Mon, Sep 14, 2015 Here to stay.

Hola mi familia y amigos, 

I want to start off with a miracle that Sister Wright and I had this week! So one day, we planned that we would go stop by one of our former investigators. As we were walking to his house, Sister Wright was texting someone and I was looking through my bag for something. When we reached his front porch 

we looked up and we realized there was a girl sitting there. She did not look very happy.We started talking to her and found out that she was the former investigator's granddaughter. Wow, she had been having a rough day. Basically, we told her to just let it all out. She told us everything and cried and cried. Pretty soon, her grandpa showed up and she completely closed off again. But they both agreed that we could come back to teach them. So on the morning that we were preparing for them in companionship study. We planned on teaching them the Restoration, but as we were role playing, it didn't feel right at all. We changed it so it would meet the needs of MayAnna better. Then when we showed up, it turns out that it was just MayAnna that we were teaching. So cool. Heavenly Father lead us to her first of all, then He knew exactly what she needed to hear. Our lesson was powerful and she is working toward being baptized on October 2nd. Missionary work is amazing. All we need to do as missionaries is be worthy and willing to have the Spirit. Then the Spirit will tell us all the things we should do and say. I am so convinced that we cannot do this work without the Spirit. "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach." (D&C 42:14) Because Sister Wright and I chose to receive the Spirit, we were in the right place at the right time and we were told exactly what to teach.  

So I have exciting news. We got our transfers news on Saturday night and it looks like Sister Wright is leaving. She is going to Surrey and opening a new area there...oh and she is also training a brand new missionary! That will be quite the adventure! But I absolutely know she will do incredible things there. I have seen her grow so much these last two transfers. I look up to her so much and I'm so glad that we have become such good friends!:) As for my news. I am staying in Sidney. I am staying in English work. And I am also training a brand new missionary.

I am so humbled. My first thought when I got this call was, "Heavenly Father, are you sure?" Then I began to question everything I have learned as a missionary. Wait...do I know how to talk to people? Do I know how to teach lessons? Do I know how to work with the ward?  Haha, but something that keeps coming to my mind over and over again is "Do I have Faith or Fear?" And then I choose to have faith. I was actaully reading in PMG this morning under humility and I love the line that says, "You are confident that you can do whatever the Lord requires of you if you rely on Him." I'm not a perfect missionary, and I accept that. I know that I won't be a perfect trainer, and I accept that. But you better believe that I am going to give every ounce of passion and diligence to the Lord and this work. I will do my best. And really...that's all I'm ever asked to do...my best. I am confident that the Lord knows exactly what I need to do on my mission. And I came to the realization this morning, that with a new missionary...my mission, even more so now, is definitely not about me. My mission is about them. All of them. My companion, my investigators, my ward members, my people in Sidney. It's about them. And I love that. Through this turning outward, I am actually discovering what is like to be ME! To just be myself. I love that.

The mission is definitely not about me, but I'm grateful for how much it has changed me!

So on Wednesday, Sister Wright and I will ride the ferry together over to Richmond to pick up our new missionaries! What an adventure this will be! I am excited to show this new sister just how miraculous and fun missionary work really is! 

It's been pretty sad to see everyone say goodbye to Sister Wright. The ward loves her so much. I have been pretty emotional. We were able to sing together in Sacrament meeting for her goodbye! That was pretty good! I love how even though the mission doesn't last long, the relationships we make here last forever!  

I've learned that Canadians say some really weird things...other than "eh". Instead of sledding, they say "tobogganing". Instead of Snowmobiling they say "Ski-dooing". They call bags...begs. They always ask if you want your milk in a beg. Umm...no. 

We had an awesome mini missionary with us for a few days. Emma is basically like my best friend now. She is going to England next month and wanted some experience! She reminds me of what I was like when I first came on my mission...quiet. Haha! But she has such a powerful testimony. We had so much fun with her and were able to see so many miracles!! 

Our worst enemy dog. we hate her, she bites

Haha, while we were out tracting on one of the First Nations Reserves, a scary dog started following us. But everyone we passed kept telling us how nice it was. So no worries. We decided to call him Elder so that he could come tracting with us. Way fun!

So I just want to end with sharing the goals that I have for next transfer. I have been praying and praying for what I should focus on and it comes down to 3 goals! 1-Using the Atonement in the Moment. I want to be quicker to think about Jesus Christ and what He has done for me.  I don't want little things to affect me throughout my day, but I just want to hand it over to the Lord. He will take care of everything. I know that using the Atonement makes me happy. So if you want to be happy! Use the Atonement! Come unto Christ! (Moroni 10) 2- No worries! No stress! Just be me and be my best! 3-Be genuine!  I love this work and am 

grateful for all your support! 

Love, Hermana Hoth 

classy meal at Mcdonalds. . . Sister Wright even brought our plates!

ellie and jacob gave us bracelets for our goodbye presents. i'm not leaving though. their faces just glowed as we told them how much we loved them. probs not mission appropriate though!

We love our sisters! Party! Wright, Jensen, Hoth, Christianson, Magelby, Jeppson (above right)

Tue, Sept 8, 2015 "Come unto Christ like never before." -President Burt

Dear everyone,

Christine is the best person ever.

I loved this week. My absolute favorite part about this week was CHRISTINE. We were able to meet with her a few times this week before she goes on vacation to New York. We are sad that we won't be able to see her again before transfers. But who knows? Maybe I'm staying in Sidney and English work a little longer. Only the Lord knows. Anyways, we made Christine a little cigarette box but covered it in pictures of Jesus and other gospel-y things and then when you open it it has pieces of rolled paper with scriptures on them. She calls them her scripture smokes. And now for the best news of all...Christine has been smoke free for 4 days now. What a miracle. She says that it has been hard, but I absolutely know she can do it. Our "last" lesson with her was so powerful and the Spirit was so strong. We taught the Restoration again and when we were talking about how the gospel blesses families, she expressed how deeply she wants her husband and sons to accept it. It makes her so joyful. In her words, it makes her feel "whole". I really have so much love for her and am actually getting emotional as I write this. I pray that I will be able to see her again. I can't wait for her to be baptized, whether I am here or not. What a glorious day that will be. Haha, Christine has brought so much joy to Sister Wright and I. Just listen to how funny she is...she told us that when people are mean to us on the streets, just say to them, "May the fleas of 1,000 camels infest your armpits...or other various body parts." Haha and she loves saying "Is it odd or is it God." when miracles happen. And she sums up her experience with the gospel in these words, "The only thing that has changed is everything." As you can see, she should start a quote book or write cards or something. I love her so much.

& Sister Jensen

Her parting words to us were my favorite, "Just know that if you don't help anyone else on your mission, you have helped me." She just kept saying how much we have changed her life. It's crazy, I don't feel like I have done a lot. Really, the Lord has done it all, but has allowed Sister Wright and I to be part of her journey. We are so blessed. Thank you Heavenly Father for allowing us to labor among your children in Sidney and find pure joy in it.  

Em mission ~ chicken

Something BIG that I have learned this week is how to be okay with being perfectly imperfect. Sometimes, I get stressed out with feeling like I'm not a good enough missionary or that I'm not giving it 100% all the time. I so strongly desire to be the best missionary I can be. And a lot of the time I worry if I am fulfilling my potential. In fact, my whole life, I've strived to get 100% on everything. I've always set high expectations for myself and I've come to the realization that I often expect myself to be perfect. Well here's the thing, God doesn't expect me to be perfect. God knew that I wouldn't be perfect, and that's why He sent His son Jesus Christ. The Plan of Happiness is to help imperfect people learn, grow, and find joy. It wasn't made for perfect people. If we were all perfect, there would be no plan. So I've decided to stop worrying....stop practicing failure is what I like to call it now. All God asks of me is to be worthy and willing. I'm worthy. I'm willing. I'm me! God doesn't need me to be a perfect, cookie-cutter missionary. He needs me. He needs me for who I am. In fact, He has put His stamp of approval on me...my name tag! By the end of my mission, if I learn to be myself and be confident in who I am...it will all be worth it. When I get home, I want to be so different because I have found the real me. So, as I have been working to apply this into my mission, I have learned to love my mission. I just keep it simple. I keep it real. Guess what...people actually like talking to REAL people. I no longer just have good conversations about the gospel with people, but I leave the conversation with a new friend. I love it. 

Russ and Connie. what what

My next favorite miracle...Laura finally said a prayer! It was so sweet. We went out to lunch with her and right when the food was placed in front of us she just said a prayer so fast. At first I was like, "well that was fast" but then I realized she was actually praying so I got the biggest, goofiest grin on my face! Haha so great! With Laura this week, we have really focused on the Atonement. She expressed her desire to change, but not knowing where to start. I have actually been pondering this question a lot as well. I have such a desire to change and use the Atonement every single day of my life. Above my bed on a sticky note it says, "How have I used the Atonement today?" That was tricky for me to figure how I can use the Atonement every single day. So when I went on exchanges to Victoria, I asked Sister Jeppson. She said that to use it everyday, you have to UNDERSTAND it and you have to TRUST in it. Each day, I've been deciding to trust that my mistakes don't define me, but because of Christ and His Atonement, I can be better. I can move on. He knows best how to help me. (Alma 7:11-13). I not only have to believe in Christ, but I have to believe Christ. I have to believe what He has said. 

I feel so happy about this week. I've made a difference. I feel like I have changed the world because I have changed someone's world. 

Love you all!

Love, Hermana Hoth

Em with Sister Anderson (she's like everyone's grandma in the ward)

Con won and her pillow that Mom made for her

Mon, Aug 31, 2015 I'll be what you want me to be.

Connie, Sis Wright, Sis Hoth at baptism

Hey Ya'll!

It has been another incredible week in the mission. I have learned so much about the Spirit this week. I remember the words that John Bytheway said at our fireside a few weeks ago, "the only thing you need to do as a missionary is have the Spirit, and the Lord will take care of the rest." That is so true. My job is to be worthy and willing to have the Spirit with me at all times. And if I do that, God has promised that He will guide me, that He will help me know what to say, and He will tell me exactly what I need to do. So many times this week I have asked Heavenly Father "where should I go? what should l say?" And then there's always that question that I have for Him, "what do you want me to be?" I don't have to wonder these things if I have the Spirit with me. It will tell me "all things which (I) should do". So through the Spirit, we have seen so many incredible miracles this week. 

I

Something else I have realized this week is that the reason why there are so many good stories to tell from the mission is because we are constantly outside of our comfort zone. And that's where the most memorable stories come from. So I just encourage all of you to stretch outside your comfort zones, and share the gospel. It's scary. But I can promise you that you will see miracles and gain the most incredible memories of your life. "Life begins outside of your comfort zone.

Haha...so funny story this week. We were on one of the reserves, Tsartlip, just out talking to people. A few weeks ago we met a man named Wayne and taught him how to pray. So this time, We saw our friend Wayne, who is a heavyFirst Nations man. His voice is so deep. We were talking to him while watching his neighbor across the street back up the r.v. In the backing up process, the neighbor crashed into the house. Sister Wright and I jumped so much. Wayne just cracked up laughing. The neighbor pulled the r.v. down where we were and needless to say, he didn't think it was as funny as Wayne thought. He was swearing up a storm while trying to fix the wheel of the r.v. Wayne turned to us and said, "Maybe you should go teach him how to pray." Haha. So we went over and talked to him, but he wouldn't face us. So I asked, "Can we at least leave this with you?" (holding a Book of Mormon Card with Jesus Christ on the front) The man said, "Is it a card with Jesus Christ on it?" Haha, my mouth dropped. How did you know?? Apparently, I'm really bad at remembering who we talk to. We had talked to that man and left a card with him a week earlier. 

I had a neat experience out tracting the other day. It was a hot day and people were just not interested. So, I turned it over to the Lord. I asked which house we should go. As I looked out across the road, I saw just the top of the roof to one house and that was the one we felt prompted to go to. We went over there and there was a man cleaning his car. We had a great conversation with him and then right before we said goodbye, his wife came out. His wife was the lady that we met in the library the day before. So crazy. God is so good and knows exactly who we need to talk to. We don't need to worry about who to talk to or what to say because God knows all of His children perfectly. If we are in tune with the Spirit, then He will tell us exactly what we need to do.

Zone Conference ~ Elders; Sisters Wright, Hoth Jensen, Jeppson, Christianson, Magelby

So one day, we decided to go contacting on the only street that we can contact on. (It's the only street with people). So we went to Beacon and as soon as we got out of the car, there was a dark, heavy feeling on Beacon. I have never met so many rude people all in a row. People were yelling out their cars at us and rude comments seemed to just be flying our way. No one would listen. Sister Wright and I were both struggling to stay on Beacon. But I decided to keep my head up. Something I learned my first transfer in the field was that when all odds are against you and you want to give up, that's when you can't give up. Satan was working so hard on us right then, and that's because there was someone there that NEEDED the gospel. We pushed through and talked to everyone we saw. We ended up having a few good conversations and moment of bearing testimony. I don't know exactly who we impacted that day, but I know that we left that street brighter, lighter, and happier than we found it. And that's our job. 

We had a really powerful lesson with Christine this week. She has told us that when she says her strong, powerful prayer and makes the effort to stop smoking that she will be able to stick to it. So we focused on that. We encouraged her to have that open conversation with God and to plead for the strength to quit smoking. We were able to promise her that if she increased her understanding of the Savior and His Atonement, she would have the strength to quit smoking. It was sad, Christine wasn't able to come to church. And after this week, she will be on vacation. Her date is still the 26th of September..so keep praying for her! Transfers are while she is gone...so we are hoping that one of us stays to continue to encourage her! 

So, I have to share another message that Connie sent us. Wow, I bet every missionary wishes they had a recent convert as solid as Connie. She said," Immersed myself in scriptures last night until 6 am. Started with the life of Jesus Christ video. It was awesome. Next I went to the gospel principles book and the Book of Mormon and the Bible. Just having breakfast now, then I will continue my reading. I have faith this will pull me out of my stress. Thank you for your continued support. You are truly one of my many blessings!" She is so sweet. Pray for her...she is still on the job hunt!

Laura is doing great. She is struggling with smoking still, but each day she is gaining a stronger testimony. 

Tabitha moved so we are sad that we can't work with her anymore.

 I taught Sister Wright how to puddle jump. It's the best when I can get my companion soaked. Haha, we have had some really rainy days this week. One of the days, we were walking up a huge hill and then all of the sudden a bus stops next to us. The bus driver asked if we wanted a ride, his name was Hanz. The bus was empty so he just wanted someone to talk to. We shared the gospel with him and we were on our way. I'm so grateful for all of the Christlike examples that I get to meet everyday.

A sweet little sister returned from her mission this week and I loved a quote she shared. "We need to stop thinking I need to take care of myself or no one else will, and start thinking, I need to take care of these people or no one else will and Christ will take care of me." I love that. I have noticed that as I have turned outwards, that I don't need to worry about myself. God takes care of us. We are supposed to take care of each other and lift others up. It is part of our baptismal covenant (Mosiah 18:8-10). I pray that all of us may do a little better to be a little kinder and truly love and serve others.

Love you all and thank you for your support! Have a great week.                                                    Love, Hermana Hoth