CONFERENCE WAS INCREDIBLE!

 I am proud to announce that I actually understood conference!! Such a miracle! I also got to watch all of the sessions too! Man I just feel so spiritually reborn right now! I actually only really watched 1 in Portuguese. We watched the first 2 at 5 and 9 on Saturday night and then they replayed the Saturday afternoon on Sunday. Laura came and it was amazing to write more notes about different things I learned. A testimony to all is that you can always learn something new from the same thing. But then Sunday morning session I watched it all in Portuguese and it was in Portugal Portuguese!! It was amazing! Just a few of my favorite quotes, thoughts, ideas, etc.:

`Exaltation is our goal and discipleship is our journey`

`Thou art the potter and I am the clay.`

I thought the first session they talk a lot about grace and over all about the simplicity of the gospel and the teachings. All of it was basically taken from Preach my Gospel.

Exaltation is our goal! -Lots of the talks talked about exaltation

Dating is the Marriage terrain...ha-ha super funny!

`You don’t marry perfection, but potential`

I loved the idea of having our own personal council and really taking the time to find what we lack. I loved that and that the Spirit gives specialized answers.

HIGHLIGHT- Elder Holland’s talk about Moms. MOM I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!! You are doing better than you think you are. 

Also that talk about women by Elder Nelson hit me really hard too. Lots of things about moms and women this conference. 

`Don’t be too critical of the barrier; it’s the only thing that’s keeping you from being devoured. Keep the commandments, especially today, if we do, we won’t be eaten up by the things of the world.

Ha-ha `Boys dig Holes` I died laughing at that one. 

Elder Clark- We need to be good at getting better.

`When you can’t do what you’ve always done, you only do what matters most.`

COM WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT!!

I could go on for days about conference! I took 14 pages of notes! It was incredible! 

Conference just made everything so much better! I got sick earlier this week with hot and cold flashes and then getting a really bad cold in which I started coughing up stuff. It was pretty nasty. I couldn’t keep the right temperature. Well Sister Miller got sick too towards the end of the week. It was so annoying. We actually left the house everyday for our set appointments and everything. Oh how annoying sickness is when there are things to get done! But it was all good. We went and saw that family and taught them, Didi didn’t end up leaving to Porto so he’s probably staying another week!!! Sofia received a blessing and it was so powerful! We had no idea what to do with them. Literally that blessing was an answer to our prayers. In the blessing she was promised that if they did all the things that we taught them (read the scriptures, pray constantly, and go to church) that they would receive their marriage paper and that they would be blessed with many blessings. She changed right then. It was incredible!! So powerful! I can testify that the Lord knows His children and that He knows what to do when we don’t. 

This week was filled with the Lord’s hands. I have a strong testimony that the Lord will work with what we have to give. This week I really didn’t know how we were going to do what we needed to do. Missionary work gets so much harder when you’re sick. But the Lord helped us teach and testify to these people. The Lord knows us so perfectly.

This week we read Alma 5 with Laura and the spirit was so strong! We were all crying. I love that scripture so much. She’s learning so fast. I can’t even believe how much she’s changed. You can see her countenance is different like Alma 5. She went to conference for 2 different sessions and she really liked them! Man I just love her so much!!! She stayed with the missionaries after conference till her bus came and it was hilarious! I can’t wait for the day that she is a member and can feel the spirit and the peace that comes from the gospel. I don’t think I’ve seen so much desire in a person to know if this is true. We dropped off cookies at her house while she was at school! I would do anything for that girl. 

I love the mission so much. I can’t believe it’s already October. We have zone conference tomorrow and interviews with President tomorrow. It should be super fun! I’m excited for what President is going to say. It’ll be super good! I love you all so much!! Thanks for your letters and support. It really helps. Love you!

Sister Hillam