Growth & Humility

Lots of growth going on this week. And sometimes humble pie doesn't taste very good. But life goes on, we learn and grow, and we try again.

One of my favorite things that I have studied here in the mission field is Joy.  What is it about joy that is so wonderful? What is joy verses happiness? How do we achieve joy? I have found some of my own answers, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts and feelings.

Thank you for this week's letters; every single one of them has been exactly what I needed to hear! I love you all and hope you are doing well! Have a great week!

-Sister Hill

And to get you thinking:

Joy is to serve and think about:

J-Jesus

O-Others

Y-Yourself

And

Preach My Gospel pg 48 (if you dont have one, you can find it on lds.org)

Some pictures

Movies -- 30 July 2012

Amazing Spiderman -- PG13
Avengers -- PG13
Bernie -- PG13
Brave -- PG
Dark Knight Rises -- PG13
Ice Age:  Continental Drift -- PG
Madagascar 3:  Europe's Most Wanted --  PG
Snow White and the Huntsman -- PG13
Step Up 4: Revolution -- PG13

I Just Know I Am Hungry...AW DA TIME!!

We had a WONDERFUL Special Sisters Conference this past week! I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to serve with the wonderful sisters in this mission. We are also VERY WELL taken care of by our wonderful mission president and his amazing wife! Our assistants to President are pretty great too!

We were so spiritually and temporally well fed! We got there and had a testimony meeting, and then had time to get to know one another and ice cream. It was then time for bed, so we had "family" prayer (can I say again how much I love President Collins!) He and the assitants then left so that we could shower and change and make our beds (you know those mattresses that Gma & Gpa Fish have? ya those) and all that jazz. I ended up massaging several of the sisters, including both of my previous comps! <3

It was so much fun to catch up with both of them! Sister Williams is training again! How great is she?! And Sister Donaldson is doing just great and had wonderful words of encouragement! They both filled me in on their family (especially their missionary brothers) and I did the same thing. (We all just love you guys so much! Most especially those elders!)

After a while of laughing and catching up and the beds set up and showers taken, Sister Collins came down and said that she had had the word from The-Man-Upstairs that it was time to go to bed so we would be awake and alert for training the next day. So at 12:30 the lights finally went out and we laid down to go to bed. :) It was still 10:30 in Utah, so we weren't being disobedient. ;p

The alarm went off way too early! But we got up, those who didn't shower the night before got up and showered, the rest of us got ready, and went upstairs to see what we could do to help with breakfast. We had a lot of leftover, cause Sister Collins is used to cooking for elders. Elders eat a lot. Sisters, not so much. :)

After breakfast was cleaned up, we started training.  You would not believe the Spirit that was there. I am surrounded by some amazing sisters in this here mission! (Best mission in the world!!!! ps). It was like a physical wall that went up and kept Satan and his angels out and invited our Heavenly Father's spirit in. I came out of that conference so extremely full, I could not believe it!

The rest of the week has been kind of dull compared to that. Not that awesome things didn't happen! They did! But there is just something about gathering with other missionaries in prayer and learning of spiritual things!

I am telling you, everybody who is anybody comes to Indiana on their mission! Have I mentioned that it is the best mission in the world?!

I love you all! Hope you had a good laugh and hope you are doing well! I love you!

-Sister Hill

Couple Things -- 23 July 2012

So I am getting a lot of pressure :) from certain people who think it's my job to teach those who we can get to come to church :) that I need my Gospel Principles manual. Crazy that we would be teaching them the basics! So if that could get sent to me that would be great!

Also, have you found any great Plan of Salvation pictures that I could color?

In your next letter could you add Tay's MTC and Mission office address? Please?

Also, everyone keeps talking about Sassy's cute hair, but I have yet to see it for myself! Hello! Pictures please!

Now:

Funny story:

We were at one of my favorite ward members homes for FHE and one of the girls is 11 and really good at it. She could almost give Landon lessons. In fact we were sitting there and I realized that her name had become a swear word. EVERYONE was saying it! :)

Savanah, stop!

Savanah, quit!

SAVANAH! Knock it off!

Savanah, it doesn't matter!

 I started laughing, and everyone thought I was a little crazy but all I could her was your voice: Land-in!

So there is my funny story! I love you! Hope you had/have a good week!

-Sister Hill

PS- I love you!

PPS - The letter you sent with Jack's Observation got to me today. So I don't know when you sent it, but that gives you a time table of how long things take to get to me. I love you (again/still).

Movies -- 23 July 2012

17 Miracles -- PG
Katy Perry: Part of Me -- PG
Amazing Spiderman -- PG13
Avengers -- PG13
Brave -- PG
Dark Knight Rises -- PG13
Ice Age: Continental Drift -- PG
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted -- PG
People Like Us -- PG13
Snow White and the Huntsman -- PG13
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection -- PG13

What a Week! -- 16 July 2012

AWESOME week here in North Vernon! First big news, last week we had a really tough time meeting our goals. In fact we didn't. At all. So this week we made a goal to remember our goals, and this week... We blew it up!!! Smashed those goals to pieces! Woot! Woot!! We committed 2 different people to a baptism date in August! Got several new investigators! Had 9 lessons with a member! So like I said: AWESOME!

Tomorrow we are headed up to Fishers for a Sisters Conference! So excited about that!

I know it is short, but I have to be going! I love you all! The gospel is true! Have a good week!

-Sister Hill

Movies -- 16 July 2012

Amazing Spiderman -- PG13
Avengers -- PG13
Brave -- PG
Ice Age: Continental Drift -- PG
Katy Perry:  Part of Me -- PG
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted -- PG
People Like Us -- PG13
Snow White and the Huntsman -- PG13
Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection -- PG13

Letter -- 4 July 2012

Dearest familia!

So in my email, I said I had a list of stuff to say.  It's not so much a list, as notes I take when I am trying to fall asleep.

So the first thing is that every night I say:  "Good night!" to Sister C., who then responds: "Sleep tight."  Sometimes I say: "Don't let the bedbugs bite!" and then she says:"If they do, hug 'em real tight!"

Anyway it's had me thinking about all our little sayings we used to do.  You know when we went to bed before you did ;) (most of the time ;)).  Well, the one that has been stuck in my brain is: "Angels on your pillows!"

I loved that bedtime routine.  I remember being so sad when tucking in and waking up in the morning changed as we got older.  I knew as long as I was tucked in, or I heard Mom's voice, or Dad was squeezing my toes, I was safe.  I was still at home in bed, and that I would be okay.

One of my more recent memories that is a favorite is the night I came home late from Logan, and nobody knew I was coming, but I grabbed my mattress, and fell asleep on the living room floor.  Next thing I know, Mom is 1,000 kissing me softly and gently like she could do it forever.  I knew I was home, loved, safe, and always welcome.  And I am so grateful for that.  Not everybody has that and I want you to know that I love you too!

The second thing on my random thoughts list is a question for Daddy:  What more can I do to help my feet?  I use the lax ball every night and morning.  I am leaning into the cabinet when I brush my teeth, and I am stretching my I.T. band, but my feet are still plantar fascitis sore in the morning.  So is there anything else I can do to help?  Just keep doing what I am doing?  I did some tapotement earlier this week, and that helped.  Should I be doing that more regularly?  Anything else?  Any other suggestions?  Thanks!

So baptism story!  I think I told you that we filled the font, and it was too hot.  That was funny.  People were making jokes that that wasn't the baptism by fire yet.  :)  They are a really sweet family.  The wife is a member, and kinda less active, but SUPER sweet lady!  Anyway they brought a ton of food afterward, and it was so nice.  Brother F. invited his sister and her grandkids and his niece.  The niece is really interested and we have an appointment with her tomorrow.

Sunday was an amazing day!  When they confirmed him, I suddenly realized that it has been one year exactly since I decided to serve a mission!  I decided to serve the first Sunday in July, 2011.  How crazy is that?!  Again, I felt so loved when I came home and told y'all.  (Sorry, Tay, if I stole your thunder!)  Crazy how time flies!  One year seems like a long time, but I will be home before you even have time to blink!

My other question is: How is Sister C. doing?  She has been on my mind a lot this week.  I hope she is doing well.  Any other development with Grandpa A.?  Are Grandmas still doing o.k.?

You all are always in my prayers!  I love you so much!  Walk Doofy for me!

Love always,

Sister Hill

P.S.  Transfers are the 11th.  I will know IF I am leaving on Monday the 9th.  I won't actually know where I will go (if I go) until the 11th.  Just F.Y.I.  Love ya!

New Transfer -- 9 July 2012

Here we are starting Week One all over again in a new transfer. I know you are all holding your breath, so I will just tell you..... Sister Castleton and I are....NOT leaving North Vernon! We are still companions and we get to stay in North Vernon! I am really excited! I love it here! Can you believe that at the end of this next transfer I will have been here for 6 months? Crazy! Also we were going over goals for baptism dates, and I realized that General Conference is in 12 weeks! Are you ready for it?! If you start now, and read a GC talk a week, you still won't have the whole Ensign done. (If you can't tell, I am excited!)

Well, this week has been really good. Sister Castleton and I are teaching many great people! We are about to lose a couple though, because they are moving to KY. Lame! But I have an official invite to their temple wedding in just over a year!!!!!! Depends on how soon they married, before they can be baptized, then go to the temple a year after that! I have really enjoyed working with them! They are my age, and just as nerdy as me! (They go to Anime Con's at least once a year!) But more than their geek, I love their spirit! They are children who God loves! They are making hard, life-changing decisions. Not only accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ (which they did fairly easily) but to get married, because 2 missionaries told them they needed to to get baptized! (That or separate--which they didn't like at all) These are wonderful people, and I can't wait to see them in the temple!

There is my news for the week. Hope you all are doing well! I love you!

-Sister Hill

Email! -- 2 July 2012

This week was so cool! Our baptism DID happen. (We had a scare the night before, but it all worked out!) Before the baptism started we gave a tour to some of his family who are non-members, and set up a time to go over and teach them more. The Spirit was so strong! He is an amazing man and an elect son of God!

Funny story: We went to the church super early, because it was our weekly planning day. So instead of stopping in the middle of planning to go to the church to fill the font (about a mile from our apartment) we just decided to plan at the church. So we got the water turned on, and we only turned on the hot water, thinking that by the time the font is full there wont be much hot water left. Well, that plan failed! They were walking into the font and they had to turn on the cold water because the water was too hot! How many times has that happened?! Of course it was 107* F outside (another reason we decided to plan at the church -- a lot cooler than our apartment!) so that might have had something to do with it!

Earlier that day we had had an AWESOME lesson with a.... well, she isn't technically less active any more, but her testimony is still a little shaky. Anyway, we had a lesson on setting goals, and why it's important to set ourselves up to achieve those goals. For example: if we want a temple marriage we need to be hanging out with other people who want a temple marriage, ie: ysa, institute, lds chat. :) We can't just say we want a temple marriage and not change anything we are doing. It was so great and it made her think about what she really wants! I love her so much and can't wait to be friends with her forever! (Don't worry, none of you are being replaced! I still love you all just the same!) 

I had a whole list of things to tell you all, but I left the list at home so you are just going to have to wait! I love you all! Have a happy and safe 4th of July! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA RUTH!!!!!!

Love,

-Sister HIll