Oct 13 This Life is Beautiful!

It's day 3 without water and our electricity went out this morning, but all is well! I've been getting really good at bathing with just a wash cloth! The only problem is flushing the toilets...I'll just leave it at that haha.

But yeah everything is great! This week we even made cookies AND peach cobbler that's how good life is! (Not only am I becoming more Christ-like on my mission, but I'm also becoming a better baker!)  We couldn't find chocolate chips at the store, so we improvised and bought a chocolate bar and then I had some fun smashing it up with a massive stick to make chocolate chunks!

So as for the work this week, we had some great days and then some not-so-great days...It's funny how some days I'm just like yesssss this is the best! and then others I can just be really down and tired, but it's all in your attitude out here! And I'm learning to love it even on the days that it's very hard and hot and nobody listens to us! We found some awesome people this week though so I'm super excited to see them continue to progress and come closer to Jesus Christ!

This week we had a branch activity that us missionaries put together.  We invited tons of investigators and members to come to the church on Saturday and we watched the movie about the Restoration and we also watched Finding Faith in Christ and we rented a popcorn machine and bought a bunch of Sobo (the most popular drink here which is just sugar syurp concentrate that you mix with water).  We had an amazing show up and many of the members brought their friends and everything was great, but then the projector cords were broken so it wouldn't play...awkward...but we decided to just sing hymns and then Jonathan, one of the members in the branch, ran up to a mini shop on the street and bought a new cord real fast. So yep that was a set back.. but it all worked out. We showed the Restoration and then had a few people bear their testimonies and a great member shared his conversion story (in Chichaywa..I have no idea what he said) and it was just a great activity. Of course my companion and I, the ones who planned it all, didn't have any investigators show up even though we invited sooo many. BUT right as we were finishing, Louis showed up and enjoyed some socializing, popcorn and sobo, and they put in Finding Faith in Christ to watch while we socialized and he loved it and even after everyone left he stayed and wanted to help clean with E. Chiliza and I!   The next day he came to church as well even though his classes in town start at 8:00 and so does church but he sacrificed time to come to Sacrament meeting!

Oh we got mail for the first time this week too! I got 1 letter! Hand written letters are great!

So yep that's a little snapshot of the week I had! I'm very happy and love this life - even if we don't have water and every single dish in our flat is dirty and I'm wearing my last clean shirt and pair of socks today and its burning hot everyday! I'm grateful for this opportunity and privelege to be a missionary!

I hear there's a good movie out in the theaters for a short time called "Meet the Mormons"? You should all go see it!  (Click on link to find out where.  All proceeds go to the Red Cross and David Archuleta sings a beautiful new song.  That alone is worth listening to -- can hear by going to the link!)

The Church is true!Love

Elder Grant Alan Hiltbrand

John 17:14-19 

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.