Dear Family!!

I have another nephew!!! Congratulations Sarah and Corey!! He is beautiful!! 

I should also add a congrats to Jordan, and Mom who graduated, happy birthday to both!! and my condolences that school has started...

This week was freezing (people tell me there is always last storm before spring) I remember laughing at Aunt Marlenes story of wearing every artical of clothing she had when she went to bed. I almost had her beat 4 nights this week. Consequently, there was no one outside at all during the day. And we are talking about the city of Godoy Cruz!! It was rough but it was nice to differentiate between our investigators who truly know the church is true and those who are polite. 

Saturday was cold and we were only let into 2 houses from 10:58am to 9:18pm and one of those houses was our own for lunch.... The other was a Noche de Hogar (FHE) where out of the 12 families we invited 3 came. And when I woke up on Sunday feeling that it was even colder then Saturday my heart dropped thinking of the numbers at church. But quickly repented and prayed in faith. The family we went to pick up couldn´t come and when we arrived at church numbers were few but the M..... family greeted us as we walked into the chapel!!! (the M...... family is a family we have been working with for the past month, the children had been baptized at ages 8 and 12 but the parents had never been baptized. F.... has now done everything he can to work on his divorce so he can now get married to M......) But they have been coming faithfully for the last four weeks. This Sunday their oldest son passed the sacrament for the first time and I was brought to tears as I watched him worthily pass the sacrament to his family. During the sacrament people just kept coming in. A less active family from the Noche de Hogar from yesterday. Hna. L..... came with her two children. All in all there were 4 part member families who came and many less active families who we hadn´t seen in a long time. It was beautiful.

Principios del evangelio was full which I think was rather hilarious because it was the Elders turn to teach but they had to go do baptismal interviews or something, so they turned it over to us. Hna. Adorno told the class I was teaching so I stood up opened the book but as I read the title of chapter 31 I wasn´t entirely sure what ¨Honradez¨ actually meant. I started off the class asking what honradez meant to Hna. Adorno and went from there... But the class went so well! Living proof that God can really work through the ´´the weak things of the Earth´´. 

We have been working a full with the ward missionary plan and trying so hard to work with part member families. I keep on feeling like I need to start preparing these families to enter the temple. I just keep feeling like they are going to announce a temple here in Mendoza. I know they are building one in Cordoba and it doesn´t really make sense..... but I feel like that is what they need to progress further in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We had interviews with president this week. He so amazing!! So full of the spirit!

I am so excited for this upcoming week. we have really been trying to work with members and have awesome lessons set up in members home with their friends!! 

Les quiero muchísimo! Tengan un día re linda y trabajo a FULL!!!

Chau!

Hna. Hill

This cracks me up!! They have handicap spots on their merry-go-rounds. Oh and I cut my hair (don´t worry, I don´t plan on selling my teeth) and everyone tells me I look like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.... I don´t see it.... and for the record I was moving really fast....

What is our aim? Victory!

Dearest Family,

I just love you all so much. Hannah was right in her email to the family, we are just so blessed. Today and yesterday were days of reflection. Who would have thought that the past several years would have led to this? I didn´t think it was possible to love so much. My family, but also the people here. Let me explain. 

This week we had exchanges and I stayed in my area and Hna. H.... my companion for the day has one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from her and more fully feel God´s love for his children. We carried a viejitas groceries and began to listen and she explained her situation, valued her faith, but also felt her sorrow. As we reached her humble home she thanked us and I asked her if I could ask her a question. She answered the question as tears began to fall. I was able to testify that she was a daughter of God, and while holding her frail hand I told her I was her sister and she would never be alone in this life. As I testified about the plan of salvation and our purpose on earth I learned several things from the words I was speaking. I just wish I could tell all the world about the restored truths upon this earth. For this is the only thing that truly comforts the afflicted, lifts the hands that hang low, and truly heals through the peace of truth. 

I have tried to adequately study the power of covenants. Particularly the power of and meaning of the Abrahamic Covenant. Exaltation vrs. salvation. The new and everlasting covenant which binds our families in this world and the next. The more I understand the more my desire to share this truth grows. The more I love all those around me and all of you! 

I am doing amazing here, and learning so much! Love you all!

Hermana Hill

That is the last time we take directions from a squirrel! (we lost our area map...)

Dear fam!

Questions: Is the catholic church starting to baptize by immersion? Will you send me conversiones to the metric system...

 To join the rest, I too found ice cream on Mom`s birthday. It cost me 30 pesos and finally after daily planning I got it out and accidentally dropped it breaking the container and spilling its contents onto the floor, but don´t worry we salvaged it. It only meant we had to eat it all in one sitting, but the sisters in my pension didn't mind one bit!

So this week has been crazy. The zonda came through which is this really warm wind that likes to knock down the giant trees that line all the roads. School was canceled and everything closed. We were not allowed to leave our pension unless we had planned appointments, lucky for us that was one of the few days where we had a crazy amount of lessons planned. I think I would have gone crazy having to stay inside all day. And everyone let us in too. It was great! Guess being cooped up in a house all day humbles people. 

Our ward mission leader is Hno. L..... He is a 73 year old man that was baptized 2.5 years ago. He loves coming with us to lessons and has the biggest heart! He still crys every time he talks about his wife. He always says the only reason he is still alive is so that he can do the work of the Lord until he has enough money to go to Buenos Aires and do the saving ordinances for him and his wife. He reminds me a lot of Elder Richard G. Scott. Just so sincere and genuine. 

I had an eye opening experience this week, so spiritual! Our 5th lesson to fall through on Saturday was our investigator who had her date to be baptized next Saturday, she dropped us telling us she new the Book of Mormon was true but her Father being an Evangelical pastor, it would be too hard to get baptized and she asked us never to come back. As I walked away discouraged I began to pick apàrt my day or my missionary style to see if there was something contrary to the teachings of Christ. I began to pray as we walked asking God if I was doing something wrong. And if not, why I am I not seeing the success that comes from giving my all! I was reprimanded by the spirit as the thought came strongly "This work isn´t about you." All of a sudden I saw a glimpse of the bigger picture. I did not come on my mission for "success", I came on my mission to invite and help other people to Christ, and sometimes I forget that we have a loving Heavenly Father, and elder brother, Jesus Christ, who love these people more than I do. And They want these people of Argentina to return Their presence more then even I do. My role as a missionary is to open my mouth, bear what I know to be the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and then wait upon the Lord. If I am honoring my covenants, keeping the commandments I will never have a reason to be disappointed. For this work isn´t about me, it is so much bigger, so much better and yet I have been called of God to be a part of it! Man, I am so lucky!

Love ya! 

Hna. Amanda Ray Hill

O and my address is (hint hint!)

Sister Amanda Ray Hill

Mision Mendoza Argentina

Cabildo Abierto 161

Godoy Cruz 5501

Argentina 

I found the cutest puppy! Man having all these scary dogs everywhere still has not healed my desire to have a dog... 

This is the sunrise I get to see outside my window during personal study

Godoy Cruz

Dearest family! 

Well I am finally in Argentina and i love it! The other day I just had to stop and take it all in.... I love it! I am the only american in my pension, so hopefully i will learn castellano faster. I felt so bad. On our trip down hear I spoke the best spanish and ended up translating for everything but to be completely honest when we landed in Argentina I could not understand anything. Not only do they  shhhh the double L but they shhh any Y, and leave out any S´s. If that makes any sense... But I made by all right. And mendoza is so so much better. I can pretty much understand everything, except for my companion.... Just kidding kind of. She just came back from San Juan where they also shhhh all r´s. She is from buenos aires. She is great. She walks crazy fast! I love it!

Man, I don´t know where to start. so much has happened this week. First off, Dad, what wards/branches did you serve in. Everyone is asking me! I am serving in the city. Godoy Cruz to be exact. We share the area with some office Elders but with the amount of people coming in and out of the mission they are mainly stuck in the office so we get the area to ourselves. They just had a white night (lots of people get baptized) the week before I arrived so we are finding. I recognize that I am blessed to know as much spanish as I do but I just want to communicate freely. I got pretty frusterated Saturday but fasted Sunday and had a RRee awesome Sunday. 

A little over 90 percent of the ward is inactive and I am so excited to start working with less actives. This area has so much potential. I am so blessed and I am so excited because I am almost for sure going to stay here next transfer because my companion is headed home. I just hope I get a native companion so I will be forced to only speak the language. Actually it feels so weird to be writting in English, I guess that is a sign of improvement. 

I feel like this letter is all over the place but I will close with a couple of stories. 1. first off, though I was warned by a friend everyone starts to laugh when I introduce myself. Hill which is pronounced gil here means :stupid, dim witted, or idiot. The ward was laughing out a storm. Elder and Sister Aines asked if I wanted to add my mothers maiden name so it was less embarrassing but I have found that it breaks the ice real fast and my companion keeps telling me that she has never had so much success.

2. We walk a lot and I try to say Hello to everyone unless we are close to the plaza then it is hopeless. I cannot help but laugh at peoples reactions. Everyone is so surprised! I have actually had people stop and say they are so sorry that they don´t remember there name. Perfect! 

The A... showing off their dresses for the baptizm. Still Sad I won´t be there! So excited Hna A...Is finally getting baptized.

First day in the field

me and my companion 70 years from now...

Arrived Safely to Mendoza!

Dear Hill Family,       

We are happy to inform you that your Missionary has arrived here in Mendoza alive and well!

Following a short orientation and a dinner with President and Sister Avila, the new missionaries were then brought to the mission home to eat dinner, recuperate from the flight and have a brief testimony meeting.

Today they will meet their trainers, receive trainings from the assistants to the president, and have their first individual interview (in Spanish!) with President Avila. After this they will be off to their first assignment area. I am putting with this email a few pictures we took the first day in Argentina and you can even follow the blog of the mission at http://argentinamendozamission.blogspot.com.ar/

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family for all that you do in order to support your missionary.

                                                                                   

Sincerely,                                                                           

Elder Spiker

Secretario

Misión Argentina Mendoza