Messina, Sicily - 8/31/2011

Hello,

I am in Messina again. This time though instead of being with a native Italian speaker I am with a greenie. We didn't do too bad yesterday though. I understood pretty well what people here were saying and was able to teach them. The problem is Anziano Davis doesn't really know the people we met very well because he has no idea what’s going on so it was kind of a toss up when we visited them because being from a different city I don't know anything. But we managed and we met some way awesome people. Something quite unexpected and amazing happened yesterday actually. We had an appointment fall through that we were supposed to do with a member. This member was about to go when Anziano Davis attempted to ask her for referrals. After helping her understand, Sorella Amata was about to call an inactive member that she’s friends with. As she picked up the phone to dial that number her friend actually called her at that exact moment. Coincidence? I think NOT! We went straight to this inactive member’s home. She was an older lady and was in a wheel chair. She had a lot of medical problems and trials. We taught her a little bit about faith and how when we do the things to grow our faith we get enough power to overcome the trials because we put our faith in the Lord. Then right before we left she asked us for a blessing. She told us that she’s very sick and she’s about to go into surgery. It’s quite amazing how the spirit creates these little promptings that lead us to places where someone is in need. Sono grato per il dono dello spirito santo. Mi guida, Me monstra la via e che cosa devo fare.

You asked a lot of questions in your email mom haha. I know you are way curios about stuff but please not so many questions haha. I have to write them all down and go back and forth from your email to this one and it takes a bit of time. I'll try and answer them all this time but next time ease up a little haha. I've got plenty of time to email because the sisters take about 2 hours anyways but if you have questions just stick them at the end of your email in a nice little list so I don't have to traverse the letter for them. haha thanks =)

(following, are answers to all of my questions)

So first, this week I did get a package from grandma =) It was awesome!! I'm actually wearing the cool green tie right now. And the wedding invitation is awesome! I feel like part of the family again haha.

Silvio is doing excellent!! He gets baptized next Saturday on the 10th! He met with the bishop for a whole HOUR last Sunday! It was crazy and when they came out they were like old friends, best buds. Silvio comes to church, reads the Book of Mormon and does it all. He is Awesome. Ben and Carlo are doing great too. Coming to church every Sunday and all that other stuff =) it rocks.

Local vendor friends? Haha I don’t know other than fratello giardino our fruit guy friend who’s a member we aren’t really buddy buddy with any other fruit guys haha. I've grown to know the ward pretty well though. We have some way awesome members here.

General Conference- I have no idea what I'll do. My companion didn’t even get to see the last one. But we get the Liahona here every month and can read them.

As for my birthday, I was thinking about that too and here’s the thing. My glasses were lost on the way to Italia from the MTC. I've looked everywhere and we even contacted the MTC in case I left them there but they don’t have them there either. So all I want for my birthday would be a pair of glasses. The same frames I had last time too. That’s all I want because I’m tired of having to wait for the last minute to take on and off my contacts because in all honesty I am blind without them haha.

Well I miss all of you =) I’m doing great and everything. I hope you all stay safe and have fun and choose the right and all that good stuff =) Just know I'm fine and I'm happy. I was gonna send you guys a bunch of pictures but the computers here at Messina are lame so you guys gotta wait a week. Vi Voglio Bene! Vi amo e Ci Sentiamo

-Con amore

Anziano Kyle Hill

Catania, Sicily - 8/24/2011

Now for the shout out to everyone who’s sent me stuff. Well I got a bunch of postcards from Hawaii and I loved them all =) Man it looks so beautiful over there. Other than that I get the occasional letters from I think everyone. Your letters are getting here so don’t worry =) and they are much appreciated. I love nothing more than to hear from you, well other than preaching the gospel of course. No packages other than the 2 I got about a month ago and I got another this week from Dani which was awesome but that’s about it. I save some of the little pictures and letters my cousins write me. Matthew wrote me the best letter ever a couple weeks ago. Simple but touching =) made me shed a tear almost. And on the cover of my binder I have a picture that Aunt April sent me back in the MTC of Nora, Ricky and Brandon and at the top it says WE LOVE YOU KYLE!! Oh man I miss all those little guys. They are all getting so big too!!

Now for the Q & A's. You bought a new car!?!?! A lame sauce old school Honda too?? What you guys need is an old Fiat Panda. Now those are where it’s at. They are everywhere here. And all the little cousins starting soccer haha that’s awesome. Soccer season just started here and we live right next to the stadium. Game nights= craziness. But looks like I’m gonna be a diehard Catania fan now till the day I die. They are quite awesome. Mission President approves one game your whole mission and for sure I’m going to a Catania one when it’s not on a Sunday. FORZA CATANIA!!

Last Monday I told you was a crazy cleaning day, so yes mom, our house is fairly clean. We don’t eat at member’s homes a lot; we actually try to avoid it because it’s not a very fun experience in all honesty. It’s not the members or the food. The food is wonderful and the members are fantastic. The problem is the culture of Sicilia. There is this concept of over-hospitality when you have guests. To be honest they feed you till you’re literally about to explode, and then they feed you more. You walk out of dinner appointments praying that god will strengthen your stomach so it doesn’t burst or anything. It’s, in all truthfulness, torture. And if you don’t eat they get very offended and will be very mean to you. YOU MUST EAT EVERYTHING THEY COOK FOR YOU!! And they almost kill you. So yes. This is why we eat at members homes as little as we can =) haha unless it’s the American members on the base of course. I can never turn down enchiladas or hamburgers and hotdogs. No crazy recipes for you yet but when I get home I will make you all suffer through a Sicilian meal so you can... understand where I’m coming from =) Now for dads questions: P-days start at 10am and go till 6pm and once a transfer (6 week period) we get a super P-day where we can spend all day doing something. We usually save those for a long trip to parts of Sicilia. We just have a washer; driers don’t exist here so we hang our cloths out the window to dry. We got our new washer this Monday. They guys said they would be at our house at ten and didn’t show up till 1:30. They also told us that they would install the washer for us and take the old one away at the store which was a total lie. They dropped the new one off and just took off telling us we had to figure it all out and also what to do with the old one. So Monday was spent installing the new washer haha. Also something cool, I spent Monday on a split with a......... GREENIE!!.... I was so scared. My companion and the other ZL went to another city and left me with Anz. Davis who is 2 weeks out of the MTC. I did things I thought were impossible. Talked to people and then, understood them. Something I really haven't tried yet being only in my third transfer. IT’S SO TRUE!! I can never tell myself I’ll never learn this language because well it does just kinda come. IT’S AWESOME!!! HOORAHHH FOR THE GIFT OF TONGUES!! IT WORKS!! Also yesterday was our zone conference. Not as crazy as the last one but crazy none the less. But I always love hearing from President Kelly! He is a great guy and I’m so happy to be serving with him. As for the question of where I shop. There is a HUGE market here and also tons of fruit vendors and stands that sell whatever everywhere. There are also supermarkets though. We shop at both. Usually we get fruits veggies and bread from paneficios and stands while everything else comes from the supermarkets. There’s a couple Lidal, Auchan, and Despar. All are giant European chains.

We baptized a man named Ben last week. He’s a huge Filipino guy and started crying last Sunday. He’s so happy to be a member now. =) loved it.

Ci Vediamo e Vi voglio bene,

Con amore

Anziano Hill

Catania, Sicily - 8/17/2011

I’ll try and take some more pictures for you guys of just places I go every day. We deep cleaned our apartment Monday. It was Ferie Agosto which is an Italian holiday which celebrates the ascension of Mary into heaven but everyone uses it as an excuse to get out of work and go to the beach. The streets are honestly empty and every store in closed, no joke. It was strange, the whole city was abandoned. So President makes that day a day where we just stay in our apartments and clean all day. Which we did. It was hard work but our apartment hasn't been more beautiful. So I'll send you guys next week some pics of my apartment, the streets I walk, random people, and parks and stuff. There’s a lot of way old stuff everywhere from like ancient roman times but it’s all just kinda normal now haha. I never thought that seeing an ancient aqueduct or part of a wall would just be normal.

Have a great week everyone and I love and miss you all. Vi voglio bene, Vi amo e ci sentiamo la setemana prossima

Con Amore,

Anziano Kyle Hill

Catania, Sicily - 8/10/2011

Hey everyone!

Well I'm still in Catania today which means I survived another transfer call! I'm staying in Catania another transfer, which indirectly means another two because my trainer leaves at the end of this one and goes back home to San Diego and I will have to stay here with someone else a transfer before I go. So that means I will be here till early November in Catania, maybe longer. It’s amazing to think that this month is Elliot and Carlton's (other missionaries from Newhall serving in Oklahoma & Argentina) one year mark in the mission. It feels like just yesterday those guys left. It reminds of those grueling 6 months I spent waiting after receiving my call =P It’s all been worth it though, because I’m loving this mission and if my call had come any sooner I might not be in Italy at this time, meeting these wonderful people. We have 2 baptisms on the 20th that for sure will go through and the sisters have one on the 27th. It’s quite marvelous how the work is prospering here. The first baptism is our friend Silvio I told you about the other day. He’s is doing awesome and we are celebrating his birthday this Monday. Then there's Ben. He’s another Filipino like Carlo. He’s way old and doesn't understand English or Italian very well so just like Carlo we have a Tagalog sister translate for us. He’s just like Carlo though and is very excited to be baptized. I'm so happy to see these people making this change in their lives and becoming disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we went to a totally awesome World War 2 museum here in Catania. It’s got everything! It’s actually built in a building that was destroyed during a bombing raid on Catania. As a matter of fact I'd like to tell you that here there are many buildings that look way old and exploded. You can still see damage here caused by the war. The museum had all kinds of way interesting facts about the war and what Italy did. I learned something new.... the Sicilians never accepted Mussolini as their leader and were forced to fight alongside the Nazis. And when America conquered Sicilia it was a liberation instead of an occupation. It was way cool to see videos and pictures from the war that showed streets in Catania that I walk down on a daily basis. 70 years ago the place where my apartment stands was a bomb crater. OH SNAP! We got to climb on big guns and stuff. It was a lot like Pearl Harbor. It also gave me a lot of Italian Patriotism which I'm not too sure is such a good thing. I started cheering for the Italians in some of the battles until I realized they were fighting Americans =S sorry America. You will always be number 1 in my heart! It was an accident.

So Aunt Ashley's married. I can’t believe it. It’s kinda weird to think about actually, I’ve got another Uncle Steve, well Uncle Steve the younger. ALSO I can’t believe you guys put my face on a pole. That's classic. One of the sister missionaries here, Sister Buma has a family that does the same thing and every week they send her pictures of her head in different places haha. I told her my family isn't weird enough to do that but alas, I was mistaken. Only 2 pictures from the wedding? Really? Come on; if I don’t get more I’m gonna be upset. And no one ever mailed me a wedding invitation. I feel so secluded =( I’m only on a mission, I’m still part of the family right?.... I guess I gotta wait and see if I get more pictures next week. The video of grandma surfing was HILARIOUS! We all had a good laugh out of that. Grandma Nancy is awesome though.

I miss all you guys and hope you guys are all staying safe and having fun. I love you all and can’t wait to hear from you guys again. Vi voglio bene! e Vi amo! Ci sentiamo e Addio!

Con Amore

Anziano Hill

Catania, Sicily - 8/3/2011

Caro Family and friends,

How are you all doing =) because I'm doing great! Today has been a week of miracles! MIRACLES I TELL YOU!!! Me and my companion have been DOMINATING the work here. We came up with this idea that we just need to kick butt so we set way ridiculous goals and well.... we're reaching them. We call it operation: CATANIA TOTAL DESTRUCTION AWESOMENESS. Of course we cannot credit this success to ourselves, for our strength is nothing and we know that we are but the dust of the earth compared to the might of the great God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in whom we put our trust and faith. We are planning on having 6 baptisms on the 20th... yes 6. That is mission record I think actually. We have taken a renewed diligence in our finding and teaching strategy and the Lord must be blessing us a lot. We are working a lot on our faith right now because if we don’t have faith for this success it will not happen, and there are many doubts but we are trying real hard to overcome them.

There is one man we met in the park just last Friday morning named Silvio. He was just sitting there reading a newspaper on a bench when we happenstanced upon him. We taught him real quickly about prayer and then did a prayer with him. We told him about an activity we were having at the church that night where we were watching "the testaments" and he said he would for sure come... which never happens. BUT he came there and we watched the film with him and some others and he really enjoyed it. We set up an appointment for the following Tuesday at the church again because there was a baptism of two 8 year old twin girls in the ward and we wanted him to see it and we wanted to teach him a little before the baptism. Just out of crazy luck we ran into him again at the park on Monday.... READING THE BOOK OF MORMON! We sat down with him and taught him about the restoration but we didn’t really have to because he had actually read the pamphlet and knew everything about it and best of all he accepted it and said it all just kinda makes sense!! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO'S EYES ARE OPEN! That was going wonderful when all the sudden one of our other investigators showed up randomly, and you'd think this is a good thing, but she’s a little strange and we got a little worried when she came that she would destroy all the progress we just made with Silvio. But Alas! Silvio stood firm in the faith after all her crazy Pentecostal and evangelical doctrine. Silvio even said after she left, "that lady doesn't get it, good luck with her" haha. We ended up giving her to the sister missionaries because she’s more suited for them. But back to Silvio. That day we set a baptismal date for the 20th =) WOO!!! After only knowing him for 3 days he believes it and wants to be baptized. We gave him a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and told him to read it and that we would see him at the baptism. Well being the awesome guy he is he came. The baptism (of the 8 yr old twins) was awesome. A ton of our investigators showed up along with the whole ward. It was just like a Sunday meeting again because literally all 100 members of our ward showed up to the baptism. It was wonderful and I got to be one of the witnesses for the baptism. So yeah. The work here in Catania is doing great. We are actually leading the mission I believe, right next to our neighboring city Messina who is also dominating, practicing the same strategy as us.

I'm happy and doing great. I’m glad to hear you guys are all having fun. I got a bunch of postcards from Hawaii =) thanks everyone. Normally I would be way bummed that I'm not there but I’m actually pretty happy because well.... I’m in Italy =) I got a letter from Scott too and a couple from my friends, who I would like to give some praise to because they are doing a good job at writing me. Every missionary tells me that by the end no one writes you but I tell them my family and friends are so awesome and they won’t give up on me! I cannot believe Ashley is finally getting married haha. It’s not that I never thought it would happen, I just never thought about it happening. It’s just so nuts hearing that she’s getting ready to move out of grandmas and stuff. MUCCA SACRA! Send me pictures, videos whatever you want. If it’s from family I can watch videos or look at pictures. Just attach them to emails.

I miss you all and wish you all the best. I've got a lot of letters and post cards to write today so I should get to work on those. VI VOGLIO BENE! MI MANCI e Vi amo

Con amore =)

-Anziano Hill

Messina, Sicily - 7/27/2011

Ciao e come state!

We baptized a guy last Saturday! yeah!!! it was awesome!! I am attaching fotos of it. Carlo is the one in the middle and he was baptized by brother mana. It was really an amazing experience to see Carlo grow and come to understand the truthfulness of the gospel. Even though he couldn’t really understand a word we were saying and we always taught him through sister manas translation to tagalog, the spirit still testified the truth to him. I didn’t matter what language we watched the restoration in, whether it was English, Italian or Tagalog he cried every time. The spirit is so great because it’s a universal language that everyone understands. And the blessings are innumerable. The spirit was very strong at the baptism too. Setting up was a little crazy though because we couldn’t get the hot water working and the font was filling up to slow so we had to use buckets to fill up the font haha. that was exciting. But everything went well and Carlo is happier than ever. His wife and kid back in the Philippines in manila are now meeting with the missionaries there. =)

Other than that not much too talk about this week. Just like last week I’m in Messina again. Messina is a lot nicer than Catania in the way that there is no humidity here, therefore it’s not as hot =) It reminds me a lot of Ventura actually because it’s a bunch of citrus orchards right next to the ocean and it’s real nice. Monday for ddm we celebrated Christmas in July (it was the sisters idea) but that was actually way fun. after we did training and stuff we exchanged gifts haha. I got cookies haha not to bad. We had a ping pong ward activity last Saturday. That was lame though because there was this one member fratello bruno who was just laying everyone to waste and wouldn’t give any one a chance =P. Today we finally get to play some calcio (I think Calcio is Italian Football)! I've been waiting my whole mission for this! we hare playing with the anziani from Messina, Catania, Reggio, and a couple of the members here.

The work here is going great. It’s a little slow but we're working on it. We have been doing exchanges for the last few weeks so we haven’t had much time in Catania, but things will start to pick back up soon. It’s all about aligning my will with the Lord’s will I’ve decided. I could serve with all my might and strength and I would look like a good missionary but it would profit me nothing. My mind and heart must surrender to the Lord’s will and I can’t do good but inside fight it. It’s the only smart thing to do. and in the end it’s easier.

I hope you guys are all doing just excellent and I miss you all, but not so much that I’m always preoccupied about home haha. Stay outta trouble and be excellent to each other.

Vi voglio bene e Ci sentiamo

con amore,

anziano hill