December 15, 2014 Letter

Well this week I had a lot of thinking that I did and I learned a lot of things about this journey in the mission.  Anyway Tuesday we went and did service for a member and we washed his fake grass stuff that he has around his pool.  Haha it was practically torture because it was super hot, I got a ton of bug bites, and there was a pool!!! Haha jk it wasn't that bad but I'll be honest that water was tempting.  

Anyway something big that happened this week is that today we had cambios or exchanges I think it is in Spanish.  We thought that both of us would stay here but as no one saw coming, Élder Cancino is going off to Barrancabermeja, the hottest part of the mission.  He is going to be a zone leader and he is probably going to be there for the last part of his mission which he isn't all that excited about  but yeah.  My new comp is Élder Quezada (I'm not sure about the spelling because I haven't met him yet).  He is from Peru and Élder Cancino had him as a comp two comps ago but he says is cool.  Everybody here is super sad that Élder Cancino is going to go because they really liked him and Élder Bowler.  I hope that me and Élder Quezada can fill those shoes.  Other cool news is that we are going to be getting 2 new Élders to this area!!  I'm super excited for this because 1 is going to be gringo and the other is  going to be straight outta the CCM.  I hope to be able to relate to them.  Élder Cancino has helped me to learn a ton and I am sad to see him go.

Other things that happened this week (I think, or you might just hear them again) is that we saw a I forgot the name, but it is like a scorpion just not as poisonous.  Totally random because they don't really see them much out here.  Also as for weird foods that I have eaten,  So far its cow intestine, and soup made from the spine of the cow.  Pretty gnarly but it was alright.  If felt weird peeling off the meat from the spine though... Oh and something more is that here when they eat fish, they fry it all, and eat everything from the fins to the head and all that.  That was a bit difficult for me to put down.  

We have a couple of investigators right now but is has been a bit slow because everyone is out to vacations and nobody is home so we are mainly doing a lot of less active visits.  And also Sunday the 7th all of the catholics and all that lit a bunch of candles for the virgin mary which was a bit odd for me,  I dont really know what that is supposed do for anything but yeah.  

But this week I have learned just how important a testimony is in the mission.  I have also learned that this week that we need to always have trust in the Lord to help us.  It is a bit difficult at times for me, I will be honest, but if I ever don't have that trust, things go down hill fast.  I have learned to more fully trust in the Lord and to make that trust more firm as well.  Thanks for all the support and know I love you all and hearing from you and about your lives helps me incredibly to keep moving forward.

Élder Hilton

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Christmas Letters Sent to our Home

1^st Christmas Letter sent to our home, from Levi:

So, I’m hoping this reaches home by Christmas.  Anyway, I have no idea what to write… I guess to start off I want all of you to know I am eternally grateful for your examples.  Right now it’s the middle of November so I haven’t really thought much about Christmas.  I guess this year, I don’t think I’ll be sending a package home.  Not because I don’t want to..Just because I haven’t found anything that cool to send… atleast nothing too culturally cool.

Anyway, please know that I love you all, and I’ll be honest, I miss being able to have conversations with you.  It may be that I understood every word and I could actually say what I wanted. Haha jk! 

One thing I am grateful for is that we have email and I don’t have to write letters and wait a month or two to get them.  Right now is pretty difficult in my mission mainly with language and being able to say what is on my mind.

So, enough of that!  How are all of you doing?  Tell Will, I want to hear from him.  Have you guys talked to any of my friends after I left?  Anything cool going on in their lives?  I really only hear mostly from my friends that are on missions.  It is amazing how different my life is here than before my mission.  One thing that I have learned is that member help in the work, really works.  So please, help out the missionaries in your wards, give them references, invite them over with investigators or something like that.  Just help out. I have realized that in our neighborhoods there is no reason that everyone has not atleast heard the true gospel of Christ.  The work is not only for missionaries.

On the topic of Christ, I want to take a quick moment to remind  you all to focus on him this Christmas.  Realize that it is arguable that he is the most important person to come to this earth.  But to Him, all of us are so much more important.  He gave his life for us.  He did it for us.  So let us not waste that sacrifice by not repenting and coming unto Christ.  I know I would not be here in Colombia without the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  One thing I noticed this week is that in Matthew  11:28-30, it is talking about the yolk of Christ and I have seen that as he rules and before we take on this yolk, we have a huge load , but with this yolk our burden is lightened and we are guided.

Know that I love and miss every one of you.  Know that I know that this work is good and this church is true.  Even when I seem down, I know that the next feeling I have is happiness!

Love, Elder Hilton

Part 2 of 1st Christmas Letter

So, today I am in much better spirits and I wanted to send another letter to kind of show how there are both good and bad times in the mission (well I wouldn’t say bad, but difficult times).  This week I have definitely had both.  For example, one night  was super difficult because of a few things.  1.  My Spanish stopped working that  day, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to help out.  2.  Because of #1 I was idle in my mind, so satan was working very hard on me.  I was thinking a ton about home and what I could be doing if I wasn’t here.  I know that these thoughts are not true or sent from God.  I had a lot of doubts that day.  The following morning, I spent all of my study time searching as hard as I could for the answers to my questions.  The next part of the day didn’t really work out, but somehow by the end of the day, I was much more ready for the work.  The next day, we had interviews with the Mission President Andelin.  While we were waiting we had a paper to fill out that had a lot of questions and scriptures abut fear and doubt.  This helped soften my hard heart and realize how quick I was to forget the things the Lord had done for me.  In the interview, I told him of my difficulty.  It was actually a fairly emotional deal.  He helped me bastante, which is to say, a ton!  He told me to study the scripture.  Ether 12 :27.  Which talks about how the  Lord will show us our weaknesses.  This humbles us.  It then says that if we are humble and have faith, then the weak things become strong.  I testify that this scripture is true.  I also testify that his sharing this scripture with me was inspred by God through the Holy Ghost.

Since then I have done many things that I have found to help me manage the stress.  The main large one is to love the people and especially my companero.  I know that you all told me to do this before and I thought I was doing it, but in all reality I was just biding time.  I have been trying since this experience to get to know better my companion and all of the people we visit.  I have been talking more and that has helped me to learn Spanish even faster!  It is amazing to see my progress.  I can at least understand the meaning if not the specific words that they say to me!  This work will go forth through those that are weak because in the Lord weak things become strong.  Thank goodness, I am weak and get to see the truth of the scriptures.

So, that brings me today.  The short version of the day is that it was absolutely AMAZING!  WE had church and me and Elder Cancino had to speak in sacrament meeting and may I say.. Church was very spiritual for me.  We spoke about the mission work.  And I spoke about how we shouldn’t fear or doubt and  that we need to have faith.  Then I shared David A. Bednar's story of the two boys and the band aids.  Then I said that we need to be more like these boys and share that which has blessed us!  The Holy Ghost helped me a ton.  With that help I was able to talk to a congregation in Spanish for about 12 minutes!  That in itself is a miracle to me!  Then later today we had an appointment where we set a second baptism for this Saturday!  That was awesome!  I can see how the Lord blesses us!  This kid also wants to be a missionary!  Anyway that is my story of how there are awesome times and difficult times in the mission field.

Be sure to remember I love you all.  I know this work to be good, and I know I am being blessed as I bless the people I teach and invite the Holy ghost to.

I hope you will all have a very Merry Christmas, and don’t forget Christ.

Love, Elder HIlton 

December 8, 2014 Letter

from home 12-7-2014

I Have had a bit of a rough week but it seems to be getting better!!  

My stomach is just about normal so that is good!! Bananas are helping!!!  We have been eating pretty much whatever people put in front of us which is rice, juices, meat, and idk what else!  All of the salads down here are delicious!!! They usually have about 4 leaves in them but they have grapes, apples, oranges, mango, pineapple and whatever other weird fruits they have down here!   I drink tons of water and they gave us a filter to use for water so it isn't that,  I am probably just not 100% used to the  food and all that!  All I know is that there is definitely more of a change  in diet than I am used to ahha.  

About Christmas, we are thinking about calling the 25th at 11 o clock for about 35 minutes.  Thats all the time we get to call home.. anyway the 22 I will call the house for about 1 minute to tell you a more set time to call.  So basically I hope you can be ready when we call because I don't have much time!  Oh and one thing that Elder Cancino is doing is because his brother is out at the same time he is calling in the morning and his brother is calling in the evening so maybe that would work out for Elder Reed as well but I'm not sure!

I haven't heard about Chase yet! That is so scary!! I hope he can recover and I will remember him in my prayers!

Yeah the Nativities down here are pretty great!!! they have TONS of animals! the next week I will try to send pictures of one of them down here because it is crazy!!!  That sounds super cool to see that nativity!! Maybe I will have to go next time I'm in town!

I was gonna ask about that! How are him and Taryn?  Thats super exciting that he is going to Paraguay! Tell him to be careful, I hear that thats the new drug capital of the world, or at least South America!  It is super good to talk to you!!!  

I'll be honest this week I have been a bit homesick but I am getting better!  I love you all!!

Èlder Hilton

December 1, 2014 Letter

Ok so I am going to write what has happened before I read letters,  because it is super hard for me to focus on what has happened out here after reading about home.  So to start off, we didn't have the baptisms this week but hopefully they will happen  next week.  And health wise I will be honest, sometimes I miss how everything passed in America.  Basically I have never had the number 2 like this in my life… 

Another thing that happened this week is that we went to the waterfalls today with a bunch of members and investigators and I believe I sent about 2 of the pictures.  On the way back one of the members couldn't make it and started vomiting, then she laid down to sleep.  It was about a 9 mile hike, 4 and a half up and 4 and a half back and so that was a bit crazy,  It made the way coming down about 4 hours.  Then she couldn't keep going and was super sick so we called an ambulance,  which  never came.  And so, long story short, we ended up finding a medical board at the bottom and carrying her down to the bottom which was a bit of a lot of crazy.  Then we had this other super ghetto ambulance type thing come, and it died when it got here... So longer story short, be grateful for a reliable service forcé in United States.  Oh and I am so hungry, haha I still haven't had lunch which is the biggest meal of the day and it’s about 6:45 pm, because we had to do other stuff for the work earlier.  Can't wait to eat!  

So I am not sure if I sent this or not before,  so I am going to today.   I am going to recall my reactions to the field, because I don't think I did it justice before...  So I got here on the bus that I was on for 10 ish hours. I waited for my comp to come and to meet him.  We went in a taxi.  We hardly spoke because my Spanish was worse than it is now, which is a bit hard to believe sometimes, but I know I have improved a ton.  At this time, it was about 5:30 in the morning so that was fun too.  Then I realized that we were in Colombia, and realized how Colombians drive. They don't really use the white lines.  Anyway we got to the apartment, and I had until 8 to unpack and do all the stuff I needed to do. When I got here to the apartment, the bathroom was nasty!!!!  Then we had study which was good.  Then we went to all of the people's houses and there I learned that I am a bit out of place here.  Especially with the fact that everybody loved the last missionary.  This was pretty difficult to me.  

Anyway I just felt super out of place and awkward,  as you can see in the picture with the others at the baptism,  I definitely stand out.  But everything is good here!!!   Oh and the hot wáter doesn't exist here. Haha, but does  in other áreas where it is colder.  Yeah but oh well, I have gotten more used to it!!

 Nobody celebrated Thanksgiving here.  And as for the other Americans, other than the other missionaries, I have seen only 1 other gringo, and he said some very choice words to me for being Mormon.  But that just makes me glad that I can't understand the bad words that the natives say to me here!! HAHAHA 

 I have missed my steady diet of pizza here!!!! As I said above, my stomach almost can't handle all of the weird stuff here.  As for  music, my comp shared some with me so it really isn't really a big deal.  It is super expensive to ship stuff down there so don't do it!!  Even for the letter I sent home,  it was about 10 bucks!!! CRAZY!!  So yeah if you really want to send it, do it over email because it isn't worth the money to buy a flash drive and to send it.  But thanks!!!!!

 And the packages have not come yet.  If they don't arrive soon then I probably won't get them till after Christmas,  in January. 

 Anyway, one thing I wanted to share with you, is to go on YouTube to the homescreen on December 7th and take a picture or even better a screenshot, because The Church has bought the homepage  for that day for #ShareTheGift.  And as well, they have purchased one of the screens in New York City.  Also,  the Prophet has authorized that every missionary share the video.  So, if you see that on fb, thats why.  Anyway share it up!!

 I love you all and am soooooo grateful!!!

 Elder Hilton

p.s. Oh and one more thing, be grateful for walmart and how you can buy everything in one place!!!