Howdy folks! (there is definitely more hick used than Spanish here)
How have you all been!? It sounds like all of you are pretty busy and have a lot going on. Each of you are in my prayers every single day, and even more this week with everything that everyone's got going on. Just remember that little Hermana Hoj over here is praying for you when you need a little added boost, and hopefully that will help in some way.
What a week this has been for me! We've had lots going on--some miracles, crazy experiences, learning/growing opportunities, name it and we've probably had it. That is definitely one thing that I love about Huntsville--it's like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get. So here are some fun and great things that happened this last week.
On Tuesday I had my first MLC! It was wonderful! It's where all the zone leaders and sister training leaders meet with President for a training for the next Zone meeting. It was amazing! President talked to us about Master Teaching, becoming a teacher like Jesus Christ. He used the example of the Socratic Method--that the truth resides within the learner. It's our job to help the people discover that truth that is already within them! So that was a really great perspective, and it is not easy to become a master teacher, but it will help us so much!
Here is the weird/hilarious experience of the week.
We went to 3 Spoons (a frozen yogurt place) to meet with a member and there was a lady sitting next to us alone. I was so distracted by her because she looked so lonely. Her son and granddaughter came in and after that I kind of didn't think more of it. Hermana Fletcher and I left and we were almost home when she mentions she noticed the lady and wanted to talk to her too. We were driving really, really slow debating back and forth "do we go back?" Since both of us received that impression we decided to turn around and go back to give her a card with our number and the address for the church. So at this point we're both feeling pretty good, really feeling that we are following the spirit even though it's weird that we were going back. So we walk in and this is what goes down.
We say, "Ma'am, can we give you a card?"
"For what?"
"We're missionaries"
"Missionaries?"
"Yes, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints"
"Mormons?"
"Yes."
"Oh, NO. NO. Not Mormons. You all believe in the wrong Jesus! It's not the Book of Mormon that saves you, it Jesus Christ!" (In my mind I was like, well...duh...haha she had a lot of misconceptions about Mormons to say the least.)
Then she starts saying, "Oh you poor girls, you are confused, you need help finding the right path." And you could tell that her son was embarrassed that she was being so hostile, and he's just like "Calm down, it's okay!"
Then she says "My son can pray, he can pray real good. Let him pray for you."
So here we are, in the midst of a throng of people in 3 Spoons, they're sitting and we're standing, joining hands for prayer. He begins to say a prayer, it was a good prayer, very nice--he too prayed for us to find the right path. hahahahaha and here comes the best part. All of a sudden this lady just starts shaking and shouting with her hands in the air. "Praise the Lord!" "Oh yes! That's good!" And then he says amen and Hermana Fletcher and I are shocked/trying not to burst into laughter. Then the lady turned to Hermana Fletcher, reaches out her hand to touch her forehead and says "Do you feel it? Do you feel that power?" So Hermana Fletcher and I walked out of 3 Spoons like "What was that?! What just happened?!" never having expected that to occur. haha Just goes to show you never know what will happen...but all in all I think God had a good laugh watching us go through that experience. It was so funny, I think mostly just because that was the last thing that I had ever expected to happen! Being a missionary is awesome.
Here's a Lori story too. We asked her to teach us the lessons, to make sure she understands it and to see where she's at. We get to her house and she disappears and then there was a knock on the door. Lo and behold, Hermana Morgan was at the door! (aka Lori) She had a name tag, a Book of Mormon for each of us, a card with her number on it, she did it all! haha and it was so funny to see how she literally was in the routine of a missionary lesson.She shared Alma 26:3 with us which she had found on her own! She said she liked how it talked about how they had been in darkness but had found the light of God. She is incredible! She knows this church is true!! (She is really excited to teach us about the Law of Chastity...hahaha)
In a different lesson with her, she started asking us about our pet peeves. She said she wanted to spice up the lessons by making us overcome our pet peeves by facing them and becoming humble so that they're not pet peeves anymore. I told her that one of my pet peeves is eating with big spoons. (Yeah, it's something I realized on my mission...I always pick the smaller spoons.) So, Lori gave me a giant spoon, literally like a serving spoon, to take home and eat with this whole week so I can be humble and overcome my pet peeve. haha Eating with that spoon is terrible, but I guess there are worse things in life. She told us her pet peeve is painted on eyebrows, so she is going to talk to the woman in our ward with painted on eyebrows. haha and Ken said "Yeah next time you get up there and bear your testimony I want you to stare at her the whole time!" We want to show up with painted on eyebrows too, just to see her reaction. We'll let you know how that goes. Oh and Lori also said this to me this week, "It's a good thing you're a missionary and not a pot head because you'd laugh at everything." hahaha so count your blessings that I'm a missionary mom and dad.
Humbling myself with my "big spoon"
Despite all of the funny things about the past week (and I only told you a few!), we have had awesome miracles too! Here is a great one, about Sid.
It is true that as we put our efforts into finding, and more importantly our faith in the Savior to guide us to the prepared, that He does! We knocked on a door and a man opened up, already knowing who we were before we could introduce ourselves. We talked for a few minutes, but he had to leave for work so we set an appointment to visit him later that week. We took a member with us and had one of the best Restoration lessons that I have been a part of. His life experience right now almost exactly correlates with the experience of Joseph Smith before he went to the grove to pray. We helped him understand how he can be taken out of this confusion and more readily receive answers from the Lord to guide him to the right path. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray that night, and to come to church the following day! And, he did! After sacrament meeting we asked him if he had the opportunity to read and pray and he said, holding up his Book of Mormon, "Yeah, I did. And this book is true." AHHH!!! That doesn't happen every day in the life of a missionary! Such a miracle!! He had taken notes with correlating scriptures in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, it was awesome! He really wants to know and he had so many great questions in the gospel principles class, and the members all were so nice and friendly! We are hoping that he will accept baptism this next week, he is so prepared! Knocking doors really works when you've got the Savior on your side. It's usually always the very last door you try (which was the case with Sid too!) so you just have to keep going and keep trusting in the Lord!
Then, lastly, here is my little thought for ya'll this week. Yesterday in our Sacrament meeting someone said something that really struck me. This is essentially what he said/I interpreted. As a missionary there are so many times where you talk to someone and they say "No thanks, we're happy where we're at" or "We're content with our lives right now." We cannot be content! We are here to tell them that they can be happier, that they can have more! Who wouldn't want that?! By saying that we are content, that is saying that we don't want to grow more, that we don't want more of the blessings that God has ready to pour out upon us. Contentment=stagnation. If we are stagnant, we cannot become better, we cannot grow! So we've got to push aside the idea of being content with our circumstances and instead work to continually improve them! So I hope that each of you this week will recognize how you can avoid that stagnant state, push yourselves, and watch the Lord shape you into who you are made to be! I love you all and remember that you are in my prayers!!!
love love love love love
Hermana Hoj
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