Monday, May 16, 2016

Week 64: Rats, Baptism, and Mother's Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so good to get to talk to my family! They are so funny and I'm glad to see that they all are basically the same :) Just a little bit older. They still like looking at themselves in the camera. And making crazy faces. And clobbering Gizmo. And making mom flustered when they all talk at the same time and she is trying to get her point across all while dad sits contently in the back and smiles to himself :) I love you family.  It was good to get to talk to them and laugh with them.

This week was a good one! Here is the play by play of this week. So much happened so bare with me as I try to put it all into words.

Monday: Played pretty good volleyball for p-day. Then went to Irvin's house with Reymundo. We taught him about the  Law of Chastity and eternal marriage and temples. He loved it. When Irvin answered the door he was grinning and there was a visible countenance change. A good one. He was glowing! You could tell that he was super excited for his baptism we told him, only 5 more days and he said "I know!!"  We had dinner with the Ochoa's after that (one of my favorite families ever! #relationshipgoals) They fed us hot dogs with salsa and beans. They were pretty darn good. Then they showed us their wedding pictures! so fun. Their little girl Melissa is the cutest little thing on the planet. Hermano Ochoa calls us his "homies" So you could say we get along pretty well ;)

Tuesday: So on Tuesday our new branch mission leader called us and asked if we could have branch coorelation. We said of course and off we went to the church. He sat us down and we went through all the families in the branch and talked about how we can strengthen them and help them. I am really excited to see the fruits of it. He gave us each two families to go visit this week and told us that he would ask about it on Sunday. (he is keeping us accountable!) I think it was the most intense but also most effective branch coorelation that I have been in. After the meeting we had a lesson with Irvin. Hermano Yanez came with us and did an amazing job. Irvin was still super excited! only 4 more days!

Wednesday: We had the usual service and Food Bank. Reyna was there and it was really good to get to see her. It made her really happy to see all the missionaries there (every week about 12 missionaries go)  So later in the afternoon Hermana Ordonez took us to a lesson with Alondra. It was the first time we had met with Alondra, so that means Restoration. Alondra loved it and told us that she really wants to know, so she is gong to read the Book of Mormon. We are going back next Friday, so fingers crossed that she read! Then we went to the church for the usual Wednesday activities. We had another lesson with Irvin. We had him try on baptismal suits to figure out what one will work. He was hilarious!!!! We picked one that was too small and when he tried it on he got stuck!! He was laughing the whole time and was like... Hermanas this isn't going to work. so funny! 3 more days! Then for our dinner hour we played volleyball with the branch. Fun as always. Then at 8pm we had a meeting with Presidente Martinez. We talked to him about his vision for the branch. He told us that he wants to help the weak members become strong. He said to help them do that we need to teach them about prayer. He also told us that we need to be praying our brains out for these people. It's so true. In the words of Presidente Martinez, "Kneel down and pray. Stand up and get to work." He also gave us some names of people that we need to visit. So we have our work cut out for us.

Thursday: Cinco de Mayo!!! Fun fact Hispanics don't celebrate cinco de Mayo. but Hermana Medeiros and I still had a really fun day. I think that it was one of the weirdest days of my mission. I know I have said that before, but this one takes the spot! Ready? So we went to the Ochoa's in the morning for language study and she helped us learn all the vocabulary in Alma 2 which for the record is all about battle! So yup. now I know how to talk about a battle.....don't know when I am going to use that...) haha then we biked to the mission office to print out the baptismal programs for Irvin's baptism. And from there the elders (Elder Barry and Elder Moe because they were on exchanges) took us to Reyna's house. She asked for a blessing, so over we went. We showed up and she had prepared hamburgers for all of us! That was a surprise for us. So we ate and the dinner conversation ended up being Elder Barry teaching us all how to make a sloth noise! Reyna thought it was hilarious. After eating we gave her a blessing. In the middle of the blessing Elder Moe's phone started going off......... loud! He couldn't take his hands off of Reyna's head, so he stuck his hip out signaling for one of us to reach in his pocket and turn the phone off. AWKWARD. Hermana Medeiros gave me the funniest look like, "Do I get it?" I gave her the head nod that said yes. And she reached into his pocket and pulled out .....his camera! so then she had to reach in his pocket again and grab the phone. It was super duper funny. and super awkward in the missionary world! We have been laughing about it since. So I didn't think that the day could get any crazier... but man was I wrong........... We went over to Presidente Martinez's house to have him approve the baptismal program and you will never guess what happened.... we went on a wild rat chase!!!!!!!!!!!!! we walk in and Presidente is like, "Hermanas we need your help catching a rat? Will you help?" I was like opportunity to serve, "YES!" But then it hit me....... he wanted us to catch a rat......... but I had already said yes.... uh oh...... So he brought down a cardboard box and told us to hold it up to the vent in the ceiling because that was where it was. So Hermana Medeiros is standing on a stool holding up a cardboard box waiting for this rat to fall into it. (my heart has never pounded so hard!) The plan we had was that when the rat fell into it we would quickly bring the box down and close the flaps so that the rat couldn't escape. So we waited. Presidente came back downstairs and came up behind Hermana Medeiros and grabbed her sides! She screamed and I started laughing so hard! It scared her so bad! so we were still waiting for the rat to fall when Presidente comes back downstairs a second time except for this time he has an air conditioner tube in his hands and he says, "Hermana Hilton! It's in here! Help me!!!" So I run over and grab one end. we bring the box down to the ground to put the rat in there. So we count down..... 3.......2.........1!!!!!!!! and Presidente runs behind me and yells and grabs my side to scare me!! I screaaaaaaaaaaaaaam and fall onto the couch when Presidente says, "Hermanas there isn't a rat."  .........wait....what? There isn't a rat?? laughing and with a grin on his face he says "No :)" oh man. He got us soooooo good! I was convinced that we were really catching a rat. It turns out that the thing making the noise upstairs was Hermano Miguel Flores fixing their air conditioning. Oh man. The best part is that Hermana Martinez was videotaping the whole thing! We headed to the church after that and Irvin had his baptismal interview. He passed!!! he was really nervous, but he did great. 2 more days!

Friday: It wasn't has crazy today. We finished up the programs for the baptism and then had dinner at Hermana Quiroz's house. She showed us pictures of Guadalajara and now I just want to go! That is where she is from and it is beautiful.  We taught Irvin again in the evening at the church. Reymundo came. Irvin is so excited. We talked about the Holy Ghost and he said, "Tomorrow it's on it's way and Sunday it gets here" So true. He is so excited. 1 more day!

Saturday: IRVIN GOT BAPTIZED. Before the baptism we went to the Yanez's house. We had a barbeque and it was the best barbeque I have ever had. All my favorite people in one place. I couldn't have asked for anything more! We ate hamburgers and I played with the cutest little kids on the planet and then Hermano Yanez gave me a guitar lesson. Then we headed out for the baptism. Everything went so smoothly and Irvin was so happy. It was a huge blessing that his whole family was able to come. The spirit was so strong. Junior Ochoa baptized him and  when Irvin came up out of the water he had the biggest smile on his face. His mom was in tears the whole time. It was good to see her son so happy and to see the change that has happened with in him. It was also good for her to see how much the people in the branch love her children. They are so amazing. Irvin's little sister Ashley was super happy the whole time and told us that she wants to be baptized too. This family will all one by one take the step to be baptized. I know it.

Sunday: Mother's day! Irvin got the holy ghost! I have never seen him smile so much. His whole family was also able to come for the confirmation. I didn't get to talk to them afterwards, but I'm sure they liked it. From the stand, I definitely saw the mom, Yessica wiping tears off of her face. It was a good sacrament program too. All focused around moms of course :) Then that evening I got to Skype my family!!!!! It was good to see them all together and happy. I love you family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day! and remember,
"Kneel down and pray. Stand up and get to work."
Love you all!
Hermana Hilton

Happy mothers day! the whole fam bam all together!!!



BARBEQUE!!!


This is cute little Mellissa :) aka the cutest little kid on the planet!

learning the guitar from Hno Yanez

THe whole crew!! I love all these people so much! the Yanez family and the Ochoa family


 IRVIN AT HIS BAPTISM!!!!!!


Irvin and  his whole family. I am so happy that they all made it.


Irvin in his first white shirt and tie!!! #onfleek


 Skyping the family!!! love you crazy Hiltons!!!





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