I'm sorry that I didn't get around to sending an email out last week. We drove back down to Boston to go to the Temple and then we had a little missionary reunion in Cambridge with a bunch of good friends :) we never got the chance to nail down a computer that day.
THE GROUP
The reason we were transferred to Nashua, NH was to open up a Spanish Group. This is AWESOME!!! Are you excited? Probably not as much as me. So, to break things down...
A regular sized congregation is called a Ward. One step down is a Branch, and when there aren't enough people even for a branch, you find yourself what we call a Group. All congregations at some point had to start as a group and through time they grow and get the privileges of being a self-sustainable ward. Here in Nashua there is a small population of Hispanic members. For years now they have been attending church in English, unable to speak for themselves, or hold a calling, or progress. They've been stuck. Some of them have held strong and remained faithfully active in the church. A large number, however, decided long ago that they were fed up with head-phone translating and a stand-still existence and left to find other things. With all of the paper-work and organizing behind us (much thanks to my dear companion Sister Brown, our mission President, and the local area leaders) we are finally ready to kick off this new Spanish Group. We get to be a part of something incredible!!! Zion's growing!
THE STATE
Is beautiful. I am seriously considering coming back and making this a permanent residency! The people are incredibly nice and it feels just like a mountain town, except lower elevation! I can breath easy. It's a beautiful thing, really. The only down side I can see is that as far as missionary work goes, the snow is a huge doosy. Whenever the snow starts sticking we have to head home and off the roads. It's a big let-down when we have to cancel all of our plans but we always end up finding something good to do with our time. We get pretty creative trying to find productive things to do indoors all day long. I guess my all time favorite is when we open up all the cabinets and go on "food adventures" creating different mixes. Last night Sister brown made me home-made cinna-stix by frying tortillas and dipping it in cinnamon. It was fantastic! Another favorite pass-time is reading the scriptures for a solid chunk of time. It makes so much more sense when you can read it like a book, page by page, following characters and patterns. I love it!
THE GOATS
Some of the members here are out-of-this-world awesome. Since we haven't really gotten things going on the Spanish side yet we've been having a lot of dinners with English members. I have met some of the most well-rounded people. These families are on fire! They're organized, they get along, they're funny, they're successful. And one of the families has goats. Awesome. They have to shovel off their roof so that the goats can play on it.
THE WORK
Lately there have been a few personal challenges I've been working out and as a result of it all, my mind has been tugged away from the work from time to time. All there is to say is that I know there are many of you back home who are praying for me and for my fellow missionaries. There is no way that I could still be here if it weren't for the added measure of strength, determination and faith that I've felt the past few weeks. I didn't realize how much I was being blessed until one night in an appointment I promised someone that if they would pray and ask the Lord for help, they would receive it. I told them that many times in my life I had felt my Savior pick me up and help me along. Then my companion jumped in and said, "Honestly, Sister Hileman means what she is saying. She's been going through some things recently that 100% would have sent me home. But I haven't heard her complain about it even once." I hadn't realized until right then that my situation very well could allow a missionary to be sent home temporarily to get things taken care of. I hadn't realized that what I was going through was a trial. I am confident that I was protected from all of those thoughts by a very understanding Heavenly Father who has been lifting me in the exact moments that I fall. So quickly, that I haven't felt a decline even once. Because of what the scriptures promise, I know that it's because of your prayers that I'm being helped so much.
One of the biggest and most noticeable blessings has been my ability to teach in appointments. It seems that even on days when we don't get to study and prepare, or even talk about specific appointments, we can go in and I can whip out a simple, powerful and structure lesson equipped with all the key components. It's not me. In the last few weeks my teaching has been so driven by the spirit that I often don't know what I say before or after I say it. Has that ever happened to you?
THE AFTERLIFE
We're getting close to the end. Of my mission (sheesh, you kreeps.) Any suggestions? Final tips? Reminders? Good ideas? Both for the closing end of my mission and also for my time when I get back. Feel free to email them over! I'll be seriously considering all options!
That's a wrap, folks. I know I haven't sent photos in forever. So I'll throw on a bunch in the next post, okay?
ALL my love
LIFE IS A MISSION
Hermana Hileman
THE GROUP
The reason we were transferred to Nashua, NH was to open up a Spanish Group. This is AWESOME!!! Are you excited? Probably not as much as me. So, to break things down...
A regular sized congregation is called a Ward. One step down is a Branch, and when there aren't enough people even for a branch, you find yourself what we call a Group. All congregations at some point had to start as a group and through time they grow and get the privileges of being a self-sustainable ward. Here in Nashua there is a small population of Hispanic members. For years now they have been attending church in English, unable to speak for themselves, or hold a calling, or progress. They've been stuck. Some of them have held strong and remained faithfully active in the church. A large number, however, decided long ago that they were fed up with head-phone translating and a stand-still existence and left to find other things. With all of the paper-work and organizing behind us (much thanks to my dear companion Sister Brown, our mission President, and the local area leaders) we are finally ready to kick off this new Spanish Group. We get to be a part of something incredible!!! Zion's growing!
THE STATE
Is beautiful. I am seriously considering coming back and making this a permanent residency! The people are incredibly nice and it feels just like a mountain town, except lower elevation! I can breath easy. It's a beautiful thing, really. The only down side I can see is that as far as missionary work goes, the snow is a huge doosy. Whenever the snow starts sticking we have to head home and off the roads. It's a big let-down when we have to cancel all of our plans but we always end up finding something good to do with our time. We get pretty creative trying to find productive things to do indoors all day long. I guess my all time favorite is when we open up all the cabinets and go on "food adventures" creating different mixes. Last night Sister brown made me home-made cinna-stix by frying tortillas and dipping it in cinnamon. It was fantastic! Another favorite pass-time is reading the scriptures for a solid chunk of time. It makes so much more sense when you can read it like a book, page by page, following characters and patterns. I love it!
THE GOATS
Some of the members here are out-of-this-world awesome. Since we haven't really gotten things going on the Spanish side yet we've been having a lot of dinners with English members. I have met some of the most well-rounded people. These families are on fire! They're organized, they get along, they're funny, they're successful. And one of the families has goats. Awesome. They have to shovel off their roof so that the goats can play on it.
THE WORK
Lately there have been a few personal challenges I've been working out and as a result of it all, my mind has been tugged away from the work from time to time. All there is to say is that I know there are many of you back home who are praying for me and for my fellow missionaries. There is no way that I could still be here if it weren't for the added measure of strength, determination and faith that I've felt the past few weeks. I didn't realize how much I was being blessed until one night in an appointment I promised someone that if they would pray and ask the Lord for help, they would receive it. I told them that many times in my life I had felt my Savior pick me up and help me along. Then my companion jumped in and said, "Honestly, Sister Hileman means what she is saying. She's been going through some things recently that 100% would have sent me home. But I haven't heard her complain about it even once." I hadn't realized until right then that my situation very well could allow a missionary to be sent home temporarily to get things taken care of. I hadn't realized that what I was going through was a trial. I am confident that I was protected from all of those thoughts by a very understanding Heavenly Father who has been lifting me in the exact moments that I fall. So quickly, that I haven't felt a decline even once. Because of what the scriptures promise, I know that it's because of your prayers that I'm being helped so much.
One of the biggest and most noticeable blessings has been my ability to teach in appointments. It seems that even on days when we don't get to study and prepare, or even talk about specific appointments, we can go in and I can whip out a simple, powerful and structure lesson equipped with all the key components. It's not me. In the last few weeks my teaching has been so driven by the spirit that I often don't know what I say before or after I say it. Has that ever happened to you?
THE AFTERLIFE
We're getting close to the end. Of my mission (sheesh, you kreeps.) Any suggestions? Final tips? Reminders? Good ideas? Both for the closing end of my mission and also for my time when I get back. Feel free to email them over! I'll be seriously considering all options!
That's a wrap, folks. I know I haven't sent photos in forever. So I'll throw on a bunch in the next post, okay?
ALL my love
LIFE IS A MISSION
Hermana Hileman
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