Happy 4th of July - (received -July 9th, 2013)

Dear family and friends,

While all were partying, I was down in Guatemala working hard! Our 4th of July consisted of some good little burgers. However, things are going well! I have loved these past few months and they will continue being wonderful. Tomorrow is transfers day and Elder Gomez and I are staying here in San Juan! Things haven't been perfect but they have been manageable with him.

This week we spent a lot of time looking for a new house for another companionship. President said that there was gonna be another companionship coming in this transfer. We found a SUPER sweet house with a HUGE garden and tons of outdoor space. Houses here are a lot different from house in the states. Here, there are hardly any people that have a garden or a lawn, and if they do, it is super small. This house was super great, but today, they told us that there aren't going to be enough missionaries to fill the spot! That was kinda frustrating, but they say that next transfer we are going to put them in.

This week we found a new family to teach that lives in a place called Cajola. It is about 20 minutes away from San Juan in bus. They live on top of a little hill and don't have any light or water. It is kinda a poor little family, but they are really positive! We are going to find a way to get them to church because on Sundays the bus ride is 5 quetzales each way.

We are also working with a little less active lady and her kids. We just need to find their birth information and they are going to get baptized. They have kinda the same problem as the other family... The money. I have been thinking about how we could get them to church. Here they sell these little bags full of jello for one quetzal and to buy a big bag of jello mix it's like 10 quetzales. We'll see how things go with that. It will definitely be a trick figuring out how to make the things.

We are working with Monica. She is awesome, but I just don't have a ton of time to talk a lot about her.

I love the Lord and I love this work. It is a amazing some of the miracles that are worked. I love you all!

Love,

Elder Hilton

Hello Once Again - July 2, 2013

Dear family and friends,

This has been a wonderful week. I have loved it quite a bit. We baptized Brandon on Friday night, so that he could go to a youth activity on Saturday. On Saturday, we also baptized Giovanni, Alicia, and Rodrigo. Alicia and Rodrigo are Marili's parents and they are so awesome! It was a very special weekend. It was really so special. Giovanni is so awesome and great. He is now married with his wife and coming to church like a good father should. I feel like the branch is getting much better. Alicia and Rodrigo had to get married to get baptized and we did the marriage at the same time as their baptism. Marili is so awesome about the church and so willing to help out the branch.

We are also working with Ricardo who got baptized in April. Tonight we have an FHE with his family. Yesterday he brought his little brother to church. He is such a stud about the work.

We keep working with Alejandra and she says that she is going to get baptized this Saturday. Now we just have to work so hard that IT HAPPENS. Something that has really helped me to be more successful is James 1:22-23. Be a doer.

Changes are coming up in a week and I do not want to leave San Juan. I feel like one of us is going, but I am not too sure. This week we found a lady named Monica and she is super positive. We are also working to baptize Giovanni's sister and niece and nephew. Time is up, but I love you all!

Love,

Elder Hilton