Remembering The Savior This Time of Year is Wonderful!!

Wonderful Christmas conference, it was so wonderful to see everybody from the mission...crazy to think that it was the last time I'll see some of these amazing missionaries that I've had the privilege to work with these past months of my life.

We spent Christmas Eve at the home of an ex-Sister that served a part of her mission here in Tocantins because of a knee problem, then she went back to her mission in São Paulo and finished there!! She is wonderful, it was great to see her and spent Christmas there.

And of course seeing my beautiful family was the best Christmas present I could have asked for.

A hard week for proseliting work, since it seems like a ghost town when everybody goes out of town and leaves the city. But we had an absolute MIRACLE yesterday morning...

We had confirmed with about 10 people to be in sacrament meeting, and the members of the ward with cars are few, so we had our best hopes that at least a few of them would be there.

And on our way INTO the chapel, we saw a pink house on the other side of the street and remembered that a member had spoken with a woman who lives here. We hadn't had the chance to speak with her during the week. But I looked to Sister Gimenez and said "Sister, do you believe in miracles?"

We walked up to this lady's house, she warmly greeted us and happily let us in a grabbed a stool for us to sit...she said after sharing a bit of her story, "Your friend invited me to church, I already took a shower to go and I'm just going to change my clothes and then go to church!"

And we waited about 5 minutes for her to put on a dress, and she came out all fancy with her dress and high heels and we walked to church together with Silvia, our week's miracle.

Almeida and Kelly are a couple that we're teaching, we found them while looking for the Bishop's house (opening the area is sooooo fun when you don't even know where the bishop lives lolol) and they went to church for the first time yesterday, they LOVED it!!! They only stayed for sunday school & rs/elders quorum, but they felt the spirit so strongly especially since the lesson was about TEMPLES and Almeida (who works with neighborhood security) got suuuuper curious, we're going to their house on Tuesday and i'm super excited to talk with them about temples. They are truly special, I can't help but seeing them in white. :)

I'm so grateful for how the Atonement of Jesus Christ is changing me every day of my mission, I truly know that as we humble ourselves and come unto Christ and have faith in Him and in His eternal sacrifice, we will have the marvelous opportunity to live with our Father in Heaven someday with our families!

Amo meu Salvador, eu amo este evangelho e sei que as coisas que estou ensinando todos os dias aqui na missão são verdadeiras!! Sei que Jesus Cristo vive e dirigi a Sua Igreja aqui na Terra por meio do Presidente Thomas S. Monson!!

Sei que o Livro de Mórmon é a palavra de Deus e que podemos achar muitas respostas às perguntas de vida nele.

Thank you for all the support and prayers and love I receive from home.

Amo todos vocês 

Muito amor,

Sister Hill

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FELIZ NATAL  Merry Christmas everybodyyyyy, I've truly been feeling the doce, doce Christmas spirit these days. I LOVE CHRISTMAS I have never felt so emotional about Christmas in my life!

This week was good, as you know the mission field is all about SUNDAYS. You can work your tail off the entire week and then Sunday comes and really shows what your investigators want and if they're interested in following the gospel and want to be baptized, etc.

We went to Gurupi on Wednesday (my last area, it was super awesome to go back and see some good friends:) and lost a day of proselyting, so we finished up the week contacting and visiting our investigators with dates to be baptized...

Guilherme is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his dad here in Taquaralto as his parents are divorced, the last 2 times we went there he barely said 1 word the entire lesson. Every question we asked him he would wait for about 10 seconds and just shake or nod his head. Super hard for us as teachers to help him.

We prayed that Heavenly Father would help us to know how to help him prepare for his baptism that is coming up, and when we were going to his house we found his dad in the street and we went to Guilherme's and sat outside his house with him and started talking with him. And completely unexpectedly, he started talking...and he is SUPER smart, Heavenly Father totally blessed us with the knowledge that we needed to know what we had to do to help him.

He started asking about Laban and Laman and Lemuel as he read 1 Nephi 3, he's such a smart boy!! He'll be baptizedJanuary 2nd, we're super excited for him 

Saturday night was the ward Christmas party...we presented a musical number, I played guitar  and we sang Angels we have heard on high, in portuguese and english and spanish since in our house it's me, 1 braziian, my comp from Argentina and a sister from Peru :) i love this.

Right before the dinner, the YM leader came out with this HUGE wrapped present and brought it to the front of the cultural hall and then said it was for US sisters we were so shocked we didn't know how to react...and that night when we took it home and opened it it was full of FOOD the best present we have ever received.  such a blessing. #iloveTaquaralto

oh yeah and back to Sunday. an interesting experience... right after sacrament meeting a man came to the front of the door, saying that he came from Goiás, he has absolutely nothing and is living in the street and came to ask for food. The YM pres came and took him and put him in Gospel Principles with us, he sat in between Sis. Gimenez and our ward mission leader learning about Exaltation. I was observing how he was reacting, and he seemed to be adjusting to the situation that he came to the Church to ask for food and was being fed something much better.

He then went to Elders quorum...and after everybody came out of the classes I watched him to see how he was reacting (his name is Moses), everybody was shaking his hand and helping him out the door like he had made 10 new best friends. And he waited patiently and I believe that somebody took him to their home to feed him lunch.

He said that he loved it and will come back next week, and when we left he had a huge smile on his face and seemed content.

The Church is so perfect to me. It's so obvious to me that it's the organization that most helps on the humanitarian side of things. It's the TRUTH. And Christ helped people.

We are His hands.

I am so grateful for this Christmas season. I am so grateful that we have the opportunity to SERVE this season. I have a testimony of the fact that what the Lord wants from us this time of the year is our HEARTS. He doesn't want presents, He doesn't want decorations or pretty things. He wants the only thing that money can't buy. Our soul. Us giving everything we have to Him.

I know I testify of this a lot. But I'm grateful for how my mission is molding me to be who God needs me to be for the rest of my life.

I love my Savior and I am honored to be representing Him at this time of my life. 

I hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas season

Walking By Nothing But Faith

Finally I have some time to give the deets about my life now that I can breathe without having to rush through my thinking o.O I'm not too good with rushing through things like that.

Taquaralto is amaaaaaazing. It's part of Palmas, and I'm happy to be so much closer to the stake headquarters since I love seeing my friends from the first ward I served in in Palmas 1.  I am positive that I will LOVE this area, seriously. It was truly prepared for the work of the Lord!! The members here are awesome, the chapel is smack-dab in the middle of the city...the craziest thing is being close getting on a bus and contacting and telling people 'you see that big white point? that's our church!' the chapel here is beeeeeautiful, i have to take a picture this week sorry I haven't done that yet.

I love my companion Sister Gimenez!! My 2nd companion from Argentina :) but Sister Gimenez is from Rosario, a huge city close to Buenos Aires. I LOVE working with her because...she reminds me exactly of Diana Tartaglia  I have never met another missionary so much like my sweet friend Diana. So of course we're on fire working here, and she finishes her mission here in 5 weeks but we're working our tails off, I love the mission!!!!

The new calling is great, I'm excited because this week we're going to Gurupi where I was this past change, so I'll get to finally say the goodbyes I didn't get to say before. That will be super nice since I was transferred out of Gurupi so quickly o.O I truly feel like Nephi sometimes, really... "not knowing beforehand what I [will] do"... because we're here opening the area with just the Area Book, we don't know anybody and hardly know the area but it's fantastic because it gives us the amazing opportunity to just be guided by the Spirit!! I truly know that it is the Lord who guides and leads this work, there is no other way that we could be seeing all of the miracles that we see here every day in the mission. We are finding lots of wonderful people... 'elects', eleitos... that are accepting the Book of Mormon as the word of God and really want to change their lives and repent. It's all about the change. Lots of people say that they have faith. But faith is change, faith is doing something.

Like always I'm the sacrament meeting pianist [again]  i'm happy to use my gifts to strengthen the Lord's kingdom here. And yesterday the Bishop said that one of the sacrament meeting speakers didn't show up so he asked me to give a talk about anything, and I just followed the Spirit and spoke about prayer. I am grateful for the Spirit and how He guides me here. The mission is incredible because you really are in an environment and a mindset to be so close to the Savior and to Heavenly Father through the Spirit. I feel Him leading me and guiding me, telling me what to say and do... feelings that you really only feel in the temple!! Such an incredible thing to be here and experiencing all this, I thank Father in Heaven every day for trusting me enough with this sacred calling.

Christmas is coming!!!!!  I have never been so excited for Christmas in my life! It is such a wonderful experience to be here in the best time of year...to remember when Heavenly Father sent His own Son here to earth to have His own earthly experiences. I am so grateful for my Savior that He came! Ele sentiu as mesmas coisas que sentimos aqui na Terra. Sou tão grata por isso. E por Ele ser meu Salvador e Redentor.

Amo este evangelho e sei que é o único caminho para voltar viver com Deus novamente depois desta vida!!

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ.

I truly love my Savior and have never felt so close to Him in my entire life than I feel right now. 

Thank you for your love and support, I appreciate everything you do for me. 

]

Muito amor!!

Sister [Braz]Hill 

Craziest Unexpected Transfer

OI PESSOAL sorry this is super super short, I have exactly 5 minutes to be out of this internet café and get on a bus to be on my next crazy 24-hour mission adventure..

so i was transferred SURPRISE the assistants forgot to tell me. -_- so I got here in Palmas with a bag packed for 5 days when really I needed to have said goodbye to everybody in Gurupi and packed my suitcases to go to my next area, Taquaralto, which is in Palmas.

And I've been called as Sister Training Leader, which means I'll take care of all the sisters here in our mission in Tocantins! I feel a little unqualified but I know that the Lord makes everything possible because He takes care of me when I turn to Him for help.

This past week was super crazy, lots of miracles happened and I wish that I had more time to write about them but I don't, I promise I will write more next week!! I love you all, thank you for your prayers and support. Please pray that I can receive inspiration from God to know exactly how to handle my new calling here in the mission.

Staying strong in the last lap of the mission #3monthsleft

Amo todo mundo, até mais um pouco 

Sister Hill 

Just Follow the Spirit and Everything Works Out

This week was good, an especially spiritual week as I really recognize when the Spirit truly works in our lives because when it is Him doing the work, everything works out and the Lord puts in the right places at the right time and in the right moments.

This weekend was special as we went to Palmas for stake conference and they called a new stake president who I am sure is going to be wonderful and make some awesome changes here in the stake!! Elder Costa (Brazil area president & seventy) spoke to the stake, wonderful talk... about how President Morais was truly called by God to lead this stake. Wonderful message.

It was amazing to see some members that I haven't seen in such a long time...almost a YEAR since I've seen these people!! When I left Palmas I thought I would never see these people again, I remember that day I cried so hard. But the Lord truly knows my heart and brought me back here  I'm so grateful.

Irmã Isabel, who is practically my Tocantins mom...I called her on Saturday night to tell her we'd be going up to Palmas for stake conference and to ask if we could eat almoço at her house afterwards, she said of course...and she made me this heart-shaped chocolate cake. #bestcakeever I love this woman and her family dearly.

Other picture... #braziliansloveCoca-Cola #FelizNatal #christmasiscomingicantbelievethis

This week is a big one for us cause we're doing a BRANCH ACTIVITY on Friday, we're going to do a scripture scavenger hunt in the chapel and we're hoping that it gets the branch excited!!

I thank Heavenly Father every day of my mission for accepting me here in His field. I know that it is a privilege, because there are so many people better than I am who could be doing this work!! But He chose me! Imperfect me. :) It's funny how here in the mission field you live a completely elevated and higher standard of the Gospel, and your faults and weaknesses sometimes seem so much more eminent than ever. So much more transparent.

I am grateful for my Savior who is molding me. In português we have a verb that is 'lapidar', in English you'll see the noun and adjective 'lapidary' that is somebody who cuts stones

https://translate.google.com/#en/pt/lapidary

But this word in português means a lot to me abecause in Cristalina I came to know this word really well. Because everybody there is a stonecutter, everybody there talks about going to 'lapidar' their precious stones, to cut them.

They take HUGE chunks of crystals, and cut the tiniest piece out of it. And the piece that comes out is crystal clear, so beautiful.

I remember bearing my last testimony the last day I was in Cristalina. and I was able to stand at the pulpit in that tiny white house and say 'Jesus Cristo tem me lapidado aqui.' Jesus Christ has cut me. He molds me.

He is truly changing me to the person that my Heavenly Father wants and needs me to become.

Thank you for your prayers and support, I know I write little but I truly thank Heavenly Father every day for the opportunity I have to be here in the mission field to have MY life changed by Jesus Christ's Atonement.

Amo todos vocês demais!!

Muito amor,

Sister Hill

Brazilian Bus Stations

I don't have much time, we're in Palmas as we just got out of a zone activity... but here it's a nice balmy 98 degrees Fahrenheit, awesome yeah? ;)

This week has been craaazzy we lost 2 whole days of work because we've been bouncing back and forth from Gurupí to Palmas... it's only a 5-hour bus trip!! #sarcasm #farthestareabybus #adventureseveryday I love my crazy brazilian adventures!!

This week we did lots of contacting and proseliting in the street... we meet some really great people, I have been devouring Preach My Gospel and really learning about how the BOOK OF MORMON is the center. We have to teach people about the Book of Mormon, it is that important that we read it and know it by heart so we can share it with others.

We had a sad lesson with Thaynara... we were trying to helkp her with the repentance process as she had law of chastity problems and tripped up a little bit last weekend, and we went back there and she said that she hadn't repented completely yet, she didn't regret what she did, and that she wouldn't be going to church because they don't have meetings at night. But that she would be going to church at night.

When we told her there are only morning meetings... she said she would be going to a different church at night.

We started a discussion about the Book of Mormon, she said she has a firm testimony that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God!! She truly believes that!! And how she believes that the Church is the only true church on the face of this Earth.

But how she wouldn't go to church Sunday morning because it's too early for her and doesn't fit in her schedule.

We've made lots of awesome new plans to work with the members and have lots of family home evenings!! I truly know that the best way to share the gospel is through the members of the church!! They have already accepted it, they have testimonies!! And we as missionaries need to help them help their neighbors and family and friends learn about the restored gospel.

I am so grateful for my Savior. I am so grateful that He was willing to die for me and feel every pain I would ever feel in this life. We are never alone. We never walk our paths by ourselves. He is always with us.

He walked our path way, way before we did.

When we seek relief, when we are looking for something who can relate to our situation and give us the comfort we so desperately need...

who better than HIM to share in our sorrows. He who is 'acquainted with grief'.

I love my Savior. I love this restored gospel. I love the Book of Mormon and know that is the word of God!! I am so grateful for a living prophet and 12 apostles, the same organization that Jesus Christ Himself organized when He was here!!

I love you and hope we can all remember what we're truly grateful for this Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful for this gospel.

Muito amor,

Sister Hill 

p.s. no way to send pictures today, next week 

Pioneer Children (And Sister Missionaries) sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked....

This week was good but looooooots of walking, seriously Gurupí is HUGE and sometimes we're not able to mark all of our appointments in the same neighborhoods, so we spent lots of time walking this entire city to rush to appointments o.O but it's great!! It finally started raining this week, and you'll see from the pictures that Tocantins, Brasil is already getting ready for Christmas (cause nobody here cares about Thanksgiving, right...). We took some pictures with Santa and the best book ever  #thebookisblue

This week we have been finding lots of people in the streets where we contact the person, talk to them for a bit and then out of nowhere the person's like "yeah i'm baptized in the Church"  so many people baptized but horrible church attendance. we're working on reactivation along with strengthening the members, super super important here... we found a girl this week, Ludmila, 17 years old...she baptized about 5 years ago but then fell away from the church, she wants to come back!! She practically lives at her boyfriend's house, so we went there and talked with her boyfriend's mom who is suuuper awesome, we're going to go back in a couple days to check up on them and see if they read and prayed.

District meetings are super exciting here... we're so far away from civilization that our meetings are by cell phone. :) Us 4 sister missionaries in our 'living room' all sitting around the table with the cell phone pluged into a portable speaker so we can hear better...it was hilarious this week, as one of us was saying the prayer, and the cell phone has hung up without us knowing, and our DL called back the ringtone player super super loud in the middle of the prayer but we didn't know what to do so we just finished the prayer awkwardly lol. #Gurupíproblems #gottaloveTocantins

This week we're going to Palmas for a district and zone meeting...it will be nice to see our leaders and other people in our zone since we're in the middle of nowhere 

I'm grateful that it FINALLY rained on Friday, that cooled everything downnnnn. I'm happy to have said goodbye to 100 degree heat. #dontcomeback

They are decorating for Christmas already (see the picture) 

All is well here in Zion. Eating lots and lots of mangos  since they grow on the trees here. And investigators always pick a bunch of mangos for us, put them in a plastic bag and give them to us to take home  i love Tocantinenses. 

#missionperks The Catholic Church clock that rings every hour and half hour across the street from our house...

#theChurchistrue #theBookisblue #andJesusistheChrist

muito amor

Sister Hill