Monday, July 25, 2016

Mon, Jul 25, 2016 1:25 pm With a smile:) I am walking a mile in His shoes.

Dear family and friends,
Thoughts on being happy:
Happiness is a miracle. A miracle that we choose.
We will live this life whether we are happy or not...might as well choose to be happy.
When it comes to being happy, the best time to start is NOW.
The day I decided to be happy was the best day of my life!
One of the greatest lessons I have learned from my mission is how to be happy.


Yes...my focus is still being HAPPY! And why should we not be happy? We are members of the church of Jesus Christ. We have everything to rejoice about. We can live the gospel of happiness. :) So good. 

So along with all of the happiness that the gospel and my mission is bringing into my life and my family's life...I would like to add...that this transfer is possibly been one of my hardest transfers ever. Heavenly Father sees it fit to send me through one last refiner's fire before I start a new mission. So one morning this week, I was praying to start my personal studies and the Spirit whispered to me to study other great missionaries who also had to go through refiner's fire at the end of their missions. Examples: Abinadi, Moroni, Peter and the other apostles, Joseph Smith. All of these disciples of Jesus Christ lived amazing missions. They didn't ask for trials to come to them, especially at the end of their missions, but they pressed forward trusting in God. As for me, I was almost expecting my last transfer to be easy I guess. I am an experienced missionary, I'm learning to have joy and to apply the gospel more than ever before, but trials always seem to come.

Then I thought of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He had a perfect life, a perfect ministry, a perfect mission...it ended perfectly too. It was the hardest ending to discipleship and conversion ever. He had to suffer so much. He didn't want to do it (and I don't necessarily want these trials either) but He said, "nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." This last, selfless sacrifice of Jesus changed absolutely everything. He became perfected and glorified. He forgave at the very last moment too. So willing to keep His character and remain the perfect Son of God. How will my character be at the end of my life or my mission? I think of Christ's earthly ministry and it was perfect and beautiful, but it would have been nothing without His "last transfer", last effort, LAST SACRIFICE. The last of it truly matters and counts. It's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be worth it. It should be hard, it should be a sacrifice. I'm beginning to get a glimpse of what I'm really doing and of who I am supposed to become. This last transfer will change everything.
Did you know that missionary work is driven by our love for God? So if you really love God, you will DESIRE to share the gospel with all. And even better than desire, you will SHARE the gospel with all.
I want to share with you all my testimony of Christ's Atonement. I know that Jesus Christ suffered ffor us. He did so so that He could understand us. And He does. I prayed this week for a greater understanding of the Atonement, and wow, God gave it to me. It is sometimes a hard lesson to learn. But is the greatest lesson to learn that we can change, we can be forgiven, we can become clean through Jesus Christ. I learned that prayer is one of the greatest ways to access the Atonement. I invite all of you to pray to understand the Atonement better. Use it in your life. Every day! Repentance is not a bad thing, it's the best thing. God is so good. 

Some amazing things that happened this week:
1. We have a new investigator named Jenny..she is a young mom who hasn't really believed in God before but she is going to pray to know if God is real. Please pray for her!
2. We had an amazing ward picnic on Saturday...seriously we have the best ward ever! Love them.
3. Sister Esplin and I got to teach gospel principles class yesterday. We taught about prayer! It was so powerful. All of our recent converts made amazing comments. I love them so much. Also, everyone agreed that I draw stick figures way better than Brother Burgess, our ward mission leader! YESSS.
4. Sister Gregory and Sister Ricks ate all of our goldfish...good thing we can buy more today!:) haha
5. God never ceases to amaze me with His infinite goodness and kindness. Every day is a miracle and a blessing. I love life.
I pray that all of you have such a great week!! Keep loving God. And remember, if you love God, you will keep His commandments!:)
Love,
Hermana Hoth!:)

Monday, July 18, 2016

Mon, Jul 18, 2016 6:05 pm I am a child of God. :D

Dear family and friends,

On Tuesday, I said goodbye to my sweet Sister Moore!! I learned so many incredible things from her. I have never had any other companion that brings the Spirit so strong by just saying "we are missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." She is so powerful and will have a mission full of success. I know it. Another valuable thing I learned from her is that we really only have one title. We might say we are weird, or forgetful, or impatient, or cool, or whatever. But we really are just one thing! We are children of God!:):)


Hermana Hoth and Sister Moore (transfer day)
Our Last Study Session
Moore, Hoth, Ricks, Gregory, Huszti, Bell 



Then I got to spend sometime over in Westbank, waiting for my new companion, Sister Esplin. Sister Esplin is from Elko, Nevada and has been on her mission for about 5 months now. She has served in Nanaimo and Victoria and she loves the people so much! She reminds me so much of my Sister, Katie! So I already know I'm going to love her so much! She will be the best companion ever. That is my goal! It's really fun too because she wants to join me on my "be happy" goal and smiling goal!! :D Oh...and now I have finally met someone who loves goldfish as much as me! Don't worry though...we bought a big bag of goldfish today. It should last us the week!



Hermana Hoth & new companion Sister Esplin


Starting into this last transfer, I can see that it will be a lot different than how I imagined. But by now, I have learned that God's plan is always better than our plan. I know there is a reason that Sister Esplin and I are together here in Kelowna. We are going to find the reason! Sister Esplin is going to help me become the person that God wants me to be! I know that's true! And it sure is neat to have a companion. I have someone that I can always minister to and uplift. That's why I always love to say that my companions are my greatest recent converts!


With Sister Cadorette
With Cheri
The other night, as I was saying my prayers, the Spirit brought something to my memory that I had learned at the beginning of my mission. It was this-It's not hard to share the gospel when the gospel is who you are. In that moment I realized, I have fulfilled that truth! Throughout my mission, God has molded and shaped me to become the person He wants me to become. I realize now that the gospel of Jesus Christ is who I am. And oh, I find so much joy in sharing the gospel with others!

I feel so happy and so blessed. I love hearing about all of my old areas. They are so much a part of me! I got emails from Rosa and Laura this week saying that they are working towards baptism! Wow, I love them so much! Please pray for them. 


We met with Sandra again this week! She is one of the member referrals we received. She is so great! Her true friend slept in and missed the lesson, but we figured it was part of God's plan. So we taught her the Plan of Salvation. And we start off with the Premortal life and she immediately asks for a scripture to back it up! Thank goodness for the Spirit who brought a scripture to our minds. :):) She is so knowledgeable about the Bible, but is so truth seeking. We sure love her!


Hoth, Ricks, Amat


Hoth and Ricks
Kangaroo Farm!! (Hoth, Ricks, Esplin, Bell, Amat) 
Hermana Hoth and Sister Ricks with baby kangaroos
MY FAVORITE MIRACLE: Last week, Sister Moore and I were out talking to people on the streets and we walk by this driveway to an apartment building. We see a lady sitting on the sidewalk with her head in her hands. It appeared as though she was just sobbing. We go over to her and sit next to her. She didn't want to tell us about it right then but gave us her address so we could see her later. Sister Epslin and I tried to contact her 2 times this week but she was heading to work each time. So then, on Saturday, we felt so prompted to walk on the highway down to a specific road and then walk back. So we did that, trusting in the Spirit. And guess who we saw?!? This lady...Kristine! We walked with her and she explained to us that she just got diagnosed with cancer and being having many health struggles! We testified of Jesus Christ and His Atonement and God's perfect plan for us. She was touched by the Spirit. The road that we had planned to go to was the road right where her work was. So we walked the whole way with her and then said a prayer. God is so aware of His children. He is so loving and real. I prayer that each of us may be instruments in God's hands to help others know that they are loved. Alma 29:9-10



Aww! Cute!! Holding a baby kangaroo!!



Sister Esplin and Sister Gregory



Patricia set a date to quit smoking..August 28! Which is also her birthday! How perfect. She really is so great and I just love teaching her. I have seen her grow so much in the gospel. She taught me something so special. We asked her why we need to have faith. She said, "If we didn't have faith, we wouldn't have hope. If we didn't have hope, there would be no God." 

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know it! I love it! It makes me so happy to be a disciple of Jesus Christ! Have a great week, and remember that God loves you!           Love,  Hermana Hoth

Monday, July 11, 2016

Mon, Jul 11, 2016 6:02 pm Orange ya glad we got to be companions?:D

Oh my goodness, I have never had so many dinner conversations about the color orange. I forgot to tell you that Sister Moore's favorite color is orange. And she is obsessed. It is a conversation we have like everyday. Literally, every day! So funny.:D





This is what our faces look like when our less active says they are coming to church

Our lesson in the park with Patricia

Rick and Sister Moore





That's right. I live here!!!)  


I am sad to say that Sister Moore is leaving me!! She is headed over to Victoria! And I get to stay in Kelowna. I feel so blessed to stay in this place that I LOVE so much. And my new companion is Sister Esplin! I love her already!:):):)This week has been one of the best weeks of my entire mission. I just feel so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving me the opportunity to serve in Kelowna with Sister Moore. 

I love Kelowna, I love the people, and I love my companion. We are always smiling and having fun and working SO hard. Something that Sister Moore and I did with all of our commitments that we have received at zone meeting and district meeting is make a long list of them and review them often. I know that applying what we learn is the key to changing and being converted! We have been changing and applying and seeing miracles. I totally want to make a long list of all the commitments we receive from General Conference. After the mission, General Conference will be my zone and district meetings! 





in the rain



Some of the miracles we have seen are:

1- We received 2 solid member referrals this week. Bishop Oliver gave us a referral of one of his coworkers. Brandy is seriously so amazing! We met with her this week and we asked her "what are you hoping to learn from us?" And she said, "I'm not exactly sure. I am a clean slate." She really doesn't have much of a religious background at all. But all of her friends are Mormons and she went to temple square a few weeks ago. She has so many amazing examples in her life and you can just tell that she desires to be happy like them! She came to church on Sunday and was so touched by the Spirit. I really love her and I'm sad that she actually is from Saskatchewan so missionaries there will continue to teach her. :):) Then our other referral is Sandra! She, on the other hand, has so much knowledge about God and about the Bible..but now she just needs a testimony to match her knowledge. We can definitely help her with that!:) She is definitely searching for something more in life and I absolutely know that she can find it here. The gospel is for everyone!

2-Patricia is doing great! We fasted and prayed for her on Sunday so that she can stop smoking. So as you read this, please take the time to say a prayer for Patricia! She received a preisthood blessing to help her after church. She was all smiles. Sure love her:)

3- We met an amazing lady named Katie. Well actually, Sister Moore met her a few months ago, but she was really busy so she told the sisters to come back at the end of June. So we went over on Sunday morning...and wow!!! She is such a miracle. She is so prepared. She wants to learn, she wants to act, she wants something better in her life. Seriously one of the coolest people I have ever met.

Something I have noticed from all of these amazing people is that all of them have the desires to change. They want something better in their life and they can see that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can offer it to them. 

With Sister Arnold and Sister Stevenson 
Haha...Dave...Brother Burgess. Coolest tennis playing, dirt bike riding ward mission leader ever. 
This week, as I have watched Sister Moore say goodbye to so many people that she truly loves, I have felt so blessed. Blessed to serve a mission. Blessed to know these amazing people. Blessed to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Blessed to love and truly be loved. Blessed to invite all to come unto Christ. Heavenly Father really is so good. I love Him. I know He is real. I know He is there and understands us. He understands that we have our ups and our downs and that is why He sent His Son Jesus Christ. To help us. To love us. To truly understand us. I have learned that Jesus Christ is the greatest manifestation of God's love for us! :D :) :)

I hope you all have a great week!:):) Keep smiling.

Love,
Hermana Hoth:)


Monday, July 4, 2016

Mon, Jul 4, 2016 1:10 pm Proud to be an American Latino Canadian. :)

Dear family and friends,

Sister Moore and I have had such a great week being so happy and truly enjoying each moment. We are seeing so many miracles as we have so much faith in the Lord! We often think of this quote to motivate us! I hope it motivates you too!
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. "

So one of my goals right now is to love Kelowna more than any of my other areas and love and serve my companion, Sister Moore, more!!! Haha. It is so great because then I find myself giving it all to the Lord. Working harder than ever. Sacrificing more! Loving more! It is just so good!

Brother Burgess grandkids





Canada Day (Ricks, Gregory, Hoth, Moore)

Finding in the woods in Kelowna







Sister Gregory, Sister Moore, Hermana Hoth, Sister Ricks
So this week, I have been studying the gospel of Jesus Christ. I absolutely love morning studies. Those are such sacred moments where I get to talk to my Heavenly Father and He gives me more knowledge and a stronger testimony. I love that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of HAPPINESS! I learned that if we're not joyful, we're not living the Gospel of Jesus Christ completely. We need to take a step back and evaluate ourselves. Do we truly believe in Jesus Christ and put all of our trust in Him? Do we believe that all can be made right through His Atonement? Maybe we need to change and repent and continue doing the things that are good. Maybe we need to fulfill our covenants better. Or maybe we need to not focus so much on enduring to the end, but truly ENJOYING to the end. I love that. So try it out! Evaluate yourselves. Are you truly joyful? Yes...keep doing what you're doing. No....change!:):)
 
Sad day...went to the Kangaroo farm and it was closed. What? Then I got to hold a squirrrrrel!! Because a member owns it! YES WIN! 



So one night Sister Moore and I were needing to plan for tomorrow really fast because we got in late from a lesson or something and so I was like " Okay, we got to hurry! Let's plan like there's no tomorrow!!" Haha, Sister Moore was like, "Perfect, we're done. Let's pray!" So funny. 

Kelowna District: Elders Reams, Wildes,    , Shelley, Kohl, Winegarth, Sisters Hoth, Moore, Ricks, Gregory
Fun time with Sister Gregory! Love her! 




Our car got towed. 
It has been a great experience for me to teach Patricia! She is the sweetest person I have ever met. This week we wanted to review the Book of Mormon with her. So we asked her what the Book of Mormon is. We were kind of expecting her to not really know or just have a simple answer like "it's the word of God." but she was like "Well...I think it's a tool. If we have questions we can open it up and find the answers." We were blown away. That is absolutely true!! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God, through him God restored the gospel of Jesus and His priesthood authority and established His church. Yes, I know all of this is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is evidence of the Restoration. Each time we teach and testify of these truths, we feel the Spirit confirm it. I love having a fresh and living testimony! I challenge all of you to have the same!

PATRICIA!!! LOVE HER!!! 
Holy Smokes we made fro Patricia 

Sister Bonion (in black) and her friend Nora

Carol and her cute grandson! We love them!

Beautiful Kelowna!



I love this scripture! "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:18 
Well I hope you all are having a great 4th of July! I sure enjoyed sharing the gospel on Canada Day. Also, it was so weird for me to sing "O Canada" in church yesterday. :) 
Also, this is my first time having a Canadian companion so now I am learning how to say "eh". Pretty great!

Well I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!
Love,
Hermana Hoth