It's Funny 'Cuz Corona

Malo Soifua!!!

Today on the Elder Hill Show:

 ** Quick PSA: the 2022 Youth Album is absolute FIRE 🔥🔥

 ** Finding is way easier here haha

 ** We went to Manhattan, and I felt like I was home haha

 ** The ward Christmas party was epic #blacksanta

It's the holiday season, folks. If any of you want to send me anything (cards, letters, packages, gifts, large amounts of money, etc 🤣), my address is 

37-47 98th St #2f, Corona, NY 11368

(Yes I live in Corona, in Queens. Yes it's funny because coronavirus).

The Rego Park area of Queens is WILD. It's so fast paced and energetic here. The work is crazier and faster than anything I've ever seen before. My comp Elder Kim just came from the Korean area, which is lots of hard work, and he's been in awe of the success and the miracles that we see each day. We use the trains a lot to get from our apartment to our chapel, and it's a prime setting to find new people to teach. We've gotten more phone numbers and new people than I frankly thought was even possible. Our goal now is to somehow have time to teach all of these people haha, and to find ways to keep them progressing. Exciting stuff is coming.

We had to visit Manhattan for a quick errand on Thursday, and it was sooo nice. Queens is wonderful, but I'm still getting used to the metro and the streets. When we stepped out into the street in lower Manhattan, I knew exactly where we were and exactly where to go. As we walked I pointed out famous places or places that I'd been before, which was a nice walk down memory lane for me.

On Saturday we had our ward's Christmas dinner, and it was amazing. One of our friends came, which was really nice, and there was a good number of members there. They made SO MUCH FOOD for everyone, and I literally ate so much I felt a little sick haha. We sang some carols and read the Christmas story from the Bible and the BoM, which was super cool. After those, they brought out DESSERT (I thought we'd already had it lol). I got a piece of pecan pie, but I was already so full I couldn't even finish it. Good times all around.

Mafaufauga faaleagaga: At church yesterday we had Elder Buckner, an Area 70, come and speak in Sacrament meeting. He gave a fire talk about helping others come closer to Christ. He had the Bishop come to the pulpit, and he asked him how many baptized people live in his ward. He then asked how many people live in his ward, and he pointed out that those two numbers are NOT the same. (Our ward boundaries cover up to about a half million people). Elder Buckner said, "When you stop delineating between baptized and unbaptized members of your ward, your life will change markedly... Let's fill this room. Not with numbers, but with family." I hope you can see how profound that line of thinking is, because it's absolutely amazing. Please reach out to everyone you come in contact with. Share a little Christmas cheer with anyone and everyone.

Alofa tele lava atu ia outou uma,

Elder Hill

Ata:

• Member from the Czech Republic that we ran into in Manhattan
• Train with Manhattan on the horizon
• Elder Kim and me
• Post district council halal run with the other English Elders and the ZLs
• Fun friends we made on the train
• Christmas dinner with Elders Biggs & Kitchen and their recent convert named Finbar (he's an absolute LEGEND)
• Pictures with Santa (ft. Finbar again lol)