Mon, May 25, 2015 The Will of the Father

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

Wow!! Esta semana fue una semana a recordar! Hermana Johnson and I have worked so hard this week! We truly know that the Lord will bless us as we give it all we've got! We have been really trying to use the most of our time, which means talking to literally everyone we see. We have seen so many miracles this week as we have been faithful and diligent! 

One of my favorite things this week was the opportunity we had to have a mini missionary. We were chosen last minute to have a mini missionary, one of the youth from the stake, to be a missionary for a couple days! We got Hermana Moro, who is actually in our ward! Oh man, she is a hoot. There were so many funny experiences with her! The first one was after talking to people at Surrey Central, we were just pulling out of the parking lot. Then we notice that this car is following us. So we stopped and watched this man get out of his car. We see him reach into his pocket and start running toward our car. Haha, while this is going on, Hermana Moro is freaking out and yelling, "Ah, what is that man doing? Hurry drive away! Drive away!" And I guess that is where missionaries and everyone else differs. Hermana Johnson and I were so thrilled that someone was actually approaching us instead of us having to go up to them. So we hurried and stopped the car and rolled down the window. The man turned out to be someone we visited. Backstory: One night we were out looking for one of our potential investigators and we knocked on the wrong door. So this man answers and invites us right in. His family is from Iraq and was so incredibly pleasant! They gave us interesting cookies and we had a great conversation about the gospel. Well anyways, this man was so excited to see his friends again! So he came up with a huge smile on his face and handed us his business card. Haha I think Hermana Moro almost had a heart attack! 

Hermana Lewis, Hermana Wilson, (mini missionary), Hermana Moro (mini missionary), Hermana Hoth, Hermana Johnson

with Hermana Moro and her daughter

Then the next funny story happened when we were in a lesson with Rita! We were talking about prayer and then all the sudden Rita gets up and leaves. She came back quickly and apologized for having to get a drink of water. She said that all the sudden she had a sharp pain in her chest. Hermana Moro hears that and then goes off about how "that pain that she felt was the Holy Ghost and that's how we can know if all of what we're saying is true." She went on and on and shared a really powerful testimony about the Spirit. (It was awesome) and to end it she asked Rita, "Is this the feeling that you felt?" Rita just stared at her for a long time and finally said, "No." Hermana Johnson and I were dying. It was so awkward and so funny!  

Hermana Hoth & Hermana Johnson, MAKE A WISH!

Oh man, so we have had so many miracles this week. The first one was with our investigator, Tania. She is so solid, but she hasn't come to church yet. She says that she wants it to be a family thing, but her family really hasn't shown any interest...at least hadn't until this week! When we arrived at Tania's, her son, Oscar, was there and decided that he wanted to join us. So instead of giving the lesson we had planned, we taught the Restoration. I absolutely know that he felt the Spirit. He was so engaged in the lesson and had so many amazing questions that lead perfectly into the next thing we were going to talk about. It was incredible, Tania was so excited to have her son be listening to us. She loved helping us explain things and telling us to show certain pictures from the pamphlets at different spots in the lesson. Oscar hearing the words of Joseph Smith's first vision. He told us after that he had no doubt that Joseph saw God and Jesus Christ. I wish I could explain the joy and the Spirit I felt as I watched Tania share the gospel with her son and as he accepted it all. I know that the Spirit can touch any heart...it's by the Spirit that we know truth. I felt the Spirit so strong when Oscar paused after hearing the first vision and just said, "Wow!". But wait, that's not the end of this miracle! When we started talking about the Book of Mormon, Tania's daughter came in the room. In the past, Stephanie has always interrupted our lessons to ask her mom a question, but this time for some reason she stayed. She had some tricky questions for us, but we were able to answer them because we were guided by the Spirit. At the end of the lesson all three of them, Tania, Oscar, and Stephanie all committed to reading the Book of Mormon. I'm so excited for this family to have the gospel in their lives. It truly does change lives. I hope that all of you will allow the gospel of Jesus Christ to change and shape your lives! 

Because of our goal to be diligent, Hermana Johnson and I called through everyone in our area book and in our old planners to see if anyone would be interested in learning more. We came across one of the people we met during our first transfer, his name is Jessie. We met him on the street and he told us all about how he wants to change his life and have a clean start. He was so sincere and truly wanted to change. He told us that he would be moving to the island to start all over. We remembered passing him off to the missionaries over there, but we decided to call him anyway. He was so touched that we had been praying for him and remember him. He told us that the missionaries hadn't been in contact with him, so after our conversation we told the missionaries over there again to call him. It was incredible, the elders on the island had a lesson with him and now he has a baptismal date. And another miracle similar to that. We found a man named Jorge who had been in contact with the church for a long time, but he couldn't ever meet with us. So we passed him off to the the Spanish elders and they met with him yesterday. He has a baptismal date too! There are so many miracles!

One quick story...so our favorite people to talk to are Sikh people. They never understand us but they always get the biggest smiles on their face when we talk to them! This Sikh man came up to Hermana Johnson and me yesterday. He had the biggest, toothless grin I've ever seen. He kept pointing at Hermana Johnson's hair, saying, "Goo Hai" or good hair!;) Haha 

A blast from the past with Hermana Johnson & Hermana Cobb

This morning I was studying in Mosiah 15. And something stood out to me that hasn't ever stood out before. In verse 7, it says, "the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father." I love that. My mission in life is to become one with God. I want to be one in purpose, one in desire, and I want His will to be my will. It's amazing to me that even the Lord, who had perfect intent, had His will swallowed up by the Father. Our earthly will or design must be swallowed up in the Father's will in order for us to be one with God. In the beginning of the verse it explains all of the sufferings that Christ had to go through. It's the same with us...we go through so much heartache, trial, and temptation in this life...and all of it is to help us align our will with the Father's. The next verse explains all of the miracles that came from the Lord aligning His will with the Father's. I absolutely know that we can do the same. We can change, we can become better, and we can see miracles. Those miracles come as we recognize the Father's will for us! I invite all of you to read the Book of Mormon and find out what God's will is for you! I love to think of the Book of Mormon as a road map for our lives! As you follow His will perfectly, you will see miracles!! I love you all and thanks for all of your support!

Love Hermana Hoth

Tue, May 19, 2015 PUT YOUR SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL! (This letter was received on MAY 19th, 2015 because of a Canadian holiday. The libraries were closed where they use the computers to write emails.)

         Here is a description of the Canadian Holiday on May 18th that we found on the internet.

Victoria Day    

Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the Monday preceding May 25 in every province and territory. It honours Queen Victoria's birthday. In Quebec this holiday is called "National Patriotes Day" (Journée nationale des patriotes).In 2015 the Victoria Day holiday is on Monday, May 18.

Victoria Day is also commonly referred to as the "May two-four weekend" or the "May long weekend" and it marks the unofficial start of the cottage season where cases of beer* are consumed by hard working Canadians. That's what we heard anyway. Or maybe it's called May two-four because May 24, 1819 is Queen Victoria's birthday :-)

Hey everyone!!

Wow! What a week! After losing one of our companions, Hermana Johnson and I really had to figure out how to do this work again...but with just 2 of us now! We have been working so hard to reach the goals that have been set for us by the Mission President. There is no stopping us now! We have been working so hard, and praying even harder. We've really tried to not only focus on the Spanish work here, but also help build up the English work too! So we are setting return appointments with everyone we see, or trying to anyways! As we do this, I know the Lord will bless us with Latinos to teach! It's been so great to set a new expectation of diligence! 

One of the miracles that has come from this was meeting Juan. The same day we met Juan, we had been out contacting around a park! We were talking to everyone and just trying to have as many quality gospel conversations as possible!! Later in the afternoon, we met Juan. It was incredible, we were explaining the church and telling him that we have a Spanish congregation. He seemed really excited and interested to learn more. The best part about meeting him was when he told us that he had seen us out and about talking to everyone. He drove by as we were doing that! So crazy, I know that we were supposed to meet him and that the Lord was directing us to him! 

Oh man, we met the coolest girl this week. We were walking down a sidewalk and she was the only other person in the world it seemed...the streets were empty. So we yell, "Hello!". And immediately she stops, takes her headphones out, and introduces herself! What? That never NEVER happens! Throughout our conversation, she kept saying how she is going to change the world. She told us about her passions to help everyone and really make a difference! Crazy enough, she is only a senior in high school. A senior, and already changing the world. She told us that her home growing up was really rough for her. She was so depressed all the time. So she came to the conclusion...that she could either let her past dictate her future or she could change. She said, "One day, I decided I was going to be happy." How incredible and inspiring is that? Being happy is a choice. It's a decision that we all must make in our lives! Are we going to let everyday be just another day being shaped by our surroundings? Or are we going to find the happiness and shape our surroundings? I've realized that the happiness that world has to offer isn't the happiness that we are looking for. The only happiness that will bring us complete satisfaction is the happiness that the gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. 

The last thing that I want to share is the realization that I've come to this week. My whole life, I've hated change. I've hated moving on, leaving things behind, and embracing the new. Well the other night, while I was praying, I realized that I was praying for change. I was praying that I would be able to change into the person God wants me to be. What? I never thought that I would ever do that. When one prays for change, they are praying for the experiences that will mold and shape them into becoming something new. Most of the time, those experiences are hard...sometimes even the hardest thing you will ever do! And I was praying for that! I'm so grateful for this gospel and for the chance to be better. That's what it's all about...isn't it? That's why we're here on earth, that's why I'm here on this mission, and that's why Jesus Christ did everything He did for us. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can reach new heights. We can become a new person! My invitation for all of you is to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ..embrace the change that it brings to you! If you're not a member of the church! Consider the evidence that God has reached out in love to YOU. He has given you all of his truths and has provided the way for you to be the very best person you can be. I know that God loves all of you so much! For God so loved the world...and so loved YOU...that He gave His son, Jesus Christ, so that we might reach our potential! I love you all and thank you so much for the support!!                                 Love, Hermana Hoth

On exchanges with Lewis & Williamson

with Hermana Lewis this is where the michael buble song just haven't met you yet was filmed 

For all you Once Upon a Time fans! Here's Storybook

Mon, May 11, 2015 Our trio's down to two.

(It was so much fun to Skype with Emily on Mother's Day! She looks and sounds great! So fun to see her hilarious facial expressions and to hear her awesome laugh!! She taught us some of a lesson in Spanish and then we had a prayer together at the end of the call and she prayed in Spanish! She sounds so great speaking Spanish! We sure do miss her, but couldn't be more proud of her! She is growing and learning things she couldn't learn anywhere else! We Love this girl sooo much!!!)

Hola mis amigos,

..out tracting   Hermana Cobb, Hermana Johnson, Herman Hoth

One of my favorite parts about this week was the opportunity to study our Mission President's weekly news letter! This week was all about charity. He took it and analyzed so many different aspects of charity. My favorite was how he explained charity as being part of "self-mastery". I absolutely love that! The whole point of a mission, and life, is to be able to master yourself. Master the natural man. While we are here on earth, or on our missions, we are learning heaven. We are learning how to become more like God and His Son, Jesus Christ. I love that when we are turning outward and focusing more on others, we are learning "self-mastery". The natural man automatically turns inward and focuses on yourself, but those who turn outward are those who learn who they are and who they can become at a faster pace. I'm not someone who loves change, but I love the opportunity to be on this mission so I can change everyday. I love how much the mission changes you. Change is usually a scary thing, but embracing the change is the exact thing that allows us to become like our Savior. To become the person He wants us to be and needs us to be!

Our theme song for the past few days has been the Lion king song, "our trios down to 2". Haha, I can't believe it. We got our transfer calls on Saturday. Hermana Johnson and I will be staying in Surrey, and Hermana Cobb is being transferred to Vancouver speaking english. I really am so grateful for the opportunity I had to have 2 trainers! As crazy and hard as it was, I'm glad I'm coming away from it being a better person than when I started this transfer.

So this week we had so so many lessons planned and we had members from the ward coming to every single one. Everything seemed like it would be a really fantastic week, but sadly, all but 2 lessons fell through! Good thing too, or else we wouldn't have met so many amazing people. One of my favorite experiences from this week was when we met Mat. 

On Saturday, we were just walking back to the car after contacting at Surrey Central. Hermana Cobb walks up to this man who doesn't look homeless, but is laying down on the cement. She asked how his day was and he got so emotional and said how hard it was for him right now! He really didn't want to listen to us at all, but I asked if we could at least say a prayer with him before we left. So I said the prayer and after he said, "Okay, I feel better now." He told us how badly he wants to change and how he doesn't like where he is in life. He said he felt trapped, and I know that he feels trapped because he has been choosing Satan's way over the Lord's way. He talked about how drugs are literally taking control of his life; it really is so sad. I absolutely know that choosing the Lord's way and keeping the commandments makes us free like it says in Mosiah 5:8. We told him that he truly can change through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was incredible, during our conversation, his girlfriend texted him and told him that he can move back in. He took it as a sign/miracle from God. It was incredible. He asked us to text him every now and again with uplifting thoughts! I know he is so prepared for the gospel and for the change that can only come through Jesus Christ. I pray that he will take this opportunity to change!  

I got to go on exchanges this week...again...4th week in a row.:) It was so great to be with Hermana Williamson and Hermana Lewis in Vancouver! Haha they are so great and hilarious...oh and they have ice cream. So that was a pleasant change from all the veggies!;) My favorite thing about those two Hermanas is how they look at their mission with such a positive attitude all the time. Almost every other minute they we're saying, "what a blessing." Haha I loved it. If everyone just looked for the blessings in life, everyone would be happier!

Yesterday for mother's day, the hermanos handed out roses to all of the madres at church. Us three each got a rose, but we decided that after skyping our families we would go hand them out to our investigators. We were able to take one to Carla. She is always so busy with her five kids so she can never meet with us, but she was home! We were able to share a quick message with her. She told us that she "feels bad that she hasn't been able to meet with us or come to church. Not because she feels obligated to, but because she feels like something is missing." I thought it was so incredible that she recognized how big of an impact the gospel has had on her just after going to church once!

Well everyone I hope you're doing great! Thanks for all the love and support! Remember how amazing God is and I challenge you all to look for ways to change. Look for ways to become better and more like our Savior!

Love, Hermana Hoth

...on exchanges crossing over a beautiful bridge in Vancouver

& Dad's version of the picture, (MISSIONARIES IN MIRROR ARE MIGHTIER THAN THEY APPEAR)  :)

May 4, 2015 Roosters actually don't "Cock-a-doodle-doo"

Hola,

Wow, this has been quite the week! To start off, last Pday we were able to do something fun!;) Haha we went to a part of Surrey with tons of East Indian shops. It was so cool to go to a Sikh temple...their culture and religion is so fascinating for me! Everyone in the temple was so pleasant and helped us find our way around. The rest of the night was amazing. We decided to stop by Luis and Rosa again. She was so excited to see us! It's interesting, they've decided to not go to any church because "all of them are so man made". So they hold their own little service at their house every Saturday just with their family. It sounds a lot like Family Home Evening so we asked if we could come and visit for an hour one Saturday. There family is adorable. They have 3 little boys and the youngest one is always dressed up like Spiderman when we visit. Then they told us of another Latino family in the area. So we knocked on their door...and MIRACLE! It was a girl that we had met at Surrey Central a week ago. I was so glad that I remembered her name, and she remembered us too. She said, "You're kind of hard to forget!". 

So one of my favorite experiences this week was when we visited an old investigator. She hasn't taken the discussions in a long time, but we felt like we should stop by! Her name is Virginia and she is from Argentina. She invited us right in and we started talking like we had known each other for years! The first thing she said when we walked in was, "I've been thinking about joining your church." Haha, well great!!! That's exactly why we're here! The coolest part is that Virginia, her boyfriend, and one of her little boys came to church. It was incredible! All of the lessons at church seemed to be tailor fitted to them! And also, Rita and Lenin came to church again! They loved hearing all of the little kids bear their testimonies! It really was such a neat experience!

Check out these cats and veggies. Yup..my life!  

So one of my least favorite experiences this week was when we were talking to EVERYONE...and I mean everyone...on the streets. Haha, it's actually pretty funny! Hermana Johnson and I were talking to this huge man from Africa! He said his name was, "God's Will...something something...with God all is possible.", but he goes by "Bright" for short. He was pretty cool at first, but then he started saying stuff like, "you know as representatives of your church you probably shouldn't have so many "infections" (which means zits I guess). So then he went on for hours about how pineapple juice would cure everything. Wow...Haha...one of our favorite members to take to lessons with us is Hermana Moro. I will have to get a picture with her sometime to prove how awesome she is! Every Sunday she wears like 9 inch high heels, a huge sock bun on top of her bun, blue eye shadow, bright pink lipstick, and matching sunglasses that she wears on top of her head. Haha. But on our way to lessons, she always gives us so much advice and tells so many stories. This week, she was saying that when she moved to the U.S., she read childrens book to learn English. She told us how messed up the "animal sounds" are in English. For example, roosters don't go "Cock-a-doodle-doo-" but "EEE-EEE-EEEE". Haha she went on and on...it was hilarious. She was like, "Animals don't talk, I think you've got it all wrong."

This week, I was studying in Enos. Everything that I was going through this week was basically summed up in that one chapter. I love how he explains how diligent the people are in trying to restore the Lamanites. They were hard working missionaries, but the Lamanites wouldn't change. Mission work is so hard, but like Enos says, he "rejoiced in it above that of the world." Why would this hard work be the thing that he rejoices in? I believe it is because we get to watch people change, see them feel the Spirit, and witness the Lord opening their eyes. This work truly  is incredible! I would invite all of you to be a missionary...not specifically one that wears a name tag...but one that wears the Savior's name on their heart. Reach out to people, help them see the joy that you have felt from the gospel, and change someone's life. If we work with all our might to be our best and to help others come unto Christ, then we will be able to hear the same words that the Lord said to Enos, "Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father." I promise you that there is no greater joy than the joy that the gospel offers us! It is everlasting and eternal joy. I'm grateful that I have it in my life, it has changed me. I hope and pray that the love and joy of the gospel will change each of you too!

I love you all and hope your week is great! 

Con amor, Hermana Hoth