Earthquake in Guatemala, 6:30am this morning

We are anxious to hear from Seth about the 5.7 earthquake that happened this morning.  These are comments from a web-site of others who felt the quake.  Liliana Arroya from Guatemala phone me this morning and told me about the quake.

GUATEMALA - Moderate to Strong Shaking, woke everyone up. Things on walls moved a little, not severe.

Guatemala City - It started as a light shaking and it got stronger within seconds. The end of it felt strong, lamps and some furniture moved.

Guatemala City - It was strong enough to wake me up. The shaking lasted for 5-8 seconds.

Guatemala City - Rather strong shaking

San Pedro La Laguna Lake Atitlan Guatema - This one woke me up with shaking and some crashing of items that fell down... there was a loud "train" type of noise. Started with a mild shaking which awoke me, that stopped and was immediately followed by a much stronger shaking. Will need to check the house in the light... it was strong enough to make me pack an emergency pack and put it by the door!

Guatemala Central America - i feel like the shaking was for long time and have more intensive in the laps of time

Guatemala - Moderate shaking recorded

Antigua, Guatemala - Local time 12:30am on Wednesday 27 June 2012 with sounds of something heavy running across roof and the doors & window rattled for several seconds. Started light and then went into a longer & stronger shaking.

Guatemala - It woke me up, I'm staying on the 7th floor of a Hotel and it woke me up. Even though it was not strong enough to make me run @ that time in the morning.

Guatemala city zona 10 - I was sleeping on the 14th floor of a 20 story apartment building and woke up, rather groggy...felt the building swaying, heard rattling and saw the overhead lamp swinging back and forth. It probably went on for 1 minute or so.

Antigua Guatemala - Woke me up, but stopped after about 30 seconds. Felt like the whole house was shaking.

GUATEMALA - I was asleep but the tremor woke me up. I really felt how my bed shook. I went to my kids' bedroom in case the quake got stronger. Definetetly it was a hard one .

xela - woke me up and made me wonder if I should head for the door frame.

Panachel, Guatemala - one very strong jolt

June 23, 2012

I love it here, it seems a little sketchy at first, but it turns out to be pretty nice! It is very different here, the whole CCM is run in spanish, which I don't know very much! We get mail every Tuesday, and dearelders every Thursday, and I have heard that it takes like 12 days to send a letter, also we can only send letters on Saturday, so we'll just have to see which works best! I am fine with email, it goes a lot quicker, it is not as personal as handwritten letters, but it will do. Yes packages are very expensive, so don't send many... I mean I would always love to receive a package, but that will put a HUGE hole in your wallet! Thanks for being so supportive!

Where to start!? Well we left the Provo MTC at 5 pm on Tuesday and got here at 7:30 am Wednesday. I have been so wiped out, but with everyday, the tiredness goes away. Things are a little ghetto, but I think it is just because they don't haev a lot of money to put into it. Guatemala City is a pretty big city, very interesting. It's got mountains all around, but that doesn't mean people don't live there! I love the food here, it is different, but amazing. It is so much better than the Provo MTC. It is pretty humid, so the first couple days I just felt super gross and sweaty all the time, but now it doesn't feel too weird. I love the people here, they are very nice! My new companion, Elder Gibson, is from Orem, so I don't have a latin companion. It is fine, having a latin comp would probably make me crazy right now! Seriously, everything here is in Spanish. It is so nuts!!! I have four other roommates: Elder Hatch from Rigby, Idaho; Elder Rucker from Spanish Fork; Elder Segura from Peru; and Elder Vasquez from Mexico! So I have two latin roommates and that is enough for me! All the teachers are also latin, which means they don't know a lot of english, but like we are, they are learning! They are very wonderful teachers, and it helps that they speak spanish all the time so we can learn it better! It is kinda fun, a big challenge, to speak spanish all day everyday. Haha it gets kinda awkward when I am talking to a Latino and I don't know how to say what I want! So I just sit there trying to figure it out and they leave because they think the conversation is over... Awkward for me at least.

It is so fun here! There is a lot more freedom here. They let us go walk around the temple yesterday with our teachers and we got to talk to a couple natives. It was very cool. First there were a couple cute kids sitting outside the temple doors (the temple is very beautiful and I hear the setup of the Quetzaltenango one is even better, I hear it is MAGNIFICENT!) and the kids were holding a very little iguana. Pretty sweet stuff! Then, a man came out of the temple while a group of us were just standing there and he decided to talk to us a little bit. We found that he was the first convert in his family, something like 30 years ago. He was converted by the one and only Dan Pope. So there is a big spot for Dan in his life. We continued to talk and he told us that we looked very clean, and that everybody looks up to us. He is now the bishop in his ward, and has converted his WHOLE family! His mom was just baptized three years ago. He told us about the spirit of the prophets he feels in Salt Lake City and the testimony of the Book of Mormon here in Guatemala. It is so amazing the spirit that story brought when he told us. He told us that he wants his boys to marry american girls! (woot woot!) He has three sons, two of which are serving missions currently, and one that had served in Chile! It was a great booster that THIS IS the Lord's work, and it is rolling forth like a stone cut out of a mountain without hands!

We play street soccer everyday, they have two fenced in basketball courts with hoops, but the supporters for the hoops are also soccer goals. It is so much fun, I love it! I have almost instantly become best friends with the Latinos, they are so funny and so willing to have another friend. It is so much fun! There is supposed to be a little shop that we can get some sweet Guatemalan stuff, I'll try to send some home! Time is almost up, I love you and thanks for your support!

Love,

Elder Hilton!

Arriving in Guatemala June 20, 2012 5 am

¡Hola! We have made it successfully to Guatemala City! Very
interesting first moments, haha... The airport here is very

nice, but once we got out side, it seemed a little bit 

sketchier the pick up-drop off is kinda weird, and so we

sit there for a second. The lady that helped us told us not 

to give anybody any money. There was a man who was walking 

around looking for people that he could shine shoes for. 

So the man walks up to me saying, "you like to shine your 

shoes?"  Of course I do, it's the best thing ever! So he

continues to tell me it only costs one dollar? I said what?? 

I shine my own shoes! He almost weasled a dollar out of me. 

Mind that this happened just after the lady told me not to 

give him any money. Whoops. Also, keep in mind that this 

conversation was half in spanish, half in english, which
made things even more complicated. After that we proceeded

to the bus they had gotten for us. It was an old ghetto, 

stick-shift school bus and they packed it full of luggage 

and gringos! very interesting experience so far! Was greeted 

by latinos and tried to speak the spanish i knew! I love you,

but have to go! Hope this is enough! 

Love,
Elder Hilton (not sure how to skip a line yet on a spanish 

keyboard.
Love you!)

Birthday and Fathers Day Wishes

Dad, sorry this is a day late, but Happy Fathers' Day!!! Also, Happy Birthday today as well! I love you! Thank you for being such a great example of service to me. It really helps me to continue in this work. You are ... in the strength of wanting to do what's right and teaching your children in the correct ways. I can only hope to be the great father you have been to me. Love you so much!

Love,

Elder Hilton

P.S. my last two phones were the gold brick from the 90's and my red one that broke. both are downstairs in the storage room. To fix the leak on the Honda, I used gasket sealant stuff and it seemed to work pretty well, I guess time will only tell if it really fixed it.

Also, please pass along my love to the rest of the fathers: Dave Laloli, Grampa Hilton, Grampa Hanks, bishop Jenkins. They are all men that I can look up to and try to pattern my life after. Love you!

Provo MTC, Week 3 email

Hey all! Happy Father's day!!!!

 Things are going fine down here, went to the temple this morning for the last time in America for two years! Not sure how I feel about it yet, either way I leave tomorrow at 4:30 PM and arrive in Guatemala City at 5:54 AM Wednesday morning. It'll be one long night. The elders in my district are like brothers, like in Alma 17:3, we will rejoice when we see each other again. I love them all and look forward to the day when we have our reunion!

Haha I guess it's a little too late for another USB, but maybe I'll be able to find one in the Guat?

It sounds like things are going great! I got a wedding invitation from Steve Godfrey and Heather Edmunds who I went to high school with and I worked with Steve as an ambassador. 

Levi is a lucky man to get some new Nikes! I'm real glad to hear him shredding the competition and look forward to some possible championships!? I'll tell you what, Levi has the makings to be a great leader!

Everyday here in the MTC is pretty great, you basically wake up play some ball, eat, study, eat, study, and eat, and then study some more. I'm learning a lot and love it! We also teach a couple more investigators: Jose, Amalio, and Manuel. When we taught Amalio, we read Moroni 7 with him and he said he felt like he was a "fuente amarga." I had no clue what he was talking about, and neither did Elder Roach, and found out that it was a bitter fountain. It's amazing the role of the Savior's atonement in our lives and how we can repent and turn from a "fuente amarga" to a "fuente dulce".

The food here is pretty hit and miss, however, thank goodness for the way my parents taught me to eat anything; it'll be very interesting to see the food that I'll eat in Guat. Shoney sounds like he's just rockin' the world of so many Arkansasians? with the good word of the gospel. That's so great!

Mom, you might be jealous to know, Sheri Dew came and spoke to us yesterday for our fireside. It was way wonderful. She talked about being who we are and not crumpling under pressure of the world. She really reminded me of our whole purpose on this earth.

Also, today in the temple I thought a lot about being a seminary or institute teacher... I have never really taken it into consideration, who knows what will come of it!?

There are about 12 people in my district, 8 elders and 4 hermanas. Elder Fuimaono is samoan, he moved here from American Samoa when we was ten. He went to high school at Hunter high and is going to Costa Rica. Elder Jones, Fui's comp, is from Springville, and is an amazing runner. All of the elders are going to Costa Rica except for me, elder Roach, and Elder Pace. Elder Pace is going to Tuscon, Arizona. He is from Vegas and went to Bonanza High School, I have a couple friends that went there. He is comps with elder Taylor, from Yorba Linda Cali--Born and raised. They both went to BYU last year as well as elder Richardson. Elder richardson grew up in Idaho Falls, but moved here his senior year. His father, Lance Richardson, wrote a book called "The Message" I'm pretty sure that we have it in our house. He is a stellar kid, somebody I'd like to be more like. He is comps with elder Anderson, who is also from I. F. Elder Anderson is so funny and is such a ladies man. It's even funnier because you wouldn't think  he is. All in my district are speaking spanish. Way awesome people.

the Hermanas: Hermanas Eyre and Marsh, and Hermanas Uscharawadi and Hallett. They are all super strong!

I love you all! I hope that I was able to give some more details today! Thanks for the support, Your support is really what keeps me going! Love you!

Love,

Elder Seth Hilton

On Mon, Jun 18, 2012 at 6:55 AM, Marilyn HILTON <hankshilton3@msn.com> wrote:

Dear Elder:

How is life?  It seems like it has been so long since last Monday.  Hope you will share details of what has been taking place.

This is your last week at Provo MTC.  Are you nervous?  Excited?  How have you been feeling?

Just wondering if there is anything we need to send you before you leave?  I could run the pkg to Layton to the mtc pickup, and it could get to you by tomorrow, which is Tuesday.  If I sent you another thumb drive, would you want to send us the pictures you have taken so far?  It might be good to have 2, one for back up.  We could send one back and forth, and one could stay with you.  Or maybe you could make CD's if you are close to a walmart????? or something.  Who knows.  It would just be nice to occasionally see some pictures.

I mentioned your blog.  Dad said that we can't use your new missionary photo, because it has their name on the photo.  It is copyright laws.  I thought I would call them and ask if that is true, and if we could get a release.

Anyway, hope you will take time to write us, if your email time is short.  We love to hear from you.

We have had a pretty busy week with doing a Park City Booth, going to grandpa's 80th birthday,then Krysty Dabb and Brad Buswell wedding.  Beth and the kids had a sleep over, while Dave was in Las Vegas doing some business with their new product.

Yesterday was Fathers Day.  We went to Grandpa Hanks home for lunch after church, and then onto the Hiltons for Dinner.  It was a nice time, and fun to see a lot of family at he Hiltons.  Ashley and Jared were there, so it was fun to visit with them as well.

Levi and I did a booth in Kaysville.  It was a real long day, but they had really good entertainment all day, which made it fun.  But we are real worn out from it.  I am rethinking this booth experience, as it seems that everyone is real excited about Velata,but I seem to be advertising for people to go purchase from their local scentsy person. Oh well, we had a good time, and Levi has been a super hard worker at these two past events.

Levi has been organizing a group of kids to go run with Cross country.  I didn't know he was an organizer.  Last Thursday, we stayed in Salt Lake to help grandpa and grandma with their house.  Levi put together their deck swing--we all went to gether to help purchase for birthday and fathers day.  Anyway, so he missed Thursday, and also this morning, due to getting home so late last night.  We did buy him some Nike running shoes that will be helpful for him.

Anyway, we are so excited for you.  Kinzi said that  Shoney is an AP now and has about 10 months left.  He is doing well.

Please let us know if we need to send anything else.  I wll try to get a treat sent today, cookies?

Hope you are taking good care of yourself.

We love you so much.

Mom

Lifetime of Goodness - 2nd Pday - email

Buenos dias!

Life here in the MTC is wonderful! We finished up with our first investigator, Marcos. He is such a champion! I received my travels plans for going to the Guatemalan MTC in a week! I love the elders in my district and they bring me a lot of happiness. Along with all that support me, they keep me moving everyday in the Lord's work! I also realized this week that I have been called to serve the Lord and every moment not sufficiently spent, means less souls saved. I am always excited to get up and learn spanish in hopes of being able to connect with the spanish speakers in Guatemala! We went to the temple today, and it was so wonderful! I love being able to feel the presence and love of the Lord in my life! It is all worth the much training and classrrom time spent. Sundays are like gold in the MTC. It is still a day of training, but we do get a rest from the spanish training and the lesson teaching/training. They are so wonderful. My branch president is President Ricks, not sure where he is from, but he is a little scary. He used to be a lawyer and lays down the law everytime we have a meeting! He is so in tune with the spirit and creates a great atmosphere whenever he talks. He is intimidating, but is always very instructing. He says what he does with love. There is all kinds of food here, I may or may not have gained 15 pounds, I can't remember what I weighed the last time I weighed, but the weight gain is probably more like 5 pounds. Still working on the gaining more! I love my roommates and my companion, Elder Roach. Elder Roach and I are the only 2 from our district going to Guatemala next week. I will miss the other elders currently in my district! I am about out of time. I love you, mom, dad, and family! I love you all that support me! I love you!

Love, Elder Hilton!

First Snail Mail Letter

Mom, Dad, Levi, Duke, and Family:

I love you all.  Things are going so wll here!  I love the things that I learn here and the spirit that is felt.  I just learned that my most important convert will be myself.  I will go through all the steps of conversion that my investigators do.  Please read Moroni 10 and really think about it.  This is what we want to teach Marcos? next.

Gary and Barbara Peterson sent the enclosed check.  A thank you card is enclosed for them.  Also, a thank you card for the Wetzlers.

I love you!

Love, Elder Hilton

First Letter through Email

Hola! My stay in the MTC has been extremely interesting so far... I have run into many friends from high school and Utah State! I love it here! The first few days were extremely rough as I had to teach a lesson in spanish with my companion, Elder Roach, on Friday and Saturday. Friday's was terrible, then it turned into a very humbling experience. Saturday was much better, we didn't try to tackle as much, but everything we said was understood! My companion is from Indiana, and is a great kid! I room with two other elders: Elder Richardson and Elder Anderson both from Idaho Falls. They are going to Costa Rica. Elder Roach is also going to Quetzaltenango.

 

The food here is great, mainly because it is not terrible and is all you can eat! Lunch is always a splurge meal because they have the best options during lunch. So, I just have to try every one! I am running out of time for email, but just know that life here is very good due to the support from everybody that fills my life! It really keeps me going! I felt extremely loved this week because of the rush of letters(thanks Mom, Dad, Levi, Aunt Susie, the Wetzlers, Ry-Mo, Dan) and packages of chocolate covered cinnamon bears and cinnamon rolls(thanks Mom and Dad, Beth)!

 

Really though, thank you for everything. I am so blessed to have you in my life!

 

Love,

Elder Hilton

P.S. If I forgot to mention your name for sending me a letter, I am extremely sorry. please know that I love you very much, I just forgot to bring them with me. Know that you definitely made a difference in my day and life! I love you all!

Set apart as a Missionary

We enjoyed a special experience, as he was set apart.  Dave invited each to share things that they remembered that were said in the prayer, so that Seth could write down this inspiration.  It was fun to see and hear from each of the brothers, and sisters their own advice from serving their own missions.  What a special experience.

The day of Seth's arrival into the MTC was one of mixed emotions.  This whole experience has been such a happy, joyously sad time at mixed together.  How excited we are to have him finally be able to take this wonderful step in his life, but on the other hand, so sad to think that he is old enough to have this experience, and sad to not be with him for 2 years.  We are so excited to see his growth, and feel so blessed for him to have this experience.

The Missionary Farewell

Kim Brosius-Thongrit, Kensie Greer, Halee Nelson

Landon Howard (South Jordan), Morgan Carroll (Draper)

Levi, Callie, and Sheena

Emily, Minda, and Kaitlyn

Nick Ferney, Alex Johnstun, Colton Harris

Levi, Callie, and Sheena

Nick Ferney, Alex Johnstun, Colton Harris

Utah State friends (top to bottom) Dallen Fiscus, Amanda Clarke, Dayna Turnblom, Emily Anderson, Katie Carter, Kendra Curtis

Amanda Clark, Kendra Curtis, Dallen Fiscus, Katie Carter, Emily Anderson, Dayna Turnblom

We had a wonderful experience helping Seth prepare.  It was an overwhelming experience to see the support for Seth as he shared his talk or farewell.  We were priviledged to hear Bethany play "Consider the Lilies", as a piano solo for the Farewell. How grateful we are to all those who have played an important role in Seth's life

Aaron's Miracle

I should not fail to mention a sweet miracle in regards to Seth's mission.  We have a dear friend from my son Dan's mission in New Jersey.  His name is Aaron.  Aaron is the only member of our church in his family.  His family is originally from Guatemala, but migrated to the US when he was 14.  All his relatives still live in Guatemala.  We have become very close to Aaron and his mother.  Aaron came out to Utah to live amongst the Mormons.  He found himself in a bad choice and ended up in prison.  We have supported him like a son. We have seen God's hand many times the events of Aaron's life.  He is a wonderful young man, with an incredible spirit.  Once again, we see God's hand in calling Seth to Guatemala, the home of Aaron and his family.  We pray that Seth might be an instrument in bring the truth and joy to Aaron's people.

Temple Trips

Once Seth was able to take out his endowments, he spent much of his extra time attending different LDS Temples throughout Utah (Salt Lake, Manti, Logan, Draper, South Jordan, Bountiful, Oquirr Mountain).  His most prized visits were with his grandparents.  This was so special for him.  An experience he will never forget.  His comments after attending with his grandparents was, "Mom, the most amazing thing is...that I have the most amazing grandparents in the whole world."  He loves his grandparents dearly.

Trip to Missouri

                       Carthage Jail - Where Joseph Smith & Hyrum were killed.

                                 At Thousand Hills State Park

                   Touring AT Steele & Truman Universtiy with Dan & Maegan & Dad

                                  Historical Nauvoo

                                    Attended a session at Nauvoo Temple

                                The crew after a session at Nauvoo Temple

Craziness at the Airport

We were excited for Dave and Seth to be able to travel to Missouri to visit Dan and Maegan before his departure for 2 years.  They had an amazing time, and commented on how Dan and Maegan were such good hosts, preparing wonderful meals, even for travel.  They were able to visit several church history spots; Carthage Jail, Nauvoo and attend a temple session, Adamondiamon, Farr West, Liberty Jail, Independance Visitors Center, the RLDS Temple, the new monument of the 8 witnesses, and attend a session at the new Kansas City Temple.

Pre Mission

It was a super happy day when our son Seth was able to open a nice large envelope from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.  It was a mission call for him to serve in the Quezaltenango, Guatamala mission, leaving in only 2 months.  Seth has been attending Utah State University, in Logan, Utah.  It has been a wonderful experience for him to live with roommates, be independant, meet many new friends, and serve as an ambassador for USU.  What a wonderful experience for him. 

As mission time came closer, he realized that he had much preparation to do before he could submit his papers to serve a mission for his Lord.  The requirements were to read the Book of Mormon, The Holy Temple, and Miracle of Forgiveness.  This was quite an assignment for one attending college, and trying to just keep up with school work.  It was an interesting time for Seth to have to put up with the nagging from his mother as she saw wasted minutes that could be used for reading.  Seth was determined to read every word, and set a goal to get everything read before his birthday.  He came real close to accomplishing this, and within a few weeks, had his call.

Once he had his call, it was a race for him to sneak away for a few hours or days each weekend to prepare and accomplish the many requirements for leaving on a mission. As his mother and tyrant,  I would go over and over the lists trying to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything.  It just seemed like we were accomplishing much, but the lists just wouldn't get any smaller.  Each day we would get a little closer, until the final result of dropping him at the MTC.

The Call

It was a super happy day when our son Seth was able to open a nice large envelope from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.  It was a mission call for him to serve in the Quezaltenango, Guatamala mission, leaving in only 2 months.  Seth has been attending Utah State University, in Logan, Utah.  It has been a wonderful experience for him to live with roommates, be independant, meet many new friends, and serve as an ambassador for USU.  What a wonderful experience for him. 

As mission time came closer, he realized that he had much preparation to do before he could submit his papers to serve a mission for his Lord.  The requirements were to read the Book of Mormon, The Holy Temple, and Miracle of Forgiveness.  This was quite an assignment for one attending college, and trying to just keep up with school work.  It was an interesting time for Seth to have to put up with the nagging from his mother as she saw wasted minutes that could be used for reading.  Seth was determined to read every word, and set a goal to get everything read before his birthday.  He came real close to accomplishing this, and within a few weeks, had his call.

Once he had his call, it was a race for him to sneak away for a few hours or days each weekend to prepare and accomplish the many requirements for leaving on a mission. As his mother and tyrant,  I would go over and over the lists trying to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything.  It just seemed like we were accomplishing much, but the lists just wouldn't get any smaller.  Each day we would get a little closer, until the final result of dropping him at the MTC.

We were excited for Dave and Seth to be able to travel to Missouri to visit Dan and Maegan before his departure for 2 years.  They had an amazing time, and commented on how Dan and Maegan were such good hosts, preparing wonderful meals, even for travel.  They were able to visit several church history spots; Carthage Jail, Nauvoo and attend a temple session, Adamondiamon, Farr West, Liberty Jail, Independance Visitors Center, the RLDS Temple, the new monument of the 8 witnesses, and attend a session at the new Kansas City Temple.

Once Seth was able to take out his endowments, he spent much of his extra time attending different LDS Temples throughout Utah (Salt Lake, Manti, Logan, Draper, South Jordan, Bountiful, Oquirr Mountain).  His most prized visits were with his grandparents.  This was so special for him.  An experience he will never forget.  His comments after attending with his grandparents was, "Mom, the most amazing thing is...that I have the most amazing grandparents in the whole world."  He loves his grandparents dearly.

I should not fail to mention a sweet miracle in regards to Seth's mission.  We have a dear friend from my son Dan's mission in New Jersey.  His name is Aaron.  Aaron is the only member of our church in his family.  His family is originally from Guatemala, but migrated to the US when he was 14.  All his relatives still live in Guatemala.  We have become very close to Aaron and his mother.  Aaron came out to Utah to live amongst the Mormons.  He found himself in a bad choice and ended up in prison.  We have supported him like a son. We have seen God's hand many times the events of Aaron's life.  He is a wonderful young man, with an incredible spirit.  Once again, we see God's hand in calling Seth to Guatemala, the home of Aaron and his family.  We pray that Seth might be an instrument in bring the truth and joy to Aaron's people.

We had a wonderful experience helping Seth prepare.  It was an overwhelming experience to see the support for Seth as he shared his talk or farewell.  How grateful we are to all those who have played an important role in Seth's life.

We enjoyed a special experience, as he was set apart.  Dave invited each to share things that they remembered that were said in the prayer, so that Seth could write down this inspiration.  It was fun to see and hear from each of the brothers, and sisters their own advice from serving their own missions.  What a special experience.

The day of Seth's arrival into the MTC was one of mixed emotions.  This whole experience has been such a happy, joyously sad time at mixed together.  How excited we are to have him finally be able to take this wonderful step in his life, but on the other hand, so sad to think that he is old enough to have this experience, and sad to not be with him for 2 years.  We are so excited to see his growth, and feel so blessed for him to have this experience.