I found my groove.

Hey mom and Family!

I love you all! How is everyone doing? It sounds like everyone is doing really well and is happy which makes me really happy. Just to start I want to say that I am super happy, I have found my groove and I’m running with it! I have learned so much this week and it’s been awesome. I had some good experiences that got me focused and going again, and I feel a lot better. I got the letter from Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for the letter I love you both! Thanks for the encouragement and support. I haven’t gotten your package yet, we are going to the visitors center tomorrow so hopefully I’ll get it then.

Monday (Lunes)of last week: That night none of our appointments happened but we found someone new that night. I found an old list of investigators in our area book and I felt like we should go through one of the lists. So that night we did and the first guy we talked to, it wasn’t him but someone else that lived there let us in and allowed us to teach him. He was taught by elders in Mexico and almost was baptized but somehow was offended by the bishop and so he stopped. He listened to us and was really showing interest and a new desire to learn again and take the decision of baptism again. It was a really good lesson and we learned a lot from him.

Tuesday (Martes) : Today we taught hermano margarito. We taught him how to teach the restoration so that he could help us teach Elvira right after. he was so awesome and was actually really good at teaching and asking questions and everything! I was not too surprised because he is awesome like that. The lesson with Elvira was well...sad. We wanted to teach the restoration to help her re have those feelings and help her to understand the importance of receiving answers. As we taught the restoration it didn’t go very well, she was starting to ask questions about everything and we couldn’t help her understand. At the end we explained that she has received 2 different answers from the Lord and she knows it. The problem is is that she isn’t willing to accept them, she told us that those really weren’t answers and that she wants something more. We told her that the Lord has already given her her answers and that He will not give her more. We testified and used our "Big Gun" scriptures to help her but she still didn’t want to commit to anything. We reinvited her to be baptized and she said no because she wants an answer. We told her we can’t keep teaching her if she won’t act so we dropped her. She didn’t really think much of it other than she apologized that she wasted our time. It was sad but we can’t do anything for her. We understand about reading but she told us that she likes her church because the pastor just preaches and talks and she likes that more than how we do it at our church. She said that she was fine where she was. It is all good though, I’m happy and the Lord blessed us this week with even better and more people. That night we went tracting with one of the youth. He is preparing for a mission so he was really excited to go with us and tract and teach. We didn’t really know where to go but I thought of an apartment complex to knock. There weren't too many Latinos but we kept knocking. We felt like we were supposed to be there. When we came to a part of the apartment complex we started to feel discouraged and things. This is very interesting. We knocked the 4 bottom doors and found nothing. The people weren't very nice. We then wanted to go up but wanted to just leave. We decided to go up there and knock. The first door was open but we just saw some old guy laying on a couch sleeping. He had a beard and looked Jewish and my companion didn't think he would want to listen. We then moved to the next door. As we knocked there no one would listen. The last door we knocked a guy opened it and wasn't interested, but we asked him if he knew anyone that would be interested. He told us to knock the open door, the one with the old guy sleeping. We went over there and it was interesting because we all felt not good about it and everything. We knocked it and the guy came to the door. He spoke Spanish which was a miracle. We were not sure what to ask because we thought he was Jewish. My companion asked him about what he thought was the purpose of life. He said he didn't know but he was really searching for questions in his life right now. we asked to go in and teach him and he let us in. He told us that this was the first time that he had ever let anyone in his house that were missionaries of sorts. He didn't have a shirt on or anything and just sat on his coach. didn't have any teach but he was an amazing man. We began to set expectations and teach the restoration. He was amazed because we were able to answer a lot of the questions he had. He was constantly asking us questions. As we taught his wife came home. When she saw us she got so happy and sat down and listened to us. She told us that just 5 minutes ago she was down stairs with her grandchildren praying that God would help them. We told them that this was the answer. The spirit was so strong. He was amazed with the restoration and understood it because he said he didn't like the catholic church and what we were saying seemed "right" to him. It was the most amazing lesson/ experience I have had. It was phenomenal. They committed to read and pray. We knelt with them and he offered the prayer. It was so powerful. This is the Garcia family to help.

Wednesday (miercoles) Today we had a great district meeting. After district meeting we had a lesson with one of our less active families. We had planned to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to help them understand the importance of taking the sacrament and things. They would not focus. They were running around and the mom was constantly asking us if we were hungry or if we wanted a drink. I finally took over and said that we really wanted to help them. I wasn’t mad or anything I was just really wanting to have a spiritual experience with them so that they could feel the spirit. I began to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them. I helped them see that the gospel or the doctrine of Christ is the "Process of change" which helps us overcome our weaknesses and become more like God. She did not believe that we could ever become like God. She started to really get into her catholic beliefs. The dad then got home and so we had to leave. I didn’t feel too good about it but I loved them and wanted them to understand. They just would not listen or focus. It is really sad to see that. Later that night we dropped by our investigators, the Garcia family that we found Tuesday. The mom was outside with her grandkid again. When she saw us she ran over and was so happy to see us again. It was really awesome to see her so happy. We confirmed our appointment with them and reminded them to read. We then went to our second lesson with a new guy we found on Monday. When we got there he told us that he wasn't interested because he didn’t feel like her was ready yet to make this step. We tried to do everything we could to save him but he wasn’t ready. He dropped us.

Thursday (Jueves): We taught the Garcia family that afternoon. They didn’t read because they had something’s happen that day before which prevented them. We read in the book of Mormon with them for the lesson. We decided to read 3 Nephi 11 about the savior coming to the Americas because he showed some doubts about not believing that Christ really was resurrected. When he said that we flipped open the book of Mormon and just smiled. It was like the golden question. We read it with them and he was so amazed. We testified about Christ and taught about baptism. They just stared at us and listened. I would show them pictures and the mom would grab the picture and stare at it and show it to her husband and then give it back to me. By the end of the lesson he believed that Jesus Christ was truly resurrected. All I can say is that the Book of Mormon is TRUE! We went out to Martinez that evening to try to find new investigators and places to tract. We found some apartments and we knocked them. They have never been knocked before and the people were tough. They were all catholic and even with that they would not give us time to teach at all. We found a guy in the laundry room that was pretty interesting. He kept calling chamacoes which was really funny! He kept telling us to tell us something and to teach him about our message. He liked it but he wouldn’t let us teach him. He was really stubborn but funny. He told us to keep knocking and we'll find someone! The first door we knocked was his twin! It was so funny he let us in and we taught them. The brother downstairs walked in and was like "hey chamcoes you found me again..." He sat down and listened. We taught the restoration but by the end they weren’t interested. They didn’t care and want us to keep teaching them. It was sad but oh well. That night we did service for a family and helped them stain a fence. That was fun.

Friday (Viernes): Today we had district council. It was really good and we learned about some new and big changes in the mission. I am really excited. president Meredith is going now by the motto, "Live the Principle" I felt like I was in heaven in American Heritage! I was helping the Zone leaders explain it even though I didn’t know anything about it. They were impressed. I quoted the quote by Joseph Smith "Teach them correct principles and they will govern themselves" I am really excited about the future here!!! This really was one of the things that got me going. It got me into my groove and reminded me a lot of who I am and what I know. Only one of our lessons happened that night but it was really good. It was with the family Martinez, we are teaching the two daughters and they are awesome! We taught them the plan of salvation. One of the girls understood everything and was teaching us the plan of salvation. We invited them to be baptized at the end and she accepted. Her sister wasn't ready but it was awesome! We started exchanges that night and I went with elder Joseph the Zone leader to his English area.

Saturday (Sabado): That morning we got up at 5:45 to go and play basketball in the church gym. It was good but I was tired. He played basketball to work out and I played ping pong with the wall. It was a lot of fun! We then did service. We helped move a Thai family out of an apartment. After service we got ready and went to the visitors center with an investigator. It was really awesome. It was nice to be there, you’re lucky to go to the VC all the Elders always want to go there. After the Visitor Center (VC) we went to visit some people but didn't find too much. We then went back home and finished our companionship study because we missed it and we needed to do a very important plan for a lesson that night. The lady we were going to teach was only meeting with us because the bishop invited her too. She is the mother of the second councilor in the ward. She said that she only wants to hear and she will not convert. We made the lesson plan and focused on teaching powerful statements and allowing the spirit to teach. We did some practices after and I learned so much. I haven’t taught in English in a long time. Elder Joseph told me just to relax and focus. That night when we taught the lady it was amazing! The Lord works in amazing ways. We taught simply and powerfully and testified. We focused on questions to help her relate the message to herself. When we came to Joseph smith we asked her if she believes that God answers prayers. She told us about how her sister died of cancer and today was her birthday. She said that she prayed so hard that her sister would be healed but she died. She said she knows God answers prayers but asked us why these things happen. I was impressed to share about my heart and also about Aunt Jandee. I explained that I was born with my heart problem and it was a very hard thing for my parents. My parents had prayed their whole lives for me that I would be healed, my grandparents also. I told her about my surgeries in 2008 and how I prayed so hard that I would be healed. I told her that I wasn’t healed and the first surgery didn’t go as well as it was planned to go. I explained that I was disappointed that God didn’t answer my prayers but I know he did. I testified that even though I wasn’t miraculously healed I still had faith and I still trusted God. I grew closer to him and those trials that we have help us to learn and grow. I told her about how my dad had his sister die of cancer also and that we prayed and fasted for her but she still passed away. It was a really hard thing for my family but we accepted it and we that we would see her again because of the plan that God has for us. I testified to her about this. She was listening so intently and agreed. The spirit was so strong. In that moment I realized that even if none of my prayers are answer or if everything goes wrong I would still have faith and my testimony would still be strong. I don’t have to see miracles to believe. I really learned a lot and came to recognize more about myself. That night I was back with my companion and he was asking me about why we don’t see miracles now a days. He has been reading in the bible and about all the miracles and things that the prophets do and why those things don’t happen now. I told him that those people back then needed to see things to believe that their faith wasn’t that strong. I told him that now a days we are stronger and we don’t need to see a ocean parted to believe. It was such a powerful moment for me.

Sunday ( Domingo) The family Garcia came to church! They are so awesome! They are about 70 years old or so and are so funny and cute. They came to church and they loved it. They said that they felt so much peace and love in the church. They wanted to come again and we are going to the VC tomorrow with them. The Lord blessed us with new people after we dropped Elvira. I am so happy right now!

I am learning a lot and I am working  a lot. One other thing that I am learning is about being prepared. I hate it when we are not prepared to teach a lesson or something. My companion doesn’t like planning and so it’s tough for me. I am learning about the importance of being prepared. That is something that is a part of me. Being prepared for the future, physically and spiritually. Things go so much better when we are prepared. Also this week I am been learning about recognizing the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I have been praying hard for opportunities to listen and learn and recognize. The Lord has blessed me with an abundance of opportunities. I have been keeping a record of all the promptings to help me learn to recognize them. Ha we went to the VC on the exchange and we watched the Gods plan for families. At the end of it I was wiping tears away. I know that emotions are necessarily from the spirit but because I studied about the Spirit I paid attention to my feelings. I found that I felt happy, calm, feelings a love, I was edified and I had a desire to do good. These opportunities have strengthened me and have helped to recognize the spirit.

I hope everyone is doing well! I love you all! Thanks for everything and ill keep my eyes out for the package! thanks !

Love Elder HIll