Mon, Jan 11, 2016 2:48 pm 20 Pupusas for a 20 year old. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMANA HOTH on JAN 9th!!!

Hey everyone!

Happy Birthday... to me! It was seriously such a joy to spend my Birthday here in Vancouver with my little star, Hermana Polanco. She is the cutest thing ever. And to start off the week, Hermana Flores invited us to learn how to make Pupusas, my favorite food ever. So to say the least, it was a fantastic Bday! I'm pretty sure I ate at least 20. I am so chubs. I am pretty sure that Hermana Polanco was way more excited about my Birthday than I was. I woke up to a million sticky notes all over the mirrors and walls. She sang "Mom, it's your Birthday" from Phineas and Ferb all day long...and also her favorite song "Squirrels in my pants". 

She decided to sing to me all day long...starting with morning exercises. She about dies from singing and running. Then she told me, "So my present to you today is I will tell you all of your best qualities." Throughout the day, she listed those to me. She is so special. It has been such a privilege to serve with one of my best friends! For lunch, the Sisters took us to DQ. I bet not very many people have had all of DQ sing to them on their Birthday.

DQ bday Grant, Hoth, Driscoll, Polancol

It was so sweet...we saw such a miracle come out of going to DQ. This lady, Roxanne, came up to us after we sang Happy Birthday and talked about how she new some sisters before. She was so sad that they stopped visiting her and her family! She is thrilled that the Sisters are going to start visiting her again! Miracles in Dairy Queen. Birthday Miracles.

HAPPY BDAY

Sis Polanco wrote this for language study I DIED:) 

President called the morning of my Birthday...I thought to wish me happy birthday...but we just discussed the area and the work. I couldn't tell him, it would have just been too awkward. So he called me 2 more times during the day to wish me happy birthday and talk. I am so blessed to be here serving with President and Sister Burt. They are such great examples at ministering to the one. 

Such a funny story that I forgot to tell last week. So our mission is really strict with the music we listen to...EFY and Motab..that's it. And so one day last week, I was feeling so guilty all day because I had a Taylor Swift song in my head. So at the end of the day, I just had to tell Hermana Polanco so I could get rid of my "guilt and shame". Haha. She asked me which Taylor Swift song..so I started humming it to her. She died laughing. Turns out that the song that I had in my head all day was an EFY song. You know when you have been on your mission for 11 months when you confuse EFY and Taylor Swift.

You're welcome world

So this week, we have come up with a new game plan for our ward. Our members are the ones that need so much of our attention. Our little ward is struggling and we want to make sure that they are learning the DOCTRINE at church and increasing their testimonies. We especially want to help them with their prayers. They just can't seem to pray in the way that God has commanded us. So we taught one of our members how to pray...without directing the Lord during the middle of the prayer. Only Heavenly Father. We were bold and very specific. And so the lesson was great and the member gave the closing prayer and it was like we didn't even teach the lesson. Sister Polanco fist-palmed her face during the prayer. Ha, so we have lots of work to do! 

So...transfer news is coming up this next week. I definitely feel like something will change. Sister Polanco feels the same way too. After nightly planning, she just looked so sad so I asked what was wrong. She said, "I just know you're going to leave. I am so homesick for you. I know! I'm Hoth-sick". We have been through so much together and it will be so heart-breaking to leave each other. I know that the Lord will bless us so much no matter where we go.

Our district

PUPUSAS

Sister Flores gave us hilarious shoes to cook in 

We love Hermana Flores

One of my favorite moments from this week happened when we were finding in Downtown. There is always quite a few homeless people on the sides of the road just sitting there waiting for people to help them. We always want to help them and often times we talk with them for a bit and leave them with a picture of Jesus. But what we saw this week, I will never forget. We saw a young mom with her two sons (probably 4 and 5) they were going to each and every homeless person and giving them a juice box and a sandwich. My heart melted at the charity this lady had. Not only was she being a Christ-like example to the world, but was teaching her sons such a valuable lesson. I pray that we can all be more like her. 

I want to close with this scripture. I started reading the Book of Mormon again, but this time in Spanish! I love the very first lesson we learn in the first verses of the Book of Mormon. Nephi first explains how he has "seen many affliction" in his days, but then the very next thing he says is that he is "highly favored of the Lord". I know that like Nephi, all of us have our own person challenges and trials. I also know that no matter how hard they may be, God loves us. We are highly favored of the Lord. God wants to bless us. It is my testimony that God knows us personally, that He loves us more than we can comprehend.

We had a miracle referral this week. La familia Vega...and they came to church! We are hoping to meet with them again...but they said we will have to wait till February! Lots of prayers for them!

Love,

Hermana Hoth                                                                                                                        P.S. I learned the history of why I'm called a gringo! That was a valuable lesson to learn.

SO PRETTY