Change CAN Be a Good Thing!

Well I just wanted to say SO SORRY FOR NOT SENDING AN EMAIL LAST WEEK. Because I know how lame that is but I was in a lil depression because my very best friend and companion Hermana Christensen got TRANSFERRED. Super lame I know but all is well because I'm with another hermana from my MTC group, HERMANA BARNET!

She is INCREDIBLE. JUST ONE WEEK WITH HER HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. Hermana Barnet is from Farmington, Utah and has the strongest desire in the world to work and to serve and wow has it been a treat to be with her. She really is determined to share the gospel and serve till the very end. She's even been good at helping me do my work outs and eating healthier. Who even knew it would be possible right}?? I really do love her because she is like the EXACT OPPOSITE OF ME. She has all of the INCREDIBLE qualities that I want and she's gonna help me develop them. I'm so excited for this transfer and for the amazing blessings we are going to recieve and the wonderful people we are going to meet. HERE WE GO:)

Well this week was a little crazy and a little sweet becuase we have a brand new missionary living with us thats being trained and WOW ITS SO INCREDIBLE THE ENERGY AND THE JOY OF MISSIONARY WORK THAT CAME WITH HER. Also the fear and the doubts that come from new missionaries and this week was such a sweet one because I was able to help her out with the, "I know how you feel" talk. But it was especially incredible because this week her companion got super sick and they had 3 citas in their second sector that they were trying to working in. Which I've only been to once. But she was unable to leave and for whatever reason I said I could lead their sector for them. The sector I've been to once with a new missionary that doesn't speak Spanish. But we got on our knees, said a quick prayer and went out to work. and WOW DID WE SEE SO MANY MIRACLES. God literally just put person after person in our way to talk to. We were able to find our way around and were able to talk about a few of the goals and fears this cute little Hermana had. It's INCREDIBLE THE PLAN OF OUR FATHER who knew how much Hermana Wittningham needed a friend and a day full of miracles to turn the week around. Oh how I love my father in heaven!!

Well this week I completed 14 MONTHS HERE IN THE MISSION AND I JUST CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE HOW FAST THE TIME HAS GONE. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for this time that I've had here serving my father in heaven and for his huge impact in my life.

I just want to end with my testimony right now because I am so grateful for the leaders in the church that literally are so in tune with the spirit that they answer all my questions and help me so much. I have really learned how grateful I am for the spirit of the Lord in my life. This week I was studying a lot about Gods timing and how sometimes we do have to just push through some of the difficult times we have. As I was reading and searching for this answer as to why. I received so many answers. Most of them where to keep pushing forward with faith and hope. 

I love my Savior who has been with me in EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THIS REFINING ROAD.  I have seen His hand literally lifting me up and rubbing my back when I've felt down. I've seen His mercy and grace in the life of others and most of all in my own life. I'm so grateful for the peace He brings and the joy that comes through sharing his love with His sons and daughters here in Santa Cruz, Chile.

Thanks for all the love and support friends and family. I love you with all my heart. Even though these Chileans have my heart you are always a good second best. Jokes:) haha love you you all.

Hermana Hilburn

Matching Dresses!

New Companion Hermana Barnet

P-day trip to the museum

Love it! Same name as Hermana Hilburn's trainer

Elders and President Harris doing some push-ups

So Beautiful and Amazing and Wow so Happy Days!

I DON'T EVEN BELIEVE TIME IS LIKE A THING BECAUSE I BLINK AND THEN THE WEEK IS OVER AND AHHH.

BUT THIS WEEK WAS JUST SO AWEOSME I CAN'T  EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU ALL OF THE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS WE SAW SERVING THE LORD

Monday-- funeral at our church. Sang and greeted people the whole day.

Tuesday--special training with president in San Fernando about teaching repentance. Wow I'm a sinner. He's such an incredible human. Hermana Hilburn -MIND BLOWN!

Wednesday--zone conference and service project

Thursday-- off to our other sector, totally lost all day then some lady contacted us and we went into her house and she wants tot be baptized and we were just OVERCOME WITH JOY! PANIHUE- MORE LIKE CITY OF GOLD. also the city of ghetto but that stories for after the mish.

Friday-- Intercambios with BBBBBBBBESAW so incrdible another one of our investigators told us she recieved an answer to be baptized and that she is reading and praying every single day OHH BLESSINGS. 

Saturday-- went to Pichi which is a beach town 2 hours from Santa Cruz to do another Capilla Abierta(Chapel Tour). and it was just SO BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING AND WOW SO HAPPY DAYS.

Sunday-- 2 NEW INVESTIGATORS WITH FECHAS IN PANIHUE -LITERALL WHAT IS LIFE.

Ahhh I just am a happy girl doing the Lords work. Changing lives but more than anything changing my own. This week I've been memorizing scriptures about the Savior and His love for us. One I just love with all my heart is 1 Nephi 10:6

 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

And aint that the truth!

So grateful for my Savior and for His gospel in my life. Grateful that becuase of Him I can change and have peace and joy. GOSPEL IS GOOD:)

LOVE YOU ALL

HERMANA HILBURN

God's Hands

WELL I JUST GOT THE BEST EMAIL OF MY WHOLE LFE. LORETO AND CRISTOBAL HER SON, JUST GOT BAPTIZED AND I GOT ALL THE PICTURES TO SHARE. AHHH SO HAPPY SO GREAT! LIFE IS SO GOOD HERE IN CHILE.

Well this is going to be a short one becuase this weeek was a bit rough because there is a huge wine festival going on here and no one was home the whole week. So I'll just tell you a quick story from the week.

So we were just in our new sector and we were sitting under a tree a little discouraged, tired and I'm not gonna lie we might have been complaining and almost crying and it was just all bad. So as all this sulking and poor me stuff was going on this lady comes out of no where.And let me just tell you a little bit about her. She comes running out of her house in the most mismatched clothing you've ever seen, with blue eyeshadow, missing a little hair on her head and on most likely on some sort of drug. She starts talking to us and just starts showering us with compliments and telling us that she wants to be our mom in Chile. She was so funny and  just kissed and hugged us like crazy. Then she just ran back into her house.

AND IT CHANGED OUR WHOLE DAY THEN OUR WHOLE WEEK. Well I know God works in strange ways but I'm grateful I can see His hand in my life. Who whould have thought that a crazy lady that told us she loved us would help us and give us the strength we needed to push on and keep on working.  I'm so grateful for all of the little miracles we can see as members of the church. I'm so grateful to know of my Savior's love and to feel it every moment. My heart is so grateful to have this wonderful gift in my life and I love sharing it with all. Hope you have a great week and that you are able to see all of Gods little miracles in each of your own lives.

Love you ALL!

Hermana Hilburn

Hermana Hilburn trying to borrow some hair

Such a special family! One of Hermana Hilburn's Favorites

On their way to becoming an eternal family

Happiest Missionary Ever!

BUENAS DIAS MI QUERIDO FAMILIA QUE LO AMO. AHHHHHHH

OKAY so I felt super bad for writing such crappy letters these past couple of weeks that I planned out everything I was going to say so I could tell you all of the amazing blessings from the Lord there are in the mission. 

Okay so the work is going so well here I can't even believe how incredible it has been!!!! We have been working like BULLS EVERY SINGLE DAY AND HITTING THE PILLOW EVERY NIGHT WITH HUGE SMILES ON OUR FACES!! We have been working with 3 new families that have SO MUCH POTENTIAL we are putting fechas with all 3 this week and are really getting excited. 

ALSO this week we had capitals abiertas(chapel tours) and it was incredible!!! My compi and I left with all the members throughout the week to invite everyone and SO MANY PEOPLE CAME. Yeah maybe not the ones we invited but IT WAS INCREDIBLE. None of the members had anything ready, we were missing missionaries and we didn't get refreshments until an hour in but it was incredible!! I felt like I was back in my "head commissioner" days from student government, because I was running around telling everyone what to do and there were so many people coming in and learning about this amazing restored gospel. It was absolutely AMAZING. The best part was that there was a baptism of a teenage boy the elders have been working with, that has totally changed his life and he was just radiating with joy afterwards. 

This week I found a quote that explains exactly how I feel right now:

¨Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people. Stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms to those that hang down, live the gospel of Jesus Christ.¨

And I can't even tell you HOW TRUE THAT IS.

THIS WEEK I GOT THE BEST EMAIL OF MY LIFE! It was from a lady we were working with that I love with all my heart. Her name is Clara and she emailed me to say that she just got baptized. The other very awesome and amazing news came from my sweet family from Talca. LORETO AND HER SON CRISTOBAL ARE GETTING BAPTIZED THIS WEEKEND!!! 

I can't even begin to express the gratitude I have in my heart in this moment to have been able to live that quote in my mission. To truly forget about my needs, myself and get to doing the Lords work. 

Hermana Christensen and I have really just been working so hard and we are so grateful to be seeing all the fruits here in Santa Cruz. It makes me happy to know that the work goes on and it's all in the Lords time. SO GRATEFUL I COULD CRY.

Well I am actually crying right now. I have so much love in my heart for these Chileans. I really am the happiest greenga in the whole wide world!

So grateful to know and to learn what is true happiness. This week my comp and I also got a call from president saying that we are going to now be working in two sectors becuase he said the elders are having a hard time. So now we are just going to be working even more!!!! Yes!

Happy heart, happy girl, love the gospel with all my heart}

Hermana Hilburn

So love these adorable Pilipino Hermana's

Precious Chilean Children

Proof these two Hermana's are working hard

These two might have a little too much fun together

Always silly

Life's A Choice

Well I'm just so happy to be writing you all to inform you of our little miracle week.

The best thing about being with the happiest person in the whole wide world is that it just rubs off on you. Hermana Christensen is just such a bright beam of sunshine and I just love her so so much. This week there was a lot of answers to prayers and finding new people to teach.

This week we really thought about our goals and put the goal by the end of the transfer to have someone prepared for baptism. We also decided that it's possible that maybe we both might not be able to see the actual baptism but that would be okay. So we set out and started from 0 and our first night wroking we decided to pray right before contacting.

So as we finished our prayer I got this feeling that we should follow the wind. I laughed and told my companion my feeling and so we did. We followed the wind. And BOOM! 2 NEW INVESTIGATORS. And that same thing happened throughout the whole week and by the end of the week we had 5 new investigators. We also put a fecha with our lovely funny Flor and she promised that this day she would do everything in her power to meet that goal becuase she wanted to feel clean and worthy in the presence of our Father in Heaven. It was such a great week and I feel so blessed to be serving and helping these people I love so much here.

The best part of the mission is that WE LEARN SO MUCH. And the best thing I've learned is that God knows best and that he loves us. So if we know those 2 things and we know them well, like they are engraved in our hearts, we CAN BE HAPPY IN EVERY SINGLE SITUATION. Hermana Christensen really has taught me that in the time we've been together. Especially that I have seen this huge change in her it is such a testimony to me that the gospel is joy. Our Father in Heaven is joy and we CAN HAVE JOY.  It all depends on us and how bad we want it. This week a scripture has been running around through my brain don't "no malgastar su tiempo hijo mio¨ that life's a choice we choose every thing. That is the way Heavenly Father wants it. He wants us to become agents and to learn for our own good. Even when it's hard. 

Grateful BEYOND MEASURE for this great gospel that we have. happy as a clam sharing it with everyone. 

Hope you all ahve an amazing week!!

Hermana Hilburn

One Happy Missionary

I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW INCREDIBLE IT IS TO BE TEACHING AND PREACHING WIHT MY SOUL SISTER AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Seriously it was an incredible week. I have no idea why Heavenly Father loves us so much to put us together again but I really think it's because it's our time to shine and help as many people as possible. 

AND THAT'S WHAT WE JUST DID.

All I can say is it is incredible to be here with Hermana Christensen becuase it has really showed me how much we have changed and how much the atonement has worked in our lives to be the people that our Father in Heaven needs of us. Literally have never been so happy to be serving the Lord.

This week has been incredible! I'm so sorry this is going to be a short one but just know I'm so so happy and I'm sorry there is no Photos this week because my camera died and my charger is broken so I can only charge it in the siber. BUT I'M A HAPPY MISSIONARY WITH MY BEST FRIEND AND WE ARE JUST KILLING IT UP. OKAY HAVE A GREAT WEEK DON'T KILL ME FOR NOT WRITING A LOT.

BUT THE GOSPEL IS TRUE AND WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE IT. THIS IS THE ONYL WAY TO TRUE JOY. I KNOW IT BECUASE I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY IN MY WHOLE LIFE THAN TO ONLY FOCUS ON SERVING THE GOD I LOVE WITH ALL MY HEART. AH

WELL I'm just happy and so so grateful. Truly am:)

Love you all 

Hermana Hilburn

New and Exciting Changes

Hola, mi familia y amigos!!! SO SORRY FOR NOT SENDING AN EMAIL LAST WEEK. I STARTED IT I SWEAR!!! But finishing and sending it is a different story. I think only missionaries understand the true stress it is to right emails in a limited time. But DON'T WORRY BECUASE I HAVE LOTS TO TELL THIS WEEK. 

Well 6 weeks with the most amazing person flew by so fast. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful for the wonderful cambio I had with my lady Hermana Al-malki. I am so sad to see her go but happier than ever to have had the opportunity to serve with someone who truly loves God and wants to serve Him till the very end. BLESSED BEYOND MESSURE

AND SPEAKING OF BLESSINGS. CAMBIOS ARE IN AND YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHO IS MY NEXT COMPANION......

HERMANA CHRISTENSEN!!!! yes that's right my very first companion in Chile from the CCM and I are back together about to tear up the turf here in Santa Cruz. I cried, screamed and was filled with so much joy and so excited to serve the Lord I love so much with someone I love so much. So THE ADVENTURE IS ABOUT TO CONTINUE AND MIRACLES ARE ABOUT TO POUR DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS.

Ahh but this week was a little crazy with getting my companion out the door. A lot of saying goodbyes, last minute shopping and getting things ready so she could be ready to return home. But I am so grateful for the wonderful miracle we saw with one of the sectors here in Santa Cruz.

Well Santa Cruz first off is one of the smallest districts with the highest number of menos activias in all of Chile and we work extremely hard to bring these lost souls back to Christ. This week when my comp went to Rancagua and to the temple I stayed back with our house mates and we went and worked in their sector. In one day we went to 4 menos activas and taught them but they didn't seem to budge for one second. I ended the day so frustrated and a little sad because I couldn't help someone who didn't want to be helped. I went to bed that night a bit heavy hearted, frustrated and not excited for the next day because I was supposed to go to one of the smallest branches with the stake president and train them for capitals abiertas.

So I went and I AM SO GRATEFUL I DID!

We went in the morning to put goals with the members of how many members they would want normally to come to the rama(the branch) and they put a goal for 30. This rama normally has an assistance of 7 and 9 with the missionaries. So 30 was a little bit of a high goal. But as the reunion started people came OUT OF THE WOODWORK. LITEREALLY JUST SHOWED UP! THE MOST RANDOM PEOPLE AND THERE WERE EXACTLY 30 PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH. And 3 were menos activas that we had taught the other day.

Holy cow can you say miracle. I can't even begin to explain the mircales the Lord shows unto his children who show their faith. 

I'm just so happy here serving my Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for His mercy and love and I have felt it in every second of my time here.

One thing Hermana Al Malki always said to me is that, "it's not worth it unless it hurts!" And it is so true. 

Life is a long road. Long, narrow, up hill, down hill, rocky, bumpy, smooth, dificult road. We all have to ride it, but only a few will make it to the end. AND HOW BLESSED ARE WE IF WE MAKE IT THERE. I'm so grateful for the gospel in my life and all the tender mercy's of the Lord. I know He lives and that he loves me. I'm so grateful to have 6 more months to serve Him with all my heart. 

Love you all and hope you are able to feel the love of our Father in every second of your life. 

Hermana Hilburn

Always having fun

Hermana Hilburn's Comp to the left and housemates

Kind of like DI shopping?

This wonderful Hermana will be missed

Last time all together!

One way to get there

They went by three

Just Kristen being herself:)

Foot loose and Fancy free

Hermana Tan Lines

Love her Fanny Pack! 

The little kids in Chile are so sweet

Service Bound

This dog thinks he is getting some!

Hermana Revolo. So fun to see her again!