So! I'm in the field, my companion is Elder Armstrong, we are getting along quite well. My area is Burien, Washington.. it's not extremely glamorous but I think we can get something done.

Elder Armstrong's family lives right by Timpview, and his dad was an attorney in Anchorage a long time ago, Maybe Dad knows him? Update me. haha, Good guy, he has some sligth handicaps and sometimes people look at him funny, but I love him and He's about as Christ like as I imagine we can be. Very humble I hope I can recieve some of that.

Well, We're teaching a few people, mostly inactives and recent converts but also a family of Chook people? Never heard of it apparently it's somewhere asian.. I assume.. maybe assumptions aren't the best idea at this point. I haven't met them but he's told me a lot about them

Last night we were supposed to teach a few lessons and we ended up not being able to because Elder Armstrong was 'barfin' exceedingly much. It was no bueno, but! I got to give him a blessing so I hope that helped, it was cool for me. It's just E. Armstrong and I in this area, little lonely after being in the MTC stuck with a solid group of 11 guys but I'm getting through, I pray ever so often that I can be strong and move forward to do anything the Lord asks of me, again, He helps us, we just need to keep the commandments.

My mission president and his wife are very friendly! super nice people, I can already tell he'll be a huge guidance for me. They're from Las Vegas, and they have a son serving in Japan right now, and President Larkin served in Japan, So which mission did you serve in dad? curious.. Anyhow.. It looks like a winning situation for everyone! I told him 3-4 baptisms a month... the goal is 1.. so .. I'm an optimist haha hopefully by the end of my time here in Seattle, that's a realistic goal.

So, I was reading through Book of Mormon, I want you guys to read Jacob 2, feel the anxiety he feels for the people's decisions, Jacob cares so much that he is literally sick over it.. Powerful. Also again Moroni 7 has been good.. So, anything from Moroni is gold. I hold it in a dear place.

Well, I'm runnin low on things to say, E-mail me so I have things to read on here too.. it's depressing when there's nothing here. thanks!

Love, Elder Hill..

1/19/2011

Hey mom! ok, Shirts gotta be 16, .. cause my neck will get raw if it's tight.. I'll figure out the arm length and send it later, remind me! OK- So last night was Elder Gong in the MTC Devotional, so amazing! He wasn't at the magnitude of Elder Holland, but very powerful nonetheless.. He spoke in last conference? might remember him? Anyhow, He spoke about missionaries being of good cheer... Very good topic.. I'm almost always of good cheer here, i mean.. we're talking about Gospel all the time?! haha Ok. So he talked briefly about perfectionism and striving to be perfect, Perfectionists look inward, Striving to be perfect directs us to Christ.. So we're called to be perfect, but without Christ we cannot do it.. we ALL need to look to Christ to be perfect. I love it.. He also talked about the story behind 'sister's in Zion" you should look it up great story, We all need to work together to be successful out here.. and always... Sorry if this seems rushed... I'm a little slow so my time is running short.. haha OK!

This week has been really fast, I've learned a lot from the scriptures, and progressed.. we played a game where our teacher reads a random verse, and we guess which book and chapter it's from.. I won 3 times.. out of 10.. so I'm pretty proud of that :) I've been reading through 3 Nephi recently and I've learned so much from Christ's ministry in the states.. How awesome is that book?! Christ is amazing at teaching, I wish I could teach like Him. I'll work on it OKey dokey? ... Well, my companionship is so good, we're getting closer by day, both growing a lot.. We have been teaching so much and the spirit is so strong each time we teach I love it.. I really am eager to get out to Seattle, and I feel totally healthy! However.. I might need extra money when I get there to get a bike.. Lemme know if that's a problem, and I'll figure it out ok? I just don't know what to expect quite yet. Most of the mission has been pretty laid back, learning led by the missionaries rather than a structured system.. SO I bet I'll be able to just grab a cheap bike.. :)

OK gotta go, I love you guys so much.. Try to get me a copy of the Holland talk from last tuesday? in the mtc address? idk if you can or not.. hope you can.. thanks! LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU A LOT!

Here's the first email from William:

1/12/11
Family, Family, Family... and friends maybe.. haha I love you guys and miss you SO MUCH!

So I'm here in the mtc, and I'm emailing... On P day, P day is a great day.

My companion and I have been workin steady and getting better at studying and teaching, we have been teaching a couple of 'investigators' (which are really members pretending to be investigators usually' so We're learning a lot really quick, and you really can see and feel the Lord in the work that we do.. EVEN when it's just for practice.

The Spirit here in the MTC is something else, it's as if we're inside of a bubble.. well, actually If Utah is a bubble, and Utah Valley is an inner bubble to the bigger utah bubble, well.. the MTC is the tiniest bubble, and the chapels therein are even smaller bubbles... haha It's crazy, we barely even got the score to the National Title game... (Oregon lost... bummer)

Last night Elder Holland came and spoke to us, it was so amazing the Spirit he brings is so spectacular, he pretty much told us how we are not doing as well as we could and that we need to do better.. Which hurts a little, but helps A TON to be motivated.. He likened us to the apostle Peter, when he returned to fishing after Christ's Death.. Christ returned and said "peter do you love me?" thrice and he finally broke down and said Lord I love you more than anything.. and the Savior said, Then FEED MY SHEEP!...forever.. So basically we were told this so that we finally found the only reason to really be here.. which is out of our pure pure pure love of the savior and wanting to serve Him. So good.. and the forever part was to keep it up after this mission.. He spoke of many missionaries who would return from their awesome experience, and turn back into the people they were before the mission.. So sad that people would fall apart after testifying of the truthfullness and fulness of this very gospel.. Tsk* Tsk*...

Well, I'm feeling a lot better.. haven't really been nauseous and the care packages are so good.. I loooove me some mail :)... But for future reference, when you write extensive letters on dear elder.. they will turn over and be multiple letters.. which are hard to connect.. haha so maybe snail mail would be better for long ones? haha ALSO, that Talk you sent me.. I think it was Rachel, I read that the other day, so good.. And I think I referenced it in a letter to you or mom or something.. Idk.. but how great that we think alike.. aha...

Our Zone said goodbye to a bunch of close missionaries last night, it's sad to see them go, and I'll be sad to say goodbye to my wonderful District here, we get a long so well.. sometimes tooo well.. But we're learning and growing as a whole, The Talk last night will probably help every single one of us. I am trying my best to learn ridiculous amounts of things here while I can, the MTC is a hard beast to harnass.. mostly because it doesn't really feel like a mission yet, just a mission in training, so I think I can get distracted.. but not after Holland.. he scolded us prettty good.. :) We needed it.

Well, I don't have a whole lot more time, I'm really feeling great about what I'm learning here, and I can't wait to get out to Seattle.. hopefully some of the guys in our district will be in my apartment or my comp at one point or another.. :) Anyhow.. I gotta peace.. Lots of things to learn, and laundry to do.. and fun to be had.. and other people to write..