Dear FAMILY!!!!!
I can tell that you all are very excited for Wednesday. For
me, I can't even imagine it. Its just weird for me. Its been so long since I
have seen seen you all! I don't know how I am going to feel either when I see
you all. Things are going to change quite a bit, but it will be good. I for sure
will get working with dad and helping him out. I also want to drive the kids to
school and whatnot. I really need to hit the road running because I have been
for 2 years. I need to rest of course but I don't want everything to stop
completely. Its going to be weird not having to go go go all the time. I still
am going to talk to everyone and share the gospel and do all that I can. I am
really excited for all of that.
This week has been really tough on me. Just the leaving the members, my companion etc. We also had an amazing week though! Carey was baptized
on Saturday and then was confirmed on Sunday. It was a really special
experience for the ward and for her. The bishop shared some really inspired
words with her at the end. She being Chinese and having a lot of family
opposition and her being the ONLY member in her entire family bishop helped her
see that her baptism started a grand celebration in the heavens for all of her
ancestors that have been waiting for years to receive the Gospel. He said that
we as the missionaries have had the opportunity to be saviors on Mount Zion and
as Carey goes to the temple and does her family work she can bring many souls
to the gospel. It was really a great experience.
Tuesday: So we taught Gregg this morning and it was awesome.
We have had some really amazing experiences lately and I have learned a lot
about the power of prayer for investigators. I make trainings for fun and so I
made one this week on how to help investigators receive answers to their
prayers. It was awesome with Gregg. We read in Enos 1 and he related it a lot
to himself. We then took it to the test and went into the chapel and invited
him to pray right there and then and ask God if he should be baptized on the 1
of February. When he did he received the answer and said that He felt he needed
to do some things to prepare but that God wanted him to be baptized. He
committed to do everything to prepare after that prayer. The spirit is
awesome!! After that we taught Emily Gonzales and that was awesome. She is
super solid. That night not much happened other than teaching Scott. He is a
squatter and therefore lives in a house with a bunch of other people. He is
great but the lesson was difficult because of his friend that was there. Afterward
we had institute and got to be with the members and set up appointments
and things.
Wednesday: Today was Zone training meeting. We met with the
sister training leaders, Sister Dykes and Sister Healey at the church.
The zone training meeting was different, but I really enjoyed it a lot. A
lot of the training was mine and Sister Dykes ideas. We did a training on
"The Book of Mormon: The key to Progression." We have had a lot of
trouble with missionaries understanding what a progressing investigator is and
helping them to progress.
The training started off with Brother Ridenour and
Brother Bollante from the stake speaking to us about the Book of Mormon and
that really added to it. Afterward we showed them a board with a ton of
concerns on it. The sisters did an awesome job on that. We took a look at the
concerns and then explained some things that Elder Packer taught us in Zone
conference. We then proceeded to go into the gym for 2 demonstrations.
The
first one was a basketball demo. Sister Healey and I were the two coaches and
sister Dykes and Elder Watkins were the basketball players. We did a demo where
Elder Watkins was being trained by sister Healey but Sister Healey didn't want
to push him and so Elder Watkins never progressed. He just dribbled. Sister Dykes
and I though, progressed. I trained her how to dribble, shoot, do lay ups (in my
suit) and it was really awesome. We showed how we have to help our
investigators progress. We had an Elder be the scout for a college and he
represented the District Leader making his weekly progressing calls. He would
ask me how sister Dykes was progressing and I would tell him that she was
shooting and doing lay ups and then he went on to ask sister Healey how Elder
Watkins was doing. She told him that he was still dribbling and that he wasn't
ready to shoot. He never progressed.
We then ended and opened it up for
discussion with the missionaries on how this demo of basketball being a bit
funny related to missionary work. It was awesome, it really helped the
missionaries see that sometimes our investigators only dribble and they never
progress because we aren't inviting them or pushing them. We then did the
second demo about the importance of the Book of Mormon. We had 4 groups and 4
sets of chairs lined up to represent 6 weeks of an investigators progression
towards baptism. I led my group and on each week I would tell them of the
invitation that the missionary extended and then the concern that the
investigator had. I then had them shout out different book of Mormon scriptures
that could be used to resolve the concern. By the end the result was the
missionaries asking me how they could improve their study of the Book of Mormon
and they committed to study harder and to memorize more scripture. It was
really good!
We then met back in the room where we began and did some follow up
on the demos and then did our training on how to use the Book of Mormon. It was
really good and turned out well. The stake leaders thanked us and said it was
outstanding and really enjoyed it. I hope it helped the missionaries understand
the importance of the Book of Mormon. Later that day we ate dinner with
Ben Cabal one of our members at a muscle restaurant. He brought a friend that
we were able to teach and add as a new investigator. What a blessing!
Later
that night we also had an awesome lesson with a new investigator from the Marsh
Creek sisters, Sister Goff and Sister Magnusson with a guy named Oscar. He
wanted to come to the YSA ward and the sisters had found him. We taught the
restoration and then did the same thing we did with Gregg. We taught about
baptism and then used inspired questions to invite him to kneel right then and
there and ask God if he should be baptized on the 1 of February. He did so and
after he said that he felt such a peace and he accepted to be baptized. We then
started a crazy exchange with Elder Cabral and Elder Proffitt.
Thursday: We got up nice and early and got to Walnut Creek
to meet some of the other missionaries I am departing with and we went to the
temple. It was awesome. In the Celestial room President was there and gave me a
big hug and then sister Meredith shook my hand and whispered to me, "Thank
you so much, you are one of our heroes." That has stuck in my mind since
then.
We then after went to round table with everyone and ate pizza. It was
good to see Elder Foliaki and Elder O'Farrell. We finally got back and I got
back with my exchange companion. We talked to three high kids on a roof in the
street for a while. That was interesting. They were telling us that we should
smoke pot and that it would help us get better grades and what not. We had a
good time teaching them and then let them be because they were super high.
We
then got to contact a ton of people up in some apartment complexes. We had
dinner with the Brown family and we had a really good discussion of the
differences between California and Utah and also the difference of being a
member in those states. It was interesting and I learned some things. I like
California but I also love Utah. After dinner we had missionary coordination
meeting. I went on splits with Jacob, Chandler and Emily. I was using Emily's
phone and felt super dumb trying to use it. I was looking for the maps and was
so lost. I like my regular missionary phone. We visited the Zamora family and
then Taylor and Toni. It was a really productive night us. We then ended
exchanges.
Friday: We had weekly planning and then the rest of
the day was super off. Carey had to cancel because she got stuck in Concord and
so we drove all the way out there and couldn't visit her. On the way we saw a
wreck and helped the guy out and shared the gospel with him. Then on the
freeway I got flipped off and some lady was super mad at me. I wasn't doing
anything. It was because I am a Utah driver...well I am now a California driver
:) We didn't teach anyone though. We ate dinner with Glen and talked about him
deciding to go on a mission or not. He asked my companion for a blessing of
council and so he did so. After dinner we did teach an investigator who is the
fiancé of a less active. It went really well and he is going to get baptized
for sure. The Lord has been placing so many prepared people in our path lately.
Saturday: Today we had the baptism of Carey! We ate with
Gregg at Wing Stop and I got the Atomic wings. I about died but it wasn't too
bad. Gregg ate one of them and told us to call his dad and tell him to sell his
stuff because we was going to die before he got home. It was fun, we read in
the Book of Mormon with him and set some more expectations for his baptism!
We
then taught a girl named Indira. She is from Mexico. It was a long lesson but
really good. We did the same with her and invited her to pray to know if Joseph
Smith was a prophet of God. We all kneeled and she prayed and after said she
felt a calm peaceful feeling and said that she believes that he is a prophet.
We invited her to be baptized and she accepted but not the date because of some
family opposition and culture changes she wants to pray and think about it a
bit more. We have been having some really good experience with it though,
inviting them right there to pray. At three we got to the church and set
everything up and got the font started. She invited me to baptize her and so I
did. We got pictures and she was easy to baptize. She is super skinny and
small. The baptism was so powerful though, we had a huge turn out and the talks
were great. Carey got a bunch of books and manuals from the relief society
president. She said she felt really cool and fantastic. After the baptism our
appointments all fell through so we didn't do too much with teaching. We then
had transfer calls. I feel meaningless here now. At the baptism the sisters
were telling me to go home and so was a member that doesn't get along with me
very well. I just feel like I need to go home already.
Sunday: Today was a good day. We had 2 investigators
at church, Jaime and Gregg. It was Carey's confirmation too. Church went
really well and then after we taught a member that was supposed to be invited
to meet with us regularly but didn't and so it was really awkward because she
was confused. We then ate at Athenas house. She is going to temple square on
her mission in 2 weeks and so I am going to go and say hi to her! She is
awesome and her parents are too, but they are a bit weird. I had the most uncomfortable dinner in
my whole mission. It was the weirdest because I recognized her parents and
finally figured it out that they randomly go to the Concord 4th branch where I used to serve, and so I
met them a year ago. I sat next to the mom and across from Athena and my
companion. The whole entire dinner was super awkward because the mom was making
comments about me being her son-in-law and she was touching me the whole time.
She would touch my shoulder and my leg and I was getting creeped out. I moved over
and she moved over. My companion was just laughing. She kept asking me if She
could touch me and I told her no but she kept doing it. Athena tried to tell her
to stop but her mom just said that she can do what she wants. She wasn't
flirting or anything, she is just not all there. It was good food
though. Gave me creepy chills the rest of the day. We then went to "Why I believe" fireside with
Athena and Cariey and a bunch of others from the ward. It was powerful! I got
to see some of the missionaries and get their information. We enjoyed it and
then headed home.
Well, this is it....the last letter.....I will see you all
on Wednesday...I have a lot of different feelings right now and don't know what
to think. I wont have changed too much so don't worry. I am still the same
height and weight and look the same so it will be like I never left.
I love you all! I will be sending another package today so I
can fit everything in my suitcases.
Love you all.
Elder Austin Hill
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