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Saturday, March 30, 2013

He Is Risen ~ Ha resucitado

English ^
John 20:11-17
11¶But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Luke 24:5-7
5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Mark 16:6
6And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Matthew 28:5-7
5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.



en espanol v


Juan 20:11-17
 11 Pero María estaba fuera llorando junto al sepulcro; y mientras lloraba, se inclinó para mirar dentro del sepulcro;
 12 y vio a dos ángeles con ropas blancas que estaban sentados, el uno a la cabecera y el otro a los pies, donde el cuerpo de Jesús había sido puesto.
 13 Y le dijeron: Mujer, ¿por qué lloras? Les dijo: Porque se han llevado a mi Señor, y no sé dónde le han puesto.
 14 Y cuando hubo dicho esto, se volvió y vio a Jesús que estabaallí; pero no sabía que era Jesús.
 15 Jesús le dijo: Mujer, ¿por qué lloras? ¿A quién buscas? Ella, pensando que era el hortelano, le dijo: Señor, si tú lo has llevado, dime dónde lo has puesto, y yo lo llevaré.
 16 Jesús le dijo: ¡María! Volviéndose ella, le dijo: ¡Raboni!, que quiere decir, Maestro.
 17 Jesús le dijo: No me toques, porque aún no he subido a mi Padre; pero ve a mis hermanos y diles: Subo a mi Padre y a vuestro Padre, a mi Dios y a vuestro Dios.







Monday, March 25, 2013

Semana Santa, Easter, & the Story of Chickens Hatching, Trials Are For Our Good.


Remembering the Savior at Easter
Read and view prophetic messages that testify of the Savior as you ponder the Atonement and Resurrection this Easter season.   CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!!

Hola Everyone!
So this coming week is Semana Santa and everything is closed this week. Everyone is gone from Thursday to Sunday and others are gone for the next two weeks straight. People here celebrate Friday, Saturday and Sunday with mass and parties to remember the death of Christ. It's their Easter celebration done Mexican style and its interesting because there are a lot of movies about Christ on TV and people start to learn more about Christ and the Spirit works to help them see that there is more truth out there. 

I was listening to a talk by Elder Holland (Safety For The Soul) from October 2009, and he said that the world will need many more ready and worthy young men and women to serve as missionaries in the months and years to come. Safety for the Soul
It was also the conference where President Monson called for more willing and worthy missionaries. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/11/president-monson-calls-for-missionaries-announces-five-new-temples?lang=eng

I felt that it was one of those prophecies that comes to be fulfilled soon, based on what we've seen lately with the missionary work around the world. They are men of God and they will never lead us astray if we will only do as they direct us to. 

I heard the story of how chickens hatch from their little egg when they are born. They grow and mature to the point that they are ready to break free. Their eggs are kept warm and protected until the hour that they are ready. When ready, they start picking at the shell with their horn thing and little by little they break free of their shell and begin the journey in the big and scary world. But what would happen if we were to have compassion and help a little chick break free of his little egg? If we were to pick away even a little bit of the shell and help the chick, it would die. They need the strength obtained from breaking free and working hard so that they can make it through the journey of life. This goes to show that trials are for our good. We have to work hard to be able to overcome the trials in life that eventually will make us stronger for something further down the road. 

I hope that we can all be strong and of good courage and face life with strength in the Lord Jesus Christ for it is by His grace that we are saved after all we can do ourselves. Let this week be a good time to reflect on what we know to be the birth and death of the Savior of the world, as well as the restoration of the True Church upon the Earth once again. Let us all press on with a smile on the face and joy in the heart. 

Love, Elder Hill 

P.S.....Hey, I'm not sure what I did with her car. I only remember that it had a fuel sensor on the block that needed to be fixed but other than that I'm not sure. (Grandma's car)

Good to hear that Josh went to church. Who is the friend, (he took to church~Chase)? And did Des enjoy (Impact Trainings) ropes and all that? It's going to be short today because all of the Internet places are closed because of the Easter break and I'm writing in an ipad and its not nearly as fast to type as a keyboard.  We have transfers on Monday but I don't think that I'll go because I've only been here three months but well see what happens on Saturday. That's a cool pic of Ryan and Allie. Who is Rachel or rather which one? Last name? Isn't Kidd in the Philippines, too? Where is he at? Congrats to Natalia as well. I got her letter two weeks ago and she told me that she was going on a mission. She said that she chatted with you on Facebook. I can't send pics because I'm on an ipad. I took some but you'll have to wait to see the, until next week for the complication we are having.

Tell Mike Happy Birthday for me tomorrow!

Happy Easter. Yeah, unless I give you an address to send it to it's usually batter to send it normal because I usually get it the same time as everyone else. There are rare occasions when someone goes to the office or things like that but it's usually the same.  Loves. Me. 
(Mom)~Ya well I had no choice. They (USPS) upped the price to $78.00 almost DOUBLE.
Hmmm... That's the last package for 10 months. :)
(Mom)~I KNEW YOU'D SAY THAT IF U KNEW!




Monday, March 18, 2013

Stake Conference, Visa's Signed Again & Word of Wisdom



Hey,

Thanks for the video. I remember that talk. It was a good talk and he always tells stories to get the point across. 
Thanks for the address. I´ll send it on the referrals page and see what happens. I have a list of people to baptize when I get home. Speaking of that, is Ryan a member? (Mom-Yes. He is a member, but forbids you from trying to get him active) I´ll get him active when I get home because all of his protests about the church I have scriptures to dispute. He´ll slowly learn some day.

Anyway, gotta hurry and write the letter. :) 
Elder Hill

Yesterday we had stake conference. It sure doesn´t compare to home, but it was still a great session. The patriarch talked about service and how we can be purified by serving others. There are several scriptures that talk about how if we serve others and God, we can have our sins forgiven and be purified. It was a powerful talk and testimony by someone who has been set apart by an apostle of the Lord to serve in that calling. 

The stake presidency talked about how our families need to be more centered on Christ and His gospel and about what it means to really honor our parents. The president said that he felt strongly to change his talks for both sessions and he did. Yesterday we all felt the spirit present and everyone was in awe for what was said. It was one of the best conferences I have been to. The choir was also great to have to bring the spirit. 

Elders Hill & Chandler enroute to the District Federali to get Visa's signed for year 2
This week I went to DF (Federal District) to sign my visa again... amazing how time goes by. There are always other people from other churches there in immigration. We talked to a Catholic priest from New York who has been here for 10 years and also with some Jehova´s Witnesses. It was a good experience because it reaffirmed to me yet again that we are THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE CHURCH ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH with the power and authority from God to say that we are His. Many people think of us as pushy and prideful with our religion and GOOD! We have something that the world doesn´t and all of the children of God need this knowledge to be saved. How sad to know that only a select few will make it to the Celestial kingdom and the Terrestrial will be as numerous as the sands of the sea. We need to save as many of our brothers and sisters as we can. Missionary work is for everyone-- including rescuing those who are members but have stopped attending church. My testimony is strong that this is essential for salvation. Do you have that testimony? 
Well, that´s about all that happened this week. I hope you all have a great week! 

Con Amor, 

Elder Hill
Elders Orozco & Hill getting PIZZA IN CASA ON A RAINY NIGHT!

 (re: Destiny running for Student Body Officer or deciding not to)
That´s cool. She can do it. I can´t believe she´s going to 7th.
In our mission they have to stop a whole month at least before they can get baptized. Flor hasn´t gotten baptized because she keeps smoking and even though it´s once a week, she can´t get baptized. And if it´s one month for baptism, how long would it be for the temple? Also, who can´t believe I´m 20? (Mom-your sister Destiny)

The nice thing is that we always have the opportunity to repent and change. We don´t give anyone other options to quit smoking because the word of wisdom is also to not have habits or addictions. We don´t want to replace one addiction with another. She will quit on her own, but she just needs to decide to do it. 
And my mission president told us that coffee ice cream is against the word of wisdom. So is Coca-Cola (but that´s from Mormon Doctrine and not an official church standing- but it came from an apostle so it´s pretty much the same thing.) Along with energy drinks, mountain dew, mr pibb, etc. 

Love you. I have to go now. Have a good week. I hope that all turns out well with Bert and all that jazz. 

Love ,

Elder Hill




Elder Hyde and Elder Butler also in the bus when we went to DF

Monday, March 11, 2013

Trial of Faith and Make the Sacrament a Spiritual Experience Each Week

GREG OLSEN'S PAINTING ~ IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME (Thanks Greg!)
See All of Greg Olsen's Beautiful Artwork on Facebook



Hola!

We are in week four of the transfer and we have had a hard time finding new people and those we have aren´t progressing as well as we had hoped. It´s a trial of faith and Elder Orozco and I have to overcome it and move the work along. Flor had a few challenges this week with how she is going to get out of the economical problems that she has. She sent us a message this week and basically told us that she was done with the church because since she has been meeting with us things haven´t gotten better. We went and talked to her with the Elders Quorum president and all she really needed to do was to vent. We promised her that if she would go to church on Sunday and take the Sacrament, looking for the answer to her prayers, that she would find it. The member who was supposed to pick her up on Sunday was running late and she called us all worried about how she wasn´t going to make it to the sacrament. I told her to have faith that we start late.... and we started late and she got to take the sacrament. We have an appointment with her tonight to find out what happened. I learned from that experience how worried she was to get to church on time to make it to the sacrament, and yet 40% of our ward gets there afterwards. The sacrament is the most important ordinance because without it the rest of what we do would be in vain. We renew all of our covenants through that ordinance, otherwise the baptism, confirmation, priesthood, endowment, and sealings would all be in vain because we all sin after receiving them and they would have no power in our lives without the sacrament to cleanse us. 

There was a referral that we went to look for a long time ago and the old lady said that who we looked for didn´t live there. She asked us why we wanted to visit with him and reaffirmed that she didn´t know him. We went back on Friday and found out that it was his super catholic grandma and that he does live there. He got to know the church in the good old USA on a foreign exchange trip and hasn´t been able to go back to church since he´s been home. He´s excited to keep going. He´s only 18 and so he could definitely be a future missionary. 

Keep up the good work in everything. Make the sacrament a spiritual experience each week. Make it more meaningful. It can be like making a new covenant each week if we just focus on every action that we did the previous week and decide to change what we need to be better. I promise that if you focus on every word, deed, or thought during the sacrament the Spirit will teach you what you need to improve to be more like Christ. Sacrament & Covenant Making~Ensign~W. COLE DURHAM, JR.

Love you all. Be good and have a great week! 

Elder Hill 

Making the Sacrament Personally Meaningful

“If we approach the sacrament each week in the attitude of actively bringing a personal, specific offering—a humble promise to conquer a weakness that is separating us from the Savior—the sacrament will take on an infinitely richer meaning in our lives. Our relationship to Christ will grow and deepen as we make and keep such promises, and thereby progress in honoring our sacramental covenants” (W. Cole Durham, Jr., “The Sacrament and Covenant-Making,” Ensign, Jan. 1978, p. 46).  (LINK ABOVE)

“To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernment—a time to reflect and to resolve” (Howard W. Hunter, in Conference Report, Apr. 1977, p. 34; or Ensign, May 1977, p. 25).
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/05/thoughts-on-the-sacrament?lang=eng

Before attending the Sacrament meeting:

Review your life with the Lord, in prayer, to determine what areas you need to improve or repent.  
Go through the steps of repentance (Faith in Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Sorrow for Sin, Confession, Abandonment of Sin, Restitution, & Righteous Living).  
Recommit yourself to the Lord that you will work toward eliminating the sins from your life.
Pray that you will feel the Spirit while at the Sacrament meeting.

While at the Sacrament meeting:

Pay attention to the words of the Sacrament hymn as you sing them.
Listen carefully to the Sacrament prayers.
While the Sacrament is being passed to the congregation, think about the Savior and His sacrifices for you.  
Focus on spiritually uplifting things.  This can be through meditation, prayer, reading the scriptures, or reviewing the Sacrament songs.

Following the Sacrament meeting:

Thank Heavenly Father, through prayer, for the Atonement and the opportunity to partake of the sacrament. “

What does it mean to partake of the sacrament worthily? Or how do we know if we are unworthy? If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement? If we remember the Savior and all he has done and will do for us, we will improve our actions and thus come closer to him, which keeps us on the road to eternal life.” (John H. Groberg, “The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament,” Ensign, May 1989, 38)
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1989/05/the-beauty-and-importance-of-the-sacrament?lang=eng

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “Windows must be washed regularly to clean away dust and dirt. … Just as earthly windows need consistent, thorough cleaning, so do the windows of our spirituality. … By partaking of the sacrament worthily to renew our baptismal covenants, we clarify our view of life’s eternal purpose and divine priorities. The sacrament prayers invite personal introspection, repentance, and rededication as we pledge our willingness to remember our Savior, Jesus the Christ” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 103; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 77).
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/11/windows-of-light-and-truth?lang=eng

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve said: “After His mortal ministry, … Jesus told his Nephite Apostles that He would no longer accept burnt offerings but that His disciples should offer ‘a broken heart and a contrite spirit’ (3 Ne. 9:19–20; see also D&C 59:8, 12). Instead of the Lord requiring our animals or grain, now He wants us to give up all that is ungodly. This higher practice of the law of sacrifice reaches into the inner soul of a person. … When we overcome our own selfish desires and put God first in our lives and covenant to serve Him regardless of the cost, we are then living the law of sacrifice” (“The Law of Sacrifice,” Ensign, Oct. 1998, 10–11).
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/10/the-law-of-sacrifice?lang=eng




Monday, March 4, 2013

HAPPY Happy Birthday Mom ~ Feliz cumpleaños Mamá!



HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOM!! 

Something else that Elder Orozco and I have in common is that his mom`s birthday is also today! Not the same age but the day counts enough! 

This week we still had a hard time finding new people to teach, but we`ve visited a few of our former investigators. We went and visited a family this week and while we were there we told them that as representatives of Jesus Christ we are here to prepare them to be baptized in the one and only true church of Jesus Christ and that we have the absolute confidence that what we say is true. The mom looked at us with eyes wide open and the eyebrows raised as well as her 16 year old daughter. Elder Orozco and I felt the Spirit and we testified that it was true. I know that it is true. I am here to baptized people into the ONLY true church. I`m not here to make friends nor to take pictures of nice monuments. I`m participating in the great and marvelous work that is taking place. 

Deborah is a 10 year old whose family are all members but she hasn`t been baptized because she was waiting for her uncle to be able to baptize her and once that was available, little things kept getting in the way. Every time she saw us in church she would ask when we could do her baptism. She finally got baptized and confirmed and was SO HAPPY! It was one of the baptismal services that will highlight my mission because I know that there was a party in Heaven for that baptism and the Spirit made it manifest. 

I hope that everything is well at home. Keep close to the Lord and he will guide you. The small and simple things lead to great blessings IF we do them. And the opposite if not. The Church is true. No doubt. 

Loves, 

Elder Hill 
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