¡Feliz año nuevo a todos! There are lots of people waiting to hear the Gospel, we just have to find them!

Hermano Banuelos harvesting his maize with Elder Hill

Jaina's hijo David

 It was good to be able to Skype and see the family again. It seems like Mother´s day was just around the corner! Before you know it, May will be here again and so will Christmas. I think that 2 years goes by so fast because one third of it we spend sleeping! After talking on the 24th we ate with the Ramos Family and we talked about their missions for a while. Hermana Ramos ended up going bald in the mission in Chihuaha because she had a fungus that got in her hair, and so did her companion. But because the Lord is merciful, they ended up having two wigs that matched their hair styles and nobody in the zone picture ever noticed. Pretty cool. 

Diana & Boyfriend

Elder Hill, Diana's boyfriend, Diana & Elder Martin

Yesterday Diana got baptized. She has been going for a year and one day we met with her and I don´t remember what I said, but she decided to get baptized. When her boyfriend baptized her they were in white, and I thought (to myself as not to scare her),  that the next time that they would be dressed in white together would be in the temple. They are for sure a couple that will get sealed in the temple... that is when they get married. I think he was waiting to see if she would get baptized first, but who knows. 

Also yesterday we had a pretty cool experience. We were in priesthood meeting when one of the YM came and told us that there was a man outside that wanted to get baptized and be a member of the church. I thought he was just playing but no! Ramón showed up all on his own and said that he has the desire to learn more. He doesn´t correspond to our area, but he called the other missionaries and they went yesterday and he accepted a baptismal date! Miracles do happen. There are lots of people waiting to hear the Gospel, we just have to find them. D&C 123:12

One thing that I love about the mission is that I actually love to read and study the scriptures now. I didn´t put that much effort into it before, but now I love it. For example, I never took advantage of the topical guide. It´s so awesome because only in English is it that complex. Funny scriptures under the word "strange" are: Jude 1:7, Ezekiel 3:5, and Ezra 10:11. The Bible is funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! 

Well, gotta go because we have to be in the house early tonight. Gotta keep working. 

Thanks for everything. I hope that everyone has a great week. 

Love, 

Elder Hill 

From Tezo still 

I´m sending two from the baptism but that´s it for now. I´ll take more later on. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE FAMILY & ALL.

David hijo and me with Hermano Banuelos when he was harvesting corn.

Felìz Navidad y Prospero Año & "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON."

Well, I think I`ll start out this week`s details with the fact that the mission isn`t all clean and happy as some people think. I arrived to my new area with one of those horror stories about missionary houses- mold, dirty, tons of cockroaches, and just not that great. My companion cleaned a lot before I got there but his last companion just didn`t mind the mess. Elder Martin is a good Elder and we worked hard this week to have a clean house, and it`s better! It`s definitely a nice Christmas present. 

On Tuesday we went to do a service project in a community in our zone. We cleaned up a lot of weeds outside and waterproofed the roof. I don`t have pictures, but that was a good second service project. I don`t remember if I wrote last week that we had gone and cleaned up a lot of garbage in an area by the city cemetery, but that`s what I did on Saturday in my last zone. Fun times. 

Wednesday we went to find a less active member and found some other guy who rents in his same building. We had a lesson with him and at the end he asked if he could pray his way and he did. We knelt down like we did at the beginning but then he stayed standing, so I thought O.K. Then he started praying really loud and put his hands on our heads and starting blessing us. He went on for like 5 minutes and ended, but that was a strange experience I tell ya! 

On Friday I had an experience where I felt that Heavenly Father really does send missionaries to areas where there are people ready for that missionary. Diana is the girlfriend of an RM, (return missionary), and has been investigating the church for about 1 year, but hasn`t been baptized. On Tuesday we had a lesson with her and I don`t remember too much of what was said, but we invited her to pray to know if she should be baptized this next Saturday. So she prayed and felt like she should and said that something that I had said is what helped her to make the choice. I tell you that it wasn`t me, but the spirit acting through me. That`s what makes the mission amazing- all of the little experiences like that. 

Presidente & Hermana Call's son, Shane, with Matthew's tie on!

Saturday there was a little activity as a zone for Christmas with President and Sister Call and their family. I don`t have the pictures yet but we sang songs, played activities, and exchanged ties. We dressed up and acted out Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and guess who was Rudolph? Yours truly, Elder Hill. 

Sunday, well, we went to church and I met the ward. Nobody was there because a lot of people left for Christmas, but they tell me the ward is huge. 

Queretaro District

And today we had a little activity as a district. We exchanged gifts, broke a piñata, and went to a Chinese food buffet. Haven`t had Chinese food in a long time, so that was good. 

I read this week in Jesus the Christ, In chapter 8 about the Babe in Bethlehem and the story of Christ`s birth.  Click here to read Jesus The Christ~scroll down for Ch. 8

It was a little more in depth than just reading in the scriptures and I really enjoyed it. If you have the book, it is an invitation to study a little more about Christ and WHY we SHOULD be celebrating Christmas. He did a lot for us, but I feel that many times in the Christmas season we forget about Him and just spend a lot of money on things that have no eternal significance. Although Christmas is not over, the mission has opened my eyes about what matters most. 

I hope that everyone has a great week and that you can have more Christ in your lives. 

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON." 

With Love, 

Elder Hill 

1- Elder Martin and I 

2- District activity after breaking the "mission sins" pinata (waking up late, facebook, etc - all the stuff that we shouldn`t do and don`t do) 

3- Cockroaches in the cupboard

 ****************funny de la biblia 

 ***************1 Tim 2:11-15 and 1 Cor 11:14-15

Cambios, Cucarachas y Navidad! (Changes, Cockroaches and Christmas!)

ELDERS' HILL & CLAYTON WITH DISTRICT

I received transfer notices this week that I was to leave Tezontepec after 6 months and go to Hidalgo, Querètaro. My new companion is Elder Martin from LA, California and he is from the same group of missionaries as my son Elder Clayton. He`s the only member in his family and was baptized two years ago. He`s pretty cool and I hope that we have success together in what everyone says is the hardest zone in the mission. It`s a really nice area with lots of people that have money so we`ll see how it goes. Anything is possible. 

This last week we found a family of four in the street that started asking us questions because we were two white guys that always walked buy their house. We left them with some things to read but they weren`t there when we went by the next day, so I don`t know what will happen. Other than that, things were pretty chill in Tezo. ON Sunday the Bishop chose the hymn 266- The time is far spent- to sing in Sacrament Meeting  but in Spanish the translation is "The end is near" because of the 21st of December when supposedly the world will end. Well, good thing I`m in the mission! Everyone says that If it ends this week we don`t have to get married to go to the Celestial kingdom, but it`s not going to end so don`t worry. 

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. People here make wishes to the "reyes magos" or the three kings and everyone celebrates Christmas on the 24th, not the 25th. Normally the family gets together and eats a big dinner with bread de Rusca de Reyes where they put a little toy thing inside. I haven`t seen it yet, but they tell me it`s big. There are also Posadas for like the 12 days of Christmas where they take the Virgin Mary around in remembrance for what Joseph and Mary did when they asked for a place in the inn. They`re like big parties that they do and they close down main roads and neighborhoods and it`s just a little loco but still cool. That`s about all I remember about what they do. 

EXPENSIVE FISH FRY

We also got kidnapped one day by some members and they took us to a family get together to eat because we didn`t have anywhere to eat and we ate fried fish. It wasn`t too bad and apparently it`s really expensive, too. 

ELDER HILL AND ROZIITHA

Roziitha in the wheelchair has spinomeningocele or Spina bifida and she got baptized almost a year ago and goes with the other missionaries of her ward to appointments. 

ELDER HILL AND SOFIA

Sofia is like the Mexican twin of Alivia, Tyler and Kelli`s daughter. 

Merry Christmas! Be safe, be giving, and be happy! 

Amor, 

Elder Hill 

More Pics- cockroaches in the house and Bishop`s family. (Missing in email)

COCKROACHES IN ELDER HILL'S & CLAYTON'S FLAT.....EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

It´s Tough Here ~ We Are Teaching People, Satan Works Within Them and Just Makes it Difficult & The Bible Has Lots of Funny Scriptures!

TEZONTEPEC, ESTADO DE HIDALGO, MEXICO

Well another week has come and gone. This week Jaina was called to be a young women´s teacher and she´s super excited. The young women here need someone like her who has the testimony and the desire to help others. Being a young member here honestly isn´t too easy. There are so many more distractions and temptations and it´s a lot easier to fall than at home. At least that´s my perspective as a missionary. 

We started teaching a family this week that was really interested and had so many questions about the church and the next day we went, they told us that they didn´t want us to come back. L We think that their family and neighbors started talking to them about how they shouldn´t change religions. 

It´s tough here because as soon as the people see that we are teaching people, Satan works within them and just makes it difficult. People here put a lot of weight on what the people say and their family. They have a lot of difficulty being independent. It´s a totally different culture. 

We started teaching the parents of one hermano in the ward. They have talked to soooo many missionaries in the last 6 years but for some reason they haven´t ever read nor prayed about the Book of Mormon. They like the change that they saw in this hermano and his family, they like the church a lot, but they don´t want to change because the feel obligated to their ancestors. We invited them to read, ponder, and pray and we know that they will receive an answer. I´ll let you know what happens next week. 

The Bible has lots of funny scriptures. I think I´ll share one a week for a while.... 

1 Thes 5:26

1 Thes 5:16

Prov 20:29

This week we ate Aztec Pie and lamb barbacoa. I am disgusted/proud to admit that I was able to eat a sheep testicle..... gross, but it´s a one in a lifetime opportunity! And a balloon guy climbed in the combi (van) this week and I took a picture.

  

Loves, 

Elder Hill 

Oh I also found out that I have had bed bugs for the last few weeks so I have to go buy this stuff and scrub down my bed this week! Yay!!!

(Mom) The essential oils and cream I sent you was for that too! The mixture and the brown cream!!!! YOU are so funny!

I´ve been using it. Thanks for your ingeniousness. 

Loves, gotta go. Have a good week.

Me. (Yes, Elder Hill may not like to see this on the blog...HOWEVER, it does show the dedication, sacrifice, character and sense of humor one must have when Called to Serve!)

Greater Light = Greater Condemnation & My Jumpsuit is TOO Small!

Jaina, Elder Hill, Jaina's hijo Arjun & el Papa, Arjun e hiram Garcia at Arjun's baptism, (just turned 8!)

This week was a little crazy. We´re already in the 5th week of the transfer and it feel like it just barely started. I get confused with what happened this week and what happened a month ago. However, David and Nicte were confirmed yesterday. It was Elder Clayton´s first confirmation so that was cool. I also got to baptize Arjun, Jaina´s son who turned 8 last month. I thought that I would wear the jumpsuit because I
didn´t have any clean white shirts but when I put it on at church it was too small! I looked like a little kid in pajamas that didn´t fit. Hence, I am behind Arjun. His dad, Hiram, came and is also going to church where he lives and reading the BOM and the pamphlets. The gospel changes lives. We´ve been trying to find new people to teach this week but it has been a little hard because of relying on the members. It´s difficult because we have to train the members on how to talk to people and what to do. Many members get embarrassed when talking about the church, but we are helping them build THEIR testimony so that they can help others. This last week we also had flu shots and I got to help. We have a hermana in the mission who is a doctor so she came to give the shots. When Hermana Call told her that I was an EMT, she had me fill the syringes. With nearly 11 months in the mission.... I was a little caught off guard but I think that everyone survived.

We went to Tula today because our district wanted to get out of the little village and see something bigger, so we went to a store and Burger King! Elder Clayton has been wanting to go ever since he got here, so happy birthday to him (on Wednesday)!!!!! We don´t go because it´s really expensive and just not a place for missionaries to be. I´m okay without burger king for another 11 months.

(From Elder Clayton's letter) Oh yeah, Elder Hill and I got spit on the other day for the first time. We were walking down a road and some car zoomed past us and a woman spit on us, haters gonna hate and mormons gonna morm.

One thing that I was studying this week was a talk from Ezra Taft Benson about pride. It´s from the April 1989 conference and is titled Beware of Pride. I highly recommend it because I think that we are all subject to pride in one form or another. It´s powerful. I was also studying about knowledge. I came to the conclusion that knowledge won´t save you, but it will condemn you. Greater light = greater condemnation. It´s interesting that in D&C 131:6 it says that we cannot be saved in ignorance, and other scriptures that tell us we need to always learn. Being a member of this Church is "easy" but hard work at the same time. We are always progressing forward, or falling down the ladder of progression. That is also a bad effect of pride-- we can´t progress. Keep studying ´out of the best books´ and ´treasuring up the words of life´. I know you can do it.

Have a great week! Gotta go!

Elder Hill

1-burger king

2-guys washing a big tent at a circus

3- Arjun´s baptism