The Final Week!

The last full week on the mission is in the books! Only a couple more days and two years in the desert will have been completed. It's a humbling thought, looking back at all the things that have happened and all the lessons learned.

 

This week was super cool! We met a guy named Brandon, who basically just walked into the church and asked some missionaries how he could learn more. He is an awesome guy that is simply looking for something more in life. He feels like there is a lot more to life that he simply doesn't understand and he wants to find out what it is. So we were talking with him a little bit and he is just so open to learning. He came to church on Sunday and was paying the most rapt attention. All he wanted was to learn, to find truth and that was awesome. He is so sincere, and keeps wanting to see things improve. I'm pretty sad I won't be able to keep working with him after this week, but I know he'll be all right.

 

Well, with everything winding to a close, I'm not sure what I want to say. It's been an awesome two years. God is good. He lives and He loves every single one of you. I know as we keep that at the center of our worship and our beliefs, He will help us to come closer to Him and to continue growing in our knowledge of the truth. Hope all is well! See you soon!

Take care and God bless, 

Elder Hiatt

Miracles

So, it has been a while since I have written one of these, sorry for the long break.
Christmas was awesome, New Years was pretty relaxed and moving into the last month of my mission is pretty intimidating. It doesn't really feel like it has been two years most of the time, but there are also times when it feels much longer than that. When I see and hear about how much has changed at home it seems like its been forever. But when I realize the changes that have happened in myself and how quickly those seem to have happened, it seems like it was just yesterday. The mission definitely changes you, and I know it has definitely changed me for the better.

I have realized that the last couple of months and was talking to a good friend recently about the miracle of change in ourselves. We often think of miracles as being supernatural events that take place in the world, but I think the biggest miracles are the ones that happen within each of us. Like the story of Alma the Younger in the Book of Mormon, the changes within us are only possible with the help of our Savior. When we turn to Him and seek His help to make changes in our lives, the results are truly miraculous. I have seen that countless times over the past 2 years, particularly in myself, but also in the lives of all the people that I have had the opportunity to help make those changes. And that, I believe, has been the biggest reason for the changes in me. When we focus on helping others come closer to Christ, we are automatically changed to be better and come closer to Him ourselves. It's kind of a paradox, how the greatest changes to ourselves come when we are entirely focused on others. But I know that is true. We can only do so much for ourselves when we are all we focus on. When we reach out in charity to bless the lives of others, we are granted through the grace of God experiences that change us and make us better. Miracles do happen, every day. And we can be a big part of it by seeking to be the answer to others' prayers. 

 

But anyways, still a few more weeks of good to be done. Hope all is well back home! Love you all. Take care, and God bless, 

Elder Hiatt