Dearest Hillford Fam,

Have a Blast this New Years Eve! 

Feliz Navidad!

A random Haiku for you to celebrate the holidays. It was great to talk to ya´ll Christmas. It really helped me remember how important the family is, and I am so blessed to be sharing that with everyone who will listen here in Argentina. And Mom I am so sorry and know that I am praying for you. 

This week was awesome. Lots of our members didn´t end up showing up for lessons so we were stuck with loads of other lessons but you can´t complain when you are able to teach. We hit a new record for me in the mission. We had 24 less active, recent converts, and investigators come to church this week. Hna. Sorensen and I sat on different benches and by the end of church both benches were full. It was awesome, it felt good so good! I am so blessed. Y. and I have gotten along great she has read just under 60 pages in the BOM this past week and she came to every ward activity. She is brilliant as in extremely intelligent and it has been a pleasure to teach her. We are just fighting that she can be clean from cigarettes for long enough before her baptism date. Pray for Yanina. 

This week was a huge testimony for me about acting in faith. E. baptism was a huge example of that this week. Really, if you do all that you can the Lord provides the miracle. Everyone told us this is one of the worst weeks to work but we gave our all this week and for the record I feel like everyone was way nicer to us on Christmas. 
 
And to answer you question Mom, New Years is bigger then Christmas. I am super excited. I travel up to Mendoza this week so if the strike ends by then I can pick up cards and packages on Friday. I will keep you posted but don´t you worry they will come when they come. 

I love you lots and Mom, again, I am praying for you! And the rest of the family as well....

Con amor,
Hermana Amanda Ray Hill

Dejando el Sapo!!!

Dear Family, Friends, and .... (well nothing else comes to mind that starts with an F)

Sorry for not writing last week. We dicided to not write for the full time and I only had time to write President Avila, but aparently you talked to Hna. Sorensens Dad and he explained everything? Wow the world is small. But Dad, I have a feeling her Dad would be a life long friend. She loves him almost as much as I love you which means he must be pretty amazing!

My companion is amazing! We are very similar. She is super competitive (but this morning she said I was twice as competative...), and loves sports, loves to work, and we get along so well. She has loads of faith! We will see miracles. They opened the area last transfer, and she was just in a rough situation. It makes such a difference when both are actively contributing to the cause. I don´t think I can say enough good things about her. And she loves to run!! Finally!! We get up a little extra early and run hard! Her Dad served in Cordaba too, Dad. And it sounds like you are already talking on the phone.

I have so much to tell. First off, I was so blessed, I went straight to San Rafael from consejo. That means I was jammed packed full of the desire to baptize. When ever you start in a new area I find it takes about a week to find out from the spirit and experience how to work in an area, but President took me aside after the meeting and told me exactly what he wanted me to do. Then I sat in the bus for a good 4 hours deciding how I was going to be and determined to have success. 

It is a good thing I had previously decided how I was going to work because our first day was rough. Never during my mission have I worked all day and never entered a house. But We visited so many people and no one would let us in. We opened our mouth 27 times and bore powerful testimony and NOTHING. I had heard the area was rough and we only have 4 active members in our area. The Elders have the rest and we have the most Cheta or rich area in San Rafael. The area is shaped wierd and we ended up giving 9 referals of people who were actually interested to other Elders, and 7 other referals to other wards. But zone leaders called us this morning and said that they are teaching 4 of them.  We got home at 9:15 exhausted but not disheartened. We discussed how we were going to change and recognized that we were not going to get anything done without being guided footstep by footstep by the Lord. The following day humbly we knelt and covenented with the Lord that we would give our all and specifically asked to enter in 5 houses. The first lesson was a miracle, with two new investigators, this continued until we returned that night after having taught 7 lessons.

The next day was sunday and we again covenented and plead for two investigators to come to church. R. and N. showed up right as the sacrament was starting and we able to partake of the sacrament. Random insight. I was thinking the other day about how lucky we are that we have such short incriments of time between the sacrament. We are so lucky we have the oportunity that EVERY week we are able dejar todo en los manos del Señor. Realmente es un conveño cada semana. Estamos tan bendecidos. We are so blessed.

This week was great we had the T. family at church this sunday and we had a powerful lesson with them. We now finaly uncovered their fear of baptism and hopefully that can be resolved by the end of the year.

This week I really felt prompted to visit a house. But as I began to talk to E. she interupted me telling me she was evangelist and didn´t want to talk to us. I was kind of taken aback because the prompting was clear. My eye caught the glimpse of a sign that explained she taught music. So I took a gander and asked if she had a piano. She also looked taken aback but answered in the infirmative. I explained that I had been in Argentina for awhile and had not had the oportunity to play a real piano but just keyboards and she invited me in. I played my rendition of ´´If you could Hie to Kolab´´ (obviously not as well as Maddy, I listen to you playing that song all the time. Thanks for sending it to me Mom) but the spirit came and we shared a really powerful lesson with her.

I have been so blessed in this area. I love it here. The ward is so strong. The bishop came with us to lessons this week. Also we had ward counsel. We have found so many people. Now we have no time to do anything but teach! Every missionaries dream. I love it!! I love you as well!! Let me know when I should skype you guys on Christmas so I don´t interupt your talk with Ry guy. And I am skyping at the Ibañez family. Tell them to get baptized when you see them! They want to hold off until feb. but three of them have fecha for the 28th. They are so ready!

Love you all! Maddy you know that picture sent me in my birthday package? We have used it so much. We are teaching this awesome Christmas message about the atonment and the presents we are willing to give to the Lord this Christmas. And I always bring this picture and I always cry because I love you so dang much! I love the rest of the clan too! I cannot believe everyone is growing up!

The gospel is true!
Life is wonderful!

Les quiero un montenaso!! Un besote!!! Oh and Mom, Alicia (foto attached) also wanted me to send a kiss your way!

Hna. Hill

Solamente Los Facheros Usan Predicar Mi Evangelio

Dear Gang,

Emily, you are in my prayers!! I am praying for a healthy baby, AGirlDuh.... Just kidding but seriously, I am praying for you daily and must have caught on because my companion prays for you too.

HOLD ON!!! What is this I hear about another trip to Peru? I distinctly remember my inspirational speach to you, Dad, about doing the things you have always wanted to do, but I was supposed to be involved with all these plans and adventures. I will start training for Machu Pichu as well. 

Yes, transfers..... I am going to San Rafael. You would think I would be used to leaving places and companions but it breaks my heart everytime. And this is the first time I have had a companion for more than 1 transfer and it is killing me that I will have to say goodbye to her, and this is the first time I have stayed for more than 2 months in an area. I have been here for 4.5 months. I have visited every house on the ward list (a feat). You think that by now it wouldnt be hard to pack up and leave but you just open up your heart so big and give everything your are. You feel the perfect love of God for these people and then at the call of our Zone Leader we pack up everything we have to go to a new place, a new companion, and a new oportunity to love all over again. It is a good thing this church is true or it would be really difficult to comply with what is required but D&C 64:32-34 (my favorite scripture right now) not only gives me to desire to obediently follow and do so with ganas or enthusiasm. Don´t get me wrong I am psyched to go to San Rafael they haven´t had baptisms in a while but I am getting Sister Sorenson and have heard nothing but that she works crazy hard. 

This week I had a couple rough days. I wouldn´t stop throwing up but I knew it was my last week in this area and had so many people I wanted to visit. But after throwing up at an investigators house I decided I really shouldn´t be doing what I was trying to force myself to do. I got a priesthood blessing and Jordan to answer your question about feeling my Mom´s presence during my mission. It was very evident that I was in a trio this week. We found some amazing people this week and 4 times this week people came to me to ask questions when I felt like I had no strength to do anything. Do what we can and the Lord does the rest. I feel bad because I must have passed what I had because Hna. Rodriguez was throwing up all night. 

We didn´t have turkey for Thanksgiving but I cooked a Chicken and we had mashed potatoes and salad and a smoothie (yeah I know that doesn´t happen in the U.S. but I figured the Latinos in my pencion didn´t know the difference....) Even though we only had an hour to cook and eat I passed with flying colors, all three gave me (lista para casarse)! 

Remember who you are and thank you for your prayers.

The gospel is true and life is wonderful!!

Love you all!

Hna. Hill

FYI,

My folks are going to Peru with medical associates in April. They have invited me to come along....so, this is what Amanda is referring to in her letter.  I am in the process of training to hike Machu Pichu!

Love to all.

Mom/Tammy