Mon, 1/30/12, Russell Hildreth

Hey
I  am doing great this week. Just enjoying missionary life. It has been an awesome experience. So I'll first tell you guys about this Sunday we were blessed to have fifteen investigators at sacrament. Out of those fifteen we have had two families we are teaching. Both wanting to be baptized. So that was awesome John Mark and his family are truly awesome and have really been enjoying having us over and he came to me yesterday saying I want to be a member of this church and it was so cool to hear that from him because just a few days ago we taught them and he wasn't because he didn't know if the Book of Mormon was true so we gave him some things to read and he came to church saying he knew it was true and that he wanted him and his family to be baptized. So that was awesome they are a Congolese family. There are actually tons of Congolese here in Uganda right now. So its pretty crazy. They are ready for the gospel though and they have enjoyed it so far. Also David and Cathy were able to come to church with a friend and David sacrificed a ton to be able to make it to church and they did and it was so awesome to see them there! They have been taking lessons for awhile, but they finally came and they enjoyed it very much and the bishop was very excited to see them. We also had  four Congolese come they were young and are refugees from Congo and they said they were led by the spirit to come to this church so we taught them and they were so powerful they even came to church, but now have been kicked out of the country and have to go to a refugees place, so we left them with a Book of Mormon to read and told them to wait for the church to get there. I sure hope those guys will be able to join they are super nice and have great potential. Also Cornellious finally received the gift of the Holy Ghost which was good. So working with the ward has been great and there is definitely an excitement for missionary work in retaining those who were lost and finding families. They are ready to help the missionaries so its going to be awesome! Obudu got lost as he was coming to church so that was sad, but he will come once again next week I am sure. Daniel, a recent convert brought us his brother who is now interested in the gospel and Cornellious brought a friend also so things are going well and even Robert talked with Bishop with his wife there so they can be married.  I was also able to see the wedding of one of the friends I have made here his name is Tadio and he got married and so I got to witness that and it was pretty fun to see and even Bishop Kyama and his wife gave a powerful speech. So things are going great so far. The weather is warm it is dry season now and we are headed into the hottest part of the year so that will be fun. It is pretty different lots of houses and nice places and there are some pretty crazy houses of course it is a really nice area though and we have an American store here that I just found so that was interesting ha. It is a nice place I haven't taken many pictures, but i'll do better at that. It's been a great experience so far and I love it here and the time continues to fly by. This week Elder Reunland of the Seventy comes to come speak to the missionaries so that will be good I am excited for that and for the work to continue to go forth.  I am glad that you guys traveled safely to Utah and back and I am glad all is going well with the family. Thank you guys for all you do and I love you all so much and hope you guys continue to be safe and well. Love you all lots
Love Elder Hildreth

January 23rd, 2012

Hey
  My new area is doing great and I am getting to know it well and I have really liked this area it is very hilly though always seems like I'm walking uphills and I like it. I really don't know my address people don't really use addresses so I'll try to hopefully find out next time because it isn't easy to find out. So it has been a great week for me still learning the area the people the recent converts it has definitely been a great experience. It's been pretty crazy sometimes, we definitely have a lot of finding the lost sheep to do. We had an unexpected family come this Sunday which was really great we visited them last week and they seemed fairly interested and this week they came and enjoyed it so we hope to continue to visit them and see them at church they are refugees from Congo there are actually a lot of them here in Uganda right now. David and Cathy didn't come which was sad, but I know that they will. We also have like three wives waiting to be baptized right now, but cant because they aren't married to their husbands and their husbands aren't married and we have been trying to get them to talk to Bishop, but the husbands haven't which has been a struggle, but all is going good. This week went by super fast as we have tried finding those that are ready for this gospel and it has been a good experience in general. I love the missionary work it has been such a blessing to me in my life to grow and learn from the leaders here and from those that I teach. I am grateful for the spirit that guides us and directs us where to go. Thanks so much for all your emails they have been wonderful. I love the the talk you gave to me about the oil and I will use it in my district to help it grow. I am grateful for the family that I have been put in and that you guys are always willing to help me and strengthen me and email me. It has been such a blessing to me. I love you guys and am thankful for all you do hope you have an awesome week. I know I will being here serving the Lord!
Love Elder Hildreth

Hi Everyone 1-16-12

I am doing good. Just continuing to work hard. The new area is good all except that the ward is more like a single adults ward which is great, but now we are more focused on finding those families that will help the ward right away. Yeah I didn't move too far we are near a place called American Embassy's it is a pretty nice apartment it has all four Elders. The ward is called Nsambya Ward I am pretty sure.  My companion is from Botswana and it sounds like a really nice place. We are teaching some people right now we are still kind of in the finding stage of getting families and those that are of an older age. We are teaching a few families right now David and Cathy they are a younger couple and have taken us in and have really enjoyed what we have taught them so far and they have opened up to us about a few things which was pretty nice. We are also teaching this family Obudu and Martha and they have really liked our message so far and I hope they continue to progress and continue to stay interested. There are a few more people that we are teaching like this Laban and he is super interested and we should be seeing him today. So things are good and I know that as we work hard and continue to persevere that the Lord will bless us in this effort. We also met another guy named Laban and he is the only member of his family that isnt part of the church and he has a wife and seven kids so we met him this week and he really liked seeing us when he saw us it was pretty cool. So it shows that even those part member families will warm up at some point and will be interested in the church. We should also have some more family follow ups this week so lets hope all goes well. This week for prep day we played some soccer as a zone and even with another zone and I am getting my haircut it's way too long. That's about it though so its been great. Most of what we have planned is some teaching, but not much else hopefully we can do some service this Thursday.  There are no baptisms coming up mainly because of ward council so they will be postponed to next week. All is going well though and no we dont get asked out to eat much which isnt to bad. The work is still going forth and we will continue to work hard. Thanks so much for all the updates that you give it sounds like everyone is doing good so far. I am thankful for all you guys do for me and the examples you are I love you guys very much and hope you have a fantastic week. Love Elder Hildreth
P.S I have become a District Leader in Nsambya and if there are any ideas that you could help me with it would be much appreciated!

Mon, 1/2/12

Hey

Yeah it has been a week since we talked and it's going by very fast. So for my big news this week is that I am leaving Entebbe my home place on the mission and I am heading to Nsambia. It isn't too far from Entebbe,  it is part of Kampala I think, so big city now.   I will get to see more parts of Uganda so that will be interesting.
I have to say goodbye to some of the many people that have helped me so much along the way especially this first part of the mission and I am so grateful for the Entebbe ward and all they have done for me and that they have strengthened me. I will miss this place and it will always be part of me and who I am. The people here have really blessed me in my life and I know that no matter the skin color we are all the same in Gods eyes we are all his children and he loves us and wants us to be happy.

I am grateful to have spent the time here in Entebbe that I have, it has gone by so fast and I know that it will continue to go by fast. I know how much of a blessing it is to serve the Lord at this time and to help those around learn of the gospel it has been a great time and I continue to enjoy the work which I have been placed with.  I will be leaving Elder Shinga here in Entebbe with Elder Goodner and they will continue to help those people left here to continue to progress and strengthen. Like that family Rose, Samuel and their kids I sent you a picture of them and also of the Balyjusa family. President Jackson has been such a great blessing as a mission President and he loves the missionaries here you can definitely feel the love he has for missionaries and missionary work.
I am so blessed to be on this mission at this time. I have a wonderful family back home who have helped me and blessed me in my life and I have wonderful leaders and friends who continue to strengthen me. I am going to set my goals today so I can continue to improve and reach the potential that my father in Heaven wants me to. So I will be excited to grow more love for my Savior and for the people here. I thank you for all that you have done I love you guys and I wish you a Prosperous and a Happy New Year!
Love Elder Hildreth

1-9-12

Hey

My week was good I was able to see what the area is kind of like and I am once again in a nice area with a great ward. We were able to have a baptism this Sunday of a guy from Congo whose mom in Oregon was able to refer him to the church. I wasn't really able to teach him, but he was an amazing guy and knew pretty much everything when I got there I was just blessed to be able to see him baptized. I have also seen some of their investigators and recent converts and they are all really good. We are teaching some, but not really so we are deciding to work with the members more serving more and finding families. One of the problems here is that a lot of single people are baptized and then they pack up and go and then no one knows where or why so it is hard on the ward. So we will be looking for families that are more likely to make it better for the church and that when they are deciding to leave it may be a bit more difficult ha. So my companion is Elder Dubula he came with Elder Shinga so it has been really cool to meet him. He is a convert to the church he lives in Botswana and has a great personality. It has been so far a good time and we have been working good and i am just trying to get to know the area the members the recent converts and how to get the Lords work to continue to go forth so it is wonderful. I am enjoying being here so far and I have met some really cool recent converts like this guy named Bennon and also a guy named Daniel and they both have really cool personalities. Cornellious who was baptized is also really nice and friendly and he reads everything that they have gave him and apparently the missionaries never gave him a Book of Mormon ha that was kind of a bad thing. So for pday we aren't doing much just cleaned the house and Ill probably get a hair cut but that's about it. so we will see. Well I am grateful for the emails and all that you guys do for me. I am blessed to be here in Africa at this time when the gospel is just ready to bless these lives that are here. I know how important this work is and that it must continue to go forth. I really liked those quotes also they are really inspiring. I hope you have a great week and that all goes well! The work must go on woot woot! I love you guys!
Love Elder Hildreth