March 25, 2013

Hello my family and friends!

This week was a pretty good one. I am so blessed to have the companion that I have. He really knows how to work smart with the members. He has really been a lifesaver to me! He, also, hasn't forgotten how efficient things are in the states. He has really helped me to look at life the way it is. Despite all of this, he is definitely ready to go home! Haha he loves to talk about home and what he'll be doing in just 13 weeks! Haha it is a good experience and a good opportunity to try to stay focused. He is a very fun companion, either way. 

This week we got Amilcar his HUGE Book of Mormon and read 3 Nephi 27 with him. It was really great to be able to read the Book of Mormon with him. We read this chapter with him to help him realize that there is only one true church and that it is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He just needs to realize that any other baptism is not really valid. I am really excited to see what happens with him. Now that he can read the greatest converting tool that we have, I think that he will get baptized. We have a goal to get him baptized on April 13th. I really think that it is going to happen.

This week, we have been able to work a lot more with the members and they have helped A LOT!!! Johny Vasquez has really killed things this week. We found a new investigador that is married to an inactive member. Her name is Maria and his name is Fredy Camposeco. They are really awesome and he is really pilas. Haha that word literally means "batteries," but here in this sense means that he is just a sweet, awesome guy. He needs to come back to church. I think that his work has kinda hindered that aspect of his life.  They are a really great couple. They have 3 kids, 2 of which are a little older, and a younger one named Bryan. He is a little crazy bugger and kinda ruins the lessons... Haha, but he is a funny little kid. He definitely just has a mind of his own and does what he wants! LIke we were praying to end the lesson and the phone started ringing. It was really funny what he did. He got up and answered the phone. The people on the phone asked for his parents and he just said, "I am praying!" They asked the same thing and he said: I am praying with the Mormons! APPARENTLY, the people on the phone didn't understand that he was "praying with the mormons" and so he said it again. About this time he had almost finished the phone call and hung up. This is just one example of how he kinda has ruined the lessons. He always answers a lot of questions. This would be good if we were asking him. Haha it has been kinda funny with him. Always something new. Anyways, Johny has really helped to do everything in the lessons. He has been really awesome for us. He invited Maria to act on her answers to her prayers. Things have been really good.

We visited Migdalia's family this week and they live REALLY far away from Alfredo. So we went to visit them, and Alfredo went with us. They have a HUGE family and most are Catholics and live in the house. The big problem is with them is that it is really hard for them to come to church because they live so far away and have one motorcycle that half works to get them to church. That is a big problem that we are facing.

A lot of members are kinda complaining about how Alfredo and Migdalia got baptized. Many members are saying that they got baptized to get money help from the church. The thing is that NOBODY has gotten to know them. It is kinda frustrating because a lot of people are just whining and saying that they just got baptized to get money and that is not how it is. We should definitely be a little bit better about that as members. 

Anyways, I hope that this letter home has been able to brighten somebody's day! I love you all and thank you for the support and the prayers. I am praying for all of you and keep working everyday! I love the Lord and this church. I love the truthfulness of everything that we do as "Mormons." Never stop doing what you should just because people tell you to. We have the resources to live how God wanted us to live. Never forget that HUGE blessing! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Hilton

Good Morning America - March 18, 2013

Hello Family and Friends!

Here we are once again, another preparation day passing by! This week has been very wonderful. Alfredo and Migdalia got married and baptized!

We visited them everyday this week to try to get them ready for their baptism. Things have been pretty awesome  and crazy. To get up to Talmiche, where they live. They basically live on top of a mountain. So we jump on a little Toyota Tacoma to get up there on the dirt road. Then,we do what we have to: bring water from the river, chop wood, and teach. Once all is said and done, we go down... on foot! That is something that might have been making me sick. So, on Wednesday, I woke up with probably one of the worst headaches I have ever had. IT was terrible, so we could not go out and work. It was killing me because we had a killer day set up and didn't get to do what we wanted. Thursday, everything was better, but Elder Bench's eyes started acting up. He is allergic to contact lenses, but continues using them because he doesn't like glasses. Wednesday night, they decided to swell up on him and continued a little swollen Thursday. He was still able to champ things out and we got up to Talmiche to teach Alfredo and Migdalia.

To say the least, things were pretty crazy. On Saturday, we had their marriage and baptism. We spent all week trying to get things looking sweet for Alfredo and Migdalia, but when we showed up to the church there was nobody there and we were supposed to start in an hour. It wasn't decorated, and nobody was there to help Migdalia with her hair and getting all ready. That caused quite a bit of stress, but with time, everybody showed up and was able to get everything ready. It turned out awesome! They looked like champions! Alfredo isn't used to wearing a suit, but he did it for the wedding and BOY! Did he look like a stud! Everything went well this week.

We keep working with Amilcar and I think that he is going to get baptized soon. He just needs the HUGE Book of Mormon. His eyes aren't the best, but if he has gigantic letters he can read. That is what he have got to do.

Thank you all for the prayers this last week, I really felt them in the moment that I need them most! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Hilton

March 11, 2013

Hello family and friends!

Just a quick little update. This week has been kinda wild. My comp had transfers and that means that I have a new comp now. They called us on my birthday and to say the least, I was really happy. Now, my companion is Elder Bench and he is a great missionary. He is a really hard worker and he is awesome. He has been in the mission for 20 months. He has a lot of experience and has taught me a lot already. We just have to avoid the trunky factor! 

Thats how things are. Alfredo and Migdalia are going to get married and baptized on Saturday. I am really excited about that. They are really great and "pilas" That means that they are way awesome for the things of the church. He is always writing down all the scriptures and it is really awesome. We are also starting to work with his sisters, they came to church yesterday. Things are really exciting now.

Yesterday, we had ward conference and so all the members are way pilas and working hard to visit and to reactivate all the less actives and inactives. They are also a little more willing to come out and work with us, so thats' really good and excting. Also, Ronaldo came to church yesterday after skipping three week!  I think that he is going to get baptized soon. The only problem is that he his girlfriend is bringing him to church. However, if that is the way that he finds out about the church and that it is true, that is how it is.

Things are going pretty good. However, I have been getting sick lately. Last Sunday, I got sick, and then yesterday, too, I got sick again. My body just ached yesterday. I felt like a fever was coming on last night and was getting a wild headache. The headache followed me through the night and I keep going with a fever. It is kinda crazy, but things are moving forward! I love this work and love the blessings that it provides. When we have hard times, we may just have to remember the atonement of Christ. He suffered everything that we feel so that he can know how to succor his people best. All that we must do is kneel down before him in prayer. Thank you all for the love and support!

Love,

Elder Hilton

My birthday was great, thanks! We just worked like normal, I didn't want to really call a lot of attention. Right now, I am kinda sick. Yesterday my body ached like crazy and felt like a fever was coming on, but now i just have a raging headache. I will take my weight and height and let you know the results!
Yes, I have seen the water supply in Talmiche. It  is kinda sad. It is just a little bitty river-- maybe 15 feet at its widest and about a foot to a foot and half deep. That is where they get all their water and bathe and wash their clothes. It is kinda sad. Alfredo and Migdalia are awesome. They are getting married and baptized on Saturday. I am really excited about this! Yesterday, there were a few visitors in the ward-Ronaldo, he hasn't come for like 3 weeks; Alfredo and Migdalia and 2 of his sisters; and a friend of a member. It was a good day yesterday. .

March 4, 2013

Riding a donkey in Talmiche, Huehuetenango as we helped Migdalia out with her laundry.

Hey there from Huehuetenango!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes that I have received today! It has been a great day before my birthday and tomorrow is gonna be a great day! Well, things are moving along, but are still really difficult. Last Monday, Elder Perez (my comp from Nahuala) wrote me and told me that Hector, Salvador's son, was going to get baptized on Saturday. I got way excited and pumped about it when I heard this, however, on Friday night the assistants called me and told me that Hector wanted me to baptize him. I got way excited because I didn't think that I was gonna be able to go! So we went about a 3 hour trip from Huehue to Nahuala. I got there and ate lunch with Salvador and his family. It was really awesome. Hno. Odaviano(Salvador's brother) ended up baptizing Hector. We felt like that would be better, but I has just happy that I got to go back to Nahuala for a little bit. I love Hector he is so awesome! He is gonna be such a huge help and light for his family. He really is a good kid. It was also really nice to see Elder Perez again, and my grandson!

Well, now the work in Huehue- things are moving along, but yesterday I got super sick! On Saturday, there was a huge climate change and we went to Nahuala, where it is a lot colder, and I might have eaten something bad there, too. So I woke up yesterday with a headache, a raging fever, and feeling like throwing up. So I basically stayed all day in bed yesterday. However, things are going good. We are going to keep working with the family of Alfredo and Migdalia from Talmiche. We had a visit with them this week and Migdalia loves all the changes that her husband has made. He doesn't run around with all kinds of different ladies, and is getting pretty awesome with the church. I really hope that we can work something good out with them. I don't have a lot of time to write more or I would! I love you all and thank you for all the support that I have from you!

Love,

Elder Hilton

February 25, 2013

¿Que tal mi familia y mis amigos?!

Seguimos trabajando en la obra del Señor! Things have been great! The mission keeps teaching a bazillion lessons and a lot of patience! This week I had my first garbage burn of the mission. We just took everything out and burned it on the side of the house. Definitely not in the States!

Well, yesterday, the family from Talmiche, Alfredo and Migdalia, came to church even though we hadn't really visited them for a couple weeks. We decided to drop them for a little bit, and they came to church. We told them that if they came to church by themselves we could help them get back home. They only have a little motorcycle and it isn't in the best of shape. They live on the top of a mountain, so it is easy for them to get down, but the motorcycle can't get them all back up. I feel kinda bad for them. They live in a 3 room adobe house. One room is the kitchen and they have a wood burning stove, in another room they have the two beds and the black and white TV, they also put the moto in there at night; and I am not sure what they have the third room for. They don't have any running water there, they always have to go down to the river and haul it back up. I am not sure where they shower, either. Things are really tough for them. Alfredo just lost his job, and so they have a lot of necesidades right now. There are a lot of windows of opportunity that we can use. I love the family and Alfredo is really awesome.

The members of this ward are really awesome. A lot of them are really successful and they seriously inspire me to be better everyday. There are a lot of returned missionaries that were very successful in the mission and they are always willing to give a few words. There are a few in particular that are great teachers and great friends. One is named Eduardo and he served in El Salvador. He was an assistant there, and I realized why yesterday. He came out to work with us and he is a great teacher. No is he a great teacher with the people, but also with us. He had a few ideas, and he was able to suggest them without offending us. I really loved it. Another one is Carlos. He is an awesome friend. He knows english very well. He has helped me to be able to deal with all the situations. The Lord puts people in our way for a reason. He helps us through them. 

I know that this church is true and that this is the only way to true happiness. I love you all and thank you all for your support. Be the person that the Lord needs. We all have made the baptismal covenant and as it is described in Mosiah 18, we are representatives of him at all times. Even though, in Utah, it may seem something usual. We are not usual! We are all part of the work of the Lord and we are all headed for something better! I love you all!

Love,

Elder Hilton

Burning Trash day.

We played capture the flag in a field with "cascarones".  They are just egg shells filled with confetti. They use them here for Carnaval and Valentine's Day, It was really fun!

Just after getting a "cascarone" broken on  top of my head.