Monday, September 28, 2015

Mon, Sep 28, 2015 Onward and Upward! :D

Hey ya'll,



I love the scripture Alma 17:11. "Go forth among (the people of Sidney), thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be PATIENT in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth GOOD EXAMPLES unto them (and my companion) in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls." To sum up my first full week of being a trainer, I would use the words patience and charity. It's funny, with each of my companions, I felt like by the end of our time together, I truly developed patience and charity for them. So at the start of each transfer, I feel like I have a good grasp on both of them, but then you realize you have to learn them again. Isn't that so great about the gospel? So many times we go back to square one. We get to start all over again. That is what the gospel is all about...having faith, repenting, renewing our covenants, and pushing forward with a smile on our face. It seems as though I have to start with faith daily...weekly...every transfer. But it is good. It reminds me of where I came from, just how much I've grown, and helps me realize the missionary that God wants me to be. What a blessing it is to constantly see our weaknesses, so we can know exactly what the Lord wants us to work on. I pray that I may continue doing my best as a trainer so that I can be a good example, always have the Spirit, and truly love my companion.


So...I want to succeed at being a missionary. And I want to succeed in life. But by coming on my mission, I have learned a whole new definition of success. It's not winning every game, every race, getting the highest score on a test, it's not having a baptism every other week. Success has a much deeper, profound meaning than that. I love this quote that my mom shared with me by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;
This is to have succeeded.


Celebrating Ellie's bday party at the Sala home

I have realized that success is being happy and making others happy. So often we think that we can't be happy unless everything is going perfect, but I have learned that we must take each moment and find the happiness in it. Take each moment and make it perfect. Success is when we can feel the Spirit and when we help our brothers and sisters feel it too. Success is when we realize "With myself, I am nothing, but with the Savior, I am everything." Success is accomplishing a task by putting YOUR best efforts into it. Success comes from lifting others and yourself and not comparing. Success is when you are confident that God is real, that He loves you, and that He knows you.

Okay, so basically, Women's conference was the best thing in the whole world. (note from mom: emily said that she loved seeing familiar faces in the choir which was from our area/ward/stake. that was very fun for her :)  
I felt the Spirit so strong. And Laura, Heather, and Kristine were all able to make it. So good. I will just tell you a few things that I learned from the Spirit in that meeting. I learned that we must do more than just exist. We must fulfill our divine purpose. Trust God and believe in good things to come. I felt so strongly that the battle we fight everyday against satan and sin is so real. It's time to decide what team you're on. There's no gray area. You are either on God's team and you're on the field playing or you are on Satan's team. It's not easy being on God's team. It never has been, it isn't now, and it never will be. It is worth it though. Think of those around you..think of all those people that you influence every day. They need you to be their example. If you're not on the team..get on the team. If you already are on the team..stay on the team. God needs you and They need you. I love Philippians 4:13.  My favorite part of the conference was by Sister Reeves, I believe. She was talking about how when we get to the judgement bar and Heavenly Father shows us all of the incredible blessings He wanted to give us we will say, "Was that all that was required of me?" Really....family and friends...God wants to bless us so much. He has given us the gospel. ALL we need to do is live it. Love it. It is happiness and it is safety.

We had a bitter sweet experience yesterday. We have been praying for a long time for ways to help Laura progress. She just hasn't been giving it her all and we haven't been sure about her real intent. So the answer to our prayers was to stop teaching her for sometime and let her gain her own testimony. We went into that lesson with Sister Snarr, not knowing exactly what to say, but we trusted that the Spirit would guide. We told her how much we loved her and how this short time is for her to gain her own testimony. We showed her her teaching record...which is like a book because we've taught her so much. It was sad...and she just cried as we left. I was crying as we walked back to our car, but then the Spirit came over me and all I could feel was peace and relief. I know that this will be exactly what she needs. She texted us that night saying, "We have shared plenty of tears and laughter and many miracles. Most important is all the lessons we shared. Thank you for everything, love you tons. My prayer is for you to find oodles of people to bring to the church in the short time you have left of your mission. With the help of the Spirit, I know you will achieve this. Time will go fast. All my love." It truly is incredible to have Laura as a friend and I'm grateful I could teach her. She will always be a part of me. I am also grateful that I can fulfill my purpose as a missionary and use this time now to find people who are chosen and ready to hear the gospel. Laura will be baptized one day...I know it.

Yesterday at testimony meeting, Brother Murray got up right as he walked into the chapel 20 minutes late. He told us how in the middle of the sacrament he realized that one of the bishopric members was gone...so that means Russ is gone. Russ always gets a ride  with this bishopric member because he is in a wheel chair. So Bro. Murray ran to go pick Russ up. When he got to Russ's house, he found Russ inside, getting gloves on, ready to wheel himself to church even though he had already missed sacrament meeting. What an example of diligence and commitment. 

PDAY



We have a new investigator, Rose. She is first nations! She is such a testimony to me that God is preparing people to hear the message of the Restoration. We went back for our first real lesson with her. She told us that the first time Sister Wright and I met her she felt something. She felt so good and her whole day just went better. It was so incredible. She just cried and cried as we talked about how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love her. So powerful. 

Well it has been a great week. It's been a great mission. I'm glad I have so much time left to serve the Lord. I love this work. And I just invite all of you to accept and love the gospel in your life. This is real. God's love is real. You need Him. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God. We have a living prophet on the earth today. He will guide you...He is talking for God and he is talking straight to you. I hope all of you have the chance to listen to him this Saturday and Sunday! 
Love you all so much!



Love, Hermana Hoth




Sister Huszti likes to take pics of me everywhere


Teaching the Sala girls in Spanish








Monday, September 21, 2015

Mon, Sep 21, 2015 Szeretlek! We are so blessed.

 Hola...I mean...Szia! 

Wow, I don't even know how to start this letter. This has been one of the craziest, funnest, stressful weeks of my entire mission. I had to say goodbye to my dear, sweet companion, Sister Wright. Wow, we have just had so much fun here in Sidney. We have had lots of tears and lots of laughs. We had so much fun working so hard together. We truly saw miracles. 



We were able to ride the ferry together over to the mainland and I was able to stay in Surrey, my old area, for a day. Haha, we went store contacting for the first time...I'm pretty awkward. But hey, there is no way to make missionary work not awkward, so you just have to embrace it!  

Hoth, Laura, Wright 
With the Salas~a message from the Salas: "Love your girls thanks so much for sending them!! Hooray for Israel!!! 
Smith, Wilds, Snarr, Wright, Hoth, Jeppson, Jenson






Then the next morning we went on the ferry to the mission office to pick up our greenies. The transfer meeting was great and I learned so much!

look who i got to see. sister lewis. love her!

Lewis, McKee, Ditto, Hoth

my trainer sis johnson trained sis ritchie too. she is awesome

  My  new companion's name is Sister Huszti (Hoo-stee) and she is from Hungary. She is 21 years old and is a convert of a year and a half. She speaks very little English and it's already proven itself to be a barrier between us. But hey! We can both speak the language of the Spirit, so we will definitely have to rely on that. Sister Huszti is actually the first Hungarian Sister missionary in all of Canada. Pretty incredible...and I get to train her! I have come to understand just how much the Lord trusts the trainers He calls. They have to be such good examples. Everything I say, she copies. Probably because it is the only English words she knows. She learned some English in high school and only spent 2 weeks in the MTC. So now my Spanish studies have turned into English studies. Ha. My mission call is definitely not what I expected it to be. It has been way better. First....I get to learn Spanish. Second...I get to improve my missionary skills in English. And now, Third...I get to learn Hungarian. Wow, the Lord is definitely testing me...I have to rely on Him so much. I love Helaman 5:12. It will be such a comfort for me to remember this verse as I go throughout these days.  
I'm not going to lie, this is hard. It's really hard. In these 5 days, I have felt the devil's "mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, his hail and his mighty storm." I have felt all of that. But "I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions. He hath filled me with his love." (2 Ne 4:18-21) And "Christ, the Son of God" is my "foundation...which is a sure foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) The Lord has provided me with this opportunity to gain an understanding of how to rely on Him. At times, I feel like I've hit rock bottom. I don't know how to train, I don't know how to be a good example, I don't know the area as well as I thought I did. But even though I feel like I have hit rock bottom, all is well, because Christ is my rock. It may feel like I am starting at square one again...and maybe I am...but it helps me go back to the foundation of my testimony which is in my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. All is well. 

Not only has it been crazy to have a new companion, but we found out from Christine the other day, that she smoked while she was on her trip to New York. I was devastated. This news was really hard to get...especially with everything else that is going on. But you know, if there is something that I have learned while being on my mission it is that God's plan is perfect. I don't understand it all. I don't have to know that this transfer will be for my good and that my companion and the people I work with will bless my life so much. I pray that I will be able to bless their lives so much! 


Even though things have been pretty hectic! We have still had so much fun! I used to shake my head when Sister Wright would pray that we would have fun (because missionary work is about work not fun---or so I thought). Now I realize that if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. It's all about having fun! I taught Sister Huszti how to say "punk", my favorite word, "gonna"..haha she is going to have a Utah accent..hilarious, and a few other phrases.  


Haha the other day she came up to me in the morning and said, "You are the best trainer. You teach me how to exercise, cook food, speak english, and be a missionary." Haha, but really. We have started all over at square one. 


She never gets sick of the joke, "Are you HUNGRY?" Haha...well she always thinks it's a joke, but I'm always asking if she would like to eat food. Oh yeah..she told me that I shouldn't say "no worries" because it was negative. I told her that it is actually a good thing. Haha. wow, we have so much to learn. She also got super excited the other day when we saw a squirrel. She just about left the conversation to get a picture of it! Haha, she takes pictures of EVERYTHING! So funny. 

 My favorite thing that she says is "we are so blessed." It's true. The Lord is blessing us so much as we labor among His children in Sidney. We had a really cool miracle the first night that we went out tracting. We knocked on this lady's door and she said she wasn't interested, but before she closed the door we asked where her accent was from. Of course...Hungary. It was one of the coolest things of my life. And we will be able to go back to visit Klara this week. The Lord always provides for us. It just amazes me!  









Keep praying for the work here in Sidney to pick up. We are still working with Laura although she needs to really check her "real intent". And our First Nations investigators could use all the prayers they can get. I love the work here. I love this gospel. I love how much all of these people have progressed. I love how much I have changed.The mission is seriously the best thing for my life. Wow, we are so blessed. 




I invite you all to evaluate yourselves. This is something that I have been doing constantly with my new calling. Ask yourselves, "where is my heart? what is my focus? why am I living?" I can promise you that as you give your heart to the Lord, focus on living the life He would have you live, and remember your divine identity as a child of God. I love God and I know that all of us can find so much peace and comfort in knowing that He lives and He loves us. I love you all so much. I really appreciate all of your prayers and support!  




Love, Hermana/Sister/Nover Hoth 



Monday, September 14, 2015

Mon, Sep 14, 2015 Here to stay.

Hola mi familia y amigos, 

I want to start off with a miracle that Sister Wright and I had this week! So one day, we planned that we would go stop by one of our former investigators. As we were walking to his house, Sister Wright was texting someone and I was looking through my bag for something. When we reached his front porch 
we looked up and we realized there was a girl sitting there. She did not look very happy.We started talking to her and found out that she was the former investigator's granddaughter. Wow, she had been having a rough day. Basically, we told her to just let it all out. She told us everything and cried and cried. Pretty soon, her grandpa showed up and she completely closed off again. But they both agreed that we could come back to teach them. So on the morning that we were preparing for them in companionship study. We planned on teaching them the Restoration, but as we were role playing, it didn't feel right at all. We changed it so it would meet the needs of MayAnna better. Then when we showed up, it turns out that it was just MayAnna that we were teaching. So cool. Heavenly Father lead us to her first of all, then He knew exactly what she needed to hear. Our lesson was powerful and she is working toward being baptized on October 2nd. Missionary work is amazing. All we need to do as missionaries is be worthy and willing to have the Spirit. Then the Spirit will tell us all the things we should do and say. I am so convinced that we cannot do this work without the Spirit. "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." (D&C 42:14) Because Sister Wright and I chose to receive the Spirit, we were in the right place at the right time and we were told exactly what to teach.  


So I have exciting news. We got our transfers news on Saturday night and it looks like Sister Wright is leaving. She is going to Surrey and opening a new area there...oh and she is also training a brand new missionary! That will be quite the adventure! But I absolutely know she will do incredible things there. I have seen her grow so much these last two transfers. I look up to her so much and I'm so glad that we have become such good friends!:) As for my news. I am staying in Sidney. I am staying in English work. And I am also training a brand new missionary.



I am so humbled. My first thought when I got this call was, "Heavenly Father, are you sure?" Then I began to question everything I have learned as a missionary. Wait...do I know how to talk to people? Do I know how to teach lessons? Do I know how to work with the ward?  Haha, but something that keeps coming to my mind over and over again is "Do I have Faith or Fear?" And then I choose to have faith. I was actaully reading in PMG this morning under humility and I love the line that says, "You are confident that you can do whatever the Lord requires of you if you rely on Him." I'm not a perfect missionary, and I accept that. I know that I won't be a perfect trainer, and I accept that. But you better believe that I am going to give every ounce of passion and diligence to the Lord and this work. I will do my best. And really...that's all I'm ever asked to do...my best. I am confident that the Lord knows exactly what I need to do on my mission. And I came to the realization this morning, that with a new missionary...my mission, even more so now, is definitely not about me. My mission is about them. All of them. My companion, my investigators, my ward members, my people in Sidney. It's about them. And I love that. Through this turning outward, I am actually discovering what is like to be ME! To just be myself. I love that.

The mission is definitely not about me, but I'm grateful for how much it has changed me!

So on Wednesday, Sister Wright and I will ride the ferry together over to Richmond to pick up our new missionaries! What an adventure this will be! I am excited to show this new sister just how miraculous and fun missionary work really is! 

It's been pretty sad to see everyone say goodbye to Sister Wright. The ward loves her so much. I have been pretty emotional. We were able to sing together in Sacrament meeting for her goodbye! That was pretty good! I love how even though the mission doesn't last long, the relationships we make here last forever!  

I've learned that Canadians say some really weird things...other than "eh". Instead of sledding, they say "tobogganing". Instead of Snowmobiling they say "Ski-dooing". They call bags...begs. They always ask if you want your milk in a beg. Umm...no. 


We had an awesome mini missionary with us for a few days. Emma is basically like my best friend now. She is going to England next month and wanted some experience! She reminds me of what I was like when I first came on my mission...quiet. Haha! But she has such a powerful testimony. We had so much fun with her and were able to see so many miracles!! 

Our worst enemy dog. we hate her, she bites
Haha, while we were out tracting on one of the First Nations Reserves, a scary dog started following us. But everyone we passed kept telling us how nice it was. So no worries. We decided to call him Elder so that he could come tracting with us. Way fun!




















So I just want to end with sharing the goals that I have for next transfer. I have been praying and praying for what I should focus on and it comes down to 3 goals! 1-Using the Atonement in the Moment. I want to be quicker to think about Jesus Christ and what He has done for me.  I don't want little things to affect me throughout my day, but I just want to hand it over to the Lord. He will take care of everything. I know that using the Atonement makes me happy. So if you want to be happy! Use the Atonement! Come unto Christ! (Moroni 10) 2- No worries! No stress! Just be me and be my best! 3-Be genuine!  I love this work and am 
grateful for all your support! 
Love, Hermana Hoth 


classy meal at Mcdonalds. . . Sister Wright even brought our plates!






ellie and jacob gave us bracelets for our goodbye presents. i'm not leaving though. their faces just glowed as we told them how much we loved them. probs not mission appropriate though!






We love our sisters! Party! Wright, Jensen, Hoth, Christianson, Magelby, Jeppson (above right)





Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Tue, Sept 8, 2015 "Come unto Christ like never before." -President Burt

Dear everyone,

Christine is the best person ever.

I loved this week. My absolute favorite part about this week was CHRISTINE. We were able to meet with her a few times this week before she goes on vacation to New York. We are sad that we won't be able to see her again before transfers. But who knows? Maybe I'm staying in Sidney and English work a little longer. Only the Lord knows. Anyways, we made Christine a little cigarette box but covered it in pictures of Jesus and other gospel-y things and then when you open it it has pieces of rolled paper with scriptures on them. She calls them her scripture smokes. And now for the best news of all...Christine has been smoke free for 4 days now. What a miracle. She says that it has been hard, but I absolutely know she can do it. Our "last" lesson with her was so powerful and the Spirit was so strong. We taught the Restoration again and when we were talking about how the gospel blesses families, she expressed how deeply she wants her husband and sons to accept it. It makes her so joyful. In her words, it makes her feel "whole". I really have so much love for her and am actually getting emotional as I write this. I pray that I will be able to see her again. I can't wait for her to be baptized, whether I am here or not. What a glorious day that will be. Haha, Christine has brought so much joy to Sister Wright and I. Just listen to how funny she is...she told us that when people are mean to us on the streets, just say to them, "May the fleas of 1,000 camels infest your armpits...or other various body parts." Haha and she loves saying "Is it odd or is it God." when miracles happen. And she sums up her experience with the gospel in these words, "The only thing that has changed is everything." As you can see, she should start a quote book or write cards or something. I love her so much.


& Sister Jensen


Her parting words to us were my favorite, "Just know that if you don't help anyone else on your mission, you have helped me." She just kept saying how much we have changed her life. It's crazy, I don't feel like I have done a lot. Really, the Lord has done it all, but has allowed Sister Wright and I to be part of her journey. We are so blessed. Thank you Heavenly Father for allowing us to labor among your children in Sidney and find pure joy in it.  


Em mission ~ chicken

Something BIG that I have learned this week is how to be okay with being perfectly imperfect. Sometimes, I get stressed out with feeling like I'm not a good enough missionary or that I'm not giving it 100% all the time. I so strongly desire to be the best missionary I can be. And a lot of the time I worry if I am fulfilling my potential. In fact, my whole life, I've strived to get 100% on everything. I've always set high expectations for myself and I've come to the realization that I often expect myself to be perfect. Well here's the thing, God doesn't expect me to be perfect. God knew that I wouldn't be perfect, and that's why He sent His son Jesus Christ. The Plan of Happiness is to help imperfect people learn, grow, and find joy. It wasn't made for perfect people. If we were all perfect, there would be no plan. So I've decided to stop worrying....stop practicing failure is what I like to call it now. All God asks of me is to be worthy and willing. I'm worthy. I'm willing. I'm me! God doesn't need me to be a perfect, cookie-cutter missionary. He needs me. He needs me for who I am. In fact, He has put His stamp of approval on me...my name tag! By the end of my mission, if I learn to be myself and be confident in who I am...it will all be worth it. When I get home, I want to be so different because I have found the real me. So, as I have been working to apply this into my mission, I have learned to love my mission. I just keep it simple. I keep it real. Guess what...people actually like talking to REAL people. I no longer just have good conversations about the gospel with people, but I leave the conversation with a new friend. I love it. 


Russ and Connie. what what

My next favorite miracle...Laura finally said a prayer! It was so sweet. We went out to lunch with her and right when the food was placed in front of us she just said a prayer so fast. At first I was like, "well that was fast" but then I realized she was actually praying so I got the biggest, goofiest grin on my face! Haha so great! With Laura this week, we have really focused on the Atonement. She expressed her desire to change, but not knowing where to start. I have actually been pondering this question a lot as well. I have such a desire to change and use the Atonement every single day of my life. Above my bed on a sticky note it says, "How have I used the Atonement today?" That was tricky for me to figure how I can use the Atonement every single day. So when I went on exchanges to Victoria, I asked Sister Jeppson. She said that to use it everyday, you have to UNDERSTAND it and you have to TRUST in it. Each day, I've been deciding to trust that my mistakes don't define me, but because of Christ and His Atonement, I can be better. I can move on. He knows best how to help me. (Alma 7:11-13). I not only have to believe in Christ, but I have to believe Christ. I have to believe what He has said. 

I feel so happy about this week. I've made a difference. I feel like I have changed the world because I have changed someone's world. 

Love you all!
Love, Hermana Hoth




Em with Sister Anderson (she's like everyone's grandma in the ward)


Con won and her pillow that Mom made for her