Tue, Oct 13, 2015 (Happy Canadian Thanksgiving on October 12th)!!, eh!!

Dear everyone,

I want to start off by sharing some insights that I got from a conference call that our zone had last night. It was all about sacrifice. One of my favorite examples of sacrifice is Job. In Job chapters 1 and 2, we learn that he literally lost everything. His animals, house, family, etc. Everything! He remained faithful to God and did not let his sorrows and trials stop him from being a disciple of God. In chapter 42:12 of Job, we learn that "the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." I have learned so much about sacrifice on my mission. Sacrifice truly is the test of a disciple. I have learned that I can't let Satan distract me with the things that I have already chosen to sacrifice. I have also learned that Heavenly Father can't work with things that He doesn't have. Does He have me? It's scary giving up our will and our desires. But I know that as we give everything to the Lord, He will bless us. He will give us so many blessings that we will not have room enough to receive them. I love Mattew 10:39. Sister Huszti shared it with me this week. "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." She told me that sometimes we have to be lost. It may be hard to lose ourselves and give all we have to the Lord, but I know that God will support us and bless us. In true to the faith it says, "With an eternal perspective, you can see that giving up the things of the world is really no sacrifice at all. The blessings you receive are greater than anything you ever give up." 

We had some incredible miracles this week. My favorite was when we were stopping by Mayanna to see if we could set up a time to come back and she was gone. We left her a note, and headed back to our car. As we were getting in the car, the Snarrs (senior couple), drove by and we talked to them for a moment. As we were talking to them, Mayanna drove by!!! We asked Sister Snarr if she wanted to come teach a lesson with us and she said yes! So we had an incredible lesson with Mayanna. She is so prepared and so open for the gospel! 

One of the lessons from this week was definitely not a miracle! But it's all good! :) We stopped by our Hungarian investigator for a lesson. We were answering some of the questions she had by showing her verses in the Book of Mormon. As she was reading those verses in Hungarian, she all the sudden stopped, slammed the book closed, and looked up. "That is so offensive to me." Were the only words she said. Apparently one of the words that was explaining the "great and abominable church" in Hungarian was an awful, disgusting word. We apologized and didn't really know what else to say. Sister Huszti was crushed and kept on teaching her even though Klara really didn't want to listen. We kind of settled things down and the last words that Klara said to us were, "You should really talk to the person who translated the Book of Mormon to Hungarian." Haha. Wow...I've never had a lesson like that. We just had to laugh it off...

Haha, I sure love training Sister Huszti.
 She is so sweet and has the strongest testimony. Her English is so simple, but everytime she bears her testimony, the Spirit immediately fills the room. Haha, one of my favorite teaching moments with her this week was when we were role playing a lesson on the plan of salvation while using the pamphlets. She was explaining the Fall of Adam and Eve and how they partook of the fruit so we could be so happy. She went on and on about how this life is all about finding joy. Then she finally flips the pamphlet page to "our life on earth" to explain more about how we're supposed to be happy. The only problem is that the picture that goes along with that section is a picture of the saddest girl in the whole world. We died laughing. Ha...we are learning so much together! And I am so impressed at how much Sister Huszti has grown! Good thing the Lord is the one that's really training her!

So Canadian Thanksgiving. Definitely not as good as American Thanksgiving. We were so blessed to be able to go to the Draper's home for dinner. It was like home, we were all laughing and telling great stories! At the end we shared a message. Everyone said what they are grateful for and I was able to share my testimony about serving a mission and how blessed I have been. I told them my ponderizing scripture 3Ne 5:13. And my new one is Matthew 19:26. It was such a powerful experience for me! The Spirit was so strong!

Thanksgiving at the Drapers! Emma Holmes leaves for her mission in England this week! So much love for her!!! Canadian Thanksgiving is not as good. 

Well I love you all so much and am so grateful for your love and support! Have a great week!

Love, Hermana Hoth

Mon, Oct 5, 2015 "Isn't it wonderful?" -President Hinkley

Hello!

I just want to thank my family for sending me all of the incredible notes from the Rushton Reunion! I love all of you so much and I feel so blessed to have your love and support. It really means the world to me!:)

Em & Sister Huszti 

Haha, So on request from my parents...here is some more information on my cute little Hungarian companion. Sister Huszti is from Debrecen in Hungary. Her dad is a construction worker and her mom is a stay at home mom. She is the youngest and has an older brother and sister. She went to school before her mission for photography. Haha...so she likes to take pictures EVERYWHERE. She wants to go to Utah sometime after her mission to do more school. She is obsessed with funny animal videos on youtube...of course we don't watch them on the mission. But just all the sudden, she will burst out in laughter. It's always because one of the videos comes to her mind. Sometimes, it's really hard to get her focused in lessons or conversations with people on the street because she is smiling and laughing at their animals. Hmm...what else? Haha, she is gluten free. So that's pretty interesting...I love bread. I am super impressed with her English. She has grown and learned so much in just 3 weeks. The members love her and people on the streets are always so fascinated with her. 

 So we were able to see Klara this week. She is the Hungarian woman we met the very first night and very first door when Sister Huszti got here. We taught her the Restoration, and I took the lead in the discussion. That's just what trainers do I guess, but she wasn't understanding much of what I was saying. So when I was done explaining and she still had millions of questions, I felt defeated. Haha, good thing I had a Hungarian companion right next to me. So I sat there while they talked and Sister Huszti answered all of her questions. What a testimony it was to me that every one person will have the opportunity to hear the gospel in their own language. (2 Ne 30:8)

We had a huge miracle with conference this week! So this week was kind of crazy because we are trying to find new investigators to work with. Some of the people we have been teaching just aren't progressing and we know that there are people out there who are ready to hear the message of the restored gospel. So we are on the search for them. We have worked hard, and for the majority of the week, we weren't seeing much coming out of it. Until yesterday. We had so many people come to the last sessions of conference! Selena came and she brought three of her kids! Selena is a first nations lady that we have worked with for a while now! She wasn't able to stay long, but I know she felt the Spirit. We also had some new investigators, Liz and Rob come! The sisters before us have always done service for Liz, but have never taught her anything. So Sister Huszti and I decided it's time that she learns about the gospel! Turns out that Liz's parents are from Hungary and she is fluent in Hungarian. So many miracles. 

Fun Pday today with the Snarrs 

It's been cool to see that as I take my Spanish studies more seriously, even though I'm English work right now, the Lord has blessed us with so many Latinos to talk to. This week, we met 3 latinos and are hoping to go back to one of their homes to teach! 

Okay, General Conference was so good. I felt the Spirit so strong and found so many answers to my questions! I hope that all of you had the chance to listen to it! I encourage you to read and reread the talks that were given. They are for YOU! It was such a neat experience for me to see how much my testimony has grown. I absolutely know that we have a prophet on the earth today and Him, his counselors, and the 12 apostles are called of God. I had a testimony of this truth before my mission, but I am just beginning to understand the significance and importance of having prophets and apostles. We are truly so blessed. I know that we will be blessed as we follow their counsel. One of my favorite parts of conference was hearing the testimony of one of the new apostles, Dale G. Renlund. I think I really related to him because he said that he feels inadequate, weak, and simple. That's exactly how I feel! But like him, I know that this work is not about me and God works through the weak and simple. "It's about the Lord, His work, and Heavenly Father's children." I love when he said, "To effectively serve others, we must look at them through God's eyes." I really loved all of the talks so much. What a blessing to have investigators there to hear the joyful news of the gospel!  

Sisters Heaton, Snarr, Jeppson, Magelby, Hoth, Jensen, Huszti

I just want to end this email with the scripture I have chosen to "ponderize" this week! (Also, I hope all of you are taking the challenge to ponderize a scripture each week.) It is 3 Ne 5:13 "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." I know that I am called by a prophet of God to share what I have come to know is true. I'm grateful that I have had these truths my whole life. But I am most grateful for the trials, challenges, and experiences I've had in my life to put these truths to the test. It is through those things that I have gained a witness and testimony of my own. I feel so blessed.

We got to eat lunch at this incredible home!

Love the Anderson family!

Their infinity pool 

Hoth and Huszti (view from the Anderson's home)

Love you all and thank you so much for your support! I pray that you have an incredible week!

Love, Sister Hoth

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

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