This was a very special week.

April 4, 2016

Hello family!

This was a very special week. One, for general conference, and two, because the R family got baptized.

The whole week we were preparing for general conference and the baptism. There´s a little cultural difference here in El Salvador. For general conference we always see it in the church. No one sees it in their house. Last Sunday the branch president had announced that we were going to see it in the stake center (Apopa), about a 45 minute bus ride away. But we knew that if we went over there neither the members nor the investigators would go. And also we knew that possibly Yand E (the R family) would be baptized on Saturday, and if we were in Apopa that would make it very difficult.

So we proposed to President R that we should watch general conference here in Aguilares. The problem was that he was going to be working on Saturday so we offered to put everything together. So we spend the whole week looking for someone who could lend us a laptop, extension chords, etc. We also had to let all the members know that we were going to see it in Aguilares now.

At the beginning of the week, it wasn´t completely sure that the R family would be able to be baptized because Y and E didn´t have much family support and because we hadn´t been able to find them for about a week. But we proceeded with faith. On Thursday we arrived to do their baptism interview. They passed the interviews, but there was one problem. Yanira didn´t think that her husband would give them permission to be baptized. He is almost always working and doesn´t get home until late. They live far away and buses only run until 6 o-clock. But we decided to wait. It was long after dark when he arrived. But we were able to talk to him and he give them his permission. We called an investigator with a car and he gave us a ride.

Saturday we had to get up really early. We were in the chapel from 7 in the morning until 8:00 at night. The baptism font here is not a normal font. There is some assembly required. And we also had to set up for general conference.

But everything worked out. They got baptized after the afternoon session on Saturday. It was a very special day.

General conference was great. The members were amazing. We had 11 investigators in the conference and the members brought 10 of them. I´ve never had that many in church before. Members truly are powerful missionaries.

I love you all!

Elder Hilton

This time I had a participation in the temple activity. I was angel Moroni.

March 28, 2016

Hello family! 

We keep trying to talk to everyone, but it´s way too easy to lose that habit. This week we only talked to 66 people. The really interesting thing is that I could feel a big difference. On the days where we talked to less than 10 people, I felt really tired and stressed. But if we talked to 10 or more people, I felt stress free, happy, and energetic. This didn´t happen to me at the beginning of the mission, but in a way it´s a blessing because it motivates me to do better.

This week we went to the temple with our investigators. Unfortunately we weren´t able to enter to do a session but hopefully this week we´ll be able to.

This time I had a participation in the temple activity. I was angel Moroni. I attached a picture of me with Nephi and with the M family from la Nueva.

You can probably tell this from my letters, but I never did fall in love with any other area like I did with La Nueva.

I love you all!

Elder Hilton

March 21, 2016

Hello family!

All is well. After I wrote last week I realized that I had forgotten to tell you whether or not we had changes. We did not. I was Elder P´s first companion and he will be my last.

Ca still hasn´t gotten baptized. Her mom is not sure if she´s old enough. But we´ll see what we can to do help her.

Last week I was feeling tired all the time. Really, really tired. But this week we did something different. We decided that we were going to talk to EVERYONE. That we were going to share the gospel with everyone we saw. And we did it. We talked to 100 people in the street this week. And it made such a difference. In every moment I felt full of energy and the spirit. I felt like a completely different person. My companion and the members were amazed by the change.

Originally I had set the goal to talk to 300 people this change. But think I have to bring that goal up now.

I have come to know that the promise found in DyC 84:33 is real.

"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies"

The spirit renewed my body this week. I worked harder to magnify my calling and God gave me energy.

I love you all. Keep working hard. Magnify your callings and God will bless and strengthen you.

Elder Hilton

4. We´re going to go to the temple this month!

March 14, 2016

Hello family,

Sorry, today´s letter is going to be short again.

1. I love you all. A lot.

2 Fun story of the week: We were looking at the lists of members we have. There´s one very interesting list called non baptized members. I imagine that the people on that list are people that received a name and blessing as babies but never got baptized when they got old. Here´s the interesting part: on that list was the branch president´s daughter, who´s leaving for the mission in a week. That obviously threw us off a bit.  We jokingly thought, "Yes, new investigator! Let´s baptize her tomorrow!" We were so intrigued by that list that we went to the church and checked MLS: Now her record appears. She´s no longer on that list. Who knows why she as on it in the first place. We also thought of her arriving to the mission and having people ask her "When did you get baptized?" "Last week." or worse arriving to the mission without being baptized. It would be cool to baptize your companion though.

3. The daughter of one of the recent converts, C, possibly will get baptized next week.

4. We´re going to go to the temple this month!

Love,

Elder Hilton

We had a really great week.

February 22, 2016

Hello family! 

We had a really great week. We have some really good investigators. Almost all of the really good investigators are referrals from members.

There`s a recent convert called A. A has been bringing his family to church recently. His wife, daughter, and 2 sister in laws. None of them are members, but they`re all interested in the church and have gone several times.

J. He´s the nephew of our mission leader R. J is only 11. He´s been begging us to bring him to church for a long time now. The problem is that his parents are kind of against the church, but we finally listened to J, got the permission of his mom and grandma (the people who raise him) and brought him with us. He went to church for the first time yesterday and loved it.

The H family. They´re still doing fine. They still all come to church.

The P family is not doing well. They´ve stopped coming to church. We going to stop visiting them for a while.

I love you guys so much! Thanks for all your support! Live the gospel. Read the Book of Mormon. Be missionaries. Oh, and keep going to the temple.

Elder Hilton

When we are diligent in seeking revelation for our area, we see miracles and our area progresses.

March 7, 2016

Hello family!

Changes are this week. They haven´t let us know who has changes yet though. For the moment, I am still with Elder P but that could change next week.

This week I learned something about revelation. Alma 37:40-42. I feel like those verses very much apply to missionary work. The Liahona for us is revelation. When we are diligent in seeking revelation for our area, we see miracles and our area progresses. But if we fall into routines and are slothful in seeking revelation those miracles cease, the progress halts, and we spend a lot of time wandering in the wilderness, not traveling a direct course and being afflicted with hunger and thirst. Joseph Smith said, "Es en vano que alguien trate de ministrar sin revelacion". I don´t have that quote in English, sorry. And this principle, revelation, applies to everything. Family, callings, study, work, etc.

I love you all!

Elder Hilton

Thinking of these thinks made me think of my family. Because these things were always present in our home.

February 29, 2016

Hello family!

Training a missionary lasts for twelve weeks and today Elder P finishes his training. He´s made a lot a progress. He´s going to be a great missionary.

We had a good week. One of the families that we are teaching the the R family. They recently moved here. Before they lived in San Salvador but where they lived was kind of dangerous so they derided to move here. They live pretty close to a family of members and one day, Y, the mom of the new family was talking to them and told them that they were looking for a church. The members invited her to church and asked her is if they would like that we visit them. She said yes so we started to visit them a few weeks ago. They came to church for the first time yesterday.

Today in my personal study I was studying in the guide to the scriptures and I came upon something that called my attencion. The word worship. It means to love and reverence God. I thought of the different ways we can do that. There are many.

1. Prayer

2. Fasting

3. Church service.

4. Ordinances

5. Obedience

6. Scripture study

7. General conference

8. Family home evening

9. Temple attendance

10. Hymns

11. Family history

Those are just a few things. I´m sure there´s lots more. Thinking of these thinks made me think of my family. Because these things were always present in our home. I have no doubt that my parents love God. I´m very greatful for having such a great family.

I love you all!

Elder Hilton