O Melhor Semana (Christian's Mission - Week 5)

Olá 

Essa Semana e a melhor semana que nos temos no CTM ate agora. 

It started Saturday night with maybe the funnest and funniest physical activities we have had. Elder Becker, Elder Falevai, and Sister Haguewood were playing volleyball, but the game was full, so that left Me, Elder Polmateer, and Sisters Evans Burnett and Young to figure something out to do. 

We ended up deciding to play Elders vs Sisters Basketball, hoping that the 3 on 2 advantage that the sisters had would even out the playing field, but it turns out it doesn't matter. Elder Polmateer and I ended up winning 20-8, maybe the first time I have ever actually contributed to a winning basketball game. I scored 16 of our points. Apparently being a foot taller than somebody really helps when playing basketball. 

Despite the deterministic defeat, everybody was laughing so hard and we had a great time. We were supposed to help clean up the patio, but the instructors who are supposed to give us the brooms and dustpans never showed up, so we turned that time into an hour and a half long district devotional. We talked about so many different things and we could all feel the spirit so strongly. 

On Sunday for our Sunday school class, our Branch President, Presidente Sorenson, taught the class. He taught about how we need to mentally weed our minds and how we all have divine potential to achieve and how we should always be working towards that. It was by far the most interesting and most spiritual lesson we have had yet in the CTM.

Early Monday morning, Elder Polmateer and I were down at the help desk for some reason when Elder Yung and Elder Evans (from one of the other english speaking districts that arrived with us) stopped me. They told me that I needed to interpret for Elder Evans during his doctor appointment. Elder Evans is from England, and has a slight accent, apparently none of the CTM translators could understand his accent well enough to accompany him to the hospital. 

So Elder Evans and I got to be companions for the first part of the day and we took an Uber to the hospital. It was about a 45 minute drive to Hospital Sao Caterina, and I tried teaching our driver something, but he ignored me entirely. When we got to the hospital I translated for some of the receptionists and got Elder Evans all set up for his appointment. 

Luckily the actual doctor spoke english so I didn't have to translate any strange diagnoses. Apparently Elder Evans has a broken Scaffoid and needs a piece of his hip put into his hand. He is probably going to go into surgery next Tuesday so he might be stuck here a few extra weeks.

All of Monday I was super grumpy and kind of harsh with my companions. I think going to the Hospital kind of proved to myself that I am ready to leave, and I wasn't looking forward to another week here. Tuesday morning I received an email from one of my other friends who is serving a mission, and in it she shared a quote from a Sister Training Conference. 

This quote was exactly what I needed to snap out of it and refocus. I noticed I hadn't been studying nearly hard enough and that I was kind of letting myself go. After receiving that Email, I resolved to read the entire Bible and Book of Mormon in Portugues before I leave the CTM. 

We lost some of our best friends this week. The Americans who lived across the hall and arrived a week before us all left Wednesday morning. Elder Horner and Elder Ellsworth were our zone leaders for the whole time we have been here, and Elders Barnes, Call, and Walkenhorst helped us to get adjusted to missionary life when we first arrived. We'll miss those fubecas.

We are also getting to know some of the newer missionaries Elder Harrel, and Elder Thalgott, but it is sad that we are leaving so soon. I never thought I would say that.

Elder Polmateer threw up early Wednesday morning, but because it was temple day, he was told to stay and wait for the doctor while I went to the temple. We did a session in the temple, and when we got back Elder Polmateer was nowhere to be found. Turns out the doctor diagnosed him with Appendicitis, and he was in the hospital. 

He spent 5 hours in the hospital getting a bunch of tests done to make sure he had appendicitis, and they all came back false so that is good, but he was on IV antibiotics and pain killers because they literally thought my companion was dying. 

Throughout the Temple trip I was paying extra close attention. Its only my 5th or 6th time going through, so I don't know very much about the Endowment. I came up with a few questions to pray about and study and that night I started. 

My prayers were answered, many of the parts of the Endowment that I had questions about were clearly explained, and I was shown the significance of many confusing things. I know that a swift answer to prayer is one of the blessings of missionary work. Living in a dedicated building with a sacred mantle upon me has allowed me to greatly feel the spirit. 

To my missionary friends, don't be afraid to ask questions becuase you WILL recieve answers. To my non-missionary friends, I would encourage you to try and live your lives in a way that you can feel the spirit and be in a position to also receive answers to prayer. 

On Thursday we took the language test. For those who don't know, the language test is scored from 1-10 with 7 being considered fluent. Average score for missionaries leaving the CTM is about a 3.8 for Americans learning Portugues. Our district averaged a 4.4 and I got a 6.2, so that is pretty encouraging. I hope that the rest of my district realizes that we aren't lying when me and the instructors say they are better than the other districts.

I have almost finished the Old Testament which I started on Tuesday. I started in Genesis 1 and just finished Jeremiah this morning. Reading it all the way through so quickly has helped me to understand so much more, and understand the inclusion of some of the more bizarre parts of the Bible. If any of you get the chance I would highly recommend a one or two day read through, especially of the first part of the Old Testament. The history of the Israelites is fascinating, and conectivos are everywhere. Some throw-away comment in Judges will proceed to be important in 2 Kings. Or a random confusing story in Genesis will be significant to a prophecy in Isaiah. 

《 ! 》 SKIP SONG OF SOLOMON 《 ! 》

I also started reading the New Testament on Tuesday, and I hit Acts 3 this morning. Book of Mormon wise I am in Mosiah 2 (third read through this year). Reading the scriptures in this manner is so cool and so interesting, and I would like to once again highly recommend reading quickly through entire sections of scripture.

-Elder Hill

PS. I have been falling asleep everywhere, I guess I have my grandpa Christensen's genetics.

Elder Becker and I asleeep in a workshop.

Elder Polmateer's IV

Elder Polmateer and I asleep on the Bus.

#SemFiltro

Sleeping during one of our breaks in class.

Goodbye Elder Horner

Temple without Elder Polmateer

São Paulo Sunset

Elder Hill, Elder Falevai, Irmão Laçerda, Elder Becker, and Elder Polmateer.

Goodbyes

Christian started Home MTC on Monday, August 25th, 2024. During the week, he had classes from about 8 am to 6 pm every day. There were a few short breaks throughout the day, but the majority of it was spent on Zoom. The mornings were spent in language training classes and the afternoons were spent in gospel study/teaching classes.

Although he worked hard and didn't complain much, he didn't really enjoy Home MTC. The language training was very basic, which was a little boring for him. I know he has a lot to learn in Portuguese, but everyone else in his district was starting from scratch, so there was a big gap because Christian has been learning and practicing for the last few years. During one of his breaks, he overheard one of his MTC teachers say, "I thought this district was all non-Portuguese speakers. Elder Hill speaks very well." Christian was pretty happy about that, and I think it boosted his confidence. He has been a very fast language learner from the moment our family started working on Portuguese, and last year when we went to Brazil, he received a Father's Blessing giving him the gift of tongues. That has been on full-display over the course of the year, and I am grateful that the language hasn't been much of a problem for him. He was very sweet and met with his companion, Elder Polmateer, on his p-day to help him with his Portuguese because he was really struggling. 

The gospel study portion of the day was good because it forced him to study and learn how to teach principles, but again, he was often a bit bored with the Zoom calls. He really just wanted to be face to face with his class and teachers. He had to make a little video of him bearing his testimony to share with his group. I found it on his computer after he left, and I love it so much!

He spent almost the entire week holed up in the guest bedroom on the computer, but during the evenings he would come out and tell us all about his day. It was fun for us to have a missionary in the house. He wore his church clothes and badge all the time and stayed off of media, which I am sure was trickier being at home with all of us. 

The one big benefit of Home MTC was that he got to know his district a little bit before leaving home. There are 11 people in his district (3 Sisters and 8 Elders), and all of them are headed to Juiz de Fora. Hopefully getting to know them beforehand will make for an easier adjustment in Brazil.

There was a BYU vs Southern Illinois football game on Saturday night, which happened to be his P-Day, so Jonathon took him, cousin McKay, and Andrew to the game. Christian wore his nice clothes and badge like a good missionary. He said no one really batted an eye about his appearance because missionaries are so common around here. They had a great time, and BYU actually won, so it was a good night all around.

On Tuesday, they ended classes early so that they would all have time to finish packing. Christian and I spent a few hours finishing all the odds and ends and making sure he had everything he would need. We originally tried to squeeze everything into one large and one medium suitcase, but we soon realized that it wasn't going to work. He has a carry-on size that we could have sent too, but he was really hesitant to take 3 cases because he had heard that hauling them around on transfers on public transportation was no fun. I came up with a plan though, and Andrew was nice and let Christian take his large suitcase. With two of the bigger size, we were able to get everything in. I bought a travel scale for him so that he could make sure both cases were under 50 lbs, and we ended up being perfect. One case was 48 and the other was 49. I was pretty impressed with our packing. 

Christian teased me about everything that I bought and sent with him, but I hope he finds the things useful. I am part of the LDS Mom's of Missionaries in Brazil group on Facebook, and I have been following various threads about things that their missionaries have needed. It is very expensive to ship things to Brazil, so you can't really rely on being able to do that. One funny example is that they don't have stick deodorant in Brazil (only spray-on), so many missionaries have their parents send them some. I sent him 8 sticks of Axe deodorant, so that will at least last him for a while. The other big problem is that Christian has enormous feet (size 14.5), and wears a 2XL in clothing. Brazilians are typically small people, and we had a hard time finding clothing that fit him when we were there last Summer. I knew we had better make sure to send extra of things in case he couldn't find it there. 4 pairs of shoes and extra pants and shirts really filled up the luggage quickly. I felt super organized with everything though and even made a spreadsheet to help me. Hopefully, that will make it easier to send out another boy in a few years.

 

After we were all packed up, we took the family out for a good-bye meal and let Christian choose where we went. He picked OutBack Steak House. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and enjoyed our last evening together. 

That night, we read scriptures together in Portuguese, said family prayer, and then went around and said what we loved and were going to miss about Christian. It was a tender family moment. Christian then gave Jonathon a blessing. It was his first ever priesthood blessing. Someone suggested it would be good practice to give it to his dad first before being thrown into it out in the mission field. He was super nervous, but did a good job. He told Jonathon that the transitions in the coming months were going to be challenging, but to know that everything is part of God's plan. He also encouraged him to put family first and make sure we were all taken care of ahead of all the work and other things he has going. I'm grateful he was able to do that.

My sister-in-law, Kym, then texted me that I needed to check the mail. Inside I found a package from her with a Brazil necklace that had a heart where Juiz de Fora is. It made me cry because I love it so much. A piece of my heart will definitely be in Brazil for the next two years, and I'm so grateful that she was so thoughtful. It really means a lot to me.

The next morning, we got up early so that we could get pictures before everyone left, and then headed to the airport at 6:30am. Christian was so anxious to get going, and he wanted nothing to do with anything sentimental. We got his luggage all checked in and then headed to the security lines. He was ready to go, but I insisted on a hug. You wouldn't think that would be an issue, but Christian has never been a touchy-feely soul. Haha! Then we watched him walk away as he turned the corner. It was a very weird, surreal moment. His no nonsense, unemotional attitude made it so that we weren't very emotional either. No tears were shed, and Jonathon and I just turned around and went back to the car and drove home... all very strange.

I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with us because of our lack of emotions, but the sadness definitely hit later that day (and several times throughout the next week). After school, Andrew came home and just curled up on the bed and laid there. He was missing his brother. I laid down next to him, and we both cried a bit. Hyrum was also sad that night and had a hard time going to bed. It hit Jonathon a few days later when he had to go feed the fish at the lab. That was a job that he and Christian always did together, and it was hard to not have him there. 

I'm sure it will continue to be hard as we are staring down two long years, but we did have a great moment the morning after we sent him off when we received a picture of Christian at the Brazil MTC from a random phone number. It turns out it was from our friend, Connie Fortunato, who is part of a Brazil MTC teacher's page, and the picture was posted there. This is the text Jonathon sent with the picture. "According to Jouber, the photo was posted to an MTC teacher group and has a long conversation attached about how everybody knows us, and he already lived in Brazil, is a third generation missionary in the country etc. Haha." I love all the random connections that allowed us to see that Christian made it safely. Later, the Brasil CTM posted some arrival pictures of the missionaries. So fun to see him there. 

Christian and Elder Paes

Sending your child off for 2 long years requires quite a lot of faith and trust. I've definitely had feelings of doubt and anxiety and sadness over the long road ahead, but deep down, I know that we wouldn't want him anywhere else right now. We are so proud of his faithful decision to serve. It's just hard, and I know it will be hard until we get to see him again. Many many missionaries, moms, and families have been through this and have come out even better on the other side, and we will too. Love you, Christian, my boy!

Christian's Farewell

Christian finally got his visa to Brazil after waiting for 17 weeks! It was a happy day and definitely a huge relief. The last step before his mission was giving his farewell talk in Sacrament Meeting and being set apart as a missionary. The Bishopric scheduled his farewell for August 26th, and it was to be a double-farewell with Aaron Castagnetto, who was leaving from our ward the same week as Christian. 

Since Christian is the first grandchild on either side of our family to go on a mission, we weren't quite sure what to plan and what to expect. I figured since my family all lives several hours away, they would just watch the Sacrament Meeting on Zoom and that would be it. During the weeks leading up to the farewell, I got questions and comments from several of my siblings asking when it was so that they could come down. Realizing that this was a big deal to them, I decided to make it official and invite anyone who wanted to join us for the farewell. To my surprise, every one of them wanted to come. 

I started to put together plans for a weekend celebration to make it worth their drive down. We contacted our neighbor next door who AirBnB's his home to see if there was any chance that the home was available that weekend. To our amazement, it was! We asked how much it would cost to rent it, and he said he wouldn't charge us... not even a cleaning fee! He has always been generous and kind, but we felt very grateful and very blessed that he did that for us. It was big enough that between the two houses, everyone would have a nice place to sleep.

We decided that since all of my family was going to have to leave right after Sacrament Meeting in order to get home for school the next day that the meal/celebration part would need to happen on Saturday night instead of the more typical Sunday after church. With Christian's input, we decided to have a Brazilian feast with all of the traditional Brazilian food that we had grown to love. I knew that it was going to be busy and a bit chaotic with everyone staying here, so we reached out to a Brazilian restaurant (Delicatto) near us to cater a small part of the menu that was particularly labor intensive. We bought pão de queijo and coxinhas from them, and then made the rice, beans, smoked pork, and brigadeiros ourselves. For an added special touch, we went to the tiny Brazilian store and bought farofa, batata palhas, and guaraná.

The party officially started on Friday afternoon when Jake and Hannah arrived. They got here earlier than planned, so Hannah was able to help me with a bunch of the food items for the weekend. We made muffins, homemade salsa, and the brigadeiros that night. She and Jake were a huge help, and it was fun to have some one on one time with them before the whole group arrived. Dan and Claire arrived late that night.

The next day, Kym brought up the kids from Price, and we took the whole group to the Bean Museum. It is a museum on the BYU campus that is full of taxidermied animals. I knew the kids would enjoy it, but it was so cute to see them running around pointing and squealing with delight. Alan and Elena were particularly enthusiastic. 

Later that afternoon, the rest of the family arrived. Ben and Ally weren't able to make it, but everyone else came. Around 5:30, we headed over to the church to set up. With all the willing hands to help, setup was fast and easy. It wasn't anything too complicated, but I did add some decorations to go along with the food. I thought it looked very festive! 

In all we had about forty family members there. The meal was delicious! Everything tasted great, and it was fun to share some Brazilian culture with everyone else. I think the biggest hit of the night was the brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls). We way overestimated the amount of food we would need, so we had tons of leftovers, except for brigadeiros, which were completly devoured. After we ate, we went around the room and asked all the returned missionaries to give Christian some advice about something that they learned on their mission. Nearly all the aunts and uncles served missions, so there were a lot of great things said that I hope he will remember and take to heart. I've included the advice below:

Daniel: We're sure proud of you, Buddy! My advice is to work hard regardless of the perceived outcome. Sometimes you won't see the results right away. The things you learn on your mission are a springboard for the rest of your life.

Matt: You are called to exactly the right mission where you need to be. You are called to THAT place to teach THOSE people. 

Jake: There are two types of missionaries: the planters and the sowers. Just because you may not see a lot of baptisms doesn't mean you're not sowing seeds.

Hannah: Everyone needs the gospel. Sometimes it may not feel like we can give them more than they have, but everyone needs the gospel because it can add to their lives. I only had one baptism, but I helped reactivate over 20 people.

Joe: Following the mission rules is so important. Getting to know your mission president and heeding his advice will help you with your specific mission.

Amanda: Don't be afraid to invest in your companionship relationships.

Sam: Don't take it too seriously. Take care of your mental health. Let the people know God loves them and you love them.

Tiffany: You may not notice how close you are getting to your companions at the time, but they will become life-long friends. Serving a mission and sharing the Gospel is the greatest service you can do and greatest gift you can give.

BJ: Maybe part of you mission will be to help gain the member's trust, so work hard to be reliable and trustworthy.

Tera: You may not see the impact you're having. You are helping people prepare to accept the Gospel when they're ready.

Gma Hill: We got to know the people and helped them feel better about the church. Use the scriptures. If I can share, you can too!

Mike: You might be a shy guy too. The promise is true that if you just open your mouth, it will be filled with the words you need if you just put in the effort.

Gpa Hill: Seek for unity with your companion. Your first convert needs to be you. Your second convert may need to be your companion. He may be the reason you are there. Be patient with him-- it's the Lord's work. Do the work, and do what you have been asked to do.

Sarah: Do not judge people by their faults. Try to see them as God sees them. His Gospel will change their lives. Try to see people for what they will become.

Jonathon: For some reason, the Lord uses Brazil to help us see his hand in our lives. On my mission, I learned that the Lord saw me, knew me, and loves me. I saw that when I met the man that Dad knew and then again when we went for the Fulbright Scholarship. We just picked up my grad student from Brazil. She said, "Wow, it seems like God has something for your family in Brazil." My advice is to look for those connections.  

At the end of the night, I gave all of the cousins a Brazil flag that they could take home to remember how important missions are and get them excited to serve one someday!

The next morning was the farewell. I warned everyone to get there early because of the double farewell, and I am sure glad I did. I was expecting a lot of people, but the amount of people there blew my mind. Christian had about 50 people attend (which was amazing!), but the Castagnetto family probably had over 200 people there. Both of his parents are from Provo, so they have tons of family in the area, and he was also the star on the basketball team, so he was very popular during high school. They set up the whole gym with chairs, and there were still people standing against the stage. It legitimately looked like a Stake Conference. Andrew was in charge of helping to set up the Sacrament, and they were very nervous. They used every tray they had. As the people kept streaming in, they kept having to fill more water cups. The meeting started about 10 minutes late because of this. They filled 468 Sacrament cups, and by the time it was over, there were only about 10 cups left!

I hope Christian always remembers that chapel and gym packed with people that support him and the other missionaries. It was quite the sight to behold and was a powerful vision of the power that will go behind him as he serves. Not seen were countless others that were watching via Zoom (Gpa and Gma Christensen at 3:30 am in Pohnpei, the Ogborns in California, and the out-of-town Hill siblings).

Christian spoke first and gave a remarkable talk. It was about how we can and should have Christ as the focus of our lives. He used a recent tiktok trend about the Roman Empire (something you constantly think about) as an analogy to how our thoughts should be on our Savior. It was very inspiring. At the end of his talk he related a story about a mom and son that he had served at the Cougar Eat. The mom took out her credit card, ready to pay for the meals, but the son stopped her and said, "You gave me life, I can give you rice." He said that the boy's contribution was insignificant compared to what the mother had done to raise him, and then related that to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. No matter how much we do to try to repay them, we will still come up short, but they love effort and will pour out blessings upon us as we strive to do our best. He then said that while we must try to have Christ as our "Roman Empire," we are always theirs, meaning that they are constantly thinking about us and watching over us. I did a poor job here of explaining it, but it was very well done, and I was so proud of him. The Utah French Choir sang the special musical number because Aaron is headed to Ghana and was able to make a connection with some of the African members of the choir. It was lovely to hear them sing. Overall, the meeting was great, and it was a wonderful way to send off two new missionaries.

Jonathon and I chatted a bit with our amazing friends that made the long drive to come to the farewell (the Olsons), and then we had to rush home to help get everyone packed and ready for the drive home. We threw together a quick grab-and-go lunch, and then they headed out. Joe and Kym got to stay a little longer since their drive to Price was much shorter. We played some games, cleaned up the AirBnB, and then ate leftovers for dinner before they had to leave.

At 7:30 pm, we went over to meet with the Stake President for the setting apart. He talked to us for a little bit about what Home MTC would look like, the challenges he had given Christian for his mission (keep a journal throughout and read and ponder the talk by Pres. Hinckley called, "Gifts to Bring Home From the Mission Field." He then set him apart and gave him a wonderful blessing. 

During the blessing, he promised him safety as he followed mission rules and told him to listen to the Spirit so he could stay out of dangerous situations. He blessed him with physical strength to be able to do the work required and the desire to continue to grow in his understanding of the scriptures to be able to bless lives through that gift. He encouraged him to see people for what they could become and not judge or dismiss them for the sins and worldly things he saw on the outside. Lastly, he told him that he would serve in leadership positions and be able to bless the lives of his companions and help them gain a stronger testimony of the gospel through his diligence. It was a really beautiful blessing, and it felt like all of it was very specific for Christian from our Heavenly Father. I left feeling a lot of peace and comfort. 

As we left, he put on his missionary badge, and now the adventure begins... 

Christian's Farewell Talk

Thoughts on Christ 

You may have heard about a recent tiktok trend that was very popular for a long time. The trend started with girls asking their boyfriends how often they thought about the Roman Empire. More often than not the answer was “everyday”. After this people began asking each other what their “Roman Empire” was. The phrase Roman Empire became synonymous with something you think about all the time.

As you can imagine answers are as varied as people are. Some people can’t help but always think about school or work, for others it is some form of entertainment. Other people would say things like “helping people” or “being a good person”.

We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, should have a pretty straightforward answer to this question.

In Doctrine and Covenants we are taught:

For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

The work that is talked about in this section is Missionary Work. I am about to leave to start my mission and join this work, so this verse is very important for me. This verse lists multiple things that are required to be qualified to do the work. One of those things is “an eye single to the glory of God”. A missionary must have focus and attention placed solely upon Christ so that Christ can direct the work. To put it in modern terms, Christ must be our Roman Empire.

In the Sacrament Prayers we covenant to “always Remember Him”. This requires a level of devotion to Jesus Christ far higher than any Roman Empire. This is not some simple “oh yeah I think of him everyday”, it’s an “I think of him always!” This is impossible for us mortals, but there are things that we can do to help us have Christ as our focus.

Children are given CTR rings to wear when they go to Primary, so that whenever they look at it, or get poked by the little bent end, it reminds them to remember Christ and the things he would want them to do.

When young men and young women enter the youth program they are given an emblem of belonging. This is a ring with symbols on it that serves a similar purpose to a CTR ring. I wear mine all the time and it serves as a daily reminder to follow Jesus Christ.

A growing number of youth are taking this further with WWJD or “What Would Jesus Do?” Wristbands. These have returned to popularity and are a larger and more Christ centered reminder that you can wear. Throughout FSY and throughout the rest of the summer I have seen countless youth wearing these WWJD bands everywhere they go.

Following this pattern, adults also have their own special way of remembering Christ through something they wear. Anyone who has gone through the temple and stayed true to the covenants made there is authorized to wear the holy garments. This is another constant reminder of Jesus Christ, and the love and protection He provides.

With the introduction of Come Follow Me we are encouraged to read our scriptures often at home, and share our readings with family. The home centered, church supported model for learning is a great way to help us think of Christ more often. By including study practices throughout the week, we are given opportunities to think about Christ every day of the week and not just Sunday.

We also have the words of the prophets to remind us to keep Christ in our minds. Prophets are specifically authorized and called to teach us, so when they say something it is probably good to take that to heart.

Thousands of years ago when Moses and the Israelites were stuck in the wilderness, a plague of flaming serpents came upon their camp. Moses prayed to the lord and was commanded to build a brass serpent and put it on a pole. Anyone who looked to the serpent would be saved from the venom of these serpents.

Despite there being an easy way to be saved many of the Israelites refused to look and succumbed to their injuries. The Brass Serpent was a type of Jesus Christ, anyone who looked was saved. Just like the ancient Israelites we need to look and focus on Christ to be saved.

Just like many of you, I recently watched the Olympics. My mom loves to watch Gymnastics, so I ended up watching a lot of Gymnastics with my family. There was one thing that was repeatedly said by the commentators during the balance beam event. They pointed out how great gymnasts will always keep their eyes on the end of the beam. It is crucial to do this in order to land hard, dangerous skills. After the performance, the experts would stop the playback mid-flip and draw lines on the screen to show how focused the athletes were on the beam. Their ability to find and focus on the beam was very literally the difference between landing successfully or falling off and risking injury. Even a small lapse in concentrations could cost them valuable points and a chance to compete for the medals

Just like these Olympic gymnasts, we need to have this extreme focus. Whenever we make decisions, we need to strive to keep our eyes on the end of the beam, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without looking to Him, we may well get distracted, fall off the covenant path, and risk dangers that may impact our spiritual survival. .

Nephi was a great prophet who exemplifies keeping Christ in His mind. In second Nephi chapter two, Nephi says:

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

This famous verse and the verses surrounding it use the name of Christ almost 20 times, and make reference to him even more frequently. If we are talking of Christ, rejoicing in Christ, and preaching of Christ, he will always be in our minds and the minds of others.

Talking constantly of Christ can be hard to do in our modern society. So many people don’t want to have “church” in their personal lives, so bringing it up during conversation can be looked down upon. We don’t have to force it though. Simply discussing our daily lives is a way we can be good examples without seeming overly preachy. Letting our friends and co-workers know about the important things in our lives during casual conversations can be uplifting and help others to see the light of Christ and feel his Spirit.

The next thing Nephi talks about is rejoicing in Christ. We can rejoice in Christ when we repent and when we keep his commandments. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest cause for rejoicing we can ever have. The atonement of Jesus Christ has three main parts: we can all live again because of His resurrection, we can repent because he suffered for our sins in Gethsemane, and we can be strengthened and comforted because he experienced every pain and struggle of mortality. He is our only hope for salvation. Without him nothing is possible and advancement would stop here in mortality. I think we can all agree that mortality is not the way we want to spend all of eternity. We can and should rejoice in this great gift!

Lastly, Nephi says we should “Preach of Christ.” As a missionary I will be asked to Preach of Christ to many people on a daily basis. I have been called to serve and teach the people in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. I have had the

privilege to meet and interact with many Brazilian people, and I am grateful to have the chance to spend the next two years among them.

As I attempt to preach the gospel, having Christ as my focus will be so important. I do not have the ability to convert people to the gospel by myself. I must rely on the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. By teaching and preaching of Christ, not only am I keeping Christ in my mind, but I can also help keep Christ in the minds of those around me.

It is impossible to truly keep our focus on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ 100% of the time, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I would like to share some more ideas that we can do TODAY to help return our focus to Jesus Christ.

One thing that many of us already do is Christ-centered decor. My family has many pictures of Christ in our house, in almost every room. We have a picture in the front room, a picture of the Christ the Redeemer statue in the Living Room, I have a copy of the young men’s theme on my wall, and my brother has a little statue in his bedroom.

By filling our home with symbols and pictures of Christ, we are constantly prompted to think of him. Every time we see a picture of Christ we are focusing our thoughts on him. Something you could do right now is go online and find your favorite scripture, or your favorite artwork of Christ., Screenshot or save that and set it as your phone background. I did this a while ago, and every time I open my phone I see one of my favorite scriptures, and that helps me to remember Christ often.

Another thing that you may not have considered is service. How could service help you focus on God when you are literally focusing on something earthly. It has been taught that “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.”

When we do service we are serving God and thus showing that we are keeping him in our thoughts. Service can be anything from ripping up tree

roots in the Williams’ yard, to going through the temple and doing proxy ordinances. All forms of service are still service and still help us to focus on our Heavenly Father.

Another good way to make sure we keep our thoughts on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is to avoid distractions. Something doesn’t have to be bad to be a distraction. Many things are good when taken in moderation, but if taken in excess will keep your mind off of heavenly things.

We have many ways to remind us of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have many more ways we could probably be better. The prophets have taught that it is necessary to keep our minds focused on them and that many blessings will come from that. We must give them our all.

President Nelson’s latest catchphrase, “Think Celestial” is a modern commandment to keep Christ in our thoughts always. In the talk where this phrase was first coined President Nelson said:

“As you think celestial, you will find yourself avoiding anything that robs you of your agency. Any addiction offends God. Why? Because your obsession becomes your god. You look to it rather than to Him for solace.”

Our current prophet is telling us that our minds should be on God and Christ, and them alone. Now we have all these teachings about WHAT we need to do, and HOW we can do it, but I haven’t really talked about WHY we need to keep our thoughts on Christ.

One reason we need to keep our thoughts on Christ is listed in the Nephi scripture I shared before. He says, “that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.” This life is our chance to prepare to meet God, and we must put off the natural man through repentance. As we strive for this in our lives, we can also help those around us to look to Christ.

This aspect is really important for me, being the oldest sibling, and oldest of all my cousins. They are all looking up to me and watching the things I do. As I keep my focus and thoughts on Christ, I am helping them to also keep their thoughts on Christ.

In the Think Celestial talk, President Nelson goes through many reasons why Thinking Celestial helps us right now. Helping us avoid addiction, overcome pain, communicate with Heavenly Father, and grow our testimonies. These are all great things that will help mortality become a little more bearable and help us to achieve Celestial glory.

Nephi’s brother Jacob taught that, “To be spiritually-minded is life eternal” Life Eternal is the ultimate goal. I wish I could stand up here and honestly tell you that Christ is always on my mind. He is frequently the subject of my thoughts, but I am nowhere near being at the level of constant remembrance. With the distractions and obligations that come with living, it is impossible to reach that level.

The beauty of the situation is that we do not need to be perfect, we can be as good as possible, and, Christ will cover the rest.

Recently while I was working at BYU in the Cougar Eat, a mother and her adult son came to the cash register. The mother reached for her credit card to pay for her meal, but the son stopped her. He pulled his card out and said “Mom, you gave me life, I can give you rice.” I have thought about this statement many times since then. The price of that rice was insignificant compared to the amount of effort it takes to raise a child.I think that interaction is very representative of our relationship with Jesus Christ. No matter how much we give him, it will be insignificant compared to what he has given us. He loves effort and will reward us richly for every effort we make.

With tithing we give 10% of our money, when we fast we give 1 day out of a month. NowI am about to give 2 years out of my life to sharing the gospel,

but Jesus Christ gave everything and continues to give everything forever and always. No matter how I try to repay Him, I will still be in His debt.

Not only does Christ love us, but our Heavenly Father loves us also. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He gave his only begotten son for us, and continues to give us everything we need. This is a love that only a parent can understand.

Anybody who knows my mother knows that she’s a cautious person. Sending her oldest son to Brazil for two years has been quite stressful for her I’m sure, and she has done her best to exemplify the Boy Scout Motto of “Be Prepared”. I make fun of her for all the random stuff she has bought to pack in my suitcase, but I am grateful to have someone who worries and cares about me.

In Matthew 7 Christ teaches:

What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Now I’m not calling my mom evil by any means, but she is mortal and incapable of the same things that Heavenly Father is capable of. If my Mom worries this much and prepares this much for me, how much more does Heavenly Father worry for me, and prepare for me and my happiness.

Heavenly Father’s Love is infinite and all powerful, while the amount we can give back to him is insignificant. In a way we are his Roman Empire, but on a level above anything we can even comprehend.

Just as we love God and give anything we can to him, he loves us and gives everything to us. As we strive to keep our minds always on Heavenly

Father and Jesus Christ, we can be assured that their minds are always on us.

I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me, and I am always on their mind. As I go out to serve the people of Brazil and teach them of this love, they will always be with me.

The scripture I chose for my missionary plaque is Jacob 5:72. It says, “And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them.” I hope that as I go out and serve I can more fully devote myself to Jesus Christ, the Lord of the vineyard, so that I will be worthy to have Him labor with me to bless His children in Brazil.

I know that our church is true, all of it. The Book of Mormon is the truest and most accurate book that has ever been written, and it was translated by Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and through him the keys of the priesthood were restored. Thanks to the priesthood we are given access to saving ordinances which are necessary to achieve exaltation. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Christian's Mission Call

Christian has been faithfully preparing for his mission for many years. He has always attended seminary, read the Book of Mormon and learned the scriptures, saved nearly all of his hard-earned money, and attended the missionary prep classes twice now. I am so proud of all his work and his desires to serve Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

Christian decided that his 18th birthday would be his availability date. He is one of the youngest kids in his class, and his birthday isn't until late July. We thought he would have to wait a bit longer, but the Church just recently announced that potential missionaries could turn in their mission paperwork 150 days before their availability date. As soon as Christian heard this, he immediately began working on them so that he could turn them in on the first day possible (February 23rd). He filled them all out by himself, and I helped by scheduling a dentist and doctor appointment. 

On his paperwork, he put that he: wanted to go foreign, would do well learning a language, would graduate from Seminary, did well in school, had no medical issues, and had some experience with the Portuguese language. The paperwork also asked him to include all of the missions that parents and grandparents had served, which ended up being a fairly long list. After interviews with the Bishop and Stake President, he was ready to submit. We left for Florida for his Senior Trip, and the Stake President promised us he would submit them on Friday morning, the first day he could. Christian checked from Universal Studios, and President Holman was good to his word.

Then came two weeks of anxiously waiting. Right now mission calls are consistently coming about two weeks after submission, but we also looked up some hacks to more accurately predict when it would come. Apparently, you go to https://mail.missionary.org and log-in using your church id. If they have created an email address for you, your call should come the following Tuesday. At two weeks, Christian logged in, and sure enough, his missionary email had been created. The status had also changed from "Awaiting Assignment" to "Assigned." We were really excited because my parents were still in SLC doing their mission training, so they could come down for the opening. We invited friends and family to participate in an online game to guess where Christian would go. We even offered the winner a $25 gift card! People put guesses all over the United States and the world! 

On Tuesday, I got a text around noon from Christian saying that he had gotten the text saying his call was ready. Unfortunately, Christian had to work that day, so he wouldn't be able to open it until 9:30 pm. Christian was willing to go absolutely anywhere, but he was a little worried that if he opened his call to Evanston, WY South (RM fans IYKYK) or somewhere similar, that people might be a little disappointed. He also isn't very expressive, so he doesn't give the best reactions. For these reason, he was hesitant to invite people over or do a facebook live. We convinced him that everyone was fully supportive of him no matter where he was called to serve, so he finally consented. To be fair, I totally understand his perspective and would feel the same way, but it is different with just family, so I invited both sets of grandparents to come to our house for the opening, and the rest of the family would join us via Zoom. 

While he worked, we spent a few antsy hours waiting for the big moment. I used my anxious energy to decorate and make treats for the night. Christian didn't care if we had decorations or not, but I thought it all turned out very festive.

Finally, the moment arrived. We got everything set up, and he started reading. As he got further into the letter, I could tell he was getting more and more nervous. Then, with a smile on his face, he read "You have been called to labor in the BRAZIL, JUIZ de FORA mission!" Everyone was thrilled, and we clapped and cheered! You could see the visible relief in Christian's face to finally know where he was going after all these months. I knew that he would gladly serve anywhere, but this just felt so perfect! He will be learning the Portuguese language and begin his mission service on August 26, 2024. His training will entail one week doing home MTC and then flying straight to the São Paulo MTC for the rest of his training.

After Christian finished reading the letter, we brought the mission up on the tv screen. Juiz de Fora is right next to Rio where we visited last year, and Grandpa Hill actually served in that city during his mission. Back then, the Rio mission covered a huge portion of Brazil, so he was all over the country. He said that when they first arrived in Juiz de Fora, they met in an old home that had been converted to a church, and no one showed up for church. By the time he left, they filled two benches. It was so cool to hear about the humble beginnings of Juiz de Fora, and now it is a full mission. Christian will be able to follow in his dad and grandpa's footsteps and be the third generation Brazilian missionary in the family. 

We spent some time looking at the map (McKay won the game by guessing Brazil, Vitoria), googling pictures of the city, and eating cinnamon rolls and brownies. It was the happiest of days for our boy! Our family has felt a very special connection to Brazil for a while now, and this is just another tender mercy that has allowed Christian to further that. Now everyone but me will be fluent in Portuguese. I better work hard to up my game while he is gone!

He still has 5 more months to prepare, but it feels so good to have a plan and know a bit about what the future holds. I'm excited for the growth and spiritual experiences that await him!