Only 4 more days here in el CCM (the MTC) and I am stoked to get out and about to teach and preach! This has been the most amazing experience. In a 5 week period we learned an entire language. In just 5 weeks my testimony has multiplied by 8.243 every day. 5 weeks ago I had no idea how much God loves me, and you. 5 weeks ago my future was just an idea that is now becoming reality. So much happens every day so I take notes about what I want to write about here. Let's see...
1)Sunset/stars. Do they exist? Because I haven't seen any in awhile! My companion, Hna Wake, and I realized this the other day and have been trying to sneak off at 6:30 every night to find a place to see the sunset. We have been unsuccessfull. All the buildings are the same height here and somehow completely block the West.
2)The power of Goal setting. I don't know if I've already told you but I made a goal here en el CCM to eat ALL the food on my plate at every meal. Let me tell you... it has not been pretty. It doesn't change the fact that every time I set my empty tray on the dish rack and swallow the last bite I give myself a mind-victory-five. But by golly gee whizz king kermit frog stacys mom, I eat a lot. It's a push every mealtime to get it all down. I really really REALLY like beverages and so every dinner time I always get 3 of them. Yeah, some say that if I reduced it to one I wouldn't feel so sick after I eat. But I REALLY really like them!!! Anyway. I am pleased to say that for at least 3.5 weeks now I have never left a single bite of food, a single crumb, or drop of beverage remaining on my plate. If that's not enduring to the end I don't know what is!
I want to share some stories that have really changed my life. Hopefully I'll be able to get at least 2 of them down before I run out of time writing this email. We only get 30 minutes.
PORTUGAL
There was a missionary that went to Portugal. We'll call him Elder Blake, because I can't remember his real name right now. The first day he arrived he met with the Mission President and answered every question in Portuguese. He bore his testimony, shared his hobbies, chatted, and then bid farewell, all in Portuguese. When he walked out of the office he smiled and waved and was off to the field to start teaching! The Mission President was fluent in Portugues and had not understood a SINGLE thing that the missionary had said. This kid was so horribly awful at the language, there was no way to even guess what words he was trying to form. "Well," thought the President "I'm sending him to a good area with a good companion. He'll learn!"
Almost immediately the reports coming from this missionaries area were doubling and tripling in numbers. There were a handful of baptisms every week and more and more investigators being found every day. The President felt confident that he had sent this missionary to a good companion that indeed was helping him! Come time for transfers, the new missionary was sent to another area. Again, the numbers just skyrocketed. And again with the next area, and the next, and the next.
Soon 2 years had passed and this young elder sat once more with the Mission President for his final interview. He shared experiences, bore his testimony, thanked him and then bid farewell and walked out the door. It seemed completely impossible, but in a full 2 years living in Portugal this kid STILL didn't know the language! The President had understood justs as much as he had the first time; nothing.
A new President was called, new missionaries entered the field, and the area was so large now that they needed to organize a new stake. They go about doing so and as they're going through the records they see that every RS President, every counseler, every bishop, and president, and teacher had been baptized in the past 2-3 years. The new Mission President recognized this as an opportunity to learn about the progress the mission had made before he arrived! He asked to sit down with the newly assigned Stake President and asked "how is it that almost everyone called to this Stake is a recent convert of the past 2-3 years?" And the man answered, "It was Elder Blake". Confused, the Mission President again asked how this could be possible. And he was greeted with the same responce. "Brother, there is one thing that all of these people have in common, and it is that they were all baptized by Elder Blake." The Mission President, clearly thrilled and anxious to learn more, asked "How did he do it?! We have to rearrange how we do work here and teach all the current missionaries to do what this elder did! What did he say to convert all of these people!?". The Stake President smiled and said "Honestly, nobody knows. We never understood a single thing he said. But he would come into our homes, and speak with such confidence, and look directly into our eyes and with tears in his he would speak with such power. He would shake our hands and leave us this book and then walk out the door with a smile. We never could understand a single word he said. But he had such a special feel about him that after he'd leave, we picked up the Book with Intrigue and begin to read. He would come back again and again leaving us pamphlets and speaking more jibberish. We'd read the pamphlet and the book and soon come to realize that we needed to be baptized! That is how every one of us got here today."
Ok- that is the end of that story. Do you feel that? Do you feel the power that this Elder had? The Spirit that he taught with? Alright here's another one.
TAIWAN
There was a missionary called to Taiwan a few years ago. He shared this story with me yesterday.
One day in the city this elder and his companion couldn't think of any ways to find new people to teach. They were standing at an intersection, and seeing all the scooters around them they got an idea! They immediately put it into play. They would stand on corners opposite eachother and as one direction of traffic was crossing, they would talk to the people waiting in the cluster of scooters. They'd say "HI! How are you? I have an amazing message for you! If you want to hear it just pull over up here ok?" or something to that effect. When the light changed they would cross to the next side, still opposite eachother, and do the same thing with the new cluster of scooters. They did this over and over again with no success. They felt stupid. They didn't think this would go anywhere but at the same time it was good practice and it was fun. They went around and around this intersection for a long time. Finally this Elder was standing on a corner with 7 seconds left on the crosswalk. He looks up and sees a boy sitting a scooter 3 down from him just staring and smiling back at him. He says "Hey! What are you smiling at?" and the boy answered "YOU!". The missionary yelled for him to pull over around the corner.
He reached the boy who was standing there with his helmet already off. In just a few minutes he had given a very quick run down of the LDS church and it's restoration. He asked "Do you believe this story? Do you believe Joseph Smith was a prophet of God" "yes" "will you pray to know this" "yes" "will you read this book?" "yes" "will you pray to know if it's true?" "yes" "do you believe all of this?" "yes" "do you want to be baptized? will you be baptized?" "yes".
The elder is blown away. He asked "Where are you headed to right now?" and the boy replied "I don't know. I was sitting on my couch a few minutes ago and I got this feeling that I should get up. It was a warm feeling and I felt excited and happy. So I got up. And got on my scooter. I didn't know where I was going so I just drove around. When I saw you standing on the corner I got the same warm feeling. That's why I was smiling! The feeling made me happy."
Alright- that is the end of that one. Again, do you feel that? The Spirit does it all. That warm, calm, exciting feeling that you feel when something good happens, or when you realized you were just protected from danger, or when you make a decision that you've been struggling to make. When someone looks you in the eye and says "I love you" or "I could never, ever, thank you enough". That feeling that you feel when you say "man that was lucky!" That is not luck. That is not simply happiness. It isn't a coincidence. It's the Spirit.
This spirit is something that I have learned to recognize these past 5 weeks. When people tell me stories about their lives I listen intently and absorb everything they say. I... I dunno. I CARE so much and I don't even know these people. They are complete strangers to me but their stories, wither they be 2 minutes or 30 minutes long, are real. They happened. And as they tell me what happened I feel when they were sad, and when they were happy, and I want to learn from them, and I want to teach them what I know! I want them to recognize the Spirit.
Without the Spirit my mission would be nothing. I on my own can do no more then formulate nouns and prepositions and say a sentence. But the Spirit can touch the hearts of those I speak to.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
I am so happy. You know what's crazy? This stuff is hard! The other day I walked into a room that was set up as a campsite. There were lanterns and screens with the prettiest night sky. There were crickets chirping and fire crackling and a fake fire in the center. A guy was sitting next to it blowing his Harp. I thought I was gonna shrink in despair because for the first time ever I felt homesick. I miss nature! I miss camping... I miss hiking and being outside. But compared to what I'm doing that fun activity is almost nothing. Why look at the stars unless you know what's past them? I can't wait to get back to the real world. But not until my work here is finished. This work is true. I can't believe that on Tuesday night I'll be in Boston! I am so excited that I can't even compare it to anything else in my life. I've never felt so strongly that I have purpose.
You have purpose.
I love you so much. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for caring and for sharing these experiences with me! If you are praying for me, know that Heavenly Father is listening because he is very much with me every step of the way.
LIFE IS GOOD
LIFE IS A MISSION
Siempre,
Hermana Hileman
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