with love, sister hileman: God Bless America

This week was incredible! As always. We had back-to-back meals on the fourth of July even though Hurricane Arthur ruined most of the holiday fun. The effects of the surplus were so powerful that Sister Lewis got sick 7 times at someone's house the next day. Luckily we ate a funky purple salad that looked exactly the same coming up (so she says). Poor girl toughed it through the whole day and topped it off with yet another BBQ style feast. We enjoyed fireworks and proudly represented America and the LDS church at a town fair all day Sunday. We had the Traveling Visitor's Center with us (go here to see what it's like) and were definitely the most high-tech booth on the field. We met Mark, an athiest who is know excited to read through the Book of Mormon, and Andy who will be setting us up to do service with Habitat for Humanity. It was a great day! Church was a miracle on it's own when two less-active families came! One of them was such a surprise that I choked when they came in. The mom came running in yelling, "hiiiiiii!" Hahaha it has been a long time since they've been to church. Since it was the Sunday where anyone can stand and speak what's on their heart, I was thinking of what I could say to her that would really make her remember the spirit of being at church! I was distracted when her three year old daughter started throwing her barbie doll up in the air yelling, "yippeeeee". That's when it hit me. I motioned over at little Dana and she came skipping over to the chair next to me. I whispered to her asking if she wanted to go up front with me. With big eyes and a smile, she looked forward to the podium and said, "si!" The person speaking then sat down and I grabbed her with one hand and a chair with the other, plopped her up on top of the chair, and whispered, "say, hola". "Hola!" she repeated. "Soy Dana" "........." "Soy Dana"......... nothing. She went from excited to freaked out of her mind in .5 seconds. So I asked her if she'd rather that I go first. I said some quick words and she helped me point to the pictures around the room as I spoke about them. She still didn't want to speak up, so I finished off her testimony for her and then we said Amen and sat down. If her mom forgets how powerful the spirit was, I know Dana will at least remember! It was funny because for the first half of the meeting she kept asking to get up and go to the hallway. After we stood up together her sister tried taking her out again but she cried, "I don't want to leave!" We hope they'll keep coming.

On that note, I really miss playing with kids. I can't wait to tackle-hug all of my nieces and nephews, and hold my friend's new babies. And on THAT note, I found out today that TWO of my friends are getting married! Floopadooz I was so happy I cried. Congratulations Jackson and Layne!!!!!

I'm daily reminded how much God loves us.

Remember that this week!

He loves you!