Tried to come up with a good creative title . . . . . But I got nothing (a direct quote from Annie)

Buenos Dias mi familia!

 

So good to hear from you all, it's always a good day when you get to check your email! I'm so glad that your Thanksgiving dinner went well and that everyone was able to come! I wish I could have been there with you, but this is the place I've gotta be right now...and I am loving it here in Texas! (quick side note...I think that I have developed a slight allergy to pineapple...I ate it twice this week and both times my mouth was all weird and tingly and itchy! Que triste! Except I don't know that it's really enough to stop me from eating it because it is just too good! haha but mom don't worry I'll be careful) The temperature has dropped, so it's been in the forties here for the past week. It's a good thing I bought tights last Monday! I'm wearing them as we speak! So I am jealous that you get to go to San Diego and experience that beautiful weather! Let me know how everything goes and make sure you drive safe. Liv, good luck with all of your games..kick some butt alrighty? (haha am I allowed to say that? If not...por favor perdoneme.) And dad, can I just say that picture you sent me had me in tears I was laughing so hard! hahahahahahahaha and the caption along with it just made it that much better. Meg looked pretty good too. And then the story of your proof reading skills on the program...that got me too! haha So thanks for brightening my day with some laughter! I just love you all too much. One last thing before I move on...Jake and Tay, or any one who has some good ideas...what are some object lessons you used to teach on your mission? We're trying to get our investigators and the people we are teaching more involved and help them understand it better. So if you have any ideas please let me know!

 

Oh and one other thing too. Mom, know I am thinking of you a lot this week with Thanksgiving coming up and everything. I know it's a difficult time for you, grandpa, your sisters, the Petersons, etc. and know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. How great it is to have this knowledge through the gospel that we can live with our families for eternity and that we are never alone. I grow more grateful every day for this knowledge and how it has been able to help me through my life. The power of the atonement is something remarkable that every one of us can feel, and that is something that I am trying to understand and apply more to my life every day. Also trying to help others understand this and have more faith in the Savior. It really makes all of the challenges and difficulties in life so much more bearable. Christ invites us to "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." What a comfort that is to know that we can be relieved of our pains and burdens through Jesus Christ, our Savior. I know that you can be filled with the love of Christ during this hard time. And know that I will be listening to "Come to Jesus" right along side with you!

 

So this week has been a very interesting one, very different than the ones we've had in the past, but incredible nevertheless! We didn't have many lessons with investigators this week, however hard we tried. We had tons of lessons set up but they all fell through. A lot of things just didn't go according to plan, but I've realized that our back up plans and back up back up plans are usually God's first choice of plans. haha So all of these things fall through and then God helps us recognize what it really is we should be doing in that moment of time. He always finds a way to help us out though, and if we are ready and willing to listen to and follow the direction of the Spirit, all is well. We had a lot of lessons with our members and menos activos and I guess that is just what the Lord is having us do right now. We have seen some incredible miracles through this though! We have met with the same menos activo family that I wrote home about last week, and they are so incredible! They were going to come to church, but we found out yesterday that his car wouldn't start. Ugh. Satan's little tricks huh? But what is important is their desire. It is there! Their desire to return is there and they are so willing to make the steps to come back. Both lessons that we had with them were so incredible and it is really helping him remember those feelings that he had while he was active. I am so excited for them and so excited to see what great things will happen with them! On Friday we had a big ward activity for Thanksgiving and a lot of people came! We were able to get a referral from that and we'll be visiting them this week! It was a referral from Obispo and he says that they seem really ready to accept the gospel, so be praying for them! Saturday was kind of an off day too, but ended tremendously! I woke up a little sick from something I ate at the party the night before so I wasn't feeling well the whole day, but we had a baptism in our ward!!! Whooo!!! One of the investigators of the other Hermanas in nuestro barrio fue bautizado! This was the same man that I was able to extend the baptismal date to when I was on exchanges with Hna. Bruneel, so it was cool because I felt like I had a part in it too. He was so ready and is so happy to finally have been baptized! It was such a beautiful, incredible, spiritual experience.

 

One thing I learned this week was at our district meeting. We were talking a lot about the doctrine of Christ--fe, arrepentimiento, bautismo, el Espiritu Santo, y perseverar hasta el fin. I realized that it all comes back to this. This is what we are here to teach, the doctrine of Christ! It doesn't matter if I don't have a ton of baptisms on my mission, what matters is that I am sharing this and helping others feel the love of God. If I can help someone increase their faith, that's a victory in and of itself! If I can help someone demonstrate their faith through repentance, even better! If I can help someone take the steps to receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost--Whoo!! And if I can help them keep those covenants and endure to the end, wow! It is a process, and not every one is ready to take all the steps at once, no matter how badly we want them to. Patience is key. But in all of these things I can find reason to rejoice. It's such incredible work, being a missionary. We simply must do the best we can do to share what we know, and it's up to the person listening and the Spirit how it will be received. I am so grateful to be a missionary right now. Mom and Dad, I just want to thank you for helping make this possible for me, I don't think I thank you nearly enough! Thank you for raising me in a way to understand and appreciate this gospel and the importance of it in our lives and for helping me have that desire to share it with others. Thank you for all of your sacrifices and time and service to me and others, for being the best examples I could have ever had. I really cannot thank you enough. Thanks for being my parents! I sure love you lots! (And the rest of the fam too. :) you are all just as fantastic) LOVE YOU ALL! Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

con MUCHISIMO amor,

Hermana Hoj

 

                       Dinner at an investigator's for his birthday                      
 

 

At the baptism for Marco

One Transfer Down! Thanksgiving and Christmas in Spring!

 Hey there my favorite family! Como le va?

 

This week has been a good one! Definitely ups and downs, but that's life right? But overall it has been incredible and I am continuing to see miracles every single day.

 

To answer your questions...for Thanksgiving a family in our ward, the Hales, has invited all the missionaries from our ward over to their house for Thanksgiving Dinner and I am so grateful for that! I don't know what it will be like, but I'm assuming it will just be regular Thanksgiving foods. This family is great too, they have the cutest kids and they are people that are always striving to do good. So I'm excited for that! We also have a big ward activity this Friday for Thanksgiving where anyone and everyone is invited! So that should be a great finding opportunity for us as missionaries! So if there's anything different here in Texas than our traditional Thanksgiving dinners at home I will be sure to let you know! And wow, thank you so much for that surprise! And give Lance a big thank you for me too! It really came at the perfect time. The day before had been a little rough for me and it was just that extra little dose of love that I needed, so thank you! We have been enjoying the treats and making yummy sandwiches and everything! So thank you thank you thank you! I am so lucky to have a family that is so involved and supportive in everything that I am doing, I know I can always count on you all!

 

As I said, this week has been so great. I've had my moments, but the goodness and mercy of the Lord always triumphs. Always, always, always. And it's amazing to me the way that He helps us too. I was reading in 2 Nephi 4 and it was exactly what I needed to hear. Needless to say, I was humbled a bit. I just went to LDS.org to copy and paste the scriptures into the email and then realized that it would be way too long, so I'm going to have to trust your word that you will read it all right? Start in 17 if you don't want to read the whole chapter. So Nephi I would say is having a bad day. We all do right? But what I am amazed at is that he doesn't dwell on it! He recognizes what upsets him and he does what he can to fix it! He rejoices in the Lord and shows his gratitude for the things that he has been given...recognizes the good in all things. He knows to turn to the Lord when opposition and adversity comes. He then talks about all of the incredible things that the Lord has shown him, and the Lord's mercy for men and he says: (really read all the way to 35 okay?)

"O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath ^avisited men in so much ^bmercy, ^cwhy should my ^dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
And why should I ^ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to ^btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my ^cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I ^dangry because of mine enemy?
 Awake, my soul! No longer ^adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the ^benemy of my soul."

 

That was a lesson for me! Why was I letting my soul linger in the valley of sorrow when I have seen the incredible blessings and miracles that the Lord has put before me?! Ah, wow I feel like I was just slapped in the face. haha Reality check right? I just can't believe how selfish I was being. I see so many incredible things happen every single day through the mercy of the Lord and here I was being so ungrateful for them because I was focusing on the things that were upsetting me. So yes, I was humbled through that and I am working on fixing that every day that I live. I really am so grateful for the Lord and for how He helps us recognize our weaknesses and how we can make them stronger. I love my study time!

 

And for the experience of the week...Sunday (yesterday) we didn't have a single appointment planned. Nevertheless we planned the night before and had faith that the Lord would help us accomplish what we needed to. We were contacting over in some apartments and I felt like we should go visit a menos activo that was in those same apartments. It was kind of weird though because I knew that she worked Sundays and wouldn't be home. But I told Sister Driesel what I was thinking and she said that she was thinking the same thing. So we figured we should probably go if the Lord was telling both of us. And I am so glad that we did. We knocked on the door and her daughter and her ex-husband Carlos who was there with the kids answered the door. He is also a less active member. He began asking us where our church was and we invited him to the ward activity that we have this upcoming week. We asked him if there was anyone that would benefit from hearing our message and his little girl said I do! She took us over to another apartment to visit her sister in law, but she was on the phone and couldn't talk to us at that moment. So as we were walking back to the other apartment we asked the girl when the last time was that she read in her Book of Mormon. She said she hadn't for a long time and we said "well do you want us to come read with you right now?" She agreed whole-heartedly! So we went back to her apartment to sit outside and read with her. Carlos walked out and said, "You weren't going to invite me?" haha so he joined us too! We read in 3 Nephi 11, always a good chapter, and he began to tell us a story about finding someone's wallet and returning it to them. I didn't really know what the significance of the story was, but this is where it gets good. He was saying that when you have lost something and can't find it, how great the feeling is when you find it again. He said that he had been thinking about that and then we knocked on his door, and said he felt that same feeling as we were sitting there reading the Book of Mormon with him and his two girls. I know that he was able to recognize again the happiness that the gospel brings, he had found something that he had lost for awhile. And how happy he was that he found it! I am so grateful that we followed the promptings of the Spirit and I know that there really are divine appointments that God helps us have when we are worthy, and show him our desires and efforts through the work that we try to accomplish.

I am doing great and am so excited to start my second transfer here in the Woodlands! Hermana Driesel and I are both staying here, and all the missionaries in our ward are staying the same too. I am so excited to begin this next transfer! As I look back I can already see how much I have grown and improved just over a short six weeks. I know that it is all because of the Lord and I am so grateful for His continued guidance and help throughout my life. I hope that I can continue to progress quickly and grow to be the missionary that He knows I can become.

 

I love you all and hope that you have an incredible Thanksgiving. When you go around the table talking about the things that you are grateful for, you can speak for me and tell everyone how grateful I am for the experiences that make you stretch and make you grow. They definitely are not easy but it is so worth it in the end to see how much you've changed. Ah man now that I say that I have so many other things that I want to say I am grateful for. Tell them all that I am grateful for their support and love too, and just for families! Tell them thanks for being a great extended family, I feel so lucky to have so much family that loves each other and gets along so well! So yeah, I should probably stop there or else it will never end. Love you all sooooooo much! Love love love love love! (sorry Tay, I'm copying you)

 

LOOOOOOOOOVE,

Hermana Hoj

 

                                           A Lunch for Hermana
                                                 Bartholio                         

 

                                        Teeny Tiny Bananas!
                               A present from one of our investigators

 

A little taste of home!

Thank you Lance Howell and The Store!

 

 

"So much love we can't even handle it!"

Hola hola mi familia!

Mom, your title for this emaill was perfect! I'll explain more later on, but this has definitely been a "week of gratitude" for us here in the Woodlands! To first answer some questions...our main focus right now is finding new people to teach. We do a lot of personal contacting lately, knocking and what not but this week we actually received a few referrals too! We try to work a lot with the recent converts here and the members as well, so as we do that hopefully we will continue to get more and more referrals. I'm really excited for this next week too, we have a lot of members coming out to lessons with us which has been something we're really trying to improve on. It's just so hard because we have to work with the investigator's schedule, the member's schedule, and our schedule, but it is so worth it and God is making it possible for us. I feel like we're teaching a lot of people right now which I am so grateful for, but at the same time it's hard to know who is really interested in what we have to share and are willing to do the things that we ask them to do. And I know it's not easy, but where there's a will there's a way! I really cannot tell you how much patience I have had to learn while on my mission. And I know it will continually be something for me to work on! I need to have patience with myself and with the people we teach. Even if we aren't placing baptismal dates left and right, we are making a big effort to show these people how much we love them and care for them. Hopefully when they recognize this they'll have an even greater desire to change because they'll know that we are sincere. It can be really frustrating to be giving it all that you have and not see immediate results, in fact that is something that has been hard for us this week. But we just have to endure it with patience and continue giving our best efforts and when we do see the results of our labors, in the Lord's timing and in His way, how much greater our joy will be. (Read the talk Continue in Patience by Pres. Uchtdorf)

So at the very beginning of the week we were a little discouraged because of what I just mentioned. We feel as if we are working so hard and a lot of the time not really seeing much come of it. On Tuesday I read an article in the Ensign about a woman who only gave gratitude prayers and how her testimony was strengthened from this. So I decided I wanted to try this. Hna. Driesel and I decided to only say gratitude prayers for the rest of that week, and wow was our perspective changed! At first I had no idea how I would be able to do this when as a missionary we need all the help from the Lord that we can get! But it was really interesting to see how rather than asking for things, we put our trust and faith in the Lord that He could make things possible. Instead of asking Him to help us find someone to teach it turned into "We know that with your help and guidance we can find the people who are ready to accept this message." We were putting all of our faith in Him, and then miracles were coming at us from every direction! Just on that Tuesday we saw the biggest difference in our work and we had so much excitement. Our desire to work hard was completely rejuevenated! Listen to all the things that happened to us on Tuesday, and see how the Lord was blessing us for our faith. We went to an appointment and it didn't go through. But then we found a new potential who seems sincerely interested! We have an appointment set up with him and his family this week! A family!!! Then we went to visit one of our menos activos. She also wasn't able to have the appointment because she was sick. But her daughter and her family live with her and let us come teach her. She is so sweet, loved what we had to share with her, and invited us back. So, we got a new investigator! Then we got to eat enchiladas with a member which is just a miracle in and of itself. Then, we went to have a member lesson with a family in our ward. Lo and behold, the mom of this family had her sister over for dinner. She knows a lot about the bible and is very interested in religion. We had a really incredible discussion with her and shared with her some of the things we believe, she pretty much agreed to all that we said. So, we got another new investigator and have a lesson with her this week as well! There were so many unexpected miracles that I am so grateful for. I know that not every person we have another lesson with will be converted, but the Lord was blessing us for our efforts and it is exactly what we needed.

In other news, I went on exchanges twice this week and with one of them we set a baptismal date! He is actually in the ward I go to right now (there are two sets of sisters in our ward and one companionship of elders) so I will be able to see it happen! It was such an awesome experience. He was so excited and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. Literally the muscles in my jaw were so exhausted! haha It's so exciting and...ah I don't even have words to describe it. So that was a really cool experience.

Yesterday I had the best food I've had since being on my mission. The same man in the picture I sent you that gives us coca cola every time we visit made food for us while we were teaching his wife. He had homemade tortillas, fajita, onions, jalapeno, avocado, and we had the best tacos in the entire world. Mmmmm. haha sorry that was so off of topic but I just had to share that with you.

Sorry my emails are all over the place, there really is just so much that happens that I don't even know what to tell you all. I wish I could tell you every detail but there are just too many. But I want to leave you with one last experience and my testimony of the restoration. This week we had our first lesson with Maria, who we miraculously knocked into last week. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly while teaching the restoration in my life. It came out of nowhere, but the Spirit testified to me that this miraculous, sacred story is true. We were telling her about Joseph Smith and his experience in the arboleda (sorry I can't think of the words in English. Ask Jake if you need help! haha) Hna. Driesel began to read Joseph Smith's account of the first vision..."Vi una columna de luz, mas brillante que el sol, directamente arriba de mi cabeza; y esta luz gradualmente descendio hasta descansar sobre mi...Al reposar sobre mi la luz, vi en el aire arribe de mi a dos personajes, cuyo fulgor y gloria no admiten descripcion. Uno de ellos me hablo, llamandome por mi nombre, y dijo, senalando al otro: Este es Mi Hijo Amado: Escuchalo!" As she read this tears filled my eyes, and the Spirit I felt in that moment was penetrating. I testified to Maria that I knew this to be true. I know that as I share these teachings, my knowledge and my testimony increases. I am learning so much, and I think that the Lord is really trying to teach me. I'm His investigator. I know that as I submit to His will and give everything I have to know Him, I will be changed into the person that He knows I can become. I must be willing to change, and I have realized that I should always let the Lord change me. I can always trust God and know that whatever changes He makes in me will always be for the better. I have a testimony of this and I know that if I give this mission everything that I have I will be blessed and begin to become the person God intended for me to be. I know that it is not an easy thing to do, pero bien vale la pena.

I love you all so much and love getting to hear from you every week. Thanks for letting me share the things that I learn with you, not all of it is probably right, I know I've still got a lot of learning to do. But the person that I am becoming as a result of these things will be something that I will forever be grateful for. Show your gratitude to God for what He has given you, not only in your prayers but through your actions as well. I know that you will be blessed!!

With so much love that you can't even handle it,

Hermana Hoj

Hola from your favorite Houston Hermana!

Mi maravillosa familia!

Howdy! How's it going up there in the (what I'm assuming is cold now) great state of Utah?

To your questions:

Yes I speak Spanish a lot where I'm at, which I am so grateful for. We teach multiple people in Spanish every day. I am definitely still learning, but I know I am progressing. I still can't understand everything, and I sure can't speak it all, but it's feeling better as time goes on and I can see some of the progress that I've made already. So, I still get to speak English a lot...which I probably shouldn't do...with other missionaries and my companion and what not, but I get to practice Spanish every day. In my ward all of the meetings are in Spanish so I get a lot of practice there too. No callings or assignments, just missionaries! The weather is beautiful here! It gets a little chilly at nights, but for the most part it has been perfect lately! I actually have been driving the car, so I know my way around here pretty well...at least in our area. We decided it would be good if I drove because then when I'm here on exchanges I'll know where I'm going. Okay, sorry I'm kind of pressed for time today so I've got to get on with it. haha

First of all, thank you for the packages! Both to mi familia y to la familia Dalton. You know me all too well! And p.s. that chocolate dipped coconut LUNA bar...SOOOO good. haha But thank you for your cards, your treats, and everything else. I sure do love you all!

I'm going to share two miracles with you from this week and then one thing I've learned in my studies. With our investigator Vanessa...she is our investigator that is progressing the most right now, and it is incredible to see how much she has changed and grown just in the short time that we have been teaching her. Our lesson with her this week was on reading the scriptures, praying, and attending church and how important they all are. I think she's beginning to understand that even if she can't understand it all, it's the fact that she's trying. The fact that she's showing God that she has the desires to know and learn more. When we started talking about attending church she kind of had this little smile on her face, she knew what was coming. We told her the importance of coming to church, and then she told us some great news. Her boss just decided to close on Sundays, so work won't get in the way of her coming to church! Ahh!! We were so excited and told her that God is preparing the way for her to get there and to take these steps. So I really hope that she can commit to coming to church this next week!

On Friday we had another incredible miracle. We have been focusing a lot on finding new people to teach and we are putting our whole trust in the Lord. We had a really cool experience. For our power hour that night (the time we go knocking every night) we prayed very specifically to know where we should go to find a new investigator. We picked an area that we have never been to, and while looking at the map, both picked 3 streets we felt inspired to visit. One of them was the same, so we went there. The first few houses no one answered, or no one was interested, but then we met Maria. She let us in and we were able to get to know her and tell her about our purpose as missionaries. We set a return appointment with her and I am so excited to visit her again! She is so strong and is such an incredible woman. I just felt so much love for her because I know that our way to her was so inspired. I want to be able to feel that towards every single person that we talk with. When we put our faith in the Lord, so many more things are possible.

Last but not least, in my personal study today I read the talk "Why this Holy Land?" by Russell M. Nelson. Holy cow, wow oh wow. So cool. It talks a lot about the significance behind all of the places Christ lived or visited, etc. My favorite part was about the Atonement. It says,

"Jesus came to the base of the Mount of Olives to effect the first component of the Atonement. This He did at the Garden of Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane comes from two Hebrew roots: gath, meaning “press,” and shemen, meaning “oil,” especially that of the olive. There olives had been pressed under the weight of great stone wheels to squeeze precious oil from the olives. So the Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane was literally pressed under the weight of the sins of the world. He sweated great drops of blood—his life’s “oil”—which issued from every pore."

Wow. I just am blown away by that image and the symbolism here. There really is no coincidence that everything happened where it happened. God planned out every single detail, and how perfect and flawless is His plan! My testimony of the Atonement grows more and more every single day as I try to apply it in my life, and try to help other people apply it to theirs. He then goes on to talk about how the very last thing Christ told His apostles to do is to preach the gospel to all the world. (Read Matthew 28:19-20, por favor) As I was reading this I want to tell you all to do this, apply this counsel into your lives. It may not be completely converting someone, but simply sharing the message or helping others to feel of the incredible power of the love of God. I have realized that on my mission. The goal isn't necessarily to convert every single person that I meet, however great that may be. But it is to simply live my life in a way that I can be an example to these people of how what I know has helped me in my life and has brought me so much happiness. I simply want to help them feel of the love of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. That can change the world. So, my challenge to you is to take part in missionary work at home. As a missionary I really do recognize how important members are in the work, and I cannot say it to you enough times. Have the missionaries over for dinner, go out with them to help them teach a lesson, share your Spirit and help others feel of this love.

I love you all and hope that you are doing well! Have an incredible week!!

LOOOOVE,

 

Hermana Hoj

 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

 

Advanced pumpkin carving skills!

 

                                     

                                               

                                                   Not sweat! Just a Houston downpour!

 

 

Wishing you were here to have one of these amazing tacos!

 

 

 

 

Hermana Hoj says "LOOK"!

Querido familia que yo amo mucho,

Every week there is so much that happens and I just don't even know what to tell you! I'm attempting to organize it all in my head, but just work with me here if it gets super scattered.

So for your questions. On Halloween we have to be in our apartments by 6:30 for safety reasons and what not. We're going to a member's house for dinner that night and then we'll just head back and study or write in our journals or things like that. I did get to go to a Halloween party this past week though! I went on exchanges and went to another area. One of their members holds a party every year so we got to help run booths and games for the kids. It was a lot of fun and so great to see all the kids dressed up! Super cute. And yes, you are right about Texas being part of the bible belt. There are so many churches everywhere and a lot of them are massive! Chicken is also huge here. Chicken restaurants are everywhere you look! And, to prove both of these points...there is even a restaurant called Church's Chicken. So that pretty much sums up Texas for ya! haha There are so many religious people here which is awesome because everyone is willing to talk about God, but also a lot of people say they're already set in their own religion. But that is one thing that is so cool about being on a mission. You get to know people on a completely different level than you would if you were just in a regular conversation with them. So that's awesome!

So far we have found most of our investigators through knocking and past investigators. We're working with our ward right now on getting them more involved in the work, but it just takes time, and therefore a lot of patience. That is definitely one thing that I have had to work on a lot while being out on the mission is my patience. We just want things to happen in our time...right here, right now. We've got to remember that we're on the Lord's schedule, and everything will happen in His time. So patience. Yes I am working on that a lot right now with the language, teaching, people, etc. It's good for me! We have been visiting a lot of members and less actives as well to help create that unity that we need. We found 4 or 5 new investigators this week, so I am really excited to get working with them. 3 of them are from one family and I am so so excited to continue teaching them. They are incredible. We had been teaching the mom for a little bit, but we went over one day and started talking with her daughters too. One of her daughters has 3 kids, and her husband passed away about a year ago. She has been really confused about what to believe about life after death and what her husband is going through right now. A perfect opportunity for us to teach them the Plan of Salvation! Wow, wow, wow. One of the best experiences I've had on my mission so far! As we explained this to them, their faces all lit up with hope. A hope that this is true and that it's not the end. She said she really likes this, and it's different than what they've heard before. This plan is for us to be happy! It brings us hope! Ah I don't even know how to explain it. The Spirit was so strong. We asked them to pray that night to know that the plan was true. I'm excited to talk to them again to know what they've been feeling. One thing that I found so amazing though, was how my testimony of the Plan of Salvation and God's love grew. There is hope for everyone! I feel so blessed to have this knowledge and to share it with others.

I already mentioned how I went on exchanges this week, and I want to tell you a miracle story from this too. I went to the Oakcrest area with Hna. Glauser. We went knocking for a little while and the coolest knocking experience I have had yet happened. It was honestly one of those "meant to be experiences." We knocked on a door and a young man (probably in his 20s) answered the door with a cigarette in his hand, and then his mom followed him to the door. I thought they were going to tell us "thanks, but no thanks" because they did not seem at all interested. We kept asking them questions and continued to bear our testimonies to them. We found out that her mother had recently passed away and they were going through a hard time. We asked if we could leave with a prayer and they accepted. After the prayer the man went inside but the mom stayed and talked with us for a few more minutes. She started telling us how she had just made a really difficult phonecall, but didn't elaborate past that. But then she just broke down in tears. She started thanking us multiple times and telling us how much it meant to her that we had stopped by. So, I don't know exactly how, but I think that in some way we were an answer to her prayers. I have so many more stories that I could tell you, but I just don't have enough time. But I want you all to know that I know the Lord is mindful of each and every one of us. He puts us in people's paths so that we can become better and stronger together. I can't even tell you how many times we have had appointments planned that have fallen through, but then we see miracles that would have never happened had the appointment worked out. The Lord knows what is best!!

And this is my last thing for you today. Today I read in 1 Nephi 11 after praying to know of the love of God and to have a better understanding of it. (All of you should take the time to read this. Seriously though. I mean it.) Wow, were my prayers answered. As I was reading I recognized how many times the Spirit tells Nephi to "Look!" It's simple--I need to do that too. The Spirit is telling me to look. There is evidence of God's love surrounding us. We can't get away from it. We can choose to ignore it, but why deny that love? So rather, look. Look and behold the marvelous love that God has for YOU. Because it is there. The love of God "is the most desirable above all things," "and the most joyous to the soul." (vs. 22-23) Why, why would you choose to not have that in your life? Don't you want that joy? It is the words of God that lead us to this everlasting love. Nephi bears witness of Christ ministering to, healing, and teaching the people--giving them God's word. But, people still chose to reject Him and His words. How can you do that when all He did was serve you and your people? Nephi saw these people judge Christ and watched them lift Christ upon the cross. He witnessed the crucifixion and death of the Savior of the world. I cannot even comprehend watching that. In 32 and 33 it says:

"And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son fo the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world."

My eyes tear up and my heart aches each time I read those scriptures. I literally had tears pouring from my eyes this morning as I read and understood more of the love that the Savior has for me. So, why reject Jesus Christ? Why reject the perfect and infinite love that is given to us, that surrounds us, that is more desirable above all else and will fill us with the most joy? Accept the love that God has for you, and show your love to Him in return. Feast upon the words of God because they will lead you to feel of their love. And listen to the voice of the Spirit. Look! And marvel at the love that you are surrounded by. I cannot begin to express even a portion of the gratitude that I have for my Savior. As I put myself in Nephi's shoes and imagined myself watching the Savior die for the sins of the world, I wanted to sit there and sob. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to witness that. I think about what we must have been feeling as we looked down on Him from above--us being the cause of His suffering. His love is perfect, and it is infinite. I am so grateful that I was able to recognize that this morning and that the Spirit answered my prayers. I am going to try really hard this week to LOOK! and see all the things around me that are evidence of His love. And I challenge you to do the same. May we all recognize the love the Savior has for us and choose to love others in the same way. So I want you to know that I love you all, and I hope that you can feel of my love for you every day.

Con amor,

Hermana Hoj

                                         Hermanas Hoj and Driesel

                                  The Hermanas enjoying some Arroz con leche
                                  compliments of Hermana Salgado

                
             Hermana Hoj and two of Hermana Driesel's former companions

                              
                      The husband of one of the recent converts.
                      One of the kindest men I know!                          

                A street we visit often that floods every time it rains!

 

 

 

Howdy Ya'll!

Hello to my favorite family in all the world!

 

How are things with all of you? I was so excited to get to write and hear from you today, I look forward to it more and more every week!  

Tell Anne and Hannah thanks for the recipes and pictures, and also Karin for the card and picture! I've got them hanging up on my wall! And for things to put up, yeah I like quotes, but I want more pictures of my family!! I miss you guys and want to see your faces! Love your face! Right? I could look at that every day and say that to each of your faces. That would be ideal. Oh and guess what? I bought shoes today! They have a DSW right nearby and I was able to find a pair of flats that go up the back of my ankle so nothing is pushing into it! Yay! I am slightly normal again! The sandals I have are starting to fall apart so I went and got these ones. Anyways...it's been a crazy week. So awesome, amazing, tiring, hard, and all around great. That's what a mission should be right? Here goes.

 

So I had my first exchanges this week! Hna. Driesel is the sister training leader, so I get to go on exchanges every week! It'll be good for me to get to know other Hnas and learn from them. I went to Louetta this week with Hna. Hale and she is so great. We had a full day of appointments, then all of them fell through. That seemed to actually happen a lot this week, but the Lord knows what he is doing. So we ended up doing a lot of tracting. This was a great experience, and I've got a great story to tell you about this. So we started talking to this one guy who is Muslim. We're over here testifying about Jesus Christ and how He is our Savior, when Muslims believe Christ was only a prophet. (I think) He definitely had some strong opinions on this one. We asked him his name and he said this...hahaha I laugh so hard just thinking about it. Ahmreel. Ahmreelmad. I thought he was getting really heated and mad at us for talking to him about Jesus Christ and I was so scared that he was going to start yelling at us and order us to leave. I mean he just told us his name was "I'm real mad." Then he went on to explain that his mom was mad at his father so she named him Ahmreel mad. I don't know how you spell it but I was sooo confused. But such a funny story!! I can't explain it super well though...maybe it's just one of those things where you had to be there for it to be funny.

 

On Thursday we got to go to the temple!! The Houston Temple is absolutely beautiful, and I really like being able to hear it in English again. My understanding went way up. Words cannot explain how much I love the temple. It is so beautiful!! There are also giant giant houses around the temple that blow my mind. Oh and before I forget, Mom there is this one neighborhood here that we went to go eat at a members house and it is so beautiful. There's this one house...just wow. I'll take pictures next time and send it to you. After the temple we got to go to St. Luke's hospital and help a woman there learn English, and that was a really cool experience. We get to just talk with her and help her, and sometimes that's the best kind of service is just listening.

 

Now onto the other things. We have seen SO MANY MIRACLES. It is incredible how mindful the Lord is of us. We've had some really great lessons this week and some really great finds too. So we went to this one area that we had multiple appointments set up in and they all fell through. The people weren't home or chose to pretend they weren't home...we get that a lot! haha But we were walking on the street and we could turn right or left. The logical way would have been right, but we both felt like we should go left. And thank goodness we did! As we turned we saw one of our investigators, Vanessa, pulling out of her street. She pulled up to us and rolled down her window. She said that her kids weren't home and she didn't know what to do with her time. We jumped on that opportunity and said, "Want us to come visit?" She said yes! So we went over and talked with her and had an AWESOME lesson. We talked a lot about the Atonement, the love of God, and what we can do to feel it in our lives. Boy did we testify! She said she loves that feeling and wishes she could have it all the time and we told her how she can! We invited her to the ward fiesta we were having that night, not really sure if she would come. So that was a miracle. We went to the ward fiesta, and at first no one was there. But, they all just came late. MIRACLES! I am telling you, God is good. We had 2 of our investigators come, and 5 of the recent converts or inactive families that we have been working with came too! This was such a blessing and showed us that our hard work is paying off and we are making a difference. That is one thing I love about Hna. Driesel is that we both have a desire to work work work. We are always trying to make every minute of our day an opportunity to share with others the message we have, and it is paying off! This week is already full of appointments and I am so grateful and feel so blessed to have that. The past two days however, pretty much all of our appointments fell through. We had no idea where we were supposed to be or what we needed to be doing, but the Lord always provides a way for us and I am so grateful for that! He knows the bigger picture, and we just have to let Him work through us. So we made some other visits that made me so happy. There is this one lady in our ward who is bed ridden because of a stroke that left her partially paralyzed. She is incredible, absolutely incredible. We sit and talk with her for a little while, and you know that this trial is hard for her because she'll tear up, but she always says she knows that God has a plan for her. Her faith is one of the strongest I have ever seen. My hope and faith in Christ increase when we visit her. It's one of those things where we go to teach her, and she ends up teaching us! Wow, she is a remarkable woman and I hope that my faith can one day be as great as hers. Yesterday, our appointments also all fell through. We felt that we should go to an area called Conroe and try visiting a less active member up there. Apparentally missionaries have been there multiple times and haven't been able to get in with her. But...we did! She came to the door and talked with us for awhile like we were just her best friends! So that was also a miracle. That's one thing that I learned this week, is that God is a God of miracles.

 

And one more thing that I have learned this week. I have been a little discouraged at times with my Spanish. My companion is so good at speaking Spanish and at talking with people, so sometimes I don't really have a lot to say. I'll have things come to my mind that I could say, but I'm often worried that it's completely off topic because I misunderstood, or the topic is changed before I can say it. I know I just need to be more bold and confident but it can be hard! Today in my personal study I read a talk from President Uchtdorf (the first presidency message...A Word for the Hesitant Missionary) This was exactly what I needed to hear, and it was perfect! The section titled "Be Filled With Faith" is what really made an impact. I read this and found instant peace and comfort.

"Conversion comes not through our words but through the heavenly ministrations of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes all it takes is one single phrase of our testimony or about an experience to set in motion the softening of a heart or the opening of a door that can lead others to experience sublime truths through the promptings of the Spirit...Brothers and sisters, have faith. The Lord can magnify the words you speak and make them mighty. God doesn’t ask you to convert but rather to open your mouths. The task of converting is not yours—that belongs to the person hearing and to the Holy Spirit."

 

When I read this I just wanted to cry and give thanks to the Lord for helping make me, with all my flaws and weaknesses, measure up to what has been asked of me. I know that with Him, I can do this! I'm going to be trying a lot harder to make more comments and have faith that the Lord will help those I'm speaking to hear what they need to hear. After all, it's our sincerity and love, and the Spirit that can change a person, not merely our words. I want you to know that I do have faith that the Lord can make this happen and that He is ever mindful of me. I cannot see why I was sent here or the person that I am capable of becoming, but He can. That is all that matters. Then, if I put my faith and my trust in Him, He will help me turn into that person more and more every day. Words just cannot express the love that I have for the gospel and for my Savior Jesus Christ. My heart is so full of love and gratitude, and I want to express this through the way that I live. Being a missionary helps me see so much more than I could have ever seen before, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I have to serve.

 

I love you and miss you all more than you could know, but I know I'm doing what I am supposed to be doing at this time. Have an incredible week!!!

 

Con amor,

Hermana Hoj

 

Finally a real Hola from Houston!

Hello!!

First of all this is my new address, before I forget:

 

Hermana Annie Hoj

26325 Northgate Crossing Boulevard #1621

Spring, TX 77373

So much has happened that I will try to get you caught up on, but there is no possible way to tell you all of it. You'd be sitting at the computer reading for days! haha So to first answer all ya'lls questions (and yes I have the authority to use ya'll all I want now!)

So with the airport. We didn't know what the rules were about calling so we went to ask the MTC president's wife and she told us that it's one of those kind of myth things that people do, but she told us we weren't supposed to. So I'm sorry I didn't get to call, but I was trying to be as obedient as I could be. I wouldn't have really had time to call anyways if that makes you feel any better. So I will see you all on Christmas Day! Can't wait. And that picture was sent from Sister Pingree's phone. Cute huh? I sure do love the Pingrees so much! I can already tell they will be the best mission presidents that I could have ever asked for. My achilles is finally starting to feel better, and yes I got the shoes and they are working perfectly. The sandals work because it zips up the back and doesn't put pressure on where it hurts. Since it was feeling better I decided to try exercising and I rode 10 miles on the bike this morning! Whoop whoop! It feels so good to finally sweat again! And it's not hurting so I hope I can ease my way back into it. I called the doctor's office and they can't get me in until the 28th so we'll see how it's feeling by then and see if I still need to see him by that point. So I hope that it continues to heal! Hannah, thanks for taking care of my little sister for me, there's no one else I'd rather have doing that for me. You are the best. Wow...where to begin. Here goes.

We got to the Houston airport to be greeted by President and Sister Pingree and the two AP's. There were about 35 people coming in I think, and Hna. Hill and I were the only Spanish sisters! When we got here we went to a church building to have a snack and went over some training things. Then we had dinner and boy was it good! It's good to have some more familiar foods again. We met a lot of the other adults that help manage the mission and they are all so great. Then I saw the Pingree kids too! That was so exciting and so happy. I just feel so darn lucky to have them here!! I was able to stay the night at the President's house with some other sisters and then we had breakfast with all of the new missionaries the next morning. Then we went to the church again to meet our new companions. President Pingree would call the trainer up, have them explain their area, then announce who the new companion was. I was second to last so I was so anxious throughout the whole thing! My new companion is Hermana Driesel. I LOVE HER! She is from Kuna, Idaho and is absolutely adorable. I couldn't have asked for a better trainer. She has been out for almost a year and her Spanish is good. So much better than mine. That is probably the hardest thing about the mission for me right now. The language is a beast. haha But I'm learning a whole lot and I just have to keep practicing. We have a lot of opportunities to speak Spanish so I can definitely practice! I can understand most of what's going on, but I have some problems speaking in Spanish. Especially small talk because my vocabulary is very limited to gospel terms. So yes, I wish I could understand and talk with people a lot better but it just comes with time. My patience will be very tested over the next little while. Anyways, back to my companion. She has trained 5 times so I am in good hands. She is so sweet, diligent, and obedient. I am very grateful for that! Oh and I have been put in the Woodlands North Area! I love it in Houston already. The weather has been nice, it is definitely more humid--but not unbearable--and it has rained multiple times already. So after we were assigned our companions we took my stuff back to the apartment. We are so blessed! They are great apartments. We have a gym here so that's nice, and also in the main building they always have cookies for anyone so that's great too! I love being able to make my own food though. We're going grocery shopping today and I'm so excited to get lots of awesome food! Anyways, sorry this is all over the place. After we got to the apartment we left and got right to work! So much happens everyday that I barely remember what happened yesterday. And here is my miracle story for the week. We had an appointment with an investigator, and my very first appointment fell through. But the Lord is mindful of us and always has His hand in this work. We went to go see a referral that some other missionaries had given us that were in the same apartment complex. We knocked on the door and a man answered but the person we were looking for didn't live there. We gave him a card, and his friend came to the door asking if he could have one too. His name is Thomas. He came outside and talked to us for a little while and he agrees with everything that we taught him. We tried to set an appointment with him but he is super busy with work. He said that he would call us if he ever had time to talk. And this is where it gets crazy. He called us! I mean, when does that ever happen? So we taught him all about our purpose as missionaries and the restoration. So I hope that we can continue to progress with him.

So I have been here about 5 days? Yeah I've already had dinner with 5 families. And get this, so cool. We get to have dinner with a Pakistani couple every week. They don't really speak English except for hellos and thank yous (the husband can speak a little bit more), and we can't speak Ordu but it's still such a cool experience! You can feel the love in the room even though we can't express our feelings through words. They are great, and the food is too! Then we had two dinners yesterday and boy that was not fun being that full. Hence the 10 miles on the bike this morning. haha but the members here are so awesome and even though I can't communicate with them very well, their support and spirits give me lots of hope. Church was great! I'm pretty sure it was in the refrigerated section of Costco though. Holy cow talk about it being fresco! Good thing I brought my rain coat. I didn't understand a lot, but I met so many people and they are all so so awesome! Even though I am testifying and talking about God every day, Sundays still have a special little something added to them. We also had an investigator at church yesterday, and two less active members too! I really hope we can get them to keep coming. Yesterday we visited with members and there was one family we visited that are so incredible, the Reyes. I could just feel their love for the Savior and missionary work. We all had a bit of an emotional conversation, and don't worry we are being well taken care of here. Even though I don't get to be with you all at home, I still feel the same love and support here and that is something I am so grateful for. I am so blessed to be sharing this gospel and bringing that joy into other people's lives. I am learning so much, and my relationship with the Savior grows more each day. We pray so much here! I love it. But I love the gospel and the chance I have to share it. I know that it is true and I am so grateful that I can recognize the Lord's hand in my life. I will leave you with these three words. GOD IS GOOD. Love you all and hope all is well with you at home! Thank you for your love and support!

Con muchisisisisismo amor,

Hermana Hoj

                                                          Jesus Lane in Houston

                                                          A Texas Sunset

Hermana Hoj & Hermana Driesel