Week 42: Eternal Memories (Cambridge)

So exhausted this week, yet it was all worth it.

I might as well just cut straight to the best part of the week. Saturday was one incredible day. We woke up at 3:15, yes that early, to get going for the day in order to get to the temple on time for our session there. But man was it worth it. We rode with a member named Carl Hutber who drove us, the sisters, Nayland, and a YSA named Madelyn! The 7 of us had such a great and early morning together. We got to the temple around 7 in the morning and headed inside. We got Nayalnd squared away and then it all began. Let me tell you...just wow. I had the opportunity to baptize Nayland on the behalf of others who didn't get the chance in this life, but wait it gets better. After I baptized him multiple times he then baptized me for some family names the Colonel found. How cool is that?! To be baptized by one of your recent converts who just over a month ago wasn't even a member of the church! It was so incredible. It then continued on to me getting to confirm him for others as well. He actually got confirmed for the family names I brought. To think that he was able to do that for our ancestors is so cool to me. After we were finished we walked around the temple grounds and it was just beautiful. It was so great to finally get to see it after all this time. Was absolutely exhausted and barely functioning, but Nayland said it was a really good experience. LOVE THAT MAN!

Honestly the rest of the week doesn't even compare to that at all but hey nothing really can. I know this is short but really going to the house of the lord with Nayland makes the rest of the week seem not even worth it. Sorry to keep it so short but love you all!!

With love,
Elder Hruby

Week 41: Thanksgiving across the pond (Cambridge)

Yo yo yo!

Probably gonna keep this short because one I'm tired and two ya'll are on holiday anyways so ain't nobody got time for this anyways. But I'll tell ya what happened anyways .

We were on exchange with the zone leaders in Colchester on Tuesday which was a good time per usual. Nothing beats the late night pillow talk on exchanges where all the good times and bonds are made. My boy elder Lucas and only talk about college football and all that good stuff. He's a big Texas fan, so he likes you grant! It's all we ever talk about Haha. What a guy.

Wednesday we had district meeting which are always good especially when the Calls give us a great lunch afterwards! We went and saw Paul and talked about his baptism and man he was so excited. He's already planning it all out and won't stop thanking me for making it happen. Its crazy he's been waiting 3 years to be able to get baptized and its finally happening! Love this guy so much.

The highlights of Thursday are always institute and being with the YSA's. We are so tight with them and they make Cambridge a great place. Life wouldn't be the same without them.

We had one of our best turnouts for sports night with about 20 people there which is always incredible. And then we started exchange with the Bury Boyz. I went with Elder Mundele from France. He's a stud and a very hard worker. We had service Saturday morning and then hit the streets the rest of the day. Found some cool people we should see this week which I'm excited about!

I'm loving all the Christmas decorations going up. I just love the holiday season and I'm so grateful for you all and the amazing people I have In my life. I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy some good football! Keep it real 🤙🏻

With love,
Elder Hruby

Week 40: #Remember

Hey what's up hello! Wow I am just pooped right now. Missionary work is exhausting that's for sure. This change of weather is killing me as well, but can't stop this beast of a machine from moving! Another week in the books. Some of the highlights from the week....

Wednesday we headed to London for zone conference. Literally president and sister Checketts are my favorite human beings. They are so funny and are literally mom and dad if they were serving as a mission president companionship! Seeing them is always something I look forward to! We had Thanksgiving dinner for lunch as well which was amazing! Definitely could've used the post meal nap and football but cant win them all. The video I made was also a hit so I'll try to share that on the drive for y'all to see Haha. A very long, but enjoyable day!

We also did some volunteering this week selling Poppys in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the end of WWI. It was pretty cool to get to do. Especially when people are happy to talk to us and even are giving us money! It's a pretty cool event to have been in England for while it's happening!

We also started teaching a guy from Turkey named Ayaz! He's such a nice guy and he came to church last week! Hopefully we'll be able to continue to teach him and help him come to the knowledge of the truth.

Still loving our sports night and basketball Saturday mornings! Makes the weekend a party! We got the green light from our mission president and bishop for our friend Paul to get baptized in December! He's he's waiting years to be able to get baptized so it's really exciting! He's such a good guy!

Sunday was remembrance day and we went to the American cemetery in the morning. It was so cool and definitely looked like America! You can just tell by the way the grounds are kept Haha. Wow America is the best place on earth!!! Church didn't start until 2 and it was a good service! We had a really cool musical number by the YSA's. We then went to dinner at Naylands. Literally such an awesome guy. Definitely coming back to visit him when I come back with the family!

Today is just a cool day just relaxing. I've been pretty fried lately and need a good break so I'm taking my chance. Life is good in this blessed land and I'm looking forward to the holiday season! Love you all and have a great week.

With love,
Elder Hruby

Week 39: Swoll Team Six

Time is starting to fly! Sometimes I look at the week and I'm just shook by how fast it has already gone by! I love it though it means we're keeping busy.

So one of the funny/cool things this week comes from our time grinding at the gym. There's been this girl there at at same time as us for the last couple weeks and she is a beast. She can move some weight around that's for sure, but not like a manly type just super strong. Anyways she saw chucking some weight around on the bench press this week and asked me to spot her when she was max squatting (most awkward thing ever as a missionary). Anyways we get to talking and that she's training for a competition and that she's from Australia, but we might start teaching her soon which is pretty awesome haha!! Who would've thought the gym would pay off with finding people to teach as well!

Spiritual high this week would have to be on Sunday. Nayland got the priesthood and asked me to ordain him. It was so great. He's seriously such a great man and I can't wait for my family to meet him one day when we come back. His 9 year old son has been coming to church with him as well! Great things happening.

We also are teaching Brandon and Paul who are from sports night as well. Paul has wanted to get baptized for so long and I think we're going to make it happen early December! Pray for him cause it's much needed. Brandon is Paul's daughter's boyfriend who started coming about 10 months ago and has really connected with us these last couple months through sports night and wanted to try the whole church thing out. He's a great kid!!

We're going to go to the temple with Nayland on the 24th which I'm so excited about considering I've still never been there! He might even get baptized for one of our ancestors that dad found. How cool would that be?! A recent convert getting baptized for one of our ancestors...wow!!! That's so cool!

Finally finished the video for zone conference this week and man was that hard. The mission better love it considering how much time it took!

We got a new missionary in our district from Brazil this week and she's only been a member for a little over a year! Wow her story and testimony are amazing. She lost everything including family to join the church and now she's here! Truly inspiring to be around so I'm grateful for that opportunity to be around her.

We have another busy week ahead which I'm looking forward to. Shout out to the knights for getting the revenge win this week and the Yotes with 5 in a row! I'm loving it! 

Have a great week and know Elder Hruby is killing the game

With love,
Elder Hruby

Week 38: #GetDunked (Cambridge)

All that really matters this week is that Nayland got baptized!! Wow what a great guy! He's such a beast and we're already planning a trip to go to the temple with him in a couple of weeks which will be so awesome. We are really looking forward to it and can't wait for him to make that next step as well!

We had a petty busy week which is always nice! Tuesday was sick because we had dinner with Caleb and Arthur who both work on base. They got us some Philly cheese steaks from base and met up at the local McDonalds to eat them. They're both legends and so fun to be around !

We went and had lunch with Yasmin on Wednesday after helping her in her garden more. It's so weird though because she thinks were false prophets and trying to deceive her but still has us over which is weird but oh well. We also did some mission prep with a guy named Chris who leaves next week for his mission in Hong Kong! Gonna be legendary!! We also had Naylands baptismal interview this night and he passed with flying colors. I love getting to interview people for baptism because it's such a testimony builder for sure. It's crazy I've been in two wards and in each ward someone has left on a mission while I was there and both were to Hong Kong...wild!

So on Thursday we go to institute at night and we've been working get a girl named Fatima back to church and active again and she's been coming with us for the last several weeks now which has been awesome! We also have been teaching one of her friends off and on for the last couple months but she came to institute on Thursday! Her name is Alex and she's aweosme. We were talking about personal revelation and recognizing the spirit. She shared an experience she had before and started crying during it cause the spirit was so strong! She was saying how she's not an emotional person at all but she didn't know what was happening... We knew! The spirit was testifying to her. It was so great.


Then there's the best part of every week... sports night!!! I look forward to it every week. At the end of the night we committed everyone to come for Naylands baptism and they did! One of the guys names is Paul and he's been coming for years and has wanted to get baptized for so long but hasn't been able to because he lives with his partner. His daughter was baptized a couple years ago and comes to sports night as well and brings her boyfriend Branden who came to church. Naylands brother will also has been coming for years to church as well. It looks really promising that Paul, Branden, and Will could be baptized by the end of the year! All because of sports night. Love that group of people so much!

We balled out with the Filipinos Saturday morning. I've played so much better on my mission than I ever did back home. Haha I drain like 90% of my shots. We impressed these 2 new guys so they invited us to play in the private 5v5 league on Tuesday night's, so we might be taking them up on that offer haha. It costs to play though so we shall she.

We have also been teaching this guy named Chris who lives in Ely (like 40 minutes away from us). We taught him the restoration and during it he and his mom were smoking the whole time and at the beginning I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but it was great! Towards the end he asked us if we could set a date for him to quit smoking by and also if we could bring him a coffee replacement cause he wants to quit that as well. All of this before we even taught him the word of wisdom! While he was saying he wants to quit he's lighting up another cigarette and while smoking it her puts it out. His mom goes "What are you doing you've never done that before!" And he told her "I don't know it just taste really bad right now" wow miracles! We're going to be seeing him Tuesday night again.

So many great things are coming in our mission as we are in the final stretch of this year and pushing to reach our baptism goal as a mission! I'm so excited to see how it all happens and to be an instrument in the Lord's hands here in the Cambridge area! I love you all and love this church!

With love,
Elder Hruby