New Missions ~ Nuevas misiones!

Miracles require sacrifice

Hola mi hijo de oro, Elder Hill,

Comó estás? Dijo puede ser dividido, es Pachucha, Obregón, Chalco cerca de usted, dentro de 3 horas? Creo que se puede dividir en tres o cuatro?

New missions: Salt Lake City East,  5 Africa, 2 Asia, 3 Central America, 8 México, 15/South America-7 of which are in Brazil, 4 Philippines, 3 in Pacific, 1 in Europe, 17 USA/Canada…total of 407 over 60K missionaries now. Mission apps are up 475%, oh ya, P.S. I keep forgetting to tell you, you were right…there were, (at that time, 185 in your mission, 5 of the 8 new missions are near you.. 

México Ciudad Obregón
México México City Chalco
México Pachuca
México Queretaro

México Reynosa.....Te amo, Mamá

"The Mexico City North mission just became three: Querétaro, Pachuca and México City North. We will lose 5 stakes and approximately 65 missionaries. Those who are in the new missions on July 1st will be part of those missions. We hate to lose missionaries, but it is all part of " the Lord hastening his work. "Hermana Patricia Call, wife of Matt's mission president.

Hey, 

The updates were a little different this week. I hope that Laura and Marc are okay. Good to see that Des is still in Ballet and sticking to it. I had no idea that Yenny had cried after I left. I think she cried because I had been one of the few missionaries that stayed teaching her husband and told her about how she can keep advancing in the gospel through her patriarchal blessing and the endowment. Tell her hello. Ali Lloyd is a good girl and a good friend to Coffman. I´ll send him an email next week. Anyway, still no word on any leadership things or anything like that, and I´m just fine with it. It´s more fun being a missionary and just working. We have two more transfers and then wherever we are transferred in the third transfer will depend on what mission we will stay in. President Call makes all of the transfers based on revelation and that´s how the change will be made. 

This week was a little bit strange. I was super sick this week but now I´m feeling better. Still don´t know what I had, but the doctor just says to keep out of the sun for now and we´ll see what happens. They told us this week on Wednesday of the mission changes but that we were to no tell anyone until the announcement was made on Friday. It´s an exciting time for everyone and especially for me here in Querétaro because it will be it´s own mission. I still don´t know where I will be. Everything at this point is possible. If I stay in Querétaro then I get a new mission president in July as well as if I go to Hidalgo. If I go to Mexico then I stay with the Calls. It´s all a matter of the work progressing and until the transfer in June will I know where I stand.

Flor didn´t get baptized this week because she still had a few doubts about a few things, but she´s doing well and we are helping here resolve her doubts. Elder Orozco and I are a lot a like. His mom´s birthday is also on the 4th of March, he´s going to study medicine, and we like a lot of the same things. it´s going to be a good transfer. 

Well, that´s about all that happened this week. We spent a lot of time in the house resting because I was sick, but next week´s letter will be more interesting... I hope. :) 

Be good. Love, 

Elder Hill 

pic-- miracles require sacrifice

Mom, “Do you need anything else before I send pkg.?” E.H. No, I have pretty much everything. Just the Disney and musical music that you sent me. I erased the folders once when I was transferring it to another memory. I´ll also send you a memory soon. I accidentally erased all of the Disney music and all that that you sent me the first time. Can you send me memory with all that on it? That´s all I was thinking of. 

Mom, “Did you hear rumors, Mr. Assistant in waiting?” E. H. No rumors here. It´s so hard because there are going to be two new mission presidents and areas and everything. It´s all up in the air right now. Because the new mission presidents will choose the new leaders in their mission and it´s just a different ball game. I´ll let you know when I know. What´s my password again?

Mom, “I gave you everything to handle it use the cream. Spots where? U can use it in your mouth too”

E.H. No, I had a fever for two days and sore throat but now the spots aren´t going away. The doc says that they are ulcers, back of throat. Don´t send more stuff- I have lots of meds here! :) I have it under control. I´ll use what you sent me. Love you, gotta go. Elder Hill

Transfers, Christ Is A Gentleman & Spirit Was So Strong

Can't take the EMT/Dr. out of him!

Hey Mamà, 

I stay here in Hidalgo. I just sent my letter. I`m sorry I don`t have much time to write today because of transfers and we don`t have much time. Good job on FHE and I`ll talk to you later…..Yeah, it`s a good ward and it has a lot of potential. We have to change the bad rep that this zone has. It`s all a matter of attitude. 

…FHE topic…missionary work? Also, Elder Nelson said that "in my lifetime there will people who flock to the church" and Elder Alonso told us this week that there are a lot of changes that he can`t tell us about yet.

Love you. Have a good week. 

Holá familia y amigos, 

Elder Ivan Orozco & Elder Matthew Hill, new compadres!

We had transfers today. Elder Martin left to Huehuetoca, Mexico and my new companion is Ivan Orozco, from Colonia Juarez. He`s actually from the same stake as President and Sister Call so that`s cool. We`ve only been together 3 hours, so I`ll let you know more about him next week. 

This week was pretty great. On Thursday we had a meeting with two of our area Seventy- Elder Alonso and Elder Hernandez. They talked about our calling as missionaries and how we need to magnify it because nobody else has the same calling as us. Even them as Seventy don`t have the authority to preach the gospel all day every day with a name tag and all that jazz. It was pretty inspiring to have two General Authorities and special witnesses of Jesus Christ with us. The Spirit was so strong. They reminded us about the fact that we have a special message for the whole world-- that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored with all the power and authority that He has given from Adam to Tommy Monson. The world will self destruct and the only thing that will save it is the Gospel. We don`t know how long we will live and our families need to be sealed eternally in this life. THIS LIFE is the time to prepare to meet our God; not the spirit world. If we are not ready now, we cannot be ready then. It was interesting because there was one point when I felt like I was at football camp again because Elder Hernandez asked, "What is our message to the world?" and somebody responded, "The restored Gospel of Jesus Christ." Elder Hernandez shouted "THEN TELL THEM THAT!" It was a shout from the Spirit because it penetrated to the soul. Oh, and that was my Valentine`s day as well. Much better than any other Valentine`s day I`ve ever had. 

Christ is a gentleman.... he only comes into our life if we let him in. Revelations 3:20-22 Christ stands at the door and knocks, and we must let him in. That`s why the painting of Christ knocking on the door doesn`t have a doorknob outside- because it has to be opened from within. Let us all invite Christ into our lives every day, and not just on Christmas day. 

Flor and her daughters will be getting baptized on Saturday and we hope that everything goes well to make it happen. She went to church ready to receive an answer from the Spirit and she received it. The meetings we have on Sundays aren`t just meetings- they are environments that we can create to receive answers to prayers and the remission of our sins. 

The Church is true. I will say it so many more times in the next 11 months because NOBODY can take my testimony from me. I am willing to give everything that I have to say that, even my life if needs be. It`s a devotion that has grown in the mission and will continue to grow. 

Love you all. Have a great week! 

Elder Hill

Families CAN BE Forever, But Only by Partaking of the Everlasting Covenant of Temple Sealing.

He must've got this for me! I am ALWAYS raving about "Dillan Dove" He and Matthew were supposed to enter the MTC together on Dec. 7th. I love his letters....

Hola-- 

What a strange week. This week we have been visiting our members more to be able to find new investigators because lately it’s been a little hard on teaching people. We have people, but they just aren’t progressing. So, we received a referral this week from a member and we went to visit this friend. We walked to his house and knock on the door. This guy answers and I thought, "Cool. For once we’re not teaching a single mom with 7 kids!" So we started talking and I was trying to not to smile because this guy is... gay? Well, at that moment we didn’t know that he was gay but it’s something noticeable. So we taught him like one more time about the BOM and invited him to church. He went to church but during one of the classes we pulled him aside to talk to him about baptism. It was super awkward but he told us that he doesn’t like churches because they don’t accept gays and what they do. 

Leviticus 18:22

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

And there are a lot more that frown on that. This was my first experience with teaching a gay guy, and I think that I prefer the single mom with 7 kids because it’s easier. Everyone is a child of God. He is my brother, this man, but he’s just a little off the straight and narrow path. 

Elder Hill with Claire Chilton's nephew, Elder Holmes

We also talked to a member last week who told us that on Sunday he had a disciplinary council. We know that he has made some mistakes in his life, but he moved from another state just to get away from that old life and repent. He was really sad about it when we talked about the possibility of having to be baptized again. The Spirit was so strong and we talked about the temples and how he can make the goal to take his family to the temple. He showed up on Sunday with a white shirt, tie, and a suit and told us that he was no longer a member of the church. He had been excommunicated just an hour before, but he came to church and had a smile on his face. He has made some mistakes, but through the process of repentance and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, this brother’s soul can still be saved. He is looking forward with faith for the one-year mark where he can be baptized again, and the two-year mark where he can take his family to the temple to be sealed. He told us last week that he hadn’t felt the urgency to go to the temple with his family, but he has realized that this life is all too short and that sometimes tomorrow was too far away to make the right decision. 

Families CAN BE forever, but only by partaking of the everlasting covenant of temple sealing. 

The Church is true. Never leave it. 

Much love, 

Elder Hill 

Hey Buddies & yet ANOTHER sign that God is accelerating the work because we are in the last days.

Elder Hill & Dominican bananas

So, crazy news for the new Mexican MTC! Many members have been commenting to us about how they all grew up in that school-back when it was elementary-high school- and that they will miss it. This is yet ANOTHER sign that God is accelerating the work because we are in the last days. How many prophets have told us that this is a chosen generation and that we need to be ready to meet our God? In the last days there will be famines-- food storage. In the last days the hearts of men will fail them-- feast upon the words of Christ. We are the LATTER DAY SAINTS preparing the way for the second coming of the Lord. It was the 11th hour in Joseph Smith´s time.... what would that make today? It has been interesting to be able to study the gospel every day because I have been able to learn so much. The second coming, temples, baptism, etc. I hope that I will be prepared. 

This week we found a 22 year old named Manolo. He´s funny because when he sees us he always says, "Hey buddies! How´s it going?" (he was a foreign exchange student in Iowa) He went to church on Sunday and really like it. Hopefully he comes back this week. Flor and her family had something happen right before church and they didn´t end up going. We promised that she would have found her answer if she had gone to church. Satan knew that too. Keep praying for those who do not know the gospel so that you can be an instrument in the Lord´s hands to helping them become converted. 

Love you all. Gotta go. Duty calls. 

Elder Hill 

Elder Hill and a Guanabana (whatever THAT is!)

pix-Guanabana and Dominican bananas.