ST. LUCIA!

Guyana

Elder Strong and Elder Hill leaving Guyana

     

St. Lucia

     The area is Pretty cool! I live in the Mountains behind the Capital Castries. It's so beautiful! The Island is overall not as hot as Guyana was. There is a constant breeze blowing through which helps. Just look at our last name and you now know what the area is. HILLS!!! and not even hills it's like hiking to the top of Nebo every day... I love it but I'm sweating more than I was in Guyana! The first few days are always the hardest so I got through them and I'm sure it will be easy sailing now! The culture is crazy! Everyone speaks Haitian Creole (aka Patois). So you'll walk up to someone and say hello and all they know is Creole. So that was hard to get used to, but we found a lot of people that speak English. They have a really thick accent so it's harder to understand than anywhere else I've been. I thought the accent was tough in Guyana... nothing compared to St. Lucia! The food is exactly what it was in Grenada. Lots of breadfruit and banana. I was able to get a lot of work done in a half week. I am enjoying it and can't wait until we start seeing the line of baptisms. We finished the week with 47 contacts and 28 Lessons!

Elder Lawenitotoka and Elder Hill

    

Snapshot of St. Lucia

Though the official language of St. Lucia is English, Saint Lucian Creole French is spoken by the majority of the population. About 70% of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic church, though several other Protestant churches are present on the island as well. Music and dancing are both important to the culture of St. Lucia. St. Lucia’s Carnival and annual Jazz Festival are both popular cultural events. Calypso, soca, reggae, and dancehall music are also popular. Cricket is the country’s most popular sport, though soccer is also played. The national dish of St. Lucia is fish served with green banana. Soups and stews are popular, as are Indian-style curry dishes. Rice and peas, potatoes, and other ingredients and spices are regularly used in cooking.

More about St. Lucia in the West Indies Mission

Leaving South America...

Hey everyone!

    I'm flying out of the Country on Wednesday! President Mehr called Saturday morning around 8:00 am so it was really unexpected. He called and told Elder Smith first who would be replacing me, then Elder Smith handed over the phone and said Pres. wants to talk to you. I was like oh buddy... wha-gwan with me now! So he said Elder Hill "I'm going to send you to a beautiful Island... It's called St. Lucia! ..... I was like what the crap! Not what I was expecting but ok... He told me that I will be serving with Elder Lawenitotoka from Fiji.
     I'm going to be in the Castries branch in the hills... so a lot of hiking and walking up the mountain... but that's all good cause I'm getting fat from all the roti and curry I've been fed in the past like week because I've been telling people I'm leaving!!! I should have been doing that like 3 months ago... Dinner appointments are the best!

I do want to tell all of you about a cool experience I had with prayer this past week while I was on a trade off with a missionary:

    I was feeling down.. almost like I was supposed to find someone in this certain area but I didn't know where they were... so after much contacting and walking up and down the street, I decided to get off my bike and pray. I said "Father help me find this person that will accept our message, I will contact the first person I see as long as they are prepared!"  I turned around on a prompting and it was a young girl. I was like well after I'm done with this house I will go talk to her. 

    I finished up with the contact and walked back to my bike and she was gone.... Ah man! So I got on my bike and started to ride down the street looking for her. I looked into one house and saw her because she was wearing a weird color dress I couldn't forget. I realized that as my opportunity and went for it. Well I walked to her house down the little path over 2 x 4's laid on the ground as a path so they wouldn't get their feet all muddy. Her mom met me at the door and invited us in with her cousin and 6 daughters! I knew that this was the family I had prayed for! They are Prepared!!! We finished the lesson and I invited them to be baptized on the 27th of December. They all accepted with the understanding that they need to receive and answer first. They are simply one of the coolest families I've taught. 

   Elder Smith and I have been able to go back since then and follow up on the commitments I had left. They had prayed and read the Resto Tract... What! They remembered everything that was taught! We went by the next day or so and followed up on the Book of Mormons we placed with them and they read and prayed about it! I was so excited because they started teaching me about Moroni and how he showed Joseph Smith where the plates were and how Mormon abridged them... I was completely blown away with all of the stuff they had done over the space of like a day.
   We invited them to church and this was their reply..." Of course were coming to church... we have to go and be faithful so we can get baptized!" Oh my goodness these people are the family I have been looking for my entire mission! They all came to church on Sunday, early and sat and listened to the entire block! They are so amazing! They are keeping all of their commitments! Ahh It is truly such an amazing experience that I have been praying for. I won't be here for their baptism, which kinda sucks... but man I will always remember that!

Prayer is real! I am really starting to understand that God really does listen to our prayers and hears our cries! I'm grateful that he does listen and understands what we are going through! I'm grateful for the Atonement that Jesus Christ performed and how we can be cleansed and sanctified through this perfect gift that was given. I'm grateful for the service I'm giving. Guyana will have a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to share my love with God's children in St. Lucia!

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!

FAREWELL  GUYANA <3

Thanksgiving Dinner...Yuummm!!

A wonderful Thanksgiving dinner was provided for all of the missionaries at a member's home in the branch. Also, a big Thank You to Sister Dhanraj for the great pictures!

Elder and Sister Poulson

Elder and Sister Dhanraj

The Rains Came Down And The Floods Came Up!

    Well this past week was pretty great for me. It felt to me that we were able to get a lot more done than we had in the past few weeks. It was also a very rainy and gloomy week but the work pressed on! A tropical storm hit Thursday and we got soaked! Thursday morning I was awakened by Elder Poulson calling us at 6:25am (5 minutes early) to check up and see if our apartment had flooded due to heavy rain all night long. I said back to him in my best morning voice, "I don't know let me check." So I walked outside and no water was in our apartment. So I was like nah. I hung up the phone and slept for like 2 more minutes. Elder Smith walked outside and was like ahh crap! So water was in the kitchen. We took and unplugged everything. Water was filling up fast. It was coming under the door. So an explanation for you...we have a 4 inch concrete ledge to keep most water out.. but the water was coming up over it. So we got the wet dry vac... I know we are lucky to have one of those. And we scooped probably 500000000000 buckets full of water out of our house. We spent all day doing that then we went to eat at Quisnos subs. Just like America! It was pretty great.

    

   I want to talk about a family that I'm really loving right now. They are great. Sis. E---- has been a member longer than me and is a really nice lady. She has been less-active for about 10 years but she is great because she came to the church about two weeks ago and expressed to Pres Mckenzie and Brother Daniels that she wants to change and start coming back to church because she can see a difference in her life. She has a few children. The ones we are now teaching have baptismal dates for the 13th of December. I will sadly not be here for them but that doesn't matter. I'm just grateful for the chance I have been given to see them progress and accept the gospel into their lives. 

    We have been getting a lot of new investigators and they're doing really well. We have been making a constant effort of updating the Area Book so that the next missionaries will know who we are teaching and where they live and how to contact them. That was our struggle when we came in and it's not going to be like that when I leave. I really want to leave the area better than when I discovered it. As far as transfers go, I don't have any info yet.... I get my call on fri or sat so we'll see how that goes!

    My testimony continues to grow. I have a new and added testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I was given the opportunity to help a brother out in Gospel Principles yesterday. The class was able to clearly understand the 3 kingdoms and I was able to as well. I love when I have those ahh haa moments and then it just makes sense. It was a great experience to have.

Well Family I love you and hope you are all doing great!
Elder Hill

Trinidad - Mission Leadership Conference

  This past week was such a spiritual Roller Coaster for me! It was so great to fly to Trinidad for a Mission Leadership Conference for 3 days. It was fun seeing elders I haven't seen for awhile. We were edified and instructed by my leaders and taught more of the Doctrine, and found out ways that I can effectively use my time to help the missionaries around me in my zone and how we can balance our efforts to sustain and achieve real growth! (reactivation, retention, and convert baptisms).

   We learned a lot about Alma 26:5 “Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.” We are the workers of the Lords vineyard. The sheaves in this analogy represent newly baptized members of the Church. The garners are the holy temples. Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should be gathered is the holy temple.” It is a place of safety and protection for the people who accept the covenants of the gospel. I know that the temple is so so important and that we can't be exalted with out it. I miss the temple so much but I know that as I teach the people here about it, they will be more excited and willing to stick with their covenants. 

I'm grateful for the spirit I felt throughout the conference. It was simply amazing! I loved it! 

                 

A bApTiSm!!!‏

Well everyone... 

We 

had a baptism this past week which was sweet! It always makes me 

feel so good when we get a baptism and have worked really hard with them for quite some time. It was really cool how everything happened and I can definitely see that the Lord had a huge part in the teaching process. I almost cry because of how much they have changed since the beginning of teaching them. Only the Spirit could help them. I love how the gospel applies to everyone who actually gives it a try. 

I had the opportunity to give a Priesthood blessing this past week to a member. She asked me for a blessing and I didn't think too much of it. I can't even remember what I said. Well, she came up to me on Sunday, and told me how grateful she was for the blessing I gave to her. I told her it was not me but the Lord speaking through me. She even mentioned me in her testimony of the power of the priesthood. It was very touching and really makes me think of how worthy we have to be all the time. I have a responsibility as a priesthood holder, missionary, and future husband to be worthy at all times because I will never know when the priesthood which I hold will have to be exercised and my worthiness will be a huge factor in blessing the lives of others. I have a very powerful testimony of all things that pertain to the gospel and I know that God Lives and loves us. I'm grateful for the chance that I have to be a missionary and time and time again I say I never will regret this time I've had to serve.

Good and Evil

   I was thinking this past week that I want to share my feelings on the Restoration with you. I am always just so amazed how the spirit feels as I talk about Joseph Smith and the Priesthood. I know from the bottom of my heart, ever since I started my mission. I talk about it every day, and I just know by the way I feel that it is true with out a doubt. I just think, how could it be false. I ran into a lady the other day at a restaurant. She was white and from Georgia. It was super tough. I have never been turned down so hard in my life. She tried to tell us some anti mormon nonsense. But anyway... I took a thought back after she bashed my faith for an hour and had some doubts. I was seriously down, and thinking why am I even out here, what’s the point. Then I realized I'm listening to the Devil. The lady had just enough convincing to get me to listen to Satan’s lies and Bam.... But later, we started teaching the Restoration to some people we found and Bam I was out of the trance and knew again that Joseph Smith Restored the Church Of Jesus Christ. I then remembered the Standard of Truth. And a calm hit my soul. I love the Church and I will never ever leave it! It's changed my life and I'll never forget it!

   We've been having a hard time seeing a certain family and felt that something wasn't quite right. S---- has been talking to his brother in the states and is discouraged for several reasons.  He told us that he does not want to get baptized anymore and if it does happen it will be Gods will and it's wont be for a while. He has requested that we only see him once every few weeks or so. His neighbors have also been accusing us of crap. Oh my goodness... Satan is really at work with him. I can tell that he would really be able to make an amazing impact on the Branch and in the Church, just by the way people are reacting and how hard Satan is working. It's breaking my heart to see someone so prepared be so downtrodden by the works of man and is now so frightened that he doesn't even want to talk with us. Well in my heart I know he will one day accept but I just hope and pray it will be in this life. I know the Gospel is true! I know that Baptism is only the first step that we must take in order to live with Heavenly Father Again. I know that with out any doubt. I absolutely know and feel that I'll be able to live with God again as I do all that I can to live His gospel. In the words of Nephi in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 25:23), "we are saved by grace after all we can do!"  Repentance is Key! If we never repent we wont be clean.. therefore we will never be able to inherit the kingdom of God! Repentance is simply put -- the BEST!

Well family I love you but that's all I have this week! Take care!

Love Elder Hill 

Teaching and Finding

   Well this past week was really good for me. I was able to have the chance to go on two trade-offs. First I went with Elder Sheen early in the week. It was a lot of fun and quite interesting to see how similar some elders teach. I looked back and realized I teach a lot like my companions. But it was great to see him teach and be an example of love to the people in my area for the day. He is super cool, he shares a lot of the same interests as me... so hunting and fishing. It's really good when you have no problems in communicating, something that is a life long skill and ability that will bless my life.  

   So we had a really good lesson with a family that lives in Queenstown.  It is going pretty slow but I feel that it will get easier. We are going over fairly often and are seeing some success with them. They ask very inspired questions that always apply to the lesson. The other day we were teaching about Baptism and M---- asked how he can know if the person that will baptize him has the priesthood. It was neat to see the Spirit work on him as he asked questions that were deep in his soul. It was a really great lesson. 

   Something cool that happened this past week as we were teaching a family and helping them understand more about the Law of Chastity. They accepted everything very well and the spirit was really strong. We asked S---- to say the prayer. He kind of acted like he wanted to but was just really timid to do so. Elder Smith started to say things that he could pray for, and what do you know, he followed what he was saying and so Elder Smith just kept going with it. He finished the prayer and was so excited that he prayed in front of us. He was so excited that he is persisting to pray every time now. It was such a miracle to see. That was probably the highlight of my week.  
I love being a missionary! And I love the people here in Guyana!

Love you all!

Elder Hill

18 Months Downk!

Here is some more Guyanese Lingo for you...Downk is a term for down. Like, " Come Nah Buddy... Sit Downk!" Oh man I really think that the Caribbean slang is the best language ever!

General Conference BABY!!! Ah man I love this time of the year. The statement that Mormons love meetings is true I guess or I am just super old in my mission, because it means that I don't have to be standing up or riding my bike but I can just sit down and listen to the Spirit and eat some really good food that the Poulsons made us. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and TACO Soup!!!   It was a pretty good weekend. My favorite talks were from Elder Godoy and Elder Bednar in the Sunday afternoon session. Along with Elder Christofferson in the Saturday morning. So all in all it was a pretty sweet conference but My all time favorite was Elder Godoy.. It brought a lot of peace and a lot of answers to my soul of things that have been stressing me out over the past few weeks. I love how everyone feels the spirit differently and receives different answers. It truly shows that God knows us all individually and listens to our prayers!

I always love the time of year when conference is on and the spirit is so thick you can just about cut it with a knife. It's a really amazing feeling when you have basically all of your investigators come to the sessions of General Conference. S------ and his family came. It was such a special sight to see him with his family and for them to have a good experience when Elder Bednar directed his talk to the non-members. I feel it had a great impact and answered a lot of his questions. I could go on and on and on about the wonderful responses about the things that our investigators told us after the different sessions but it would take too long so I'll just say that my heart was warm and I just wanted to hug everyone! haha

I have really been doing a lot of pondering for the past few weeks. I have been looking at the time that has gone by and looked at the lessons I have learned. It's crazy to think that I only have 6 months left and that I need to make the most of them.

Well I hope that everyone back home isn't freezing to death! Cooler weather is on its way for the both of us! Hallelujah for me and ahh shunks for you! :>)   I just want to let everyone know that I love you and if I sometimes don't write to you specifically... it's not because I don't love you but it's just I don't have anytime for myself. Mondays are the best when I find out what is going on! Make a list of questions you can ask me and we'll talk in three months! Loves ya

Elder Hill!

Flashback:  October 2012 - ready to turn in mission papers