The Drought is Over

Malo Soifua!!!

Today on the Elder Hill Show:

• We had some fire exchanges with the Spanish Elders, and we saw some awesome miracles (and a good deli)
• We met some new friends, and we kept meeting with some straight fire investigators
• WE GOT PEOPLE TO CHURCH (it doesn't seem like a big deal, but it was huge to us haha

So we had exchanges this past Tuesday with Elders Farr and Fullmer. Elder Farr and Kelley stayed in our pool, and Elder Fanning and I went with Elder Fullmer into the Spanish area for the day. We didn't have any lessons planned, so we just did some language studies and a bunch of messaging people. We also stopped for lunch at a super good deli here (legit looks like the one from Spiderman Homecoming, cat and all). According to Elders Farr, Fullmer, and Kelley, who all previously served in the Bronx, it was a proper NYC deli, and it had SUPER GOOD sandwiches. I got a pastrami hero, and oh my it was fantastic, waaay better than the deli I wrote about last week. After we unexchanged, Eder Kelley told me about the miracles they had in our pool. One guy they had called said he wasn't interested, but he gave us the number of his friend who might be, so we called him up a day or two later. They also had a super awesome lesson with our new friend Eva. She had been referred from Elders elsewhere in NYC, but she had never picked up when we called her. She finally picked up, and she said she had been reading the Book of Mormon, and she already believed it was true!!! We set another lesson with her for later in the week.

We had awesome lessons with some of our new friends, LeBron, Renee, Eva,and Vanessa. All of them really want to grow closer to Jesus Christ, and they are all super excited to keep meeting with us. Eva is the furthest along (already believing in the BoM), but the others aren't far behind. In a conversation we had with Vanessa a few days ago, we brought up baptism in passing (to get her used to hearing us talk about it before the baptismal invitation). She said, "I was baptized a looong time ago, and I wouldn't mind getting baptized again." We're going to alk a little more about it with her haha, but I'm super excited to keep teaching her along with the rest of our awesome friends!!

Which brings me to the best part, we got THREE of them to come to church. Now you may be thinking, "but Elder Hill, you just mentioned four "awesome" people, and surely you're teaching even more than just that. How is getting three so amazing?" To that, I would simply say, "yes that's true, but not only did three people come to church (two for the second time, and one for the first), but they are meeting people in the ward, they're excited to come each Sunday, and they are loving the Spirit they feel, and that's what's important. And on top of THAT, we haven't gotten three people to church in MONTHS, so this is a really exciting thing. I attribute a lot of our success to Elder Fanning. Ever since he's showed up, we've been having fire lessons and finding tons of people. We're getting some good work done out here.

Mafaufauga faaleagaga: God is so good. I simply can't say it enough. I've seen so many miracles and tender mercies this week, ans I know without a doubt that our success and progress is not due to our own mortal efforts. I know and do testify that God is real, He does love His children ,and He does provide a way for those that are prepared to receive the blessings and the fullness of His everlasting gospel. The work out here in Staten Island has not been easy or fast, but it has been glorious. I can't take the credit for the blessings we have received, but I can be grateful for them, and I can show my gratitude by helping my wonderful friends here as best as I can, and leaving the rest up to the Lord. I do my part, and "God giveth the increase" (somewhere in the epistles of Paul).

Thank you all for your prayers and for your love. All I would ask is that you continue to pray for all those who are ready to receive the restored gospel, that they may know how to find it. The power of prayer is real, and it can and will open the blessings of Heaven upon all those who look to receive it. This is my testimony, and I leave with you all in the name of Christ, the great Savior and Friend of the world.

Alofa tele lava atu ia outou,

Elder Hill

Photos:

• The deli cat
• A cool sign at the mall ("Be Kind")
• A bunch of pictures of the shore, the bay, and the bridge (night and day). This spot where all the pics were taken is literally a walkway at the URBY complex (our apartment complex). When it gets warmer, we're going to do lots of walks and take lots of pictures
• Pic with our bishop's son, who just left for a mission in the Philippines