Stuff That Makes Us Hillarys: 200 Days Left...

...in the beginning...

We are the Hillary family. I can't actually claim all of us to be Hillarys, we've meshed with the Stimpsons, the Doxstaders, the Merrimans, and the Lowreys - but the more you hang around us the more we kind of rub off on you, and poof - you become a Hillary. Which, after reading some of the things that we do might sound like a pretty frightening thing. The disclaimer is that I cannot embarrass any of my children, and I promised. Then I uncrossed my fingers. We love the following people in our family.... Del & Nicole, Matt & Bethany & Drew, Em, and the Noahman Ashley & Mike and Baby Mackadamia and soon to be..., Mandy & Ryan, J-man and Dimples, and Ryan and Katie - yes we own two Ryans! Not pictured: Zoey the German Shephard, Opi the newly adopted puppy, BG & Baby Red the Macaws (the latter two Zoey would eat if put in the same picture). Welcome to our Blog. Don't take us too seriously.... life is meant to have a never ending, bottomless tub of buttered popcorn and laughter.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

200 Days Left...

As you can see on my counter on the right - Elder Hillary has 200 days left to serve the Lord. (Not that his mom is counting or anything) It's been a long haul for this young man - His journey has not been that of most. After seeing him in pre-op in the hospital a week before he was to leave for Mexico, I never dreamed he would be allowed to serve. He laid there on the hospital bed ready to go into surgery with his missionary name tag on - he said, "It's the last thing to go off when I go in - and the first thing I need to see on when I come out of this. And it was. I thought many times of the previous hundreds of days - that he was out there changing his life on a mission - and he was - but mostly I think of the lives HE has changed because he was allowed to serve. To me - the greatest, most humble lesson learned is that you don't need to be the most incredible missionary in the farthest most deserted place in the world millions of miles from home.... you need to be a humble, sweet, kind, strong, soft spoken servant in a small town in El Paso, Horizon, Hatch, or Pima... speaking the language you've been trained for, teaching the gospel you've lived for, speaking the words that change people's lives, bearing testimony of that which you believe - to be an amazing missionary. Of all the letters I've written to him - most have said - "Now if you weren't where you are... who would have helped the Lord make that miracle happen?" Oh how I love my son. Oh how I love the Missionary in him. 200 days will fly by - and he'll be home - ready to knock the socks off of anything he wants to accomplish. No ties, no anchors, fulfilling all promises he's made, and looking amazingly handsome doing it.... Returning with Honor... It's been a time of physical, and mental healing. A time of spiritual growth and language growth. Memories made for a lifetime and friends and new members to match that. Our family has been blessed by his service...and his companions have been top notch. (Except for the one that called him a Utah Nazi Mormon.... of which I prayed he would get blisters and boils for the remainder of his mission......) (or chaffing... I also prayed for chaffing....in the heat) (: So - cheers to you Elder Hillary - you pictures are also on the 'other camera' of which will be posted after I create a new way to download my pictures..... sigh. Happy 200th day left my son - which means only 200 X 1,000 times more prayers to go, and blessings to receive. We love you!! Oh and we'll try to find your bedroom and where you stored everything soon.... and we'll let the hem out on all of your jeans because you've grown an inch or two right? And maybe we'll even save the numbers of the girls calling to find out when you are coming home.... and their moms.... (: