Mon, Jun 1, 2015 I'll be what you want me to be!

Hola everyone!

Hermana Johnson has been singing, "I'll go where you want me to go" nonstop! Haha, it's kind of her go-to song. My favorite line in that hymn is "Ill be what you want me to  

be." That explains exactly how I feel right now. The person I want to be is the person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be. I want all of my words, thoughts, and actions to represent the Savior. I'm so grateful for the song's constant reminder to become the person I was designed to be!

HERMANA JOHNSON & HERMANA HOTH Enjoying Golden Hour in South Surrey

Well to start off this letter, I would just like to share that I'm no longer scared to talk to people on the streets! It took me such a long time to get comfortable talking to everyone and actually having a quality gospel conversation too! But now, it's like my second nature. I really do enjoy having the opportunity to meet so many amazing people! I wish all of you could see the people here! They are so warm and bright. There are so many stories behind each face. Lifetimes filled with memories and experiences! I pray that the end of their life story ends with God and living in His eternal rest. What a great work I have the opportunity to be engaged in. All of the adventures can wait, for I am on the greatest adventure of all. Now is my time to find the worth of a human soul. There has been no greater quest for me than the one I am on right now. I hope I can be diligent in all that I do. I hope I don't waste a second, for the seconds are few. I pray to find those life stories, and rewrite the endings. I know this is the work that salvation is pending. 

We had the opportunity to meet with Rita this week. It's always so hard to meet with her because her husband, Lenin, is so sick with cancer and she runs her own little cafe. We always have to have our meetings in her cafe and then talk to her when things slow down! This week we were able to talk about obedience, following the prophet, and praying often! She told us that she wants nothing more than to be obedient! I feel like she has really already turned her life over the the Lord. She prays to Him constantly and knows that it is only through Him that she can find peace. Rita is such a great example of hope. I hope all of you will take the time to pray for her. She knows that this church is true, but with how overwhelmed she is, I'm worried that she thinks she doesn't have time for it right now. I know that the gospel will help her so much during this hard time. Oh, and coolest thing ever! She told us that she reads the Book of Mormon every night with Lenin. So cool...they are both so sweet and whenever they see us, they give us the biggest hugs! Also super cool fact, she has 2 nephews that have served missions in South America for the church. They have been encouraging her to continue to meet with us and be baptized! They both have so much support, so I hope everything works out!:)

We had a lesson this week with a former investigator. Her name is Mariale! She is probably 20 and is the cutest thing ever! She lives with her step-dad, who is a less active member, but he is super supportive of her taking discussions and coming to church! She has such a strong faith in God and loves reading the Bible. Since we knew that she loves the Bible so much, we really tailored our lesson to her needs! We explained how the Book of Mormon helps us understand the Bible and encourages us to read, ponder, and pray about it as well. While preparing for our lesson with her, I read Matthew 3. It explains how Jesus Christ fulfilled all righteousness, but it doesn't explain it very clearly. So then if you look at 2 Ne 31...you understand perfectly what it means to fulfill all righteousness and the need for all of us to be baptized. I came to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon is like a magnify glass for the Bible. It brings it into focus, clears it up, and makes us understand clearly the doctrine of Christ. "For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men." God teaches His gospel in a way that every man can understand. Every man will have the opportunity to hear it and accept it for themselves. Our lesson went really well with Mariale and we should be meeting with her this next week!  

Our Caterpillar has a Christ-centered home 

So one night this week, we hadn't reached our goal for how many people we wanted to talk to and we only had half an hour before it was time to go in. So we decided to go to the park next to our house and just talk to as many people as possible. The whole time we were praying as hard as we could to reach our goal. We found this awesome family who was really so interested. Haha we weren't going to talk to them at first because we were headed on a different trail, but they called after us, "HEY ELDER!". So we turned around fast, and explained to them that we were actually sisters! So they had met elders before and really recognized the need for the gospel in their lives. While we were talking to them, this little boy comes up to me and gives me a huge a hug....haha...craziest thing ever. I knew I recognized him, but  it didn't click until he pointed to his dad sitting on a bench a ways off. It was Edwin! We met Edwin a few weeks ago and he was really interested in learning...and he speaks Spanish! Bonus. After we finished talking to that family we had like 5 minutes before we needed to get home. So we ran to Edwin and talked to him for a bit. He was so excited to see us. We couldn't talk long because we had to run as fast as we could home so as to not miss curfew. Let me tell you, running in a skirt is so hard. Haha. But the Lord provided a way. 3 miracles!!! We met our goal of how many people we needed to talk to, we were home on time, AND we saw Edwin!! It was such a good night!

Sister Laue. So cute

This is when we lived in Richmond

We met so many amazing people this week. One of them was Tarrah! We were walking from our place to surrey central and stopped at every bus stop along the way. We went up to her and I said, "Hey, we are talking to everyone about Jesus Christ and how through Him we can change our lives." I don't start all of my conversations like that, but I absolutely know that the Spirit knew her and knew what she needed to hear. She instantly had a huge smile on her face and went off about how she found God and how He saved her. In the past, she did drugs and really just had a rough life! She absolutely knows without a doubt that God is looking out for her. We had an amazing conversation about how she has changed and become converted to God. She had such a special light about her! At the end, we said a prayer with her and she was just bawling. She gave us a hug and we said goodbye! I'm so grateful that even though I don't know these people, I can't trust that God does. He knows exactly what they need! He knows their whole life story, so as long as I trust in the Spirit, I know that I can meet their needs! I pray that all of you will have experiences like this! Just becuase you're not a missionary doesn't mean you can't ease the burden of someone else. In fact, that's what we're supposed to always be doing! This is one of my favorite verses in all of the Book of Mormon! I pray that each of you will find opportuniteis to be instruments in God's hand and ease their burdens.  

 9  I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not   glory  of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

Love you all! Love Hermana Hoth 

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

Mon, Apr 27, 2015 Oh the anxiety! Oh the joy!

Buenas Dias! 

Wow it has been a week of growing. I truly feel like I have been thrown into the refiner's fire. I've been thinking a lot about how God gives us so many opportunities to change and to be better. Going through those experiences that make us better is definitely not the easiest, but sometimes it is the only way for us to learn what we need to. So my advice...from personal experience of course...when God gives us situations to grow, don't just walk through it. Let it go through you, let it change you. Each day/ each moment is there to make us better. Use those times to become the person God wants you to be. If we do this, we allow God to make a masterpiece of us. In Isaiah 64:8 it says, "But now, O Lord, thou are our father we are the clay and thou our potter and we all are the work of they hand." If we allow ourselves to be molded, even though it's uncomfortable, we will become a work of art. 

Hermana Cobb, Hermana Johnson, Hermana Hoth

Last P-day, we decided to go check out Vancouver City. We got lost...so ended up only having like 15 minutes walking the streets. It was still beautiful though. While we were got in traffic on the way home, I found myself looking at all the people walking on the side of the roads. Everything seems to be so different as a missionary, especially the way you look at people. These people seemed to be walking so aimlessly. Though they had purpose in each step, they looked so lost. They're missing something. They are missing the WHOLE point. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to share with people the purpose of life and the way to have everlasting joy!! It truly is amazing to be part of the work of saving souls!

Haha...so one of my refining experiences happened at Surrey Central this week. I was just off doing my thing, talking to people, and nobody would listen. Everyone seemed so hard-hearted. I might sound like a baby, but I just started crying. I told my companions, "There's no way I can do this for a year and a half." My companions comforted me and then out of nowhere this crazy man walks up and starts giving me a pep talk on missionary work. Haha, apparently all of the missionaries know who he is because he loves talking to missionaries. His name is Rav...and wow...he is something else. Haha here's part of his pep talk, "You know...don't let people get you down. THis work stinks and it's hard, but let their words go in one ear and out the other. You know what you have is good, don't let them tell you if it's good or bad. They can take it if they want, but if not, move on." Haha what?? He should probably be baptized...he was way cool.  

Hermanas with Lenin & Rita

MIRACLE!!! Obispo (or Bishop) gave us a referral to a lady named Rita. So we called her last week and she was thrilled to set up a meeting this week. We went to her little Latino Cafe and had a great lesson with her. We really got to know her and explained how God is our loving Heavenly Father and how the gospel blesses families. She is incredible. Right now her husband is dying from cancer and she is just looking for something to give her peace. I know that she absolutely felt the Spirit and the peace that the gospel brings. We extended the invitation for her to be baptized and she accepted! So we will work with her and be her guides as she prepares to make the huge step in her life! The next day, I was on exchanges in Vancouver again, but my companions were able to visit Rita at her house. A few ward members went with them and gave Rita's husband, Luis, and their daughter a blessing. What an incredible family that has been so prepared!! Rita and Luis came to Sacrament meeting yesterday and loved it! The Lord is really providing people out there to receive the gospel.

Hahaha...okay...so the funniest thing this week happened at a dinner appointment. A family in the ward invited us over for dinner. When they opened the door, the food smelled amazing! They had made stake, beans, veggies, and tortillas! Everything seemed pretty normal until the mom pulled out a roll of toilet paper and starting hand us like 10 squares for our napkin. Haha...I was dying. Just thinking about it makes me laugh! 

Well...there are so many more miracles that I wish I had time to share...but next time for sure!!! I love you all and truly am so grateful for all of the support! I have you all have a great week!

Love, Hermana Hoth

Mon, Apr 20, 2015 East Indian? Filipino? Chinese? Latino? No se.

Hola everyone,

Haha, our struggle everyday is finding Latino's on the street. So hard...we see lots of East Indians, Filipinos, Chinese people...some even look like they are Latino. It's always so disappointing when they don't speak Spanish. Haha, but we have found a few Latinos lately so that's amazing. The Spanish work is really picking up here in Canada. 

My first Canadian Money!!

Well this week has definitely been a week of miracles. One of my favorite miracles was when we were going through the area book looking at the records of people who had only been taught a few times. On one of the records, it said, "Don't go over...,they're not interested." or "pray before visiting them." Kind of scary, but we felt good about visiting this family. We knock on their door and Rosa and Luis come out! They were so friendly and so excited to see us! They don't really remember meeting with missionaries in Canada before, but they met with them in Peru. They invited us right in to share a lesson with them. They told their 3 boys to sit down, listen, and to be respectful. We taught them the Plan of Salvation and the whole time they were nodding and making comments.  Rosa was so nice...she kept saying how she wanted her boys to grow up and be just like us and that she prays for her future daughter in laws every day to be like us. It was so nice for someone to recognize that we are good people and not trying to shove religion in their face. All we want is to invite others to come unto Christ and know for themselves if what we teach is true. I know that all who take the time to do this will know for themselves that it is the truth. And this truth will change your life. After our lesson, Rosa grabbed her little boys hands and said "everything these girls said is true." We were in awe. We found a golden family and hope to meet with them soon. Such a miracle!

These are little things we like to call K POPS. So good!! 

This week I was able to go on exchange with Hermana Wilson and Hermana Williamson in Vancouver! Wow, that city is beautiful!! There was a Canucks hockey game that night so everyone was dressed up for that! It was so fun to teach lessons with those sisters...oh and eat doughnuts from Tim Hortons. Best day of my life. Finally didn't have to eat a sweet potato or avocado. :) 

Finding work is definitely not the easiest in Canada...especially since we are looking for Latinos. I wish more people would understand the sacrifice we are making and let us share what we know is true. Think of it...I'm 19 years old. I left my family, my friends, my home, and everything I've ever known. I did this to come to a strange land for a year and a half. I'm giving all that I have to God right now and to His work. Every thought, every word, every action is dedicated to Him. Everything I do is for Him...but in some way it seems fair because everything God did...He did for us. I'm glad to give my time to the Lord and I pray that all of you will make time for Him in your lives. 

So another miracle this week was Carla. She is from El Salvador and has 5 kids. We found her old teaching record and decided to stop by. Carla loves missionaries and says she's been meeting with them for 2 years now. So we asked her questions just to know where she is coming from and what her beliefs are and we came to find out she doesn't even know what the Book of Mormon is? What?? She had been taught for two years and didn't know what the key to our religion is? Crazy...but....she came to church with her two youngest kids. It was such a miracle to have her come! I can't believe it! She even stayed the whole 3 hours. After church, my companions, and I were able to attend Horacio's baptism. He was taught by the Spanish speaking elders in our ward. During his talk after the baptism he talked about the the Sunday school lessons that the 3 of us taught. My favorite part is that he called us "Muchacha Elderes" haha meaing "young lady elders". Haha so funny. :D

Haha...some of my favorite people to talk to are East Indians. They are always so friendly and also I'm so fascinated by their turbans. By the end of my mission, I'll know how to wrap a turban...it's my goal!!;)  But we like to interrupt their little Sikh parties (a bunch of East Indian men playing cards) and talk about the gospel. They are always so happy to talk to us, even though they never want to learn more. Aw well. But at the Newton bus exchange yesterday we go up to a Sikh party and ask how their day is. One says, in an East Indian accent, "Grateful for the sun, for the weather, and for that airplane." Haha. We died laughing. He was way cool...and we really liked his Nike football cleats. The casual look for Sikh men in Canada. 

Haha in Hermana Cobb's words "So we found this super cheap farmers market in Surrey, but we are currently living in Richmond so for P day we are in Richmond. Last Monday we had the great idea to not buy produce on P day and wait to buy produce during a meal break during the week so we could buy it from the cheap farmers market. Well, day after day passed without opportunity to go to the farmers market and we were all slowly withering away hahaha. Literally, at every meal all of us would say at least one of these lines, "I don't want carbs anymore. Nothing sounds good. I don't even like eating anymore. I hate carbs." because it was all we were eating. The last couple meals before finally going to the farmer's market, we were literally eating spoonfuls of peanut butter (and that's all for our whole meal). We went through half of our jar of peanut butter in ONE day." I actually really enjoyed the peanut butter. ;) I'm shocked that I would ever say this, but I was so glad to get some veggies.  

THE VEGGIE HERMANAS!! (Em's Padre made this in honor of her trio :D

One of my favorite moments from this week was when we decided to rock out to Motab in the car. Anyone driving by probably thought we were listening to some awesome rock music. Too bad they didn't actually know were listening to "The Battle of Jericho" or "Down to the River to Pray." So funny. 

One more miracle to share. One Wednesday we decided to do part of our studying in the food court at the mall. We didn't think much of it when we planned it the day before, but then when we got there we realized how weird it was. But we studied away anyways. While we were studying, we noticed two men next to us speaking Spanish! When one of them left, Hermana Cobb started a conversation with him. His name is Mainor and he was amazing to find out that he had been familiar with the church since he was 14. We were able to talk to him about the Book of Mormon and set up another time to meet with him. We told him how the Lord must have know that he needed to meet us..I mean who else plans to study in the mall?? I know that the Lord is so aware of each of us. He gives all the opportunity to hear of His truth. I hope all of you take the time this week to come to know God more...through the scriptures, through prayer, or whatever. I know that He loves you all and has a plan for you. Have a great week!!!

Love,

Hermana Hoth