Monday, June 29, 2015

Mon, Jun 29, 2015 From cow tongue tacos to dainty finger sandwiches.




Hey everyone!

Sister Snarr, Sister Wright (new comp), Sister Hoth


 I made it to the promised land. Sidney is stunning and the people here are so pleasant. I got to ride on the ferry all by myself, which scared me to death. But I survived. My companion, Sister Wright, and the Senior couple were right there to pick me up! Sister Wright is so cute. She is from Payson, Utah and has been out on her mission for about 7 months. So she isn't that much older than me. Lets see...a few things about her...she loves martial arts, she is really energetic, and she loves being a missionary. I feel so blessed to have had so many amazing companions and now to have Sister Wright. I have a feeling I'm going to love it here in Sidney. It has such a different feel than Surrey. One of the main differences is that I'm not getting fed tacos anymore but egg sandwiches and mushroom soup. So different. I miss the tacos!

It was sad for me to say goodbye to Hermana Johnson. She was the best trainer anyone could have asked for! You know you had a good trainer when everyone here in Sidney, Hermana Johnson's old area, can't stop talking about her. I'm so grateful for everything I learned from her. 

So the first part of my week in Surrey, Hermana Johnson and I found this amazing lady from Ghana. Her name is Jamima. She was actaully on the phone when we walked by her, but immediately she talked to us and set up a visit for the next day! So we taught her the Restoration the next day. She remembered seeing elders riding their bikes around when she lived in Ghana. She told us to tell them they are doing a great job. It is truly amazing the impact that missionaries have on people, even if they don't talk to them. Jamima was so open to learning and had so many great questions! When she found out that we don't actually worship Joseph Smith she said, "You tell people that you don't worship him because a lot of people out there think you do." Haha, that's what we are trying to do here! I hope that she will progress in the gospel. She is so ready for it!

We were able to visit some of the members before I left! It was so hard to say goodbye to everybody. Surrey has become such a sacred place to me. People see Surrey as a scary, dangerous place, but I will always remember the times I shared powerful testimony with God's children there. I grew stronger and learned more than you can even imagine. I have such a great love for this work and especially for the people. It broke my heart having to say goodbye to the people who have changed my life. God works in such miraculous ways, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunities He has given me to become the person He needs me to be. Mosiah 18: 30. The Waters of Mormon became such a sacred place for these people because it is there that they, "came to a knowlege of their Redeemer; yea and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever." That is how Surrey is for me. I have come to know my Savior and Redeemer through the miraculous times that took place in Surrey. I imagine that is exactly how I will feel about my whole mission. My heart is so full, and I will "sing to his praise forever."

The famous Butchart Gardens are in her area!

Now onto Sidney. Wow, we have two really solid investigators. Such miracles. First, I'll talk about Laura! She is the first investigator I met while being in Sidney. Sister Wright actually found her last transfer and she seems to just be soaking up the gospel. Her grandson just got baptized so we were able to make it to that along with Laura. She was so emotional and was really touched by the video , "Discovering the hope of God's light". I feel like she could really relate to it. If you haven't seen this video, I encourage to to watch it. It has touched my heart every time I've seen it. 

Yesterday was so fantastic! The Sidney ward is so missionary-minded and have such a great desire to build the kingdom of God! I will have to tell you all about the members next time! I am so thankful for all of you and the support I feel! I hope all of you have such a fantastic week!

Love, Sister/Hermana Hoth

















Monday, June 22, 2015

Mon, Jun 22, 2015 Hello...eh!

Hello everyone!!
Nicole and Venessa two cute young women!
 I have some exciting news. We got transfer calls this week, and I am being transferred to the promised land, or at least that's what everyone calls it! That's right! I am being transferred to Sidney on Vancouver Island. And that's just the beginning....I will now be an English speaking missionary...at least for this transfer. Haha, just when I started getting comfortable with the language, the Lord throws a curve ball. Haha, well watch me hit a home run with it! But, really, I'm so excited for this new adventure! I'm ready to work harder than I ever have before. I know that there are so many miracles just waiting to happen in Sidney! Haha the Lord doesn't ever want me to get in my comfort zone while on the mission because "there is no growth in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growth zone." My new companion is Sister Wright! I don't know much about her, but I am so excited for this adventure. Hermana Johnson served there, so she has been telling me all about it. She says it is so beautiful and the ward there is amazing! I'm so sad to say goodbye to Spanish and all of the Latinos, but I know I'll come back to Spanish work one day! 


Cute little emily..she always gives me the biggest hug
This week, I have really tried to work on my faith. I have gained a testimony that faith is a choice. You can either choose to have faith or choose to be faithless or hopeless. But you can't have both at the same time! I've learned that when you have faith you are "able to do miracles according to the Lord's will." I love that. Hermana Johnson and I noticed, at the beginning of the week that we had lost faith. We weren't looking for the good and as a result to that, we became too negative to see any miracles. I know that faith produces miracles. Not just the grand, glorious, perfect miracles, but the simple, sweet miracles that one experiences every day. I promise that miracles are out there, and when we have faith, we have the eyes to see those miracles. Once Hermana Johnson and I figured that out, we were able to become the missionaries the Lord wants us to be. I pray that each of you will have the faith to see the beautiful miracles that each day has to offer us. Here is a quote by President Uchtdorf, 

"Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and  cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and  joy if only we will see and appreciate it." 



Pday...making shirts. 



Hermana Saenz making our shirts yeah! Yeah!
Okay, so the first miracle I want to talk about is Rita and Lenin. I mentioned last week that they haven't been progressing very much! So we got our favorite member to take with us and figured out exactly what they needed to hear in order to commit to progress. Every single concern that we brought up to our member, she covered in the lesson. She is very bold, but she does it out of love...so it was all good. We taught the lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was definitely directed by the Spirit. By the end, Rita and Lenin were asking about how the schedule for the baptism would go. And then THEY set a date for July 4th! I'm so excited for them, and I pray that they continue to progress. Pray for them that they will be able to make it to that date! It's sad that I will be gone for their baptism, but it's so good to know that I was a part of their journey. So special.

A sweet moment we had this week was when we were able to visit Alejandra. She is less active because of her health. She knows the scriptures inside and out and loves when we drop by for a visit. Last time, she mentioned how much she loves the hymns. So we brought a hymn book this time and she basically died of happiness. Haha, she was so sweet singing with us! 

Alejandra...she is the sweetest lady. she is less active because of her health. We visited her and sang hymns and shared a message. She LOVED it. 



And then the door right after we met him...was a miracle. This little lady opened the door a crack and asked what we wanted. We explained that we were missionaries. Immediately she invited us in, and wanted to talk to us. We couldn't really tell where she was from...China...or the Philippines? No idea. But then in the middle of a story she was telling, she mentioned how she lived in Latin America! WHAT? We were in the living room of a Latino lady's home! I should have guessed when she pronounced my name "Sister Hot". It was such a miracle how the Lord knew she needed us, and we needed to find her. I have such a strong testimony of just asking what the Lord wants us to do. Why do we wait so long before we ask Him? I wish we remembered more that He knows everything, and if we ask, He will always tell us what we should do. 

Oh..other awesome, quick story. While we were planning one night before bed, we decided we would go to Newton bus exchange the next morning. By that in my plans, I wrote, "find 2 latinos". Well the next day, we met a lady from Mexico there and then saw one of our old investigators. I had forgotten that I even wrote that in my planner, so when I looked at that, I just died. The Lord truly does answer our prayers. He makes it all work. Faith truly is the key to seeing miracles. 


Well, I'll give a few more updates. We haven't seen Esperanza all week...so that's a bummer. But she'll come around. And Rosa and Raul came to El Dia de Padres celebration and all of the members welcomed them and loved them! So good! I can't wait for these people to accept all that the Lord has given to us! 
I'm so grateful for all of you and for all of the prayers! I want you to know that your prayers really do work. I have felt so much love and support while being out here! I pray that all of you will continue to pray, continue to study the scriptures, and continue to have the faith to see miracles! 

Love,

Hermana Hoth...I mean...Sister Hoth...Haha, I'm confused!;)

Papoosas....I don't know how to spell it. but we love them! Thank you Melida Hernandez.

Rita...the time before we said goodbye
Hermana Moro! My Mexicana Mom
The Rangel family. He is the ward mission leader. 
Hermana Adams she is a crazy cute little lady who talks too much :)



OH CANADA!

Monday, June 15, 2015

Mon, Jun 15, 2015 This is Salvation we're talking about!!!

Dear everyone,

Wow. I wish everyone understood the importance and role of missionaries. They see us and think we are selling something, trying to be nosy, or are too prideful to even listen to us. The message of the restoration of Christ's church is not something to be blown off. It's definitely not something to be overlooked. Because of the restoration, we know of God's plan for us. We know exactly what we must do in order to live a successful life and enjoy eternal life with God. In the words of Elder Holland, "This is eternal life. This is the salvation of the children of God. Eternity hangs in the balance. It is the most important path (YOU) will ever walk." Wow, eternity hangs in the balance. It has really hit me this week. This truly is the most important work I will ever do. I get the opportunity to declare repentance! It amazes me that people are so set in their ways that they won't allow themselves to receive a new, higher way of living. Why are they so hard-hearted to knowing and loving truth and goodness. Ha, yeah, we've had a ton of finding time this week. Sometimes it really is a struggle because we don't know if we are even making a difference in people's lives. We just preach the truth, hope something we said touched their heart, and move on to the next child of God. 

 I absolutely know that the Lord blesses us for all of our finding work! We got two new investigators this week! The first one is Esperanza. She is the mother of one of the families in the ward who is less active. She is visiting from Columbia for 6 months, so we are trying to meet as much with her as possible. She has such strong desires to learn more and be faithful. Esperanza told us that she never really liked those "hallelujah" churches and that she really enjoys the reverence at our church. She has been to church 2 times now and has brought the Mosquera family with her! We feel that the lessons aren't just helping her, but also helping the Mosquera family remember how important and amazing the gospel really is. Haha, it was super funny, we saw Esperanza, her daughter, and her grandson out walking while we were finding people. We stopped and talked to them for a bit and then continued on. They caught up to us again a while later while we were talking to people at a bus stop. Esperanza comes right up to me, while I'm in the middle of a conversation, gives me a huge hug and a beso on the cheek. Haha, I didn't know what to do, so I turned right back around and started in the middle of my sentence where I left off. Hermana Johnson was just a ways off just dying about everything that had just happened. The man I was talking to looked pretty confused...maybe I should have explained what just happened.


Gelato!



Our other investigator's name is Rosa. We met Rosa and Raul out finding last week. And they were able to come to the church for a lesson. During the lesson, we found out that Raul is actually a member of the church. What? He said he hadn't been for like 4 years now. So this will be good for him to be reminded of the gospel and feel the Spirit. Rosa is the sweetest. She loved our lesson with her and I know she felt the Spirit. We asked her if she would pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and she said, "I already believe he is a prophet." Wow! She has so much faith, but I know how important it is to get that witness from God that all of the things that we teach people are true. So we committed her to pray about it! 

We are still working with Rita and Lenin. Rita has had 3 baptismal dates set, but all of them have fallen through. They have both been to church 6 times now. They love it. I know that they really love the Spirit and the members that are there, but they are having a hard time keeping commitments. I feel like missionaries definitely get a taste of how God feels toward all of us. Not only do we feel such great love for them, but we know how frustrating it is to work with imperfect people all the time. It really is so hard to see people you love not putting the effort into making change. Their desires are there for sure, but without action it doesn't mean anything. 

Just a finding...always & house we live in the basement of




This is truly salvation we are talking about. We are talking about the whole reason for our existence. This is something we must be 100% committed to. I love the message that one of the assistants shared in our weekly mission news. He says, "Jesus Christ has never asked his disciples to give up only 1/2 of their hearts. He didn't say if ye love me keep 3/4 of my commandments. He isn't a God of fractions. He needs us whole, He needs the entire thing, He needs commitment that is full. He has given us the "fullness" of the gospel so we can use the full gospel. God doesn't do half's. So remember the gospel is faith, repentance, baptisms, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." Why would we give only the time that is left over at the end of the day? I know and promise you all that if you make time for the Lord, He will make time for you. He is just waiting to pour His blessings down upon you, but He can't without your actions. So what actions do we take in order to receive this stunning array of blessings? Well...like it says above. We live the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have faith, we repent, we are baptized, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and we endure to the end. It's so simple.




Stanley Park last pday We met Sister Cobb and Cendreda











This morning I was studying repentance and the story of Alma the younger. In Mosiah 28, it explains Alma the younger as one of the vilest of sinners. But miraculously, he is forgiven. He is changed and becomes "a new creature" through Christ's Atonement. Alma says in verse 29, "My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more." Truly, Alma, was in a dark hole. A hole that I know all of us feel at times. We don't know where to turn for light, it's damp, and lonely. I testify that there is a way out of the hole..there is a ladder. Every day, I am teaching people that repentance is a central purpose of our lives. Our goal in this life is to live in a way that we will qualify for eternal life. But all of us our a fallen people. All of us are imperfect and unclean. And no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God. SO! This life is a time to change, to become better and more Christ-like everyday! We are here to change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are not in harmony with God's will. I know we can change through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Use this gift every day! I know you will all see miracles from it! Truly, the Atonement is the supreme expression of our Heavenly Father's love for us. I pray that we will all show our love for Him by using this divine gift! I love you all!



Love, 
Hermana Hoth




Monday, June 8, 2015

Mon, Jun 8, 2015 How did Noah have enough food to feed the elephants?

Hey everyone,

This week, we had exchanges. So I was in charge of our area for one whole day. It was so hard and crazy, but we were able to see so many miracles that day! Sister Wilding came to Surrey Spanish for a day! We spent a lot of our day finding! Haha, Sister Wilding is definitely a wild thing. She is hilarious! We were talking to this man who had so many questions for us. He didn't have the same questions that most people have. The questions of his soul were, "How did God flood the earth?" and "How did Noah have enough food to feed the elephants?" Haha, Sister Wilding and I just looked at each other and were like, "Good thing knowing the answers to these questions are not necessary for salvation." Haha. 

From Em's Dad,
By the way:  Elephants may spend 12-18 hours a day feeding. Adult elephants can eat between 200-600 pounds of food a day. As herbivores, elephants consume grasses, tree foliage, bark, twigs, and other vegetation daily. Elephants can also drink up to 50 gallons of water a day – about as much as a standard bathtub holds.  Don’t know how Noah kept that much food on the ark, it’s a good thing my testimony is strong enough to overcome this DEEP MYSTERY.

Sister Wilding, being the spunky missionary that she is, turned to this man and yelled. "Because God is so cool!!!" Haha, that was actaully her answer for a lot of the questions people asked us. She also liked to say how legit the Book of Mormon is. It was quite the day! 

Because Sister Wilding doesn't know any Spanish, I had to take charge on everything. We had two lessons that day, both in Spanish!! One of them was with Natalie, she is a new investigator for us. I had to use really simple Spanish, but I know she was able to feel the Spirit. After we told her about Joseph's Smith experience, she said she knew that he was a prophet of God. It was so incredible. She has such a strong desire to learn more and I know that the Lord will help her every step of the way! Then we had a lesson that night with Alex! It was such a miracle, he brought his friend, Julio...who also speaks Spanish! Crazy, we don't usually get to talk to 3 spanish people in one day...especially spanish speaking investigators! God is so good! 



My fav little kids that came running after us one day!! They are in our ward!



Zone meeting! Hermana Johnson and I had to do a training! Pretty Sweet! Killing it out here! Sisters from left to right: Sister Collier, Zundal, Mathis, Johnson, Brook, Wilding, ME, Holbrook 




This week, we had zone conference! Hermana Johnson and I were asked to train at zone conference on "being real".

Haha, so not being a missionary robot basically! I love what it says in Preach My Gospel about how we are supposed to teach the doctrine and allow the Spirit to be both with us and our investigators, but it tells us to also be ourselves. Use our "own words" and our "own conviction". I absolutely know that I'm supposed to be here in this mission. I was called here because of who I am and who I can become with the Lord's help. He knows that there are people here that need to hear my testimony and my own conviction! I love this gospel! I love the Lord and His work! 

Another thing we discussed at zone conference was Elder Holland's talk "We are all enlisted". If you haven't read this talk, I challenge you to read it! Elder Holland has such a powerful way with words and I believe he really portrayed our duty to be worthy! One of the greatest things I learned from this talk is that we need to be playing for the Lord's team all the time! We already know that His team will win, so we need to stick with it. Yeah, I know it's hard. But being on the winning team has always been hard. We are going to have to work harder than we ever have and give it 110% of our heart, might, mind, and strength! We are all called to labor in the work of the Lord, whether you choose to serve a full time mission or not! Remember, that you are one of the star players. The Lord needs you. There is no "gray area". You are either playing for Satan or playing for the Lord. Choose to play on the Lord's team. If you are already on the team, stay there! If you aren't, get worthy and get on the team!!

Fort Langley last pday day













This morning, I was studying about the power and authority of the calling to be a missionary. In 1 Cor 2:4 it says "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." I'm so grateful to know that it doesn't matter how big my vocabulary is or how eloquent my speech is, I can be a powerful missionary IF I have the Spirit with me! That is one of the greatest blessings you can receive, is to have the Spirit with you so that you can testify in a way that your words will soften the hearts of those you teach! I pray that all of you will find opportunities to share your strong testimonies. Share what you know is true. I know that it will change lives. 

I'm really so grateful for my time in Surrey. 




I came here desiring to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but now I pray to leave here being a disciple of Jesus Christ! I hope that all of you remember just how good God is. I know that God's plan is perfect!! Have a great week!!:)



Con amor, Hermana Hoth