Can we get a Sister Hillam!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVA!!!!!! Love that little girl so much!!! :)

Well as you all know I am privileged to announce that we had transfers this week and there was a Sister at the training meeting named Sister Hillam so President had the great idea to put us together! Just kidding, as you all know Sister Marlie Hillam is my companion!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS IT´S THE BEST!!!!!! (Just imagine this message in caps because that’s how excited I feel right now!!!!!!!!) I often ask myself why I am so blessed to have her in the mission with me!!! It’s great explaining who we are to people! Sister Hillam already explained our contacts but it goes a little bit like this:

`Hello, we’re missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! My name is Sister Hillam`

The other looks at Sister Hillam, slightly confused and then says, `you have the same names. `

`Yeah we’re cousins! `

It’s the best and then we can talk about who we are as missionaries and people get really interested! So fun!!! A lot of members were really excited to meet us :)

We often sit and talk about the family as we are constantly reminded how a like we are... for example: we ate ice cream today and then we came to realize that we had chosen ice cream with chocolate and nuts!! Then we started laughing and saying how we are so Hillams. We often have these moments. I feel like I’m serving with myself. It’s the best!!!

Anyway, we got the transfer call on Tuesday and Sister Costa was really sad but also super excited! She’s in Braga right now! She took her skittles with her :) ha-ha we got those last week and it was a good way to say goodbye and celebrate a little :) So she left on Tuesday night and I stayed with the Sisters for the night. Then I got up and took a bus to Porto with the Elders who were also to be training at 6. I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t stop smiling!! I was like a little kid on Christmas!! We got to Porto and we trainers were called to be in the meeting at 9:00 and they didn’t end up showing up until almost 11. You can imagine how I felt! I couldn’t sit down! I was so anxious! I have been talking and waiting for this transfer for 4 months! And then Sister Hillam walked in and I ran to her! It was a great moment!! Turns out we had everything secret until Sister Hillam got in the car with President and he spilt the beans!! And the Sister Amorim got a little upset and told her to pretend to be surprised! But she had no idea until she got here! So then we got to talking and everyone knew what was going on! Oh how great it was!

Then we left the meeting and got going to our area. It was a super strange week. The first day together (Qunita-feira) was a super great day! We got invited to eat lunch with Elder Judd (who recently ended his mission), his parents, and all the missionaries here in Viseu. It was really good and strange to see that I will soon not be a missionary...very strange. But then we got to working and we basically contacted all day because many of our investigators were out of town. We got to a time where nothing was really going our way so we said a prayer, asked for help and guidance, and after that, we ended up teaching 3 lessons, and finding 4 new people to teach! The power of prayer!

On sexta we did weekly planning which can I say, Sister Hillam came pre-trained! Literally she is so amazing! Speaks really well and is a super hard worker. tem que ser! ela é um Hillam!! During weekly planning we had to go see our new house, which we are so excited to move into!!! We met some spiritists. They were also talking about spiritismo with us that was so weird! We have plans to teach the first lesson with them.

We have TONS of potential; people just need to be home! Luckily this week everyone should be home so we can actually start teaching our families and progressing investigators. I love the work. You don’t understand how great this transfer is and how great it will be. I love Sister Hillam!!! I’m really excited to see her progress here in the mission and I’m so grateful for training her. I’m so blessed. My mission has been a HUGE blessing and the Lord has given me things that I don’t even deserve. Last transfer was amazing and now this one. I feel like the Lord has just put the cherry on top of my mission. I love Him so much and it’s a privilege to be His missionary. I can’t believe it most of the time. It went by so fast but never was I alone and now He’s just showing me how close He really is. I love you all so much!!!

Sister Madison Hillam (since these is now a Sister Marlie Hillam)