from 10/19/15 email

Hey momma! 
Sounds like a stressful week! But also a good one cause y'all got to go to cedar mountain! I'm so jelly! I miss those mountains, all they got here are hills that they call mountains and I'm like naaaaahhh those aren't mountains. So anywho, that's so awesome that you finished the Book of Mormon! I am almost done with it in Spanish...Sad to say this is only my first time completely reading it in Spanish but I have a goal for 2 times through by the end of my mish. Maybe 3. It'll be hard but I can do it!  So anyways, things are going great with becoming a Book of Mormon mission! Me and elder Brky had an awesome lesson with a guy that we met on the street. At first he kinda seemed a little shady cause he didn't hold his first appointment and some other struggles but, we finally got a lesson with him and used the Book of Mormon to teach every point. It really got him interested in it and now it has only been 5 days and he is already really far, he was telling us all about Nephi and Lehi and how he feels an awesome spirit in his home when he reads. And he says he'll be done with smoking and drinking in 2 weeks if he keeps reading in the BofM. I was like wowzers. The power of the Book of Mormon is so real! And I love it! Elder B is super good at using the Book of Mormon to answer people's questions, he is like a scripture whiz! He is teaching me so much! I love him!

So uhm this week is kind of gonna be the best week ever cause guess what!,.. WE ARE GOING TO THE PRIESTHOOD RESTORATION SITE IN SUSQUEHANNA TOMORROW!! I am so freakin stoked! The whole mission is going up there for a special tour and a devotional! This is gonna be awesome! I was reading the article "Joseph Smith in Harmony" in the Sept 2015 Ensign and it talks all about what happened to Joseph Smith in that very part of our mission. I never realized it before, but so much happened in the restoration of the gospel right here in our mission. I am seriously so honored and happy that I am serving here in the best mission in the world! Please please please read that article in the ensign and you'll see why I'm so excited to go tomorrow! Ah! So stoked!

So anyways, I definitely got your Halloween package! Thank you thank you! Me and elder B ate those licorice up so fast! And we've been throwing those sticky spiders at each other. Haha! I also gave a talk yesterday in sacrament about sacrifice! It was fun! And then we got to teach about the spirit world in gospel doctrine which was sick also! I love our ward! We didn't get to see C this week but we will this next week. G is getting baptized the 28th I believe and then he has to head back to Mexico in November... Bummer..

Oh and the fall beauty is awesome here! I freakin love it! And I love all of you! Hope you have an awesome week and send my love to everyone that you see in the ward!

Elder Hillstead