Loving The People

 No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.  

Zone Conference With Area President

Well Monday was zone conference! We had to be at the Airport at 6:00 am so we woke up at 4:30 and had to leave our apartment at 5:30. I will tell you that jumping on an airplane to go to zone conf. is like the best thing ever! Area President Elder Anderson and his wife Kathy were in attendance. He took up the whole time and answered our questions. They were super awesome. The Spirit was very strong and I learned a lot about myself and how to be a better missionary. I have really come to learn how to listen to the spirt and how he is my best friend. It makes all the diference in the world when you can communicate with God and learn the things what we can do better in our life to become more like him! Not a day goes by that I don't pray for him to speak to me through my thoughts and help me understand what he needs me to know. I love My heavenly Father so much.

One Thing I did learn was That Jesus Christ is our Eternal Father. In the Scriptures it always talks about Jesus Christ being our father... I asked how can this be? So Elder Anderson answered my question! He told us that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ because of his crucifixion and his suffering for our sins which is eternal he becomes our Father becuase of the re-birth that happens at baptism. He said that he is so so so much more than our brother he is also our father! It was amazing!

I had to teach district meeting to President and Sister Mehr and Elder and Sister Anderson yesterday... it was so crazy! I was pretty much pooping my pants because I was first in the presence of a general authority and the mission pres. and second I had to teach them about the gospel! My lesson was on Fear and Faith. I read the definition of fear in the Bible dictionary and then compared it to Alma 58:9-12. How Helaman, Gid, and Teomner were scared for the well being of their soldiers as they went to take the city Manti. They recieved assurances of faith comfort and love. They pressed forward even though they knew they might die! It was a sweet comparison, and Elder Anderson had a ton of cool insight that really helped us understand more about fear and faith. They all came up to me after and said that I'll do great things in the mission... so will see what happens!

We went teaching with Elder Anderson after District Meeting. We went to the hospital to find L--, but we couldn't find her so we decided to see W---, a 14 year old girl that is S--'s sister. She is in critical condidtion because of child neglect from the Mother. She is believed to have a staff infection of the lungs and has been in this condidtion for like 4 months, without medication. So E. Anderson and E. Chiristensen and I went in to the Isolation Ward (we had to wear masks and wash our hands) We were given the opportunity to give her a blessing. It was so powerful. I was in awe how special it was to do that. I will never again have that chance to do that. Give a blessing with a member of the seventy. It was super cool.. He spoke to her on a level that she would understand. It was in simple words and is hard to descirbe....AMAZING!!!

We saw L--n as well with him. He testified of being a seventy and holding the same authority as Phillip. It was again so so powerful. This man you can tell has been called of God and is fulfilling his calling and magnifying it.

We went to the Church after and he gave a beautiful devotional! It was about the Restoration.. hopefuly he sparked a fire under some of the members.

We were able to pick up and drop off the Mehrs from the Airport and then we went back to the apartment to sleep! It feels like yesterday was a dream! We woke up today with a spiritual Hangover... ahaha it felt so good but i'm dead tired!

Well that's all I have today but I love you all have a good week and make sure to pray with faith and you shall recieve!

Love Elder Aaron Hill

I'm going to memorize the book of Enos... maybe you can too?

Elders Hill, Reyes, Christensen

Sister and Elder Anderson, Elder Hill, Elder and Sister Mehr

Awesome Week!

Well everyone! It was a super awesome week! 

On Sunday we had 54 at church!!! That is a new record for the Tobago Branch! We had two investigators show up... a couple that are looking for more in their life. We are seeing them tonight. It should be a really great lesson, we are planning on teaching them the Restoration and introducing the Book of Mormon. We have been so blessed with the people we are starting to teach. The work here is starting to boom. I love teaching new people. The hardest part is trying to get the members involved. But it is slowly getting better and Elder Christensen and I have about 6 progressing investigators that we want to see get baptized. We set a goal for 2 baptisms this transfer so it's getting tight because we don't have anyone with dates, but we hope to commit someone tonight!

Last Sunday, we went to E--'s house. He is a cabinet maker. We heard him using the router. He was like "Ya my bruh-gers" and so he was happy to see us! He stopped the router immediatly and came over to talk to us. He was like "Man, I have been wait'n for you guys to come by but I never saw you... we told him we tried calling. He told us he left his phone in a taxi and now the taxi is in Trinidad! haha He also said that he was really busy and had to get a bunch of cabinets made for delivery the next day but he had a friend for us to teach. He was like, "Do you fellas have time to teach him about the plan of salvation? He really needs it in his life." The next thing you know he runs off and tells us he'll be back. He comes back 5 mintues later with a really gruff man that looked like he could have been on America's most wanted. He comes up to us and says, "Hi my names K---!" We then sat down and talked to him. He was the most humble man that I have ever met on my mission. He has been through a lot of crap in his life. He told us that when he was 10 he had to sell peanuts on the streets to survive, he then told us that as he and his brother and sister walked down the street one day, a crazy car accident happened and two cars collided head on then spinning out of control into him and his brother and sister. His hip was busted on impact and his brother died Instantly. His sister has scars to this day on her face from the windshield breaking on her face. He is 35 so this happened 25 years ago. He told us he has been looking for the truth ever since and also told us that after we taught him the Plan, it gave him a lot of comfort knowing he'll see his brother again. He also said that he really desires to know if what we taught him was true. We told him to pray about it. He replied, "I don't know if God will answer me." We assured him he would and then we invited him to pray after we were done, and to listen for the Gifts of the Spirit. He said the prayer...which was so humble and sincere. He prayed like he had been a member for his whole life, and after he closed his prayer he looked up and his eyes were huge. I asked him what he was feeling. He then said I feel so light and I feel that my heavenly father Loves me! It was an amazing day and we can't wait to teach him again.

Happy New Year!

12/30/13
Hey everyone it was great to see you all on Christmas over skype! It was so much fun and it was pretty crazy seeing all of the growth spurts! It was super fun seeing the little kids faces when they first saw me! I laughed!

Well, our week was really pretty great. Last week when we weekly planned we forgot that it was Christmas. We set really high goals and so we were actually scared we wouldn't reach them. We were going to change them but we decided not to because we were both getting trunked out with the holidays and all, so long story short, we reached our goals by working our butts off!
We were told by president Mehr to spend Christmas with the members. So that is what we did! We went by to pretty much everyone in the branch and shared the nativity or a scripture about Christ and then we left.

Sorry this week is going to be short, but we talked a lot on Wednesday... We really went contacting this week and tracted into some lessons but really nobody to brag about! By Friday, we got kinda loopy and had some good laughs. I think it was lack of sleep and hard work! haha
Well, I love you all and have a happy new years! 2014 wahoo!
Bang some pans for me!

Elder Hill

Elder Christensen, Elder Hill, Elder and Sister Linton, Sister Reddy, Sister Joseph

Christmas in the Caribbean!

12/24/13
Sorry today's email is going to be short I don't have a whole lot of time to talk... because we will be talking tomorrow when we SKYPE!!!! BOO-YAA!      I got your package... but i'm not opening it until tomorrow because i have to open a present for christmas morning!

One story I had this week...
On Friday before our branch Christmas party we taught Liz. We had a lesson planned for her. We were going to read the Story of Enos. And focus on receiving answers to her prayers... and really how to pray. Then we were going to watch 'My Soul Hungered'... It is an amazing clip that i want you all to watch sometime. At the beginning of the lesson we asked some follow up questions about the Book of Mormon and how her prayers have been going. She told us that she feels so good whenever we come by and that the things in her life that were before so stressful, she has found more peace and love in her life. We taught the lesson and then after the clip, we asked some inspired questions... really listening to the spirit. We asked if she feels this message is true, and then if she wants more peace in her life... and to live with her family forever. We invited her to be baptized... because we already knew in our hearts that she was going to say yes! She accepted a date for the 25th of January. It was a really cool experience for the both of us and we are seeing her again in an hour so that is why I have to go! But I love you all and I am super excited to see you all tomorrow! I only get about 40-45 minutes so it's not very long... about like last time. But again I am very excited to see you! I love you all and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

                                     

 

Obedience and Diligence

Elder Hill has been experiencing many teaching miracles on Tobago.  The people whose hearts are prepared to hear the Gospel are ready to be taught by faithful, obedient missionaries.


11/25/2013 --- We received a call Wednesday night from some missionaries in Trinidad! We received a woman's number and we were told to call her! We did immediately and it was amazing! This woman's name is S------, she is married and has a daughter. They set up an appointment on the phone for Saturday and told us they will be waiting. We both could not wait! Saturday finally rolled around and it was a half hour before the lesson and I received a phone call and it was J---- her husband. He was calling to make sure we were coming and then gave us directions, to where he lived. We traveled there immediately! We arrived and they were waiting for us on their front steps! We walked up and introduced ourselves, and we just felt like this family was going to be amazing! We went in and got to know them a little bit and talked about the weather and how beautiful the day was then we started. I said the opening prayer and then we started to teach by the bullet points in Preach my gospel. It was a miracle that happened. Stephanie just started to cry. The spirit was so strong. I had to hold back because it was soo thick. We asked them what they wanted to achieve from having us over. They told us "we have always wanted to be converted to something and this is where we think we need to start." We had planned to teach the restoration, but I felt like we needed to teach the plan. So we did! I pulled out those flash cards that Tyson gave me and taught them! The entire lesson was amazing and super spiritual. I have never taught a family before! I can truly say that family's are ordained of God because of the spirit that we felt there! We backed up the Plan with scriptures from the Book of Mormon and then after the lesson, S----, T----(16 yr old daughter) and J---- all asked for their own copy of the Book of Mormon. It was a miracle! I can honestly say that we were blessed with this family because E. Christensen and I have been strictly obedient to mission rules and our diligence! It was such an amazing experience I just feel Heavenly Fathers Love for me as I talk about this wonderful blessing!

12/02/2013 --- We went with the Linton's to visit the J---- family. We arrived a few minutes late because the traffic getting to their house was horrendous, and it was super crazy. So we arrive at and S---- is out waiting on the street for us. We get out and she says "Oh good, I was thinking you weren't coming!" We then went into the house and on the walk to the doorway, their neighbors were just saying nasty things and persecuting them and us until we walked into the house. It was crazy. We could tell she was bothered by it, So I told her not to study them and just try to enjoy the night. So the first 20 minutes of the lesson or so we just mingled and let them get to know the Lintons a little bit better. They loved them both and they were a huge help to the lesson with answering questions and ting...But we then taught them the Restoration. We did our best to focus on prophets and dispensations. They understood everything and it was really neat again to see people that have been prepared from the Lord and placed in our path to find. They really loved the part about the True church falling and was it quite interesting to see J---- thinking on an infinite level and not with a carnal finite mind. We are seeing them again tonight and showing them the Restoration movie for a visual aid and so they can receive a new understanding. We are also going to invite them to be baptized. I love this family so much! They are amazing. They are truly a blessing from heaven and I feel so so blessed to be serving with E. Christensen and having so much success. OBEDIENCE AND DILIGENCE!

12/16/2013 --- We stopped by the J---- family just to say Hi and see how things were going. They (J---, and T----) let us sit down and teach them. We just answered their questions and invited them to the Christmas party. Then J--- asked suddenly, "How do I get baptized in your guys's church?" We told him, and then invited him to be baptized. He said yes and so did T---!. Just need to talk to S-----. The end of last week we had 3 investigators with baptismal dates and by the end of this week we hope to have 5 or 6. It is really awesome the way things are happening out here on this island!

Hot and Cold

Here at home we have had some heavy snow storms and cold temperatures in the single digits. 
But in Tobago....

ARGYLE  FALLS

   Well I'd just like to start off by rubbing in some warm weather! It is 85 degrees and real humid! haha like always! I'm used to it now though! At the start of my mission you probably could have made the ocean raise an inch or so with how thick of a stream of sweat was coming off my face! Now I'm acclimatized and it feels actually quite nice! It's also the rainy season and we are getting a lot of rain!

Cool missionaries that are on fire....

E. Christensen and I have been getting along great! He is a super hard worker and he LOVES DUCK DYNASTY, hunting and fishing and camping!!! OHHH YAA!!! It's been so fun the past few days! He knows how to be serious and knows how to be sensitive and spiritual. He has only been out for 3 months but he is very smart and follows the spirit very close. Obedience and Diligence are our goals! This past week we have been doing a lot of contacting! We have been finding a lot of new investigators to teach and we have slowly been increasing our teaching pool! We have found some really awesome people that we see some amazing potential in! I will say that being a District Leader is pretty much baptism by fire. You just have to learn as you go and adjust your life to the new standards!

Elder Hill and Elder Christensen

We have been having a man named L---- fix the car. After the radiator was put in the corolla he came up to us and said..."Elders, I have been meaning to ask you some questions about your church. And I'm pretty interested about what you guys teach so will you come and teach me?"... MY JAW JUST ABOUT HIT THE GROUND! It was so awesome! We told him we would love to come by and teach him. So we set an appointment to visit him the next day around 1:00pm. We got there a few minutes late and then he told us that he was swamped with work, and that if we could teach him as he worked he would appreciate it. So we did. He asked some awesome questions about how people are going around and performing miracles. He told us that something wasn't sitting right with him, and I told him it's because God is not in it. He replied...what do you mean? I said, Well in order for it to be a God given act, God's authority has to be present. He replied... How does a man get the authority. I then told him, It's given to him by someone holding it. It was a really long discussion and I could totally tell that it wasn't my words. It was a pretty cool experience and I see some great potential in him.

Zone Conf.- Transfers - Thanksgiving!

So Friday we woke up at 4:30 am so that we could make it to the airport by 6:00 am and board at 6:30. We made it to the mission home around 8:30. Zone Conference lasted until 3:00 pm. We had interviews after and a big tie trade; I got a couple of sick ones. I loved my interview with President Mehr. He really just knows how to help out. He told me that the Lord is blessing me for my diligence and courage to stand up for what's right. He gave me my official transfer call and then had me recite my memorized scriptures (1 Nephi 16: 17-32). He told me that he wants me to memorize a full chapter for the next interview I have with him! Haha ok President! We were taken to the airport at around 7 that night and got home around 9:30 pm. We got to our apartment at 10:00 - it was a very long day but was really inspirational and I loved it a lot.

I'm pretty nervous about being a District Leader and all of the responsibilities that come with it! It will stretch me into more of what Heavenly Father wants me to be and I'm really excited and can't wait to baptize more here on the wonderful island of Tobago! My district now consists of Sister Reddy, Sister Joseph (from St. Lucia) and my new companion Elder Christensen. The Zone Leader...(just one) comes up once a transfer and does a 3 day trade off with the missionaries here on Tobago! So there is a lot of flying involved with the island missionaries. 

Trinidad South, Central, and Tobago Zones

We went to the Lintons to have a Thanksgiving feast! Rolls, turkey, potato's, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and jello. All made by Sister Linton! She spoils us!

Sooo Much To Be Thankful For!

 

Gotta Love Ocean Baptisms!

 It is amazing to see the change come over people when they are baptized.  Half way through the baptismal interview for N-----  his father came and told us that he had been doing a lot of thinking and knew that he needed to be baptised with his son on Saturday. My jaw just about hit the floor! So we had 2 awesome baptisms. I was able to confirm F-----.  He is a completely changed person and actually participates in the lessons in Sunday School and Priesthood. Amazing!

Tobago Baptismal Font

fish in the warm clear water

Beautiful Baptism Day 

Sweet Is The Peace The Gospel Brings

Well everyone! It sure seems like the time just flies by when you are giving all of your time to the Lord! 

A fun and cool story that happened this week when I was with Elder Reyes Tuesday on trade-offs. We were told that a certain area called Bacolet in lower Scarborough was a dead zone and it was difficult to get people to listen. E. Reyes and I went knowing this and had our heads held high, and we walked in being really positive. I really felt I needed to find someone in this certain area. We contacted some really awesome people in there. I asked a man named Alvin If he had ever seen a missionary in the area before and he immediately said no. I was drawn back from the comment, I asked another person and they said the same thing. These people have also lived in Bacolet for 15 plus years and the church has only been on Tobago for 5. We were walking towards a dead end on a road called Bacolet Cres. and the beach was in front of us. A real big storm was coming in and it started to pour. We snapped a few quick pics( E. Reyes hadn't seen the beach for almost a year so he was island trunky... :) ) and then it really started to rain! 

Then a man that is 6'6'' weighing prob...285, big massive rugby player look...starts running at us, and E. Reyes, says.. "we need to leave". I felt peace and love and told him I wanted to talk. I was very scared at this giant man running at me full speed. I held my ground. He comes up to me and says "Hello my name is Anthony, what is yours?" I was so taken back at how soft hearted this man was. I loved him instantly. He was super cool and told us he has always wanted to talk to a missionary but has never seen one. I just started to speak and I taught him about the Restoration and how Jesus Christs church has once again been established on the earth. He told me well if it was gone it would have to be brought back...ent.( saying for correct in Windies) I really felt the spirit as I was talking to him and I know he was feeling it too because he wouldn't leave us. He walked us to the street and helped us catch a car to head back down the road. We set up an appointment to come back this week so we can teach him more about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. I learned from this whole experience that we can't be too quick to judge, because that person might just be the next member of the church. I really love this man now and I hope we can get him to accept this wonderful message of the restoration. It was a very awesome yet humbling experience for me. I really had a good time with E. Reyes and E. Christensen. (<-- he is from Oak City Utah...by Delta somewhere) He loves to hunt and fish so you can imagine that we got along really well. 

We are preparing a boy name N--- for Baptism this Saturday..he is 16 and is a sweet little kid... He has a learning speed like an 8 year old but he is very nice and lights up when you talk about Christ and Baptism. We are also helping his dad prepare for baptism as well.

We have been teaching a man named W---. His best friend's mother was killed in Trinidad just a few days ago and the only people he could think about calling was the missionaries. I hung up the phone with him and he said... Elder Hill,... I love you so much... I then just about cried, because I could feel this mans pain... We saw him the next day and had a great lesson... His countenance was completely changed and It was a great experience for me!!! 

Well Thats all I have time for this week!!! I love you All!

Elder Hill