Hermana Kristen Hilburn: New Adventure in La Florida Talca

HELLO FRIENDS AND FAM. Well you heard it here!!! I got transfered tot he Chile Talca mission!!!! hahahh jokes but really I got transfered and just to La Florida which is literally 5 minutes away from Independencia!!! But I am so excited to get my butt over there and find those in need!!

I am just doing dandy up in Independencia and I'm so sad to be leaving but I am happy I'm not going far. I just am excited for something new and I feel like there's someone there that needs my help.

This week was actually another very very hard week for me, but don't worry I learned a lot. It was hard because Hermana Blake was sick the whole week and we had to go to the hospital and didn't get much time to work. She had strep throat so we couldn't even leave the house because she was contagious and just not doing so hot. The one day that we went out to work our only progressing investigator, our milage Marlen, opened the door and told us randomly she didn't want to see us anymore. I was so devastated becasue I love that lady so much. She had been progressing so well and it was just so out of the blue. I was just able to bare my testimony at the doorstep to her just to hope she would feel a little of the spirit and desire to let the missionaries in latter on.

Also Yolli passed away Sunday night. This whole week there had been a lot of people visiting her so we got to say our goodbyes Wednesday and help her mother throughout the week with chores she had to do and what not. But she held on till Sunday night. Then I got the call the night before saying I was leaving the greatest ward ever to move 5 min down the road!!

So with all that happening it was a little easy to feel a little bit down and be hard on myself and feel like I hadn't done my part here in Independencia. After praying basically all week to feel good about the work I did I had an incredible experience at the open casket for Yolli

We were going to sing at the house where they were having and open casket Yolli's father saw us walking down the street. His face lit up and he came walking toward us. He isn't a member but we had taught him once or twice and every time he was really durro and didn't want much to do more with us. But as the weeks went on every time we visited he would listen to the lessons more and would even sit in the same room as we sang. Both Hermana Blake and I started to see a change in him even though it was little and very slow God was shaping him. So we were walking in and he came up to us with tears in his eyes and just said ¨"she went so peacefully and she's now in the spirit world smiling down at us". A feeling hit me so deep in my heart I couldn't help the tears from welling up in my eyes. I will never forget the amount of gratitude I felt in that moment to be able to share that with him so long ago. When we first taught him at the time, I thought he didn't even listen or didn't care. But just from those words he said to me, I know he felt comfort from the little truths that we taught him in the moment he needed it most.

This sector has taken me for a whirl wind of emotions that's for dang sure. There has been the happiest and the saddest times here. I was feeling so down a couple weeks ago with feeling like I hadn't done anything here. But if my whole job in Independencia was just to let that man feel even an ounce more of peace at probably the hardest time of his life, I am more than happy to have been able to do that for him.

God works in mysterious ways that's for sure. He will send an apostle to shake a young sister missionary's hand to help her feel better, He will put her in a taxi to help her understand the importance of having the spirit in her life and He will send a greenga from California to help one man.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE THE MISSION. It is the hardest thing I've ever done and yeah I might cry a little and do a 5 minute pitty part well... sometimes more often than I should. But I love being here so stinking much.

Man it's good to be a missionary and to help others. I think I know why the Savior was so happy. Service and spreading Gods love is the purest form of joy.

Love you all and hope you have an amazing week.

Please put Patricia and Marlen in your prayers!!!

See you next week as I take on the new adventure in LA FLORIDAAAA!!!!!!

Hermana Hilburn