FREEDOM!!!

Dearest Family!

No wonder there are over 60,000 missionaries!! This work is amazing! I don't even know where to begin.

Yesterday at church it was branch conference (yes, apparently they exist). The Stake President served his mission in Bolivia an eternity ago, so he gave his message in Spanish. In Sunday School I sat in the back with my companion and our row of investigators and one of the Stake Leaders had a translator as he was teaching. The spirit was strong and the teacher asked a question. He then motioned to the back of the class and asked for participation from the back. My investigators looked fairly frightened and looked at me and Herma Jarvis. I rose my hand hoping to save them from having to comment in front of the whole branch (I know I should have more faith). He said he would let me talk after another spoke. He pointed directly at a Father of a family who is coming to church and he hesitantly pointed to himself questioning why someone would ask him to comment. He slowly got up, but bore the sweetest testimony of the church. He started with "I don't know how to read, and I am not very smart but I feel this church in my heart and it makes my mind come alive." He mentioned the
light we brought him as we tracted into him. I was so touched and held back tears of the sincerity and truthfulness of his simple and powerful testimony. The Stake Member was taken aback by his comment and then asked his wife to stand up and share. It was beautiful. At every homecoming I always hear that missionaries time on a mission was the most worthwhile and best time of their life. This was one of those
experiences that I will never forget. Actually I had a lot of them this week. Oh accepted to be married in 2 weeks!! YAY!!!

Another experience we had that blew my mind was with a brand new investigator. She is a mother of 4 and lives with her mother. She was a referal from a member of the ward. Normally people don't follow through with commitments. Clearly I need to emphisize the importance of commitments, but the 2nd time we came into her small home she gently held the Book of Mormon we had given her and as soon as we sat down she asked if she could tell us all about what she had read! It was so fun! In the same lesson she asked what she needed to do to be baptized. A dream come true. But yesterday she didn't come to church.

Perhaps I am niave to the whole mission, but it broke my heart. I played the piano in church and just prayed she would walk through the doors. Lots of the people we are teaching I didn't find which is fine but the few investigators where I felt I was guided by the spirit to teach are very special to my heart. This investigator and her family is just one example. I am excited to teach her tomorrow though.

My companion is great. She is very willing to do what ever I want to. She is a little surprised at how willing I am to knock doors and do work. This is her 3rd month in the mission. She is great. Our biggest struggle is the language. I can speak the language better which is not the best because I feel like I can't speak spanish. But at how much I am talking I should be fluent in no time. And the people are so patient with me.

I love the people here. And according to how many kisses I recieved at church I would say the people love me back. HA! I think I met every active member of the ward before church on Sunday. There are only 3 2nd generation members of the church in our branch. Everyone else are converts to the church. Because of that there is loads of inactivity. But that will change! So because my companion is new to the mission and in fact was finished being trained the same day she recieved me to train (poor girl), there are lots of things we are learning together.

Like the fact that neither of us had planned a baptism until Saturday. And the service was nice and basically the whole branch was there. Granted in started 40 minutes late but that is pretty standard for the culture I guess. At 3:15 we realized we had forgotten towels and ran back to our house, but other that and the fact that the person she wanted to baptize her didn't show up until 3:38, it ran smoothly.

There was a BBQ afterward and I would be happy with Carne Asada for the rest of my life! It was pretty funny though. I asked if I could help and they politely said they were fine. I then said, "I know I am a Gringa but I do know how to cook tortillas" They laughed and spent the rest of the afternoon cooking tortilla's and talking with everyone standing in line for meat. Best place for referrals ever!! It was so much fun!  At one point I turned to my companion and said "This is Heaven!!" She responded, "No, this is Mexico." Same thing!

I feel like I always right a novel but enjoy. Oh, no word on my VISA they told me to expect to be here for the next 3 months. I am fine with that! I love it here. Missionary work is the best.

P.S. for friends serving missions, thank you for working hard and being obedient.

P.S. Mom remember when you asked if I needed anything and I said no.... Well I lied.. Would you or the whole family send some pictures? particularly of the newest neice!
 I also am teaching this little girl piano lessons and am hoping if I can play a duet with her at church her whole family will come. Can you send a duet kinda like "Love at Home" but slightly more simple.
Also, I need some good recepies. Particularly cookie recepies. I love you all!!

 Oh... I forgot to give you my address.

 Hermana Amanda Ray Hill
 1250 Main St.
 Broomfield CO, 80020