February 26, Special letter about Grandpa Hugh Hogle

Well everyone I have had special permission from my Mission President to come and write my thoughts and feels to everyone. As I have recently found out about grandpa and his passing I pondered on what to think, say and do. I first want to talk about the man grandpa was I have never met a more grateful man in my life. He taught us all that the small things we do for people mean so much no matter what it is and it is because the small things for us were huge to him. I will never forget those words after I helped him with anything "Thank you very much I apperciate it." My grandpa also taught me patience I wish I was a better person and I wish I served him out of love more then obiligation but I will also remember these words from him "HEY come ear!" There were times I wanted to act like I wasn't there and there are times when I probably did but now I just wish I could hear him say those words to me again but I know one day He will but, this time I will be happy to do it! I know grandpa had an impacted many people in his work or in just his acts of love he did for people he was one to always think of others whenever they are in times of need. The world has lost a great man but the mormies he left us will forever be with us and as we know through this Gospel this is not the end. This morning my studies were focused on Grandpa as I read and found scriptures that may brings us comfort and joy. This first one I found is what I believe grandpa became while here on earth Mosiah 3:19 " becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." he has developed all those attributes fouond in the verse and that is why I thought of him. The next is Alma 40:  23 "The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame." I know from pictures and many stories that grandpa loved adventures and just the out doors but sadly for the last 21 years of his life that was some what taken away from but, I know with my whole heart that grandpa will be restored to his perfect frame and that he is going to do all those things he loved to do and this is because of the loving Savior that we all have He took upon him the sins of the world the pains of the world and broke the bands of death so that we may all live. As found in Luke 24  36" ¶And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" may we all have that "Peace" because he lives because he has imprinted us on his hands and feet let those scares engulf our saddness let the Lord bring us up. I know that families are forever and I know that Grandpa is right now learning about this Gospel and hopping that we all stay faithful to the end so that we may live with him forever! I love you Grandpa you can finally rest in peace now. I love you all so much and for any of you who neeed comfort I invite you to read Alma 7;11-12 and then to pray for strength and comfort, my prayers are for you all and I love you so much! 

Love Elder William Hogle DeSantis

Week 29, February 22, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  February 22, 2016

Hey everyone,

 Well a lot of exciting news from me so I will finally be leaving Green Bay I didn't think I would be leaving this transfer but I am. I am sad though cause Elder Christofferson and I are like way good friends and so it sad to be leaving him cause we were way close but its ok. Also it was hard to say good bye to the members cause I felt as if that was my home ward and they were just awesome members really hope to go back and visit them all one day! So I will be companion with Elder Joaquin Lopez Alatrista he is from Peru so that is super fun, I don't think he knows English so I am super stoked my Spanish will get really good! I will be serving Lake Mills little town so we will see how that goes! Man just pretty shocked about all this but, anyway this week was good we went and toured Lambaue field those who don't know that is the stadium where the Packers play and for those who don't know who the Packers are that is the Football team here. That team has so much history behind them and the tour was so cool the stadium is huge! I took a lot of photos so I will send them! I love Green Bay but this area is a little hard right now so I am glad to have a change. This week we worked a lot with less actives and we are breaking down walls they have so that has been really good, our investigators are kinda at a stand still right now so hopefully things will pick up here. Sorry this email is going to be pretty short because with looking at transfer and everything but my spiritual message today is about an experience I had last night at a recent convert/less active. So this recent convert is married to a member who is active but she for some reason hasn't been coming to church so we went over I felt that I should kinda of give my testimony on the Book of Mormon and I told them that if they read this book each day that any doubts they have will go away and that they will stay active in the church. I told them that my mission would be worth it all if they all stayed active and made it together in the Celestial Kingdom. If I could have that family stay together because of my little weak testimony then that was all work it. As I was talking to them I felt the spirit so strong and I am not sure why it was super strong but it was and I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that we can all find out for our selves! I love you all hope you are all doing well!

Week 28, February 15, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  February 15, 2016

Hey everyone, 

 This week well it was not the most eventful one but something that happened is the weather started dropping again so that was fun it got to like -20 this week and man let me tell you when it is that cold any bare skin feels starts to actually feel like it is being sun burnt kinda weird but ya. We are trying to find new investigators so we went tracting for like 7 hours on Wednesday and wow that was a learning experience our patience was tested and grown a lot that day haha I love the people here but thats only a one way thing haha good times on the mission. I am glad that Elder Christofferson get along cause if we didn't this would be a lot harder time but, we just make sure to know that every missionary ever has had hard times. For some good things that happened this week is we have a lot of really good lessons on The Plan of Salvation we had one with some investigators and we were able to set a baptismal date with them super cool people, then we had it with the a less active Luis and I don't how but I always end up learning something new about the Plan of Salvation the Plan is so big and has so much that we can study it our whole life and still not comprehend it all. We had a Valentines Party for our Branch, they got a Mariachi guy to come sing so that was super fun - I wish I could send the video of him but my email wont allow me. We find out transfers this Sunday so I will keep you posted on that. Well on to my spiritual message it comes from Alma 5 this chapter is amazing and there are so many good verses I want to hit on "16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?" I love how he says "can you imagine.." ah so cool to think of Christ and his arms of mercy extending towards us leading us to the Celestial Kingdom. I just have to say how amazing that would sound and feel you know as missionaries we have that comparison I mean that tiny minuscule comparison for the day we go home and huge our family. It will be that times a billion with our Heavenly Father. So lets all work hard to have our works be good so we can all hear those words one day! It goes on to say in 37  
"..as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!  38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ;" At times we may think that God or Christ has abandoned us but in all reality it is us who stops listening to his voice. He is always calling unto to and know that is Atonement is infinite there is nothing that the He didn't suffer for doesn't matter what it is he has felt that and he offers his Atonement to the World - even these stubborn people here in Wisconsin- it is for all who harken unto his voice! Let us all work hard and be able one day to have our Savior, Jesus Christ guide us by the hand into the our mansion! I love you all and I want all of us to make it back!

Love Elder DeSantis

Week 27, February 8, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  February 8, 2016

Hey everyone,

 Well this week was good we had Stake Conference we had someone from the 70 come and speak to us his name is Elder Anderson he gave a talk a couple of conferences ago about dancing to the music. His talks were really good and helped me know what I need to be doing better. Well the story of the week comes from our service at the Wild life Sanctuary, we were feeding all the birds and we got to feed this Bald Eagle which is super cool but, the head guy there told us we need to clean her perch thing she sits on and so we started cleaning it and oh my gosh the smell from that thing was just awful. It took all my will power to not throw up we were scraping the grossest stuff off. We took turns switching off cause we were gagging so that was fun. Well some information on our investigators our most promising ones are Eric and his family and Lauren and Nicholas. Lauren and Nicholas want to be baptized but their mom wont let them cause of her ex husband who is a member and she just has hard feelings against him so we are trying to get this lady to soften up her heart so pray for us for that cause if that happens then they will be baptized! Nothing else really too new we had a huge storm though that gave us like a foot and a half of snow.

 My message today comes from something that happened last Monday after emailing when we went and bought groceries. My companion and I were in Walmart and this older lady comes up to us thinking we work there and ask us where the tomato sauce is and luckily we had just been in the isle where it was so we were able to tell her. Some may say this isn't really service to someone but we could have responded differently but we know we represent the lord every where we go so we decided to help this lady and while doing it some other lady by us saw us do that and knowing we aren't workers jokingly says "do you know where the corn flakes are?" We tried helping her find them but what I am getting at is in John 13:34-34 says  "34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all menknow that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." This lady new we were Disciples of Christ because of our actions ya I know we have badges on but they would mean nothing if we didn't represent him always, she could see the love we showed for that women. So my message today isn't to say how great we are cause no I know I have a lot to work on but, it is to tell you that a true follower of Christ shows love, patience, and humility to everyone not just those we know or love but everyone because that is what Christ did! I love you all hope your week is great!

Amor Elder DeSantis

Week 26, February 1, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  February 1, 2016

Well everyone another week down this was a little rough week with missionary week. Elder Christofferson and I are trying though so thats good. We have been tracting a lot because our investigators just don't want to meet with us. This week is really boring to write home about, funny story though we were driving out to find these less active members and it was way far out in the middle of no-where and the house didn't exist so I turned around, thinking that the snow wasn't too deep but it was so we got stuck real good. I told Elder Christofferson he has to push but that didn't help so we went to the neighbors and they pushed us out so they saved us! Other then that not too much!

I will try and give a good spiritual message sense my weekly update was super boring. So in my Book of Mormon reading I am in Mosiah and I am at the beginning where king Benjamin is giving his address and warning to the people. I love Verses 16-20  16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

 19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

 20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

I love how it says 'that are we not all beggars?' cause it is true we all beg we beg for repentance, blessings, peace, happiness, safety, and love we have all at one point or another asked for these things from our Heavenly Father and has he not given them? I know He has because I know He listens to our prayers, now that we have all received this we must too go and serve others when others are in need extend that hand to them help them get up, be that light to the world. I know we can all make the difference in someones life and if that difference at first needs to be you then do it. I am so glad to be a Missionary in these times and to teach this Gospel because it is TRUE I love you all!

Amor Elder DeSantis

Week 25, January 25, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  January 25, 2016

Hey everyone so this week was good nothing to out of the ordinary but we did have interviews with our Mission President and man I know that guy is inspired because he was telling us the exact things we need for our investigators with out us even telling him about them so that was cool. Oh ya I got the best compliment ever so we were at a Recent Converts house last night doing a Family Home Evening with them -they are from Puerto Rico- while I was talking she stops me and says you have a really cool accent you sound like someone from Brazil and I was shocked because I have never heard someone from Brazil before and she was like "ya you almost sound like you are speaking Portuguese more then Spanish" I was really confused but I am super glad to hear my Gringo accent is going away haha so ya that is probably the Highlight of my week. The work is going Elder Christofferson and I are really trying to turn this area around and find some good investigators so thats about the work.

 For the good old Spiritual Message of the week I want to talk about Jacob 7: 23 I read that this morning and I really liked it. It reads 23 "And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man." There are a couple reason why I like this scriptures the first is how is states that Peace and Love was restored again, how applicable is that for us yes this Peace and Love has been restored through Joseph Smith. This book was written 600 years before Christ and some how it applies to us right now, when I find these things I say that it is just another testament this is the true Church! Anyways it goes on to say that "they searched the scriptures.." I love this part because if you ask any less active now they will say they are not reading the Scriptures daily its just a fact. The only way to stay in the church your whole life is to read and search the scriptures, if we aren't doing this daily we are just making it so much harder on ourselves each day. My best Role Models have been my parents with this they are Converts and I don't know of a time in their life that they became in-active. I know it is because they read and searched the scriptures each day! I invite all of you to read a little bit of the Book of Mormon each day make time to do it and you will receive so many blessings from it!

Amor Elder DeSantis

Week 24, January 18, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Christofferson

Date:  January 18, 2016

Well everyone I feel awful because I haven't rewritten a good email home in for ever, I really felt so bad about not telling you anything new so I promise I will write my big one first so I always write a good one home! Well whats new with me well first off I have a new companion his name is Elder Christofferson super chill kids we get a long great he has only been on his mission for about 4 months so its two young guys trying to speak Spanish. He is from Ogden. I am now serving on the West side of the river in Green Bay instead of the East side. The west side does not have very many Hispanics so its like hunting we have to be sneaky in finding them because white people are not too friendly here especially when it is in the negatives -oh ya the temperature is dropping fast, if you take a deep breath through your nose the hairs freeze pretty crazy. When you are walking the wind freezes your muscles in your face. The wind is called Artic wind so you know.... they say if any skin that is not covered will get frost bit in 20 minutes of being out side don't worry though that is only if the Lord isn't protecting you.

 So little funny story I will share is me and Elder Christofferson where teaching this guy Christian and we were talking about Joseph Smith and who is he and what he did for us and so we started to show the Restoration video which is like 20 minutes because we think he is more of a visual learner -not the brightest of the bunch- but, anyways we just started it and someone comes knockin on the door and so we pause it and he goes and opens it and this guy is trying to sell him this weird lookin seat thing that can also be turned into a basket it was only 20 bucks if you're wondering which is a great deal I guess. Our investigator Christian is all for it, he ask the guy if he wants to come in and pray with us and watch a movie, hahah so weird so this black guy Charles sits down and so we tell him what we are watching and we started it with him also. The guy loved it haha so we referred him to the English Elders. Well ya that is life here baby. I love you all thanks for your emails!!

Amor Elder DeSantis

Week 23, January 11, 2016

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  January 11, 2016

Whats up everyone,

 So this week was really slow all the way up till I found out I am being Transferred but i am like being told to put this computer away right now so I am so sorry I cant write anything but my new address is 140 S Fisk #14 Green Bay 54303  I love you all!

Week 22, December 28, 2015

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  December 28, 2015

Whats up everyone

 This week was sick we got to see our families obviously and it was so nice to talk to them! We spent this Christmas with The Ramirez family they are super cool! They were so nice and bought us like 6 presents! Couldn't believe it then after that we went to the hospital and tried to give out Beanies to little kids we sat in the waiting room for like 45 minutes then they told us that we can't go and give them so I just asked them if they will give these to them and they said they would. Oh ya these Beanies came from my second Grandma Debby she sent them to me and told me I could do what ever I want with them so I tried to make good use of them. We also gave two of them to homeless people so thank you Debby for keeping people warm this winter!

 Todays message is about Christmas because for the first time ever I understood what Christmas is, I mean my parents taught what the real meaning was but, it didn't comprehend it till now. Christmas day was very special for me because in some way I felt like Joseph -Mary's Husband- in the sense that I didn't have anywhere to go, I know that sounds weird because I went to the Ramirez family house but, what I am getting at is that I didn't wake up to my family, I didn't wake up to all my sisters, brother-in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends they weren't there this time it was just me. Joseph I feel felt this way that it was just him and his wife who was carrying the most precious gift ever, the person who will give us all life. I imagine that his feeling were somewhat of this that he was trying to do good he knows the significance of the baby his Wife is carrying and is wondering how he could not find anywhere for this perfect human to sleep and what he had to result in is a place where no person would ever want a child to be, Christ was born in the lowest of low which I believe is because those days that we are at our lowest is knows how it feels because his whole life was hard. This knowledge I had of the Saviors birth didn't hit me till I forgot myself and thought of others, until I tried to be like the Savior. This is my testimony of our Savior that he lives, that his whole mission in life was to come here for us and redeem us from our faults and weaknesses. This Savior was born for me and all of you, he humbled himself to do the will of The Father. I hope I can do this and Humble my self before the Lord and try each day to become a little more like Him. I love my Savior and I love this Gospel I hope you all had a great Christmas and kept it centered around the true meaning.

Amor Elder DeSantis 

Week 21, December 21, 2015

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion: Elder Lee

Date:  December 21, 2015

Hi everyone to all who read them actually if you read them you should just send me an email even if it like a blank want I just want to see who actually all reads them.

 Well this week was good um some things that happened this week is I spoke on Sunday ah geez let me tell you that story, so we get a call from our 2 counselor in the ward and says hey our person that is suppose to be speaking today cant make it so can one of you guys speak and of course some how it lands on me and the topic was Miracles I want for my family and how I am going to accomplish them. I was like man this is a hard topic and I only had like 2 hours notice so I started writing the talk but I first started writing in Spanish and it was taking for ever to get it so when I had like a page I just tossed it and started it in English with plans of translating it after, well by the time finished writing the talk I was up on the stands and so I had a good talk but it was in English and I need to speak in Spanish obliviously so at this point I wanted to throw up! Well I thought I had a plan of just translating as I read the talk but that was way to slow so I just bagged all of it and boom miracles  the words just started flowing out of the mouth making sense and so ya gift of tongues is real! 

 Well now for more my message I will share another story this one happened this week. We were contacting a referral that we got and the parents weren't home but the kids were so we asked when they would be home and they didn't know but they said that they just went to the store so we told to tell them that we stopped by -oh the mom is a member- after that we just knocked the other doors and this Hispanic lady answered so we started talking to about who were and stuff and asked if she has ever talked to her neighbor across the hall she said no not really. We then told how she is a member of our church and right after saying that the Lady and the Husband are walking up stairs just cussing up a storm and man I was so embarrassed because after they got in side you could hear them yelling at their kids. The lady we were talking to after said "oh she is a member at your church ok" so ya that was a real shot to the foot. So what is my message it is that you represent the church and that people see your actions, now I know that we are not perfect or even close but people will see your actions so you also have a good opportunity to represent the church well, now I don't want you to go and do good so others see you doing cause that is not why we do service. Service should come because we want to now how do we get this desire to serve it can only come from much prayer and reading because service is an opposite of the natural man so much develop it and that is only possible if heavenly father gives it to us! I have felt my desire to serve become so strong because each day I ask for those attributes of Christ to be put in my heart! I love you all and sorry this one was pretty long! I hope you all have a great Christmas! 

Amor Elder DeSantis

Week 20, December 14, 2015

Area:  Green Bay, Wisconsin

Companion:  Elder Lee

Date:  December 14, 2015

To everyone,

 Pues este semana nada mucho paso entonces yo quero pedir perdon para este email. Ok I will type in English cause that would suck for you and it takes a lot longer haha anyways ya my companion got sick with like the flu this week so we only went out if we had an appointment and so we didn't go out at all one day haha but it is ok I got a lot of reading done and studying. I pray that I don't get sick like he was cause he was throwing up all night one night, oh ya that night when he was throwing up I had a dream that night that I was helping a someone who was seizing  and throwing up at the same time weird dream but I think it is cause I heard him throwing up or something like that. Well what else happened man honestly nothing to exciting sorry this week is super boring from me. 

 My spiritual message of the week I will start with this if you want to have an idea for a family night this week the church released a video you can find at Christmas.mormon.org it is a really good video talking about why we celebrate Christmas! My other message is one that I learned this week about faith. We can have two types of faith the Faith to try and the Faith to reap. When we hear this it may seem the same at first but when you actually start to think of the differences they become obvious. When we have the faith to just try nothing happens after we try, to make it more clear it is like when I go to into each lesson and I faith that I will say the right things so I will try to teach a good lesson. This faith is not the faith we want, the faith we need is the Faith to Reap this faith comes by faith in your Savior Jesus Christ knowing that when we put our faith in him all things will be well. I can know that my words can touch the hearts of my investigators not because of me but because of the faith I have in the message and Gospel we share. I love growing my faith because I just have so much more confidence -not in my self of course but in my Savior my invitation to all is to find what faith we have and to also grow it each day so that when we come to the last days of our lives we can have the testimony like Moroni 10   33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
 34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

I love you all stay strong read pray and your lives will become better even if things are hard now think of the Saviors like things were always hard for him but luckily for us he suffered so us to succor us in our times of hard! A quote from President Thomas S. Monson "fear not for your future is as bright as your Faith"
Amor Elder DeSantis