You might want to start at the bottom of this post, then work your way up to this one...
This Week: Gangster Shima
Started this week out with a dangerous hike that almost
killed me.
We had to repent after that for endangering our lives.
But besides that, the view was incredible, and the rest of the week flowed
smoothly.
My new companion is Elder Pincock.
He is really cool, we get along well! We both have the dry sarcasm that ticks
other people off.
So we are getting along nicely.
Plus he likes Avatar the Last Airbender too.
This week we set 7 baptism dates, so the missionary work in
Ft. Defiance is BOMB.
Ben and Amanda are finally getting their marriage ceremony
done THIS Saturday! Ben is being baptized in 2 weeks. FINALLY! :D
Audrey is fasting with her
parents today to decide on her date, and Lisa also fasted today to get help
with her struggles against addiction! So there are 2 more people who are
finally turning around!
Elder Pincock and I decided we are going to make video logs
of our adventures in Fort Defiance this upcoming week. So we will be paying
special attention to drunks, mad rez dogs, and gang activity.
This week we met a gangster lady named Marie, and she is a 70-year-old Navajo
masani (grandmother). She is awesome!!!
It was a windy, dusty day, and Elder Pincock and I were driving through the
ghetto of Fort Defiance. The wind whipped up against our car and we could
barely see through the sandstorm. All of a sudden we see a figure on the side
of the road. A hunched over silhouette with a sagging beanie; it was making
it's way laboriously to the road, hobbling side to side.
All of a sudden, Marie appeared out of the dust, beckoning to us.
We pulled over and rolled down our window.
"Shika adiilwol!", she yelled.
"Haa'ii?" We could barely understand her.
She yelled again asking for help, and so we got out of the car and went with
her into her home to see what she needed.
She proceeded to explain that she had lost sight in her left eye only recently,
and that she had no wood left to stay warm.
"Deesk'az", she said, "I almost froze last night!"
She told us about Elders that used to come by and help her get a ride to church
years ago.
We agreed to help her, and moved some lessons so we could go back to our
trailer and chop wood for her. We got her a huge load of wood, and delivered it
to her home, and then read through a chapter of the Navajo Book of Mormon.
I was able to respond to her fluently in Navajo with her questions and
statements!
She was thrilled to have someone to speak Navajo with!
Her eyes widened when she found out we could read it.
Elder Pincock is almost a year out on his mission but has
never served on the Reservation yet, so I have been helping to teach him
Navajo. He can read pretty well now! He just needs more practice!
"This one will never get it!" She yelled and laughed with hysteria
when he read.
We were able to take Marie to church today, and she loved
it.
"Everyone was so warm to me," she explained in her worn voice,
"I liked that a lot."
She wants to come every week! She is also teaching us to
weave Navajo rugs!
And she gave me a home woven gift to send to my mom.
"Give this to your mother," she said, and winked at me with her good
eye.
God guided us to be where we needed to be this week.
I love my family, I love the Navajo people, and I love Jesus Christ my
savior!
I am so glad I have someone greater than I to guide me, teach me, and show me
my faults and let me improve myself.
He is patient with me, and so loving.
I don't enjoy every moment away from home, family, material, and friends. There are times when I suffer and struggle! I tell God that the only reason I am here is for Him, and I know that He blesses me for that. God will always watch over us when we try to follow him.
I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Try to watch for God's guidance this week, I promise you will see His hand.
-Elder Hilton
Here's the 4 goofs I grew to love living with.
Elder V (the cross-eyed fool) left for Colorado.
We all wished him good luck in White-man's-land
Elder Nishimoto practicing with the swords that Elder V left
behind with me.
The Moulton family sent me an incredible care package. Shout
out to them! We fought Mega-Dino and Maniac-Monkey to the death. The monkey won over and
over because it's cheap.
Also I ate the whole box of cheez-its in 10 minutes....
traditional hooghan we are teaching a new family in (this is not a joke, I confirmed it.Cynthia)
wild cyote
Hiked (climbed) to the top of that left cliff.
Crater Hike!
Hiking 5evr.
View of the hidden crater
#tinypeopleinbigplaces
View of the crater and Fort Defiance behind
Me on top of pride rock.
RIP Elder V
From 3/24/14: I'm Stayin' Put!
Hey everyone!
Looks like I'm staying in Fort Defiance for ANOTHER transfer!
I've been here 6 months and so I'll be going on 7 and a 1/2 and maybe even 9 in
Fort!
My companion, Elder Vicznesky is getting transferred and going Zone
Leader.
I'm bummed, he was my favorite companion so far!!
Lots of good times this week, cruising down desert highways,
running over rez dogs, chasing tumbleweed, the usual. Elder V and I enjoyed the
whole transfer, we just took everything as it came, and worked hard for our
families! I loved it!
Lisa is doing incredible, she can't wait to get baptized! She just has to
finish getting over a few addictions then she is in! She comes to church every
Sunday, and even sang in the Choir yesterday! It's awesome, she has a bigger
smile than any of the member girls, all the time!
Can't wait to see Lisa make these big changes in her life and follow
Christ.
I'm doing really well here, excited to work with my new companion and revamp
the area.
Last night, we went to go give a blessing to a lady with
back problems. A woman named Mary was there. She was deaf! So I got to sign
with her for half an hour, and she was OVERJOYED to be able to have someone to talk
to!! Everyone in the room was amazed, and kept asking what we were saying. They
explained that she had learned sign language when she was a teenager but had
forgotten most of it because nobody else learned it to sign with her. It was
really sad to see that nobody took the time to be able to communicate with
Mary. I signed that she was my new friend, and she started waving her hands so
fast, and made a loud noise with a HUGE smile on her face. I haven't seen
someone that happy for all the 6 months on my mission! I am so glad I learned
sign language! I never thought I would get a chance to really use it!
Right after signing with Mary, the 92-year-old masani (grandmother) sitting in
the room yelled some stuff in Navajo to me. Everyone laughed and didn't think I
could understand her, but I just looked at the woman and replied right back. It
took her so off-guard, but then we talked for a good 5 minutes and I was able
to understand and reply to whatever she said! I am so glad that my efforts in
trying to learn Navajo every day are actually helping me! Learning this dead
language from a book is insanely boring/difficult sometimes, but those moments
make it worth it!
God is really looking over me and guiding me and teaching me. There were a lot
of HUGE difficulties to overcome this transfer, and I didn't face all of them
with the enthusiasm that I should have. But God is patient, and He is so good
to us. I am so glad to have Him, and to be able to look to Jesus Christ as my
best example. When things get tough, just pray! That's what I learned, and I
promise it works.
Love and miss you all!
-Elder Hilton
Beautiful AZ scenery
Elder V cooking Ramen Surprise...
Playing Farkle with Ben and Amanda
Their son likes to chill in this box...
We need a ride.
President Brown feeds
us steaks every transfer! I've had steaks at his house 4 times now! >:)
The ward mission had a field day this week! Kickball was a
blast!
From 3/17/14: I Shaved a Baby's Head!
Hey everyone!
It has just come to my attention that I have been
away from home for 6 whole months.
That's a whole 4th of my mission already, what is
happening?
Awesome week! Lisa and Ben are super close to
baptism! We also got to baptize Marcus!
Also, I shaved a baby's head. Hashke's family called
us and asked if we would do the honor of performing the ceremonial head shaving
for their baby girl. It is a Navajo tradition that when a toddler talks, it is
time for their hair to go. Don't ask me why. But it's a huge honor to perform
this! Usually it is the father, uncle, or a medicine man.
Also apparently if you burn the baby hair, it wards
away demons. So that's kind of awesome.
And yeah, it smells horrible.
Oh! I got to rope goats too!
On Monday, we went hiking and found 3 Anasazi ruins!
Afterwards, we stopped at Jumbo's house (the coolest Navajo ever, he buys brats
and burgers just for the elders to come and enjoy every week), and roped goats!
They run wild and you just swing your rope and hope for the best! Elder V is a
pro roper for some reason, so he taught me how, and I got mine on the first
try.
I sound like a hick.
Roping is awesome.
Anyways, my week was incredible, I love finding
funny moments every day. It keeps me sane.
That's my challenge for you this week. Just laugh a
little! Have some fun and chill out :) Take a step back from your stressful
life, pray a bit, and just go live.
Good vibes your way.
-Elder Hilton
A Wild Goat suddenly appeared...
Here's the children's shelter where Joseph is staying.
Hogan Hozhoni.
That means Happy House.
Ironic.
hair shaving party
pt. II: I look too happy about this
hair shaving party
pt. III: it's not a party anymore
>:)
Sister Nichee burning Hayden's hair.
No demon would stick around for this smell.
Marcus' baptism
So the man sitting down is the Navajo President. President
Shelly agreed to meet with the two missionaries we live with, Elder Lind and
Elder Nishimoto and our mission President and his wife. They talked about him
being on the placement program and he said he wanted a book of Mormon in every
home on the reservation. They also challenged him to read it. He agreed and
asked for more for his family!
