He is the Light of the World

Hello Everyone! 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! I had a fantastic one! 

This week leading up to Christmas was pretty crazy since everyone was out and about or out of town and we couldn't meet with them. So we did as much service as we could this week to try and soften the hearts of people. We had a great experience in which we were raking someone's yard and their neighbor came out to help us. We had an awesome conversation with him and also was able to do some well needed service for his neighbor who wasn't home but we decided to rake it anyway. It was really awesome to have immediate success from it. 

Dallas Daze. 

So this week we had a hilarious thing happen. We had dinner at some members Christmas Eve who have two Great Dane dogs. They are super duper huge. Well we had a great dinner and they took us to a Christmas party afterwards. We had ham for dinner and were in a hurry so they stacked things in front of the left over ham, pushed it to the back wall of the counter, and figured it was well hidden and such that the dogs wouldn't be tempted to get it. They haven't in the past and so we left. When we got back from the Christmas party (which was awesome and many non members were there) the wife asked the husband if he had put the ham away and thanked him for doing that for her. He said he didn't do it though and then they went out and told the kids thank you but they didn't either. So they are looking for this ham. It was literally like 3/4 of a ham. Hard to miss. Well they get out the computer and look at the cameras they have in their house. In those cameras we find that one of the dogs Daisy decided that ham was well worth it and snatched it right off the counter not even a minute after we left! So in essence that ham was completely gone and consumed by a 5 month old Great Dane puppy that thought she deserved some ham. We found her and she definitely was noticeably fat. It was the laugh of the night and we loved it.

I hope everyone didn't forget our true meaning of celebrating Christmas as well as remembering how important our savior is in every aspect of life. Had He not been perfect, had He not be selfless, had He not been the very Christ the prophets testified of. Nothing good we enjoy today would be here. All good things come from God and had his plan been frustrated, we wouldn't have such good things. But because Jesus Christ was perfect, because He descended below all things, because He lived, we are here today with a hope and future that is possible through Him. Many don't know of this and as we have received such light in out lives, we must take part and be the light of the world and let Christ's light and restored truth shine through the darkening world. He declared he is the light. And later on declared we are as well. We get light from him, he is the source of it. But are we letting the current flow? Or are we an inn keeper who has decided there is no room for Jesus? 

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Hiatt

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Love Prevails

Hey Y'all!

I got a new companion this week and we hit the ground sprinting! We decided together we are gonna be thermostat missionaries rather than thermometer missionaries. We are gonna change the area not just be able to show what's wrong with it, so we've been hittin the ground workin. It's been fantastic and we really click well. His name is Elder Hatch and he is from Heber City. Something of a miracle happened as soon as he got here. He was out of money because he used it to get a guy who got baptized right before he left his last area a quad so we got here and within a day we had received about enough groceries to live through the transfer. The food pantry we volunteer at found out our budget and said, " man we really appreciate you guys and you do so much for us but man you two need these more than many!" And gave us like 5 bags of groceries. They were very very nice and told as well that (keep in mind they are all baptists and methodists) they love having us come because there is such a different spirit about us that we bring and people see that and it gives them light. So they love having us come to be an example. That was like, whoa that is cool. If that doesn't testify that God has restored the priesthood to the church if Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints then I don't know what does. So it was a great start to a week.

Dallas Daze

So this week wasn't so much a crazy experience as it is the weather change. My companion and I were walking outside in the morning on Friday and it was FREEZING, as the day goes on we go to lunch with some members with a service dog at a super fancy restaurant and it was funny to have the dog eat with us, but after we get out it is relatively warm, then as the day goes on it gets up to 80 degrees and we begin sweating as we walk. So we take our jackets off only to have the hardest rain storm come ever, last for 5 minutes, then leave us as well as I kid you not dropping in a matter of 20 minutes from 80 to 28 degrees, with the humidity and wind chill it felt like 14. The weather was like anti-tracting weather. It was crazy.

So this week I pondered a lot on why love is eternal and just love in general. One thing that I have come to know is the happiest people in life are those who are seeking to serve others, in the smallest of ways. As small as hanging up a coat of someone else's. They're always happiest and tend to get what they want in life as well. Love prevails in everything good. As I've come to understand the mindset of loving others through acts of service any way we can I've found blessings upon blessings of all kinds and especially happiness in everyday life as well as serious trials and sad days. Where there is joy, love is found too. It's pretty awesome. I can't quite explain the realizations I've had as I ponder the importance of love in all things but I would encourage a study and ponder of it. Seek to have love and pray for charity in your own life and watch it change, watch your outlook on everything shift to positivity and happiness. It's quite miraculous the change.

I love you all and wish you a very merry Christmas this Sunday!!!

Elder Hiatt

Don't be afraid to preach the gospel

This week has been a great one! We were able to do some really fun things to try and find people to teach! Thursday and Friday my district got together and on Thursday we went to UT Tyler and did some caroling and such in their food court building. We sang hymns as well as had a table with free hot chocolate and copies of the Book of Mormon as well as pass along cards and pamphlets. We were promoting the Light the world video and it was extremely fun and quite successful! It's amazing the spirit that is around and how fun it is to share this message through song and using resources and such.

Yes there is a tree right smack dab in the middle of the road, and that's not the only one! There's 2 others we saw around town. I thought that was pretty hilarious. We then had another one that was fantastic, we have a wifi spot we use to sync our area books and it's in the middle of a parking lot for a gas station (no idea how wifi gets there but it does) and we tend to use wifi and talk to people as they fill up their cars. Well this guy came rollin up and I made it a mission to talk to this man. Thank goodness I did. 

How cool is that!!!?!?? He had been talked to I guess plenty of times and gave us the cold shoulder but we asked about his car and if we could get a picture of it and he opened up a bit and asked about what a mission is like and the logistics of it. It turned into an awesome conversation and he shared with us his advice in achieving the dream of having a car like that. He said, WORK HARD IN SCHOOL. Seems like a no brainer. But he said how those who sacrifice parties and fun and work hard, even though having a spot of fun is good, if you work harder than the rest especially in college, you can do whatever you want to. I thought that was pretty cool. He was a super nice guy and he had much more respect and softened heart when we told him how we pay to be out here and the circumstances of a mission. Pretty cool. 

The spiritual thought for my letter this week is how important it is to proclaim this gospel to all and don't be afraid to do it. The story behind it is this new investigator we met named Candace. She is an amazing person going through a difficult time in life. We got a referral from a man somewhere out of state for her that instructed us to call him first. We did and he told us the situation. Candace had lived in Utah before and had been around the Church of Jesus Christ before a lot. She had even attended a bit but they got really weirded out how the members wouldn't leave them alone and showed up at their house when they didn't come to church and just felt overwhelmed. She and her family came to Texas and haven't had any contact since except through her friend Lavar. Well a crisis has occurred and her friend Lavar began asking for info so he could refer her to us. She knew what was going on but her heart softened and she decided to see what we have to say. So we had our first appointment with her and she is fantastic, she was open to what we had to say and had some genuine questions she's never had anyone be able to answer until us. We answered all her questions she had and she began to tell us all of what was going on, as we sat and listened, the Holy Ghost filled the room and we were able to testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it is exactly what she needs to fix this issue. We all began to cry from the spirit around and she was able to identify the warm feeling of the Holy Ghost and recognize that it was testifying of our words to her. My point in this is saying that if Lavar had backed down, knowing the Utah experience they had, knowing her situation, if he had stayed quiet or just tried to have been a small comfort, she would not be where she is now. But because he opened his mouth, he asked and went out on a limb. Candace is now learning and coming closer to Jesus Christ. Not just in a figurative sense either. What the missionaries teach, it is not to convert to the church, it is not to bolster the numbers, it is not to degrade or tear down existing beliefs, no our purpose is to teach and invite others to come unto Christ. We believe in truth anywhere it can be found, the reason for this one church and importance of being a part of it is Christ himself has appeared to Joseph Smith, and through him has restored the priesthood authority of God to lead and guide his children. Proof of this for all weighs on if the Book of Mormon, translated by that very same priesthood restored, is true. Many don't know this and many need encouragement to find out! This message we share, this, if it is true, means that eternal salvation hangs in the balance whether they read that book of not. This is a matter of our brothers and sisters eternal life. And if we don't share it, if we sit complacent and happy that we already have it and don't share it, we aren't progressing. I want to testify that the Book of Mormon is true, I wouldn't be on a mission if it wasn't. I have read it and read it and read it again looking for anything that might suggest it's not, but through prayer and answers by the Holy Ghost himself I tell you all now that that book is true. Which means the authority of god is here and families can be eternal through that priesthood, that salvation is found through those holding such authority and they are members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Now I invite all of you reading, members or not, to reread the Book of Mormon, to pray each time and ask god if it is true. He will answer, he always does. And when you remember the sweet joy of knowing that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ restored here on earth through modern day prophets, think of how awful it would be to not know about it! How can we fix that? Elder Ballard gave great council. Go to October 1986 in general conference and read "We Proclaim the Gospel." Enough of this, "oh man that's a great talk," and then doing nothing with it. Let us follow Jesus Christ's prophet and apostles and experiment on their words, for they speak the words of Christ! In the talk it talks about setting a date and lists four steps. Take those steps. In the name of Jesus Christ I invite you to as a family or individual take this seriously, pray for a desire to share the gospel, and then follow this council in the talk. In that order. Discover the joy that can be had when we follow the example of Jesus Christ and invite all to come unto him by helping them receive the restored truth we have here on earth. I promise in the name of Jesus Christ that as you do this, your own life will become happier, you will feel the spirit more, you will come to know in a very real sense that god is there, he is overseeing his restored church today, and there will be great blessings in store for you. I testify in the name of Christ that this message is tailored to fit every single person walking this planet right now, that these words are true. I have tested them myself and people know I'm more skeptical than not, and they are true. Missionary work is something put on the back burner for many right now, but that needs to change. "12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it--" We as full time missionaries are charged with inviting people to come unto Christ, well that's hard when we don't have anyone to invite. We knock doors because we have to sometimes, but that isn't our calling. We are here to help everyone with their missionary work, so I invite all to pick up the slack, Our savior is coming again and we need to hasten our pace as the lord hastens his work. Pray for a desire. Then get on your feet and let's partake in the joy that Jesus Christ has for us. Christ is the key to everything, he is much more than a name, than a reason for Christmas, than a good thought, than a good role model, this life is but a blip of time in the eternal plan of happiness set in place by God. The only reason this plan works AT ALL, is because of Jesus Christ. He lives, he is a real being, with flesh and bone. Never forget just how real this all is, religion is not just a thing people do, it is not just a Sunday service, it isn't just a unifying thing that works for some people. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ restored to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a lifestyle, it is the path we can walk to find happiness here and eternal joy in the next. It is the plan! To remove shame and guilt, to remove heartache, to remove pain, to forgive sin, a foundation which is Christ that if we build, we will never fall. It works for everyone, because everyone is child of God. Lastly, invite the missionaries to teach you the first lesson, and then proclaim it to others, and set a date. I love each and every one of you and am so thankful to be on a mission. It's truly amazing to be on a mission and come to know that Jesus Christ really is alive with our Father in Heaven and we are their work and glory. But you don't have to be in a mission to find that out, you don't have to have a tag to be a missionary, so let's do it. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, our eternal Savior and King. Amen.

Elder Hiatt

P.S. This was one of the dogs Candace and her family own. Her name is Molly and she slept on my lap the entire lesson. It was awesome!

Light The World

Hey y'all!

This week has been crazy! I only was in my apartment for like 2 nights! I had 3 exchanges as well as we had a mission wide meeting/Christmas party. Much to talk about!

The main thought for this email was Lynn G Robins and the message he shared with us all as a mission. It was AMAZING. His main topic was how agency without responsibility is dead. When we avoid responsibility we will lose control over positive outcomes, even when we are right. He then talked about the doctrine behind it. It was amazing. He was really funny and we made a list that was basically the anti faith list and he talked about how that list destroyed Laman and Lemuel. We cannot avoid responsibility even when we are right about who is responsible or we will lose control of positive outcomes. I will make a more coherent thing he talked about but I don't have it all with me and he talked for 4 and a half hours so it's a lot to remember. But what I got out of it is not to say, it wasn't because of me! Or no I couldn't have done anything! Etc. avoiding responsibility will make you lose control over positive outcomes but when you take responsibility for your uses of agency and apply them together, you now have control over situations much more than you thought and can now work to allow positive situations to come. It was amazing and I will make it more coherent when I can. But he was awesome. After that we had a Christmas party where our APs put on a hilarious show as well as sang hymns, ate food, got fat on sweets, and saw all our mission friends. It was really fun.

We also had many exchanges this week. I went with Elder Brown one day and Elder Blanthorn another and Elder Mclemore another. It was a loooott of stuff.

Dallas Daze

So this week we did this thing when I was with Elder Brown that was awesome. It's called floating what it is is you get an Oreo and slowly immerse it into a cup of milk. Once it's about halfway immersed you let go and let it float. It slowly sinks into the milk and once it drops below the surface you scoop it up with a spoon really quick and eat it. It's the perfect cookie at that point. Not too soggy, not too crunchy, just right. You also must wear a hat when you do such. That is the art of floating and it makes for great conversation as you float as well as taste perfect Oreos.

Since I was gone out of my area so much this week I don't have a ton to report on but seriously, study how agency without taking responsibility is dead. When we take responsibility and use our agency, positive things happen. One story he relayed was this, a husband and wife had a fight and the wife was definitely right in the situation but nonetheless they didn't talk for the whole day. They were miserable as things went on as they waited for each other to apologize. The wife was right but they were still miserable and their marriage was failing due to not saying sorry. But she wouldn't apologize because she had no need for she was right, and she really was. So after a few nights she prays for him to see things how they are and be humble enough so they could love each other again and stop this feud. But her answer she got was much different. The spirit
answered with, "do you want to be right? Or do you want to be married?" This hit her and though she was right, she took responsibility for the choices before and she went and apologized and her husband softened and did as well acknowledging as well her being correct but this positive outcome came because she didn't avoid responsibility and say, no it's not my fault! Not it's his problem! No it's not that big a deal, etc. we will lose control over positive outcomes if we avoid responsibility, even when we are right. It was awesome.

I love you all and hope life is goin well. Light the world!

Elder Hiatt

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#LIGHTtheWORLD

Hey y'all! 👋🏻 

This week has been a great week especially because of Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a good one. We had very much food and I learned that dressing is just stuffing and people here say it weird, so that's cool. I am in love with cornbread stuffing, it's pretty much all people have here, the staple of Thanksgiving. We had 3 Thanksgiving dinners, one Monday and two Thursday. And it was way too much food but it was delicious so it's good with me. 

I spoke in church this week and just so everyone knows, even being a missionary doesn't make it any easier or better, but it was awesome. I talked on overcoming doubt through faith. Studying this was really awesome because being a missionary in the Bible Belt, you have basically every reason to ever doubt thrown at you at least once a month, pretty rough, but through faith all doubt can be overcome. When we doubt we question our testimony and the things we do, this doubt is our doubting between good and good, it's determining whether something is of God or not. We know from D&C 50:24

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

We each have our own personal fires that keep us warm as we stoke them with proper fuel being the things of Christ. We got our initial from Christ, for he is the light of the world and he declared we are the light of the world. This flame grows when we remain faithful. So when doubt comes, darkness tries to overrule the light but it cannot do so, so long as we do not have unbelieving hearts. Continue believing in the things we do know, rely on others light for a time if you must, but no amount of darkness can overcome Gods light so long as we stoke it with Gods fuel he's given us through the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are answers to every question and every doubt, but we must be willing to seek, or we will never find, if we don't knock, it can't be opened unto us, knock all the doors not just one, if we never ask, we can't receive. We must "engage in a wrestle with God" as Sherry Dew would say and if we do, our answers will come. Remain faithful to the things we know to be true already and doubt will dissipate. If anyone wants to learn about this or has doubts, I can't put it all in an email but I'd invite you to study this subject yourself with prayer and pondering. In Sunday school come follow me under November you'll find this subject. It's awesome to read and study about.

Dallas Daze

So this week wasn't so much a funny experience as it was an awesome one. Wednesday we were driving back from an appointment and pulled behind quite the vehicle. This was something I wouldn't expect to see in a land of raised trucks. Me being a car guy, I thought this was super cool. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over we can finally begin the best time of year for missionary work! Christmas Time! I'm sure everyone has seen the Christmas video and if you haven't, do it. This year is going to be awesome! We use strands of Christmas Lights all throughout Christmas. The way those work are each light passes the current to each other and together they light a tree, they make it beautiful. If one light is loose then the rest of the strand can't receive the current. That current comes from the life of the strand. That life is the outlet. As we understand Christ being the light and life of the world, he needs us to light whole tree. He's got the power, very capable, but we must be as one strand to make the tree beautiful. And how noticeable is a tree exquisitely lit all around than a tree half lit with lights here and there. Temple square is a tourist attraction for a reason, light is beautiful to all people. Especially at Christmas time, temple square is a hot spot to visit for both members and non-members. Strands upon strands upon strands lighting everything in the grounds with grandiose light that everyone in the world recognizes as beauty. So it is the same with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are a worldwide church and as each ward or "strand" lights up with service and charity that we pray for through this Christmas season, the world or "tree" will brighten and everyone is going to notice. The Lord is capable of powering each of us with this radiant light, there is no limit, no cap on his power and he can brighten the world and tell the universe it's Christmas, will you dim the strand or will you light the world? #LIGHTtheWORLD

I know that some amazing things are gonna happen if we can all serve those around us and the gathering of Israel will be hastened from this. 

I hope everyone is doing well and I love you all very much! 

Elder Hiatt

P.S. I'm not sure why the font keeps changing in this, apple products are lame. 

Sorry About Last Week

Hey Everyone!

So last week I'm sure you noticed I didn't write an email. Reasoning behind that was I honestly got done writing emails to everyone that sent me one and thought, "Awesome I got em done!" Then went and played basketball. So I apologize that I forgot to send one!

This week has been great! We have been doing much service for people as well as trying to find new investigators. Being in a car is both a blessing and a curse, on a bike its casual and normal to stop and talk to someone you see, but in a car you can't just slam the brakes and chase someone down or they'd probably have a bit of a cold shoulder to what you'd have to say. So we have been biking around when we don't have specific lesson plans, it's been a dream especially since it's no longer ridiculously hot outside. 

Just so everyone knows, east Texas is amazing. If you ever drive through, come to Tyler and drive around Tyler Lake. BEAUTIFUL. 

The experience I want to share this week is not necessarily my own but I did get to play a role in it. This week we went on exchanges with our zone leaders. I went to another area with Elder McAllister. He and his companion the day before were walking in a parking lot of a mall that was basically deserted. There was no cars or anyone for a good 200 feet in any direction. So they were walking and talking when this guy behind them calls out, "Hey wait! Who are you guys?" They flip around immediately pretty startled that someone just appeared and was wondering who they were. They sat awkwardly realizing he asked them something and then stuttered out that they were missionaries. The guy then asked, "What do you do?" So they told him. He accepted to learn more and so they went their ways. Crazy.

Well this guy calls the next day when I'm on exchanges with Elder McAllister and asks if we had eaten yet. We had but we asked if he wanted to meet up today instead of Sunday and have a lesson, he said sure what time and so we then had a lesson planned at the church. When we got there he introduced himself as Mike and we went on with our tour of the church building and lesson. He then relayed his side of the story of how he met the other elders. He was driving to Chipotle for lunch when he saw Elder McAllister and Elder Blanthorn walking across the street in the mall parking lot. He parked at Chipotle and felt a strong urge that he must speak with those two men immediately. So he drove over, parked his car, and ran after them until he caught up. That is how Mike met the missionaries! Crazy! We then had one of the best lessons I've had on my mission. Though I didn't get to be a part of him finding them, I was humbled I was able to have a lesson with him and meet him. So darn cool how the Lord works. 

Something we have been sharing at dinners the past couple of weeks that I invite you all to have for family night is the story of Naaman. The verses specifically we have been reading are 2 Kings 5: 9-14. Small and simple things can bring about great things, so we shouldn't need to expect to do this grand and crazy things when we want to share the gospel with someone. It's the small things. With this and as you discuss how those verses apply to missionary work, pray and seek for opportunities to share the gospel with someone you know or someone the Lord can place in your path and be simple! Participating in the Lord's work is a true blessing and I challenge all of you to pray and seek for opportunities! They're all around us and as we tell the Lord we desire to help, he is going to work miracles through us. 

Dallas Daze

So this week we had a crazy experience. I won't say who but someone we work closely with is doing genetic research and things on.......COCKROACHES. We got to see their workshop and everything and it was DISGUSTING but it was awesome at the same time. There were so many of them! I was so grossed out that forgot to take pictures to show you all but I'm sure there are many that aren't too sad about that.

Another one since last week we didn't get to hear one, if you live in east Texas, your probably have a dog, its that simple. Well this family is a foster home for puppies, and yes, it was fantastic. I shall attach pictures. 

Another fun but not really that fun thing that happened this morning was we discovered a random flat tire on our car! Yay! It was fun though. I don't think I've ever changed a tire but I can now say, it isn't that hard. 

That is about it for this week, we got to up our game in the missionary lawn care business, you'll see what I mean. We found a very astonished investigator that couldn't believe their eyes at the sight of the Book of Mormon, took some pictures of what it looks like out here, pretty awesome. I'm loving it out here and I leave you with the utmost assurance that I know the Book of Mormon is true! If you don't know it yet. You can. Read it, and pray about it. It's that simple, so many things are possible and give so much hope because that book is true. I testify of our Savior that He lives and those that lean on him will never be forsaken.

I love ya'll!

Elder Hiatt

Trials of Faith

Hey Y'all!!!

So sorry about last week. Transfers were very crazy because it was Halloween and we had a different Preparation Day schedule, I was being transferred, and my companion was flying home that transfer, it was hectic so I wasn't able to get a proper email written to y'all. But now that I'm settled in to my new area, here we go! 

To start, I have been transferred out to Tyler Texas, technically Bullard, Texas and Whitehouse, Texas are my areas (also cover Jacksonville) but Tyler is the nearest big city people would know. So I'm in east Texas, and I LOVE IT. I have a car, which is awesome, we had 4 baptisms this week, which was even better, the shower actually works good, which is exquisite, and my companion is excellent. I love it here! I'll put some pictures of what it looks like out in east Texas, SO much better than the big city with all its traffic and such.  

This week I want to share with y'all something I wanted to share last week, something that I realized and grew to be thankful for. I had been seeking since the MTC to develop the gift of faith. I wanted to do it so I asked for help on the matter in prayer, and though your specific situation might not be the same, the principle stands. As I sought to develop this, there has been some of the greatest and most difficult trials these last 5 months and I was really having to grit my teeth and keep moving. I knew serving a mission would be hard, I knew it would be a growing experience, but I didn't understand why things were happening the way they were. Just before transfers, it all fell before my eyes. I could see then and remembered, that I had asked God for help in developing this gift of the spirit. Well we know that "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." As I pondered and thought on the matter of the trials and how to overcome them and what I needed to change about myself to be humble and endure, those words entered my mind and I remembered in essence asking for such trials! I reviewed my mission so far and realized, my faith has been growing immensely! I may not have noticed it in the time, nor did I see the Lords hand answering my prayer, but it was there nonetheless and my prayers were being answered! Now I was faced with the question, why am I not happy, why am I downtrodden and miserable? Well my mission President gave a Zone meeting that talked about what our motivation is and how though our circumstances don't change, we change and it is up to us, through our motivations whether we are the miserable missionary, or the joyful one. True doctrine understood changes behavior, so I sought to understand this because the whole meeting was as if it was directed to me. I found my answer, I found what I was missing. In the words of Elder Nelson from last general conference, "When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening--or not happening--in our lives." I understood I was doing this for Jesus Christ, but I didn't understand the doctrine of why I was, of the motivation behind the why. I saw then that when I had prayed for help in development, I had prayed for trials, for hardships, I had prayed for change and change is hard. But there is joy to be had when we understand the why of our motivation to do it for the Savior. To do it with a focus on Him and His gospel. I invite you all to seek the why behind your motivation, to find the joy in the journey of refinement, if you are struggling and miserable, I promise you there is joy. "Seek and ye shall find..." I know it. I know there is such joy that is placed before us to be taken. To be enjoyed, we are not here to suffer, we are here to prepare to meet God through his plan of HAPPINESS. It's not the plan of suffer and then eventual happiness, it is simply the plan of happiness, and that happiness can be had all along the way. I promise it. What a joy my life has become as I understood the why and changed my motivation, as I understood my Savior's atonement and sought to change. "...His hand is stretched out still," take it, let him change you, and find the joy from such. 

Dallas Daze

So this week we had a unique experience. We volunteer at a food pantry where we were invited by a Methodist pastor there to come get some food at their fall BBQ. We dress in service clothes when we go so they hadn't seen us in our shirts and ties. We decided we would go because hey, free BBQ. So we arrive at the church building and begin to think how weird this is going to be, two dressed up Mormon missionaries walking into a Methodist building where out here we aren't particularly loved. But like I said, free BBQ. We step foot in the door and everything goes kind of quiet from the original ambiance. Everyone's heads turn and stare at us with the face of confusion as to why two Missionaries would be in their building. Well I decided to introduce ourselves so I held up our tickets and said how grateful we were to be invited and that we were excited to meet them! Then the guy who invited us came over with his wife and told them we worked at the pantry with them and everyone turned back to their plates satisfied and everything resumed, from that point we got our food and had a very fun time talking with everyone as we ate. They were very very nice and though we still got confused looks of people who came in later, it was very fun and we got free BBQ which you just don't pass up. Very awkward, but very awesome too. 

I love you all and hope all is well! 

Elder Hiatt

Transfers

Because Cam is being transferred and his P-Day is cut short because of that and Halloween he asked that I just put together something.  So I am including the email he wrote to me.  

Hey Mom! 

So my letters this week are a bit short. Because of Halloween our P-day is cut short and I'm also being transferred but I don't know where yet so I also have to pack, as for the week I had, it has been amazing. We had some truly miraculous things that I am really angry I'm leaving. Our investigators are really picking up and member referrals are flying all over the place. It is really fun to see the work exploding in my area. 

Tell the family about this because I forgot to mention it to dad. I don't know if you know about the fair in Texas and how huge it is but it's the biggest fair in the nation. So members in our ward that own a restaurant did the fried fair food contest and made these pulled pork "funion ding" things that are seriously probably what the fruit of the tree of life tastes like. They got top 8 (should've won because they're receiving the most press and publicity from their entry) but they are pretty much one of the top 8 food makers for the biggest fair in the nation. Way way good and we got to try them for dinner Sunday night because every Sunday they are closed but when they take us to dinner on Sunday's they take us to the restaurant and give us free food and pie shakes (pie slices blended up in a milkshake and the pies are also famous in Texas being home made from scratch). It was amazing. 

In the attached picture this was half our meal and those little ball things are the funion dings. Super delicious food and shakes. 

So about my bike, I was riding it and all the sudden the back tire locks up and my pedals lock up and I stop immediately, turns out the derailleur somehow got caught in the spokes and crumbled into a ball. I'm not sure why it did but it did so I'll be getting it fixed today. 

Other than that I'm glad things are going good and it sounds like fun things are happening! Tell Kajsa to hold down the fort well! 

Love you mom! 

Cam

Famous Fair Food!

Meetings & Drinking

Hey everyone!

This week has been awesome! We had zone interviews this week as well as a fireside with Sherry Dew who is a really good speaker and the head of Deseret News. As well as some more hilarious situations my companion was put in.

So interviews always start out with our President talking to us about stuff for a while. It was fantastic. He talked about how there are two missionaries on a mission. The joyful missionary and the miserable missionary and how it's through motivation and perspective that you are one or the other. Sometimes we put a pavilion over ourselves that shields us from the joy and light of Christ because we have a perspective on life from a negative, and burdensome view. Long story
short, he showed how as we understand the atonement more and really learn it, we begin to change and find joy in things. We then look toward Christ rather than at ourselves and begin to do things for motivations outside of yourself. It's a hard process but a very good process that is worth the difficulty. We aren't here to suffer but men are that they might have joy. If you are miserable, learn of the atonement of Jesus Christ and pray for a change in perspective. Things don't all come at once but they will come and as you walk the path of refinement you will see yourself change. It's really quite a beautiful thing.

Dallas Daze

So this week was hilarious. Our neighbors invited us over and we were having a very, very good discussion when the neighbor's friend calls. She got off the phone and said her friend was coming so we thought that was cool. Well when they pull up, we are watching from the balcony and the girl's boyfriend gets out and goes to open the door, well out stumbles a VERY VERY VERY drunk girl that cannot walk straight whatsoever. She gets up to the apartment and begins hugging her friend like they were going to die in mere minutes. It was so funny but kind of ruined the lesson. Well it continued on by the girl slowly bending down and then losing her balance and falling straight on her face with her butt in the air and then just laying there. After she finally gets up we were trying to get out of there and we are shaking hands and when my companion shakes her hand, she won't let go.
He pries her hand off and she begins chasing him around the furniture. So I run over to the door and open it and he runs out and I say, "we'll see y'all later!" And slam the door before the drunk girl comes running after us. We bolted into our apartment across the way and just start laughing. It was hilarious.

Another funny thing was we participated in our wards chili contest. Our chili consisted of everything that was in our cupboard that wasn't expired thrown into a Crockpot. We were prepared for a train wreck but shockingly, it tasted really really good!! Not everyone would try it because granted it didn't look the part but those who did actually loved it! Was way fun. We also were able to give a kid one of our tags because he was a missionary for Halloween so we let him use a tag for
the night. Was very fun.

Well I hope everyone has a great week! Love ya!

Elder Hiatt

Image 1-Crockpot Chili ingredients

Image 2- Halloween Party

Image 3-And this is clear rootbeer because it's cool and really weird but way good. 

Halloween Party!

Clear Rootbeer, because it's cool, really weird, and way good

Dead Rat - just gross