It´s Been Interesting

Because my companion was sick ALL WEEK. So. It´s actually been pretty uneventful. The only lesson we did get out to teach was to Maria, Jessica, and Andrea.

(side note. Last week in the pictures I said it was Maria´s and Jessica´s baptism day. Jessica got baptized in December. That was Maria and ANDREA. Oops.)

And it was beautiful! They´re making an effort to pray together as a family MULTIPLE times a day, and that´s just beautiful. They´re working hard to prepare for the temple, and their faith and testimonies are visibly growing. We love visiting with them, because they´re helping US grow as well. They´re sweethearts. 

Hna Corsetti is slowly, but surely getting better. She´s a sweetheart, too. She has only been frustrated that she can´t work, not that she´s sick or anything. She should actually learn to complain a little bit more. I have to bug her for like 10 minutes before she tells me how she´s feeling. She´s a good little companion. 

Maybe I´ll have more to say next week. Seriously, nothing happened. 

But I´m still happy :) It´s funny how that works, but I´m happier than I´ve ever been before. I love this gospel, so much. And I love my Savior. He´s the reason we have joy.

Hope you have a good one!

Hna Hill

Jessica´s baptism in December. Never sent the pictures.

Our ENTIRE mission for that conference last week. I´m on the far right, in the front. Second Hna back. By Hna Corsetti and Hna Páez, if that helps anything. Have fun playing "Where´s Waldo?"

A Week To Remember

So many things to write. So little time.

Let´s play  the game how many cliche quotes can Hna Hill fit into one email?

Scratch that. English hurts my cerebro. 

Bullet  points.

- Maria and Andrea got baptized! When we were thinking maybe they wouldn´t be able to get baptized this month they surprised us with "Hnas.  We´re getting baptized this Saturday."Saturday turned into  Tuesday, because we had a couple of things to finish teaching, but they are absolutely incredible. I love them to death.  They´re kind of miracles. Their testimonies are  growing every day and I´m so happy to be here and see that.

-Also on Tuesday we had a zone conference with Presidente y Hna Harbertson. I love them. I felt the Spirit so so strongly. I also had to give a talk. I´m still not so good at that speaking in public thing. But I didn´t pull a Princess Diaries throwing up move.

- My comp got sick. I´ve studied the Ensign and the scriptures  a lot this week. Also took a nap or two ( shhhh...)

- At 3 in the morning on Saturday we travelled to  Cusco for my first ever Mission Conference. And it was with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

Saw a bunch of mission friends and comps ( a couple of them for the last time before they finish their missions.) 

Saw Hna Vicky, Hno Betho, and Danessda.

And then I entered that reunión and left it a different person. I couldn´t even begin to describe how strong the Spirit was. How much I felt the Savior´s love, How I could truly see that  Elder Holland loves and represents Christ. How happy I am . How my mission is changing my life. How much President Harbertson truly loves his  missionaries. How we´re progressing as a mission. How much I truly want to stay here forever.

But maybe to give you an idea  - we sang Called to Serve as the closing hymn. Now picture little ol Hna Hill sitting in the front row, about  15 feet from where Presidente and Hna Harbertson, and Elder Holland were sitting on the stand in the chapel. Crying, but smiling through the tears. I could barely even sing because I was crying (hard) and smiling more than I think I´ve ever smiled before in my whole life. Which only grew bigger when I saw President Harbertson watching us, singing, and crying. And then when Elder Holland caught my eye and smiled when he saw me smiling/crying/singing. (Kelly here ... and then picture Mum sitting in her car, reading this part of Keni's account, and crying right along with her).

I´m kind of a cry-baby. But they were happy tears.

The gospel truly is the "good news" or "glad tidings". It´s a joyful, joyful thing.  My mission is changing my life.    And I wouldn´t trade that for anything. I love my Savior, and that I´m coming to know Him better than ever before. I love this gospel. I love that we had the gran oportunidad to have such a beautiful week. 

Hope you have a good one.

Con amor,

Hna Hill

Maria and Andrea´s baptism day!

Andrea, Jessica, and Maria picking a TON of ciruelas to send home with us. Another reason to love them :)

Hna Russell! First time I´ve seen her since we started the mission!

Hna Wight! Neither of us are normal and I love it.

Hna Azevedo!

Hna Páez!

Hna Salas!

My sweet (and somewhat sick) companion. She´s the best.

The six Hermanas from our group!

The Hermanas from our CCM district! (Also. My entire g roup took a  picture WITHOUT ME. I love them. Kind of.)

Reasons I already love this coming week.

Two of our investigators are getting baptized tomorrow morning. It´s one of those tiny, but huge and life changing, miracles. More explanations next week. But I love them a lot.

Zone conference with President Harbertson and Hna Harbertson tomorrow, almost all day long. Interviews too, I think. (I also have to give a talk. Not like overly thrilled about that part, but it´ll be okay.)

MISSION CONFERENCE WITH ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND. (That means ALL of the missionaries are travelling to Cusco this week.)

I also have plans to drink a lot of cremoladas (like a fruit and icecream type smoothie.) preach the gospel, and avoid getting bit by insects.

It´s going to be a great week.

Reasons I love the week that ya, paso.

We had a double sick day. Usually Hna Corsetti and I take turns.

Our investigators gave us a nice surprise "Hnas. We´re getting baptized this week. We know the church is true." I LOVE THEM. More later, I don´t have time. I just really want to keep writing about how incredible they are. Maria and her daughter Andrea. (In other news them, and our other convert Jessica are planning to go to the temple in March. Seriously. Maria and Andrea haven´t even been baptized yet - tomorrow!- and they´re planning on going to the temple with Jessica and taking their family members´ names.)

It was Jessica´s birthday, and she really wanted us to be there. It was basically a little noche de hogar and everyone is a member, or close to being one. Her, and her dad (the only one who isn´t going to get baptized soon. We´re working on it.) kept thanking us for being important to her.

We went to Echarati again. I love Echarati. 

We´ve had a ton of help from the branch, from the members, and the other missionaries preparing for Maria and Andrea´s baptism.

And I´ve seen the Lord´s hand in every single part of the work here. It´s His work, and He guides it. And He prepares the people to hear the gospel. I love this gospel, I love my Savior, and I love being one of His missionaries.

Basically, this is a really great transfer. Hna Corsetti and I are really happy and enjoying it!

Love you all!

Hna Hill

Hey!

For the first time in just about forever...

I got more than two emails! And that means I took all of my time reading and responding. So enjoy a couple of pictures and know that I am doing great :)

I´m seeing how the Lord is helping me change and become the woman he wants me to be. Wow me falta un monton, pero estoy TAN feliz y TAN  agradecida por cada segundo que tengo para mejorar y sentir gozo :) [Kelly here: translation - "Wow I need a lot, but I'm so happy and so thankful for every second I have to improve and feel joy."] I love the mission, I love this gospel, I love the Lord, and I never never ever want to forget how I feel right now. Me encanta estar aqui! [Kelly here: translation - "I love to be here!"]

Wow. Spanish. That just slipped out. Spanish is so much easier for me now. My comp has told me about a million times these past few days that I talk a little bit like a Colombian. Which is odd because of my 6 latina companions, only one is from Colombia. And it´s even funnier, because Hna Corsetti is losing her  Argentina accent because she´s here with me. A latina is picking up a gringa´s accent.  I love it. I also love that no one ever has any idea if they´re talking with a latina or me on the phone. Cool stuff :) 

Love you all :) Have a great week!

Hna Hill

p.s. Can we all appreciate that I had no idea Valentine´s Day was coming up, and that my PARENTS sent me Doctor Who,  Book of Mormon, and Harry Potter themed   Valentine´s Day Cards? Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and the Book of Mormon. That right there is true love, folks.

my comp always sleeps like a mummy...

dogs here are super weird. This guy just chills out sitting like this.

Moto taxies. This has been my life since I went to Sicuani. For almost a year now, no? Moto taxies. Gotta love them. A member has one and let us take  pictures :) love it!

One of the cutest little old ladies I´ve ever met - Luzmila. She reminds me a little of Grandma Myrn :) 

The reason everyone always asks if the pictures of grandpa Norton are more pi ctures of my dad in my family history booklet. They´re the exact same person. We also realized this week that I don´t look almost anything like my mom. Apparently if I had a beard, I´d be the same person as Dad and Grandpa, too.

Well, let´s see here. What happened this week?

Lots.

First, changes! Hna Corsetti and I are still companions (yay! Hey, maybe she´ll kill me.... mission kill me, that is.) and we´re also the ONLY hermanas in Quillabamba. That part is weird. I left Sicuani and a district of all hermanas - and elder steel and elder morales - to a zone of 10 missionaries and now 8 of those ten are elders. It´s fun though. 

On Lunes the elders bought our district a cake to send off the other hermanas.

We found the CUTEST little sandwich shop (sandwich shops just don´t exist here in Peru) and it was delicious and adorable, and we´re planning on going there always and converting the sweet lady who owns it. She´s from Spain and is just a doll. She also cooks really really well.

We went to Echarati again this week, and I´m even more in love with it now than before. We had a lot of help from Hna Flavia (she´s in one of these pics with me.) and it was just a great day. EVERYONE there, except for like 3 members are less actives. It´s 40 minutes away, and either nosotras or los elderes in our branch visit once a week. We visited Rosa, and her mom Victoria. They´re so amazing. Rosa and her... pareja?... Samuel are getting married in two weeks and Hna Corsetti and I just love visiting that family and Echarati. We felt the Spirit so so strongly when we were teaching Rosa and Victoria. Samuel was working, so we have to catch him the next time.

Those, my friends, are chocolate trees. I love Echarati.

CHOCOLATE TREES.

Rosa, and Victoria. They´re just about the cutest people ever.

The oldest, tiniest, slightly crippled, and sweetest dog I´ve ever met. I just want to take her home with me.

I don´t know what else to say. We continue to see tiny miracles, that in reality are huge and life changing. I don´t believe I´ll ever be the same, and I´m actually okay with that. I´m so much happier and content than I´ve ever been before. This is a beautiful and important work that we´re doing. And ´m so grateful for the chance I have to be one of the Lord´s missionaries.  I love the Lord, and I love His work. No hay nada tan hermosa como la obra del Señor. (Translation from Babelfish: There is nothing as beautiful as the work of the Lord).

I love you all :) Keep on keeping on!

Hna Hill

In a wasted effort to take pictures of my swollen ankles (thanks a lot, bug bites and allergies) I realized that I have grown up feet. I´m a grown up now? Wait a sec, when did that happen? Also, you can´t even tell that my feet have bug bites and are swollen. I love my camera only half of the time.

I love Quillabamba :)

My comp - being cousin it or a werewolf. I think werewolf, she thinks cousin it.

Hna Azevedo wanted me to send you these pictures :) haha. She LOVED the Christmas gifts you sent her.

(Kelly here. Hna Azevedo wants to marry Keni's brother Jake. She doesn't even care that he likes a blonde girl. She wants to Skype with him and find him on Facebook as soon as she gets off her mission in five weeks. She's adorable!)

From Hna Azevedo:

FINISH LADY BUG! #LIKEAHOUR BUT HEY FINISH THATS THE POINTI LOVE U!!! AND IMARRIED WITH JAKE !!! I DONT CARE THE GIRL OF WHIT HAIR AND YEAH I HAVE A POOR ENGLISH!! AND U CAN SAY U BRO THAT I LOOK IN FACEBOOK FOR MAKE SKIPE WHEN U COME TO HOME!! PLEASE 

SI NO VA PARECER QUE OSY UNA PSICOPATA QUE QUIERE SEGUIRLE (Kelly here: Translation from Babelfish is "If seems that osy a psycopath is not going to want to follow him") #WHEREVERUGO #IMGONNAFOLLLOWU LIKE THE WEIRD SONG BY EFY! 

LOVE U DONT FORGET IT!!

YOUR CAT!