February 22, 2016 - Columbus GA

Hey Y'all!

It seems like every week in the mission field is different in it's own way but in every week I learn something new or have a stronger testimony in some aspect of the gospel. But yes I'm doing great and being a Zone Leader has its stressful moments but I'm loving the upbeat change of pace.  Yeah funny story about the locksmith haha but yeah we parked and we were going to go tract and find some new people to teach when these kids were playing basketball and we decided to go play but we were in our sweaters so we went to the car to put away our sweaters and bags and I didnt want anything in my pocket and so I was thinking or something and right before I was going to put my keys in the car I locked it and threw the keys in the car... While the keys were in the air I realized it and as soon as the door closed I was like DANGIT!! But our phone was locked in there too so we had to ask the people we played basketball with for their phone to call pop-a lock but he came and we got it figured out but it all worked out. I thought I looked like Captain America too with the flag:) I'm glad everyone is doing well! I pray for you everyday! But yeah I feel pretty safe in Columbus. I haven't rode my bike here once cause we have so much to do and not enough time to do it but besides some underclass neighborhoods and trailer parks it's pretty safe here at least from what I've experienced so far.It's so much different than Milledgeville! Columbus is a fairly large town and considerably larger than Milledgeville and the work is doing better than Milledgeville. In Milledgeville the work was slower and everyone in Milledgeville has either seen missionaries or has had missionaries knock at their door because its a small college town but in Columbus the ward is engaged in missionary work and everyone has the same goal of helping people make covenants with the Lord. Thats probably the biggest difference is when the members of the ward care for missionary work the mindset the work changes for the better and we have solid referrals to go see. But all is well and I'm loving Columbus!

This week was amazing and I've had so many powerful experiences that I wish you would've seen and experienced with me. On Tuesday Elder Child and I went to give a recent convert a blessing because she had four kidney stones and she had bronchitis. She was losing her hearing and her sight. So we went over and gave her a blessing and she felt way better  after we gave her a blessing and it was pretty awesome!

On Wednesday I was on exchanges with Elder Bailey and he is super cool! He is hilarious and after his mission he wants to be an actor and I hope he does because then I could say I served with someone who is famous:) But we went and we went to a members house, Brother Witbeck, and he helped us make a pinewood derby car! We were invited by the ward to make a car so we went to his house and I got to use his band  sawe and his belt sander it was pretty cool and after this week I'll send you a picture of it!We had Book of Mormon class later in the day and it went pretty well. The ward had a missionary activity where we were the investigators and it was a new change of pace for sure:)

On Thursday we had a pretty cool service project at a recent converts place. He lives in a small shack in the woods and its been an ongoing service project where the missionaries cut down all the vines and thorns and trees to clear his house from clutter and clean it up a bit. So we used machetes, axes, and clippers and just let all our anger out on trees and thorny vines!! We got scraped up but it is so much cleaner now! It's also super fun to swing a machete  and take all your frustration out.It was really fun! Then  later in the day we went to a part member family's house for dinner and their name is the Horne family. The Horne family have 6 foster kids and Sister Horne does a great job trying to keep everything in order with tons of kids running around. I dont know how she does it.

On Friday our district helped Kenya and Kotana move furniture from a Uhaul trailer to a storage unit. So it made me feel your pain because it wasn't even our stuff and I was worried about it and it was hard arranging all the stuff in a way that would fit and everything be safe. So I got a sense of what you went through haha. We then weekly planned and planned for the week. Later in the day we drove to fort Benning for dinner with a member but she couldnt feed us cause her husband wouldnt be home til 8:00 so she gave us food to take home which was really nice. WE then went to Chris Stevens house and that lesson was an experience. Chris is super enthusiastic about the gospel and he knows the church is true but he is in a hard place cause his girlfriend doesn't want to be baptized into the church but he does. They also live together so they would have to live in different places or get married. He also has a problem with smoking if we can help him with those issues then he would get baptized this month.

Saturday was an amazing day we helped the Red Cross with the fire alarms again. Our zone went to to the Red Cross in Columbus to install free fire alarms. So Elder Ballard, Elder Marshall and I were determined to get more installed than ever before. We had some amazing experiences where we would install fire alarms and while Elder Marshall and I would install them Elder Ballard would tell them about fire safety and  the Restoration so we got lessons and service!! BOOOM! We found a memeber who didnt know where the church was and many new investigators!! It was pretty cool! Our group installed 54 fire alarms which is more than any other group. WE were on tv and the church was named on tv! We were savin lives and breakin records!!

Sunday was an amazing day! We went to Sacrament meeting and after sacrament meeting we had to drive to Fort Benning because a solider was going to be baptized at 12:00 so President Coleman, Elder Bailey, Brother Witbeck, and I went to Fort Benning for a baptism. He didnt show up so we were confused. So we assumed it wasn't going to happen so we went to the soldiers chapel and got ready for sacrament. Then Private Potter the solider getting baptized showed up and his Drill Sergeant didnt tell him about it so we had to do it in the the span of 2 hours. So there were four missionaries there teaching separate lessons to various soldiers and I taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. Right after the lesson Elder Child called me over and Private Potter got baptized by his friend outside the chapel and it was super cool! Then in Sacrament I had the opportunity to confirm him a member. It was such a powerful experience and I could feel the spirit. It's amazing how the words just come out and they are clear and I felt it was a good blessing. I was in a room with over 100 soldiers and it was so powerful!! I loved it:) We have 2 next week so it should be SWEET!!

I love you guys and pray for you everyday:) I LOVE YOU

-Mitchell Hill

#Baptizm  #Armysoliders   #ProudtobeanAmerican

 

Soldier's Chapel

Red Cross Baby!

 

February 15, 2015 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!!

This past week was another pressure filled week but now as the week is done we can now take a sigh of relief as things slow down a little bit. On Thursday we had Zone Training meeting which was the first ZTM I was in charge of and there is alot of small details that go into a meeting and we had to take care of all of them but I like having responsibility so even though we had alot to do I wouldn't have it any other way. Before ZTM while we were waiting for everyone to arrive I was shooting and it as people started to come in I was able to get a a quick game in of 21 before ZTM. So you could imagine that my face is a bit red and sweaty and to start the meeting I said..." Don't worry I'm not sweating cause I'm nervous but I'm sweating from the game" but anyway I gave a training on the importance of our investigators knowing our purpose when we teach and also how to ask people to be baptized. It went pretty well and the other trainings given at ZTM were truly profound and we were told it was one of the best that they have ever gone to! Woo! Later that day we had mission prep where us missionaries were preparing some members in the ward for their missions.

Friday was definitely a super cool day! Elder Child and I were stretching the norms for missionary work where we had an investigator that is passionate about sharing the gospel and he put himself on date for baptism which has never happened to Elder Child or myself. But after our lesson he asked" Where else do you have to go tonight?" And we said to a recent converts house and then it us to take him with us so that Mary (Recent convert) could share her experiences with the church. So it was the first nonmember present haha. Cause normally the member takes us to the teaching appointment but instead our investigator came with us to the member so it was a very spiritual experience.

On Sunday Jazmine is on date for March 3rd came to Sacrament meeting even though she said she couldnt make it and so she is really doing well. The Flatrock ward is super awesome and the message for Sunday was finding inner peace and it was very powerful. Later that day Elder Child and I went and gave the Sacrament to Sister Seeley who was in a car accident that was devastating. We gave them a blessing last week and the moment I saw how much better she looked was the moment my testimony of blessings was strengthened she testified of how powerful the blessing was and it was really cool. Then later that night we went to the Meadows, who was a member in the ward and the conversation shifted to family history work get this... He got his patriarchal blessing from Willard Grant Smith and I wasd like what!!! I'm related to him and we were freaking out cause of how the connections! He also showed us his porche GT3 and one day he promised us a joy ride!

Then today we went to the national infantry museum and mann.... the more time I serve around military bases the stronger my love for this country is. We are going through some rough times but we are still free and still enjoy the freedom of religion and many other freedoms that other countries dont have. They had exhibits for all the wars that the U.S has been apart of and it feels like you were there. The different artillery and weapons over time were so cool and they had a Vietnam exhibit where it felt like you were in the jungles of Vietnam and I could get a sense of what it was like.

I LOVE YOU GUYS and the church is true!!

-Elder Hill

#USA #southernlivin

February 8, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'alll!

Sorry for not emailing yesterday but we had a zone conference yesterday and our P-day got moved to today but WOW this week has been huge and it's been alot to take in. So to start off, I got transferred to Columbus, Georgia and it is an amazing place! My new companion is Elder Joshua Child and he's from California.

On Tuesday we had our transfer meeting at 2:00 in Macon so I had lots of packing to do and getting everything in line to get transferred and then a twist got thrown into the mix and Brother Jones wanted us to come by because his blood pressure was in the 200's and so we came over and made sure he was okay. We spent a good deal of time with him and we want to Elder Godwins and Elder Taggarts apartment to say our goodbye's. I really will miss those guys and they have taught me alot. Brother Talcott came and picked us up to drive to Macon and to get my new companion. We all met in the parking lot and the gym because we can't do transfer "meetings" anymore so one we got our new companion we left to our new area. So I met Elder Child and the other missionaries there told me of how great Columbus is so I was very excited! We drove a few hours to Columbus and on the way we stopped off at a peach orchard store and had the BEST peach cobbler and ice cream ever and I couldn't resist:) We got to the new apartment and I was so PUMPED  because we had a bench press and so much weights!! It's like a personal gym in the apartment! The apartment is a pretty good size and I guess it's the perks of being a Zone Leader. After I unpacked a little bit we left to go see Mary Miller who is a recent convert and she is really cool and very spiritual. We had a ward coordination meeting and we got back to our apartment unpacked and I hit the weights

Wednesday was the first day in the new area and Elder Child got his drivers license stolen so I'm the driver and I'm relying solely on the GPS. I met this really nice guy his name is Dennis Mims who is super humble and wants to tell people about the gospel. The only hold up with him is that he smokes but we are working with him on that. The day was filled with meeting new people and the area. This area is super helpful with missionary work which makes things alot better! 

On Thursday we had to get the zone set up for miles for the month and answering tons of calls. And I dont think there was a time that our phone wasn't buzzing and ringing. It was a super busy time and answering everyone's questions about upcoming events and such. I also had the opportunity to meet Jazmine and we taught her the last lesson and we invited her to be baptized and she agreed to be baptized on March 5th!!! WOOO! We should be able to baptize 2-3 people this transfer so we have numerous progressing investigators.

On Friday was my first Missionary Leadership Conference in Macon. I met with all the people in leadership positions in Macon and we discussed how the mission is doing and the importance of goals. The Assistants gave trainings on the importance of the investigators knowing our purpose while we teach them nad President Cottle as well as others gave powerful trainings centered on Jesus Christ and being obedient to what we are called to do So from there we now have to take those trainings and training the zone on them. (Columbus zone is the largest zone in the mission) so we will so how that goes this week. 

On Saturday we met with Jazmine and showed her some Mormon Messages and testified of prophets and she is all geared up for her baptism!! Then we went to go give some service to a recent convert, Eric. We used machetes and axes to cut down branches and clear this area for Eric. Before he was baptized his house and the area around it was covered with trees and its been an ongoing project to clear it for him so he can make a garden. So we got down and dirty trying to help him reach that goal:) 

Sunday was a very spirit filled day and one I'll always remember... We had stake conference and Jazmine was able to come to church. Alot of missionaries from our zone came to see stake conference. President and Sister Cottle were there and it was a powerful meeting. But after the meeting was really cool. We have a military base called fort Benning in our zone and every Sunday on the base they hold worship services for the soliders. I was able to go and witness soliders risking their life go to church. They were all dressed in their camo outfits and it took on a whole new meaning for me. All the soliders there are super humble and willing to learn and thats what we are told inthe scriptures is to be a meek and lowly in heart and they truly exemplify that. After the sacrament meeting the soldiers seperate into soldiers here for the first time and soliders needing the missionary lessons. I actually went to go meet with Private Potter and interview him for baptism before he gets deployed. It was just an amazing experience because of how much he knew it was true. After the interview was through I went into the room where my companion was and there was a return missionary in the army and we were all teaching the gosple of Jesus Christ and it was super powerful! And seeing the base and seeing men in camo was really cool to see. 

Then on Monday we woke up and realized we had to wash our car and it was about 20 degrees outside but we wanted to be good examples so we washed it but the bubbles froze as soon as we put the rag on so we decided to go before to a car wash. Then we realized that our carpets were being cleaned so we had to get everything on the capets into our kitchen and leave by 7:45. We got our car cleaned and made it to the church by 8:30. Then we were inspecting our car and our battery died... So we just decided to worry about it after. So we had zone conference where Elder Child and I conducted the meeting and it went pretty well. The spirit was very strong and President Cottle had a truly powerful training on the Plan of Slavation and Elder Child and I volunteered to role play how to teach prayer and I thought we did pretty well. A little nerveracking but it went well:) Then afterthe meeting President Cottle had to jump start our car and we went to Pep Boys to get an oil change and a new battery. We raced home and headed to dinner. Then after dinner we had to add the zone's numbers for the week all before 10:00.

I'm doing well and I've been busy but I'm learning lots and I love you guys!!! 

-Elder Hill

quote of the week: "There's no growth in the comfort zone, and theres no comfort in the growth zone:)"

#ZLishard     #newchallenge  

Is it a Geico or a Small Dinosour?

February 1, 2016 - Millidgevile GA - Transfer Time

Hey Y'all!

Lots of changes have been happening out here for me this past week! Hahaha my hair is definitely shorter than I think it's ever been which is a change. Elder Godwin and I have got really close these past few transfers and he cut my hair for me but this time is was a bit shorter than I was expecting but in a way I kind of like it! Riding a bike with your helmet on is a lot more comfortable but the difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is two weeks so it will be good:) Thats awesome to hear about Kristy! Good luck at your show Kristy I know you worked really hard to be able to be on the equestrian team! Kevin enjoy life man you get to live it once!

Life is full of changes and these past few days have definitely proved that statement true. I heard that I was being transferred on Saturday night and last night I got a call saying that I would be in the Columbus zone which is on the border of Alabama and the west side of Georgia. Then I got even more news this morning saying that I'd be the new zone leader in the Columbus zone!! I have so many mixed emotions about being a Zone Leader!! I hope that I'll live up to peoples expectations of that leadership position and that I'll be a great example to them. I'm really excited for what lies ahead in Columbus and how much my testimony will grow. There's always a feeling of inadequacy when your called to any leadership position but I know that if I do my best and work hard that everything will fall into place. 

It's been so hard saying bye to all my friends here in Milledgeville...I've really grown close to this area and the people here so alot of this week consisted of saying bye to good friends and investigators. Milledgeville has had it's ups and downs and thats why I feel so close to this area because I put alot into this area and I've learned so much here that it will be hard saying bye for a little while. On Monday I relived alot of the feelings I used to have after a long day in the gym. I was able to play basketball with some members in the church that play for their high school and guess what.. I still got it. I played them 2-on-1 and beat a 6'6 kid and a really good shooter. We played 21 three times and didn't lose and at the end of the day I ended up playing for 6 hours and I had some of the level of soreness I had at home and I really missed that feeling.We went to a Baptist bible study this Wednesday at the college and it was actually really spiritual. The songs they sang were really inspired and powerful, but they just dont have the fullness of the gospel. They teach mostly correct doctrine but they lack the authority and other essential characteristics of "The true church". It's a common occurrence here in the south where they teach great things but they just are missing bits and pieces. An analogy for this would be like the church is trying to bake a cake without milk. Haha you got to have all the ingredients to have a "true" cake:)  I also had to say bye to Shanita Wallace this week who was a really strong investigator for us that has lots of potential. I know that if the missionaries continue to teach her that she'll be able to make baptismal covenants with the Lord. But throughout this week I just said bye to good friends and people I cared alot about. Being a missionary has allowed me to unlock a new level of love for people in general and even more for my family:) I look at people now more of children of God than just people.

 The missionaries here in this area have meant so much to me as well. Elder Godwin, Elder Taggart, and Elder Showers have meant so much to me and I've made some life long friends here in Milledgeville. Elder Godwin is one of the greatest friends I've ever had and he's helped me so much out here. We will be friends for life. I've loved training Elder Showers, he is always wanting to be the best missionary he can be and he strives to do his best and Elder Taggart has been great support for me when I was going through some rough times. But I know I'll see them again but I know that these men have changed my life for the better and I hope I've made a positive affect on their life too. I'm excited to be a zone leader and go through all the fun trials that being a Zone leader entails:)

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH and the church is true:)

-Mitchell Hill

#I'mazoneleader  #Mixedemotions   #ColumbushereIcome  #Transferwoes

Elder Goodwin

Millidgeville GA