July 11, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!

I just want to start of by saying that this week was one of the busiest weeks I've ever had in my life and that is really saying something and I hope that I have enough time to tell you about it because some amazing things happened this week and a few experiences we might have to wait til after the mission to discuss because they are just that spiritual! I'm so glad that everyone is doing well!  So my week was pretty hectic and busy, but such a memorable week as well!

On Tuesday, we drove to Auburn for exchanges and while we were waiting for the other Elders to finish emailing we walked around on Auburn's campus and took pictures by the Auburn stadium! It was awesome to be there and experience Auburn! It's a very VERY nice campus! And no this time I did not get a ticket when I was in Auburn, I'm just very cautious whenever I take a left turn there now haha:) But I went exchanges with Elder Clark who is one of the most humble and down to earth missions I've ever met! He is very nice and caring and I hope when I'm about to head home like him that I'll be just as upright as he is! But we had a great lesson with an investigator about the gospel of Jesus Christ and he definitely is gaining a testimony in the church! A bunch of our plans fell through that day so we have been trying to go through and contact the new move ins in the ward that might not know anyone from the church. So while we were doing that we saw a truck in front of a house with Colorado license plates on it and you DO NOT see that here in Georgia and Edler Clark being from mostly Texas, there was a Texas sticker on the side of his truck so we had to talk to him! It was like the house was made for us! It turns out that he is a very hard man to catch with how much he works but he has been looking for a church since he moved here, but was tired of the pastors who preach one thing and live another way and we invited him to come to church and shared the Restoration with him! We later had a great lesson with a member who has fallen away from the gospel and the church for a while and he has been dealing with marriage and child custody problems. It really was a spiritual meeting and he sincerely wants to come back to God but is trying to receive inspiration on how to do it, but with faith he will!

On Wednesday, we drove back to Auburn and exchanged back. In preparation for the zone conference to meet President and Sister Grayson Elder Memmott went to go by some new shoes and it was the 1st time I've been in a JC Penney since Colorado so it was a throwback! We had to get tons of logistical things in order for zone conference and work out some things with a few members. It started to rain and storm super bad as we were going to the church for the meeting! We were all very anxious for the Graysons and the transition and the knowledge that both of them will bring! The Graysons are such great people, very humble, willing to listen to you, they both have desires to serve even though they are unfamiliar with how missions or the mission department functions. They have been thrown into a lot of new things but they are confident and willing to be here! We had a great meeting and I look forward to serving with them in the future! In the meeting they discussed the importance of teaching repentance and baptizing converts and how we can do it more effectively. Their insights were spot on! Later that night we helped move a couple fridges into Kenya Boyers trailer and the Lord has truly blessed her for her obedience to the gospel and to the Lord!

On Thursday, we had to get an oil change for our car and we had to switch cars with the Cusseta missionaries because they were going to get a new car. So while our car was getting an oil change we went to the Food bank and helped them sort food and pack food for them! We then returned and exchanged cars so we would be driving a jeep for a few days:) I'm not sure if y'all remember the pastor from Calvary Chapel from a few letters back but there was a member that wanted to meet with him to help answer any questions from the last time or resolve any conflicts... well that was the hope:) We went into his office with the member and the member we brought was very VERY knowledgeable of the gospel, why we believe what we believe, and the divinity of the church. He is very good at explaining things so a child can understand it and as we discussed differences about doctrine, it was interesting to see the change of spirit from the beginning of meeting to the end. The pastor was very against the church and was trying to pick a fight with every little thing we stated. The member and us were able to diffuse a lot of difficult situations in the conversation and really help him understand the doctrine of what we believe in. As we discussed the first vision and how Christs church was restored back to the earth we explained it with simplicity and backed it up with versus in the bible and the Book of Mormon. All in all, it was quite the experience and even though we didnt all believe in the same way, we protected the faith and at least now he can walk away knowing what we actually believe instead of hearing rumors of what we believe. We had a very spiritual lesson later that night with Chelsey watching a few bible videos at the church and hearing the song come unto Christ:) Great stuff!

On Friday, we had to go to Macon for MLC and I'll tell you what the pictures we took on the way up and the way back were spectacular! It was like living in a calendar! Georgia is so beautiful! It was President and Sister Graysons 1st MLC and it was a very well thought out and constructive meeting. You'll love one of the highlights from the meeting... So we were talking about repentance and how important repentance is in conversion and they first demonstrated through a role play how they would teach repentance. Then they opened it up to us once they finished that they wanted one of us to teach the Graysons repentance. As expected many of the missionaries in there were apprehensive of the situation and waiting for someone to say they'd do it. Well Elder Memmott and I weren't scurred and we said "WE WILL DO IT!" So in front of all the leadership and the mission presidency we put our selves out there and taught them the importance of repentance. You'll be happy to know that many people complimented us on the clarity and simplicity we taught with. We used each other and taught with power and authority! It was an awesome experience. MLC is awesome too because we got to see lots of old friends and reminisce. On the way back we drove through Warner Robbins and saw the Air Force base there with tons of crazy airplanes that were HUGE! It was awesome! We also visited one of  Elder Memmotts converts there and he's receiving the priesthood this Sunday and that is really what its all about! Seeing someone really embracing the gospel and doing acts of faith to get closer to God.

On Saturday, we were able to help a member with lots of service who were going through rough health problems at the time and it was awesome to see how the service helped mend and build relationships. We did lots of weeding and got into a great conversation about the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of it. We had lots of lessons with some investigators who werent able to see because of the meetings we had during the week. There was baptism in the Rivercrest ward where the man getting baptized yelled" WOOOOHOOOO!" after he came up from the water and it was pretty funny! But also that really is how we should like at it in a spiritual sense is it's a WOOHOO moment!

Sunday, was a SPECTACULAR day! We showed up to church and there was a couple who had never been to a Mormon church before and so we went over and introduced ourselves. They loved the service and they were fellow shipped really well by the ward! She told me that "I've been looking for something like this my whole life and I'm so glad that I came:)" She felt very loved and told us that this is the one church that doesn't judge me for who I am but just loves me for who I am, which is hard for people to say nowadays. Later in the day we went to the hospital to give a blessings and it was interesting when we walked into the room, apparently they were just thinking about calling us to come and see if she could give a blessing and no later than when they said they we walked in the door and I was able to give 4 blessings right in a row which was pretty spiritual. It doesn't happen everyday! We had dinner with a couple on fort Benning who has a very cute baby girl. He's going to ranger school soon and we talked alot about what to look for in your future wife and talked about the recent events in Texas. The world is getting worse and worse so just affirm your testimony in Christ! We gave extra food to one of our investigators that was homeless and it really made his day. Sunday night we had a very very spiritual experience that I'll have to share after the mission but just kniow that the priesthood is real and there is nothing like it!

I LOVE Y'all sorry for the long letter but keep on keepin on and thanks for all you do!!

-Elder Hill

#Whataweek  #oneforthebooks

 

Two Peas in a Pod! :)

Pic with the man! And Cam Newton was there too:)

President and Sister Grayson!

 

July 5, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!

Happy 4th of July!! I cant believe this time last year I was in the MTC not knowing what I was about to get into:) Since that time I sure have been through alot as we all have I'm sure. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTINA!! I hear you're turning 15 congratulations!! Haha jk but I hope its a good one. Sorry that you had a rough week at work, and I cant believe he hit you... Just tell him the next time that happens that you have a brother in Georgia and people in the south dont mess around. But I'm sure that Dad has it under control:) The cruise in Logan sounds like a lot of fun and it sounds like y'all will have a fun 4th of July like I had!. 4th of July in the south brings on a whole new meaning and celebrating our country has always been one of my favorite holidays, but being here in the south experiencing the patriotism on a military base surrounded by soldiers makes it a little more meaningful. They sure aren't the same with your family though, but just think the next one we will all be together:) This past week has been one of the busiest and fast moving weeks of my mission. There was probably one or two times throughout the entire week where we had 10 minutes of rest. Just what I like...

On Tuesday, But anyway we went on exchanges and hurried and I had to just put my frustration behind me and go see some investigators and at 5:00 we helped someone moved. It was a really great service and it was definitely needed to get my mind of the ticket. Later in the night while tracting we met a man who grew Carolina reapers and Ghost peppers in the back yard and its crazy how they grow them and that you need goggles just to pluck off the peppers cause the dust is so hot.

On Wednesday, we switched back early in the morning and we went to district meeting in Columbus. Following that we had to rush over to Fort Mitchell where I would stay in Fort Mitchell and Elder Memmott would stay in Columbus. I was with Elder Munn for the day and while we visited people there we say soldiers in airborne school jump out of Apache helicopters and float down to the ground. It was quite the experience. We met a member who had a son who loved playing brio train and you know me and my childhood that was life. So I had a fun time building "tracks" with him and playing trains. STILL so much fun:) We had an awesome lesson with one of their investigators about the Book of Mormon and at the end of the lesson she accepted to be baptized into the church and while she has some things to go through I could see the faith she had in the gospel to change her life around. She told me"I wish you could stay here in Fort Mitchell... I like you" which made me feel really good. It was an awesome exchange and Elder Munn is an awesome missionary.

On Thursday, driving back from Fort Mitchell we decided to go take pictures on the Chattahoochee river to get our mind of some stress and I'm sure you'll enjoy them:) we had quite a memorable "southern" lesson with one of our investigators. The sky as we started the lesson told us it was probably going to rain pretty soon but as we got about halfway through the Plan of Salvation it started to really come down and Willie was underneath his awning and invited us to come sit by him. It was raining CATS and DOGS!! It was coming down so hard that in a matter of 15 minutes the streets were flooded. We had to yell to each other just to hear each other through the noise of the rain. Regardless of the noise you could still hear the quiet whisperings of the Spirit which he knows to be true. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon everyday for a month and he said" You know I don't back down from a challenge" And I replied" That's my kind of answer!" We had a really spiritual lesson later in the day when we watched the Bible videos when Christ brought Lazarus back to life. The part that always sticks out to me was when Christ prays to Heavenly Father because he is that humble where he knows he can bring him back to life but he is still submissive and obedient to his father. POWERFUL! 

On Friday, Elder Memmott and I had a really neat service project where we weeded some flower beds for Sister Meadows and layed mulch down for her husband for a surprise! It was great to talk to her about my ticket and later on in the week she even gave me a quad because I told her that I have been looking around for one! It was such a blessing to provide service and save a turtle:) Later in the night we met with one of our investigators , Barron. Who introduced us to his friend that he goes to church with. The other day I watched a video on protecting the faith and the best way to do it and Elder Memmott and I definitely protected the faith. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and we both bore powerful testimony as they questioned how we believe the in three degrees of glory and as we directed them to 1 Peter 4:6 and 1 Corinthians 15:40-43 they still tired our faith, but as were backed up doctrine and scripture with the spirit you could see that it made sense to them that God doesn't just want to save a few of us. The Plan of Salvation is simple and covers every question people have in life thats why its my favorite lesson to teach. Difficult but my favorite!

On Saturday, we went to finish Brother Sootqueas trailer (The guy who had a yucky trailer) we helped them tear out floor boards, flea infested carpet, and ceilings. I felt like I was on Extreme makeover home edition and taking crowbars and destroying things!! It was pretty nasty but don't worry we didn't get too eaten up. We treated them well and recovering from the bites. The whole time I was just in awe of how some people can live the way they do, but you just gotta love 'em and serve.

On Sunday, the spirit as we sang "America the Beautiful" and other patriotic songs took a whole new meaning to me as I saw soldiers in the congregation risking their lives and sacrificing their time to serve the country. The testimonies given were so profound and powerful it really made for a great meeting. I went to Fort Benning and taught the soldiers there and if only you could see the sight as I saw when the soldiers sang "Star Spangled banner" and looking around at the tears in their eyes really impressed upon me the Spirit of America. Elder Memmott and I got back together and visited lots of less actives and tried to find more people willing to hear the gospel in the sweltering heat.

On Monday, I didn't slow down one second the whole day... We got up and did a 2 mile run in 12 minutes! We went disc golfing, and had a great time with Brother Harrison! Its really quite the fun game! We shopped for shoes and food, we then went to a barbecue that the Harrells put on and it really through back to home with the family setting and playing football in the yard. We decided to celebrate the holiday by playing some whiffle ball so hurried and ran home, gave some missionaries our spare tire cause theirs popped. We jump someones car and made it it to the field! Had a blast playing and then drove the National Infantry museum which was really awesome to see on the 4th of July! There was lots of foods vendors and people there to celebrate the country! I LOVE 'MURICA!

Thanks y'all and I hope y'all are doing well!` I LOVE Y"ALL and KEEP ON KEEPING ON!

-Elder Hill!

Demo Crew!

The Sandlot!

Tried to play baseball with two bats!  Nice follow through tho!! :)

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee!!

June 27, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!

Life is going great!! It's crazy to think that this time next year I'll be home and in a way I feel like I just came out, but then again I've gone through so much that it feels like it's been more than a year. I'm not sure if that makes sense but I hope that ya catch my drift:) Thank you soooo much for the year mark package, the journal, the card, the stickers, and the AWESOME ties it was just what I needed. So thank you sooo much and by the way I've already got compliments for the ties so good job picking them out:) Haha and being a zone leader has its very stressful moments and I'm sure when I come home and tell you about them that we ALL will concur sometimes its hard being a zone leader, but at the same time I wouldn't have it any other way.  I'll be prayin for ya like always. This week definitely had it's ups and also had some downs and I can already tell that this summer is finna be a scorcher! (finna =going to be)

Tuesday, we had a district meeting with the district and learned a lot about how we can make our studies more effective and how we can use more knowledge from Preach my Gospel into our teaching. It was funny one of the elders in the district made a reference to green eggs and ham and he said that a lot of our investigators will say that they don't like our church and are skeptical about going to church, but just like the story in Dr.Seuss and green eggs and ham unless you try it you wont know if it's good or not. It was just interesting how he related that to the story about Green eggs and ham. Later in the day we went tracting and had a pretty great experience. We knocked doors for probably a half hour at this point and we had a few people answer the door and listen to the message of the Restoration over the course of 30 minutes. Well, we get to the end of the street and there is an older man sitting on his porch, and we start talking with him and he tells us about his life and how he grew up in Detroit and how impoverished that place is. You could tell by the way he talked that he was from Detroit and he's been through some rough neighborhoods in his life. We shared the message of the restoration with him and committed him to pray. So as we left both Elder Memmott and I both had the expectation that he probably wasnt going to progress or read the pamphlet because of his body language and the Lord taught us a valuable lesson... When we came back he knew the whole pamphlet and even told us how he felt the spirit and wants to know more... He also said that he wants to be baptized by someone holding the authority that Christ had. So the Lord pretty much slapped us in the face and told us to not judge a person before you really know him and it turns out that he is on date for the 23rd of July so NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER! Following the lesson we drove by these two 20 year olds playing some basketball and seeing that we had a few minutes to psare we got to play some ball with them and it was a really memorable time. I treasure those moments when you get to play and teach people about the gospel. It was pretty funny I had this one play where I made this kid fall down from a crossover I had and everyone watching thought the world was ending by how much they were screaming and it was pretty funny! Later in the night we had a dinner with one of our investigators because it was his birthday as well as Elder Memmotts and took us out to eat! They are such a great family and I really felt as if it was a member meal. They are such good righteous people and you can see the light of Christ in them! I'll keep you up to date with them because they are a family that will bring many people to the gospel!

Wednesday, we did service at the Food Bank and helped them sort and pack boxes. It's really cool to work with people who want to serve the community and we have been able to make lots of good friends through that Food Bank and the service rendered there. We went on Fort Benning for dinner with the Mackies and had a great dinner with them and learned alot about their missions and the experiences they've had. Being out for a year I can tell how a mission can change you as it has over the past year for me and how you interact with people and how to live your life. It's sad to see people make wrong choices and in the long wrong makes them sad, but if they would just hold true to the iron rod they would be so much happier!

Thursday, one of the highlights for the day was when we were watching the bible story on the mormon channel about the atonement and the part that really stuck out to me this time as I watched it was the part when peter cut the soldiers ear off because they were going to take him to be crucified and just heals the soldiers ear and tells Peter that he's going to drink the cup the Father gave him. I was just in awe that the people even though they just witnessed this selfless and loving miracle and still took him to be crucified and the obedience to the Father really made it clear that we need to be the same way with God and keeping the commandments no matter how hard it may be.

Friday, was MY YEAR MARK!!!! It really is crazy how fast a mission goes I mean two year in the big picture is a long time, but if you focus on the work and serving it makes time go by fatser and more importantly you change as a person for the better. This whole year I think my testimony in the Savior is the strongest its ever been and I partly wish I could go back and redo how I did things before my mission ,but at least now when I come back I can make those changes and be strong in the faith! It's tradition in the mission field to 'burn" a white shirt for your year mark and to me that just seemed like a waste of a shirt and it's not as memorable in my opinion so instead Anna Harrell wanted to smash a cake in my face to celebrate and so for lunch we drove to her house and she smashed a chocolate smash cake in my face! It was such a better way to celebrate than burning something and it was alot of fun! Later in the day we had a lesson with Amanda, her daughters, and another member in the ward that she is living with. I'm not sure why this lesson rubbed me the wrong way but as we talked about Jeffrey R. Hollands talk "Tomorrow the Lord will do wonder among you" and I might have mentioned Amanda's story in a previous post but we found her at a barbecue restaurant and after explaining how God loves us and we told her about the restoration she wanted to know more. She texted us asking for us to find her a place to stay and it's not our place to ask the ward to house someone we met so we asked the member who Amanda is staying with now for any advice or shelters and the member took her in and housed her. Not only that but recently the member took both of Amanda's daughter in by the goodness of her heart and is living with them. During the lesson she expressed that she doesn't know if Joseph Smith is a prophet or if the church is true. She is getting baptized into the Calvary Chapel's church (The pastor we talked to church a few weeks back) and so the reason it rubbed me the wrong way was because she pretty much denied that we did anything for her and wont really pray about the message of the restoration. But this might be one of those times I just wont see the fruits of the labor and who knows what may happen down the road so we will keep on keepin' on.

Saturday, in the morning we both were dead dog sore and we went to a service project that was one of the least sterile and unsanitary environments I've ever been in. There's a man in the ward who got an infection from the trailer he was living in and so the ward is providing service to help him make his home livable. He had 11 dogs, he cleaned his dishes by having his dogs lick them, there was mold growing on the walls and as you walked into the trailer you would look down and your shins would be all black from the fleas jumping on you... So we emptied the trailer and threw all of the furniture and mattress in the dump and found a place for the dogs. It was so hot and the dog dander was awful! But we got it done and we got home and showered and cleaned the apartment. We sweated so much on Saturday the heat index said it was 117 degrees and we were out in it all day. We help Brother Anson move a very heavy desk into a room and it turned out it didn't fit through door so we had to move it back on the truck. We also played some ball with some kids in the street. I told him about me wanting to play at Utah state and he  said " I'm playing with a D1 prospect!" It was funny! So much fun!

Sunday, we had a great church service and Elder Memmott and I went out to Fort Benning. We had a lesson with seven soldiers about the Plan of Salvation. One of the soldiers is getting baptized on July 24th and we are so excited for him!! We had a great dinner with the bishop and his family! He is such a great man and his family is awesome! With July 4th coming up and serving near a military base it makes me so grateful to live in a country where we can worship as we please and live like we want to live. Even though there are things that we would like to change the country, it makes me so proud to say I live in the land of the free! God Bless America!

-I LOVE YOU GUYS!!

-Elder Hill

#GodBlessAmerica   #Itsgettinghotinhere  

Ballin' with the homies :)

Dinner with Byron and Synthia!!

The view with running in the morning!

June 20, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!!

Wow what a week it was! Transfers always bring lots of change to the area and the companionship, but I'm very excited for the new transfer and what is going to come! A southern-ism that could describe this week would be "We have been busier than a one legged-man in a butt-kicking contest:)"Hahah It was hard saying bye to Elder Haines this past week at Transfers and I've really loved serving with him and I wish him the best in life! My new companion is Elder Memmott!!! I'm not sure if you remember him, but it was almost a year ago when I was in Waynesboro with Elder Hinton and serving near us was Elder Memmott and Elder Johnson. So it was almost a year to the day that we wished we would become companions and a year later we ARE companions! I thought it was a pretty cool connection that we had and we couldn't believe we became companions and things are on the up and up! Dont worry I will definitely stay healthy with water and keeping my body feelin' good:) The new mission President's name is President and Sister Grayson! They are from Louisiana and they come to the mission on the 30th of June but I'll tell you more about that later in my letter. That Sacrament meeting sounded like it was a good one and we had one of those one Sunday and it made for a very short second hour. The ward here was updating me on the Finals here and there and I was very indifferent because I haven't seen how the season went I didn't know which team to root for, but I just hope the world wont idolize Lebron more than they already do. hahah.

Tuesday, was day full of changes and stress as I would say goodbye to Elder Haines and wonder who my next companion would be. I had a good guess and as Zone leaders its a little bit easier to guess your companion because you get the leadership assignment report on the Monday before transfer so you can speculate who it might be. So I was hoping and praying it would be Elder Memmott and guess what!! It was!!! We both were sooo pumped and ready to serve together! Elder Memmott is alot like me where he loves sports, he loves working hard, staying in shape, and he knows why he is here which makes us a deadly combination haha. Most of the day was introducing him to investigators and getting him caught up in the new area. It was the first time in transfers that I knew a companion and I would get along which was a major sigh of relief and quite a blessing:) Elder Memmott and I are doing two a day workouts where we do a 2 mile run in the morning and after planning we workout with weights so you know we are gettin' along:)We met with the stake president later in the evening and talked to him about including members in all of our lessons and how as missionaries we can help bring the work forth here in the Columbus stake. President Brown is a very bright man and knows the gospel through and through and we had a great meeting with getting on the same page with the Lord's work. We then went over to Sarah Mickles house and had a lesson with her prepping her for her long awaited baptism on Saturday the 18th. She has been waiting 5 years to get baptized because her parents wouldn't let her and she couldn't have been more prepared and ready.

Wednesday, we went to the Food Bank and help them out with boxes and sorting tons of food. It's cool working along side of people who care about the community and are doing things out of the goodness of their heart. We had a great coordination meeting with Bro Taylor and Brother Lund. The rest of our night was fellow shipping with the ward and setting up appointments to meet with them and how we can help them as missionaries:)

Thursday, we went to the Food Bank again and while we were there it was really cool because it starting raining really hard outside and we looked outside and we saw these two guys hurrying to put food in their truck and here comes Elder Memmott and Elder Hill to the rescue and when we were finished getting the stuff in the truck everything from our head, shoulders, knees, and toes were soaked from being in the rain for only like 2 minutes so from that you can imagine how hard it rains here in the south. We had a busy, busy ,busy night where we gave Sarah a blessing for the week she was having and Stan was playing with her super hard during this week where she would get baptized and we then had our bible class. We taught fro man Ensign article about how God has blessed us with two eyes that allow us to see things that we would normally see. It then makes the comparison to the Book of Mormon and the Bible and how if we only had one eye (bible) then we wouldn't be able to have good depth perception, we could see as effectively and we would have a huge blind spot, but with two eyes we are able to see more effectively and be warned of predators. We then were able to go and play some bball with some investigators at the church which is something that brought me pure joy haha:)

Friday, we had a meeting with a good part of zone to said bye to President and Sister Cottle. We will surely miss the Cottles they have strengthen my testimony so much over the past year and its sad to see them go. However I'm happy that they will be able to reunite with those that they love.  sister Cottle said to us as she came in that "These past few days saying bye to all the missionaries have been like saying bye to your kids because you grow so close to all of them" We had a question and answer  session with them and someone asked what are things we need to do so we can be strong after we come of our missions. They said we need to have multiple prayers throughout the day because the amount of prayers we say a day go from at least 10-15 on an average day and then to go from that to like 2 a day will be an adjustment so say lots of prayers, go to the temple, bear your testimony often, scripture study, and no one should ever question you went on a mission by the way you dress ,talk, or how you live your life. No one should ever question that and it was great counsel. The Cottles told us that the Graysons have quite the rigorous schedule when they come here where they have a zone conference for every zone within the week they gert here  and have to conduct interviews with every missionary here so they will be quite busy. They also only have 3 days in the MTC to prepare which is hard to imagine so definitely pray for them!! We will surely miss them, we then had a great lesson with Dennis who is trying to quit smoking and he says he's an 8/10 for desire to quit and thats the highest its ever been since I've been here. He plans to get baptized on the 2nd of July so we pray that goes through! K so funny story time... so we drove to Lanett, Alabama for a baptismal interview and we got there and the Cottles were saying bye to that part of the zone so we got to say bye to them at that time too. We had to drive to Roanoke, Alabama. The town reminded me so much of the town from Dukes of Hazzard and it was really cool to experience a retro town. The rain on the way there was truly insane and all the clouds around us with the farm land made for a really cool experience. The interview went great and she is definitely ready for baptism. Elder Peay stopped by a burger king to grab a burger and on the way out a funny thing happened so this guy on a bike pulls up and asks "Are y'all in the military?" " Elder Memmott says "kind of in Gods army!" the other guys says "I need some money y'all I need some money for my insulin shot and I've been shot 5 times by an Ak-47 and I need help..." From his body expressions we knew it was more or less a scam and we said we don't have any money but we gave him a pass along card. He then goes over to the car where the other missionaries are sitting and starts singing gospel songs... meanwhile Elder Memmottt and I are by the car and he has a cup of water in his hand, all of a sudden this black truck comes up with VERY beautiful girls in it and Elder Memmott got nervous and said "GET IN THE CAR!" As I went down my elbow hit the cup and it was like slow motion the cup of water goes all over him and the girls just start cracking up and we get in the car. We cant contain our laughter but we had to because we didn't want to make the impression we were laughing at the guy still singing gospel songs the other elders but as soon as he was done we just laughed so hard!!! It was great!

Saturday, we went to the ranch, and we witnessed horses stampeding to get to their food which I never though I would say was pretty cool, and we fellow shipped and had a good time helping out at the ranch. Later in the day we helped another member with some service before filling the font for Sarah's baptism. At 3;30 we started to fill the font and every time I do I just feel so holy and peaceful and I love the spirit there! So many people came to support Sarah in her baptism. Kyra Lee was also baptized too! One of the elders that found her came back and baptized her which was really cool full circle relationship. Seeing her face come up from the water and seeing her follow through with it after waiting for so long made the spirit so wholesome. Elder Memmott, Anna Harrell, and I sang "Never be the same" and the spirit made everyone have a tear stained face, especially for those people wearing mascara:) Such a spirit filled meeting and we can wait for her!

Sunday, we were able to confirm Sarah a member of the church and help her receive the holy ghost. The spirit was so strong and I cant wait for all the great things to come for her!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH!!! Almost at a year and going strong! 

-Elder Mitchell Hill

#onedownonetogo  #baptismsareawesome 

Georgia Ranch is Pretty!

Sarah Mickle Baptism!

June 13, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all :)

Wow what a busy and eventful week Elder Haines and I had!! It is extremely weird saying bye to President Cottle this Friday for the last time and I will surely miss them. They have done so much for the mission and my testimony!  Y'alls week sounds great, and that pool sounds like a blast with all the Georgia heat that I've experienced this week it sounds like Paradise! And no your not boring whatsoever, it sounds like y'all are having a fun time. But before I get into my week, this past Saturday we had transfer calls and my name wasn't called, but Elder Haines' name was. So I will be staying here in Columbus til at least July 22nd and will be getting a new companion! I'm very excited to stay her Columbus another transfer and things will be great!!

On Tuesday, we went to the Food Bank in the morning and did some service for them. We sorted lots of cans and made boxes for some people who were homeless. It was really cool to work with lots of people in the community doing community service. After that we visited lots of less actives in the afternoon and we could feel the summer heat approaching us. I wish y'all could experience the heat down here like when you step outside a building with air conditioning it's literally like a wall of heat that just consumes you and you just instantly start to sweat. You just gotta embrace it and over time you get used to it. We saw lots of less actives and tracked a bit. Almost being a year out tracting has become more of a skill I guess you could say and that you become more comfortable talking about the gospel the longer you've been out so when we meet people it's as if the message of the Restoration just rolls of your tongue. 

On Wednesday, we went to the Food Bank and did some more service at the Food Bank, We had RMT time and were able to go on the computers and I watched kids tell the stories of Jesus Christ and here's a link to it but the simplicity and innocence are great! https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/collection/childrens-bible-videos/fishers-of-men.   Later in the evening we had Book of Mormon class and as we read the book of Ether the with our investigators you could almost see the growing testimony inside of them. It was really powerful. We had a lesson with the branch President of Fort Benning with ice cream so that's always a bonus! His testimony is so strong and his conversion story is unique and you can see how strong his faith is by how he lives his faith.

On Thursday, we had ZTM and the morning we were busy bees! We had to get all the supplies done, get ready for ZTM, finish our trainings, set up the building for the meeting and try not sweat to much so it doesn't go through your suit haha. The meeting went really well and whenever your in charge of a meeting you want it to go well and Elder Haines and I were really stressing out about making sure it stayed under 3 hours because of the amount of training that were given. I gave a training on the story of David and Goliath and the training went pretty well and studying this chapter in the bible brought new meaning to the story because we all know the story but looking at the faith that David had and how he attacked his Goliath really stood out to me. He never wavered, he never second guessed himself, he always knew he could slay Goliath! I love David for that and may we be more like a David in life! Following the meeting I went to Americus for exchanges with Elder Jordan and Elder Hanks! They are awesome guys and we had some great success. Americus is a Civil War tow and all of the homes there date back to the 1800's which is very eyeopening. I got some great scenery shots for ya! 

On Friday, funny story.... So 6:30 comes around and I get up and say my prayers... Elder Haines says to me in a morning voice "Did you sleep talk last night?" I  said " No why?" He could hardly contain himself he said "Dude, last night you screamed I'm SOO EXCITED IM SOOO EXCITED!! WHERES MY BASKETBALL!!! ???  Hahahaha we just busted up laughing! I was like yep that sounds like something I'd say!! Anyways haha do you remember that pastor we knocked into and had a "bible bash" with? Well, he's been causing us lots of problems and so one of our members who is less active has been going to Calvary Chapel because its walking distance and it got brought up that she was a member of the church and the pastor has been telling false teachings about the church and been talking bad about it. Not only that but one of our investigators has been going there too because it's close to their place and I just fear that as we continue to teach her, her testimony of the church will be tried. So we are somewhat battling with this guy and we might have to meet with him again and just tell him to meet on mutual ground and stop talking down the church because that's not cool bruh.

On Saturday, We cleaned the church and had transfer calls. It was President Cottle's last transfer call and it was sad. As I've said before I'm staying here in Columbus, but I will surely miss Elder Haines... He's one of my favorite companions I've had and he's helped me become way more efficent at small tasks, a great planner, he's helped me teach more clearly , and become a better leader. I will surely miss that kid! We then hopped on our bikes in the Georgia sun and rode all over Columbus. Sweated a ton and had a nosebleed randomly and it made me look like a tough guy with blood going down my face riding on my bike haha! We had a great lesson with one of Annas friends with sincere questions who accepted to be baptized! We were very bold this week with extending baptismal commitments with people. It was great! We had dinner at Hibachi and Elder Haines said bye to people. One of those people has the cutest puppy!

On Sunday, We had 5 investigators lined up to come to church and only 2 came but things are changing in the ward with so many people moving out this summer so the ward is in a transition phase with lots of new callings and assignments.We went on splits with a few elders in the elders quorum. Brother Harrison and I went to go see one of our investigators who accepted to be baptized as we taught the Plan of Salvation and things are looking well! Elder Haines said bye to more people and he will surely be missed. Sorry I didn't write as much this week, but I don't have much time today. But I know this church is true and that Joseph Smith restored Christ church back on the earth and I know that as we continue to go to church, pray, and read the scriptures we will see our faith grow and our relationship with God grow as well!

I LOVE Y'ALL and next week we have a baptism that I'm so excited for so stay tuned for that!

-Elder Hill

#Almostayear????  #hotinGeorgia   #dontsweatit

Georgia....Georgia...

 

The God Squad!

Columbus Ga Zone 2016!!

June 6, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey y'all!

First off let me just say that it is crazy to think that it is June and that my year mark is approaching, it's crazy how fast time goes if you get lost in the work. As cliche as it sounds it is so true! I'm glad that y'all are doing well doin your thang! It's great to hear everyone is staying busy and that family reunion sounds like a blast and I'm glad its heating up everywhere and the sun isnt just focusing all of its' energy in Georgia cause thats what it seems like haha. Your gonna laugh at all my experiences this week because so I hope you enjoy...

On Wednesday, it was more or less a rough morning we got a text from a member who was recently baptized saying that "if we call,text, or visit her anymore she will call the police and I dont believe what you do and she continued to say that I dont believe in the Book of Mormon..." It's really hard getting to know someone really well and see their testimony progress and then after all the work and worry you put into their salvation they turn around and say it's not true and I dont believe it to be true. She had alot of events that came up in her life that caused her faith to be tried and with her new job she found it hard to make it to church and enjoy the blessings of living the gospel to the fullest. Even though we could see how things could and would unfold in the future, things are what they are and hopefully over time she will come back. But following that ordeal and trying to talk to her we had district meeting and it was great a great meeting. If you remember "the chair" it was my turn to sit in the chair and enjoy in the compliments from the district. You could really feel the love. District meetings message was really about how we as missionaries have a divine opportunity to make a firm foundation on how we would live our lives and if we are making the mission a better place. Super cool stuff! We drove to Auburn to pick up the old phones from their district and we could feel the summer heat approach us. We dinner with a  member and she was able to re-hem my suit pants which was needed haha:) We then had a great Book of Mormon class as we studied from 2 Nephi 3-4 and the spirit there was so strong!

On Thursday, we spent alot of time in the car as we traveled to the small town of Buena Vista, which if your a true sountherner it's spelling should be Boona Vista because thats how it's pronounced so fun southern tip of the day:) We then went on a 2 hour car ride to LaGrange,GA where we picked up their districts phones. We spent a little time with them and headed back to Columbus to meet up with Goeffrey. Geoffrey had hios birthday party a few months back if you remember and after a long awaited visit, us the Rivercrest sisters, and the Rivercrest elders decided to pay him a visit. He asked us if we had girlfriends and he guessed our age and asked us why we didnt have girlfriends/boyfriends. He is quite a funny feller. We had mission prep later that night and we talked about how much the Book of Mormon and the Bible correlated with each other. As we talked about Adam and Eve and agency it's amazing how wonderful the Plan of Salvation is and throughout this week that has been the message of choice I guess you could say because it seems everyone we talked to needed a feeling of purpose in life and thats what the Plan of Salvation is there for.

On Friday, we drove up to Macon for Missionary Leadership Council and it would be President and Sister Cottles last MLC meeting of their mission which is very surreal. The meeting was set up a bit different than normal instead of having just a few speakers give longer trainings lots of zone leaders and sister training leaders gave training's on certain principles. There were so many good trainings where the spirit was present but 2 that really stood out to me was a training by Elder Elliot who based his training off of the question are you making your mission a better place and he read a poem that really is full of the spirit. It's called "He's been there before" if you havent read the poem I highly suggest it as it has really taught me that the Savior has gone through more pain and suffering than you and it wasnt for himself but it was for you and all of us. The other training was by Elder Ballard who talked about the importance of members in missionary work. He demonstrated it by having a strong missionary hold up this bar that had waters at the end of the bar and one missionary could do it alone and even when another missionary came to help him hold it, it was still difficult for them both to do it for a long time. But when 2 other missionaries (members couple) came in and held the waters up the work seemed to be alot more efficient and effective. It was a great training. President Cottle gave a training and some announcements. We talked about new dress code policies and then he brought up a topic. He said from the recent injuries from missionaries he's thinking of banning basketball from the mission......... From the increase of missionaries being hurt from going to hard they are getting hurt from it causing President to contemplate about making it banned and it was soooo hard for me to stay composed in the conversation but he told us he'll leave that up to the next mission president. So send some prayers our way haha. At the end we sang "Onward Christian Soliders" and "God be with you til we meet again" and the spirit was sos strong as we sang to the mission presidency.

On Saturday, we planned and planned and planned some more. We planned out ZTM and planned out our week. BUT funny story... so a member gave us some banana bread a few weeks back and boy I love me some banana bread. Now we had the banana bread sitting on the counter for a good 2 weeks before we touched it and so we were having lunch and I still was a bit hungry so I saw the banana bread and was like it's probably still good...So I opened the tuppaware and grabbed a piece of the banana bread. As I was eating it smelt super funny and no sooner as that smell made contact with my brain I felt something wigglying in my mouth. I looked down and the banana bread was crawling with maggots, it was as if the bread was moving... HAHAHAHA even though I almost threw up then I can joke about it now and say it was just some extra protein right??? Haha you gotta eat some sort of bugs on your mission and we told a member about it and between laughing and crying of laughter she said in some countries that all they eat. For some reason that brought me some relief knowing that I wouldn't die if I ate a few maggots and I wouldnt get dealthy ill. So it all worked out haha:) WE biked to and from seeing people that day and went with a few members to visit some people . We had a great dinner with one recent convery here who was having one of our newly found investigators at her house and she told us about a dream where she knew that we would find someone that would eventually live with her and she told us that as soon as you told me about her I knew that she was the person I needed to help. So that just shows that God directs the work here for sure.

Sunday was a great day! We had a great service and heard lots of testimonies of families that lived in a ward a long time and then were moving to Utah after a long time living here in Georgia. Then I thought to myself that sounds familiar because that was us last year and I had a crazy flashback moment.  I then went and taught soliders on Fort Benning about the Plan of Salvation. There was a solider there that came back from his mission for 8 months then decided to join the Army and we both taught a great lesson of the Plan of Salvation and the man we were teaching said "It just all makes sense!!" We were like "yeah it DOES!"  He said he wants to be baptized if he finds it to be true and I know he will! After church on Fort Benning I went on exchanges to Cusseta and had dinner with the Wiese family who are awesome and they have lots of horses and goats that they care for. We then went and saw a man named Robert who had lots of questions about the Plan of Salvation and being practiced up from the lesson earlier that day the spirit guided the lesson and we were able to answer lots of his questions and told us he was going to read all of the Book of Alma even though we only wanted him to read 2 chapter in Alma 40 and Alma 42. He was a great man! We then drove back to Cusseta and stayed the night in the trailer that is run down, and there are three missionaries in the very small trailer or "tin can" and because it's so small they only have room for a cot and thats what I slept on last night as I was woken up by cockroaches falling from the ceiling.

But life is great and I LOVE YOU GUYS, the church is true and I'll keep on persevering!!

-Elder Hill

#Cusseta  #maggots  #movingbread   

Meetin' wtih Geoffrey!

Second Coming??

Best District Eva!

May 30, 2016 - Columbus, GA

Hey Y'all!

Sorry about not emailing yesterday, but since it was Memorial day the libraries weren't open. So I hope I didn't stress ya out too bad! It sounds like things are going well and summer is off to a great start! Make sure to stay cool and enjoy the heat at the same time. This past week was crazy busy and this next one will be even crazier! I feel like the Energizer bunny running around everywhere and trying to get done so much but can never find enough time to do all the things you want to do. It's probably how being a parent is haha. 

On Tuesday we went to Phenix City, Alabama and had a great district meeting there and then Elder Godderidge and I went on exchanges together. It was a great exchange! We were able to help a member dig in some retaining walls for her garden and it was in that moment in time where I remember how dreadfully hot the summers are her and once that combination of heat and humidity kick in they are a deadly combination. We helped here out and then they were having voting inside the church for the school board so Elder Godderidge and I took that opportunity to try to answer any questions about the church and helped them understand more about the church. We were able to teach a less active who is trying to get more into the church again as she is preparing her son for baptism and the spirit there was so strong that she felt comfortable to ask questions she needed answered for her personal testimony.

On Wednesday, we exchanged back and had a district meeting with the Flatrock District which is always an uplifting time! Following the meeting we got on our bikes and headed over to the Calvary Chapel where we would meet with the pastor there who we tracted into a few week prior. We weren't really sure how it was going to pan out or what would happen there but we had God on our side and with him we can make it through anything. We started out by talking about his story and how he became a pastor of a church and the conversation then hinted towards us as he asked about our lives and the church. He was very much a trinitarian and believed that God was one being and it was hard for him to understand that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As his belief was that Heavenly Father was just a "glory" and didn't have a body. We discussed Genesis 1:26 with him where he talks about the phrase let us go down and make man in "our' image. We brought up the fact when Christ was on the cross he said" Father forgive them for they know not what they do." And continued to say "Father in my hands I commend my spirit"  WE brought up other examples and he had lots of hang ups with our doctrine with the Book of Mormon being in addition to the Bible and we explained that when it says that in the book of Revelation its talking about just the Book of Revelation because the bible wasn't just made at one time, its a compilation of scripture. We went through various differences of beliefs, but through it all the spirit was there because we never tried to force him to believe anything but just invited him to ask God with a sincere heart. We talked about different doctrines and he told us that we were in the wrong church and we both testified of the divinity of the Book of Mormon and invited him to read it more and pray about it and left it at that. Over all it went pretty well and we arent sure what he thinks now but if anything it helped bind our own testimonies as we went into the belly of the beast and came out alive:) Later that day Elder Haines and I had dinner with the Lunds who Brother Lund is in the Army and it was crazy because Elder Haines found out that Brother Lund knew him when he was a baby through lots of different connections so its a small world especially in the military.

On Thursday, we finished Sister Murphys retaining walls and fought off the heat digging lots of holes for her. We met with that less active later in the night and helped teach her about the Plan of Salvation and helped her figure out where her testimony stands and what needs to be strengthened.

On Friday alot of our appointments fell through and it was just a day where we got rejected a lot for no apparent reason but just like in a Refiners fire he lets us fall so her can build us up stronger than we ever were. Its also always a great day when you get to play some basketball with some guys at the park and win haha:) Always love that.

On Saturday we got down and dirty at the Ranch and weed whacked for some service at the ranch. Its always fun when you do service especially when that service is in effort for nonmembers and the people that own the ranch had a grand daughter who was preparing to get baptized and because we came over and provided service and they got more comfortable with the church, she was able to get baptized on Saturday which was definitely a Macon Miracle haha:) Later in the day we taught a family with three boys who just received the priesthood and talked to them about magnifying their priesthood and missionary work. They are such humble kids and it was a joy to be a able to teach them. The rest of the day was hard to find people to teach but the Lord helped us fill our schedule and helped us find opportunities to teach people.

On Sunday, we had a great service at church hearing about personal revelation and we had 4 investigators at church and the spirit was strong and I'm sure they could feel the peace within the chapel. We met with a family on Fort Benning and enjoyed their company for sure!! On the way back we heard the talk "conversion of a Catholic" it was a very powerful talk and I highly recommend it. It really testified to me that God puts us in the place where we are needed not just because the Georgia Macon mission needs missionaries but that my abilities here are of use to the people here. 

On Memorial day, we went to the National Infantry Museum and it was so neat to see so many people paying respect to the militray at the museum that day. There were boots of killed in action soldiers who were honored that day as well as other neat exhibits that I didnt see before. They had the actual barracks and chapels from World War 2 and it was very cool to see how living in the military was back then. We also  saw lots of tanks and fell the patriotism here in the south. We played basketball morelike I did at the church which is always a great and needed time. 

Today, you wont believe what we did for service... This lady called President Mccoy and asked him if he could get some people to help her clear stuff from her house to donate to the Valley Rescue mission. This lady had a lot of stuff in the front room, but her son brought us upstairs and as we de-cluttered a door frame he told us we haven't been in this room since 1970!! And all the stuffin there was from the 50's and 60's. He was also very into computers and Dad you would've been a kid in a candy store! There were so many unique and fascinating pieces of history there and it definitely through me for a loop knowing that no one has been in that room since 1970 and being an enclosed room with no air coming in that air was probably circualted back in the 70's which is kind of a funny thought but hey it might be true:)

I LOVE YOU and keep on keeping on!

 

PS - Sorry I forgot to add this in to my email so if you fit it in that would be great, but we also were able to put a man on date I have come to love on date for baptism this past week and working through some problems he made the commitment to be baptized! We were very excited for that!! We also caught some ligtnin" bugs after a lesson and you wont believe how slow they are you can catch them out of the air and it makes you feel like you 8 years old its so much fun! We also ate some honeysuckle which is a flower that if you pull the bottom off there is a string with a hint of honey in the flower and it made me feel like a true southerner:)

-Elder Hill

#Servicefordays  #sobusy  #preacherscanttakeusdown!

 

Weeds don't Want a Piece of Us!!

Squish!

 

TANKS!!