"I'm Just Embracing Being Awkward"

 

Well Howdy Ya'll! 

 

This week we have had some great country experiences. I am fixing to tell ya'll some great stories. Huntsville is so wonderful, and we honestly are experiencing everything at once. I LOVE IT HERE! Where to begin, where to begin...we have seen so many great miracles this past week, and even if they are small, they are collectively growing. The tender mercies of the Lord are everywhere! 

Here are some miracles in the Spanish department.

So here in Huntsville, there are not as many people that speak Spanish (especially in comparison to my last area). We are trying to receive revelation for how we should best balance the work in this area, and have been praying for more opportunities to speak Spanish. We are going to be starting English classes, so that will be really good! But here are those miracles. We were out in the country and stopped at a little store to use the bathroom. While I was waiting my turn, I noticed that there were two people speaking Spanish to each other behind the meat counter. So I'm standing there, thinking of how I can start a conversation with them and see displayed on a wall a whole bunch of Mexican herbs that I had no idea how to use. So I grabbed one that I didn't recognize and walked up to her and said "Tengo una pregunta...." and then asked her about what it was used for. Then we had a great conversation that turned into us talking about church and she told me that she had a brother who was a member of our church that was less-active. She gave us his phone number, so we are going to contact him! We helped them understand an urgent letter from the government as well. haha so random. But they also let us leave pass along cards on their counter for customers to take! 

We also met a member that moved into our ward this week, and her first language is Spanish! So we can talk to her in Spanish too!

We found a trailer park of all people that speak Spanish!

One of the part member families that we visit has a caretaker that just came back from Peru, and we are going to work on family history with her, in Spanish!

Then we just had a miracle sitting here in the library while emailing! We're sitting here at the computers and hear a voice saying "one, two, three..." "What is that?" and we realize that there is a girl sitting behind us, learning English! So we talked to her and found out that she is from Mexico. She is interested in coming to our English classes too, so we got her phone number to contact her! It is really amazing how the Lord has been blessing us. We have struggled for a little while to try to balance all of the work out, but it has been such a marvelous experience! I used to be contacting, only looking for the people that speak Spanish to talk to--how ignorant I was! All of these people are children of God and all of them deserve the chance to accept the gospel. Just because I was called to serve my mission speaking Spanish, doesn't mean that I can't help those who don't speak Spanish along the way! Huntsville has really helped me in that regard as I am going out of my comfort zone to talk to everyone that I possibly can. I'm still working on it, still trying to figure out how to begin the most awkward conversations of my life, but hey, I'm just embracing being awkward. That's the only way to do it! 

Miracles from the English/YSA from this week have been really great as well. One of my personal favorites is about Mommalesa. So we have a list of members in the ward who don't want home or visiting teachers, so we've decided to have the missionaries try it out and see if we can get in with any of them. So we tried to visit a woman who was on the list, but she wasn't home when we knocked on her door. Then on the way back from another appointment we drove past her house again and Hermana Loo said "There's a light on! Let's go try again." So we pull over and go knock on the door. (Which by the way, when we knocked on the door the biggest dog I have ever seen in my life comes up to the door and starts barking at us. Literally Sandlot status here. Later we found out that he weighs 200 pounds!) haha sorry just a sidenote. Thank goodness we tried again though. No one came to the door, but about a minute later a lady comes walking around from the back and we began to talk to her and she was the lady we were looking for! She said "I don't usually open the door, but I saw you two standing out here with your big, beautiful smiles and for some reason I decided to open up." Then she invited us to come in and visit with her, and wow did we have an amazing experience. We just began to talk, to get to know one another, we were laughing and smiling, it was so great! Then in the middle of the conversation she stops and said "I'm sorry, I just have to say it...I love you two! I've been avoiding and dreading this moment for years now, but I am so glad that you two stopped by. You are welcome here anytime!" Such a miracle! She had been avoiding missionaries and members from the church for so long, and then she just decided to open the door and we had such a great experience! It was amazing how she opened up to us. She said that she was telling us things that she hadn't even told her father. The Spirit there was so strong, and the love of God was present. That was one of the moments on my mission where I saw her potential just shining through, I just knew that she has such divine potential. I think in that moment I was able to see her the way God was seeing her. I don't know what the difference was, but something just clicked that night. It went from her hesitantly opening the door to talk to us, to her escorting us back to her car with a flashlight and firearm and inviting us over again. haha I love her so much! Her name is Annalesa, but we call her Mommalesa. haha She is so sweet! She sees her husband only 30 days or so out of the year, so I can't even imagine how lonely it must be at times. So that was such a cool miracle! I am so excited to keep visiting her! 

And with YSA we are still working up on campus, planting seeds to get ready to harvest the fruit. I get to go on exchanges to Texas A&M tomorrow, so that will be exciting too! We're trying to work more closely with them to see their ideas and apply them here. And then Matt is getting baptized on Saturday! We are so excited for him! And he is seriously sooooo excited! He is so happy! It is the most incredible thing to see the light, joy, and happiness of the gospel of Jesus Christ come over someone. We had an amazing lesson with him last night, and I asked him "How did you come to know that these things were true?" He said that when he was learning about it that he just knew it was right. He felt that it was right. It's like he already knew it (and he did!). He said the only way he can describe it is the way the guy described it in the mormon message "The Hope of God's Light." The guy in the video said, "I felt something I had never felt in my life, something 20 times stronger than any drug I had ever taken. It was as if someone were hugging me, as if someone were telling me I was home, that these people were good, and that I needed to be with them, that God was there, and that He knew me by name at that He loved me." Matt said that if he could describe it, it would be like that. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing and we are so lucky to have it! If we could help others recognize that, then we are fulfilling our purpose here on earth.

 

 

                We got a rare cold front! We could actually wear scarves!
 

So yes, life is good. I love being a missionary! I honestly cannot say that enough. I don't ever want to stop! How did I get so lucky to be a part of the Lord's work? I AM SO HAPPY. 

Love you all!

Hermana Hoj

pictures

1. In the country feeding the horses some hay

2. Scarf weather! Loved that cold front. Love the country too!

 

Love Even Greater Than the State of Texas

 

Hola hola hola!

 

First of all, thank you for the card from the cousin camp out!! I loved it so much and it made me smile so big! I miss all of you, and thanks for thinking of me!

 

 

                                Hermana Loo and I on "safari" Texas style

 

 

We have definitely had many great moments this week! As you can see by my pictures, we went on a "Safari Ride" at one of our member's homes. They have 500 acres or so of land and so we stand in the back of the truck as he drives through it all! It's lots of fun. Brother Harris also used to be a professional boxer and he still trains people, so one of these P-days we're going to go back and he is going to teach us how to box too, so that is going to be cool! Honestly, Huntsville is a one of a kind place. I get to do great things here that I would never get to do anywhere else! Well basically you get to experience so many things on your mission that you would have never thought possible. I LOVE IT!!! 

 

 

                         Brother Harris and family - Our safari guides!
 

As far as missionary work goes, things have definitely picked up here since school started. And first off, Hermana Loo is such an incredible missionary! She is already teaching me so much, and she definitely has a lot of strengths that are my weaknesses, so I can already see some of the reasons that Heavenly Father put us together. He knows what He's doing! So we went up on campus almost every day this week to contact people and invite them to Institute and the classes we are having. We took up a board with a picture of Christ and the question "What has Jesus Christ done for you?" As people walked by, we would ask them to take a moment and write down their answer to that question on an index card and then we would tape it to the board. It worked really well! We got some really great responses! For example, one guy put "He gave me great hair," another said "A LOT," and then there were other really incredible ones like "He saved my mom from cancer" or "He blessed me with an amazing family and friends." We also had really amazing conversations with some of them, which would lead to them asking us more questions about what we do. We're excited to keep it up! It was so great to see that even if someone wasn't necessarily interested in listening to more, that they were still able to take a moment and think about what Christ has done for them. Helping others come unto Christ is so amazing! It's a lot of fun to work on campus. THERE IS SO MUCH POTENTIAL HERE!!! We are working so hard, planting lots of seeds, and I think within the next couple weeks we will see a lot more people wanting to learn more. 

 

 

                          Our "What has Christ done for you?" display
 

One miracle that happened this week was that we met with a less active Spanish speaking family and found out that the mom is the only member. The dad is Catholic and the kids were baptized Catholic when they were babies, but the parents decided that they could choose for themselves when they were older. So we got 3 new investigators from that!! We hope they will come to church next week and that we can teach them and help them reach baptism!

 

                               Some of our Amazing YSA friends!!!!!

 

Some other really great news....M is getting baptized!!! (He's the one on the very far left in the YSA picture) Oh my he is seriously too great--so so prepared it's unreal. So this week we taught him the Word of Wisdom and it was probably one of the best lessons of my entire mission because of the way he responded to it. He pretty much taught us. So we introduce the topic and ask him if he knows anything about it. He told us he did, that he actually just learned about it from his friend D (the member that referred him to us). He told us that this last summer he smoked every day and would drink too, however when he started meeting with us and learning about the gospel he felt as if he shouldn't anymore. He said each time he went to smoke or drink it felt wrong and he decided to stop doing it. Then two days later, D started talking to him about the Word of Wisdom, they read D&C 89, and he straight up stopped cold turkey! He told us that he doesn't want to jeopardize losing the knowledge he is gaining or slow down his progress by smoking and drinking! It was so incredible that he had already gained a testimony of the Word of Wisdom before he even learned of it. He told us he was with friends and they offered him something to smoke--he turned it down. Then a little while later they offered it to him again--he turned it down. Then they offered it to him a third time--he turned it down and left! He is so amazing and so prepared! I feel so blessed to work with him! Then he accepted baptism and chose to be baptized on September 20th, so please, please keep him in your prayers!! Isn't that the coolest story ever? He truly is sooo prepared. He is going up against so much opposition, but he is soaking in everything he is learning and he knows it is true! But what is even cooler is that he is applying it all too! We are sooo excited for him! Ahh. Missionary work is the most rewarding thing in all of the world. I am so lucky to be here!! I feel so privileged to work with such amazing people and to learn from them too. AHHH. Words can't explain to you the happiness that I feel right now. It's a marvelous feeling. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! And I love all of you too. Have a great week!!

 

                     At the Sam Houston State football game last week
 

With love even greater than the great state of Texas,

Hermana Hoj

 

Are You Ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!!

Well howdy!

How is everything going for all of you this week? Sorry I'm a day late...labor day...and I don't have as much time as usual to write you today, but I will do my best to get everything out that I need to! It has been quite the week, very busy and crazy, and wow have things changed since we last talked!!

                       Goodbye to Hermana Fletcher - She is headed for home!
       

 

                                   It's beautiful in Huntsville!!!

 

So first thing is first, I am still in Huntsville...taking over after only 5 weeks which is crazy--what's God thinking right? haha, but I now have a new companion! Hermana Fletcher is going home, so my new companion is Hermana Loo! She is seriously sooo adorable. We already get along so well! And we have our work cut out for us! She is an English Sister that has been in YSA wards her whole mission so she is going to be helping me so much with that, and I am going to be helping her learn Spanish! It's so exciting! She was a visa waiter for Brazil and began learning Portuguese, but she decided to stay in Texas and now has been changed to Spanish! We are seriously so excited for the work up here. There is so much to do!! She is 22 years old, and she is from Oregon. She came out the same time I did so we are going to be helping each other so much. We are seriously SO excited. I already know that she is an incredible missionary so I feel so blessed to get to work with her. 

 

 

                    Hello and welcome to Huntsville Hermana Loo!!!!!!

So much has happened this last week...first of all, Sam Houston State started, so we have been on campus talking to people a lot. It's so much fun! Oh and guess what? We went to their football game! haha it was sooo weird, but fun at the same time. President came up to us at a meeting and asked us "So, can you go to football games?" Sister Fletcher and I looked at each other and were just like...I dunno.... and he said "I think you can. That's where the people will be. We need to go where the people are and be a part of the community, right?" So that was really strange being there, but we are definitely being seen, and we were able to talk to some people too. We also went downtown yesterday. That was the first time I had been downtown, and it was great! Because it was labor day there weren't very many people down there so we just kind of walked around and took pictures. So that's kind of the fun stuff I guess that we did this week! It was a good last week with Hermana Fletcher and I am going to miss her a lot, but I am excited for what is ahead!

 

                       Our first Sam Houston State football game

                      Deserted downtown Huntsville on Labor Day

Miracle moments from this week. Matt is still awesome and is still progressing tremendously! We taught him about family history and temple work this week, and after the lesson I couldn't really tell what he was thinking. So I asked him and said something like, "How are you feeling about all of this? Is it weird?" and he said "No, it makes sense. I think it's kind of weird that I don't think it's weird. It's just another thing to try to explain to my parents, but it's really great." We found out later that week that his dad was going to drive up on Sunday to come to church with him, and I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared! But the coolest thing ever happened! Both of the speakers in sacrament meeting had been assigned the topic of family history and temple work, and their talks were incredible! I think that was an answer to his prayers that they were able to speak and explain that so well while his dad was there, and I think his dad ended up enjoying church! Such a great miracle. I love just the simple, small miracles that God provides for us. Those little tender mercies are the best!! You always have to keep your mind, eyes, and heart open to see them--they really are everywhere! God is good--just a reminder. :) 

I am just loving being a missionary. I never want it to end! It was so weird being with a companion that was heading home, and I don't ever want it to be my turn to be in that place! (Not that I don't love you all, the mission is just really amazing!) I think it was exactly what I needed to help me realize that I really need to give it my all the rest of the time I am here. I feel that I still have so much to do, but I know that won't come without work on my end of it. Please keep the people of Huntsville Texas in your prayers! It's so exciting being a part of the Lord's work and watching people change their lives to become disciples of Jesus Christ. What a blessing and a privilege it is to be serving in the Texas Houston Mission.

Love you all!

Hermana Hoj

HE KNOWS AND HE LIVES!!!

So I guess we can say that I am now a pro at de-licing! So if anyone needs help, I got you covered. haha hopefully the lice is gone, never to come back again! This week has been a little bit of a strange one, but we have seen miracles nevertheless!

We are teaching a 19 year old YSA, Matt, and it is going so well! He truly is so prepared! He has already come to church twice and we are teaching him a lot too. He has already accepted baptism! We extended a baptismal date as well and he is praying about it, so we hope he gets an answer soon. He truly is golden. He asks such good questions, is reading and praying every day, and has so much faith! I think he has had a few concerns with his family, but he knows this is true and he knows it is what he wants to do. The first time we had met him he said "I've only known about this for 4 days and it is already making a difference in my life." We are so excited for him, he is going to do great things.

 

Oh and something else awesome that happened this week was that I got to go back to Louetta for a baptism for someone that I helped teach!! It was so awesome to get to be there again and to be a part of it. I didn't know if I would be able to go, but it all worked out and it was so good to see all of those people again! It was perfect too, because they needed a pianist and I got there right in time to help them with a musical number and interlude. It was so amazing to see Francisco enter into the waters of baptism! The Spirit was so strong. I asked how he felt afterwards and he said that he feels like a burden was lifted off of him, that he felt lighter. So that was really awesome that I got to go back for that!
 

That is kind of all I want to say about that this week, and I want to turn my thoughts over to Grandpa Hoj. To begin, I just want to say how grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where would we be without it? I am so grateful for the knowledge that we have and for the plan of salvation. I know that we will see him again and I know that because of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice, we can all live together again. I have had incredible feelings of peace and gratitude this week as I have thought of him and all of you back at home. I wish that I could give you all a big hug! I am praying for all of you as well. I want to share an experience that I had with you this past week that has strengthened my testimony. We had Zone Conference this week the day after I found out that Grandpa had passed away. I was doing really well and then they announced that the opening song was I Know That My Redeemer Lives. For anyone that knows me, they know that song will get me every time. Tears began to well up in my eyes and my throat was all choked up as I thought of grandpa. It wasn't feelings of sadness, rather a feeling of overwhelming love. As we began to sing I found I couldn't get anything out. So I listened to everyone else sing and focused on the words of the song as tears began to roll down my cheeks. I realized in that moment all that is possible for us because of Jesus Christ. I copied and pasted the lyrics to the song and hope that you would all read them. Jesus Christ lives. I know that. And because He lives, we can too. What joy, peace, and comfort I have from knowing that. I cannot even imagine how difficult it would be going through something like this without knowing about the plan of salvation, yet there are so many people that do. I am so lucky to be on a mission right now where I can help people understand that! Help them find that peace and that joy. So this week I think I am just grateful. It is experiences like this that make us stronger and better even though they are hard. But thanks to the love of our Heavenly Father, He sent His son to suffer for us so that when those moments come, He knows how to succor us. What a miracle.

I'd like to just end by sharing a quote with you that really has changed my perspective of the Atonement. That really it is something on such a personal level.

"We know that on some level Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It's our faith that he experienced everything--absolutely, everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means Jesus knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer--how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student-body election. He knows that moment the brakes lock up and the car started to skid. He experienced the gas chambers of Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism...His last recorded words to his disciples were, "And, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:20). What does that mean? It means he understands your mother-pain when your five year old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has down's syndrome...He knows the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children who ever come are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower then all that."

Chieko N. Okazaki, "Light Up!" p. 175

Former General Relief Society Councilor 1990-97

He knows everything that we have been through and all that we will go through. HE KNOWS AND HE LIVES. Never forget that! We must let Him help us and comfort us! Once again, I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the fact that I can experience happiness and joy even though moments can be hard. I love the gospel, I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I love all of you! I hope that you have a good week, and good luck to Liv and Tay with school starting! You are in my prayers!!

1. I know that my Redeemer lives.
   What comfort this sweet sentence gives
    He lives, he lives, who once was dead.
   He lives, my ever-living Head.
   He lives to bless me with his love.
   He lives to plead for me above.
   He lives my hungry soul to feed.
   He lives to bless in time of need.

 

1. 2. He lives to grant me rich supply.
   He lives to guide me with his eye.
   He lives to comfort me when faint.
   He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
   He lives to silence all my fears.
   He lives to wipe away my tears.
   He lives to calm my troubled heart.
   He lives all blessings to impart.
2. 3. He lives, my kind, wise heav'nly Friend.
   He lives and loves me to the end.
   He lives, and while he lives, I'll sing.
   He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
   He lives and grants me daily breath.
   He lives, and I shall conquer death.
   He lives my mansion to prepare.
   He lives to bring me safely there.
3. 4. He lives! All glory to his name!
   He lives, my Savior, still the same.
   Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
   "I know that my Redeemer lives!"
   He lives! All glory to his name!
   He lives, my Savior, still the same.
   Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:
   "I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Much love,

Hermana Hoj

LIKE SAVAGE MONKEYS?!

Hey there fam,

 

 

 

Hate to break it to ya but this is going to be a short one today. Wanna know why? WE GOT LICE. haha sick right? It's not that bad, just a pain! We've been picking lice and nits out of each other's hair all morning like savage monkeys. So I'm just going to have to send you some pictures with captions for this week's email which is kind of a bummer because it was an awesome week. But we've just got a whole lot to do to decontaminate ourselves! haha what a story right? Oh well, what can you do? Hope you all have a great, lice free, week! Peace out, I've got to go put a bag of mayonnaise on my head.

Much love,

Hermana Hoj

 

 

        Some other more happy photos :)

 

 

 

                              A visit to Livingston Lake

 

                           Sister J went through the temple!!!!!!!!

   
                                    Our sweet Jeep Compass

 

Can I get a Hallelujah?!

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.

 

                                    Helping at the blood drive
 

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

 

More Cows Than Humans and about 8 Prisons!

 

Greetings from Huntsville Texas where apparently there are more cows than humans, about 8 prisons, and Lori!

 

     How awesome is this! No more Corolla! I am driving a Jeep Compass

Wow do I have a lot to tell you! My mission has taken a complete 180 degree turn, but I love where I am at so much and am so excited for all of the new experiences that are ahead for me! So yes, I am now serving in Huntsville Texas--most missionaries refer to it as exile because it's so far away from everything else but I am so happy and I love it so much! It's a little country/college town and has it's wonderful little quirks and it's just the best ever! I love it! My companion is Hermana Fletcher and she is GREAT! She goes home next transfer, so I get to spend her last with her. We get along super well and she is hilarious. It's a lot of fun! So like I said, it's completely different and I will explain to you why. I am no longer in a Spanish ward, or branch. I am in an English ward and we are trying to begin a Spanish branch! So whenever people that speak Spanish come, we will have to translate for them which scares me a little bit, but it'll be good for me! But, that is not all! We are also the missionaries for the YSA Branch as well! So basically it's like we are working with 3 different groups of people, but I am absolutely loving it so far! Every Sunday we will be at church until 2 going back and forth between the different meetings. It's crazy, but like I said, I LOVE IT! Sam Houston State University is right here as well, so we get to be campus missionaries too when the new semester starts. We work with the institute too and ah it's all just so much fun! And actually, Elder and Sister LeBaron are over the institute up here and I found out that he was Tim and Lisa's Bishop when they first got married! Crazy small world right? They are absolutely incredible! Really it is all so much fun up here and there is so much to do! We work really closely with all of the missionaries up here because we all cover the same area. So it's us, the LeBarons, and Elders Petersen and Alvarenga as well. I never could have guessed that I would experience all of this on my mission and I feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to honestly experience everything! Spanish wards, english wards, YSA wards, college campus, city, country...I'm so lucky! And now to tell you of some of the experiences I have had this past week.

So I mentioned Lori. She is the best ever. She is our main investigator right now and she is absolutely hilarious! She is 41 I think and lives with her fiance Ken, they are in the process of trying to get everything together so that they can get married. She is in the process of quitting smoking and is doing really well! So when she is done smoking, and is married, she will be getting baptized! She already knows the church is true. It was so so sweet, yesterday in Sacrament meeting I was sitting by her and there was about 1 minute left before they would end it and she turned to me and asked if I would walk up to the front with her so she could share her testimony! She shared the sweetest, most pure testimony that I have ever heard. My heart was jumping for joy! Oh man but I am so excited to tell you about Lori and Ken, I love them so much! 

First of all, our last name never gets old. It's so funny. I tell almost everyone, "Like the cookie, chips a hoy." So Lori now calls me Sister Chips a Hoj. The first time I met Ken he was outside about to leave to take the dog on a walk. So we went inside to begin teaching Lori and he kept walking the dog. About 15 minutes later he walks in and says "Sister Hoj, now I hope you don't get offended by this, but is your daddy a sumo wrestler? You know, like hooooyyy (the sound effects of a sumo wrestler) hahahaha I was dying. And then the other day they called us and Ken gets on the phone and says "Sister Hoj, did your daddy win the wrestling match today?" hahahaha they're so funny! So dad, I guess it looks like you're going to have to take up sumo wrestling so that I can give him updates every week! haha okay they are just the funniest people. They are so great. We see Lori almost every day and we've already become great friends! I'll attach a picture of her and I. 

 

Umm...okay I don't even know what else to explain because there is just so much that happens. We got to go to something called Passport to Sam which is like a part of freshman orientation! There are a bunch of booths set up (ours for the institute) and people come and walk around and we pass out cards and pamphlets and have people sign up to come to the institute! It's really so fun. I am just getting to experience everything right now! It's different from what I have been used to, but it's so great. I feel like I am just saying the same things...haha so I guess I will end there. I love being a missionary, and I love how the Lord knows us perfectly. I have already recognized how perfect this place will be for me because there are a lot of things that are going to stretch me and help me strengthen my weaknesses. I've seen how the Lord has provided me with opportunities to help me overcome those weaknesses that I have been praying for. He is helping me more than I could have ever imagined! I know He lives and I know that He is my Savior. I love Him and feel so honored to represent Him and I am striving each and every day to do that better. BEING A MISSIONARY IS THE BEST! I love you all and hope you have a fabulous week!

 

 

Hermana Fletcher and I at orientation

 at Sam Houston State University

 

Loooove, Hermana Hoj