Africa is great! the people are wonderful and the ward has just been so good to us. I know that the prayer works I know the Lord will answer our prayers he has answered mine and will continue to answer them. Its so wonderful to have this line of communication I feel so blessed. I know he is just a prayer away and that he really wants to hear from us and help us. I am so grateful for our Savior Jesus and that he Atoned for our sins and I know it is only through him that we can live again. I think it is more than wonderful that Heavenly Father would send his son to die for us. That really shows how much he actually loves us!
I know it was just a wee bit ago that we were talking about me being here in Africa and now I'm actually here! What a wonderful blessing it is for me to be able to serve the Lord for two years here in Africa. It is really pretty but the people kinda just throw the trash on the ground and the place could be so so so much more pretty.
It sounds like everyone is having a good summer and having fun I am really glad to hear that. Letters are weird even if they come I don't get the letters tell I pick them up in Kololo or until the Zone leaders drop them off so it takes awhile no matter what. Just to let everyone know we do walk everywhere but we can take these taxis. We do mostly walking though and its great. On Sundays we don't use the taxis because we don't want to make people work ha. Every Sunday around 6 we go to the Balyjusa family and it takes about an hour and fifteen minuets to get there on foot.
So this week has been great! We are still trying to build a foundation on people to teach and find people that really want the gospel in there lives. Our phone just barely started to work this week so now we can use it and hopefully get more people to teach and to bring to church. So this week we had Zone leader Training and I had the privilege to give a lesson on Inviting and following up using the spirit and it was a really good training maybe not by me but by the other people giving talks they were so great and spiritual and President Jackson is amazing! He is such a powerful President and he makes you want to work harder. I also got to see some of my MTC buddies which was really nice it was really fun to see a few of them.
Our ward is so wonderful we have this guy called Habib I think I told you about him well anyways he is always helping us and giving us referrals and showing us around he even comes over and cooks for us sometime. He is so great and He really has helped us out so much. We also have this lady called Momma Victoria and she makes amazing food for us every friday but she cant this friday so she is cooking for us today. She also said she can wash our clothes which is super nice of her. She is always helping missionaries out which is super nice and will help us out a ton!
This Sunday was a great one we had four baptisms and the other missionaries had two. The four that were baptized were Ben, Allice, Harriot, and Francis for us I didn't get the names for the other missionaries baptisms.There was also I think ten investigators at church. The lord really does bless you for working hard and I feel that we are working hard. I come home just dead tired all of the time. The mission is great and I love it so much I know there is nothing better I could be doing. Thank you all for all your love and support I will keep all of you in my prayers. Thanks you so much for your prayers I know they are helping me.
Love Elder Hildreth
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
I might just burn here in Africa
Happy Birthday Mom I hope it is a great one! I love you so much and I hope you have the best birthday I love you and I am so very grateful to be your son. You are an amazing Mom. Also tell Grandpa Happy Birthday and that I love him and hope it was great! Thanks so much for your emails. I miss you guys and I love you all
Love Elder Hildreth
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 3: Blessed to be Here, (Entebe Uganda)
Hi Everyone 6-13-11
I am in Entebe, Uganda right next to Lake Victoria! so that's really sweet! There is a zoo here also that we will probably go check out today! Right now I am emailing you and enjoying that for sure. The branch is amazing the members here are so strong we met the bishop and their counselors this week. Last night we had family night with the Balyjusas and it reminded me of home it was really fun and nice. The flight to Uganda was like 4 hours and it wasnt bad just slept and read my scriptures. The mission president and his wife are super nice and really cool. They were wondering if we knew a Eric Hildreth I think is what they said. My first sunday was great we had i think seven investigators at church and we have only been here four days. Everyone here in Uganda are so nice and they all know Jesus Christ. My companions name is Elder Cook and he is super duper amazing and has taught me so so much. We are working hard all the time and walking pretty much everywhere. Our area is huge! I think our area is bigger than Billings, ha probably not but it seems like it. Ill try to get more pictures of our area today I've just been busy doing the lords work so it's hard to take pictures. So today I will try to take good ones. Thank you guys for all the support. I know the Lord loves us and to tell you the truth I didnt expect to see any investigators at church but the lord blessed us with some investigators which was amazing. We will continue to work hard. So far Uganda is absolutly amazing and its beautiful over here. The apartment is nice and we wash our own clothes. It also seems like my shoes get dirty like the second I walk out the door ha. They are just covered in red when i am home. We eat rice and beans like all the time and bread. I'm too much of a chicken to eat any of the meat. My ipod i had to put in the safe along with my temple recomend drivers license byui card the cash and a few other little things. I will get it all back when I come home. Thank you so much for your emails! I am loving the mission if there is more you want to know i will tell you. The weather is really hot and humid and I'm sweating all of the time. Saturday it rained and it felt so so so nice i love the rain. I have also been trying to learn a little bit of Lugandan I pretty much only know how to greet. The little kids will call me a Muzungu it means white person and there always asking me for money like i have some ha. One day I think it was friday I had a bunch of little African kids following me around giving me high fives it was fun. The missionary work is going good we are trying to contact many people and bring them to Christ everyone here is so willing to listen to our message. I really am loving it here! I miss you guys. Nkwagala nnyo that means I loveyou very much in lugandan. and I love all you guys. How is jesi doing is he coming to church? How is kaden doing?. Also ask the Andrews how kyle is doing. Thank you so much
I am in Entebe, Uganda right next to Lake Victoria! so that's really sweet! There is a zoo here also that we will probably go check out today! Right now I am emailing you and enjoying that for sure. The branch is amazing the members here are so strong we met the bishop and their counselors this week. Last night we had family night with the Balyjusas and it reminded me of home it was really fun and nice. The flight to Uganda was like 4 hours and it wasnt bad just slept and read my scriptures. The mission president and his wife are super nice and really cool. They were wondering if we knew a Eric Hildreth I think is what they said. My first sunday was great we had i think seven investigators at church and we have only been here four days. Everyone here in Uganda are so nice and they all know Jesus Christ. My companions name is Elder Cook and he is super duper amazing and has taught me so so much. We are working hard all the time and walking pretty much everywhere. Our area is huge! I think our area is bigger than Billings, ha probably not but it seems like it. Ill try to get more pictures of our area today I've just been busy doing the lords work so it's hard to take pictures. So today I will try to take good ones. Thank you guys for all the support. I know the Lord loves us and to tell you the truth I didnt expect to see any investigators at church but the lord blessed us with some investigators which was amazing. We will continue to work hard. So far Uganda is absolutly amazing and its beautiful over here. The apartment is nice and we wash our own clothes. It also seems like my shoes get dirty like the second I walk out the door ha. They are just covered in red when i am home. We eat rice and beans like all the time and bread. I'm too much of a chicken to eat any of the meat. My ipod i had to put in the safe along with my temple recomend drivers license byui card the cash and a few other little things. I will get it all back when I come home. Thank you so much for your emails! I am loving the mission if there is more you want to know i will tell you. The weather is really hot and humid and I'm sweating all of the time. Saturday it rained and it felt so so so nice i love the rain. I have also been trying to learn a little bit of Lugandan I pretty much only know how to greet. The little kids will call me a Muzungu it means white person and there always asking me for money like i have some ha. One day I think it was friday I had a bunch of little African kids following me around giving me high fives it was fun. The missionary work is going good we are trying to contact many people and bring them to Christ everyone here is so willing to listen to our message. I really am loving it here! I miss you guys. Nkwagala nnyo that means I loveyou very much in lugandan. and I love all you guys. How is jesi doing is he coming to church? How is kaden doing?. Also ask the Andrews how kyle is doing. Thank you so much
- Love Elder Hildreth
I forgot to tell you we have some members from the church like Habib who is helping us find referals and people. He is planning on going on a mission soon. He is really cool and sunday there was no water so he kept going back and forth getting water for the church. We also go help from Rodgers Balyjusa who is an RM. Me and my companion are whitewashing an area so we are both new here. So it was great to get the members help. I feel blessed to be here
Week 2 MTC Africa
Hi There
Oh yeah the end of the world day that was pretty huge here in Africa I guess it was on the radios and everything. That's good Bobbie is taking discussions before I left she was just getting started and it's good she is asking more questions. The MTC is wonderful the food is good my favorite food is called a fatcake I guess and the best way to describe it is a sloppy joe on steroids. We have three elders in one room, Elder Anderson is from Rigby and my companion is from California. I don't have a favorite thing to do it's all great.
I loved going to the temple it was wonderful and a great experience especially for the African Elders who went for their first time and I asked how they liked it and they said it being great was an understatement. On the ride home Johannesburg has walls with electric fences on them in almost every house its crazy!
Yes i took the right things so far. my camera works and i have used my ipod and so has and African Elder his name is Elder Mapuvire. Some Elders are so hard to understand, but Elder Quebo and Elder Mapuvire are easier than others but they talk really soft. I read the letters everyone wrote for me before I left they were great i loved them and they have helped me so much.
My favorite day at the MTC had to be yesterday when we actually got to talk to people who we thought were investigators Elder Anderson and I felt that we did good and we were so happy. We were like this is why we are here and it was just wonderful! Thanks for everything I love you guys
Oh yeah the end of the world day that was pretty huge here in Africa I guess it was on the radios and everything. That's good Bobbie is taking discussions before I left she was just getting started and it's good she is asking more questions. The MTC is wonderful the food is good my favorite food is called a fatcake I guess and the best way to describe it is a sloppy joe on steroids. We have three elders in one room, Elder Anderson is from Rigby and my companion is from California. I don't have a favorite thing to do it's all great.
I loved going to the temple it was wonderful and a great experience especially for the African Elders who went for their first time and I asked how they liked it and they said it being great was an understatement. On the ride home Johannesburg has walls with electric fences on them in almost every house its crazy!
Yes i took the right things so far. my camera works and i have used my ipod and so has and African Elder his name is Elder Mapuvire. Some Elders are so hard to understand, but Elder Quebo and Elder Mapuvire are easier than others but they talk really soft. I read the letters everyone wrote for me before I left they were great i loved them and they have helped me so much. |
| Ping Pong in the MT |
Love Elder Hildreth
Week 1 MTC Africa
Hello
While we are at the MTC we get our email day on Saturday, but when we get to Uganda we email on Mondays. So in the past few days I have become a District Leader with Elder Anderson and our Assistants are Elder Gilstrap and Elder Whitworth. We have three Districts so there are three companion District Leaders. We are over the Moroni district and I guess they are doing this new program in the MTC for the Heleman District the last one is the Ammon district.
Its really been good but I can tell it may be a struggle to understand some of the Africans. They talk so quiet and its just hard to understand except the two from Zimbabwe and they are pretty easy to understand and all of them are really fun to talk to.
Yesterday we had this play thing where they had her pretend her husband died and some of these RMs came in and pretended to be missionaries and they went on with the first lesson and later the Main guy stopped and asked us what they could do better so we said they need to get to know her and gain her trust. So he told us to act like the spirit and give them inspiration. It was a really good.
I love the MTC here and they do so good and it's easy to get to know everyone. We haven't seen that much of Africa yet but I guess the next two Tuesdays we get to go to the Temple and we are all excited about that.
Yesterday for exercise time we played some basketball and there are a few good ball players. I'm not one of them ha. I'm glad everyone at home is good. I'm excited to learn more! Love Russell
While we are at the MTC we get our email day on Saturday, but when we get to Uganda we email on Mondays. So in the past few days I have become a District Leader with Elder Anderson and our Assistants are Elder Gilstrap and Elder Whitworth. We have three Districts so there are three companion District Leaders. We are over the Moroni district and I guess they are doing this new program in the MTC for the Heleman District the last one is the Ammon district.Its really been good but I can tell it may be a struggle to understand some of the Africans. They talk so quiet and its just hard to understand except the two from Zimbabwe and they are pretty easy to understand and all of them are really fun to talk to.
Yesterday we had this play thing where they had her pretend her husband died and some of these RMs came in and pretended to be missionaries and they went on with the first lesson and later the Main guy stopped and asked us what they could do better so we said they need to get to know her and gain her trust. So he told us to act like the spirit and give them inspiration. It was a really good.
I love the MTC here and they do so good and it's easy to get to know everyone. We haven't seen that much of Africa yet but I guess the next two Tuesdays we get to go to the Temple and we are all excited about that.
Made it to Africa
Hey Family
I finally made it to Africa. So after I left Butte on got on the plane I met Eric and when we got to Salt lake he kinda helped me out and showed me where to go. At first I forgot some of my luggage and they came and brought it to me. At the Salt Lake airport I ran into Elder Anderson and Elder Whitwhorth.
They were nice and they are both from Rigby Idaho. So we got on the flight and they sat together. I didn't sit close to them. When I got into Chicago the British Airlines check in was going slow. While we were in line we saw some Elders going to Rome for their missions. Then a little bit later came like 13 other Elders who were also going to Johannesburg. Most were going to Uganda but some were going to Cape Cod and Kenya.
So we got on our flight from Chicago to London and I sat next to a french guy named Olivia and he had some questions about the church and I answered them the best I could. I also sat next to a girl who lived in Romania but moved to the USA and she showed me some pictures of Romania. I didn't get much sleep on this plane not because I was talking it was just kinda uncomfortably but still got some sleep. We landed in London and went to eat at this Giraffe place and it was expensive so i just got a smoothie. So me and this one Elder after we ate found some comfy couches and while he slept I watched the luggage and read.
So we got on the flight to London to Johannesburg and I was so tired I just feel asleep. I woke up early and in the clouds I could see lights flashing all over this place and i wasn't sure what it was, but i decided it should be lightning and it was pretty cool.
When we got to Johannesburg we got our luggage and a few African Elders showed up and now I am at the MTC and i got a few extra shots. well it was fun writing you hope to hear from you soon.
Love Russell
They were nice and they are both from Rigby Idaho. So we got on the flight and they sat together. I didn't sit close to them. When I got into Chicago the British Airlines check in was going slow. While we were in line we saw some Elders going to Rome for their missions. Then a little bit later came like 13 other Elders who were also going to Johannesburg. Most were going to Uganda but some were going to Cape Cod and Kenya.
So we got on our flight from Chicago to London and I sat next to a french guy named Olivia and he had some questions about the church and I answered them the best I could. I also sat next to a girl who lived in Romania but moved to the USA and she showed me some pictures of Romania. I didn't get much sleep on this plane not because I was talking it was just kinda uncomfortably but still got some sleep. We landed in London and went to eat at this Giraffe place and it was expensive so i just got a smoothie. So me and this one Elder after we ate found some comfy couches and while he slept I watched the luggage and read.
When we got to Johannesburg we got our luggage and a few African Elders showed up and now I am at the MTC and i got a few extra shots. well it was fun writing you hope to hear from you soon.
Love Russell
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