They See Me Revving the Engine... -- 27 January 2014

Of my beautiful white minivan!!!! #sisterrowley 

We've been all over the mission this past week for exchanges. We had an exchanges with the missionaries in Cardston, Ft. Mcleod, and Calgary South. They were really good exchanges. I met a whole hoard of YSA sisters while we were in South Calgary who hooked us up with Mexican food (my favorite) and a few referrals. One of them knows a member down in Medicine Hat who is less active. Don't worry, we'll be back in the Hat this weekend. :D This is gonna be good. I love the Hat.

Thanks to everyone who's wished me a happy birthday this past week. It was my brother's birthday yesterday, so a shout out to him! The B family took me out for lunch (MexiCAN) and bowling on Monday, I ate Mexican on Tuesday, and a YSA member fed me Mexican on Wednesday. Wanna know the crazy part? My companion isn't sick of Mexican yet. Why? We were on exchanges the whole time! 

On Saturday we were on exchanges in Ft. Mcleod and teaching a less-active YSA. He has been choosing not to attend church for quite a long time. We started the lesson by reading the Book of Mormon with him, because he didn't do his reading (p.s. if the missionaries ever give you a reading assignment, read it. If you don't, they'll read it with you and ensure a spiritual experience so you will continue reading on your own, just don't miss out on it). We read Mosiah 4. About halfway through we were talking about how we use the Atonement to grow closer to our Heavenly Father.

I can't remember what was said, but this is how we ended up--- Me and J (name changed for privacy purposes) having a heart to heart, because we don't always feel worthy of the blessings we receive. He then talked about how he didn't feel worthy to enter a church building, or to take the sacrament. He was scared to see his Father in Heaven and terrified of having to face Him in His own house. 

We discussed how the Church was a house of healing, a hospital, not a house of horrors (interesting how those two tend to collide). I had been reading Alma 36 that morning (go figure) and had noticed something I hadn't before. 

15 Oh, thought I, that I ^acould be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my ^bdeeds.

Then, after he had sought for Christ he said,

2 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father ^aLehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and ^bpraising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.

Well, I suppose that's my message for today. Sometimes we feel really far away from our Father in Heaven, or we've done something to damage our relationship with Him, and we would rather have the mountains fall upon us than to face His glory and Majesty, well, I repeat the message that God will take you as you are because He knows who you are capable of becoming. He doesn't turn away the injured or the fearful because of their mistakes, rather he invites them:

...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may ^cheal you?

Promising that 

42 Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.

My soul longs to be there. With Him. I know He hopes (and I hope) to see you there as well. 

28 ¶^aCome unto me, all ye that ^blabour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.

 29 Take my ^ayoke upon you, and ^blearn of me; for I am ^cmeek and^dlowly in ^eheart: and ye shall find ^frest unto your souls.

 30 For my yoke is ^aeasy, and my burden is light. 

Peace, love, and temple marriage. In that order. 

Elder Hill

20 January 2014

Dear Family & Friends, this week has been really good. We went on several exchanges. 2 In BC, and 4 in Lethbridge.So, I guess if it's just the Zone Leader exchanges, we only went on 4, but that's a lot of people to go on exchanges with. Yup. It was sooo good. 

While we were in BC we contacted a family referred to us by the B family (shout out!!!). They were some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life. They had super strong testimonies of their Savior. It is amazing to me to find people who have such incredible faith. I hope that one day they will all accept the fullness of His Gospel. 

There were 2 missionaries that I went with in Lethbridge.. as soon as I got into their car, I could feel the Spirit. You could tell in every way that they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. It is amazing how the Lord puts his stamp on His faithful servants. Not that every missionary doesn't have something special about them, but... when you are doing all you can, and repenting of what you can't, you are endowed with power from on High. God takes care of you in ways that you can't even imagine. When you run out of money (almost a guarantee if you aren't being fed often) somehow, you always have enough food, someone pays for a meal, or some needed help comes out of somewhere you never would have expected. When you are doing all you can to find someone to teach, and you feel low on spirits, strength, and determination, He places in your path that 1 person who really needed it, and he strengthens your weakened knees often by allowing the burdens to drive you to them. You find yourself praying harder than you've ever prayed before, and hoping more than you've ever dared hope that he would be there, and he always is. He always answers those prayers. When He feels far, and you don't seem to be able to reach Him, but you are doing your best to seek Him out, he always comes. 

Serving a mission is incredible. I remember one time while I was working at Papa Murphy's, I was at the register when 2 young men came in. They were both about 21, clean cut, and had a different look about them. I asked them the obvious, "Did you just get home from your missions?" "Yes!" they answered. One had been home for 3 weeks and the other for just 1 week. "How did you guess?" they asked. I told them that it was how they looked. Now I realize that it was how I felt when they came in. You could tell from a mile away what kind of missionary they were as they served. You didn't need to ask, you didn't need to see, the Spirit made it very apparent. 

I hope I will be like that someday.

I love you all

Peace, love, and temple marriage. In that order.

Elder Hill

Just How Blessed I Really Am -- 13 January 2014

You know, in all my entire mission, I have never had less than 10 emails in my inbox on a Monday morning? Never. I'm not saying it to brag, or say that I'm better than anyone else, (in fact, I probably get that much, because I need it so much) I'm just really really grateful to be able to wake up on a Monday morning knowing that I will hear from at least 1 person that I love. :D I'm blessed with good friends, best friends.

Being honest, I only remember 1 time that I've been angry at my mother (p.s. that was a subject change--- my conversation skills have obviously developed greatly since I've been on my mission, eh?). That was just a few months before my mission. You could really hardly call it angry, but it was a definite measure of frustration. Why? Because I felt that my mission needed to be my mission, and nobody elses. I had to be doing this on my shoulders. The weight of my mission had to be on my back, and I didn't want anyone else pushing me to get there. (she wasn't pushing, I'm just a pride-sack [it means what it says--- a sack full of pride]). You know, since I've been on my mission how much I've regretted that moment? The more I teach, testify, and tell--- whether through email, on the street or in someone's home, I've realized more and more that this mission is not my mission. This mission belongs to the Lord. My Savior, Jesus Christ. Want to know something interesting? Everyone of us has taken upon us the name of Jesus Christ. 

I am blessed to be being transformed by the power of the Atonement, and by the true miracle that my mission has been to me, but it hasn't been mine. It hasn't been my power or my miracle. It has been His. I hope that one day, you will all be able to see just how much you've blessed my life. I hope that each of you in your own way will be able to experience the blessings of the Miracle of this Mission. 

Story time: This week was Mission Leadership Council. That is where the zone leaders, the Sister Training Leaders, the Mission President, and yes, us, get together and discuss the needs of the mission. We've done our best to make it a council. Meaning, we hope that everyone comes in to the meeting determined to council on what we need, instead of just planning events, giving reports, and not changing anything. #badwardcouncilmeetings We really got into it this time because something here needs to change. It's about time our mission went from being "just a place and a thing I'm doing for 2 years" to "where I serve my God." 

So, we discussed the culture of the mission and how we wanted things to change. We talked about setting a mission vision. Well, someone commented that, "This mission already has a vision statement." I was leading the discussion at the time and blasphemy leapt out of my mouth before I ever had time to hope to stop it.... "To be honest, I've never read the Mission Vision Statement."

The room went very quiet.

President N inquired, "Never?"

Well, I had to be honest.

"Never." I said.

I've had it on every wall in every apartment that I've been in for the past 17 months. It's in my planner and my scriptures and I've never ever read it. 

Well, that's a very dumb thing.

After that we obviously discussed actually applying the vision of our mission and of who we want to become into our lives, but it was emphasized that we wouldn't be able to do it if we don't read it. 

I'm quickly repenting. 

But you know what that made me think of? My scriptures. How can we ever know what we have hope to become, unless we dig in and find out? God has created a vision statement for us, and it can't be understood in 1 read or 1 glance over. It takes a lifetime of study and searching before we can ever possibly hope to understand the truth of who we really are as children of God. We are blessed to have a God who has given us a vision of who we are truly capable of becoming, and how to get there.

I love you all. I love this Gospel. I know that it is His Gospel and that it is only contained in its fullness in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

I hope you all will seek His vision for you.

Rock on. Peace. Love. And Temple Marriage.

In that order.

Elder Hill

Tracting Really Isn't That Bad -- 6 January 2014

The past week has been very good. Transfers were crazy, of course, and the aftermath is always full of drama and difficulty, but I'm learning a lot from the experiences that I've been having. 

We were on exchanges in downtown Calgary a few days ago. We participated in a Zone activity where we blitzed someone's area. It was very successful. One guy we ran in to said, "The Mormons! I've been wondering when you guys would come by!" My friends, there a people who are just waiting to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Elder C got the flu this weekend, so he's been asleep a lot, which means we've been in the apartment a little longer for the past few mornings. That's been alright. I no longer feel sleep deprived (I can only study for so long without falling asleep) and I've been feeling a lot better because of that. 

I was at church yesterday with Elder L, which you may remember from my MTC group. He just purged into an area and I was on an exchange with him yesterday. My goodness.... is the ward he is in ever so solid... so solid!!!! It's insane! Sometimes you wonder what it takes... well, they came up to us and were introducing themselves, they took the non-members and helped them through church, they talked with us about friends they wanted to invite to church, grown men stood up and bore their testimonies outside of the bishopric, and the elders quorum lesson was incredible! I really hope someday to be one of those guys that you can always depend on to do what Christ would do. 

Well, I know this one has been short, but you know what I know: the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in it's fullness to the earth by the prophet Joseph Smith. There is evidence of that restoration known as the Book of Mormon, which I have come to know is true by the power of the Holy Ghost. And as a representative of Jesus Christ, I invite you, all of you to read the Book of Mormon, and find out if Christ himself will not be manifested in your life as a result of its contents. 

I love you all.

Peace. Love. And Temple Marriage. In that order.

Elder Hill

Tell Me a Story of Jesus -- 3 January 2014

Okay, I'm going to be trying to revamp my emails and journal writing because I saw this picture on LDS.org.

In the grand scheme of things, this is all about sharing blessings with you, and not necessarily my thoughts or the things I've learned. So, I'm going to tell you about the blessings. :D and That actually takes away a lot of the stress of writing an email (which I've never been very good at--or journal writing for that matter...)

This past week was transfers which often means a lot of long hours (longer than regular missionary schedule), a lot of stress (as if it isn't stressful enough) and a huge work load. Well, the blessing that I would like to highlight in all of this is the blessing of having a companion, especially my companion. 

Our transfer day is very busy, we wake up early (before six thirty is what is known as early on a  mission) and head over to the mission home, where we do a brief training and eat with the new missionaries, we then head over to the Willow Park Chapel (about 2 blocks down the road from the mission home) and begin organizing. We park the van and trailer on the south side and the missionaries who will be traveling to Lethbridge show up and load their luggage and themselves into the van or trailer. Then, as soon as they have everyone loaded they begin the drive south. This round, President Nicholas and I managed what was going on inside the building as my companion managed what was going on outside.

So, we ran the transfer in the building, announcing new companions and areas, then we headed south together. When we got to the next transfer station, Elder Crapo already had everyone in the chapel quietly listening to prelude music (let me tell you, it's a feat!!!). He had gotten there, and assigned people to unload the trailer then got to work gettting everyone inside. When we got there, we went inside and began the transfer as he finished loading what was going North and then went to Calgary. President and I ran the transfer and then ran North again, and when we got there, he was already unloading the trailer and almost everyone was in the chapel waiting for us. We immediately began the transfer and finished up for the day. It was very smooth and very very well done, and all because Elder Crapo was running ahead and doing his part. It's incredible to see how such a simple thing makes everything go smoothly. 

Last night I had the opportunity to go on exchanges in my very first area. The Elders that I went with were asking me what to do to help less-actives progress in the Gospel. They asked very specific questions and I asked who they were working with, they said, "His name is John." (name has been changed for privacy purposes) and I was like, "I love John!!!!!!" So we flipped the van around (yep, I drive a minivan :) don't hate, just appreciate) and drove to John's house. He and His wife were there. They recognized me and let us in. I immediately began to talk with John his life and how he was doing, what his interests were and what he wanted to do and be. Fortunately, it all related well with a message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I ended up asking him for help in my personal life, and how he would go about dealing with struggles and problems that I am personally having. He bore his testimony to me, and identified things that he needed to be doing in his life to overcome what he is struggling with. We then extended an invitation to him and closed the lesson. It was excellent. It was a testimony to me that the Lord puts us in the paths of people who need our help, they need someone to love them and to appreciate them. I've found that God very seldom will make anything we do for Him convenient or easy for us, but He will always bless us for reaching out to His children. 

I know that my Savior has been sent to the earth to Redeem mankind from tehir sins and mistakes. I testify that our shame and guilt can be swept away by the power of the Atonement which He performed. I testify that God needs us to be anxiously engaged in a good cause, He needs us for the sake of those we love. All around us are people to bless, encouage, lift, and inspire. He is ready to give us the tools to do it. What He needs is your strengths and your weaknesses, this is a "take you as you are" kind of Gospel. I know that when we do as he asks, we are blessed with the ability to do more, and to be more. 

I love you all so much. Sorry this was a rocky email, they'll get better, I'm sure.

Peace, love, and temple marriage. In that order.

Elder Hill