21 December 2025
VOLUME 13 – NUMBER 634
Dad helping Joanna shoot .22 rifle
Mom and Dad have a dog client that lives in Vale, Colorado, but spends time in Utah. She hired us to train her dog, and they arranged to meet her halfway in Green River, Utah, so they decided to combine this trip with a visit to Nate and Natalie’s house down in Fairview.
Dad took me, Quinn, and Joanna in the first Tesla and we made the trip to Green River, and then back to Natalie’s house. It took most of the day.
Mom left later in the second Tesla with the rest of the family, and they headed straight to Nate and Natalie’s house.
Jenny helping Gloria shoot
It was really cool spending the night there. They live out in the country, and have lot of animals and dogs, and even a mouse that kept us company while we were there. Joanna got really scared when it popped out at bedtime in the basement!
My favorite part of the trip was that we were able to go shooting for the first time in at least seven years. Dad brought the .22 rifle and handgun, and also the 9mm Glock handgun, but my favorite gun to shoot was the AR-15. It was powerful, but very accurate.
For dinner and breakfast, Natalie cooked up some amazing food. All the Hills, except for Isaac, slept in the basement. In the morning, we ate breakfast, and then drove home just in time to go to our Christmas sacrament meeting at home.
Dinner at Nate and Natalie’s house
Fall semester finished up these weeks! It went by so fast, and I really loved all my classes.
Maybe I mentioned this before, but I’m a Family Home Evening leader in my ward. This week, I decided that we should go to the Provo Rec Center using our budget. We played some pickleball, and after everyone left, I stayed longer to play a pickup game of basketball. Then a friend of mine showed up and wanted to play pickleball, so I played some more.
I was also involved in throwing a surprise birthday party for a girl I minister to. I went to an MTC Christmas devotional for employees, which had good food and was fun. After a family temple trip, we played some games at Braden and Brooke’s house.
Polar Express activity
Getting ready for Christmas is always one of my favorite times of the year. I loved doing the annual Polar Express party with Ashton and some of the munchkins.
It’s something simple, but it’s such a fun way for the little ones to pretend they’re actually on the Polar Express. Seeing their excitement makes it even more special.
Keaton and I were originally supposed to speak on the 21st, but due to some drama with the music coordinator, we were asked to speak a week early. Our topic was how to find Christ in the quiet moments of Christmas.
Polar Express activity
The bishopric did a great job giving us plenty of time and even held a workshop where we could start preparing and thinking about our talks well in advance. That preparation was really helpful because I felt like the topic stayed on my mind consistently.
Both of us ended up talking about how important it is to intentionally create quiet moments in order to find Christ.
This season is full of so much fun and busyness, and I loved the reminder that it’s all about Him. Focusing on my relationship with Christ whenever I remembered was a big blessing for me over the past few weeks.
Family visiting BYU to get IDs
To get our new BYU IDs, which let us ride trains and buses for free, Dad took us to BYU. Caleb went with us.
While we were waiting for our IDs to be completed, we went to the new creamery and tried their brownies. Each person had their own, and it was super fun.
Since Veidi had to get home early, Isaac and Veidi drove the Tesla home. The rest of us rode a long, bendy bus to the train. It was a fun and bumpy ride. Then we took a long 45-minute trip on FrontRunner all the way to the Trax Red Line.
Riding FrontRunner after getting BYU IDs
The Red Line took us closer to home. On the way, Dad showed us the old church where Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa Gardner and Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa Hill served in a bishopric together (Dad helped me get the “greats” right).
When we got off, Isaac gave us a ride home from the train. Mama was folding clothes when I came up and told her the story. She wanted to see the ID, so Dad showed her.
After that, Natalie came with her kids, and we also went to Gloria’s work party. It was fun, with presents and games. We came home afterward and went straight to bed.
Charlie, Braden, and Ellie
Brooke and I have noticed recently that Ellie has been having a combination of tantrums, crying episodes, and other behaviors. We think these are the result of her craving more attention and interaction.
We’ve realized that she doesn’t get to do as much fun stuff now that she’s in school, and she also doesn’t spend much one-on-one time with us. I decided I wanted to start having regular walks with her after I get done with work, where it’s just the two of us.
Braden and Ellie on a walk
We told Ellie about the idea, and Brooke told me she was excited about it all day. From the time she was dropped off at school to when she was picked up, she kept saying how much she was looking forward to it. We went on a short walk through the neighborhood and talked about her day.
She told me about telling her friends that the tooth fairy came and how she played Ninja Turtles with her friends at recess. I loved being able to have such simple one-on-one time with her. She’s the sweetest, and she really seemed to appreciate it too.
Family at Temple Square
We went to see the Temple Square lights, and they were so pretty. I love going there every year. Every time I go, it’s just amazing. I especially love seeing all of the lights.
Afterward, we went to get hot chocolate. Mom added Junior Mints, and it tasted so good. Then we went to bed.
Dad took us to update our BYU IDs, and then Isaac and I had to hurry home so I could get to my appointment with the Zimmermans to get my hair done. Doing my hair took six hours, which was a long time, but I loved how it turned out in the end.
Later in the week, Natalie took me to her house so I could help her with the puppies. Then the family came on Saturday, and we went shooting. It was really fun! It was also my first time shooting, and I had a blast.
Family visiting Temple Square lights
On Monday, Dad took us to BYU to get IDs so that we could ride FrontRunner for free. We also went to a new bakery that Caleb said had just opened. We got brownies, which were delicious and also very large.
After we got our IDs, we rode FrontRunner with them. It was my third time riding, but for Quinn and Joanna, it was their first time. They were so excited!
We also went to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. They were amazing, and it was really relaxing to stroll by the temple and enjoy all the decorations.
Emmett visiting Temple Square
Getting sick on the mission is pretty rough, not gonna lie. I’m not sure if it was just a bug or something we ate, but what I do know is that at some points I was booking it to the bathroom about every 15 minutes. It definitely wasn’t fun.
Last week, the other elders in our town had a baptism for Gener. It took place right after church, and his mom was also there. It was so cool to watch the Spirit work on her as she watched her son’s baptism. Afterward, she talked with the four of us about possibly getting baptized herself. The Holy Ghost for the win!
At our multi-zonas Navideña last week, after spiritual messages from President and Hermana Witt, we did White Elephant gifts. For my gift, I made a “movie poster” for a film called Llamados a Servir. It featured a photo of Elder Allred and me looking off into the distance.
Missionary Christmas decorations
Next we played a game where you roll an Oreo down a table into a cup filled with a random dipping sauce. That brought back some fun memories of home. For the final activity, we got to hit a Santa piñata, which was an absolute blast.
Now for transfer news. I’m staying here in Tizimín with Elder Allred for another transfer! As for the other elders in our ward, two sisters took their place. On top of that, I’m going to be the new district leader, so that should be interesting. This transfer was an absolute blast, and I enjoyed every second of it.
A few weeks ago I talked about a woman whose husband tried to kill her. the hermanas in Calotmul had started teaching her, but now Calotmul is in our area, so we get to talk with her again. I’m really curious to see how that goes.
Monte with missionaries and members
After the first week of this transfer, it’s been sort of wild adjusting to all of my new responsibilities as district leader, but honestly, it’s been good.
This week, we were able to meet with our friend Lily. She is super potente! In one of our lessons, we were talking to her about prayer, and she told us that she did not like to pray to santitos (the little statues that people pray to here in Mexico).
We took that time to tell her she was exactly correct. It’s not very often that you meet someone who already believes on their own that the only person they should pray to is God. Then she shared her testimony about prayer, and it was incredible. We invited her to church, and she said yes!
Monte eating with missionaries
During the week, everything was going totally fine—until Saturday. That morning, we received a text from her saying that she wasn’t going to come to church on Sunday. She said she didn’t feel like she was doing the right thing and that she was betraying her religion, since she’s Catholic. There wasn’t much we could do except invite her to pray and promise that if she went to church, she would feel peace and joy in her life.
Well, guess what? She prayed and then told us that she felt like God was telling her to go. Sunday morning rolled around, and she came to church! After sacrament meeting, she told us she felt something incredible, something she had never felt before. She then promised us she would come next week. Let’s go! Milagros exist.
It’s crazy that Christmas is already just around the corner. Remember to think about what’s really important this season—our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
Mom and Joanna at Temple Square
So many fun Christmas activities! I just want to thank all our adult children for your help to create so many fun traditions! It enriches our lives. And thank you to Nate and Natalie for hosting us at your house this past weekend. We had a great time!
Last week Quinn and Joanna and I took a little trip up north to bring Isaac back home from BYU Idaho. However, what is normally a four-hour trip becomes much longer when towing a trailer with an electric vehicle.
Charging Tesla on trip to Rexburg
Isaac had enough things that there wasn’t enough room in the car, so we brought the trailer, and while we didn’t have any major problems, we had a couple fun incidents between Treemonton and Pocatello, which ends up being a long stretch when your trailer takes two to three times the normal miles in a Tesla.
I had a great time with the Littles, and with Isaac as well on the ride home. At our first chargind stop on the way home, we conveniently found a Costa Vida next door, and we enjoyed dinner there. We arrived home early in the morning, and crashed in our beds as soon as possible!
Welcome home, Isaac!
Isaac, Joanna, Dad on Rexburg trip
Isaac
This week, I made the decision to move back to West Jordan instead of continuing school in Idaho. I thought about it for a long time and eventually decided that moving back was the best option. One of the main reasons was that I wasn’t able to find a job in Idaho.
There are a lot of students searching for work, and being 17 made it even harder. I did get a few interviews, but once employers found out I was 17, they said they couldn’t hire me due to company policies. Because of that, I figured it would be easier to move back to Utah and find a job there.
This will allow me to save money for my mission instead of leaving with only a couple thousand dollars in savings. I can also take online classes, work on my general education requirements, and hopefully earn my associate’s degree before leaving.
Endia organizing attic tubs
That way, when I come back from my mission and hopefully transfer to BYU Provo, my credits will already be taken care of. It will be nice to move back in with Mom and Dad and not have to worry about buying everything needed to live on my own.
I will miss some of my friends, but luckily, two of my closest friends are also heading home to live with their families before leaving on their missions.
Gloria thinks I might be able to get a job at the senior care facility where she works, which would be exciting. I’m a little nervous about it because I know it can be a demanding job. If I do get it, though, I’ll have a steady income and can start saving again for my mission.
Isaac’s temporary room