Email 4/2/12

I missed you a lot this weekend as well! I wanted to be on your bed working on my monthly embroidery, or a cute bag or something. Oh well, here in North Vernon ended up being better anyway! ;)  Conference was amazing and just like at any other time in my life, I have walked away spiritually lifted and grown! The closing prayer was said and I said:  "Aw man! another 6 months?!" To that Sister Williams replied: "That is only 4 transfers."

AAAHH! What?! Only 4 transfers? We are at the end of my first one! If this first one has gone this fast, how are the next 4 going to go?! (A transfer period is 6 weeks) Can you believe I am starting my 5th week in Indiana?!  Me neither! Where has the time gone?!

So, we were late to the second session. Is Dean Davies the new bishop?! CRAZY! Are you going to be following him to the bishoprics office? That would be cool!

Wait, where was I when we all found out Heather is pregnant again?! Oh yeah! On my mission! Mom, you had one job! Epic fail! And if you have one, I would like a picture of Tali. :)

Grandma actually told me that story in her letter to me and I asked Sister Williams if she knew that sister and she freaked out a little.  She was a beloved missionary, and Indiana was sad to see her go!

So funny story: from the time I met President and Sister Collins in the airport, I have been trying to figure out who Sister Collins reminds me of, and this week I figured it out!!!! She reminds me of my favoritest teacher Mrs. Neilsen!! She is happy and bubbly, and just has a geuine love for everyone! Don't worry, she will take care of me!

So to answer a question from a couple letters ago:  No, North Vernon is not just one big trailer park. North Vernon is the name of the ward and town we live in. The mission area of North Vernon covers lots of cities, CSL being one of them. North Vernon itself is a pretty small town. Not Kamas-small-town, more like Logan-small-town. Once you get out of North Vernon you are surrounded by farm and forest. It is so beautiful! We now have leaves on the trees! We were laughing during conference cause we saw that Utah doesn't have anything yet! Although, we are being told that the bugs this year are going to be miserable!  :( Someone even told us this week to start checking ourselves for ticks. Also the poison ivy is going to be bad this year, too, so I guess there is something to be said for winter dragging itself out forever.

So quick cool story, I am almost out of time: Before conference started, we took an investigator on a tour of the church. We started with the bishops' offices, and worked our way around, showing classrooms, the cultural center, the primary room, RS room, and the font. We stopped and looked at the bulletin boards, and the beautiful artwork that hangs throughout the building. The last room we showed was the chapel. Before we walked in we said that it was the most sacred room in the building, and that we would like to go in and just sit in silence for about 2 minutes and enjoy the spirit that was there.  I led the way in.  We sat on one of the back rows and just sat and looked toward the pulpit and the sacrament table (which we had laid out for her to see). As we sat there she shivered and I started to cry.  Sister Williams asked what she was thinking, and she said: "I think I just got the answer to a lot of my prayers. This might be for me."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Words cant even describe it! We invited her to baptism, and she said not yet, but we are going to talk to her again later this week!

Her answer to prayer was also an answer to my prayer. That morning I had come apart, and for the first time realized how easy it would be to walk out of our apartment and keep walking all the way back to Utah. (Providing of course that Sister Williams didn't tackle me and hog-tie me in the back seat of our car.) Our investigator understanding that light of Christ was a direct answer to my prayers.

Thank you to everyone who is praying for me! I feel your love and support every day! I love you all! And you won't be seeing me for another year and a half!!

-Sister Briana Hill