Pictures!

Hey y'all!

This week was long

Dallas Daze

We went out and helped with tornado clean up in east Texas and the
wreckage was pretty bad still. But it was fun. We carried a lot of
trees and such that everyone was cutting up with chainsaws and such.
It was fun except for there was some way tall grass and it hid an ant
pile that was HUGE. Well I was the lucky one that found it and I had
tons of ants biting the heck out of me. So that hurt but I got em all
off. We were able to clear to fence lines to get em ready for repair
and found a canoe in a tree, so that was pretty cool.

The mission is good, we finally found an investigator this week, not
sure how solid they are but finally got someone to go to! It is nice
to have at least 1 now. This week was just very hot and very sweaty.
Elder Frausto was not prepared for that but is now getting to know
just how fun summers are here.

Not a ton to write about this week. So let the pictures speak.

Love y'all!
Elder Hiatt

Open Your Blinds to the Light

Hey y'all!

This week was SWEATY like holy cow! The heat has been something else.

Dallas Daze

Aside from being drenched in my own sweat, Saturday we helped with a
move that went pretty awesome. We got a case of water out of it as
well as a thing of Gatorade and these drinks elder Frausto loves
that's like Perrigrino water or something like that. Well he talked it
up like no other and so I tried it, it wasn't bad but it was odd and I
was drinking it as we ate dinner one day. Well flippin, I check the
"best by" date......the stuff was three years old. He took a swig and
was all, "yeah that's definitely not how it tastes." So here I am
downing half a bottle of it! It wasn't all that bad though, I mean it
was "best" by that date not inedible by that date. We also had an
awesome dinner this week. We got to go to a sub shop called jersey
mikes that makes some reaaaaallllyyyy good subs. The gigantic size
which looks like a footlong (Elder frausto had been many a time and
prepared me to know it was much larger) is like a foot and a half. We
were STARVING so we ordered one of those each and man it was the best
sandwich id ever had. Elder Frausto has been getting after about me
for eating to fast especially there. He wasn't even done with the
first 1/4 of his sandwich by the time I'd eaten a little over half of
it. He ended up saving some for the next day and I ate the whole thing
of it. I don't know where it all went but man it was awesome. Expensive
but awesome, I mean the sign says that size "feeds 2-3 people" so I
definitely ate a lot.

This week we had an awesome experience with a lady we ran into. We
knocked on her door and she was so happy to see us. She invited us in
and we talked to her about Eagle Scouts, college, her kids, all these
great things. We saw all this stuff hanging up in her house which
sparked all the different topics. She let us sit down  and we just
shared beliefs. She is some form of Catholic but it was the most
uplifting and pleasant meeting I've ever had with someone. She wasn't
particularly like searching for more but she respected us a ton and we
talked a lot about family and the importance of it which she is a huge
advocate of. We share the Proclamation to the World with her and she
LOVED it. We were also able to read 2 Nephi 2 about opposition in all
things and she loved that as well. It was a fabulous exchange of
beliefs and we learned a lot. She then asked about our missions and we
talked about our daily life and logistics and she was amazed we live
on our own and cook and such. She was all, "we've gotta have you two
over for dinner. You need a home cooked meal, and my boys need to meet
and be around real men like you." It was truly the greatest compliment
I think I've ever received in my life. Christ has definitely changed
me and glory be to him for who I am today. But it was awesome and we
plan to go back.

The family though is what I want to point out this week. It's been a
major topic among people we discuss with and especially at church this
Sunday. Satan has his crosshairs on the family more than ever before
these days and many are being picked off left and right without the
protection that comes from Christ's gospel and temple covenants. Too
many families are being torn apart from an array of reasons that are
no secret to any of us. I reflected on how lucky I have been to have
been raised in a family where the gospel was lived and revered. Had I
not been blessed so, I can genuinely say out of my own knowledge that
I would not be where I'm at and may not even be here at all. Christ is
the glue that holds us together, that invites love at home, that
teaches morals and virtues to children, that raises boys to be men and
girls to be sacred, stand up women. I want to stress with all my
faculties that we take things seriously, put on the armor of god and
be as captain Moroni and erect whatever we must to protect our homes,
families and children. No longer can we build walls and pretend it's
not there, insisting to our children the outside world is not what
their tv or phone says. But face it head on and present the two
options before them. That as all things die, through Christ shall all
things be made alive. That when we choose the world, we choose misery
and confusion, misunderstanding, hate, and moral degradation. We
cannot build walls to be climbed anymore but prepare ourselves
mentally and spiritually to fight these battles before us, for we are
indeed all enlisted and will fall if we do not go forth in the
strength of the Lord. I believe strongly we must teach in the Savior's
way more than before. To present two options and allow others to make
the choice and live the consequences. There is no learning any other
way. For example, "lest ye be born of water and of the spirit, ye
cannot enter into the kingdom of God." He present both sides, be
baptized and be saved and enter into eternal life, or don't and be
damned in the end of days. It's your choice, and those who choose
otherwise will maybe quickly or slowly, but they will one day see the
light shine through what choice was true. David A Bednar said do we
have the faith not to be healed, but as the savior and our Heavenly
Father teach, it offers opportunity for pain and suffering, and I
present the question do we have the faith to watch our loved ones
suffer the consequences of choices? Because I know what it's like to
suffer due to sin, but I now know today the joy that comes from what I
rejected before. And how grateful I am to know now that the gospel
taught by Christ truly is the way and there is none other way, and I
accredit it to family scripture study, family night, and teaching in
the saviors way of presenting choices and establishing the
consequences, we can make choices but we cannot choose our
consequences. In science this is known as the independent and
dependent variables. So I admonish all to please harbor the savior in
your homes, erect these spiritual barriers that will take the blows of
the world and come out stronger in ourselves and our families, and
find joy in an ever darkening world. For with so much to mourn and
fear, comes things to rejoice in and put fear aside. So stop fearing,
stop hiding, stop putting up walls, and follow savior through. He made
it through, there will be no absence of trial but you will have joy
and you will make it. We all are worthy of rescue and all are worthy
to follow Christ. Start today wherever you are. Teach using the
Savior's words, nobody else's come with such power. Open the
scriptures with any and all and read Christ's words, and let us
rejoice in the sunlight and stop seeking out storms. The world has
enough of those, if you can't find the sunshine, be it for someone
else. Open yourselves to the light of the gospel and let it shine
through. I like to think we all are windows, and if we can open our
blinds to the light, others will see. If you need to clean your window
to let the light through do it, if you are only halfway cracked open,
take the step, be that light, join the winning team and tomorrow the
Lord will do wonders among you. I know this gospel to be true and the
family to be absolutely essential to God's plan, so implement God's
plan into yours and watch miracles unfold. This is all possible
through the Savior Jesus Christ, of Him I so testify in His name,
amen.

Elder Hiatt

The Blessing of a Stolen Bike

Hey y'all!

This week was fantastic! Lemme start of with Dallas Daze though,

Let me start from the beginning. I wake up Saturday morning, I was on exchanges with Elder Bailey in my area and oh how lovely was the morning! Those words rang true. We arose at 6am and headed to the gym, with a skip in our step we got to the fitness center of the complex and began working on ourselves becoming stronger. What a lovely time we had running and lifting and seeing the sun rise on the peaceful sleep we had the night before. Truly a great morning. Well slept and well worked out we began walking back to our apartment. As we walked I noticed under the stairs where we keep our bikes, it is out of view coming out of the apartment but coming back it was what you first see, was amiss. Upon looking closer as close as Nephi examined Laban's sword, I realized the bikes were in quite a disarray. I walked over wondering the cause and looked and beheld only two bikes as opposed to the usual three, oh what joy fled from my countenance as I realized the missing red beauty I've ridden for a year was now stolen and off somewhere in the world never to be seen by mine eyes again. How lovely was the morning depleted and now my bike was gone. It was only a second and I realized what a blessing it was! The day previous I had encountered my brakes breaking, my spokes breaking, and a few other minor repairs that would need attention but to my joy I no longer had to worry about them! For problems 1-3 with the bike left with that very bike and now was someone else's problem! Oh it was sad at first but I got over it real quick. In truth and joking aside I was all, "you've gotta be kidding me" but there is no use in being angry cause anger won't bring the bike back magically so may as well pray for the one currently riding it now or selling it that they'll get as good a use out of it as I. If you cannot see emojis then I am sorry but this is how I'd describe my emotions as I went that morning. Long story short I have a new bike now and it's honestly even better and my spiritual thought will have to do with a great experience with that as well as some other cool lessons I learned this week. Funny how my bike was the only one worth stealing, apparently the other two were too crap to steal so good for my companion.

 So obtaining a new bike was awesome. I had a budget to stay under which considering a bike and a good one, normally is difficult with how much I had. But we said a prayer that if the lord willed it for me to buy a bike that day then the one would be there. So we got to the bike shop and we walk in and the first bike we both see is this really super nice one that would honestly be perfect for a mission and Elder Frausto points it out, "what about this bike? This one seems like the one, check this price out too." It was 100$ cheaper than the budget! So I said we would ask the store clerk for help and see what he took and showed us but I'd end up saying that one cause usually the show the most expensive first. Well we go up and the guy to help us knew how we were and had known some Mormons and had friends on missions right now. This is significant because he knew exactly what I needed it for and my budget (I didn't tell him he seemed to just have known that we'd need a cheaper bike) and walks straight over to the bike we pointed out and said, "this would be a really good bike for around town riding I think, pretty good price too." We were sold, had to have been of God that all of us separately said yep there's the bike hahaha.

So that was awesome to see an answer of prayer so quick and specific. You really do see God's hand when you pray for help and inspiration. We also this week had our last interview with President Taylor before he goes, and he and I talked about a lot of things and one of the things he did was give us all a blessing and it was so awesome! One of the best things though I came to realize is how awesome it is to really study the scriptures. I feel lately so mad when the hour is up and I have to stop studying because the scriptures truly are delicious, the talks are delicious. Everything. And I just had the thought about how have I gotten to this point? I think it's been a couple things though. Initially it started as a 17 year old wanting to know if the church was indeed true. So I began doing the things I never did, I started with my morning and nightly prayers and really focused on them being genuine. From there I decided I wanted to wake up each morning and get ready as fast as I could and read before school. I began to do that, and it was difficult. I didn't understand what I was reading, I didn't see what message they could really share that was all that life changing, but a promise is a promise that if we read and pray, we will get answer whether it is true or not. There will be an answer one way or another, not just silence and up to us to guess no. It will be a yes or a no. This is eternal salvation at stake and the spirit will witness of it or not if it's true. The order of this was important to me cause praying established a stronger knowledge that God did exist, it increased my faith that he was there and if I read the Book of Mormon and prayed that he'd answer. Cause if you don't believe in God and read the Book, who's gonna answer you if you don't believe in Him? So the order was important. As I read, it was slow but I began to understand what I was reading. After a long while I finally finished it, but still didn't have an answer, so I read again. Even more came this time and it was like a new book. Eventually on my third time through, I found out the Book of Mormon was true. This gave me a fire to learn more. So we began as a mission to study Jesus Christ, and when you come to truly and deeply know someone? You love them and want to do things for them. So as I studied the Savior I really grew to love Him and one day received a witness of the true reality that he lives, that the savior is somewhere right now, maybe in a temple, maybe in the spirit world doing something I don't know but as real as I stand writing this today, he is somewhere and that fascinates me. This drove me to have a feeling as King Lamoni's dad saying, "I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day." I went on a quest and began to pray of EVERY single possible thing the Lord could bring to my remembrance to repent of and clear up. I went to my President pushing fear aside and confessed many a thing, fearing the consequences but wanting desperately to be clean. To my surprise, mercy poured out and I was able to relieve a huge burden, take my next step to forgiveness, realize the thoughts I had of fear were of Satan, and continue being a missionary and retaining my relationships and blessings with people. Oh what joy fills my soul and standing in true amazement at the love Jesus offers me! Confused at the grace so fully he proffers me! I tremble to know that for me he was crucified. For me a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. Oh it is wonderful brothers and sisters. It is wonderful. I crave to be clean and free and continued praying for anything and everything to come and I will give it away, and I did. I repented more than I ever have and continue to do so. And what joy fills my soul! This day I stand before all reading this and am able to declare for the first time since I can remember, probably 7 years, with confidence and a surety I declare I am clean, or in other words worthy, there is no greater statement a man or woman can say on this earth than those words and I believe that. Repentance is the most merciful and joyful experience I've ever undergone, i was able to retain so much I thought I'd have to lose. But with this repentance came a spirit I've never felt before. Not that I can remember. And as I have studied now a days. The scriptures are like a feast, I cannot get enough! Questions and desires to understand a topic more fully come and studying them is pure joy! The scriptures have truly become delicious to me and continue to do so. I have so far ahead to go, but where the savior has come and placed me on his shoulders from and where I am now is a true miracle, but with such a journey ahead I happily walk side by side my savior, because there is no greater life one can lead on this earth than on that is on the path of discipleship to our beloved savior Jesus Christ. Wherever you're at on this journey, please begin walking with the savior, it doesn't just work for me, God is the God of the whole earth and you live here too, it's meant to work for us all, so don't count yourself out and try it. I did, and I had no idea it was all real. You do it too, this isn't just a me thing, this is meant for every single human to ever live and yet live. I testify of Him in His holy name, even Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Hiatt

Small Miracles

This guy in our area has 2 Maserati's and a Mustang that is 1 of 10 made.  

Hey y'all!

This week has been great! 

I got transferred to Coppell and it is still a bike area. So that's fun, my new companion is Elder Frausto from LA. He has been out 5 months and seems to be pretty cool. We've had a good week of trying our best this week but are still working on finding more people. 

Dallas Daze

So the weather in Texas is really dumb and likes to change from bright sunny clear sky to down pouring crazy rainstorm in a matter of 10 minutes. So we were riding our bikes and it began to rain while we were in the library doing some companion study. So we waited for a break in the rain and rode home to get some rain jackets. I got my big huge goofy rain coat but big and goofy it may be? It is awesome for rain. It keeps half my legs dry as well as all of my upper body and has a hood. So it may be gigantic but it certainly more than gets the job done! Elder Frausto was not so lucky and was definitely absolutely soaked. But it was fun and felt like a missionary in their purest form riding a bike in the rain all day. 

This week I want to talk about what the best thing in life truly is and what steps come before and after getting there. There is a talk by a guy named George Durant called "A Number One Christian" and he is hilarious but through his awesome stories he tells he tells the message of what it means to be a number one Christian. He relates it as he goes on a scale from 1-10 of being a number on Christian to a scale of 1-10 of how clean you are. How number one is best and thereby you are perfectly clean when you're a number one Christian, but how number 2 is pretty darn good too and he jump between number 1 and 2 is pretty big but it's something we should strive to do. He talks simply about how there is nothing greater, nothing more profound or influential, nothing as meaningful as being able to tell someone including God at our time of judgement which we may as well pretend is every day, to look em in the eyes and say with the utmost confidence and no guilt, no memory of unrepented of sins, no guile or quiver in your voice, I am clean. 

I know I say it a lot and a lot of emails have been dedicated to it but I can't get over the reality of how truly amazing the fact we have a Savior is and even more so that guilt and shame can be removed. If you are able to listen to that talk I recommend it.

We had a pretty awesome experience this week that was a small miracle but a noticeable time we saw the hand of the Lord. We went to see a lady the bishop gave us to see and we knock and no answer, so we began to knock the 5 houses that touch the property (mission calls it Compass 5ing or knocking the 5 surrounding houses to any given house) and as we finish up the 5th, we were walking back to our bikes and we said, "let's go knock on that house next to the one we did across the street" so we did and no answer at all, we knocked again still no answer. So we walked back and were picking up our bikes when we saw the lady we initially came to visit pull up! We barely caught her, it was awesome. We had a good conversation about finding joy again, she was really struggling and was beginning to lose hope, she hasn't been to church in years and no longer reads or prays. And so we asked her about that and she told us that, we tried to help her see that of course life is a lot less meaningful without a reminder of why we are alive in the first place! A testimony to how when we stop doing the little things, our testimonies fade and our joy disappears. We committed her to read at least a verse a day and she said she could do that. So it was a great visit to lift someone that needed it, but we plan to continue working with her because she needs some love. 

But it was an awesome week! 

Love y'all! 

Elder Hiatt