Email -- 29 February 2012

THANK YOU!!!!!! Love you guys!

Yes I did get the package with the robe and pants! they have helped so much!

I got a letter from you yesterday. Were you at A's shower long enough to see what L got her? Haha! Well I will tell you!She got her lingerie! And apparently K was scandelized that someone would do that! Haha! (I got a letter from L yesterday too ;) )

Make sure to show the M family lots of love this month for me. Can you believe it's been three years? Me neither!

I am working on a letter to you right now, hopefully I can get it in the mail before they take it today, and you can have it tomorrow! I love you! You guys are great!

-Sister Bri

When You Come Home

You should watch this:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6P4_mwGYv4&feature=g-all-f&context=G2e7dc28FAAAAAAAAAAA

Movies -- 25 February 2012

Ghost Rider:  Spirit of Vengeance (PG 13)
Journey 2:  The Mysterious Island (PG)
Star Wars 1:  The Phantom Menace (PG)
Act of Valor (R)
Big Miracle (PG)
Chronicle (PG 13)
Gone (PG 13)
Good Deeds (PG 13)
Man On a Ledge (PG 13)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (PG 13)
Red Tails (PG 13)
Safe House (R)
Secret World of Arrietty (G)
The Grey (R)
The Vow (PG 13)
This Means War (PG 13)  (Ash and I saw this.  I thought it was funny.  Ash said it was uncomfortable to see with her mom.)
Unicorn City (PG 13)
Wanderlust (R)
War Horse (PG 13)
Woman In Black (PG 13)

23 February 2012 -- MTC

My dearest family!

It is Sunday morning at 9:20.  We are waiting for Music and the Spoken Word to begin.  I have been waiting all week for p-day to come so I can write you again!  Not that I am homesick, but I have so much I want to tell you!  Every night I find myself composing letters after lights out!  It's maddening!  I NEED sleep!  I am so physically exhausted from being so spiritually fed, I can't shut my brain off.  To give you any idea of what I am talking about read JSH:20.

...waiting...

Except I can't sleep!!!  Anyway some W of W from this sister missionary:

Taylor:  Read, Read, Read, Study, read, and re-read Chp 4 in PMG.  I wish I had.  Also pg 176 -- 177 are excellent lead-ins to sharing the gospel.

Everyone else:  Start praying for missionary opportunities!  Don't underestimate the power of example, and opening your mouth.  I know it seems scary but it's easier than you think.

So now it's Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2012.  P-day!  WOOT!  We had the opportunity to go to the temple today, such a nice break!

So here is the rundown of the last week:

Wed:  Drop off luggage, pick up badge, books, get picture taken, get swipe card.  Go to class, get to know district a little.  Went to a meeting with all 380 new missionaries!  Met the MTC Presidency.  Dinner.  Had our first teaching experience (which I think I told you about.)  Met our zone leaders, unpacked.   BED.  (finally!)

Thur:  5:50 Arise, go do yoga, get ready for day, breakfast @ 7:20, personal study for an hour, workshop, personal study for an hour, immunizations (p.s.  did you fax that thing?), another hour of personal study, lunch @ 11:50, into class at 12:30 -- 3:30, personal study, dinner @ 4:50, personal study, 6:30 meeting branch presidency, interview w/ them, fast tour with ZL's, 9:30 personal time & comp prayer.  10:30 lights out!

Fri:  6:30 arise & prepare, breakfast 7:20, service 7:50 -- 9:05, half hr to prep for next activity, district study for an hour, gym for an hour.  Lunch at 11:50, class @ 12:30 -- 3:30, zone teaching*, dinner @ 4:50, class 5:30 -- 8:30, personal study time 8:30 -- 9:30, personal time, bed.

Etc. Etc.  Etc.  Etc! Etc!! Etc!!!

Talk about baptized by fire!  I haven't stopped since I got here a week ago!  To me it feels as if I have already been here a month!  So cool!  And overwhelming!  And exhausing!  And exciting!  And any more interjections you can think of!

*So zone teaching is where about 3 different classes (districts) combine together, split into new companionships, and investigators and we teach them as though they are real investigators.  Super cool!

Then, we have TRC.  TRC is where we go and teach actual investigators, and inactives! AHHH!  It has been SO cool!  The two sisters we are teaching are such neat ladies!  The one is from Guatemala.  She is so humble and so loving.  Her family is everything to her!  The other is from Cali.  She is a member but hasn't been active since high school.  Her family also is the world to her.  She is very logical and very eager to read about Joseph Smith.  It will be interesting to see where both of these ladies end up.

So now that I have been here for a week, I realized there was some stuff I left home that I shouldn't have:

• My family quote/picture book
• My copy of the GC Nov Ensign
• Sticky notes
• SOS running shirt
• Sports bra
• Scripture mastery card
• Big bottle of contact solution
• Handkerchief
• Resolve laundry stick or Tide To Go
• Hand mirror
• Black tights
• Mechanical pencil (I have lead in my pen jar.  I like the pencils that Mom uses for Sudoku)

I love you all and think about you always!

Love,  Bri (Sister Hill)

Letter 22 February 2012

The mission people in Indiana need to know the best way to get a hold of Dad in case of an emergency. Phone number-wise. What one would that be? (I cant remember any of them :p)

All is well here. It has been an overwhelming week, but one so full of the spirit that the overwhelming part doesn't seem so quite overwhelming. I had a sob fest on Friday night, because I realized how much responsibility and trust the Lord had put in me.

"HOW ON EARTH CAN I DO THIS?!!?"

My roommates and comp were able to talk me through it, and it helps that I know the truth and I am invested in this gospel; cause if I didn't know.... you can bet your life I would be home right now! (Well, that and I would get my butt kicked hard if I came home ;p)

No, but in all seriousness, I am loving it here and am so glad that I get to have this opportunity to serve the Lord.

We were able to go to the temple this morning! It was so nice to get out of "the Holy prison" as some have called it. We don't need to be in class today until about 6, which is nice cause it feels like we live there, but go somewhere else to sleep and eat.

Speaking of the meals, they are not as bad as everyone has said. They are not super fantastic, but I haven't been sick. My poor comp is, though. We can't figure out what's wrong, but every night after dinner she is so sick! Poor thing.

One of my roommates (Sis B) has had a cough since before we got here. Sis D caught it about 3 days ago and last night my throat was a little scratchy. Sure enough, I had a terrible night's sleep and woke up with a killer sore throat and my nose is pretty stuffy. Gunna have to go to the bookstore and invest in some cough drops. By the time we left the celestial room this morning I was feeling awful. They had the AC on and I swear that no matter where I moved, the air would follow me to tease me! Rude! By the time we got in the changing rooms, all I wanted was to curl up on your bed with my pooh blanket, and you and I could play with dad's tablet. Doesn't that sound nice?  Yeah, I thought so too! But alas, here I am at the MTC telling you about it instead.  But like I said,lLife here is really good, just took some adjusting to.

Well, off to do laundry and to write you a letter telling you all the stuff I need. :) Give hugs and kisses from me! Especially Ash and Lando, they have been in my thoughts alot this week!

Love always,

Your Missionary

Sister Bri

-Ps did you call my apartment?

Movies This Week

Briana is a huge fan of the movies, so I'm keeping track of what is playing each week.  She can review the list when she gets home to see what's worth catching up on.  My list will come from The District, because that is our favorite place to see the movies:

18 February 2012:
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG 13)
Journey 2:  The Mysterious Island (PG)
Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace (PG)
Big Miracle (PG)
Chronicle (Dad and Landon saw this) (PG 13)
Man on a Ledge (PG 13)
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (we saw this one) (PG 13)
One For the Money (PG 13)
Ready to Fly (NR)
Red Tails (PG 13)
Safe House (R)
Secret World of Arriety (G)
Sherlock Holmes (we saw this one) (PG 13)
The Gray (R)
The Vow (Ashtyn and Mom saw this) (PG 13) -- Chick flick lovin'!
This Means War (PG 13)
War Horse (we saw this one) (PG 13)
Woman in Black (PG 13)

First Letter! 15 and 16 February 2012

Dearest Family!
  Today has been so long!  I am so exhausted!  So far all is well.  I like my rommates.  Two are going to Armenia and keep saying things I don't understand.  My other roommate is in a threesome companionship with the Armenians but is going to Latvia, which I think is way cool too!  My comp is Sis. D.  She is also going to Indiana and so far I love her.  We are very like.  She likes to sew.  She is always happy, and she is helping me be social and get to know everyone.  Well not everyone, but other sisters.
  At dinner we sat with two sisters.  One was from Sandy, and the other is from England.  How cool right?   We have also met a sister from Scotland.  Her accent isn't super thick, but still fun to listen to.  And man, does she have an opinon.  She is super nice, but tonight we taught our first discussions.  We were all in a big group and taguht three different people.  Anyway, when she got her turn she wasn't the least bit shy about telling it how it was, which is going to make her an awesome missionary.
  Anyway, things are going well.  Thanks for keeping it together when you dropped me off.  It was helpful!
  I love you!
  Your missionary,
  Sister Hill

  So I have a little more time today.  Yay!
  The other sister companionship we have in our districts is Sisters B. and K.  Sis. B. is from Logan and Sis. K. is from Hawaii!  They are the only two in our district who aren't going to IN-IND.  They are going to the Knoxville Tennessee mission.
  You really get baptized by fire here.  We got here, we dropped our stuff off, got a couple of packets and went straight to class, then dinner, then our first disussion.  Then unpack and bed.  We kept getting asked if we had this or that in our packets but we didn't have any time to look until about 9:00 p.m.!  But slowly we are learning our way around.  It's super hard, cause all the buildings look the exact same!
  Dad, you were right, p.s., I did have a cold shower this morning.  I was up at six cause they have workouts every morning for the sisters.  Today was yoga and all my roommates wanted to go.
  End of day now.  We had a lot of classroom time today.  I don't know why people complain about the food, I quite enjoy it!  I am so tired I am going to bed.  I am tired!!!  Loves (again) -- Bri

Entering the MTC -- Notes by Mom

Sister Hill with the MTC in the background

The good-bye hugs

Walking into the MTC

Dropping Briana off at the MTC was not as horrible as I'd heard.  The missionaries and the volunteers were seriously wonderful:  smiling and helpful.  The elders who were assigned to our pick-up area were patient and helpful.  They waited for us to give loves, then said, "Are you ready?"  When Bri indicated that she was, they all headed down the sidewalk, luggage in tow.  She said, "Do you want me to take one of those bags?"  One of the men said, "You're not allowed."

The new elders went UP the sidewalk, and the new sisters went DOWN the sidewalk, which happened to be in the direction we were driving out, so I snapped the last picture out the car window.

Now we wait for the letters to start!

Mission Photo Shoot

Thank you, Amber, for all of these delicious pictures!

Mom's Blog Post -- 15 February 2012

While Ash had her Sweethearts Day, I spent a lot of time with Briana.  We did some last-minute shopping and lots of visiting and laughing.  I'm so glad to have had Saturday to mostly veg with our lovely daughter.

Sunday was another nice day.  You already saw the Pinterest activities I worked on.  Church was a lot of fun since they needed to combine our class from last year with this year's class.  Can you say, "LOVE"?  Briana got lots of hugs and well wishes, and I think she was mostly ready to be done with all the good-byes.

Monday was a good day at work, and at 8:30 that night there was a large gathering at our house.  Uncle Brant and Aunt Laurie and family, Uncle Derek and Aunt Becky, Stacy, Bestest Friend Brittany and Mike, Lisa, and our family all gathered tightly into our family room.  We were joined by the stake presidency, who came to set Briana apart as a missionary.  We opened with prayer.  President Hansen explained a little bit about what would happen at the MTC.  He invited whoever would like to to share their testimonies with Briana.  It was a sweet experience to listen to the testimonies of these people who love our daughter so much.  The stake presidency, Breezy's daddy, and her brother then stood in a circle to set her apart as a missionary.  She bore her testimony, and the "party" broke up.

But we gathered our little family together and discussed the things we had heard as she was blessed.  She wrote a lot of our thoughts (and hers) and impressions down in her missionary journal.  After a while we were simply sharing thoughts and feelings and experiences together.  Finally we were all laughing together.  It was the best FHE EVER, and no one wanted to leave the living room.  Spencer and I finally broke up the party at 11:30, and everyone was in bed shortly afterward.

Since she needed a companion, Briana came to work with me yesterday (Tuesday).  I'm sure it was all kinds of fun for her.  She went to staff meeting with me.  She joined me for a fix-the-world lunch with Annette and Kim.  We left work early and ended up running a few errands.  Ashie and I helped Briana pack.  We all went to dinner together.

Since Monday, it's been pretty quiet at our house.  No one is sure what to say or what to do.  We know Bri is leaving, and it's kind of a bummer.  I'm not sad about her choice to serve a mission.  I could not be more happy about who she is, what she's choosing, and where she will be.  But it hurts my heart a bit that my little girl is grown up enough to leave, and I will not be a part of every single thing she does.

Taylor's boss gave him the day off work, and the other two kids stayed home from school.  We all went to the Jordan River Temple this morning and participated in baptisms for the dead.  It was lovely, and it is a blessing to be in the temple.  But it was pretty subdued.  We came home and Briana got showered and dressed and ready for her first day in the MTC.  We had some lunch, then we drove to the Provo Temple.  We all got out of the car and gave hugs.  Then the boys left, and Spencer, Ashtyn, and I took Bri to the MTC.  The volunteers there--including the young elders--were wonderful and helpful and patient and caring.  Ashtyn is a sad girl, and she did a little bit of clinging, and that was the undoing of me.  Anyway, we kept our good-byes short and sweet.  Then two elders took Bri's luggage and she followed them down the sidewalk.  There are pictures on our camera.  I'm going to begin a blog for Breezy's mission, so I'll post pictures there (probably this weekend).

Bri didn't cry, but she looked afraid.  My eyes have been leaking off and on all day.

We stopped at Grandpa and Grandma A's house since we were there.  Grandma was gone, so we visited for a short time with Grandpa.  I don't think we were great company.

After we came home, both Spencer and I took a nap.  I figured a good snooze would help me be more able to cope.  When I awoke, I wished I was still asleep.  You know that kinda depressed feeling?  I hate that feeling.  So Spencer and Landon went to a guys' movie while Sassy and I went to a chick flick.  We talked about what she wants to do with Briana's stuff and the bedroom.  She's in no hurry; we will take our cue from her.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers and words.  Thank you for the emails and notes and phone calls.  I am looking forward to hearing from Breeze the first time and even more the second time.  I'm anxious for things to go back to normal at home, and I pray that things will feel normal for our daughter very soon.  Please keep us all in your prayers.  We can use them.