Miracles in Santa Cruz!

GOOD WEEK MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY I AM SO SO SOOSOSOSOSOSOSO HAPPY TODAY TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE CRAZY WEEK WE JUST HAD.

So here in Santa Cruz all the way down to Talca there have been so many fires. Forest fires, buildings burning and houses burning and the smoke has been so strong that we have had to stay inside our house 3 different days becuase it was so thick it was making missionaries really sick. But through the smoke our loving Lord has showed us some MILAGROS THAT ARE WORTH TELLING.

So Tuesday my compi and I left without our cell phone charged, like always and we had a very long day. The smoke was so heavy we weren't feeling all that great and we were just being rejected a lot, one of our fechas called us to tell us she didn't want us to come over anymore. Then to top it all off we had to go to a Catholic misa where we had to listen for 2 hours reciting prayers and hail marries and it was a little difficult to swallow for such a long time. 

So when we got back to the house we were so incredibly tired and it was like 9:20 so we charged our phone and we had 7 missed calls from the assistants to president... and we were a little concerned so we called them back and they told us that we have to bring an investigator to the zone conference tommorow and it was almost time to be in the house and we didn't have a clue who to ask! But the thought came to mind that we could go to our investigator, Flors house. So we got on our knees said a prayer to have Heavenly Father help us invite Flor to the conference and we went off in broken bikes to Flors house. We got there invited her and she said YES. TO TRAVEL WITH US 2 HOURS TO RANCAGUA TO GO TO A ZONE MISSIONARY CONFFERENCE THE NIGHT BEFORE. So we took her the next day. It was incredible. We learned together with her. She had a note book out the whole time and the spirit was so incredibly strong. She then came to church with us this Sunday asked for a blessing so she could quit smoking and WE ARE JUST UP THE THE HEAVENS HAPPY WITH FLOR.

We have been working so hard this transfer and we have seen CUAL QUIER OBSTACULO I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN.  But we have seen the miracles that God has in store for us. Our president taught us this conference the importance of loving others as Christ loves them. It has truly helped me know how to better help them.

I love these Chileans with all my heart. This week so many things happened but I think that there's not enough time to tell it all.

I love you all and I'm so happy to be here serving these people. I WILL HIT A YEAR FRIDAY AND I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW FAST THE TIME GOES HERE.  Please pray it will go a little bit slower so I can just soak every second of being a missionary in.

Have a great week and don't forget to do the little things. Pray, read scripture and go to church. God is in the details, only if we do them and show Him our obdience to him.

Con mucho amor

Hermana Hilburn

This adorable children come to hug and greet the missionaries everyday

Taking pictures in the elevator- These four Hermana's went to the hospital to visit a sick member

Its Grape season in Chile!

The Weeks Are Flying By

Literally just had to ask my companion if we had interviews this week or the next and it was this week because ... TIME IS NOT THE SAME ON THE MISSION. With loooonnnngggg hot days and short weeks I don't even know what the definition of time is!!! BUT IT'S GREAT!!!!

Ahh seriously this week so much happened. We had interviews with president, intercambios in Nancagua, fechas with Flor, broken bikes and museum visits. ALL IN ONE WEEK!!!! 

But like I said interviews with prez again. It changed mission wide that now every transfer we have to have interviews and training with our president and the poor guy has like a nerve problem due to the intense amount of stress and can't move half of his face. But he still sat through HOURS AND HOURS OF INTERVIEWS WITH HIS BELOVED MISSIONARIES.  What a guy. He helped me so much like he always does and I just have nothing but love in my heart for that man who is giving his all to his Father in Heaven. Ahh what a guy!

Also we had ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING INTERCAMBIOS YET with another peruana Hermana Solano in her sector called Nancagua!!! We saw so many miracles, we taught so many fire lessons it was just so good. 

Then we put a fecha with another investigator named Flor. I almost cried with joy becuase this lady has stolen my heart in a matter of weeks. So start up the prayers for my lady Flor.

Then we went to like the coolest museum in Chile and there are tons of pics.

SOOOOO SORRY THAT THIS WAS A SHORT ONE BUT LOT OF THINGS TO DO. But I hope you all know that I love it here and thinking about leaving these Chileans in a few months really breaks my heart. But I've still got 6 more months to try to bring as many souls back to our Father in Heaven.

Hope you all have an amazing week and if you have time read 4th Nephi becuase it made me cry real hard.

Hermana Hilburn

Taking our broken bikes to our favorite senior couples house

Cool Museum in Chile

New Adventures

Well hello my lovely family! This week was seriously full of so many miracles I don't have time to tell all but I just want you to all know taht GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS AND HE LOVES HIS MISSIONARIES AND HIS CHILEANS.

This week was a huge week of growth for me as a missionary. I just feel so extremely honored to be with my wonderful companion. She is incredible and teaches me so so much. #almalkifanforlife. We are just changing this little branch with a lot of the Lords help. Ahhh I'm so happy I never want to come home. Think I'm gonna turn in my papers to become a permanent Chilean resident. haha

So about the week... AMAZING. This week I did my first intercambios as a sister trainer leader, with a hermana named Hermana W and it went incredibly well SHE'S INCREDIBLE! She is passing through a little bit of a hard time in her sector called Chepica and with some hardships at home. So I prayed for her every single night of the week and for our intercambio we said a specific prayer that we would be able to forget about ourselves and go to work. And that's exactly what we did. We worked HARD. The sun was so strong and we walked a TON and we didn't see the miracle until the very end of the night. But it came and we found new investigators for Chepica. WHICH IS INCREDIBLE because it is a super small branch of an attendance of about 7 people including the missisonaries every Sunday. Hermana W. is an increcible missionary. She truly is. She is strong and understands Gods will for her. These past months have been hard for her but I think I really helped her to see her growth through all these tough times. She really was a huge example to me of someone who could put away her hardships and focus on others.

Other than intercambios Hermana Al-malki and I worked like BURROS this week to find someone who really is interested in the gospel and let me tell you I have been the most tired I've been on my mission. It's so hot here and we don't have bikes in a big sector where we walk everywhere. This week we put 2 fechas with some investigators that have been investigating for a long time but they accepted and we are going to work so extremely hard to get them to their date. 

We also had a very cool experience this week that I'd like to tell you about.

So we had recieved a prompting that we needed to contact an area for 3 days in a row but things came up and we couldn't go. So we said. Sunday SI O SI we are going to this street to contact. So Sunday we went and we blocked out an hour and a half to find the people we knew were on this street and we said a prayer for guidance in which houses we should contact. So we said a prayer and we asked what came to mind. Then I thought of the color white and my compi flowers. So we went and contacted every single house that had something white and something with flowers... well.. almost every house had these 2 things. So we spent an hour going to every single house that had white and flowers. After and hour of rejection, we came to a house at the very end of the street with white flowers. We yelled and a sweet old lady came out and invited us in. We went in sang a song and she told us that she had just been a little sad because she was thinking about her husband who had just passed away. So we introduced the Book of Mormon to her, made a cita and were set. We have a lesson with her this week but after that experience I am more than grateful for the opportunity to show my diligence to the Lord and to see Him bless us with the things we need.

It's been an incredible week. A week of work that's for sure. We walked so much in these last few days, worked some wholes in my socks, starting to have knee probs like mommers and hit the pillow and fall asleep in seconds. But the Lord has really been answering my prayers. He has blessed me so much that I don't even know where to begin with my gratitude. The mission has been the most tiring painful difficult thing I've ever done. But I go to bed every single night with the fullest heart. I love these people so much and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to serve them.

Keep the faith and remember our Book of Mormon challenge!!! 3 months to read the whole book!!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK

Hermana Hilburn

Love this new comp of mine

long long days of walking

walking holes in the socks!

Holes in the socks and tan lines on the feet

love these Hermana's

Completos and Pepsi-It's the Chilean way

New Area! Yippee!!! Santa Cruz-Hermana Hilburn is Here!

WOW HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES ME SO MUCH THAT HE SENT ME TO SANTA CRUZ WITH THE BEST COMPANION THAT EVER WALKED THE EARTH THIS HERMANA IS A HAPPPPPPYYYYY ONNNNEEEE.

Well as you can probably tell this girl is so happy. Honestly I am just filled with joy to be in Santa Cruz with Hermana Almaki!!

So to start off my companion is incredible. She is from Peru/Argentina and her dad is from Qatar and her mother from Peru. Long story short she is probably one of the most incredible people I've ever met and in one week I truly feel an extreme amount of love for her and so grateful for her example to perserverar hasta el fin because it is her final cambio and she is not giving up for one second. 

We are working in a sector called Almendrosa which is a branch in a district of all branches who are struggling a lot but the missionaries are all teaming up to put our shoulders to the wheel and get Chile back to where it was!

We live with 2 other hermanas who are also working in our ward and it's so fun because now I'm not living alone and I AM SO HAPPY. I was going a lil crazy in the last house living with just one other person but now' its a party and a half because we have other hermanas and a sector full of wonderful people.

So this week I had my first training meeting as sister training leader and how PRIVILEGED I feel right now to be given this opportunity to grow. In just one week I feel like I have grown closer to my father in heaven and learned more how to serve and follow Him. This weeek in Consejo we talked a bout teaching repentance and baptizing converts and the role of the spirit in our propio conversion. It was incredible and especially to listen to our mission president, the most perfect man tell us his need for the atonement in his life and how he too is a sinner who needs the help of our savior. It really made me realize how much I need it as well and how I could better use it in my every day life to repent and become more like Him. Ahhhh IT'S INCREDIBLE HOW TRUE THE GOSPEL IS.

As for other news it was a huge week of service. My companion and I are working to win the hearts of the members so they will help our investigators when we bring them to church. Our service consisted of washing huge Saint Bernard's, taking bikes to the bike shop, cleaning curtains, teaching Spanish to Haitians, and preparing completeos for a newly returned missionary. 

I feel like there was so much that happened in this week that I am forgetting it all but it was because this week was an incredible week of change for me.

I have been praying for a long time to feel the power of the atonement in my life and I really honestly can say that I feel it so strong. I feel the strength from my Savior to hush my fears and my weaknesses and He is the one who gives me strength and I truly have never felt more grateful for Him.

I sure love these Chileans sometimes more than all of you.. haha jk you ALL still have my heart!

Have a great week!!!

Hermana Hilburn

Sweet Reunions

Moving Day

Will miss this sweet little comp

Making and eating Completo's

Happy day to see Hermana Christensen

New bike-with a Baby seat?

Ice cream with her Heidi shirt:)

Finally Leaving Talca!

Well 11 meses(months) in Talca and I'm finally off!!!!!!!!!!

That's right mission Chile Talca has now officially moved to other parts of the mission and this missionary is so stinking excited for what's to come!!!

I'm also extremely sad to say goodbye to all of the amazing people that I've meet here that have truly blessed and changed my life. I am filled with love for these Chileanos and I never  imagined saying goodbye to some of them would be harder than it was to say goodbye to my own family at the airport. BUT IT IS AND IF NOT HARDER. Because I just love them so so so much!

But even though this week was hard to say good bye to others it has been by far my all time favorite Christmas and deff one for the journal!!!!! This Christmas has been filled with more Christmas cheer than that of Buddy the Elf.

We started off our Christmas Eve as a zone going into the town center and singing Christmas carols to all of the preoccupied shoppers that were filled in the street. At first no one listened but then the sweet spirit of music filled the whole street and we had a good number listening to us. It was incredible to see the work that sweet music can do. Then we went to an old person home and read scripture with all the old people it was just such an amazing day of a lot of joy!!

Then we were invited to a lot of members homes, ate a lot of food and were just happier than ever to have a very hot Christmas.

I'm so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here in Chile spending the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ with the people I love so much. Thanks for all your prayers because I've really felt them. Our investigators have felt your many prayers said in their behalf as well.

Tender mercy this week was one Hermana Loreto told us how grateful she was for the help we've given to her. She said that this week she was going to talk to the bishop for some extra help and my heart was just full of gratitude for my wonderful family who has been praying for her these last weeks. I know that one day I'm going to get a very special email with photos of her baptism and it will be the best day ever. I know that it will be even better when she goes to get sealed in the temple and puts herself on that way to eternal life.

I'm just mostly so grateful for the amazing love our Father in Heaven has shown to us. He has blessed us with the literal path way back to Him. I know he loves us so much and he wants nothing more than for us to make it back to His presence. That's my only hope for Loreto and Roldofo and also for my wonderful family.

I sure hope every one had an amazing holiday and were able to really think about the wonderful time we are celebrating. Know that our Savior was born and more importantly that he lives now, and because He lives, I too can live again.

Love you all and hope your holidays continue with joy and light!!!

Hermana Hilburn

One of the sweet primary children of the Talca ward

District in Talca

making sugar cookies with this sweet Hermana

These cute Chileans even cover their trees with yarn

Really going to miss these Talca members

Christmas gifts

More awesome Talca members Hermana Hilburn will miss!

WELLLLL This week was super hard and cool and awesome and nutz and tears and smiles and just all the works.

So to start off we went to RANCAGUAAAAA. Which means party with president and all of my favorite old people and it was just a JOY to be there and it was so fun to ILUMINA EL MUNDO. So as a mission all of the zones went up to Rancagua and we sang at nursing homes, rehab centers and it just brought me so much joy becuase it reminded me a lot of good ole Upstage times when we would prefroma at different places.

But our zone got to go to a rehab center for women who were recovering from drug abuse. We sang and practiced songs and preformed a show for them. We had about every women in tears becuase even though we were a group of not too talented people singing. The spirit of the Lord was there helping us every second. Then our president talked to them inviting them to partake in the healing power of the atonement and the spirit was just so pure and amazing. Afterwards I had about 10 new friends and gave away 10 B of Mormon's!!! WHAT A GOOD TIME TO SHARE THE GOSPEL. The music not only touched their hearts but gave them hope to leave the pains of the world and to make a new life in the way of our Father in heaven.

Then because I'm a trouble missionary and always have reasons to call the nurse. I too got the virus that's going around in the mission of vomit and all the works but little did I know that this sickness would lead to an incredible experience.

So Thursday I started feelling real bad after lunch. Just super tired and exahusted but we had CUAL QUIER CITA(A lot of appointments) that day so I said a little prayer in my heart that I would be able to push on and serve these chileans.

So the first cita I just was not feeling too hot but I was able to get through it long enough to go to the bathroom at the end. The second city, same thing but when we left, the desire to throw up became a little stronger. So we went to a near by park to take a little rest on the grass. Then as I was lifelessly laying on the ground white in the face and a SUPER PASADO(super angry) Chileano mujer comes out of her house and yells, "get up you shouldn't be laying down in front of my house". Knowing that I was going to throw up on her face I got up and asked if I could go to the bathroom. She rudely declined but stilll talked to us but after 15 min of her complaining about her life she finally let us in so I could use the bathroom. In the bathroom I prayed my face off then left and we were able to share the book of Mormon right before leaving and the spirit was so strong as we testified and I felt better. Then we prayed and left her home.  The second we left her house I ran to the other side of the street and threw up.

I was just so grateful that Heavenly Father was supporting me even through my sicknesses and helped me share his words even when I wasn't feeling good. He truly answers my prayers and understands exactyly what I need.

Other news, please keep Hermana Loreto in your prayers because she has everything completely ready for her baptism this week and she just called us today and told us she wasn't going to get baptized. Right now I'm trying to hold every tear I have in my eyes but I do know that she will one day be baptized. Even though I feel completely heart broken right now and I don't know what more I can do I have faith that our Father in Heaven loves that lady so so much and wants nothing more for her and her family to be an eternal family. That's what I've been fighting for, for the last 5 months. It's insane how much our Father in Heaven loves us and wants us to be together with Him. I know that even though I won't be there to see it or won't be there to help her any farther (because cambios are next week and im probably out) I know one day I'm going to get a letter from some lucky missionary telling me all about it.

I'm so grateful to be here doing the Lords work. Even though it is so hard and sometimes just heart breaking, I know that it truly is the right thing. I can't help but think "Why shouldn't it be hard, If it never was easy for our Savior Jesus Christ." Please send all the prayers possible that I wont't discouraged and that this family will be strengthened enough one day to follow this example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.

I know our Father lives and that he loves each and every one of us. I'm grateful to be here helping these stubborn chileans chagne their lives and follow our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thanks for all the love and suppport. I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO MUCH AND  I AM GRATEFUL FOR YOUR LETTERS. HAVE A GOOD ONE, SEE YOU ON CHRISTMAS!

Hermana Hilburn

President and Hermana Harris