The Pearls of Great Price: Small Experiences that I Hope You'll Appreciate -- 12 October 2013

Over the past while, my studies have been very limited, but I've come across scriptures that have come to mean an awful lot to me. I feel as though the Lord has been speaking to me through the scriptures and I hope you can feel and see as I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life. 

The first experience comes from Jacob chapter 5. As you know, Jacob 5 is probably the longest chapter of the Book of Mormon, and it is also one of my favorites, because it's all about the gathering of Israel (or, missionary work). Well, Jacob tells of a Lord and his servant trying to save an orchard (or vineyard) of olive trees. After working, toiling, starting over, failing, replanting, pruning, digging, and doing everything that they are able to do, the vineyard again fails (apostasy and dispensations [even personal apostasy... we all fall away, even though God is doing everything He can for us, while still respecting our agency and choice]) and it says :

41 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: aWhat could I have done more for my vineyard?

The first thing that stood out to me was that the Lord of the Vineyard wept. Can you imagine God weeping? Weeping for you? I suppose one might say, "Well, he's God, He has everything, He doesn't need me." Well, my friend, notice that the parable doesn't note that the Lord owns multiple vineyards, this vineyard is his everything. We are God's everything, he does need us, and He needs us because He loves us. So, when we break and fall, He weeps. He's heartbroken, because when He loses us, he loses everything. He loves us. 

It continues. His servant comes up to him and after a brief conversation where the Lord considers giving up, he says :  50 But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little alonger. 51 And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer

Number 2, God is all about second chances. And third chances, and fourth... and as many as we need to get it right, because He has a servant who has paid the price... who pleads on our behalf, who loves the vineyard, and who will not quit until we are saved. That is His nature. We are spared and given second chances as long as we are willing to undergo what it will take to grow. 

 62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time,for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that Ishall aprune my vineyard.

"This last time..." Just a thought for a the missionaries out there... we only have one shot. This is it, the big finale, the work has been hastened, preparatory to the coming of Christ, and we have been called to prune the vineyard, and to gather Scattered Israel. The last time. The last go. One more shot. We must give it everything, every ounce that we have, because literally, this is the final dispensation of time... so we must share the Gospel. Here, now, this life. Don't be afraid to be counted amongst the servants called to labor. 

 72 And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them;and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.

The Lord of the vineyard labored also with them. Check this sweet nugget out: D&C 38:7

 7 But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine ^aeyes are upon you. I am in your ^bmidst and ye cannot ^csee me;

When you are on the Lord's errand, you are in the Lord's midst. He doesn't just plop us down onto the earth and leave us alone to figure it out, but He labors with us. He loves us. Why would he leave us alone? You are watched over... never alone. 

How beautiful is that?

Finally a brief thought on Consecration (it seems that these topics never end, and I'm sorry that this is so long) (Deuteronomy 11)

 13 ¶And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to ^alove theLord your God, and to ^bserve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

 14 That I will give you the ^arain of your land in his due season...

Consecration doesn't mean mindless obedience and following painfully commandments, He asks us to love him and serve him... that love of god will cause us to want to do it. Just like no man really wants to work, work becomes a pleasure when He does it for the love of his family for whom he provides. It means something to him, it becomes a small part of who He is. He can be happy, in the work, because He knows that the reason He's doing it is out of pure love. 

“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” Ezra Taft Benson

We turn to God out of our love for Him.

I do love Him. I love my Savior Jesus Christ who did everything for me. This week I was trying to decide what I am going to do when I finally see my Savior, face to face---when it's time for my personal interview with Christ... I don't know that I'll be able to stand... speak... sing... I don't know, I'm almost sure I'll be on my knees, weeping because of His mercy... I will worship Him, and then I will stand, ready to do His work, and spread His love, and now allow His suffering for me to be in vain. All the way to the end. 

Just as I now stand, ready to do His work in the best way that I possibly can. 

I love you all.

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

Elder Taylor J. Hill

Finally Some Time... -- 12 October 2013

Our mission president, President N, is the busiest man that I have ever met, but what a wonderful man he is.

Transfers were this week, and I got to drive the 15 passenger van!!! Ole!!! It was good to be able to just focus on driving for a little while after the hectic schedule of the week. Unfortunately, immediately after transfer station 2 (there are 3 transfers that occur on transfer day, we pull everyone we can into central locations, and transport the missionaries in vans from A to B then back to A) chaos began to reign. We were supposed to be out of there between 1:30 and 2:00 to begin travel to the next transfer station. The cars got mixed up, travel arrangements were lost, keys were in the hands of people that shouldn't have had them, the luggage was missing as was the mail, and the list goes on and on.

Anyway, we didn't end up leaving until 3 o'clock.... Then, on our way up to Calgary, one of the tires for the trailer broke off. Didn't just come off, didn't just loosen up or flatten, it busted clean off. Bolts, nuts, tire, gone. Everyone made it safe, as did the luggage, it was just a mess :D. Hahaha 

After that, we went to the going home fireside. The missionaries going home all bore their testimonies, we watched the slide show, President N gave a brief talk about the importance of member missionary work, and then we closed with "Called to Serve" (oh, how I love that beautiful hymn). 

We gathered together and got all of the luggage weighed and put together, and we all slept at the mission home for those 13 missionaries' final night.

The next morning we went to the temple (HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW TEMPLE VIDEO!?!?!?!?!? I'M STILL A GEEKING OUT ABOUT IT!!!!), which was a very revealing experience, I learned so much. After that we took the missionaries to the airport (can anyone say, "Trunky"?) and dropped them off to head home to their families. 

After that, President told us to go get some lunch, then some rest. So, we got lunch.... and went to the office to send out some emails to the new missionaries, organize new templates, set up google docs, and finish out what we needed to get done for the day. We then went home and took a brief nap (which only really felt like blinking after such a long series of late nights, minimal studies, very early mornings, and a tough workout regimen) and then we were off again. We got home around 10:15 that evening and weren't in bed until around 11, because of all the phone calls we needed to return. 

We woke up early yesterday morning, actually got to do a small part of our studies, and then were off again. There was one more missionary to go home yesterday because of passport problems. We took him to the airport and then did some office work. Part 1 of our p day finally began. We picked up some food, did our laundry, and went shopping for warm clothes for the winter. 

After that we had an appointment with a new investigator. We were handing her off to the Sister missionaries, so, our 3 leg was there, along with the sisters (5 missionaries, 1 member, 1 investigator, and another random non-member... they didn't stand a chance). They asked us to teach just a small portion right at the end of the lesson, and they taught the rest. We ended up extending the baptismal date, which she accepted for the 26th of October. She probably won't be baptized until mid-November because of her work, but the fact that she accepted the date shows a good deal of her faith. 

I feel like everything that I've written has been one, very long, run-on sentence. But I know you wanted to know more about what I was doing.... so there you go. I'll include what I've learned this week in my regular weekly email. I love you!

Just So You Know... -- 30 September 2013

I've been called to AP... so my emails may be shorter and may not come until the middle of the week sometimes.... there you have it.... I love you.

Elder Hill

Food Bank Photo -- 30 September 2013

Do Pictures Count as a Thousand Words? -- 23 September 2013

Note from Mom:  When a picture looks this happy, it counts.  Letter was snail-mailed this week.

A Note From Mom -- 16 September 2013

This morning Ashtyn said, "Mom, D FB'd me.  She said to tell you to check your FB because you're gonna laugh."  This is what I read when I got to FB:

So another small world moment at church today.

There was this C U T E toddler walking up and down the aisle in sacrament meeting. I just had to comment on how cute she is and her darling fluffy pink princess dress that she was wearing. Well the mother asked me if I was Sis B. I said yes I was, and then she went on to tell me that her MIL is a Hill from Medicine Hat and that when she was visiting her husband’s grandparents, she was watching this lovely young woman playing the harp and then she was interpreting for sacrament meeting.  The woman was thinking what an accomplished beautiful girl and then she thought to herself I recognize her. She was one of my EFY girls.

I guess this was shortly after we moved to MH.

She then went on to say that she has a YSA age girl boarding with them and she asked if she could invite the elders over for dinner last week and she said that would be fine. So they came for dinner and as they were talking she mentioned that she had been on a mission and the elder asked where and she said Temple Square. He said oh I have a friend serving there right now and she asked if it was any one she knew and our Elder Hill said L.

She went on to say how he is making quite a name for himself, that grandma and grandpa Hill LOVE him, and her parents knew him in the Okatokes ward and said that he is amazing and that she should have him over for dinner. Then he got transferred to the YSA branch before she could, and then through the woman they have living with them she finally got to meet him.

Such a small world hun. 

I just had to laugh.

Commitment to Serve -- 16 September 2013

"Your success as a missionary is measured primarily by your commitment to find, teach, baptize, and confirm people and to help them become faithful members of the Church who enjoy the presence of the Holy Ghost."

Success is measured by commitment. That's not what you do, it's who you are.

This week was good. In a weird way. It was empty, we had more appointments cancel than I can count, but that isn't what's important.  Not at all. :D

God and I both think it could have been better, but I am committed to improve. To stand taller. To walk and live strong. Are you?

Rock.

Yesterday was just loaded with miracles. It began with Ward Council.

Our mission president wants to see another set of missionaries in the Ward in which we are currently serving. We told him we would do our best. How would we do it? By following the cousel of the 12 and get our ward council moving.

So, we presented this idea to the ward council as humbly as we possibly could.... you won't believe how wonderfully they responded to us. They were like, "Okay, what do we need to do?" So, up and coming, a new ward mission plan, built by the entire ward council, with goals for every facet of the work, that is easily presented to the ward.

This may seem so small.... but this is the best thing that has ever happened in the Ward. Ever. Becasue this means the foundation will be strengthened, which means higher levels of conversion and a greater willingness to spread the Gospel message. And a ward that is self sufficient in sustaining the work of Salvation, regardless of the calibur of the missionaries in it.

That's all I really have for this week.... but I am so grateful for the light that has come... and that will continue to come. I know this Gospel is true. I know that this work is His work, and it will roll forth boldly, nobly, and independant. :D

Rock on. Peace. Love. And Temple Marriage.

In that order.

Elder Taylor J. Hill