Hermana Hilton 2015-2016: Week 45: Feliz Navidad!!!!!

Merry merry Christmas to all! it has been quite the crazy week! I can't believe everything that happened this week! I want to start off and say MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! AHH! I had the most amazing Christmas ever!

Here is the week :)

Monday - Wednesday:
At emails on Monday Hna James said she was feeling really sick so we headed home. The rest of the evening she was throwing up in the bathroom. :( She didn't come out of there for a full 24 hours. I felt so bad for her, but there wasn't much that I could do. The elders came over and gave her a blessing which I think really helped. Tuesday She wasn't throwing up, but she was still feeling pretty sick. Tuesday night I started to feel really sick too..... oh no... she infected me! I was sick Tuesday night and all of Wednesday. We were home for the majority of the time. I had a lot of time to study the scriptures, sleep, and talk with my companion. So that was the start to our Christmas week. I think that being home sick made Christmas Eve and Christmas that much better!!!!

Thursday: aka Christmas Eve!!
What a wonderful day! We had a meeting as missionaries (district meeting) in the morning and we were all so filled with the spirit of Christmas and all so excited that it was one of the best District Meetings I have been in for a while. Elder Moe, my district leader, read for us out of the Bible Dictionary what it said under Christ. Wow. The spirit instantly filled the room as we all sat there and thought about what our Christ has done for us. It says "He is the greatest Being to be born on this earth... He is Lord of lords, King of kings, the Creator, the Saviour, the God of the whole earth, the Captain of our salvation, the Bright and Morning star. He is in all things, above all things, through all things and round about all things; He is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; His name is above every name and is the only mane under heaven by which we can be saved." I know that I have a Saviour and I am so grateful for him.

But as for Christmas Eve activities, we went to a members home and had a party! They invited us over (all 12 missionaries!) we had a Christmas song game, and then we ate dinner. (A whole bunch of crazy finger food). And when caroling at the neighbors home. It was really fun to get to share the spirit of Christmas with others on Christmas Eve. We came home that night and had a sleep over with all the sister missionaries here in Stillwater. There were six of us sleeping in our house. We read a story that is a family tradition in Hna James' family, made gingerbread houses for Hna Snowden's tradition opened Christmas eve presents, and then tried to sleep! we were all so excited, so there was a lot of chit chat haha.

Friday: aka CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Oh man! best day ever! We all woke up super early and went to the institute building to open presents! All 12 of us missionaries together super excited on a Christmas morning in pajamas was quite a sight! We all opened presents and then headed home to get ready for the day. After I was all ready we got to Skype home!!! Best thing ever!!! I can't explain how amazing it was to talk to my family. They are everything to me and to see them all happy and well was the best Christmas present I could have ever asked for. I think we as humans don't realize how much we love people until we are taken away from them or them from us. Then when we are able to see them again, you realized the extent and deepness of the love you really do have for them. I love you family!!!!!! After Skyping we went to Sister Buckners house. We hung out and ate lots of food! We also watched "Once I was a Beehive" (of course approved by President Walkenhorst) and it was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen! and so accurate to what girls camp is like. After the Buckners that evening we went back to the Institute building and played games. I beat everyone in ping-pong! woohoo! Undefeated! it was really fun! Then back home to crash! I have to say it was one of the best Christmases that I have ever had. Thank you so much to everyone who made that possible for me!!!! I love you all!

Saturday:
We drove out to Cushing! IT was way fun. The weather is starting to get really cold and it is raining/icing everywhere! So we were out in Cushing in the freezing cold doing the Lords work! It felt so good to be back outside working hard after a week of being sick. We saw so many miracles out in Cushing. One of them being Kenny. We knocked on Kenny's door and we asked if we could share a quick Christmas message. He said Sure! And we went in. Turns out he works for a member and knows quite a lot about the church! He LOVED the Book of Mormon and is really excited to read it and have missionaries come back and teach him more. Sadly he is not Hispanic, so other missionaries will be teaching him, but I sure am grateful I was able to meet him!

Sunday:
We woke up, got ready to go to church... and then..... They canceled church!!! I don't think that has ever happened to me before! At least that I can remember. The weather conditions were bad enough that they canceled church and asked us instead to keep the spirit of the Sabbath and listen to Conference talks, so that is what we did! We were home all day because the weather was so bad. So a lot of study time and time to get things in the house cleaned up.

And here I am now talking to yall. While we were in Cushing we found a church sign that said, "If you're not hungry for God. You might be too full of yourself" It is soooo true!! I hope that we can all realized how much we are all blessed and this week make goals for the coming year on how we can be "hungry for God". I know I am going to be doing this. It is so important. I know that out here in Oklahoma as I have forgotten myself and searched for the things of God, I have been so much happier. It is a promise from our Heavenly Father that we will be happier when we do the things He asks. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God doesn't lie. Lets all search for happiness :)

I love you all so much!!!!
Hermana Hilton

Christmas Eve at the Pestridge's home!