Elder Shill week 49 Happy **20th** Birthday! :)

Hello Friends and Family!!

Thank you all for the birthday wishes and packages y'all sent. I really appreciate it!:) I honestly cant believe I am 20 years old now

Holy cow a ton happened this week! 

1) We had interviews with the President and President Weed came to district meeting which was awesome. I love being able to hear his words of wisdom. Afterwards he stayed for a lesson with a new investigator. I love how the Spirit feels when we teach someone who is sincerely seeking the gospel. 

2) We had an entire family come to the family history center to do Family History! They aren't investigators yet, but I don't think it will be long until they do investigate the church. BTW the family history center lesson is my favorite lesson to teach. 

3) We took our recent convert out to visit some people. He is an absolutely incredible teacher. 

4) We have put in another 40 hours of service.

Things I learned:

1) There is nothing better than the companionship of the Holy Ghost

2) Eye of Faith ==> Eternal Perspective

I love ya'll,

-Elder Shill

 

 

Week 48

Hello Friends and Family

This week has been one crazy week. We have done an incredible amount of service. I have also learned that the blessings from the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood and the Word of Wisdom are real. Prior to my mission I was a nerdy software developer. I sat in a chair for hours on end getting little to no exercise. When I wasn't programming I was watching Netfilx or eating ice cream. How I was not obese is beyond my comprehension. This week I helped stores and families evacuate, clean up limbs and trees, and bag/transport/place well over 7000 sand bags throughout the city. Some how, task after task I had just enough energy to continue on. Some how, I was able to continue lifting hundreds of sand bags in and out trucks. Some how, I did not drop the plethora of furniture we moved on myself or my companion. Some how, I could keep going when I know back home my body would have given out in 30 min. Even more amazing I was able to maintain a smile on my face the whole time. Needless to say, my mind is blown. I am grateful for the covenants and commandments that bless us.

Hiott Walker got Baptized!!! It was so fun teaching him the past 6 weeks and watching him progress in the Gospel. I was able to confirm him a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and give him the Holy Ghost. That was such a neat experience. 

I Love yall,

-Elder Shill

P.S. 7000 bags x 40lb per bag + 6,000lbs of furniture = 286,000lbs of stuff. (I promise this is not an exaggeration!)

 

 

Week 47 Hurricane Matthew

Hello Family!

This has been quite an amazing week. Our investigator, passed his baptismal interview so we will be holding his baptismal service on Saturday!.. Assuming there isn't any flooding to prevent it. We are just grateful that we were able to get him interviewed before all of the major flooding. 

Hurricane Mathew has made quite an impact here in Kinston.  We stayed the night with a ward family.   The entire time I felt like I was in the canyons of Lake Powell waiting out a storm. Only this time I wasn't helping Dad man the ropes and boats and the ground wasn't rocking. I just quietly waited inside for something to happen and for someone to direct me to fix something, but nothing could be done. There was nothing to stress my mind, nothing to watch over.

Yesterday morning we did service trackting to help people in the neighborhood. It was amazing to see how many trees had fallen and how many power-lines were strung out all over the road. There was one man we helped, who initially said he didn't need any help, carry out about a 5ft pile of limbs and sticks from his yard. 

We have been rendering service All day yesterday and will continue doing primarily service throughout the week. We are doing our best to manage all the requests for help. We helped a local store move ALL of its furniture to its second story. Needless to say, we are exhausted. There are a couple members who were flooded out that we will be visiting today to see if we can render any service there. I know that there are many other members in need of help. Our apartments are fine. The Kinston Spanish Apartments still do not have power so they are staying with us (Kinston English) because we live a stones through away and we have power.

Every time we visit a place we can see an increase in the water level. I have heard that the water is supposed to be about 4 ft higher than hurricane Floyd. That is almost literally going to turn Kinston into an island. All of the roads will be closing. We loaded up at Walmart today so between members and our mini food storage, we will have plenty of food.

I love yall,

-Elder Shill

 

 

 

 

Week 46 General Conference

Hello Friends and Family!!

This week has been an absolutely incredible week! We had one of the most spiritual lessons I have had to this point on my mission. Our Investigator with a baptismal date came to general conference. I testify that if you come to general conference truly seeking the Lord's will or an answer to a question you will receive it. I received answers to my questions and our investigator received a powerful witness from the Holy Ghost that this church is the only true church of Jesus Christ. After conference we had an impromptu lesson to go over conference. We all, being the men we are, fought every tear that came to our eyes. I am so humbled to be a servant of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to be able to dedicate my life to serving him. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet today. I know that there are Apostles on the earth. I know that Joseph Smith really did see Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God. I know that true disciples of Jesus Christ are empowered to experience joy in even the most dismal of circumstances. I invite all to read the Book of Mormon, Ponder the hopeful doctrine that is taught, and Pray to the Father to ask if this is His church with the intent of joining if it is.

I love Jesus Christ. 

 

-Elder Shill

 

P.S. Those pictures of the Rainbow are unedited and the real rainbow was 1000x better.