North Carolinian Phrases, Exchanges & Challenges

Wheat pancakes on Sunday morning with Elder Zeagler 

This week I´ve heard all sorts of North Carolinian phrases! "Dang it woman! Open your door!" (wouldn´t open up, but were home)-- "I´m going to beat you with a wet mop!" (we bought a mop today and he realized what his mom always said about how she´d beat him with a wet mop) -- "Dang it, Nancy! (a name written on the back of my chair), "Now we´re cookin´with grease!" (anything that is going good) -- "I´ve really fogged up this time!" (stepping out of the A/C to humid hottness of NC with glasses on)

It´s been pretty interesting to hear how different things can be even from a few thousand miles away. We´ve had a bit of a hard week just with not finding anyone new to teach and having Raúl´s baptism fall through. We don´t even know why, exactly. We went to see him on Friday but he wasn´t there, so I called him and asked him if everything was OK and he said that he wouldn´t be baptized this week. We still haven´t been able to see him. We´re doing what we can to work hard in the ward, to get all the members excited and build their testimonies because when we have a strong testimony, or we really love somthing, we want to share it with everyone. We´re trying to work with the leaders first but they´re not budging to well. Little by little.

The ward area is pretty small, but we have a membership of over 400 members. Only 100 +/- attend on a regular basis. This week we focused a lot on the less actives and I was surprised to see that a few went. Little by little we are "Going to the Rescue" as President Monson has counseled. I feel just as content with an inactive family returning as I do baptizing a new family. It´s something that I haven´t understood until this time in the mission.

We did exchanges with Elders Miramontes, Richardson, Calderón, and Holmes this week. A couple of Elders who were waiting for their visas (Miramontes and others in the mission) got the call on Tuesday night that they had finally recieved their visa and they left Wednesday night. After four months, they are finally in their officially assigned mission.

Well, I regret to inform you that nothing else too interesting happened this week. It´s still fun to see how Zeagler reacts to everything that to me is old. We´ll keep learning.

Love you all. I´ll try to make this week a litte more informative and interesting.

Loves,

Elder Hillbilly

(Ma)Oh that is funny!! ¡Te amó mi hijo! Mamá

MORE TRAINING BLOOPERS!

MORE TRAINING BLOOPERS

E. Zeagler and I continue to learn together. It`s been pretty fun lately because he`s like an energizer bunny who just doesn`t stop until he`s in bed, asleep. Every second he`s just like, "We have to find more people! We have to place more copies of The Book of Mormon! We need to talk to EVERYONE!" I just smile and say, "OK. Let`s go!" It`s been a while since I`ve had a companion who actually WANTED to do everything he could to find new people and be obedient. It would be pretty fabulous to finish the mission training. It`s just so much easier to do what`s right because they don`t have old missionary habits. Doing what Preach My Gospel says is the only thing they know so they can`t go against it. It`s also been pretty funny because I`m reliving the Spanish bloopers again. He`s said some pretty funny things this week. All of which I don`t  remember, nor would it make sense in English. 

Raul was supposed to be baptized this weekend but he wanted to wait one more week and he got pretty sick. As of right now, it`s planned for next Saturday. We`ll just have to see what happens. He`s a good guy, he just lacks a little. 

We started teaching Vicente, an older guy in his 60`s who the Elders started teaching a few months back. He`s been coming to church each week and everything, but he hasn`t been baptized yet because he still has some addictions that he has to get rid of. He, too, was supposed to be baptized this coming week, but he drank coffee again and won`t be able to. It`s good that he drank because we realized that he still isn`t converted and doesn`t really understand what SINNING and REPENTANCE are. It`s kind of despairing because each week in the Sunday school class he asks the same questions and is just looking for someone to justify his sins in his situation. It`s been a tough time teaching him, but that`s how we all grow. I hope that we can assist him in understanding what the Gospel really means. 

Hugo is a young man who went to church last week. He`s been a little depressed and not really knowing if God exists or not. When he was 8 mos old his Mom was hit by a car and killed, and she had just enough time to roll him off to the side of the road. His dad remarried and when Hugo was 10 years old, his step mom was killed in a bus accident. He feels guilty because both times they were with him. He began reading the BOM, but we haven`t seen him since last Wednesday. He didn`t go to church and we don`t know if we can go to his house because he said that his dad was a little crazy sometimes. I know that there IS a plan and that it can`t be frustrated. 

It`s been so crazy thinking that I only have 5 months left. I want to keep working so hard because time just doesn`t last. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. I know that I will never be able to serve 2 years like this again. Maybe later with the wifey and all, but it`s just not the same. Now is the time. Help the missionaries at home. I know that they`re already spoiled and all, but help them make their missions successful, please. :) 

Love you all. The house looks good and hopefully you can finish everything sooner than later. Tell everyone hello for me. 

Loves, Elder Hill 

pic- I was going to record a role play that we were doing but I accidentally hit the camera button. Zeagler says that it shows how our companionship is-- I`m goofing off and lost and he`s studying hard. 

Elder Ziggy & I´m officially gifted in the gift of the interpretation of tongues because I can understand Spanish, English, and North Carolinan!

Elder Matt Hill & Elder Brandon Zeagler

Well, I didn´t put the nickname, but a couple of people have called Elder Zeagler "Elder Ziggy" and it´s funny because he says that´s what they called him in NC. Speaking of that, I´m officially gifted in the gift of the interpretation of tongues because I can understand Spanish, English, and North Carolinan! There are sometimes that I just tell him to tell me in spanish because I just don´t understand what he´s saying. I tell him that it´s because he needs to speak spanish more to learn, but I just don´t get what he says sometimes. It´s pretty funny. He´s a good kid and everyone tells him that he has a "baby face!" Haha! We took a taxi today and the taxista told him in English that he has a baby face. After two years of stressing out and not sleeping, he´ll lose some hair and wrinkle his face a little. No worries. 

Paola was confirmed yesterday, so that was fabulous. She´s been getting to know the JAS (YSA) lately so she´s feeling more comfortable. Her brother, Raul, will be baptized this Saturday. He´s the one in the green suit from her baptism and her mom´s name is Maria de los Angeles. I saw on the blog that you didn´t have it. 

Saturday night we felt like we had to go down a certain street and we didn´t pass anyone the entire street until the end. A lady with some grocery bags walked by us and we just said hello. After she had passed, Zeagler said that he felt sick and thought that she was the one. So, we turned around and sped walk to catch up to her. We finally got there, presented ourselves and started talking. Long story short, we found out that she has been praying to know what to do with her family because she has problems with her husband. She started two years ago looking for God in her life and lately she´s felt an unquenchable thirst to get to know WHO God is. She´s not from our area, but she´s definitely one of those from D&C 123:12. I read that scripture to her on the street and she opened her eyes wide and at the end of everything said thanks for contacting her. 

Sunday night we were standing outside of our entrance to the street of our house (it´s a privada... whatever that is in English) and while I was reporting to the ZL´s, E. Zeagler was contacting people and even though they didn´t want anything, he just kept talking in his new spanish and testified. It´s fun to be with a new missionary. :) I´m learning how to trust more in God than in my own experience and knowledge. I was unconsciously praying for the opportunity to train a white man and I actually had a dream about it before transfers, so I wasn´t too surprised. 

This week we moved houses. We don´t live near as many drunk people and other problems, and we have a kitchen. I haven´t had a kitchen since La Quebrada, but hey, I take hot showers so I don´t have anything to complain about.

Well, keep working hard on the house. Sorry it´s been such a problem, but it will be worth it in the end. Just always keep God first and everything else will fall into place. Love you all! Keep the missionary work alive! Preach to everyone you know! When I get home I don´t want to go to the movie or even hear a cell phone until I´ve talked to everyone I need to talk to about the church! It´s going to be a while! I thought this week that I only have 4 transfers left, and like 5 months. It´s crazy, and I want to make the best of it. This is what Sis. Call wrote in her letter today..... 

 “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time.”

Jesus could do missionary work in many different ways, but he allows us in this short time, to know Him, to develop talents and abilities, gain attributes and make changes.  It is a time to become more like Him, and realize for yourself that you can do and be more than you once could have imagined.
How do you feel when you see the converts you have come to love dressed in white before their baptism? They are the reason you are here.  They are the ones that help you be a better man or woman, to magnify your priesthood, to love unselfishly, and understand a little better the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Where do we get the energy to do all this?  Sometimes you feel so tired; sleeping hours seems like minutes, the hills, heat, rain, cold, shoes with pebbles in them, etc.  The answer is simple: Jesus Christ long ago did this for us.  He took our burdens and put them on His shoulders, He suffered for each of us.  Now we must do the same for others, and be the kind of missionary who is striving to become like Jesus Christ.  Abrazos……..Hermana Call

Love, 

Elder Hill 

Bienvenido! Trainer and new companion! A greenie TARHEEL!!!

6 August 2013

Dear Griggs Family,

This letter is to inform you that your son, Elder Matthew M. Hill, has been called to fill the assignment of Trainer in the Mexico Mexico City North Mission. He will have the responsibility to train, lift, inspire and elevate his new companion, Elder

Brandon Zaegler , to a level acceptable to the Lord.

“And if any man among you be strong…let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:106 emphasis added)

I cannot over emphasize the impact a Trainer has on his companion. We congratulate you on having such a fine son and thank you for having helped prepare such an excellent missionary. Please continue to pray fervently for him so that he will continue to seek, find and follow the guiding influence of the Lord.

Sincerely,

President J. Dana Call Mexico Mexico City North Mission

MISIÓN MÉXICO CIUDAD DE MÉXICO NORTE Calle Mira Lirio # 69 Col. CumbriaCuautitlán Izcalli, Edo. de México 54740

Hermana Call y Presidente Call with new missionaries

Elder Zaegler and new greenies arriving in MCN
Welcome to Mexico Elder Zeagler! We are so happy you are arrived!

Here we have Elder Zeagler with his trainer Elder Hill.  Good luck to
the two of you.

Abrazos.......Hermana Call

UMMM this next photo looks too familiar!

this is the goodbye photo..but the one I wanted was from the blog..think it is this blog's profile pix

papa y mama; adiós, mi hijo de oro.....

Pray for Companion, Transfers, Word of Wisdom & Be Grateful to Your Police Officers!

ELDERS' PALACIOS y HILL COM MARCO, (EX AGENTE DE POLICIA)

So, as I thought, Elder Palacios was transferred to Chilpa, in Tepalcapa. He was tired of being with me, but some day he´ll thank me. He´s a good kid and I hope that he finishes his mission until the end. Please pray for him so that he doesn´t have negative thoughts of wanting to go home. I still don´t know who my companion is because he gets here tomorrow. I´m going to be training again and I´m not sure if he´ll be spanish speaking or pure gringo but I´ll let you know this week.

ELDERS' HILL, PALACIOS, ? Y PAOLA Y LA MADRE?

EDGARS FAMILIA Y ELDERS' HILL Y PALACIOS @ BAUTISMO

We had Paola´s and Edgar´s baptisms this week. Edgar was baptized on Saturday by his girlfriend´s dad and was confirmed on Sunday by the same. They are both good families, it´s just that one could be so much better with the gospel. Edgar´s parents are softening their hearts little by little and I know that some day soon we will be able to teach them. It´s a family that looks like they are members.... but they aren´t yet. Paola was really excited for her baptism and told us that she felt like she was floating all day after her baptism. That´s how we should all feel all the time when we have the Spirit. It´s something that I yearn for in life is always being worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Paola will be confirmed next week, and her brother, Raul, will be baptized and confirmed the 17th-18th. Their mom was really interested in the church after seeing the baptism and the only person that we have left to convince to let us teach is the dad. Little by little. Please pray for these families so that they will accept the Gospel so that these baptisms aren´t just two or three, but entire families that can one day be sealed in the House of the Lord for all time and eternity. 

 We ate on Sunday with Marco and Maria. Marco was the first baptism that we had in this area when I got here. He used to be a police officer and he pulled out his bullet proof vests and his club thing. Well, taking advantage of the opportunity, we took pictures. It was fun because he got excited about it, too, now that he´s retired. Be grateful for you police officers because it´s totally different here. 

A member told us something the other day that I really hadn´t thought about too much. It relates to the word of wisdom. She said that everything that God has created is what gives us strength and energy. Every thing that man has created just artificially fills us up and seems to give us energy. For example, an apple will forever be more healthy and energetic than a twinky. On the spiritual side, everything that God has created and asked us to do is what gives us true happiness and real health, while what man thinks is best just fills the space and imitates, but has no lasting value. I love learning and I love the fact that I realize more and more each day the importance that God plays in our lives, and the importance of doing what He asks. 

Love you all. Be good and be safe! 

Elder Hill  

baptism of edgar

baptism of Paola 

bulletproof vest from a member. 

WHAT EXACTLY AM I GONNA DO WHEN I GET OFF MY MISSION???

 --I¨m thinking about Gold Cross but I´m not sure if they are going to be accepting EMT Advanced or if it will just be basic and paramedic. 

--Can you see if their will be openings in the UT air national guard for medic or security forces when I get home? 

-- How much does it cost and how long does the police academy last? 

-- West Valley fire academy? Dates and Information for the next year?

-- Lakeview ER almost done? I talked to the director last year and she offered me a job, but I was leaving on the mission. She told me to find her when I got home. 

I think that´s good for now. I get home Jan 22 and I start school in fall semester. 

Not urgent. Love you. 

Elder Hill