Man of the People

Malo Soifua!!!

Today on the Elder Hill Show:

Sorry I totally forgot to write this earlier, and I don't have as much time as I'd like, so here's the rundown....

 ** I'm becoming friends with a bunch of the people on the streets around here (workers, homeless people, you name it), and it's the best haha

 ** Our district hit all of our KI goals again. It's really nice when that happens haha

 ** You ever get chewed out by the Spirit? It's the best..... (But like for real though)

Mafaufauga faaleagaga: I'll actually share that story of being chewed out by the Spirit (don't worry, he was nice about it). Basically we found this lady named Yris, and she was down to come to church a week or so ago. She actually came, and better yet she loved it! She even came again yesterday! Best of all, she accepted a baptismal date and is super excited for it! Here's the reason why I bring this up. To be completely candid.....we didn't really want to teach her. Her way of speaking is a little different (Spanish is her first language), and we have a very hard time understanding her in every conversation. That led to us not really making an honest effort to contact her and get to her church. Despite our lack of effort, however, she came anyway. I was thinking through this yesterday, and the though came to my mind as clear as day: "The last few people you've helped prepare for baptism, people you've been so excited about, all fell off and didn't make it. Now, finally, here's someone who's showing more initiative and desire than anyone else, and you're not even going to help her? She came to church all by herself! You've been given a gift in this woman, don't waste it."

I felt properly rebuked. I shared these thoughts with my companion, and we discussed what we can do to help her be baptized. It'll be kind of tough to teach her everything, but I think she's exactly the kind of person we need right now. I'm glad she came along and gave me a chance to humble myself (or get compelled to be humble).

I'm grateful that God knows us so well that He gives us circumstances that make us become better. I know I need every single one of 'em haha. Ironically, my subject line is "man of the people" as a joke about all the people I'm becoming friends with, and my one stark memory of this week was the one person I had to learn to love more than all the rest because I didn't want to at first. Luckily, God is good, and He was willing to give me another shot. I'm taking this one.

Alofa tele lava atu ia outou uma,

Elder Hill

Ata:

Couple pretty pictures of flowers 

Pretty sunset

Someone did NOT plan out this door and porch very well

Creepy decoration in someone's porch

Memorial garden for the Holocaust

Ceiling design for our chapel (it's a really pretty room with big clear windows to let the sunlight in)