Another Great Week!

I feel like the weeks are just flyin bye!! I remember saying how far away Mothers Day was and look at that it's next Sunday!! But I'm not thinking about it until Sunday so I am able to work!!!!

This week was just a goody. Nothing crazy happened but our investigator Andrea is progressing so well. This week we had a CRAZY SPIRITUAL LESSON  with her. I swear I could just cut the spirit with a knife. She was telling us how her whole life has been focussed on other people and helping them and worrying about them and she feels like now is the time to worry about her self and worry about her relationship with her Father in Heaven and my companion and I were both like YESSSSSS ahhhhh it's so great. The elders that live in her actual sector are awesome as well and they have been inviting her to activities and are just really helpful and it's great. But yeah my companion and I are super happy!!

As for the rest of the week.. lots of contacting. I went on splits with the new sister training leader and I wish we could do splits every week because every time we do splits miracles happen. We found a new person and she's so stinking awesome. She let us in we were able to teach her and the gift of tongues was just working like crazy!!!! haha We found her and then contacted the whole day. Let me tell you it was so fun and so crazy as well because no one wanted to talk to us!!! But we tried new things every contact and as the night went on we both felt like masters. Practice does make perfect or at least better.

It's just real awesome how much the Lord helps His missionaries. I can't even begin to tell about all the love and support I've felt from my Father in Heaven on my mission. I just know He loves me and especially his other children and he wants them to find the gospel. He blesses us everyday to help find and teach his children and I just feel so blessed to be His hands in the work.

I especially felt this love as I fasted this week. idk why but fasting is so much cooler as a missionary. 1. Because we are working all day everyday so there's no time to think about food, and 2. we see the fruits of our fast like right after. ahhhhh it just rocks!

I love my Savior so much and I love doing his work. Sorry this was a short one but I just wanna share my testimony. Our mission president always says to share our testimonies with everyone because when you share, it grows. So I just wanna tell you all I know with out a shadow of a doubt I am a child of God and that my Savior lives and he gave his life for my sins and my pains and my afflictions. How awesome is that. He has given us everything and all we have to do is choose to follow him. I'm choosing to follow him and I'm so happy to help others make this choice as well. So grateful for all of you all and for all your support. I've been extremely blessed WITH AWESOME FRIENDS AND FAMILY AHHHHHHHH I love you all so much. Hope you have a great week and can't wait to see my fam next week !!!!!!! halllllaaaaaa

Hermana Hilburn

The Heaven's Be Singing

HELLOOOOO ALLLLLLL!! THIS WEEK WAS JUST OFF THE WALL FREAKING AWESOME!

Well it started off a lil crazy slash funny slash stupid Hermana Hilburn moment. So we were coming back from splits and were riding in a collectivo (taxi kind of thing) and I had put my suitcase in the trunk because no room in the cabin right? So we were riding and when it was time for us to get out of the car we got out and watched the car drive away. Then I remembered that my wonderful suitcase with everything my life has to offer was in the trunk of that car as I watched it drive away in the pouring rain. So like every person would do, I sprinted after that car as my companion watched and couldn't keep up. Luckily, because my Heavenly Father knows how stupid I am the driver turned around and started to head home. Then he saw this crazy loony missionary running after him and pulled over and gave me my suitcase and we laughed the whole way home. So that's how my week started off just the same old dumb forgetful gal who left yall!!!!!!!

BUT THIS WEEK JUST GOT A WHOLE KNEW TYPE OF BETTER BECAUSE MY COMPANION AND I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE WHO WANTS THE GOSPEL AND LET ME TELL YOU THE HEAVENS BEE SINGING BECAUSE THE WORKS BEEN A LIL SLOW AND FRUSTRATING. Ahhhhhh but her name is Andrea and she is just the greatest human that ever walked the earth. I found her when I was on exchanges a couple weeks ago and we went back to teach her and she told us how she felt like there was something missing in her life and that she felt something special when she talked to us and learned about the gospel. So we taught her the first lesson and afterwards invited her to be baptized and SHE SAID YES!!! Holy cow I've literally never, ever, felt that kind of happiness, like ever! It was the greatest feelz of my life. Our lesson was just so great and when my comp invited her to be baptized my stomach was just in knots and I was so nervous but when she said yes, my heart was bursting! I'm not lying it was the greatest feeling and my comp and I were so happy after we had to celebrate with a lil ice cream duhhhhhhh. But it was just so nice. Especially because this was the 5th person we've invited to be baptized and she said yes when all the others said no. I was so happy that we could help her but I was honestly more happy that she was able to have the gospel in her life. Oh great is my joy right now ahhhh!!!!! And to top it all off she came to church this Sunday and it was just so awesome. Everyone keep her in your prayers that she will continue to learn more of the goodness of the gospel because it's real good. 

Also this week we had a ward talent show so YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW HYPED I WAS FOR THAT. The missionaries all did a skit and not gonna lie your gal was a star.. jk I didn't have any lines but I think I sold the audience with my class "A" facials. But it was so fun and our wards GOT MAJOR TALENT!  It was so cute and it's so fun because all of the whole ward was there and participated and it was a party and a half. Oh and you already know that it started an hour after it was supposed to because well... welcome to Chile! But it's all good because our ward mission leader was able to fit us 2 missionaries and his family of 7 in there 5 passenger car and we made it home in time for curfew. ahahah but again. Welcome to Chile! 

Lovin the work everyday. There is something so sweet with follwoing the spirit to find others to help. My comp and I decided to visit this random family in our ward whose husband passed away 2 years ago and see how they were doing and when we got there we sang "How Great Thou Art" This sweet sister/widow told us she was so grateful for us stopping by and for us bringing the spirit into her home because the week had been hard for her. 

I just love being a missionary and getting the opportunity to help others in just little ways. I hope you all have a fantastic week and find opportunities to serve others!! You all rock and I love and miss you all!! Can't wait to talk to my Fam in 2 weeks!!! YAY

Hermana Hilburn

 

Ice cream celebration!(An investigator said YES to baptism)    

Talent show with the ward

 These members sent this picture home through Facebook message the night they had the Hermana's to dinner:) so sweet

 So much FOOD!

P-day Fun

The Titanic?

It's Raining Blessings!

HOLA FAMILIA! GREETINGS FROM THE WETTEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. TALCA!!! No not the wettest place but i'ts been raining all day everyday and it's been just awesome sauce!!!!!

So this week went by so fast!!! But probably because it was a special week!!

We had a special conference for all the newbies and I got to see all my beloved friends from the CCM including one of my bestie's Hermana Christensen, who was my companion while at the blessed CCM!! It was so grand!

My companion and I left to Rancagua, where the mission home is, a night before because we live so far away. We stayed with a coulple of the sisters that live there and it was so fun!! Then the next morning we had our reunion with our whole group that was at the CCM and I just love our mission presidents and all the senior couples so freaking much! It's always a party when we get together with them!! It really was so awesome!! We had amazing food and learned so many awesome things. We are always learning about how we need to better teach with the spirit and how the spirit is the thing that really teaches the pèople. We also learned about how important repentance is and how it is the only way we can be more like our Heavenly Father and change. Everything that was taught was just so awesome!! It was all topped off with yummy food that was especially amazing because Hermana Warne(our mission President's wife) was the one cooking all the food... so you know.... Happy Kristen!!

So this week was a lot of walking, because we can't exactly ride bikes in the rain, so I got to practice a lot more Spanish! Because we walked everywhere and had so much time to talk it really gave me the chance to ask questions to my comp and practice the language and it was so fun!! I found out that with walking it's a lot easier to follow promptings and talk to a lot more people. So Saturday we were walking from a VERY ODD LESSSON WE HAD and both of us just felt weird and discouraged. So while we were walking, we decided to stop and say a prayer that we would feel normal and be ready to work. As we were walking, my comp was like, lets go to this menos activos(less active member) house.  I didn't really want to because we had visited her already this week. But I trusted my wise comp and when we got there we saw one of our future investigators we haven't been able to find for freaking ever! It was such an answer to prayer and then some because we also got to teach one of the less active members friends' that was there that day as well. It was just so awesome!!! ahhhhhhhhhh it was such a great ending to kind of a weird day we had. 

But yeah what a fast week!! Oh we had cambios(changes) and I am staying in Talca with Hermana Peralta and it's crazy!!! I guess usually President doesn't like companionships to stay together more than 1 transfer but he's having us stay together!! So we must need to do something awesome together!!! Well love you guys and hope you have a fantastic week. Sending alll my love from Chillleeeeeee!!!

Hermana Hilburn

Hermana Peralta and Hilburn

Still taking selfies

Singing in the rain

 So fun to see CCM companion Hermana Christensen

Training at the mission home(all missionaries from the CCM that came in March and their Trainers)

Helping Sister Warne

Sister Warne wrote:

 "Friday we held the five week training at our house for the missionaries who came in March and their trainers.  Since the housekeeper is out sick, a senior couple and some of the sister missionaries really saved me by helping cook, serve and clean up the lunch." 

It's getting Chilaaaayyyy in Chillllleeee!

Holy cow where does the time go. Because I HAVE NO IDEA!!

WHAT A WEEK FAMILY. THE CHURCH IS TRUE AND THE GOSPEL IS GREAT AND JESUS LIVES HALELUYA!!

THIS WEEK WAS JUST A DANG DARN GOOOOOODDIIIIEEEEEEE!!!

We be teaching, we be preaching, and miracles be a working. Let me tell you the miracles be flooowwwwiiinnn in like a river and it's so grand!!

This week was all about finding new people to teach. We have been having a hard time helping our investigators progress so we made it a goal to find new investigators and help other menos activos and it worked and it was just so great!!

So this week I had to lead my sector for the first time and I was so terrified. Because I don't know how to talk to people and yeah it's a lil scary and I was afraid that my relationship with the members and our investigators wasn't that strong because I haven't been able to say much. But don't worry because it was stinking awesome!

Before this day started I said one heck of a prayer and begged Heavenly Father to help in every way possible. Then after I tried to use about every ounce of faith I had in my body I just went forward and promised myself to follow every single prompting or thought I had and see where it took me. 

....and HOLY COW I AM FOR SURE DOING THAT FROM NOW ON!

I'm telling you all this day was incredible. We found so many people who needed the good news of the gospel and it was because the spirit was there helping me every single step of the way. I was able to lead the sector and talk to EVERYONE and words were just put into my mouth. The hermana who was with me ends her mission in 2 weeks and she said that sometimes when I would talk to people she swore we had been out the same time!! and it was just so awesome!! But let me just tell you.. I know it wasn't me at all!!! I swear the man in the sky loves me so much and I just feel His love and his help everyday. I didn't really understand when people would talk about how the spirit speaks for you but now, DO I. 

We taught this one investigator this week and we found him when we were on exchanges and he is just so awesome. He loves to talk things out and have discussions and I just love that about him. So when we taught him this week I was a little nervous because he knows a lot about the Catholic church and about the bible. But we started talking to him and in the beginning  there was a bit of contention but then I remembered something that Elder Bednar said in one of his talks that whenever you don't know what to do or if the conversation is going south, always open your mouth and start talking about Christ and the spirit will guide you. So that's what I did. I'm actually pretty sure I closed my eyes, started talking and the words were flowing and he listened and I know he felt the spirit.

Man I LOVE THE SPIRIT. It's the one thing I've learned while being here is how important it is to have the spirit with me always. We need to do everything we can to be worthy of it because it is the main way our Father in Heaven is able to talk to us.

I'm so grateful for this amazing thing I have in my life and I am so grateful to know the goodness of the gospel.

It's just so dang good!

So live it

love it

and I promise you'll be able to find happiness. Because through our Savior.... it's how we find it!!!

The mission rocks everyone. I love this gospel and I know with all my soul it's the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have an amazing week all!! and kneel down and pray and read your scriptures:)

okay... that's all I got folks.

stay tuned.

Hermana Hilburn

Chilean's love their grillin!

It's already starting to get cold

One Happy Camper

WELL I HOPE YOU ARE ALL FEELING AS SPIRITUALLY HIGH AFTER THAT AMAZING CONFERENCE WE JUST HAD AND IF YOU ARENT. GO PARTAKE OF THOSE WORDS THAT OUR LOVELY PROPHET AND APOSTLES SPOKE BECAUSE YES, THEY ARE JUST THAT AWESOME.

Well I literally could spend my whole letter talking about conference because it was just so awesome but I won't and I'll leave it up to you all to listen to the good words for yourselves and enjoy the good words of the gospel. 

Holy cow I love this church, the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior, our prophet and BEING A MISIONARYYYYY HALLLLAAAA!

ahhhhhhh but really it's been a goody!! I'M JUST ONE HAPPY CAMPER!!

So this week was just great. No crazy things happened but it's just been good. One thing I learn every single day on the mission is the church is true and we have everything the Savior wants for us in this gospel. Yeah the people aren't perfect, but the wonderful teachings are!!! Especially the plan of salvation. This week was the week of the plan for me. We taught this lesson 4 different times and each time was just awesome sauce. Each time we taught this lesson it went so completely different than the last because the spirit was leading and guiding us the whole time!!I It was just so good.

So we taught our cute friend Yolli(who has down syndrome and cancer) and her mom a little more about the plan of salvation and how much our Father in Heaven loves each one of us. And let me just tell you all right now our Father in Heaven loves all of us, but holy cow does he love Yoli. This sweet girl is sent straight from Heaven and was put into a imperfect body. But we talked about how awesome it's going to be when we are all resurrected and chilling up in the Celestial Kingdom and how we are going to party it up. Actually it was mostly my comp saying this stuff because Yoli sometimes doesn't like me that much quote ¨"because I'm white" but it's okay because every time we visit her she always forgets this by the end of the visit and gives me a big hug and a kiss and tells me she loves me. So another reason the church is true: Yoli learns to love white people! GUUY'S I'M TELLING YOU ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WHEN WE GOT THE LORD ON OUR SIDE.

Our other lesson with the plan of salvation was with Yolanda and she's awesome but just has a crapy daughter who doesn't like happiness (the gospel). Yolanda is aweosme and is searching for the truth but her dang daughter is getting in the way and getting her down. It's sad but we are praying real hard she'll come to church and see how awesome the gospel is. The other 2 other times we taught this beautiful lesson were just as awesome. I just love teaching the plan of salvation because we are just so blessed to have it. 

It terrifies me that people don't know they are able to live with their families forever. Like actuallly scares me people don't have that comfort of that knowledge. I am just so blessed and lucky and I love sharing it with all who willl listen. 

I especially love the perfect person in this plan, Jesus Christ. He is just the greatest part of the whole thing. He suffered for all of us to live and to be happy and we are able to do that through Him, who is perfect and who has made a perfect sacrfice. 

This week we had 2 noche de hogars con nuestras menos activas and we did this awesome activity where we talked about the hands of the Savior. He chose to have those permanent reminders in His hands, of the sacrifice he made for us, always and forever becaus he wants to remember us and he does!!!!

I love the quote from Garret G. Gong, "He knows all of the things we want no one else to know about us, and still loves us" THIS ROCKS HOLY COW. Our Savior and our Father in Heaven know everything about us and still call us back to them. We are welcomed at all times with open arms to receive the greatness of love they has for us. How lucky are we!

I am so grateful to be serving as a servant to my Savior who has done everything for me. Yeah it's hard but why wouldnt it be??? The atonement wasn't easy for the Savior. So I'm grateful for how hard the mission is and all that I'm learning. 

Well I love you all so much and I love my Savior. Ask me questions of things you want to know because I never know what to write about and then I just throw-up my testimony every week. But I'm sorry, that's what I love doing, because I love my Savior and I want to share with everyone.

So have a great week and go watch conference(lds.org) if you haven't because I'm telling you it's that good. 

Peace and blessings to all my beautiful people!

Hermana Hilburn

 

Hermana Hilburn with Yoli

Walking home from conference

Hermana Hilburn with her companion Hermana Peralta

Angels With Us

WELLL HOOOWWWDDYY EVERYONE!

I can't believe how fast the weeks are just flying by!!! It feels like I was emailing you all yesterday and here I am! I'm in a little Internet cafe with all people who speak Spanish and I'm just smiling and nodding my head!! 

Well this week was... interesting! Mostly good don't worry just a lil slow. It was Easter week so not a lot of people were in their homes and weren't there for there appointments but ITS ALLLL GOOOD. WE JUST KEEP ON TRUCKING RIGHT ALONG!

We did a ton of tracting and searching for new investigators, because our investigators don't feel the need to be baptized or go to church or keep the commandments... but they still want to meet with us.. yeah it's kind of confusing to me as well. haha but it's all good. So amongst all the tracting we've made a lot of new friends and met a lot of interesting people, some missionaries from other religions and some animal friends as well! We literally have 2 dogs that follow us around every single day. They wait outside the houses we are teaching, walk and tract with us and even follow us around when we are on our bikes. It is quite a funny thing, I like to think they are just some angels that are protecting us even though they are stupid disgusting dogs with flees. But it's all good. 

I had splits this week again with the Hermana's from Florida and it was a good ole time. Hermana Batty is awesome! We were tracting a ton and not having a ton of luck. Literally all day we walked and tried to find people to teach but no one was home or wanted to hear from us! So I said a little prayer for some help and it didn't come till late but it was awesome sauce. It was around 8:30 and we literally hadn't taught a single person that day when we walked by this house and saw a lady watering her plants. We started talking to her and she invited us in and it comes to be that her daughter was a convert a couple years ago. She was trying to remember what religion it was when we walked by and started talking to her. We got to share the video the church sent out about pascua and the spirit was so strong you could literally cut it with a knife. I have seen this video probably 38 times but this time was so different. The lady was full of tears and we were just so lucky to share our testimonies of Christ with her. She told us that she felt something different in her house the second that we walked in and she wanted to learn more.  I'm not sure what will happen with her but I'm so grateful for that experience.

I'm also grateful for the other sisters here who push me and are just dang awesome. Hermana Batty was so excited and ready to work even though we literally weren't able to teach until 8:30 at night. The gals here are AWESOME.

I JUST AM SO GRATEFUL FOR MY SAVIOR.

I can just feel his love so strong through me for other people here. Especially for this one gal Yoli. Yoli is an angel sent straight from heaven. She is a member who is less active with her family because she has Down Syndrome and has Leukemia.I don't really think I can correctly put into words how much our Savior loves this sweet girl. My comp and I have been visiting her about 3 times a week since I've been here and singing hymns to her and it is the most interesting experience. My heart is so full of love and pain every time I see her because I love her so much and I don't want to think about anything happening to her. Her family isn't active but her mom really understands how the plan of salvation works and we've just been helping them by singing to her because she told us that what makes her really happy. 

But yeah, being a missionary is being on a good emotional roller coaster every single day. but I love it. I love learning about the love the Savior has for all his children everyday. I love being guided by the spirit to find the people who need the gospel. And yeah a lot of people think they don't need it or look out there window and just say no go away, BUT ITS OKAY because we are searching for the ones who haven been prepared by the Lord. 

I love this gospel friends and family. I have really come to know of its truthfulness in my short 2 months that I've been here. I know that this gospel is true and I don't doubt it for a single second. 

So yeah I have officially become a preachy missionary but please forgive me because this is what I do all day. 

Well love you all and more importantly, Heavenly Father loves you

So keep the commandments

and serve others

Okay I've really done it now..

ok goodbye

Hermana Hilburn