we sang only american hymns, but God Bless America 2 Nephi 10:11 13. Love you guys!!!

That is awesome mom!!! I am sooooo excited for everyone that is leaving on their mission. I think they will love it..... nah I know it!!! I think I am still getting the hang of being a missionary. I had to go to Villahermosa this last Tuesday for a Special Conference for District Leaders. So we went to the ADO where we traveled on the bus to every city in the mission, we were in a companionship of three. So I got the seat by a random lady and President had challenged us to contact everyone and a six hour Villahermosa trip ended up being a long contact. So after we past by Frontera, Tabasco I decided to start up the conversation and I am grateful I did. I was able to have the Holy Ghost as my companion and he taught a great lesson. It was the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesús Christ and I gave her a Book of Mormon and invited her to read it. She accepted and she was so interested. So I invited her to be baptized, she said Yes!!!! She said she would be baptized if the book is true and if the missionaries pass by and visit her. I got the reference and after the conference I asked  President if I could call the missionaries to pass by that day. He handed me the asissants cell phone and I called up the Elders. Now I don't know what happened from that point on but I do know she now has the opportunity to learn more about the góspel and know for herself that it is Gods Church! I know this work is His and I am happy to be a missionary! ​

June 21st Baptism Day!!!

June 28th Baptism Day!!!

Forever Families!!

We had a great week!! We had two baptisms this week and we are working to have a baptism this saturday and four baptisms for the 28th. We are so happy for our investigators. We baptisted a Dad and here daughter this week. His name is Luciano. He can't hear and yet he accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ!!! He read the whole book of mormon in a month and has already read the Bible 3 times and is half way through Gospel Principles, we teach him with a whiteboard. He fulfilled the scripture in Isaiah 29:18 and I am proud to be able to have helped him be baptized. But let us start from the beginning we were contacting one day and just as we were about to leave we hear a man from across the street. It was Luciano and he asked us if we could teach his daughters about God, and you know us we gladly took the chance from that point on we passed by every two days and only had to bring them to church once. Luciano made sure his daughters came with him. He had just had heart surgery so he had to stop his life long addiction four months before and he stopped drinking coffee the moment we told him. Now if you missed what I said He is deaf. So how did he see us from a house that only has one small window. I testify that God works and prepares people to listen to the gospel. I so testify that revelations have not stopped from existing much like the revelation found in Isaiah much like President Monson and his counselors give us direction today. We need to participate in the Work of Salvation! There are people, just look!!!! I promise that you will feel the joy that I feel if you leave behind yourself and put the Savior first. But I promise you will find your self in Him.

Rainy Season?

Love the sweet members!

I don't know

Chester the dog