Week #2

Dearest Familia,

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY WADE!!!! Sorry it's a day late. I hope you had a great day to celebrate your birth! Love you lots, and I thought about your special day the whole day. 

So after we got off the phone on Christmas, that night they brought it singers from a playhouse in Utah. At the playhouse, they usually perform A Christmas Carol, but that night they just sang the songs from it. It reminded me of you Dad. Please say that you watch that movie this year along with a Christmas Story?! After that, a lady told the story of Christ through the perspective of Mary. She did super great. The final was the song Divine Redeemer sung by a worker at the MTC. Not going to lie, Christmas night was a let down from that morning but not much can beat an Apostle. We could watch a film that night and we watched Ephraim's rescue, and Sister Jarnigan and I are cry babies. It was just so awesome to be in a room with missionaries watching the Priesthood bless lives. 

The day after Christmas was super sad. I loved Christmas!!! Our teacher Irmao Crestani went on a date (friday) with this girl to go sledding (she barely got off her mission) and he landed right on his face!  We all thought he broke it, anyway, turns our Anna (Irma De Campos) is now going to be a teacher for us! She called Sister Jarnigan and I out for our lessons though. She asked how we thought our Portuguese was and of course it's terrible. She then went on to say that when she was reviewing our lesson, she felt the Spirit the most in our lesson. I started to cry because I try so hard to know and understand what I'm suppose to say and do in lessons. Even though my Portuguese is bad, the Spirit can still work through me. I can say it's been a week of up's and down's.

OKAY! I have a new favorite song!!!! It's called "The Sisters of Zion" (As sisters in zion but for missionaries) written by Janice Kapp Perry. We sing it every Sunday for relief society It goes like this:

"The sisters of zion are called to God's labor.

We willingly serve Him with Spirit and might.

We go to the nations with trust everlasting.

We teach of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ."

"We thanks thee, oh God, for a prophet to guide us.

we trust in His words and our purpose is clear.

The angels of heaven are walking beside us,

We'll share our glad message with all who will hear"

"We go forth enlisted with Helaman's army,

In numbers much greater than ever before,

With power and spirit we'll faithfully witness,

The heavens have spoken and trust in restored."

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I'M A TOTAL FAN GIRL!!!!!! GUESS WHO CAME FOR  DEVOTIONAL SUNDAY NIGHT?!?! DAVID ARCHULETA AND RICHARD ELLIOTT!!! I got to usher for the night and David totally said Hi, waved, and looked at me!! Yay, I'm pretty cool. It's whatever. haha Oh and his favorite scripture and my favorite scripture are the same...just in case you guys were wondering. Ether 12:27 Favorite! Music just brings a spirit that you can't describe. 

They played/ sang:

Richard:

We Thank Thee Oh Good for a Prophet- a tribute to President Hinckley

How Great Thou Art

Go Tell it on the Mountains

Good King Wenceslas (Elder Adams can't spell) and a Nut Cracker medley

David:

French Christmas Song

Glorious (from Meet the Mormons)

If the Savior Stood Beside Me

Be Still My Soul

They both sang/played: Come, Come Ye Saints

 Hark All Ye Nations- the last verse we sang as missionaries, so great! 

I love music!!!

Irmao Crestani was explaining to us that on his mission he'd leave a blessing with his investigators and we wanted to do the same with us. We went around the room and said what we felt like we'd say to the Savior if we had the chance to be blessed by Him like from 3 Nephi when He visited the Nephites. I would ask Him to bless me with the language so that I could speak the words of my heart. I started crying and was super emotional. Irmao Crestani knelt down and prayed for each of us. It was a really powerful prayer and left all of our district in tears.

The work is going on. There are good days and there are bad days. I love you all so much. Your experiences of doing this before me gives me strength to know that I can do this. Time flies by so fast. It needs to slow down! It seems like yesterday that it was P-day. It's been such a great time with everyone, and we've grown so close. I leave in like 4 weeks.... yikes.

I feel Grandpa Hillam everyday right beside me. He truly is lifting me up when I want to break down.  I feel like I've grown close to him, even though I can't see him. We have a great legacy and I'm so blessed to have this opportunity to represent the family.

You're favorite daughter,

Sister Hillam

Tudo Bem, Tudo Bem.