Hey friends and family!  Hope you are all doing well : )  Things are great here, especially now that we have two other hermanas working in our rama again!  I don´t have any photos this week, next time.  We are just getting past a really cold front that came through, and apparently there are some huge snow storms on the southern part of Argentina right now.  Crazy!!  I never thought I would be this cold here, and it´s the kind of cold that goes straight to your bones!  

We are working hard to reactivate some family members who were baptized a long time ago and come to Church every once in a while.  I love this family with all my heart and we are seeing some progress.  We are especially determined to help them because they are Mariel´s family, our branch missionary who is working so hard for us and is such a great example of being a member missionary.  I still can´t believe that just two years ago she was completely inactive, and now she has two callings, is saving up to take her family to see the Buenos Aires temple rededication, and just received her temple reccommend a few weeks ago.  

Yesterday we taught the Gospel Principles class and Mariel´s aunt came who is really close to being baptized.  At the end of the lesson the cute little old people in the back of the class shared their conversion stories, and we just let them go and it really excited Cristina to hear how people really can change. There really is something special about watching someone who is inches from overcoming personal struggles hearing testimonies of others who were able to do the same.  Members really are the secret ingredient to helping investigators be more committed to doing what is right.  

We are still teaching the wonderful family and one of the daughters came with the mother to church yesterday!  Poco a poco. : )  

Every day we see miracles.  This branch is growing stronger, people are reaching out more and less actives are receiving callings and coming back.  I am seeing the Lord´s hand right before my eyes.  I love this work! 

I love you all!  I miss you all a lot, and it always makes me happy to hear about what you are doing.  I am sorry if my letters get to you so far after you have written me!  At least I can somewhat communicate to you all through this blog.  Thanks Cara for always posting every week and helping me keep everyone up to date! 

xoxo hermana hill mill 

"familia, el hogar debe ser el refugio de la vida"

Family:  The home should be refuge from life. 

This past week was a wonderful one.  We are really seeing a lot of miracles with this beautiful family we are teaching.  They mean so much to me and I was quite concerned about what would happen come transfers. Well, turns out Hermana Green and I are staying here (woot!) and the Visa´s pulled through!  Hermana Wilkinson who has been in Pergamino is coming with a brand new missionary!!  SO excited.  I met her at a zone conference recently and I was hoping I would be able to work with her!!  We are very grateful to have more help here in the ward.  

I know the Lord is looking out for our investigators and I know that this upcoming transfer will bring good experiences.  There are always suprises in life, no matter who you are or how good you are.  The trick is to look at your life through heaven´s eyes (yes that is a direct quote from a song from Prince of Egypt. Sometimes I can´t help but use corny phrases).  If you just put all of your faith in trust in the Lord, even when you don´t know why things are happening or what will happen, you will feel alright.  Actually, you will feel more than alright, you will feel peace and joy! 

Last night we had a ¨just in case goodbye party¨ with some families that we teach, the elders, and Iara.  We took some pretty funny pictures, and it felt so good to laugh so hard with some people we only met a few weeks ago.  The mother of our golden family that we are teaching really didn´t want to say goodbye to us!  I am glad we are sticking around, but I don´t want to think about the day when I will have to eventually leave.  

This week we made homemade pasta (fideos caseros) with Isabel and her daughter Belen.  They have this cool little machine that presses the dough and cuts the individual noodles!  We had a lot of fun.  Hermana Green and I also cooked lunch for Hermana Mesquita who lives two houses down from us and lives in front of the other sister missionaries´ apt.  We made fajitas!!  We made them twice this week, and I think I am definitely getting an Argentine stomach,  seasonings and spices are starting to be a little strong for me!  My immunity to spicy food that I gained in Provo thanks to my mexican companion has left me! noooo!  It will interesting adjusting to lots of flavor after the mission. 

Our last pday we had a lot of fun with the elders in the park after eating lunch at the food truck.  YES, you read correctly, FOOD TRUCK!! It´s the only one here, and it technically is just a stand, but I like to imagine it´s a food truck.  It´s called Glup!  (castellano for gulp) and they have great burgers and quesadillas.  There is a cool wall painted as the argentina flag, and hermana green and I thought to take a ¨sassy sister missionary foto¨, so there you go, rawr.  

I hope you are all doing well.  Thank you for your letters and photos.  I love to see what you are all up to.  shout out to Mr. Jake Melton who just got married!!  Congrats buddy, I can´t wait to meet your wife, she looks perfect for you.  Best wishes and good luck!! 

xoxo hermana hill 

p.s.  in a few days I hit my half way mark.  I don´t believe it.  I hope it doesn´t move too fast, I am loving this too much. 

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

It´s about time I write you all a proper post!  Transfers are coming up next week and I do not want to leave.  Nope, not going to happen!  Hermana Green and I have too many plans, too many great things that are happening for us to have to pack up and move yet.  We are hoping to get two more hermanas to help with the work.  I really hope everyone´s Visas come in so we can build up our ranks!!

This past week was pretty great.  We are teaching a new family!  A whole complete family!!  It was such a wonderful discovery, hearing the father tell us how he sets certain rules in the home for his two teenage daughters.  I wanted so badly to tell him ¨We´ve been looking for a father like you!!¨ Hermana Green and I are trying really hard not to be over eager with this family.  We have great plans to invite them to a noche de hogar (family home evening) with a family in our branch.  The best part of teaching them is when we hear Isabel and her daughter Rocio comment on how they feel when we speak.  I must admit that sometimes I forget the power and authority we missionaries have.  I know I feel different than the Hillary I was before the mission because I am set apart and have a really powerful calling, but I often do not realize that these people can FEEL that we are different, and it´s not just because of the clothes we wear.  When we speak they can feel such a peace, and they believe what we say because that is how the Holy Ghost works, it testifies of truth.  It is such a honor to be part of a connection between an investigator and this beautiful feeling.  It is interesting to think that some people have never even felt this strong of a feeling until missionaries come and teach them!  How great is my calling!

My boots had their last miles on Tuesday.  I felt like I was roughing it while I was walking in the mud with that huge hole on the side!  Luckily I have a different pair of sturdy water shoes that are perfect for the mud.  I just miss looking like a pirate/ the princess bride with my red skirt and brown boots!

I hope you are all well.  I love hearing about all the great things you are doing through your letters and updates from my family.  Cat, you made a beautiful bride, congratulations!!  I am sad I missed all of the festivites, but I heard my mom did a good job of dancing in my place ; )   best wishes to you and peyton!! 

un besito,  hermana hill mill

elders in our zone during our zone conference this tuesday in pergamino (province of buenos aires)  we all took a bus 3 hours away to this conference.  we played a game that the AP´s (assistants to the President) put together to test our knowledge of quotes in Preach My Gospel.  Pretty intense.

photo of other hermanas in a nearby zone, they are all so sweet!  I hope I can serve with some of the hermanas that still have a bit of time on the mission.

me and hermana green with Iara in the back of her family´s car, all squished.

sweet mural near the park where we run.

We Wear Many Hats/Faith, Trust and Hope

Hola friends y family!  Hope you are having a great day!  

Hermana Green and I are having a blast here in Venado Tuerto.  These past few weekends we have really used our talents and leadership skills to fill in for different spots when some teachers were sick and couldn´t come to church.  There´s just something about making things work the last minute and pulling things together with a little magic that really excites me. It also reminds me of my Dad, he is quite skillful at being able to make things go smoothly when things go crazy during an activity or event!  I felt like I was doing a little bit of that during our activity we had this Saturday.  

We had planned this ¨Noche de Cultura y Talentos¨ for the past month and were really excited about all whom were going to participate.  The plan was to have a whole bunch of tables showing things from different countries, and then have a talent show at the end.   The elders from the other branches came and set up things from the States and Mexico, and we patiently waited for our talent to show up.. .... ... waiting... waiting....some other members put some crafts on tables they made, a lady from Germany brought a WHOLE bunch of great things and food... waiting and waiting for our planned talent that we confirmed all this past week...   and I soon realized that we needed to act fast and be creative because they were not showing up.  We ended up pulling some strings and hermana green and I sang with our friend Iara who played the guitar, Elder Stout played ¨They called the wind Mariah¨ Iara´s and sounded just like Johnny Cash, we were all blown away!  The sweet German lady sang with her friend, a little boy played a 10 second song on his portable keyboard, so adorable, and then Hna Rivoira had the little girls model purses she made... and I called one more family and their daughter showed up and played the violin!  What we thought was going to be a night without any acts ended up being a fun spontaneous night with six talents!  

Is it strange that I find some excitement when things go a little haywire?  I think my Dad can relate: when there´s a game or show that´s ¨sold out,¨ it gives us the challenge just to work a little harder and find a (honest) way in!  It´s all about working with what you have, having a little faith, trust, and hope! (or pixie dust as I would say in my disney days)
Instead of freaking out and thinking that the activity was a disaster, we missionaries put our heads together and ended up with a wonderful evening, and a handful of nonmembers came too, which was the whole aim of our activity to begin with!

Buen día!  Espero que todo esté bien en ¨Los Estados¨.  Hope everything is going well up there in ¨the states¨!

This week was pretty crazy...   Hermana Collins finished her mission and we were expected another hermana to fill her spot and serve with Hermana Velasco.  I told Hermana Green that it´s nice to not feel anxious during transfers because we knew we would be together for at least another transfer, but little did I know that this transfer would end up being different than we expected!!  Hermana Velasco was transferred to Cañada de Gomez where I served, and no hermanas came to fill the spots here, so now Hermana Green and I are now the only two hermanas working in our branch!  We think this might be because there are still a big group of missionaries in Mexico and the US that are waiting for their Visas, so areas are temporarily dissolved into other areas.  That doesn´t stop us!  The work continues!!

I am constantly reminded of so much support we have here.  We have two really strong fellowshippers who come with us to our lessons, one is a single mother Mariel who wishes she could have served a mission and so is helping us as much as she can.  She even says ``call me more often!  I can help you everyday after 6!``  wow, that is every missionary´s dream!  And our other helper is more like our best friend and sidekick, Iara.  She´s 19 and drives us to lessons and wants to serve a mini mission! (mini missions here are really helpful to the mission when we need a spot filled temporarily.  The mini missionaries haha serve for one transfer or a few weeks until a visa waiter comes).  These two fellowshippers were once inactive, and I love that the missionary work bug has bit them and it´s this great contagious thing that spreads like wildfire!  Mariel referred her aunt, cousin, and mother in law and they are all progressing and close to baptism!  References are golden.  What makes me so happy about seeing missionary work in action is when it comes from the members.  It keeps me thinking how I want to contribute to my ward when I return home.  President Hinckley said that every new member needs a friend, a calling, and the good word.  I believe that after being nourished by the good word they immediately need a good friend, because we missionaries won´t be here forever!  It breaks my heart to know there are some recent converts who are less active because they don´t feel comfortable in their ward.  I know have such a different perspective now, having heard countless stories of why people don´t want to go to church.  It isn´t because they no longer believe it´s true.  They woud have more desires to get themselves up in the morning and go if they felt like they had someone waiting for them, someone they can relate to, rely on, and grow with spiritually.  My mind is changed forever on visiting teaching... I am sad to say but when I had assignments before the mission to visit some girls, a lot of them were inactive, and I would send a facebook message, a text, and if I didn´t get a response I´d think ``well I don´t think they want to be bothered, the last thing I want is to be an annoying visiting teacher.``  But that´s not the right attitude.  Even if less active people never come back to church, they can at least know they have someone to go to because we constantly reach out and visit and serve them.  It needs to be more than just a little note or text.  When they feel forgotten then they lose that spark they once had, that testimony that burned within.  We have to reach out and put aside the reasons why they are inactive. 

Ok, I´ll get off my soap box now...  I just am constantly having more realizations of how people feel on the other side of the interactions between active and less active members.  I feel bad for my ignorance earlier, but I know I can take what I am learning here and apply it to my life when I return home.  : )

It is absolutely beautiful here in the fall!  This past week was freezing, but luckily it was just a cold front that passed through.  Hope you are all enjoying your spring!  I can´t believe it is almost May... in my mind everything is on pause at home, but then I get letters and updates from you and it´s as if only two wees have passed and a whole new chapter in your lives has begun and concluded.  Thank you for your letters, I have been so behind at responding, please forgive me!  Love you all.

Whistle While You Work

This past week was a really good one!  Man, Hermana Green and I are really finding some miracles here.  It´s amazing to see how the Lord requires our patience and faith, and if we are digilent and perservere and have hope (and especially have fun all the while) the sun breaks through the clouds and the miracles come through.  We have found two amazing families from contacting and we are really excited to watch them progress!  One lady we found has had a Book of Mormon for two years and is still reading it.  Another family that we contacted in front of their house has let us come by three times this week and they are reading the Book of Mormon as well!  We showed them the Restoration movie which talks about the story of Joseph Smith and how the Church of Jesus Christ was restored.  It meant so much to have both the husband and the wife watch it together!  Many times the men we find want nothing to do with religion, but this family holds a lot of attention to our words and testimony.  They can feel something , I just know it!! I wish I could give you all a play by play in detail..  but words cannot describe, especially my words right now especially as I feel a bit awkward with my English!  I feel like I have lost the color in my writing, forgive me if my letters are a little bland sounding!  I just hope you can at least feel something when you read a little bit of the wonderful things I am witnessing here.  I have a testimony of striving to word a little bit harder and moving forward with faith.  There were a few disappointing things that happened this week, and I know that at the beginning of my mission I probably would have taken them a lot harder, felt crushed, and would have needed something to cheer me up and help me focus on the other people.  But thanks to the other experiences I have had int he last seven and a half months, I know that the gospel is a message of happiness, and worrying and feeling sad about something we cannot change only stunts the work instead of helping it grow.  Thanks to my wonderful companion Hermana Green, we are on the same page with our goals and our attitude, which is so important in a companionship.  I am glad she and I have another transfer together! 

 

This is a lot of hard work, and I am loving it all.  Thanks to the other hermanas here (Velasco and Collins, Collins goes home next week!!  : ( )  we have been shaking things up and really having fun and being creative.  We might do a photo scavenger hunt today and we are going to practice for a song we´re singing in church. for COllins´last Sunday.... ok I just read what I typed and I realize that those two things are not what many would consider ¨shaking things up¨, but hey, cut us some slack, we are missionaries!  Anything different from our schedule is shakin it up.  You gotta whistle while you work.

 

Photos ,  the sunrise this morning.  I have become a morning person!  Every single day the sky has some sort of beautiful sight to look at

 

Me hard at look planning for the next day.