26 December 2007

Merry Christmas!

The day after Christmas has always been hard for me... but there is still so much to look forward to with Festival of Lights. We still have an entire week to work hard and to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I'm grateful that we can always celebrate His birth by the way we live and by how we do our best to become more like Him.

I love my family! Talking with them made my day. I am so grateful that I am so close with my family. They are my best friends. After I got off the phone last night I thanked my Heavenly Father for sending me to such a wonderful family. I feel so blessed to have a family who love one another and most importantly who love the Lord and desire to put Him first in their lives. We have a great responsibility to uplift those around us and to emulate the love of our Savior to our brothers and sisters. Where much is given, much is required.

For those of you who I did not talk with yesterday here are a few details of my week... We have been busier than I have ever been with Festival of Lights. I feel it a blessing to be so busy during the Christmas season. It keeps me focused. Christmas Eve was a beautiful day. We had district meeting in the morning. Our district now consists of 6 elders and 2 sisters. We are grateful for our elders and they are successful and happy missionaries. After district meeting we went caroling with two zones. We went to downtown DC and sang at the Friendship Heights Metro entrance. I have never seen so many people smile at missionaries in downtown DC. They really loved us. It's amazing what the Christmas spirit and a little music can do for the soul. We passed out Christmas VHS copies and flyers for Festival. There were about 20-30 missionaries.

After caroling we went straight to the VC for Festival. There were eight of us VC sisters who are a part of the Christmas program. We have been practicing for two months! The music consisted of a Spanish piece, "I Wonder As I Wander", "When Mary Sang Her Lullaby", "Psalm 100", and "What Child is This?". We also included a violin part for one of the pieces and two harps accompanied our last piece. It was a beautiful program. We had two sisters also write a Christmas narration. Sister Baxter was the narrator and everyone loved her English accent. Our main focus of the program was the Savior and there was a beautiful spirit that was felt by all. We had only planned on performing twice, but there were so many people that we had a third performance. Everyone loved it! We had people asking Elder Child if we have to participate in musical auditions to be a missionary at the VC and if we were going to be making a CD. It was cute. The Lord definitely qualifies those He calls. After everyone left the VC, we closed the VC and we performed once more for all of the sisters. After the performance we went upstairs to the Christus where we listened to a Christmas story and were given Christmas gifts from the VC trainers. We also listened to the Christus narration and never before had the words touched my heart like they did Christmas Eve. I am grateful for my Savior. By the time we got to bed it was almost 12:30 a.m. We were completely exhausted, but grateful for a great night.

Christmas day was also beautiful. I had hoped for snow, but it felt more like a California Christmas. Waking up on Christmas day was just as magical as it was when we were kids. Santa made a visit to our apartment. He doesn't forget the missionaries. We opened some gifts and got ready for the day. Sister McEwan and I had breakfast at the Miller's home and opened our remaining gifts at their house. I love the Millers...they now how to take care of missionaries. We then had lunch at Bishop Bryan's home with the elders in our ward. Bishop lives in Potomac in a beautiful countryside home. Sister Bryan made a delicious lunch and we talked about Christmas memories and watched the Christmas program by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We had my favorite dessert, cheesecake! Yummy! I love Bishop Bryan and his family. They are good people and they love the Lord.

After lunch we hurried back to the VC and I skipped dinner and took a nap on the floor in a room by the main theater. It was the best nap I have ever had! We got ready for our remaining performances and were surprised to get two more full crowds. It was great! Most of the people who came on Christmas day were foreign. It was great to see so many people at the VC. I feel so grateful to have Festival of Lights for Christmas.

Just as the night was winding down Courtney came into the VC to surprise me! Courtney was baptized in Olney. She is doing so well and has even helped her friend be baptized! She will be in town until the end of January. It was so good to see her.

I hope that you all had a beautiful Christmas. We are so blessed with the knowledge of a plan of happiness and we are especially blessed to have a Savior. May His love fill your hearts not just during the Christmas season, but through the new year.

All my love, Sister Hogge

p.s. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

19 December 2007

Merry Christmas!

Although I am very far from the many friends and family that I love so dearly, I am grateful to be serving the Lord this Christmas. It has already been a wonderful and beautiful experience for me, one which I will never forget.

This past week I have felt many of my highest highs and my lowest lows. I have been thinking about what Christmas means to me now as a missionary. I was reading in the Ensign, an article by Elder Maxwell entitled, "Jesus of Nazareth, Savior and King". As I read the article everything clicked for me. It's as if I had never understood the true meaning of Christmas before, even though I thought I understood, now I really understand. This is such a wonderful time of year because we are remembering the greatest gift that has ever been given to us, the gift of our Heavenly Father's Son, Jesus Christ. Never before has this hit me as it did this past week. I feel that I finally know why I feel so wonderful at Christmas time because I now understand why I desperately need this gift from my Heavenly Father. I need my Savior because without Him I cannot progress, I cannot live with my loved ones and my future loved ones forever, and I cannot become what I desire to be. Without this gift I am nothing! Mosiah 4:11-12. I am so grateful for the gift of our Heavenly Father's Son. I am grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we all remember Him this Christmas and resolve to better ourselves and center our lives around Him.

Everyone has gone home! All of our investigators, recent converts, and most members! We will be combining with a family ward for the next two Sundays. We are blessed to have the VC and we are loving our time there. I feel with my new perspective on Christmas, I am a more effective missionary. Erica and Abraham are both doing well. Erica is still scheduled to be baptized on March 2nd. She told me on Sunday that she wants to be married and sealed in the temple. She also told me how excited she is for me to attend the baptisms of her own children. Abraham is blessing his family. They are seeing the changes in him and they are very pleased with his dedication to the Lord. Abraham also told me that he wants to begin preparing himself to serve the Lord as a missionary. He loves teaching others about the gospel and he loves the Lord. He will be a wonderful missionary. The joys of this work are so sweet and beautiful. I am grateful.

Revi is also doing well. We had a wonderful lesson with her this past week. Adam, her boyfriend, was also present for the lesson. He is the friend that currently attends Harvard and is a faithful member of the church who also worked in the MTC teaching. It was wonderful to have him there. We really appreciate him and how he faithfully supports Revi. I shared with Revi part of Dad's letter that he recently sent about his love for Christmas and his testimony. I shared my own new thoughts about Christmas and our Savior. We set a new baptismal date with her for January 6th. I have never felt such love as I did for Revi that day. I feel that the Lord blessed me with an incredibly small portion of the love that He feels for her. Please keep her in your prayers as she has already left town for the holidays with her family in southern California and will be away for some time. We have invited her to read the entire Book of Mormon while she is gone and Adam will be doing the same. She also came with us to the VC that night and loved it! I love her so much and only desire for her happiness.

We had zone conference yesterday. It was a conference full of Christmas music and the spoken word. It was a beautiful program and I was grateful to be able to share my testimony through song. I have really felt the impact of this gift that Heavenly Father has given me recently. One of the pieces I sang was a duet called "Christ Child". I love singing about Christmas and I especially love singing about our Savior. The spoken word was also wonderful. President Mansell shared his thoughts of Christmas and the importance of beginning Christmas traditions within our own families that will enable our children to become stronger disciples of Jesus Christ. They shared a Christmas tradition of love with us. They are wonderful. I will always be grateful for the impact that the Mansells have had on my life, I love them. Food after the conference was a delicious Christmas feast, all catered. We had ribs! I was so excited that we were fulfilling a family tradition of my own. President also had peppermint ice cream made from Cold Stone just for us! It was delicious! We are so spoiled and most importantly we are very blessed.

Funny story: This past Sunday a jazz band came to perform at the VC. They played Big Band Christmas music, my absolute favorite! I was able to usher for the performance and I loved every minute of it. They also had guest singers, one of which was Sam Warren, an original member of The Drifters. I had met Brother Warren before and wanted to take a picture with him after the concert. I thanked him for his performance that really made my Christmas season wonderful and before I knew it he gave me a big hug. I was so excited I didn't know what to do, so I hugged him back. It was hilarious! He is a cute, old man, completely harmless. Never in my life would I have thought that the one man who would hug me on my mission would be Sam Warren!

Christmas has always been a special time for me. I have always loved Christmas, however, now I will love it in a different way. I am so grateful for my testimony of my Savior. I love Him and hope that I can bring the gift of the restored gospel to prepared souls, my brothers and sisters. May the Lord bless all of you, my loved ones, during this beautiful Christmas season. May our focus remain on Him throughout the year. I know that the joy, peace, and happiness of Christmas comes from within and only comes because there was One greater than us all who was willing to sacrifice His perfect life to redeem us. I love Him and I love you.

Merry Christmas!
With love, Sister Hogge

12 December 2007

Dearest friends and family,

Transfers have come and gone and I am still in the DC 2nd singles ward with Sister McEwan, which I am completely thrilled about. Although the holiday season is very slow in a singles ward because everyone goes home, I'm glad to be with people I love so dearly for at least another six weeks. This will make for a total of 6 months in the area by the time this coming transfer is over. I am grateful.

Life has been wonderful. I am really enjoying Festival of Lights and I'm grateful for all the many oppotunities that Heavenly Father has given me to share my love for Christmas with so many of His children. For example, just last night I was able to speak with a Jewish woman for an hour about her faith and about our faith. She is an open-minded woman. I explained to her about the plan of salvation and she mentioned that it seems a little overwhelming to be able to be good enough to reach the Celestial Kingdom...after which I testified of a need for a Savior. I told her that because of Jesus Christ we can change, we can repent, and apply the power of the Atonement to become more like our Heavenly Father and our Savior. I was so grateful for the opportunity to testify of Jesus Christ and what He means to me to someone that doesn't even believe in Him. It was a beautiful experience. She didn't accept the missionaries, but she accepted to read a copy of the Family Proclamation that I gave to her at the end of our conversation. God loves all of His children and has given me the responsibility of telling His children about His merciful plan of happiness. Hearts are truly softened during this special time of year.

There are thousands of people that come through the VC and it can be quite overwhelming to know who to talk to. One of the sisters suggested looking into their eyes and talking to the ones that make eye contact, they will listen. Well, I put it to the test and it works! I talked to a family who comes to Festival every year and hadn't received the missionaries yet. The father had met with missionaries many years ago in El Salvador. As I talked with this beautiful family, I knew that I had known them before. They accepted a Mr. Krueger's Christmas DVD along with the missionaries. I'm so grateful for the miracles that Heavenly Father is blessing us with. We as VC sisters have learned that as we work in unity that we are greatly blessed and that we are blessing the lives of all that come into the VC. Lately I have been thinking about how it must feel to walk into the VC with all of the beautiful decorations, the smiling sisters, the music, and the Spirit. It must be wonderfully overwhelming for those who are not used to such feelings and who are so much a part of the world. I feel privileged to be a part of Fesitval of Lights. I am so happy.

Our area is doing well. We are never there, but I know that the Lord is blessing the people that we will be able to contact in January. Revi has a new love for temples and has been following up on all of the new temples being built. She has actually gone as far as getting tickets to go to the Rexburg Temple Open House with her boyfriend, Adam. They will fly into Utah, visit Temple Square and then drive to Rexburg. She is wonderful and just needs to get baptized. Please keep her in your prayers. I am excited that she will be able to see Rexburg, a town with many of my fond memories and a town I love. I'm a little jealous.

Funny story: The singles ward has their Christmas dinner and movie this past week. The received special permission from Elder Child to watch the movie on the IMAX theater at the VC after the Festival festivities. We, the missionaries in the ward, also received permission to watch the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". Never in my life did I think that the first time I would watch that movie would be on my mission. For the first 30 minutes of the film I had never felt so awkward in my life! It was hilarious! Never in my life did I think that I would be awkward watching such an old-fashioned movie. I loved it after a while, but there were a few risque scenes...haha. You all probably would have laughed if you saw me. I'm such a missionary.

Well, I'm healthy, happy, and I'm loving this Christmas season. May the Lord continue to bless you this wonderful time of year.

All my love, Sister Hogge

5 December 2007

Dearest family and friends,

I woke up this morning and it was snowing!! It's always such a fun surprise waking up to snow. It reminds me of being in Rexburg again, good memories. Our cars have been grounded for the day so the other sisters and I walked up to the VC to email our families. It was a fun and beautiful walk. I love the snow! I hope that it will stay around long enough to have a white Christmas. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas..." Festival of Lights will be beautiful tonight with the snow, a lovely addition.

I have decided that Heavenly Father knows me perfectly because He sent me to this mission where Christmas is a big deal. It has always been the highlight of my year. Festival is going well. We are always busy and I love it! Christmas time has definitely been my favorite time on my mission thus far. The holiday season really softens hearts. It's amazing to me how celebrating the birth of our Savior has such an effect on everyone! I now see why Christmas as a missionary is so special. I am a representative of our Savior this Christmas. It is wonderful. Festival is just going to get busier and more exciting. Already I have had many special experiences. We are all happy and are working hard together to bring as much joy to others as we can by helping them receive the missionaries along with a Christmas gift, a Book of Mormon or a DVD.

I have been asked to organize the musical performance that the sister missionaries will be doing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the VC. It has been so much fun to do what I love! The musical program includes some of my favorites including "When Mary Sang Her Lullaby", "Psalm 100" ( a piece I did with Collegiate Singers), a beautiful arragement of "I Wonder As I Wonder", and "What Child Is This?" Sister Baxter has written the narrative portions for the program and will be narrating. I feel like I'm really in my own element organizing this program. I has been a fun experience. President and Sister Mansell have also asked if I would organize a musical program for our zone conference in two weeks. The Lord has given us our talents to build His kingdom and I'm grateful for these opportunites.

Transfers are next week. I have a feeling that I will stay. I don't think President will me making too many changes with Festival also going on and he usually likes to keep the trainers with their traniees for two transfers. We shall see!

There is a particular film that we are showing at Festival. It is only 10 minutes long and it is called Special Witness of Christ. The first portion of the film is Jesus Christ being born in the Holy Land, His ministry, death, and Resurrection. The second portion of the film is Jesus Christ in the Americas. Throughout all of the film there is no talking, just music. It is my absolute favorite. Every time I watch it I learn something new and I feel renewed, touched, and motivated to do the Lord's work. During Festival the only break we have is 15 minutes and I will often take that time to watch the film in one of our break rooms. I have always been impressed with the concept of "one by one". I feel that it was the hallmark of the Savior's ministry. During the film I noticed that the majority of the film is not focused on the Savior, but on the people, the individuals. Many of the scenes are of the the Savior with one person, spending time with them. I am always especially touched by the Savior's visit to the Americas and I love watching the time He spends with each person, to heal, bless, and comfort. I feel that this is one of the greatest concepts that I have learned as one of His representatives...taking time for the individual. This concept also helps me remember that He knows me and loves me.

Life is good and I am happy. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that the Book of Mormon helps us understand and come close to Him more than any other book. I love this work and I pray that the Lord will help me love others as He loves me. I love you all and I hope that this time of year will only bring you closer to Him.

All my love, Sister Hogge

29 November 2007

Dear family and friends,

It has been a whirlwind of events this past week. During our previous VC training meeting we were admonished to prepare ourselves for this Christmas season at the VC. I took that to heart and have seen the Lord's hand in my life every day. It is a blessing to be a light to the world this Christmas season. The VC is decorated beautifully with the many Christmas trees, lights, nativity scenes, and music, but at the center of it all is the Christus. I'm grateful that He is my focus this Christmas season. As a representative of Jesus Christ my gift to all is testifying that He lives and sharing His gospel. I can celebrate His birth by testifying of Him. It is a blessing and a privilege. I'm grateful to be serving the Lord this Christmas.

We had our Combined District Meeting this week. Sister McEwan and I were asked to give a workshop on how to recognize the promptings of the Spirit for ourselves and for those we teach. I have always found my leaders to be very inspired and they will often ask me to give workshops on the things that I'm struggling with most. So, as always, I felt that I learned the most. We are still the only sister missionaries in our zone. I really enjoy being with the elders because they are light-hearted, carefree, and fun. Funny story: We played jeopardy missionary style for the game of our meeting. One of the categories was companionship unity. Everyone loved this category and in order to answer a question we had to stand. It got to the point where everyone would stand before the question was asked. So, one of the companionship unity questions was "What is your companion's weight?" Sister McEwan was one of the first to stand along with all the elders. Well, the elders all decided they would sit down to let her answer the question. We were all rolling, laughing so hard. Sister McEwan answered the question and told everyone in the meeting how much I weigh. It was pretty funny, but I guess you had to be there.

Ambassador's Night was last night. It was a night I will never forget. We were all dressed in our missionary best and were assigned to different parts of the VC for the night. My assignment was "punch girl". I was encouraged to talk with everyone. Other assignments given were ushers, coat closet, trash, kitchen, etc. I felt pretty special to be serving drinks. hehe. I lost count of how many Ambassadors I met last night. They were all very gracious, lovely people. There were over 20 countries represented. Most of the name tags I read said "His Excellency...". I was having the time of my life! I've decided that I want to be a professional party hopper. I loved making small talk with these beautiful people, but I guess it would get tiring after a while. The lighting of the Christmas lights was so exciting I think I giggled. I love feeling like a kid during Christmas time. Although meeting all of the Ambassadors was wonderful, I think the highlight of my night was meeting President Packer and Elder Oaks and shaking their hands. They made a special trip to the Ambassador's Night. President Packer gave a beautiful speech on the Restoration, plan of salvation, missionary work, families, and Christmas. It was wonderful to listen to him speak to world leaders about the gospel. I will never forget the feelings I felt when they walked into the room. These feelings are the kind that no one can deny, a witness that these are Apostles of Jesus Christ, servants and special witnesses of Him. President Packer was walking slow with a cane and Elder Oaks was looking lively and well. I have always thought that Elder Oaks is so handsome and I love his strong voice...I think he just reminds me of Dad. My heart is full. What a wonderful way to begin the Christmas season.

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and speak it again. Christmas is a celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning - with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself unselfishly in the things that matter most." - President Hunter, Ensign, Dec. 2002

I hope that we can all apply these things to our lives this Christmas. It is a beautiful time to be living. We are so blessed. I love you all and my thoughts and prayers are with you always.

All my love, Sister Hogge

22 November 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been a wonderful week. This past Sunday we had stake conference. Elder Wickman was the visiting general authority and it was great to hear from him again. We had met him previously during a zone conference earlier this year. His remarks changed my mission. The basis of his talk was a question,"How can I experience the Atonement in my life daily?" After many beautiful examples from the scriptures and some personal experiences, he explained that we can experience the Atonement daily through charity. We must pray to have Heavenly Father help us to love others as much as He loves us. This is something He is willing to give us, pure love. I am grateful for Elder Wickman's inspired remarks, they have really changed me. Sister Mansell spoke along with President Hammond (temple president) who mentioned that in DC we have two White Houses. In one, lives the President of the United States and in the other, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Bishop Richard Marriott also spoke. We are so blessed with great leadership. It was an edifying meeting because each talk was centered on our Savior.

The elders had a baptism on Sunday and we attended to support. Kyle was baptized. Kyle is currently in the army and stationed in Italy, but had to come back to the US for some possible cancer treatments. He finds out any day if he has brain tumors. I admire him for his faith, courage, and for his willingness to trust in the Lord's will.

Sunday night we had a "Why I Believe" fireside at the VC. The mission organizes a fireside each transfer and asks two recent converts to speak. We asked Lydia if she would share her thoughts and testimony at the fireside. She agreed, a little nervous and hesitant at first, but she was wonderful. She has a beautiful and simple testimony of the restored truths that we now enjoy. I am so happy for her and Brandon. They took us out to dinner again in DC. Another Friday night date. They took us to Rockland's BBQ (I had ribs!) and then on a short tour of downtown. It was beautiful! Lydia is currently working at the Chamber of Commerce directly across from the White House. Lydia and Brandon will be coming to Davis for Christmas and I mentioned that they should take a quick trip to Elk Grove while they're in town. They would be thrilled to meet my wonderful family. I'll keep you posted!

Festival of Lights is just around the corner. The people have been much more receptive lately. The holiday season definitely softens hearts. The lighting of the Christmas lights at the VC will be November 30th with Ambassadors Night. We just received word that the Ambassador from Italy will also be attending that night, how exciting! I LOVE this time of year and it is especially beautiful in Maryland. The colonial style homes and the falling, colorful leaves looks like a Pottery Barn catalog picture. I watched Mr. Krueger's Christmas the other day and I cried through the entire movie! I felt a little embarrassed; it was pretty funny. I love that movie and I love Jimmy Stewart.

Sister McEwan is doing well. We are open and honest with one another. I am grateful for her diligent example to me. I am learning so much. We are finding and teaching many new investigators; it's exciting. She and I are working hard together to become better servants and to make our weaknesses become strengths. It's difficult to train because you see your weaknesses magnified. Sometimes I feel like Nephi in 2 Nephi 4. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I am grateful for repentance and for the Atonement. I am grateful for how we can be motivated by love; it's the most effective kind of motivation.

Funny story: I have two for this week. We raked leaves for three hours with our roommates this past week. It was wonderful and I mostly wanted to do it because it reminded me of family traditions on Thanksgiving Day and of course because service always makes me feel good. We borrowed some rakes from the senior couples and we also borrowed a leaf blower! It was the kind that you put on your back like a backpack. I put it on and almost fell over! It was hilarious. The sisters then tried to start it up and I almost fell over as they pulled the string thing. We were laughing so hard that we couldn't breathe. Don't worry I have pictures to prove it! The other story is that Sister McEwan's wallet was accidentally thrown into the laundry while it was washing. It was bad! We had pieces of check all over us and the laundry room as we shook each piece of clothing. A blue pen was also thrown in and luckily it only got onto a few items of clothing. I might need some new pieces of underclothing.

I hope that everyone has a beautiful and Happy Thanksgiving. I love you and my heart is especially full this day. We are so blessed. President and Sister Mansell invited us to eat Thanksgiving dinner with them because all of the singles have gone home and are not in town to feed us.

Have a beautiful day.

All my love, Sister Hogge

14 November 2007

Hello my lovely family and friends,

Greetings from a beautiful, foggy and cold day in DC. This weather is great! It is completely and totally my kind of weather. Soon it will be getting very cold, which means Christmas! I love it! Speaking of Christmas, we are working hard to get ready for "Festival of Lights" at the VC. We recently received training for Ambassadors Night. We were taught the proper etiquette for example we must address them as Mister Ambassador and Madame Ambassador. Totally my kind of stuff! We were taught how to respond to the media that will be attending, whether to shake hands or bow etc. The young woman who trained us is a member of the church and she loves her job! Maybe this is something that I should look into after the mission... anyway, her name was Mari, which made me like her even more! We have also been training on floor positions, ushering, etc. It's so exciting! The musical number for this last training meeting was "When Mary Sang Her Lullaby". I've been helping organize the Christmas program and we will be singing it this Festival. When the music was sung memories of Galena and my beautiful sister and mom flushed back to my memory. I love Christmas music.

Now that my 9 months has passed I've been hearing less and less from my wonderful loved ones...I remember being warned that about half way through the mission letters would die off. Well, they were right! I'd love to hear how everyone is doing. Receiving letters and packages is like Christmas...wink, wink.

Sister McEwan and I are having a wonderful time serving together. We had zone conference this past week and discussed becoming a "Preach My Gospel" mission. I loved it! I firmly believe in reading both the Book of Mormon and PMG every day. I know that creating these essentials habits will and does help any missionary be an effective tool in the Lord's hands. As I have been focusing my studies on these things and on the needs of our people, I have seen miracles and the Lord's Spirit work through me. President has been emphasizing finding new investigators. Sister McEwan and I have been doing many finding activities and we are finding prepared souls. We are currently teaching many new investigators. We love working together.

Sister McEwan has the gift of being humble and teachable. She is learning quickly, but she does feel overwhelmed. It reminds me of my beginning months as a missionary. She feels like working in the area and at the VC is like having two full time jobs...she's right, but we are so blessed! She is learning patience with herself and thankfully she has much patience with me. Something that really helped me early on in my mission is to focus on one hour at a time. Being the queen of worriers, I am grateful to say that this habit has helped me become calm and effective. We have a blast together. She is such a ham and I love serving with her. I feel blessed and privileged to have this time with her as a new missionary. I pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen her as she learns to have patience with herself.

Funny story: While we were on our way to the zoo last week, we soon found that it was Sister McEwan's first time on the Metro. She was taking pictures left and right. It was hilarious to see her so excited about the Metro. We all piled into the Metro and just as it was about to leave I noticed that Sister McEwan was not on the Metro!! We looked through the window and saw her taking pictures of the Metro signs. We yelled through the doors for her to hurry in and she got stuck between the doors. She pulled herself through, but her bag was still stuck. Sister Snelson and I just sat and watched, not even thinking that we should help her pull her bag through...but sweet Sister Maxwell quickly came to the rescue, ripped open the Metro doors and pulled her bag through. It was amazing!! It has been quite the experience to watch Sister McEwan, she knows how to have a good time and hopefully she won't get herself killed in the process.

Last week at the VC the White Oak ward came for a ward night. It warmed my heart to see the people I love dearly from my first area. I was able to visit with Sister Moormon and Maylek. They are both doing very well. Sister Moormon recently went through the temple to receive her own endowment and Maylek was just as excited about church as ever. Sister Moormon told me of the happiness that she has experienced this past year that has completely changed her life. It's wonderful to see the people I love so happy.

Well the work is moving forward. I love it and I love you.

All my love, Sister Hogge

7 November 2007

Hello!

Sister McEwan and I (and our roommates, Sisters Maxwell and Snelson) just got back from the zoo. We decided that it would be fun to take a trip to the zoo early this afternoon. We had a wonderful time. I was impressed that it was as big as it was and it was FREE which is always a plus. My favorite animals were the tigers and lions and the Madagascar spiders. It's amazing how a simple trip to the zoo can make me so tired! I am exhausted, but hopefully will have some time to rest later today.

Sister McEwan is doing well. She works hard and she is willing to try any techniques or role plays etc. She is wonderful and I enjoy working with her. Working with her has brought back memories of my first transfer. The other night I read my journal entries from those first few months to help me remember what it felt like to be a new missionary. I remember feeling very overwhelmed and inadequate. Sister McEwan feels the same. I want her to feel my love for her and to trust me with any concerns or questions. She really relies on my example. The Lord has really strengthened us as a companionship. I am grateful for this experience.

We had a joyous time celebrating Halloween last P-Day. After getting Sister McEwan settled in we (along with our roommates) ate soup and made carmel apples. We weren't allowed to be outside after 6pm. After discussing some mission rules and investigators, we dressed us with our roommates and visited the senior couples in the apartment complex. We dressed up as elders, fun stuff.

The other night we had a teaching appointment in downtown DC. After the appointment I took her through the monuments, not telling her what she'd be seeing. This is her first time to the east coast. When she saw the Washington Monument, the Capitol and the White House she screamed and just about jumped out of the car. I thought it was so cute. It's fun to see her so excited, not just about the area or the people, but about the work. She loves it!

Sunday was Elder Cottrell's last day in DC before heading back to Utah. He came to the DC 2nd ward with his mom. I got to talk with Sister Cottrell for a while and it turns out that Grandpa Hogge used to be her bishop and stake president, small world. It's always really hard to see excellent missionaries leave, but it's all part of progression.

Sunday night we had a fireside at the VC with the 5 Browns. They each shared their testimonies and played a few piano pieces. I was in heaven! After the fireside we got to talk with them for a while. I think it would be really hard for me to devote my life to performing and touring. I'd much rather settle down and raise a family. I admire them for their strength in the entertainment world.

Later tonight, Lydia, Laura, and Abraham will be performing baptisms for the dead for their first time at the DC temple. They are all doing well. They are studying their scriptures and praying daily. They love their Heavenly Father and their Savior and they desire to put Them first in their lives. My heart is so full of love for them. I am excited for the lives they will live as dedicated members of the church.

Some updates...
Revi - She is doing much better than a week ago. Last week she felt that God was ignoring her prayers and she began doubting if He even existed. Last night she made us dinner and we had a wonderful discussion with her and Lydia. After receiving some wise counsel from her close member friends, Revi has seen great improvement in recognizing the Lord's answers to her prays. When she told us how well she is doing I wanted to cry. My love for Revi has really grown the past few weeks. She wants to do God's will, but she struggles and often complicates things too much. She reminds me a lot of myself. She wants to get baptized and her new baptismal date is December 5th. She still needs to work on her testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. We know that as she stays close to the Lord through sincere prayer, as she continues to read the Book of Mormon, and as we help her have spiritual experiences, she will receive the answers that she is searching for. The Lord is simple and He will answer her simply if she listens. I am excited for the weeks to come. Please keep her in your prayers.

Erica - She is set on being baptized on March 2nd. She knows that we believe it is too dangerous to wait so long, but she has her agency and has made up her mind. She wants to meet with us every week. I love Erica and I know that after all we can do, we must support her and love her.

We are working to find new investigators. With December approaching, we will be mostly confined to the VC. Every sister's area dies during festival. I am absolutely thrilled with all of the "Festival of Lights" preparations. Christmas trees are up in the VC and are being decorated. We're beginning to practice for the Musical event that we do Christmas Eve and Chirstmas Day. The weather is quickly changing and is very, very cold. I love it! You all know how much I love Christmas.

Life is great and I love this work!

All my love, Sister Hogge

31 October 2007

Hello my lovely family and friends,

Happy Halloween! Halloween isn't too exciting as a missionary, but I will always remember this Halloween for many exciting reasons. Transfers have come and gone. Sister Baxter has been transferred to a family ward in Derwood, which is the northern part of our mission. She is excited and a little scared, but she will be wonderful! I will miss her dearly, but I know that there are many good things to come in the DC 2nd area.

I have some exciting news. I have a new companion named Sister McEwan (pronounced Mc Q an). She is from Lindon, Utah and she is wonderful. She is also fresh from the MTC! President Mansell called me the night of transfers and told me that the Lord had an assignment for me...to train. I have never felt so excited and terrified in my life! I haven't slept for days, but I am so happy. I am grateful for the opportunity to rely on the Lord. For the first time in my life I feel completely dependant on the Lord for courage and strength. I know that love and exact obedience are essential and I know that the Lord will help both Sister McEwan and me. She is so wonderful and so excited about the work. She has come to the best area in the mission...Zion. I am excited for all that she will teach me. I pray that the Lord will give me strength to do all I can to help her become the missionary He needs her to be and the missionary she has always dreamed of being. I feel a great responsibility, but patience and perspective will bless our lives as we work together to build the kingdom. When the new missionaries come they attend the temple with their trainers. As we sat through the session I felt the Lord giving me needed power and strength to move forward with faith. I am so grateful for this work and for all that the Lord is teaching me. I love Sister McEwan and she will grow into a powerful and effective instrument in the Lord's hands. Please keep us in your prayers.

Everyone is doing well. All of the recent converts are happy and are excited about a new life as members of the church. Our investigators are doing well, but many are struggling. Please keep them in your prayers. I pray that the Lord will help me know what we can do to help them put God first. I know that we will continue to find new investigators through the members and through our own efforts. I know that the Lord will continue to bless this area. I am so grateful for my mission and for all that I have learned thus far.

Sister McEwan saw Joey in the MTC. She said that he sang...of course. I am so proud of him and the missionary that he is becoming. He is becoming more like our Savior. I am SO EXCITED for Melanie to serve the Lord. She will be a powerful missionary. I am so proud of her and the example that she is to me and to everyone. We are so blessed with the most wonderful family in the world!

I know that Jesus Christ lives and I know that this work is His work. We are helping build the kingdom in all we do. The Book of Mormon has changed my heart. I am grateful for the privilege to testify of its truths and to be a representative of my Savior. This is His church! It has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. Miracles have not ceased, God's power in on the earth, and this gospel is simple and beautiful.

I love you all and I pray for you always.

All my love, Sister Hogge

25 October 2007

Hello my lovely family and friends,

Yesterday I celebrated my 9 month anniversary along with 10 other sisters. The time has come and gone quickly. As I look back on all that I have learned I have seen my heart change, my relationship and confidence in my Savior have been strengthened, and I have been especially touched by the new loved ones that have come into my life. Life is good and I am so full of joy.

Some updates...

Abraham - He passed the sacrament for the first time on Sunday. He was wonderful, but he was so nervous. He has been reading Preach My Gospel faithfully and we are going to encourage him to serve a mission. He is growing in his knowledge and his testimony. We are very pleased.

Lydia - She had her first experience with paying tithing this last week. She also saw miracles with the exercise of her faith. She received an unexpected check in the mail, which has helped her with her finances. Faith precedes the miracle! She is happily making wedding plans.

Laura and Kate are also doing well. They have solid faith and are a blessing to the lives they touch. We have dinner with each of them in the coming week. It's so cute when our recent converts sign up to feed us. What a blessing!

Horace - He is a former investigator who we had to drop many weeks ago because he was not keeping his appointments. We found him again this week and he now has Tuesdays off from work. Tuesdays have become our day to see Horace. He had been taught many of the lessons and he had been reading the Book of Mormon faithfully even when he was dropped. We discussed baptism and plan to give him a baptismal date this next week. I have never met anyone so humble and so full of excitement about the gospel.

Revi - She is doing well. We are trying to help her see how she can receive answers to prayers in different ways. She desires to do God's will, but struggles with taking a leap of faith and being baptized. She is wonderful and I want her to be happy so badly! She will be fine and the Lord will bless her as He shows His hand in her life and in her decision to be baptized.

Stephanie - We taught Stephanie for the third time this week. We met her in Union Station for her lesson! How cool is that! I taught a lesson in Union Station. After her lesson she bought us ice cream and we walked up to the Capitol. It is beautiful at night and it reminded me of home and the Sacramento Capitol. A member friend of hers has been coming to her lessons. He works for a Senator who is a member and offered to get us a tour of the Capitol. Life is good. Yes we are spoiled. Stephanie was introduced to the gospel by a member friend. She is a strong Protestant and really struggles with grace and works. I am grateful for all that I am learning as I have studied specifically for Stephanie. Hopefully her heart will be softened and her mind will be opened to the truths the Lord has for her to receive if she is willing. I am grateful for agency, for without it we could not progress.

This past week we did another session at the temple. It was beautiful. This time through I focused my thoughts specifically on my Savior and how each covenant I make helps me to become more like Him. I also thought a lot about charity. Truly without charity we are nothing! I hope that the Lord will bless me with the strength to continue developing the attributes that will help me become more like Him.

Transfers are next week. Complete bliss cannot last forever...so Sister Baxter and I will probably not be companions anymore. The Lord knows what we need to help us grow. I have never felt closer to my Savior as I have felt these past two transfers. I have never felt such peace with myself. It is simply beautiful. I am grateful for Sister Baxter and her love and friendship. We will be connected as friends and sisters forever.

I hope that all is well with you. May the Lord continue to bless you as you do your best to follow Him and become more like Him.

With Love, Sister Hogge

18 October 2007

Dearest family and friends,

First of all, I think that my P-Day has changed to Thursdays for the next two weeks or until the end of the transfer. But then, they change our P-Days often, so I'm not sure. If you want to be sure to reach me any certain week, always write emails before Wednesday. I have learned to be very flexible especially as a VC sister. Sometimes, we're needed else where on our P-Days, all part of doing the Lord's work and I'm grateful that He is teaching me how to be flexible and "easy to be entreated".

This last week was wonderful. Lydia was baptized on Thursday and Laura was baptized on Saturday. Both received the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. Both baptisms were beautiful. Lydia asked Sister Baxter and me to speak at her baptism, what a privilege! Laura asked me to sing at her baptism. They are both choice and elect daughters of our Heavenly Father. They will build the kingdon with their future families. I feel very close to both of them and I'm sure I knew them before. They are both extremely happy and at peace with themselves.
After the baptisms I felt light and happy. I have never felt such peace with myself. I know that this is joy. Simple, pure joy. It's difficult to express the way I feel. I know that there is nothing in our existence that brings greater joy that the gospel.

Abraham and Kate are doing well. Kate is solid even though she is struggling with an overload amount of work. After working with all of these wonderful law students I have decided that law is not for me. Even though I was never seriously thinking about attending law school, it was a thought at one brief time in my life. Although I am so focused on the work as a missionary I find that the Lord helps His servants know what He would have them do with their time on earth to be examples to the world and to build the kingdom. Besides being a wife and mother I still haven't quite figured it out, but I will. Abraham is always looking for opportunities to serve and share the gospel. He will make a wonderful full-time missionary.

Revi is wonderful! We gave her a baptismal date which gave her a reality check and scared her a bit, but she will be fine. She knows that it is true. She especially has a testimony of the priesthood. Being a law student she over analyzes everything and doesn't allow the Spirit to work in her heart effectively. Heavenly Father loves all of His children and will find ways to speak to each of us individually. He knows how to communicate best with us. Within the next week we will try to help her recognize that she has already received many confirmations and answers to her prayers. It's exciting to teach others how to recognize the Spirit. I find that I am learning to better recognize the Spirit in my own life.

Teresa is not doing so well. She told us that she wanted to be baptized in December and we told her that the Lord would have her be baptized as soon as possible. Without disclosing many personal details, she called us the other day to tell us that she wasn't ready to be baptize and didn't want to meet with us anymore. However, she also told us that she will still continue to attend church, read her Book of Mormon, and pray. Very sad, but the Lord has His ways. We love her and will continue to love and support her.

We had CDM, combined district meeting, this last week. It was amazing! We have the best zone leaders in the world! I have recently been struggling of how I can become a better servant of the Lord and how I can use my time as a missionary to be effective. When I was listening to the many workshops given I realized that I must come to know my Savior. I must study Him, His life, His teachings, and BECOME like Him. The attribute that I am currently working on to become more like Him is meekness. It is definitely a life long process to become like my Savior, but I know that as I try I will find peace and joy.

Funny story: During CDM Elder Cottrell devised an activity that included breaking boards. We each had a long and thin board with which we had to write some small things that we'd like to work on. We were then given ties to tie around our heads like Karate Kid. Sister Baxter and I are the only sisters in our zone. We each took turns to break our board (symbolizing breaking bad habits) with our hands. It was hilarious! We were chosen to be first, of course. Sister Baxter went before me and couldn't break the board if her life depended on it. She tried about 15 times until her hand was bruised. She doesn't have an ounce of aggression in her body. I was up next and very nervous. Elder Cottrell gave me some pointers so I wouldn't hurt myself. I was terrified, not only of hurting my hand, but of looking like a fool. To my surprise I broke the board with the first try! I think for a whole five minutes all the elders in the zone thought I was the coolest sister in the mission, that is until Sister Baxter tried one last time and broke hers too. So fun!

Anyway, life is wonderful, my heart is full, and I hope all is well with you. I love you and my prayers are always with you.

With Love, Sister Hogge

11 October 2007

Hello dearest family and friends,

It is a beautiful day in DC. From yesterday to today it dropped about 40 degrees! Thank heavens. The trees have been changing brilliant and beautiful colors, the leaves are falling, but the heat was still piercing, now it feels like Fall and I am aboslutely loving it! This is my favorite time of the year and it is a different experiece as a missionary, but I love it still.

First of all, General Conference was amazing! I have never felt so spiritually fed during the conference as I did last weekend. All of our investigators and recents converts watched at least two session, some watched all of the sessions and they all loved it! They all received answers to their questions and prayers. I also received answers to my questions and prayers. If I had to choose one talk that was my favorite it would be Elder Wirthlin's talk on charity. Never before have I felt the Spirit pierce my soul during conference as I did while I watched and listened to Elder Wirthlin. I was deeply touched by his remarks and by the charitable acts of Elder Nelson. The Lord answered most of my questions while I watched that experience. We must develop charity, we absolutely need to be charitable. I know that these men are called of God and I am grateful for their wise counsel and love. I hope that we will all apply their recent teachings to our lives and I know that as we do we will come closer to our Savior because we will be more like Him.

Lydia - She is getting baptized today! She is doing well and loved Utah. She was able to attend a session in the conference center and a session in the Tabernacle. In between sessions Brandon, her boyfriend, proposed! They will be getting married early next Spring. She also just received a new job, working for the government. Can you imagine...getting a new job, engaged, and baptized all in one week! This is a wonderful time in her life and we are so happy for her. I am excited for the day that they will be sealed. They are also looking forward to their sealing and would love for Sister Baxter and I to be a part of the blessed event. My heart is completely full! I love Lydia so much and I am happy for her exciting and joyful future with Brandon. We have realized that Satan can't get to us spiritually, so he gets us physically. The past two baptisms we have had together we have both felt awful. This baptism is just the same. We've both been feeling under the weather, but we hope to get some good rest today...the joys of P-Day!

Laura - She is so excited for her baptism she can't sleep! I have never seen someone smile so much! She is so cute and is very excited for her baptism Saturday. She went to every session of conference and loved it! We are already planning our future as close friends. I love her.

Teresa - She will not be getting baptized on Sunday. She has been having some family issues. We love her and we support her. We will hopefully reschedule her baptism for the end of October. She needs lots of love, prayers and support. She is strong and desires to do what's right. We love her and know everything will be fine.

Erica - We will be meeting with her after church on Sunday. She is still set to be baptized on the 11th of November.

Revi - Her boyfriend, Adam, came and visited her during conference weekend. We had the privilege of meeting Adam and we adore him. He is a wonderful guy and is perfect for Revi. If I haven't mentioned Adam before...he is a law student at Harvard and he is a faithful member or as Kate would say he is a "super mo" (Mormon). He has really supported and helped Revi. Revi and Kate have become best friends. They are both 3rd year law students. Revi has accepted to prepare to be baptized on November 11th. She is really hesistant, but she will be fine. She desires to do what's right and she loves the Lord.

Abraham - He loved conference and he even attended the Priesthood session. He is doing well and is recieving all of the new member lessons from his home teachers. He loves his new life as a member.

Courtney called while I was on shift at the VC. I hadn't heard from her in months! She is doing extremely well and she is very happy. She is looking into transferring to a BYU school or UVSC. She is reading her Book of Mormon and reading from the Gospel Principles Manual daily, and she is helping the missionaries in her ward with a young woman who is currently investigating. She has the family history bug and she is loving life. She will be visiting in a week and I can't wait to see her. Her testimony is growing every day. I am thrilled that she is doing well. She is wonderful!

Funny story: We were returning to our apartment after visiting a senior couple in our apartment complex. When we got to our floor, we got out of the elevator to our apartment. I tried to open our door with our keys, but the key wasn't even fitting into our lock. We tried for a few minutes, pushing on the door, wiggling the handle, but nothing! Finally, we heard a man's voice from inside our apartment tell us that it was locked. We realized that there shouldn't be a man in our apartment and looked at the apartment number and it was the wrong number!! The elders live right below and we had been trying to get into their apartment! We ran as fast as we could into the elevator hoping they wouldn't see us. The next phone call we got from them told us if we want to come in, just knock next time! How embarrassing! Usually it would never be that embarrassing, but it was the elders!! Ah! Also, the other day we were walking to Revi's appointment in DC and along the way stopped a man whom we invited to the VC. He motioned for us to come into a big, beautiful home that he was entering. We hesitantly followed him and soon we realized we were in the Embassy of Lebanon and the man that we had just GQ'd was a Diplomat. The joys of DC.

I am loving life and I am happy. We are so blessed. I love the Lord and this great work! I hope all is well with you.

With Love, Sister Hogge

3 October 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello from a beautiful Fall day in DC. The weather is gorgeous here and it's getting cooler and more colorful by the second. Sister Baxter and I have plans to walk down Antique Row in Kensington by the temple. We'll probably stop at a cafe for lunch. What the life! We are so fortunate.

Abraham was confirmed this last Sunday. It was a beautiful confirmation. As the priesthood leader blessed Abraham I felt that the Lord was truly speaking to Abraham through his servant. The priesthood power has become very real to me and I am so grateful that it has been restored to the earth in these latter days. Abraham is going to need much support from friends in the church because he doesn't have any support from his family. Members are essential in a convert's progress. I hope that you are all helping the new converts because I know that they need you.

Lydia, Laura, and Teresa are all doing well. We will be busy preparing each of them for their baptisms next week. Next week will be busy and I'm glad. I like to stay busy. As we have worked with each of them this past week I have listened to their prayers and I am often touched that they always pray for us. They will usually pray that we may be successful in bringing others to Christ. This has created in me a wonderful sense of responsibility to always remain worthy of these choice souls the Lord has entrusted in our care and to work harder. I feel privileged to be a part of their conversion process. It has been wonderful to watch them grow closer to the Lord.

Erica has now also accepted a baptismal date. We are preparing her to be baptized Nov. 11th. Please keep all of these wonderful sisters in your prayers and they will all need extra strength at this crucial time in their lives.

General Conference is coming soon!! It's like Christmas for missionaries! I am so excited! We have invited each of our investigators to pray about and write down a few questions that they desire answers for. We have been teaching everyone about prophets. I know that we need prophets and I know that they are men called of God. All of our investigators will be watching at least one session of conference this weekend. I pray that the Lord will answer their prayers through the words of His prophets. I have also written questions down and I'm excited to receive the needed guidance and direction the Lord has for me. I invite all of you to write questions down to be answered during conference. We are so blessed to know that we can trust our leaders.

Funny story: I got another parking ticket!! I've decided that I'm done parking in DC. We thought we read the sign carefully and thoroughly, but I guess we didn't read some hidden fine print. That's a record for me. I've never received any ticket and now I have two tickets in one week! Hopefully I've learned my lesson by now.

The work is progressing well and I am very happy. I hope all is going well with you. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I love this work and I love the Lord.

With Love, Sister Hogge

26 September 2007

Dearest family and friends,

I have been thinking about Joey throughout the week. I am excited for him to enter the MTC. He will love it and he will grow closer to his Heavenly Father and his Savior. It will be wonderful to write a missionary while I'm serving. Those are often the best letters. My thoughts and prayers are with him and the rest of the family, especially mom and dad. I remember how bittersweet the farewell was at the MTC. Thank heavens I know I will be with my family forever. It makes 1 1/2 years of complete service to the Lord much easier to bear.

Abraham was baptized this past Sunday! It was a miracle that he was baptized so soon. After his car accident last week, he got sick and had to go to the hospital. Satan was determined to keep him from the waters of baptism and from making a covenant with our Heavenly Father, but Abraham was persistent. The day he was released from the hospital he called us and told us he still wanted to be baptized Sunday. Althought he knows that Satan's power is real, God is more powerful. His simple faith is inspiring. He is a wonderful example to Sister Baxter and me. The baptismal service was simple and beautiful. He will be confirmed this Sunday and will receive the priesthood. I love this work!

This past week we went to the temple with the VC sisters and to my surprise Sister Niyi from my previous area Olney, came to our session with the new Olney sisters. We had been trying to get her to come back to the temple for months! She hadn't been to the temple in over a year. When I greeted her into the Celestial room my heart filled with so much joy. I love the blessings of the temple. Sister Baxter and I plan to do initiatories today. We are so blessed to be so close to the House of the Lord.

All of our investigators are doing well.

Teresa - She is still planning to be baptized on Oct. 14th and is nervous, but also excited to make a covenant with God and to receive the precious gift of the Holy Ghost.

Laura - She is scheduled to be baptized Oct. 13th. She has fallen in love with MoTab. We have a new exhibit at the VC about the Mormon Tabernale Choir. We are going to the bookstore today before her lesson to help her pick out some MoTab CD's. I love the effect music has on the soul.

Lydia - Brandon (Lydia's boyfriend) and Lydia took us to the Cheesecake Factory in DC for Sister Baxter's birthday on Monday. What a treat! It was absolutely delicious! We are so spoiled! She is doing well and is excited for her trip to SLC for conference. Sister Baxter hopes to have her Dad meet Lydia while she is in town. Lydia will be baptized Oct. 11th. We love her and I always feel a special connection with her.

Revi - She has found a new best friend...Kate! They are exactly alike and have the same conversion story. Revi made us dinner last night and we have been teaching her with Kate, which is wonderful for Kate's progression. Kate is amazing and she had really helped Revi with her concerns. Revi's boyfriend, Adam (who is also a member), will be coming into town during general conference. We are excited to meet him.

We have a cell phone! I never thought I would have a cell phone as a missionary! It is wonderful and it helps the work move forward. People can reach us at any time and we have a better connection with the members and our investigators. It has take some time to get used to a cell phone again.

I love the people of DC. I am learning that my capacity to love increases with more opportunity to love. My heart is continually being expanded.

Funny story: I got my first ticket! It was a parking ticket while we were teaching in DC. Our lesson went longer than we expected. We are grateful that it's a very inexpensive ticket. I started jump roping for my exercise in the mornings and I couldn't walk for days...pretty funny. I'm so out of shape, but I haven't gained a pound!

I am happy and loving life as a servant of the Lord. I hope all is well with you. I love my Savior and I'm grateful for his perfect example.

With Love, Sister Hogge

19 September 2007

Hello everyone!

Transfers are today and we are both staying! We are thrilled. We love each other and we love our area. The Lord is so good to us!

The weather has been absolutely amazing! It is cooling down fast and I am so excited! I love cold weather. Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. With the gross humidity gone, the air has become fresh and crisp. I love it! Memories of happy times with family and friends have come with the weather change. Luckily, we will be very busy soon with all of the "Festival of Lights" and Christmas activities. It will keep my mind busy and I will be grateful.

Abraham is doing well. He is scheduled to be baptized this Sunday. However, he got into a car accident. He is fine, but is in pain. We hope to be able to prepare him within the next few days. Satan has his ways. Abraham has the purest motives and I am grateful for his example to me. He is strong and he WILL BE batptized! He definitely needs your prayers.

Teresa is great! She is getting more and more excited for her baptism on Oct. 14th. We have had to remind her that she doesn't need to be perfect to be baptized. She is worried still...she reminds me of myself. As we have taught her about the real power of the Atonement I have gained a stronger testimony that the power is real.

Laura will also be getting baptized on Oct. 14th. She is so EXCITED! When we gave her a baptismal date she was a little hesistant, but she couldn't stop smiling after she accepted. She has been making great friends in the singles ward and is enjoying all of the many activities.

Lydia committed to be baptized on Oct. 14th as well. I feel a great connection with Lydia. She has so much faith and she is developing a relationship with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We went to Institute last night with her. She signed up for a Book of Mormon class, on her own. Her boyfriend, Brandon, got tickets for general conference. They will be going together and Lydia is excited to hear the brethren speak. She is one of the elect and I feel so grateful to be a part of her life. They will be taking us out to dinner (most likely to the Cheesecake Factory) on Monday night for Sister Baxter's birthday. They will raise a wonderful family in the church! I am so happy!

Erica and Revi are also doing well. We hope to give Erica a baptismal date this coming week. Erica is a sweetheart and extremely selfless. Revi is a law student attending Georgetown. Her boyfriend attends Harvard and is a member of the church. She decided to begin investigating the church on her own. She sincerely wants to know truth. She is already gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon. We are excited to help her progress.

Elder Steuer visited the mission last week for a zone conference. He taught us some effective techniques for finding and teaching. I am exctied to incorporate these ideas into my own life as a missionary.

This week at the VC I saw Steve Chandler his wife Sarah and their daughter! I was so excited to see them! They live in Virginia while he is attending dental school. It's always fun to see someone you know and it seems to be a weekly event for me. I love it and it never makes me lose focus or feel weird.

Well, with the request of Sarah, I have decided to incorporate a funny thought or story that I have experienced throughout the week into my weekly emails. It will keep my emails light-hearted. This week isn't that funny, because I just now thought of adding this to my emails...

Funny story: We have a love chair. It's just a regular chair with a sign on the back that says "Love Chair". The purpose of the love chair is to help people feel good about themselves. It's serious business. One person sits in the love chair while every other person takes turns telling the person why they love them. It's fun and it helps.

Well, looking back to the beginning of the transfer, I am amazed at how much I have learned. One of the main things I have learned is the importance of perspective and patience. I have also learned that a life of serving others and thinking about others is a happy life. I am excited to continue learning from my wonderful companion, from our investigators, and from all others.

I love being a servant of the Lord!

With Love, Sister Hogge

11 September 2007

Hello my wonderful family and friends...

It is a beautiful Mendocino day here in DC. The weather is getting cooler, which means that Fall in around the corner. I love Fall and I'm excited for the change in color and climate. Thank you for your letters and emails. They always make me smile.

We have a new roommate. He is small, hairy, and grey-brown. We've named him Lucifer, which we feel is quite fitting. We were all getting ready for the day the other morning, when I thought I saw something run by my feet on the floor. I brushed aside the thought and continued getting ready. A few minutes later a mouse ran from under my feet to the living room. All I could say was "NO WAY... NO WAY!!" and I jumped onto my bed. One of the other sisters in our room jumped on the other bed. It was pretty funny. The mouse ran under a bookcase and was no where to be found, which was bad! A few days later the elders living beneath us told us they caught a mouse and it eventually ran off the balcony and killed itself, which was sad, in a way, but we are all relieved.

This past Saturday was the ward BBQ at Bishop Bryan's large and beautiful home. We made an appearance and had a great time! It was fun to be with all of the YSAs. The BYU game was on and we heard they lost (Sorry Sarah and Aaron). At the BBQ I saw one of my MTC teachers, Brother Bradshaw. He just moved in as an intern and will be working with Senator Hatch for the semester. He can help us with the missionary work!

Kate was baptized last night. It was wonderful. We had quite the crowd because it became the FHE activity. She looked beautiful and the program was great. Sister Baxter and I were beaming the entire night. I sang "I Stand All Amazed" at Kate's request. As I watched her be baptized all I could think about was that I had nothing to do with it. Both Sister Baxter and I felt that although we taught Kate, the Lord's hand and his Spirit are in this great work. The Lord is with those we teach, leading and guiding them. We are just the instruments to help push them along the way. She is a wonderful member of the church, she will raise a strong family, and affect generations to come. My heart is completely full.

Abraham is doing well. He is finally back from his trip to California. He is reading the Book of Mormon, he is praying, and he is asking questions. We have moved his baptismal date to September 23rd. He is excited to be baptized and loved the baptismal service the elders had on Sunday. Abraham is truly one of the Lord's elect and we love him.

Teresa is also doing well. We gave her a baptismal date yesterday. She will be baptized on October 14th. She is so prepared, but a little nervous. She has told us of her efforts to strengthen her faith. We think that her entire life she has felt the need to be perfect and to know everything before she gets baptized. We have assured her that no one is perfect and that repentance and the sacrament are gifts from our Heavenly Father to help us become clean each week and to renew the covenants we have made with him. This brought much peace to her heart and mind. We love her and we know that she will need the prayers of many to strengthen her in the next month before her baptism.

Laura came to both baptisms, Kate's and the one on Sunday. She LOVED them and was moved to tears by the tender feelings of the Spirit. We have an appointment with her Thursday night and we plan to give her a baptismal date as well for the beginning of October. She is reading the Book of Mormon and she is praying. We love her.

Erica is doing well and also came to the baptismal service on Sunday. We will meet with her this coming Sunday and hope to give her a baptismal date as well. We also found a new investigator. Her name is Lydia and she has been dating Brandon, a member, for the past 9 months. They both met at UC Davis and he came to the east for work and she followed. They are wonderful. Lydia has already taken all of the lessons and had a baptismal date, but felt that she wasn't ready and moved to the east shortly thereafter. I feel a strong connection with Lydia. She introduced herself to us at church and told us her situation. We will be meeting with her on Thursday for the first time and we pray that the Lord will help us know what he would have us do to help her. I am amazed by the instant love we can feel for our brothers and sisters.

Sister Baxter and I have felt completely overwhelmed with love for one another, for the people, and for the work. We pray that the Lord will keep blessing those that we are teaching and that we may be kept humble, teachable, and grateful. As I have thought about the great progess each of our investigators has been making, I have found one action they are all doing and have in common... they are reading the Book of Mormon and praying with real intent and sincerity for a confirmation and witness that it is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it changes lives. It has and is changing my heart. As we keep the Book of Mormon central in our teaching we will continue to bring souls unto Christ. I challenge all of you to read the Book of Mormon every day. I promise you that as you do you will feel closer to our Savior, your faith in him will increase, your love for him will grow, and your testimony of the Restoration will strengthen.

Please keep these wonderful people in your prayers. We love them and we pray for them specifically many times daily. Transfers are next week and we have been praying to stay together. Hopefully it is the Lord's will. Zone conference with a general authority is tomorrow. We have a wonderful week ahead of us!

I am so blessed and I am grateful.

With Love, Sister Hogge

6 Sep 2007

Hello from a not-so-hot day in DC,

Thank you for the emails and letters. I love hearing how everyone is doing. It brings excitement into my life especially when I hear from my wonderful family.

Sister Baxter and I are still having the time of our lives. President Mansell has told us that we are the happiest companionship in the mission...it is true! We love each other, we love the work and we love the Lord. Transfers are in two weeks and we've basically begged President and the Lord to allow to enjoy each other for at least one more transfer. However, setting all aside, the Lord's will be done.

Kate is doing great. She is getting baptized on Monday. Kate and I will be singing "Consider the Lilies" in church soon. I am excited for the many blessings she will receive when she becomes a member of the church and receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. On Sunday she bore her testimony and told the congregation how that morning she was praying to know what the Lord would have her do to strengthen her testimony. Her answer was to share it. She knew that she needed to hear herself bear testimony. Isn't she amazing!? Please keep her in your prayers, as this is the week before her baptism.

Teresa and Erica are both doing well and progressing. Teresa told us of the peace and the blessings that have come into her life since she has begun reading the Book of Mormon with pure motives. I love the Book of Mormon and I have seen how it changes lives and hearts. Truly it was written for us.

We have another new investigator, Laura. She is in the army and works as a medical assistant. She coordinates surgeries. She already read 1st and 2nd Nephi before we began teaching her this week. She has been to church 3 times now and she loves it. She has been searching for quite some time and has now found the truth.

We are excited and grateful for the investigators that the Lord has blessed us with and that have fallen directly in our path. We desire to always remain worthy of his trust with his precious children.

I know that I am nothing without my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I need them. We all fall short of the glory of God, but he ALWAYS qualifies us when we are humble. I have learned that instead of thinking about all of my many, many weaknesses, I must serve. In forgetting ourselves, we find ourselves...looking outward instead of inward. And although this is easier said than done I have learned that in any situation I can simply ask, "What would Jesus Chirst do?" I only desire to be more like him. I have thinking about the song "Do they see Jesus in me?" I hope they do.

Lately as I have had difficulties falling asleep I have put the song to test and have began to count my blessings...and it works! "When you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." I am so blessed.

I saw an old roommate this past week...very exciting! Breanna lived with me my senior year at BYUI. She is now happily married and moving to Oregon for a few months with her husband. It's exciting to see friends doing good things and progressing in their journey back to our Heavenly Father. Also, I drove on M St. in Georgetown this past week. Shopping heaven...then I remembered I had been there before with Galena on tour. So fun!

My P-Day will be on Tuesday this coming week, but will return to Wednesdays the week after.

I love being a missionary!

With Love, Sister Hogge

29 August 2007

Hello Family and Friends!

My heart is so full and I am happy. Last night as I prayed before going to bed, my heart felt full and overwhelmed with peace and happiness. Sister Baxter and I are loving life.

Kate and Abraham are doing well. Abraham is currently in San Fransisco and I told him to tell Cali "HI" for me. He called us last night from Cali. We were so excited to hear from him. He is really excited about his bapstim and asked what else we'd like him to read from the Book of Mormon. The sad news is that he won't be coming home until Sep. 8th. Please keep him in your prayers. He needs the strength to resist Satan while he is away from us for such a long period of time. It feels wonderful to help others repent and come unto Christ. Kate is fabulous and has her entire baptism planned. I will probably be singing and I am excited to do so. Kate is taking us to PF Changs tonight for dinner. I know...we are spoiled...and I LOVE it! Keep Kate in your prayers as well. She is happy and she is strong. We are excited for her baptism coming up Sep. 10th.

We have two new investigators. Teresa has been attending church all of her life, but was never baptized. She is progressing and will be baptized soon. Erica has been attending church with her boyfriend for two months and we just found out on Sunday that she is not a member YET. We are excited to get to know her and to help her in her progression. The Lord is truly blessing us in this work.

Lately we have been "GQ ing" or street contacting at the Wheaton Metro station. It's been a blast! I've totally been kicked outside of my comfort zone and I love it! Basically we separate and conquer. In the last two days we taught 95 lessons. It's amazing and it feels wonderful!! I have been working on my Spanish skills. We went GQing yesterday with Elder Cottrell and Elder Johnson and no one spoke Spanish except me (and I don't even speak Spanish!) I learned how to introduce myself and the Book of Mormon. I've also learned how to testify of Jesus Christ. Although we don't speak the same language I could see in their eyes that they felt the Spirit and that they understand. It's beautiful! I love being a missionary!!

The other day a Japanese group came into the VC. They were exchange students with their LDS American host families. It was fun to talk with them and give them pamphlets in Japanese. They filled out referral cards and we sent them to Temple Square. All I could think about was Joey and how excited I am for him to work with such wonderful people. It almost brought me to tears.

I have been feeling the battle with the natural man lately. I know that all spiritual things are "foolishness" to the natural man (1 Cor. 2:14). When I get tired or hungry or scared to talk with people the natural man would have me feel that I have done enough. As I have worked to overcome the natural man I have felt the greater power and strength of the Holy Ghost. Truly our goal in this second estate is to put off the natural man and become patient, humble, full of love, and willing to submit our will to the Lord's will.

I am studying "Jesus the Christ" outside of my regular study time. Whenever I get a chance I love reading about the life of my Savior. I feel that I am closer to him now more than ever. I love him.

This Friday we will be attending the temple and I'll be thinking of you while I am there. I am so grateful for the opportunity and blessing to attend the temple often and to feel refreshed and renewed to move forward in this great work.

I am grateful and happy. You are always in my prayers.

With Love, Sister Hogge

22 August 2007

Hello my lovely family and friends...

Sister Baxter always says "lovely" with her beauitful English accent and it's rubbing off on me. ; )

Life couldn't be better. I have never felt so much peace and happiness. Courtney went to the temple this past week with some friends to do some baptisms. She loved it and she had a friend do her father's work. I am so happy for her. She is leaving today for college. I hope to get her address soon to stay in contact with her. She has fallen in love with family history and she is progressing well.

I am currently living in Kensington House which is where all of the senior couples live and many other companionships. "K House" is located 2 minutes from the temple and the VC. It's wonderful! I am absoultely loving it! The senior couples spoil us with love and food. It's basically the ideal life for a missionary.

The Chevy Chase building which is where we attend church is just inside the Distirct. It's beautiful. I have never seen such a beautiful, colonial style church building. This area is wonderful and huge! Our leadership is amazing. The past 3 stake presidents have been Fortune 100 CEO's. They are wonderful men of God and well-respected. I am just amazed by the prestige and kindness of these men.

Kate is doing well. Her baptism is scheduled for September 2nd. Please keep her in your prayers. She is strong and I love her. We taught her about the law of chastity and the word of wisdom (the two big commandments). During relief society on Sunday we discussed reverence. She commented that she understands now why she must follow these commandments...to show her reverence and devotion to God. She is amazing! She began classes for law school this past week. She is very busy and Satan loves to work on her, but she is solid and I admire her for her humility and diligence. This past Sunday we taught her about prayer, scripture study, and obedience. These commandments always bring peace and comfort to our investigators. It gave Kate the "how" of living the commandments. It's by small and simple things in which great things come to pass. I know this is true in all of our lives.

Abraham is doing well. We gave him a baptismal date for September 16th. He is amazing and also very humble. Last night we taught an investigator at the church and afterwards went upstairs to have her meet some of the YSA's attending Institute. To our surprise Abraham was there! We were so excited to see him involved in the ward. The ward does a wonderful job of fellowshipping. He leaves for California for one week on Saturday. Keep him in your prayers because we know Satan will try to work as hard as he can on Abraham. We love Abraham.

Sister Baxter and I are loving life together...it's the perfect companionship. We are progressing so much together and we are working hard to help others progress. When a companionship doesn't have any problems, it's much easier to focus on others. The Lord is blessing us and we are so grateful. I have never felt such peace. She will be a friend forever. I am so grateful for her and for the love and example she gives me. It's simply lovely.

We have been enjoying some cool "Mendocino" weather. It's refreshing! Both Sister Baxter and I love the weather because it reminds us of wonderful memories. It reminds her of England and it reminds me of my heaven on earth, Mendocino and the northern Cali beaches. We hope that the weather will continue to be beautiful.

We are currently working with some amazing elders. In the ward there are two sets of missionaries, us and the elders, who are also our zone leaders. We work well together. We will be starting a Bible class within the next few weeks. We hope that this class will bring many YSA non-members. We will be strictly teaching from the Bible...I need to brush up on my Bible knowledge. I'm excited for the challenge. One of the zone leaders is Elder Cottrell. The other day I found out that he is cousins with Stacy Rogers!! He has been to Elk Grove many times. His mom and Stacy's dad are siblings. Crazy, huh! We thought that was a pretty funny connection. I am impressed by all of my leaders. We are very blessed. We have been invited to a brunch at the mission home with President and Sister Mansell. They are so wonderful and I have never felt so much love from my leaders.

Funny story: During our planning session the other night the phone rang and it was a telemarketer. After getting to know him we made a deal. If he gave me his phone number and address to receive a Book of Mormon, I would take his two minute survey. It was great! The Lord puts people in our path all the time!

Well, I love this work. I love serving the YSA's of the DC area. I am so blessed to be serving in half of the mission. We have been privileged with such great knowledge and it's our responsibility to share it with everyone! My heart is full.

With Love, Sister Hogge

15 August 2007

Hello wonderful family and friends...

Where to begin?! I am absolutely loving my new area. It covers all of DC and most of the northern part of our mission...yes, it is huge! I've driven twice now in the city and both times we got lost...pretty scary, especially when our map just stopped and we had no idea where we were going. We also accidently left the mission and drove into Virginia which will be my second time leaving the mission, on "accident." Sister Baxter truly is a wonderful navigator and we have learned the fact that we truly do rely on the Lord...especially when we get lost. The other night we drove through the city...by all of the monuments and museums, it was beautiful. I LOVE my area!!

The people of the ward are AMAZING! I have never met so many beautiful, accomplished and spiritual people. It is definitely inspiring and it has helped me see my own potential. I love the singles and I've totally gotten over the awkwardness. We already been taken out to eat twice by the guys...On the Border and Cheesecake Factory...yeah, we're spoiled and I love it! They know how to take care of us and they are wonderful missionaries. We just had dinner the other night at a member's home. He lives on Capitol Hill. Most of the members are attending law or medical school or they are already successful in their career. It's amazing! I have never felt so loved as a missionary. It just keeps getting better and better.

We are teaching many, many people. Kate is one investigator who will be baptized early in September. We hope to give Abraham a baptismal date this week and we hope that many more will follow. Sister Baxter and I work really, really well together and we want to make the most of our time together. We hope to bring many souls to Christ. It's exciting! I am learning so much from Sister Baxter. I have never felt so at peace and I have never seen such perspective. The way she lives is beautiful and I am excited for the changes that the Lord has in store for my own personality. I desire to grow in patience, perspective, and light-heartedness. We compliment each other well and we respect and love each other.

I saw Wendy Astle and her family at the VC the other day. It took her a while to recognize me. We took pictures together and she is doing well. Thank you family for all of the pictures from the camping trip. You brought me with you with all of the pictures and it was as if I could smell the ocean and hear the waves...I loved it!

Yesterday was zone conference. It was amazing, as usual. Before the conference I prayed to know what the Lord would have me learn and, of course, throughout the conference I was given many answers. I am excited to apply the things learned such as, finding through members and bringing happiness to all. After the conference we were given permission to watch President Faust's funeral. I know that God has a plan for each of us and I am grateful. I know that it is my responsibility to bring happiness and peace to others by helping them see God's love in the specific plans he has made for them.

I am loving this work more and more. I pray that all is well with you. I pray that the Lord will bless you. I pray that the Lord will continue to mold me and help me find his elect.

With Love, Sister Hogge

8 August 2007

Hello Family and Friends...

Transfers and come and gone today and I have been transferred! My P-Day is now on Wednesdays. I will miss Olney terribly. Courtney was confirmed on Sunday. Bishop Hill did the confirmation and it was beautiful. She is strong and I am so proud of her. This past week we taught her all of the member lessons. She especially enjoyed learning about temples and family history work. She should be receiving her temple recommend today to attend the temple for baptisms this week. It will hard to not see her as often, but the Lord always knows best. I am glad that I can trust Him. Thank heavens that I work at the VC as well. Courtney comes to the VC often and I will enjoy seeing her as well as many of the less-actives and members of the Olney 1st ward. As I looked around watching everyone before and after sacrament meeting my heart filled with so much love. I know and love these people so much. It's usually about that time that the Lord changes things up to help us grow. I knew I would be transferred. I could feel it. Beautiful Olney was simply heaven on earth.

I have been transferred to the DC 2nd Singles Ward. When I began my mission the thought of serving in a singles ward terrified me. However, these past few weeks I've had a feeling that the Lord would send me to serve in a singles ward, so I began preparing myself for the possibility. The awkwardness is something I've just choosen to get over fast. The DC 2nd ward has about 400 members, most of which are active. The missionary work is booming! I am so excited! I have heard wonderful things about the ward. I've met many of the members who have come into the VC. We have a HUGE area and once again, I get to drive. Part of our area includes the city. I am learning to love change, I guess I really have no choice. Change is good espeically in the mission field. My new companion is Sister Baxter. She is from England and she is adorable. We came out into the field together and I love her!!! Her dad is Elder Baxter of the Seventy. We are both so excited and I know that I will learn so much from her. She is a happy and cheerful sister missionary, a complete delight. Tonight we have dinner with one of the male members at a restaurant. The dinner rules are that we cannot be in a single male member's home with another woman, but public places are okay! Welcome to the singles ward! ; )

Life is wonderful and I will finally have roommates!! I am so happy. I love being a missionary! I have learned much about the Atonement this past transfer. I am grateful for my Savior and I love him. We cannot deny the power of the Atonement and we must apply the Atonement to our lives. It's only through Jesus Christ that we can become the people we want to become. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. I know that the people and the stories really did happen. I know that we need prophets. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet to restore truths to its fulness. We now enjoy many blessing because of the Restoration. I know that I have a Father in heaven who loves me and knows me. He is involved in the details of my life. I know that this church is the ONLY church on the earth that contains the fulness and espeically the authority. How blessed we are to enjoy these things.

With Love, Sister Hogge

2 August 2007

Hello!

Happy August! Transfers are this coming week. As always, I would love to stay in Olney, but the Lord knows best. I have come to love the people here so much. They are wonderful and I will miss them dearly if I have to leave. Transfers are this coming Wednesday.

Courtney's baptism was wonderful. I would love to share all of the details, but I recorded my thoughts on a tape the night of her baptism. The baptism was on Sunday night after church and about half of the ward was in attendance. We were so packed that we had to move into the chapel. I was so impressed with the support of the ward. Courtney's conversion has really united the members. It's wonderful to see the influence she has had on the lives of the members. President Mansell came to the baptism as well. We were excited and surprised for his visit. We love him and Sister Mansell.

The baptismal service went well. Courtney's friend Matt Lowe performed the baptism. He is the friend that will be leaving for Milan, Italy soon to serve his mission. He will probably be in the MTC the same time as Joey. The Lowe family along with many, many others have been so supportive of Courtney and her decision to be baptized. It's difficult because she doesn't have much support from her family. She is so strong despite the lack of support. She looked so beautiful all in white. We were all so happy. There were many tears of joy. When Courtney went into the waters my heart was full of peace and I said a silent prayer thanking Heavenly Father for the opportunity of being a part of Courtney's life and for helping her through her process of conversion. I think I was surprised at how much gratitude I felt that day. I surprised her by singing her favorite hymn "I Stand All Amazed" at the end of the service. It was a beautiful, humid, stormy day and I loved every minute of it! During the time that Courtney was getting dry and ready for the remaining portion of the service we had all who attended write notes of encouragement, their testimonies, or their thoughts of Courtney. Sister Lowe helped us compile the notes into a beautiful book that was given to Courtney after the service. She loved it!

After the baptism we made a quick stop at a member's home. We hadn't eaten since breakfast and we were starving! The delicious desserts at the baptism only satisfied my sweet tooth. The members made salmon for us!! I was in heaven. I think I could have died happy, but I know that the Lord has much more work for us to do. ; ) It was a wonderful and happy day!! Courtney will be confirmed this Sunday by Matt Lowe. Courtney and I will be friends forever.

At the V.C. yesterday just as we were leaving, a family from the Baltimore mission came with a friend and two sister missionaries, and were asking for me. I had given this family a tour three months ago and since then they had all been baptized! It was so wonderful to see them. I was so happy for all of them. We have no idea the impact we have on the lives that come into the V.C. I have been blessed to see some of the fruits of my labors and I am grateful. The family told me that they had brought a friend who would be baptized soon and that they were bringing another friend in three weeks. Hopefully I will be able to give them another tour when they visit again. Missions are all about the people!!

By the way, I attended the temple again a week ago. It was wonderful and beautiful. We are so blessed to be serving in the shadow of the house of the Lord. Also, two Sundays ago Sister Guimaraes and I taught sharing time in Primary. It was so much fun and it wore me out! We got all of the children excited about missionary work. We made them missionary tags and gave them missionary kits with pass-a-long cards for their friends. They loved it! We hope to keep the ward excited about missionary work.

I am loving the work and I am learning the importance of always enjoying the ride. I am also learning how to live simply and to be light-hearted. I hope that the Lord will continue to mold and shape me into the person he knows that I can be. I hope to be more diligent and faithful. I know that the Lord is always with me and I know that our Heavenly Father loves all of his children.

With Love, Sister Hogge