Hermana Hilton 2015-2016: Week 60: Crunch Time!!!

Good morning!!! So this week has been so busy. We are going 120 miles per hour to get this Book of Mormon activity to work. This Friday the 15th we are having a HUGE branch activity. I believe I have talked about it before, but if I haven't here is a little bit about it. It is called A Journey to the Promised Land. It will be a play. like actors and costumes and memorized lines and lights and even a fog machine! so like super legit. The members of the branch are going to be Book of Mormon characters like Lehi, Nephi, Samuel the Lamanite, King Noah, Abinadi, King Benjamin, Moroni, and I might be forgetting some people. We are going to get to know their stories and "live" a little bit in the life that they lived. I am super excited! as exciting as it is, it has also been super stressful because we are the ones (us and the elders) that have to make it happen. We are coordinating practices, finding and making decorations, recording music, cooking food, passing the word, and much much much more. It will all be worth it when this activity is a huge success though! So pretty much that has been the focus of everything this week. Luckily the Lord has been very merciful and has placed little miracles here and there that have helped me get through the week. Here are a few of them.

So last Monday the 4th we were sitting in the Walmart parking lot after shopping, waiting for the Elders to get finished. This lady pushing a cart walks by and looks at us. She keeps walking and then all of a sudden stopped. She back tracked a little and looked at us again. Hermana Medeiros and I are a little weirded out by this point, but the lady proceeds to walk up to our car. I rolled down the window and she quickly said, "I want you to come to my house!" then us, "uhhh ok." She said after that, "I have been thinking a lot about religion and I just get so frustrated! There are so many denominations but only one Jesus! I just want to know which one is the right one." A little shocked and super excited I said, "Well I think we can help you! :)" She gave us her information and we sent it to the missionaries who cover where she lives. They went and taught her on Saturday and said she is doing really well. That was such a mind-blowing miracle.

Wednesday we had the opportunity to serve Yessica. It was a crazy crazy adventure! She wanted us to help her clean out her house and her backyard so that she could have a yard sale. Oh man. Going through other people's stuff is not my thing. (especially if I can't throw things away!) We moved a lot of stuff to the front of their house and got it all set up for a yard sale. The whole time Yessica's little girl Mila was helping us out. She is soooo stinking cute! After service on Wednesday we went around the northern part of South OKC and invited all of our less actives to the activity. and a miracle happened!!!! EVERYONE ANSWERED!!! I have knocked these doors a million times before and no one had answered. But this time literally every single door we knocked opened. It was amazing to finally get to meet the people and get to know them a little bit.

Friday we had a BIG rehersal with all the cast members for our activity. Elder Schwartz's family sent all his costumes to him, so we also had a lot of fun trying on all the costumes. I was blown away by how much he has and how much his family sent him.

Trying on costumes with all the kidlets!

Saturday we were able to go teach a lesson to the De La Cruz family. Rafael and Rosa and their mom was there. The mom told us that she is going back to the Dominican Republic on Friday (so like last Friday) So she wanted us to come over and have one last lesson with her and with her kids. We talked about the Doctrine of Christ. It was so cool to see her bear her testimony to her kids about how this gospel has changed her life. She wants so bad for her children to have the peace and knowledge that she has found. I think that all of our parents want that for us. I know I am so grateful for parents that taught me. It was a bittersweet goodbye.

This is the De La Cruz family!! Rafael, Mama, and Rosa! They are awesome!

Another fun thing we did on Saturday. In the morning we helped with the Elemetary School track meet! So much fun! we helped all the little 5th and 6th graders in the long jump. way fun.

Sunday evening we went over to the Ordonez's home. We went over there to coordinate some things for the activity. We ended up talking with them for a little bit and I have never laughed so hard. I love this family soooo much! Hermano Ordonez asked us "wait... what happens if you are on your bikes and a tornado comes?" (he was so worried) and I said, "well we better pedal realllllllly fast!" he laughed and laughed and laughed. We joked around about that for a while. Then when he asked Hermana Medeiros to say the prayer before we left he asked where she was from. She said Ukatan (a state in Mexico) and he goes "oh... for real! how much time do you have here?" hahaha we laughed and laughed and laughed again. He totally believed her and the whole time his wife was laughing because she knows that we aren't from Mexico. Hermana Ordonez laughed so hard that she was crying. To be able to laugh with them that night really was a miracle. It was a well needed relief. I love the Ordonez family so much.

Well I think that just about sums up everything that I want to tell you guys. I have studied a ton about prayer this week. We had a district meeting on it. I have been studying it and then after that church was all about prayer. I know that it is the way that we can communicate with our father in heaven. He wants to pour blessings out on us. We just have to ask him in prayer. I am really working on having more sincere prayers and I know it has already begun to help. I know that our Heavenly Father listens to our prayers because we are literally children of Him.. He loves us so much. I hope and pray that you all had a wonderful week and we will see you next week!!!

Les quiero!
Hermana Hilton