Arrived!

Elder Hiatt arrived safely on June 27, 2016, and was greeted by the mission president and his wife. 

Dear Brother & Sister Hiatt:

We are grateful to have your son, Elder Cameron Leland Hiatt  serving with us in the Texas Dallas Mission.  He arrived safely and I have enjoyed interviewing him.  He has been assigned to serve in McKinney, Texas, and his companion is Elder Alex Kevin Matheson of Ontario CA.  We have given him a strong trainer to help him get off to a good start.  He seems happy and anxious to do the work of the Lord.  We will meet with Him regularly in Zone Conferences and personal interviews.

                                                                                                                                                             

Our mission covers the northeast part of the State of Texas.  It takes in a little portion of Oklahoma and goes east to the Louisiana border.  Nearly three fourths of our missionaries are in the “Metroplex” of Dallas serving a population of almost four million people.  The life of a missionary is not always easy, but it will be a growing experience for him, one that will set him on a firm foundation and help him gain habits that will serve him well for life.

Sister Taylor and I are committed to do all that we can to assure a happy and successful mission for your son.  We are confident that you share that same commitment.  It is important to write letters weekly that are positive and uplifting, with support, encouragement and praise for the work he is doing in serving the Lord.  All missionaries face some challenges.  We will inform you of significant concerns or illness as we determine such information would be helpful to you and him.  Missionaries are asked not to call parents or friends as it distracts their attention from their work.  We also request that parents and friends not call missionaries.

We extend our love to you and thank you for sending your son into the mission field.  Please feel free to write or call us if you wish. Sister Taylor manages a Facebook page and uploads many pictures for all to enjoy.  Please visit “The Texas, Dallas Mission-President and Sister Taylor” Facebook page.  We unite our prayers with yours for the well-being, success, and happiness of your son as he serves the Lord in this great work.

Sincerely,

Brian K. Taylor, President

Texas Dallas Mission

The Atonement Heals

Hello all!

What a WEEK!!! In our TRC investigator visits we teach real investigators, sometimes they are decoys but this one we are teaching is actually a real investigator looking for the truth. His name is Jose. Our first meeting went in the way of learning about him and how his dream in life is to do pretty much as close to missionary work as someone without the gospel could get. We told him his dream in life is our purpose in teaching and we really connected. He went on to share that he has things he can't get out of his head and impulses of depression he tries to fight daily and he finds he can get through it but when he fails it drives him deeper and he wants out. 

We shared our testimonies with him. I told my story in detail and Elder Owens told one of a very similar tale. Jose began tearing up and it was the end of the lesson but we testified that Jesus Christ and his Atonement is the power in which we dug out and can continue on in hope. The spirit was SO strong and I truly am absolutely useless as a missionary without the spirit. The spirit is the teacher in lessons, not I.

We invited him after that to read Alma 36 while we were gone and he greatly accepted. 

Come lesson two...just wow. He read with diligence I had never seen before and talked to us about it, marveling at what Alma had to say, his conversion, and the things at the end of the chapter. Jose picked out it wasn't until Alma remembered Jesus Christ that he was free from his prison. Jose then asked how he does that. He wants it and wanted to know how to allow the Atonement to do what it had done for Alma and us in his life. So we told him about following Christ and that through it his temptations, though not gone, will have no power over him. That the Lord will give him the strength to endure. So we asked him the big question, baptism. He greatly accepted and we asked him to say the closing prayer. He had never prayed before but we told him how and he went for it and offered the most sincere prayer I have ever heard. He asked God for help and asked if he was there and if he loved him. He asked if God really even cared about him for what he had done and asked for mercy. Then a pause.......and the most amazing thing happened. He got his answer right in front of us. With tears literally flowing he thanked Heavenly Father and you could feel the Love of God pour into the room, filling it with hope and the way out to peace in this life. As he said amen, he looked up and with tears streaming at all of us and thanked us deeply for our help. He knew God and Jesus Christ love him. That they were there and this is the truth that can bring us salvation in eternity. 

I testify that the spirit is the true teacher. I am nothing without Christ, His mercy, and His sacrifice for us. The Book of Mormon is the word that holds such power to convert those who seek it and hunger for it as Enos had. This experience is why I am here, this is why we are on Earth. There is no better feeling than seeing the Holy Ghost manifest of the Love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for an investigator that you care for. Lose yourselves and care for our brothers and sisters. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are to give our lives for Christ. That use to mean to me that I would be willing to die for him. But it is much more, it is living in a way that you truly give your life to Him, to bring His love and His hope to the children of God. God's work and glory is what we can help with if we allow humility in and forget our own needs. As we allow the spirit into us and humble ourselves before Christ and follow Him, the Spirit will work through us and begin to work wonders among you. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us beyond comprehension, and it is through the Doctrine of Christ that we can find eternal happiness now and the life to come. 

I am loving my mission and cannot wait to get out in the field. 

I love you all and hope this experience can help you in your own life. 

Glory to our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ, it is only through the Holy Ghost with Christ at the center that the Word of God can be taught and only through the same that it can be received. We get out what we put in, read Enos to know what to put in. 

I love you all and you are in my prayers!

Pictures from the MTC!

Here is a picture of my district. The companion left of me is Elder Hadley. The one on the left is my companion from the beginning, Elder Owens. he and I are like the same person. I love my district! BRB.

Hello all!

What a WEEK!!! In our TRC investigator visits we teach real investigators, sometimes they are decoys but this one we are teaching is actually a real investigator looking for the truth. His name is Jose. Our first meeting went in the way of learning about him and how his dream in life is to do pretty much as close to missionary work as someone without the gospel could get. We told him his dream in life is our purpose in teaching and we really connected. He went on to share that he has things he can't get out of his head and impulses of depression he tries to fight daily and he finds he can get through it but when he fails it drives him deeper and he wants out. 

We shared our testimonies with him. I told my story in detail and Elder Owens told one of a very similar tale. Jose began tearing up and it was the end of the lesson but we testified that Jesus Christ and his Atonement is the power in which we dug out and can continue on in hope. The spirit was SO strong and I truly am absolutely useless as a missionary without the spirit. The spirit is the teacher in lessons, not I.

We invited him after that to read Alma 36 while we were gone and he greatly accepted. 

Come lesson two...just wow. He read with diligence I had never seen before and talked to us about it, marveling at what Alma had to say, his conversion, and the things at the end of the chapter. Jose picked out it wasn't until Alma remembered Jesus Christ that he was free from his prison. Jose then asked how he does that. He wants it and wanted to know how to allow the Atonement to do what it had done for Alma and us in his life. So we told him about following Christ and that through it his temptations, though not gone, will have no power over him. That the Lord will give him the strength to endure. So we asked him the big question, baptism. He greatly accepted and we asked him to say the closing prayer. He had never prayed before but we told him how and he went for it and offered the most sincere prayer I have ever heard. He asked God for help and asked if he was there and if he loved him. He asked if God really even cared about him for what he had done and asked for mercy. Then a pause.......and the most amazing thing happened. He got his answer right in front of us. With tears literally flowing he thanked Heavenly Father and you could feel the Love of God pour into the room, filling it with hope and the way out to peace in this life. As he said amen, he looked up and with tears streaming at all of us and thanked us deeply for our help. He knew God and Jesus Christ love him. That they were there and this is the truth that can bring us salvation in eternity. 

I testify that the spirit is the true teacher. I am nothing without Christ, His mercy, and His sacrifice for us. The Book of Mormon is the word that holds such power to convert those who seek it and hunger for it as Enos had. This experience is why I am here, this is why we are on Earth. There is no better feeling than seeing the Holy Ghost manifest of the Love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for an investigator that you care for. Lose yourselves and care for our brothers and sisters. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are to give our lives for Christ. That use to mean to me that I would be willing to die for him. But it is much more, it is living in a way that you truly give your life to Him, to bring His love and His hope to the children of God. God's work and glory is what we can help with if we allow humility in and forget our own needs. As we allow the spirit into us and humble ourselves before Christ and follow Him, the Spirit will work through us and begin to work wonders among you. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us beyond comprehension, and it is through the Doctrine of Christ that we can find eternal happiness now and the life to come. 

I am loving my mission and cannot wait to get out in the field. 

I love you all and hope this experience can help you in your own life. 

Glory to our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ, it is only through the Holy Ghost with Christ at the center that the Word of God can be taught and only through the same that it can be received. We get out what we put in, read Enos to know what to put in. 

I love you all and you are in my prayers!

First Letter!

So I think this is where I should send my letters? If not I am anyway.

Dear everyone that gets this

The MTC is INCREDIBLE. To sum it up, you come thinking you know a bit of what you are doing but heavens no. I know NOTHING and only through the spirit, obedience, and looking outward can I succeed in this mission. This week had been one of jam packed learning. It is HARD but it is so awesome to feel prayers answered multiple times a day. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. One thing I want to share is knowledge that I have come to know through the spirit. Recognizing spiritual promptings. Rarely will you see in the moment it is a prompting of the Lord. So how do we follow it if we can't notice it until we have hindsight? This is how. It is not a question of recognizing the spirit but recognizing your life in line with the example of Christ. If you are being obedient, diligent, and exact with sincerity of heart, overlooking yourself and looking to bring others to the knowledge of Christ simply because you love them, you can trust the Lord is guiding you. It takes faith, a lot of faith, but you are being led by the spirit so long as you are doing your part to the best of your ability. In Elder Bednar's words, "Quit worrying about it!" Quite literally, open your mouth and it shall be filled. 

I love you all and I am loving my mission. This is where I am suppose to be and I intend to pour my heart into this work for it is true and right. There is no better way to live this life than in the service of others.

Elder Hiatt

Ps to mom

So I cannot find my camera. I don't think we packed it. I also had some other things but I can't remember what those would be. Also it would be nice to have one or two more long sleeve shirts but its not a necessity. I love you guys and I hope this email suffices. I'm still trying to figure everything out. Love you guys and hope you're all doing well. . Thankya