Monday, July 13, 2015

Mon, Jul 13, 2015 "All the hard roads lead to the awesome."

Hey there everyone,

So to explain my title. We were visiting one of our recent converts, Kristine. I mentioned her in the last letter. Let me tell you, she is so spunky. I love her to death. Right now, she has been going through some hard times with her job, house, and just everything. It has been so discouraging for her, but at the same time, she still has so much faith. She knows that the Lord will provide a way for her. We have been visiting quite a bit in the last few weeks, and each visit she likes to say the prayer. Her prayers are so sincere and so sweet. In her prayer from the last visit she was telling God about how hard everything is right now. As sad as that was, she ended her prayer with saying "I know that all the hard roads lead to the awesome." I just want to add my testimony to Kristine's. I truly do know that no matter how long the road is or how steep the hill may seem, if we endure it well, our reward will be greater than we can imagine. God never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it. I know that it is all worth it. Choosing God's way is going to be hard but it "is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 31:21)



This week truly was incredible. Sister Wright and I have seen so many miracles. 1st miracle- Connie is still doing awesome. She is still really solid for being baptized on the 25th of July so continue to pray for her. Oh, and tea still taste like mud. One of her main concerns was how she was going to pay her tithing. Well turns out, when she went to the store, her medicine was a fifth of the price it used to be. So now she has money to pay tithing and then some. She texted us telling how happy she was and how the Lord provided a way for her to pay tithing. It is so remarkable to me how the Lord literally paves the way for us. At times it may seem like He gives us so many commandments, but I absolutely know that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." This was the Lord providing a way for Connie to pay tithing. So neat. 

2nd miracle is with Laura! She came to church for the 1st time yesterday and she loved it! It was actually really neat, the night before we asked her what she wanted to learn next...tithing or temples because we had no idea what to teach. She chose temples. Then, in relief society, guess what the lesson was about? That's right...temples! Sister Wright and I just started laughing. Then that night we were able to answer all of her questions about temples. Laura is really taking her time with lessons. Sometimes, I feel like she just needs to have more faith. She gets stuck on little things and then takes a long while to overcome her doubts. I always remember what President Uchtdorf says, "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." But, the good thing is, she is reading so much from the Book of Mormon every day. If she's doing that, it's a given that her faith will increase. A testimony based on the Book of Mormon is exactly what she needs, in fact, that's what all of us need! I pray that each of you will evaluate how your reading of the Book of Mormon is, then if necessary, fix it. Dive into everyday and I can promise you that you will have more faith, more hope, and more peace. Follow Laura's example!:)

3rd Miracle! The Elders in Victoria passed off an investigator to us because she's actaully in our work boundaries! Her name is Christine and she is a fireball. Haha, she is super spunky. We met with her on Friday and went through baptismal questions to see where she's at. She is so ready for baptism and already considers herself a Mormon. The obstacle with her is that she needs to give up smoking. It will be so hard, but God is so good and He will provide a way.

So, we had a really neat experience yesterday. We were working so hard to find new investigators so we were stopping by all of our potentials. The Lord blessed us with one new investigator. Her name is Selena. She is first nations and is such a sweet heart. So first of all, I want to explain where Selena lives. The first nations people live on reserves of land up here. You always know when you're on a road and then all the sudden you're on the reserve. There is dust and just stuff everywhere. The people are incredible. So we knock on Selena's door and she come barging out with 3 otter pops, my favorite, and takes us to these 3 random chairs in her neighbors front lawn. One wood chair and two coach-type chairs. Then and there we teach her the Restoration of the gospel. In that moment, I realized just how blessed I am to be serving her. Surrounded by people I love, stunning mountains, and the peaceful ocean. I just took it all in. The best part of that peaceful moment by the ocean and my mission in general is the opportunity I get everyday to testify of Jesus Christ. My heart is so full of gratitude for everything He has done for me, for you, and for each person I talk to everyday. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He died for us, and He lives for us. We can be healed through Him. I encourage you all to take a moment out of your day to really remember Him. Let Him fill your day with goodness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. How blessed we are to have it. I love the words that are written in Alma chapter 19 which talks about the light that Christ can put in our lives. It says, "this light had infused such joy into his soul. the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul." I pray that we may all feel this in our lives! I love you all and pray for you everyday! 

Love,          Hermana Hoth


Those 3 chairs are where we taught a lesson on one of the reserves