Freeze Frame

Hello exclamation point 

 

The keyboard is a little funky, so I can´t express my enthusiasm, and it gave me a reality check of how often I use exlcamation points exclamation point

 

Well, this past week is one I will remember for sure.  Hermana Hutch and I attended a very spiritual and inspired zone meeting with the other missionaries that serve in La Paz, and it gave us a huge energy boost and new outlook on how we can be more diligent.  I am so grateful for the sincerity, prayers, and dedication from our zone leaders to help us remember our purpose in this work and to seize every day.  The mission slips before us, and I am SO glad that I have even more of a renewed energy than before, and I still have a big chunk of time left exclamation point

 

There were a lot of moments during this week where I had a little voice in me say ¨Take a look at what you are doing right now.  You are a missionary, and you have the Spirit to guide you where to go and what to say?  Isn´t that pretty incredible?? Remember this moment,  soak it up girl cuz it won´t come back.¨   Yup, that´s how the voice inside of me speaks... just fyi.

 

I took in my mind a mental picture, freeze frames of these moments:  teaching a man who is a slave to alcohol and recognized the light in the elders who found him in the past.  A new investigator who said ¨There are people out there who don´t understand that they need to be preparing for when the Lord comes again exclamation point ¨.  Watching my companion bear her testimony in perfect Spanish, with a pure and sincere love for our investigator and her family.  Watching that investigator and a member, her friend who is a convert of  2 years, watch the story of Joseph Smith and see tears in their eyes.  Her saying ¨Wow.  I feel.... so much peace...¨  and seeing the families in our branch excitedly gather together to have their photo taken for the Liahona... parenthesis I will let you know if we get in, it might be in the Argentina edition only... parenthesis

 

I realize I need to take more of these freeze frames, these mental pictures every day of my life. Even the hardest days have some sort of silver lining, they are sometimes harder to find but I know they are there.  It is a dangerous mindset to think, ¨well, I will start to do this after the mission¨ or after the month is over.  Every day is a new beginning. every day is beautiful, andevery effort is worth it.  You might be in the middle of a struggle that no one else can see.  You might think that it´s not worth it any more, that it´s not meant to be.  ¨Don´t cast away your confidence¨,  thank the Lord for the strength He has given you,  remember the spark you felt when you started the fight to reach your goal, and give yourself a moment to just sit back and hear that voice in side of you that is sayng ¨Take a look at what you are doing right now.  You are doing lots of great things, and the Lord is there to help you, isn´t that incredible?  Remember the good moments, soak it up.¨

 

xoxo hermana hillmill

Here I Am!

Hello!  My apologies for not writing last week..  but I am here in Santa Elena with already lots of experiences and miracles that I will remember for a very long time!  We can{t believe that we have already been here for about three weeks!

 

Last Monday for PDay we went to the river banks with the two elders in our branch to enjoy the sights, feel the breeze and just relax. We also shared one kilo of ice cream, I{ll let you use your imagination for those that are not sure how big that is : )   It was a great way to celebrate my one year mark!  Ah!  I{ve hit the point on the calendar where I am constantly thinking [a year ago I was here, and I was doing this... weird...[  Part of me feels like I have been a missionary forever andt that my life doesn{t exist at home... like it as all a dream, and the other part can{t believe it has flown by so fast.  I am trying to grasp every day and life it to the fullest.

 

I LOVE this branch!  The YSA{s continue to amaze me.  A few days ago I heard them talking about wanting to do a family home evening activity with the elders, and before we knew it it turned into a huge activity in the church building, fliers and cake and everything!  I love when an enthusiastic and youthful group takes an idea and really runs with it!  It is quite the treat when we constantly hear [I have a referral for you![ and they are legit referrals too.  We received a referral from an amazing soon to be missionary, and this friend of his is now our most promising investigators.  We{ve seen her four days in a row and she{s already come to a baptism and two church activities (this branch is filled with activities!!  woohoo!)  I loved seeing the members fellowship this strong single mom and her two children.  I realized the family home evening was perfect for her when I heard one of the youth share her testimony of when she gave a book of mormon to her catholic school teacher, and how her teacher ended up really feeling the Spirit and was worried about changing her culture after so many years, and this youth told her that she needn{t be afraid because the Lord would help her because it is true... and this is exactly what is happening to our investigator!  She teaches in a Catholic school and has already heard so much of the gospel and knows what she feels is true, and she is scared to leave her job.  I know the Lord is in this work and that all these sequences of events are not coincidences!  I know all of us can pray to see the Lord{s hand guiding us.  Sometimes we truck along thinking our efforts are thrown at the wall and we never break through, but if we have more patience and open our eyes, we can see that we are not the only ones chipping away.  The Lord is right there with us breaking away the hardest parts with us. 

 

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!  I miss you all tons, and I am trying to keep writing hand written letters... I am sorry I am behind!  The post seems to be very behind as well, just the other week I got a letter than was sent at the end of June!  Please know that every email and note is very much appreciated.  I love you very much and I hope you are finding success in your current endeavors. 

xoxo hermana hill

PS...Please feel free to leave Hillary a comment on these posts and we will forward it to her to read!!