Hey everyone!

This week was crazy. First time I've been very very discouraged. We went to an investigator yesterday, and he was really angry at us. He told us he had been waiting outside for a ride to church all morning. We had not told him we would give him a ride, there must have been a misunderstanding. So now he won't let us in and he doesn't want to hear from us. I hope we can make it up to him eventually. That was really hard!

Brother Bennett got his priesthood back last week, that was incredible. He is so happy, and you can feel the spirit in their home. Their missionary son Thomas, who passed away, is present when we go out with them to teach. Their humility and love is touching. They fed us a HUGE thanksgiving dinner yesterday, because they will be gone for the holiday. It was DELICIOUS! They are awesome.

We have been able to reach out to so many people in need, teach lessons, and give blessings. I've learned a TON.

Denise Nez, the woman who was hurt by her husband (who ripped out her hair and pushed her over) called again for another blessing. Her husband had come over and pushed her down off her crutches and she tore something in her leg. He had finally left her though, which was good. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm just so alone. I don't want to feel this way anymore." And then she sincerely looked us in the eyes and said, "I just want an eternal companion. I am so old now. I don't want to be left out." We gave her a blessing of healing and comfort, and prayed with her. Afterwards, she wiped her tears, and said, "I will be healed," with utmost conviction. "I won't be left out of God's plan." Her faith was incredible.

Lot's of other exciting news but most importantly is Skye! She is getting baptized on Saturday! I can't wait! She is almost 10 years old, and her mom Natasha was baptized years and years ago, but doesn't go to church. Natasha went through a horrible divorce, and decided she and her 4 children needed religion. Her children are Skye (9), Jade (7), Alex (6), baby Lexi (toddler), and they all love it when Elder Lloyd and I come around. They immediately run over to us and give us huge hugs and do the monkey deal where they latch on to us until Natasha tells them to give us space hahahaha! They play games with us and draw us pictures and tease us. But the story was that while Natasha took the kids to different churches, Skye would say "No, not this one." "Not this one." And Natasha would take them to a new church. When the LDS missionaries came by, Skye said, "Mom, I want to hear more." And then they began to teach her! She was so excited about learning, and would do any reading assignment the missionaries left with her. Jade would ask really hard/scary questions apparently, because eventually the missionaries stopped visiting them, and then a new companionship of Elders went by to teach them, and again Jade deterred them. Jade was raised Traditionally, so she speaks Navajo and is a little engrained into the practices/traditions, and so the questions she asked really deterred the Elders apparently! By the 3rd set, though, us, Jade calmed down and just started to listen. I haven't heard ONE of the "scary" questions from her. But we started teaching Skye and she has learned all the requirements for baptism, I can't wait for Saturday! Through teaching Skye, we have been bringing Natasha to church as well, and she has taken a big interest. She asks really good questions, and she sits through classes with us! Pray for the Foster family!

Anyways, besides dodging aggressive Rez dogs, digging from the river wash, hiking Fuzzy Mountain, learning more Navajo, tracting in the ghetto, praying for drunks, etc. No huge adventures!

One interesting story:

We were tracting and this man opens the door. "How are you today sir!" He just looks at us strangely and says, "Come in." We go in and sit down, and he asks if we want juice. We tell him yes, and he goes into the kitchen and shuffles around, then brings us two glasses of red punch. We start talking to him and eventually  he opens up and tells us something insane. "27 years ago, my wife," he started to cry, "left me." We offered our condolences and he looked at us and said, "She left me for someone like you."

We were confused.

"We were sealed in the temple, and she ran off with an Elder while he was on his mission." Then he looks at us intensely and says, "let me grab something".

Elder Lloyd and I were actually pretty nervous at this point.

He shuffles around and then reaches into a shelf and grabs out a big power drill.

He looked at us and pulled the button on the drill and we were just frozen still.

Then he sets it down (phew hahaha) and goes into the back room and grabs two arrows that were attached. Then he set it in front of us and started to tell us a story. PHEW. We were just being paranoid.  He went on to tell us about how during his final archery tourney, (he was a competitive archer), that the man before him was 2 points ahead and had just shot a bulls eye. He had to shoot the perfect shot to win. And he did! He "Robin Hooded" it. He showed us the arrow, it had gone right through the first arrow, and he had won first place!

But anyways!

God really does look after all of us, and I am so grateful for that. This week was very difficult, and I couldn't have finished through without my savior Jesus Christ. He gives me strength.

Thank you everyone for the letters and emails this week, I LOVE hearing from you!

Write me a letter if you get the time this week! :)

God bless you all! Until next week!

\

View from our hike to Fuzzy Mountain

 

Elder Lloyd and I on top of Fuzzy Mountain

 

1 month missionary pie the sisters made me. they always bring treats around, they are awesome. I swear they are trying to make us fat. The gym every morning helps at least.

 

"What it's Like on the Rez" from a letter.

The following is an excerpt from a letter we received this week:

This is what its like on the Rez:

Each trailer is spread out very rurally.  EVERY SINGLE ONE is water damaged, dilapidated, and broken down!  Now imagine tracting in a huge dust storm, and in muddy, snowy weather! (yes its snowed here one day!)  Add attack dogs chained up in EVERY yard!  Rottweilers are scary!  My companion has been bitten and taken to the hospital! Two other Elders in Chinle were shot at!  Are you getting a good mental picture?  NOW...take all of the above into consideration, and then imagine that me and my companion are the ONLY WHITE people!!  Everyone is Navajo!

They call us "bilagaana".  It used to translate into something like "indian killer", but now it just refers to white people.  The Navajo are so awesome!  If you yell "ya at eeh" to them, they light up and welcome us over.  They usually let us in to talk too.  Most of the time they are just being polite though.  NEVER compliment something in their home, they will insist on giving it to you and if you don't take it, they will be greatly offended.  I mentioned the wonderful smell of food in one home, and the man hurried to make me a huge sandwich, even though they had so little food!  One elder complimented a painting and they forced him to take it!  Gotta be careful, haha!

We live in a little trailer right behind a church building.  We share with another companionship, and our tiny place is like a 5 star hotel compared to the peoples homes!

Ive taught so many amazing lessons already, and seen miracles happen. I don't say that lightly either.  God loves us SO much  and gets me through every day here.  The people we teach are changing.  A few families were already so prepared for us before we even taught them.  I am literally here in Gods will, teaching the people He has prepared!

The members and investigators here have such faith and humility, especially for their circumstances, and I have truly been humbled here.  Everyone needs to experience this!

Religions!

Everyone here is religious in some way.  Here are the 4 main options:

1. LDS:  There are a lot of baptized Navajo here.  Most are inactive and don't know anything about the church.  They were part of the placement program that took place a few decades ago. 

2.  Catholic:  Lots of Catholic schools were put in years and years ago. 

3.  Traditional:  I don't know a ton, but this is the native religion.  Its scary!  I don't know the theology but it involves peyote, ceremonies, etc.  Some forms are more innocent, just a belief in an overall creator coupled with some funky stuff.  But the other side of traditional is very corrupt!  Medicine men here claim to be able to change or heal people.  It costs $900  here to be "healed" of an ear-ache!  And the people pay it!  They smoke peyote and perform very expensive rituals.  A very small part of traditional is satanic and involves skinwalkers and demonic things that are believed to haunt the night here.  Its very important to have the Spirit here, and know that the Savior us protecting you.  Lots of traditional is fueled by superstition.  Its apparent that satan is real here!  But guess who is stronger?  That's right!  Jesus Christ!  :)

4.  NAC:  Native American Church.  They have their own beliefs and hate traditional.  I'm pretty sure they use peyote too. 

Overall the culture here is crazy!

Luckily, my area of the Rez is much safer compared to others in my zone, and I haven't dealt directly with anything too scary.  But if I have to, I'm truly ready.  I love my Savior and trust Him to keep me safe.  I am here to bring our brothers and sisters to Him.  He will not fail me.  I know He is always by our side!

Week 2 on the Rez!

Ya'ah'teeh'!
Hey everyone!
Another crazy week on the Rez!

The poverty, abuse, and conditions here are horrifying, and I have seen God's hand in my life every day here.

One lady called us this past week, in hysteria! Her husband had just been drinking again, and he had assulted her and ripped a lot of her hair out. She was completely out of sorts, and she had called me and my companion, telling us she didn't know what to do. I told her to come to the church! It was a crazy, long day, but we gave her a blessing, and she was able to calm down and work out her situation. She is leaving her husband, even though it was so obviously difficult for her. She made the choice after a lot of prayer and thought.

But the point of the story is that God really does comfort us. In our utmost times of hardship, God is right there with us. We can pray and recieve comfort from Him. And so how much more important it is to pray and give thanks during the times when we DON'T have hardship! We can't take God for granted!! Be aware of Him at every moment, during every day!

I honestly don't know what to write!  I'm learning a lot more Navajo, trying to be able to pick up words during conversation, and I am learning a lot of phrases to use during lessons! "Nihi zhe'e diyin God ani..." "Our Father in Heaven says..."  Stuff like that!

I have worked hard alongside the Navajo people this week. I love them! Their people are so amazing. I love all the little kids, they have the deepest, roundest brown eyes you will ever see! My buddy, Kai is in 3rd grade, and he calls me shi'k'is (my buddy). 

We went out wood hauling with a few of the ward families, and these stumps were HUGE. One of them landed on my left hand. I scraped up all of my fingers, and my index finger was so swollen I couldn't bend it for a couple days! It kinda hurts to type right now haha! But it's better now, and it was so worth it!

Send me letters! If you have questions or anything just write me, and I'm happy to tell stories, give advice, or share experiences!

We have one investigator, Georgina, who is doing so well! But she didn't show up yesterday for her lesson! Keep her in your prayers!  She is a nice Catholic lady who isn't allowed by her pastor to take Communion because she was married outside the church. She is struggling a lot, and is super busy with work!  But I can't wait to meet with her again soon!

Overall, this week, I just want you all to know how important it is to pray!  Without getting help from Christ this week, I WOULD HAVE BEEN TOAST. Strike that. Navajo Fry Bread. But same thing.
During our hardest times, we need to remember to get down on our knees, and plead God for help.
I KNOW I wouldn't have been able to get through everything this week without that.

Diyin nihil holo doo.
God be with you!

Hagonee'!

Me on top of Window Rock from last Monday! Such a cool hike!!

View from our P-day hike

 

 Here is a big tarantula that we found crawling on my shoe!

This is John. He is a former practicer of Tradition, which is the Navajo religion.
He is going through cancer, and leukemia treatments, and is such an incredible guy. He is now christian, and we teach him about our church every week. He really enjoys our visits, and he has read the whole book of mormon. He always has really good questions too. I love visiting him!

Yah' te' ee'! First Week! Fort Defiance, AZ

Yah' te' ee'!
Hey everyone!  So I've been on my mission for a week!  I'm on Fort Defiance, Arizona, and its in the Navajo Nation.  IT IS LITERALLY A DIFFERENT COUNTRY HERE. I'm learning a lot of Navajo too!! The poverty is shocking, and I've been so humbled to be here.

Oct 8, 2013
First official day! I was assigned to Elder Lloyd and we drove from Farmington for 3 hours to Fort Defiance! I am on the Rez! The Navajo people are so friendly, and I already feel a love for them. We dropped off my luggage at the small mobile home behind the church where I'll live. Then we went over for a dinner appointment at the Tullies! We gave grandma Tullie a blessing of comfort, and their daughter a blessing of healing. Brother Tullie gave the blessing to his mom, speaking half of the words in Navajo, and even though I couldn't fully understand it, I could feel God's love for the woman, the spirit was so strong. They fed us Navajo-style hash and tortillas, it was delicious! My first Rez meal! Sister Tullie tried to trick me into eating a SUPER spicy pepper. Elder Lloyd ate it and his eyes watered up and his forehead started to sweat haha. Next we went to the bennet home. Sister bennet is a ward missionary. I found out that brother and sister bennet had lost their missionary son to a heart attack only 2 months before. Their son, Thomas' death caused his inactive sister Shelly to take a new interest in the family and in God and church. I want to reach out to her! Seeing the Bennet's small trailer and their situation, coupled with their humility and faith was amazing. I am truly humbled today. We went on to teach a few lessons that day, and I am so overwhelmed and humbled.

Oct 9, 2013
First time tracting. We went door to door between trailer homes, and the condition of the homes was HORRIBLE. Cardboard-covered warped windows, shattered glass and old garbage lay everywhere. I was pretty nervous. Every house had an attack dog chained up outside. Rottweiler central. At the same time I wasn't too nervous because I said a prayer asking for courage to talk to people. I knew the Lord was behind me and that he was protecting me. Elder Lloyd had already been bit and sent to the hospital before I transferred in. We met Priscilla, an old retired Navajo, and she told us we could come by some time! Later that day, we went to do service on a roof. There was a storm predicted so we went to help out. This Navajo family doesn't even have a roof! The dad is too lazy to help, and the 23 year old son is an alcoholic and doesn't help either. It was difficult working on this roof for them for hours, especially when the daughter walked by and we said hi and she looked the other way, ignoring us. Haha, and mom, if you knew how dangerous that roof was, with the thin boards and SUPER windy storm that literally almost knocked us off several times, you would kill me :)
But it ended up being a good day. We met a woman named Georgina and are now teaching her :)

Oct 10, 2013
I love the Navajo people more and more!!
Today we went by Shelly and Lawrences trailer and caught them at home. Shelly is interested in God, and Lawrence does too, they both need a lot of help getting jobs and starting off their family. Their little girl is so cute! The navajo babies have the HUGEST brown eyes. At the end of our lesson, Lawrence prayed for us, and he thanked God for sending us.
After that, we went to visit Cindy. She was very sick, and asked if we could come back later. She was a contact, and I wanted to meet her, so instead of letting her close the door, I introduced myself and told her I was so excited to meet her. She paused for a moment, then invited us in. We talked with her for a while. She is a Catholic and prays daily. She has Shingles, and has been very sick.
She broke down and started crying, telling us that she prays and prays, but she wants to know for sure that God is there for her. She feels something missing. I asked her if she wanted to come to church with us, she said yes!  I told her God loves her and will care for her. We asked to give her a priesthood blessing of healing, and she said yes. I explained to her what priesthood was. Through her faith in Jesus Christ, she could be healed.  We gave her the blessing. As the words were spoken, I watched her hold her poor wrinkled hands out in front of her, in a humble, plea to God. Her palms faced upwards, and her bony fingers trembled. I could feel her earnest hope. I could feel God's love for her too. The blessing promised she would be haled. Her faith would make her whole. I begged God to heal her and comfort her, and bless her. At the end of the blessing she closed her eyes and made a relgious gesture. It was so touching.  (We met with her since, and she is feeling SO much better! She is now reading the Book of Mormon and is  coming to church with us!)

I don't have time to write anymore, but moral of the story: GOD IS GOOD. There are so many people here who need His love, and I hope I can share it as much as possible.

Besides the 3 other missionaries here, I am the only white person. I have seen men addicted to alcohol, a woman beat by her husband, with her hair torn out, attack dogs in the streets fighting,
true poverty, abuse, and so much more. Please keep the Navajo people in your prayers.

Please write me letters, I need to hear from you all!

Elder Davis Hilton

400 WEST APACHE STREET
FARMINGTON NEW MEXICO 87401

(I apologize right now for taking so long to get back to you all, the mail is slower on the Rez, and I missed my last P-day because I was travelling. But PLEASE write me!)

Family: I miss you SO MUCH! I want a hug from each of you.

Everyone: DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED. IN THE US, WE HAVE SO MUCH AND ARE SO LUCKY I CANT EMPHASIZE THIS OVER AN EMAIL PRETEND I AM YELLING THIS RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE SO FREAKING LUCKY TO LIVE WHERE YOU DO WITH THE CONDITIONS YOU HAVE. SO DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!!!

God bless you all,
Spread Christ's light this week.

-Elder Hilton

even though everything seems dead here, once you get used to it, the landscapes with the mesas and HUGE clear fields and skies are incredible. I love the red rock too.

here is me with our investigator Earl. He is SO awesome. He yells "yah' te' ee'  ga'malii!!"
whenever he sees us. it means, IT IS GOOD, MISSIONARIES!! And he runs over with his hands up yelling yah' te' ee'!!! over and over, and he is so energetic. I wish you could meet him!! hahahaa

This is me and our investigator Odessa. She's 24! She is so sweet and she makes her living by selling cupcakes on her bike! We have a baptism date with her. She has a bunch of tiny cats that are awesome.

the sunsets here are the BEST, and at night you can see the stars better than anywhere. I've literally never seen them clearer

This is me and my companion Elder Lloyd (the shorter one) and the two sisters and two elders in our DIstrict. We are eating at Brother White's house (he's a recovering alcoholic) We opened the door and he held out a sign that said Love your Companion? Make them fry bread then. So we all made frybread for each other, haha its a navajo bread and it's pretty good! We put bacon and hash and eggs on it, kind of like a tortilla breakfast deal.

 

 

MTC 9/25/13-10/07/13

Hello everyone!!!
(Mom, I put all the contacts I have here on a list, but your job is to make a list and forward these big emails to the people who want them!)

The first week here at the MTC has been really really awesome!
I was the kind of kid who hated EFY, and when I heard that the MTC was like EFYx100, I thought "great...". 

But right off the bat, I left the car and got dropped of by my family to see Nate Nickel! I also ran into Tyler and Andrew Belnap and a few others! Nate helped me take my luggage and get all set up!
When you're new to the MTC you get a "nerd dot" on your tag, which is a little orange sticker. Everyone makes fun of you (in a good natured way) and welcomes you to the MTC.
I heard "welcome to the MTC" over 100 times that day.... so annoying.
Luckily today is the new missionary arrival day so WE get to be the annoying welcomers >:))

Anyways, my luggage got taken by some Sister, and I lost my key but it all ended up working out eventually....! I was actually in a super good mood the whole time. After leaving my family, I thought it would be SUPER hard to avoid being really sad, but I wasn't! I miss you guys so much!!! But I've been able to stay positive and help lift up other people around me. There's lots of people here who are sad! But everyone is so excited about sharing a little bit of Jesus here that everyone is so happy and nice!

I met my District (7 other missionaries), and they are AWESOME!
My District Elder Ellis- This guy is HILARIOUS. He knows anything and everything about cars, and he will tell you stories that will literally make you cry laughing. A little outspoken, but that's the kind of humor I like.

Elder Swett- (yes you pronounce it "sweat) This guy is so responsible and nice, he is always on top of the schedule and keeps us in line. He's awesome. He likes to make fun of Elder Ellis (because he sounds a little Texan) and talk in an emphasized hick accent. It's so funny, the whole district starts doing it all the time.
Ellis and Swett Sister Nielson- She is so awesome! She is really short so we make short jokes to her. But secretly I love her because shes as nerdy as I am, and we talk about Avatar the Last Airbender all the time. I feel right at home, Summer, Dallin, and Austin, you would love her! We both decided that waterbending would be the best. Sister Nielson's companion thinks earthbending is better though??? Hmm.
Nielson
Sister Combs- She is sister Nielson's companion and she and siser Nielson should be sisters because they are hilarious and nerdy and awesome. The description of Sister Nielson describes sister combs almost the same. Except she's not tiny. But she is so nice and we share a lot of the same opinions about things!

Sister Maughn- She is awesome! We call her the Maugnster, because if anyone is off track in class, or goofing off too much, she whips them back into shape. One of the most spiritual and kind people I've ever met, I'm really glad she's in my district! She has a LOT of faith, I love it.

Sister Andreason- She is sister Maugn's companion! She is also so cool, and WAY nice. She is probably the most apt scripture guru in the world. In class, when I need a verse and cant remember the reference, I yell for sister andreason!! She is SO knowledgable, and also has so much faith. Her and sister M. work so well together! All of the companionships in my district were so perfect, it couldn't have been coincidence.

You're probably wondering about my companion!
Well....so was I!
He didn't show up when I got there, and so I tagged along with Elders Swett and Ellis. I got to know them really well, and the lessons and classses were intense and awesome!
The days were SOOOOOO SOOOO SO long at first because we had so many new classes up from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm and so I had to adjust from my usual summer "wake up at noon and watch some netflix, take a nap, wake up and eat some food, go to bed" schedule.
But by saying they were long, I also don't mean they werent good. I feel so productive here, and theres a crazy energy you get by being around people who are charged to do the same thing that you want to do. I also think it helps to pray and ask for energy and positivity, honestly haha.

But finally, my companion got here, (he had missed his flight) and his name is Elder Beus!
He is SO COOL!!!!
We have the same stupid humor and get along REALLY well.
He is hilarious! And he is really dutiful to church stuff, so he's a good guy to be around. I'll send pictures soon!
Beus and I But anyways, the day finished up and I was exhausted! And the next day and the next day!
By lunch time every day, we ALL felt like it was dinner, and we said we could all go to bed haha but we still had 6 more hours to be up and study and learn!
Even though it was exhausting, it was SO good! The teachers here really do a great job, and we learn from eachother as a district a LOT. The first time we all met in a room together, we all shared the reason we where on our missions, and shared our beliefs, and it was SO POWERFUL. The spirit was immediately there, and it's always here! I can almost always feel God's love for me here, while i'm focusing on other people, or investigators!


As the week went on, the days got quicker and quicker it seemed, and I fell asleep easier and had more energy during the day. I think I'm used to it now!

But I've already gone way too much into depth!

Important things that have happened since those few days-
-Gym time is awesome, we play ultimate frisbee or huge volleyball/basketball games
-The food is good!
-We made an MTC rap and even though it makes us feel whiter than our shirts, we rap it everywhere we go on the MTC campus
-Temple this morning! it was good!
-SO MANY LESSONS LEARNED IN CLASSES, DEVOTIONALS, etc.
-SACRAMENT MEETING WAS AMAZING. It is so powerful to be in a room full of missionaries who love the Lord and want to share Him with other people and take the sacrament! I felt Jesus Christ and His love SO strongly that day. And I bore my testimony about how excited I am to share Him with people.
-ASHLEY AND THOMAS ARE HERE!!!! I SEE THEM BOTH EVERY DAY, ITS SO COOL TO BE HERE AT THE MTC WITH BOTH OF MY BEST FRIENDS. I MISS ALL OF MY HOMEWRECKERS OUT THERE.
My last day at the MTC with BFF Thomas
Anyways, the biggest thing I've learned here is that I am so excited to share Jesus Christ with people. I love Him and am so thankful for His atonement. Without it, I wouldn't  be at the MTC!!
I've learned that I am here on a mission to TEACH PEOPLE, NOT LESSONS. I am not here to prove to them why the Book of Mormon is true, or to make them understand the restoration, but I am here to help INVITE them to Christ. I am here to love them as He does, and to help lift up their burdens. I will do ANYTHING for someone who doesn't know they are loved by God, and their brother Jesus Christ, to come to that understanding. I will do yardwork for them for weeks, even if they still wont let me in their home to talk!

Listen to people! Love them as God does. See them through His eyes! The Savior loves the people around you just as much as He loves you. You come into contact with these people EVERY DAY.
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A CHRISTIAN TO SHARE HIS LOVE WITH EVERYONE. DO NOT FOCUS ON THE RULES OR THE DOCTRINE OR THE SPECIFICS. DO NOT JUDGE PEOPLE WHO DONT DO THINGS HOW YOU THINK THEY SHOULD, OR PEOPLE WHO MAKE MISTAKES OR HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS THAN YOU!

Only do one thing!
LOVE Jesus Christ your savior. Give Him ALL that you have. Because He gave you more than anyone ever will. You owe Him.
AND because you owe Him, you owe EVERYONE who does not understand that He loves them.
IT is YOUR job to focus on Christ, to lift up people around you, to love them as Christ would.
CHRIST LOVED EVERYONE JUST AS MUCH AS YOU. HE LOVED THE SINNERS AND THE HYPOCRITES AND THE PHARISEES.
You can put in a tiny bit of effort and love your neighbor who doesn't go to church. Or your friend who uses language you wouldn't. Or the person who makes fun of you. Or your siblings. EVERYONE.

Read the sermon on the mount in Matthew. :)
Pray at any time to get help from God, He loves you.
Ask for any time to get strength from our Savior, Jesus Christ. He died for you! He will help you through anything.

I don't have any more time but I love you all and have an amazing week!!!!!!!

I don't have very many people's emails, so hopefully my mom can get this to all of you! I want to hear from you ALL!!!
Brynne, Allison, Mason, Mary, Grant, Siblings, Friends, EVERYONE write me, I want to know how you're doing!