Enduring to the Very, Very, Very, Very End!!!

Folks!! My dearest friends and family...

The last email as a missionary of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This past week has been... hard! My body is exhausted, nobody wanted to hear us, but we kept going kept going kept going... when I was tired my sweet companions (we're in trio) helped me, when they were tired I lifted them...

I can testify that I know the Savior has been at my side the past week. Because when I pleaded for heavenly help I felt physical and spiritual strength that can come from nowhere but from on high.

Our 2 elects... Karine (18 years old) and Eduardo (9 years old) were baptized on Saturday and on Sunday confirmed members of Jesus Christ's perfect church. I know angels rejoiced. Because their testimonies of the Book of Mormon give me so much HOPE.

Yesterday was bittersweet, my last Sunday in a Brazilian ward as a missionary, as a representative of my Savior... I played the piano as always.  But I played with all my heart. I dedicated it to the Lord. And I felt heavenly power as the congregation sang the intermediary hymn standing up. I love the Spirit. 

Today: pack the suitcases

Tomorrow: last district meeting, get on the bus to Brasília

Wednesday: arrive in Brasília!!

Thursday: Lunch and interviews with President Lundgren

Friday: get on a plane to São Paulo , and then another plane  to Atlanta, Georgia 

Saturday: get on a plane to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Sei que esta é a igreja de meu Salvador, não tenho dúvida disso. Alguém que não consegue entender isso não conhece Ele como eu conheço. Eu conheço Ele não por visto mas pelo amor que eu sinto que Ele tem por mim. Sei que Ele me ama, sei que meu Pai Celestial me ama e me amou suficiente para me mandar para Brasil para que eu pudesse me tornar mas como meu Salvador.

Nunca poderia agradecer suficiente pelo que Ele fez por mim... pela Expiação infinita Dele. O amo tanto. E o amarei para sempre. 

Amo esta obra. Sei que é de Deus. Sei que é perfeita. Sei que o Livro de Mórmon é a pedra angular de nossa religião. Sei que os céus não estão fechados, que Deus fala com um profeta vivo face a face hoje em dia, que é Presidente Thomas S. Monson.

Amo meu Salavdor. Amo meu Pai Celestial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr5Kzy4FF1g&list=RDzSKu4ca8PaI&index=4

Tchau, meu querido Brasil 

Sister Hill 

Last Week's Letter (just arrived)

Oiii pessoal,

This past week was loooong but good, we finished the exchanges in Gurupi...it was super nice to spend some special time with people there that I really care about. And asking for end-of-mission advice. 

Karynny is doing wonderfully...for 18 years old she really is mature, she has a new light in her eyes that she didn't have before, she said how sad she is that we'll be leaving after we just met each other...but I know that she will help the ward missionary work, she is awesome. We're excited for her baptism on Saturday.

Adão didn't go to church on Sunday and we couldn't find him at home yesterday, we don't know what happened... :/ but if everything works out, he'll be baptized on Sunday after sacrament meeting.

I know that this next week will be crucial for my spiritual growth as I finish my mission... next Monday (last p-day) the suitcases will be packed and I'll be on a bus to Brasília, next week will be spent there. I'm anxious... but determined to work until the very very END. I can't waste a single minute.

This week I've been pondering a talk by Sister Linda S. Reeves that was given in the October 2015 General Conference, it really hit home with me...such a war cry to everything that is good, everything that is of God. Read it if you have a chance. 

This is it, folks...next email is my last! I hope everybody has a wonderful week, thank you for your prayers and support. Amo todos vocês. 

17 Day Countdown!!!!!!!!!

Oiiiii gente,

This week was loonnggggg and we worked our tails off but we made it to the end... and yes I'm late in writing because this weekend was CARNAVAL and holy cow it's hard to find an internet cafe open during Carnaval...

but yeah so I'm good and alive and working and working and workinggg harder than ever before. As President Eyring says in the video Missionary Work and the Atonement, "my body begs for rest." But I'm going 

This week we ate lunch at a recent convert's house Agda, and her sister (Karynny) was there... and after lunch right before everybody was leaving I felt impressed to talk to her about the church and baptism, and we made a goal for the 13th of February... I'm so, SO grateful for the Spirit and how He literally guides me and directs me here in the mission field. On Sunday her sister had already gone out of town, and when I was playing the piano on the stand I was looking to see if she came and I didn't see her... and then after a little while I saw her on the pew with Agda's kids... she took them to church by herself. She's only 18, and she's super quiet but when you get her talking about the things of the gospel she opens up. I'm super proud of her, I don't know if she'll be baptized this Saturday like we planned because we're on exchanges here in Gurupi right now (4 hours away from our area) but next Saturday for sure!!!

Adão is a man we found last week, he was a street contact that was sitting in front of his house, and we didn't feel anything too strongly about him but we did about his neighbor... when we went to visit his neighbor Solande she turned out to not want anything to do with changing or coming unto Christ, and we thought 'let's go one more time to see if Adão's home' and he was home! We taught him about the Restoration and gave him the Book of Mormon, and he committed to come to church on Sunday.

But as this is Tocantins I always doubt if anybody will really go, right...

And Sunday morning he was there!! Said he had read the Book of Mormon and prayed to know if it's true, he's still waiting his response... but we went back this week and everything is set for him to be baptized on the 20th!!

If everything works out right, on the 20th we'll get to see Karynny, Adão and Rogério (our Sunday miracle) will be baptized!

Rogério, our miracle, a young guy who went to church in Palmas 3 in the center of Palmas and met with the Elders, and when they said that there's the church here in Taquaralto he got super excited!! We had tried to visit him 2 times (as his house is suuuuper fa away), and he was never home. And he doesn't have any telephone contact info. So we forgot about him.

And Sunday he showed up in church and stayed for the whole 3 hours!! I gave him the Book of Mormon after gospel principles, i'm excited for our next app. Friday morning.

The Lord has truly led us to the elects  No it isn't easy, and it isn't quick... because as Elder Holland says, "Salvation was never easy."

Persistence. And patience.

17 days left, gente.

Yesterday President came to Tocantins, it was so wonderful to talk with him about how much I have changed these past few months and how my mission truly has changed my life.

Too trunky... "See you in Brasília in 2 weeks."

Aslkdjflakjweoiruweproiualsdjfk. #mixedfeelings

But so yeah I'm in Gurupi right now, we'll get back to Taquaralto Friday morning...and then will begin my last week and a half in the mission field. Too crazy!!

Os amo muitooooo, muito mesmo... os vejo daqui a pouco. Vai voar, já sei.

Muito amor,

Sister Hill  (<-- the Tocantins sun)

Thiago's Baptism

Oi para todos,

Thiago this week was super hard because at the beginning of the week we heard that he didn't want to be baptized anymore...and I was doing STL exchanges with Sister Amaral (old comp) here in Taquaralto and we walked the entire city to get to his school to find him, the Lord truly performs miracles and after what I felt was a huge fight with the adversary Thiago was baptized on Saturday  

When I told him that his name in english is 'James' he decided that since he's changed as a person he should change his name too, and now he goes around telling everybody that his name is James. Thiago is too funny. :) It was a beautiful baptismal service, his mom is super happy 

I have truly felt Heavenly Father's blessings poured upon me this week... no it hasn't been an easy week, but I know that your prayers are what keep me going. I know that these last few weeks will be the hardest and I've never felt so tired but I'm still going, still going... and I won't stop until I get off the plane in Salt Lake City International.

I love you all, thank you for supporting me in this time, I feel the power of your prayers and I know now more than ever that Heavenly Father is taking care of me here.

Muito amor e abraços,

Sister Hill