My new companion Hermana Baxter from Maple Valley, Washington
Hope everything is going well with all of you. Thanks for all of your emails and the birthday wishes! I don't know if I'll have time today to reply to everyone, so if I don't know that I love and appreciate you all! I'm sorry to hear about Ann Ostler, if you can please send my love their way and let them know they're in my prayers. How wonderful is it that when hard things like that happen in our lives we have the gospel knowledge that we need to get through those moments. I don't know what I would do without that knowledge. Hopefully I will be able to help others recognize that!!
So to answer all of your questions. I have been transferred to the ward of Louetta and I absolutely loooove it! I have already had multiple people tell me that they're all my family and that I've got a lot of moms to take care of me here. So I am being well taken care of! The people here are incredible and I am so so excited to work with all of them. We were pretty busy this week with a ward talent show, a baptism (the other sisters in our area), and the general women's broadcast (which by the way made me soooooo excited for Conference!! EEE!!! I love conference, especially as a missionary), so we have been doing lots to keep us busy! My new companion is Hermana Baxter from Maple Valley Washington, she is 19, and has been out for about 4 months I think. She is super fun and loving, she's got a lot of energy and is very happy. She just finished her training, and now I get to be with her! We live in an apartment with two English sisters as well, so it's a lot of fun! I'm just starting to get to know the area, I'm the driver so it's been a little harder adjusting to everything quickly and know all the places to go, but it's coming along and we've had some awesome lessons and incredible experiences already. But, needless to say, I am very very grateful for the GPS. haha Also, I am closer to Houston, and I have now become a minority. This area is so different from my first, but I am loving it all the same. In my first area it was difficult to find those who spoke Spanish, and now I'm one of the very few "gringos". Ah I love it so much! I feel like I have changed so much in this past week, almost more than I have my whole mission for some reason. It's kind of nice getting a change of scenery because I feel like I was kind of stuck in the way I was in the Woodlands. This is the first time I've been with a companion who hasn't been out longer than I have, so it's been a really good growing experience for me--I feel like I've had to step it up in my Spanish, my teaching, and more than anything relying on the Spirit. The Lord has blessed me so much this past week and I have seen an incredible amount of growth as I've learned to become more reliant on Him. I have noticed a lot of blessings that he has given me. For example: my Spanish is by no means perfect, but it has become a lot better. I am able to understand people a lot better (especially on the phone which is a miracle!) and I feel like I am able to say more too. I don't know what it is, but I think just having a little added responsibility has whipped me into shape. I still have such a long way to go though. But this week has been such a big change, it's been harder, but I am seeing the growth that the Lord is blessing me with already. Hopefully I can keep that going!
My new bed!
And now for a couple stories from this week.
We were visiting a member of our bishopric and as we were sitting there sharing a scripture and message with them there was a knock on the door. He gets up to answer it and as I'm sitting there on the couch with my scriptures open, looking towards the door, a man begins talking to Hermano about sacrament and Easter. haha I wanted to laugh, but at the same time I was like...oh wait, that's what we do every day! He saw us and was like "oh..." and awkwardly finished and walked away. haha love the experiences we get as missionaries.
Coolest miracle ever. My first Sunday in my new ward and a guy comes up to me and says "I'm from another ward, but I have an investigator with me today. I work with her and we've been having some of the lessons in my house, but she lives in your area. She's super solid and wants to get baptized." Whoa. Right? So we sit with her in sacrament meeting and she is perhaps the sweetest lady I have ever met. Her name is Rebecca, and like he said, SHE IS SOLID. She asked if we could show her the baptismal font too. There was a baptism the day before so we said "This is the font! They were baptized here last night." Then she replied "Right, and I'm going to be next!" AAAAHHHH!!! Talk about a miracle!! The Lord is preparing people, and is helping us find them! So we're hoping to keep working with her towards baptism super soon! She is awesome. So, life is good. It has definitely been an adjustment, but how are we supposed to grow if we aren't being challenged? The Lord is incredible and I feel so much of His love for me every day, and even more amazing I have the opportunity to feel of the love He has for other people too. I never want this to end!! Being a missionary is such an incredible experience!
Much love,
Your old daughter and sister Hermana Hoj. (how in the WORLD am I going to be 20?! Ugh....)
P.S. I'm emailing in a college right now...and I don't like it at all. I don't know how I'm going to go back and not be a complete weirdo. So just be expecting that from me when I get home alright? haha love ya.
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