14 March 2007

Dear family and friends,

Thank you for telling me about Sarah. Sar, you'll be in my prayers...thank heavens for the resurrection!

Well, this past week was a good week. The weather yesterday and today has been absolutely gorgeous! So warm! We taught Larry and Florida again. They are both still closed to the BOM, Florida more than Larry, but I love them. We are deciding this week what we should do with them. It's pretty sad that we will have to drop Florida soon...at least we planted a good seed. Larry, on the other hand, I think we will work with for another few visits. Larry reminds me so much of Dad. He is very intelligent and will often use big words I don't understand, but the Lord has blessed S. Everts and I with a sweet spirit that calms our hearts and our minds when we teach him. He doesn't believe in knowing the BOM is true through "his feelings", but what we want him to understand that they "feelings" from the Spirit are not his own feelings they are from God testifying to him that the things we are teaching him are true. However, to know of these things for himself he has to pray and ask God with a sincere heart and real intent. He is too prideful to do so...but he will and when he does he will be baptized.

I have learned much about pride and humility. I found myself struggling with my attitude this past week. I am so prideful! I am learning to have a good attitude about tracting. I think it's a waste of time, when really it's a good way to find new investigators. I have learned that humbling ourselves is often better than the Lord humbling us, but I think that the Lord definitely had a hand in humbling me this past week. Being an effective missionary has a lot to do with the missionary's attitude. I pray every day to have a good attitude so that I can be an effective tool in the Lord's hands.

We also taught two new investigators this past week. Scott is wonderful! He was recently divorced, is 55 with an 8 year old daughter and is incredibly humble. He is the first white man I've taught! He is very teachable and he is searching for truth, golden! We taught him the first lesson this last Friday and at the end of the lesson we had a kneeling prayer and we told him that we knew that the Lord would have him pray (Language of Faith). He said the most beautiful prayer. During the lesson my whole soul was overwhelmed with joy, the kind of joy that Alma talks about in Alma 29. It's a beautiful kind of joy. I have learned that the difficulties and the joys of a missionary can only be experienced by a missionary. It's wonderful and I can feel the Lord molding me through my love for the people. We will be teaching Scott again soon.

We also taught Lyn Walker a grandma from Jamaica. She loves the missionares and she loves to talk! It took us 1 1/2 hours to teach her the first lesson. She is a humble woman who loves the Lord and needs a church to attend. We are taking her to the R.S. enrichment this Friday. We just met her two days ago. I love Lyn! The Lord is blessing Sister Everts and I!

President and Sister Price came to speak at a member's home in our ward this last Sunday. They are firesides we have each month called "cottage meetings". We invite recent converts and investigators to learn more about the gospel. It was fun to visit with the Prices. Sister Price wants to sing a duet with me and I am excited to do so! Mom, I might need some duet pieces.

Anyway, we were eating at Sister Robison's house, a member from the White Oak Ward and she had an accent so I asked her where she was from. She responded that she was from Argentina. I decided to ask if she knew any Borens and she said she did. I told her of my dad's connection to the Borens and she told me that she loved the Borens and practically grew up with them. Sister Robison and I have a special bond now! ; ) Pretty cool, huh Dad!

As we have taught people from many different countries I have learned that many of the Africans have moved to the U.S. because of wars in their countries. We are so blessed to be living in America. I love listening to the people we teach tell us of their stories and reading the BOM in their own native language.

Our ward just began the new ward mission plan. It's a great plan and the members are now praying for the full-time missionaries by name, what a blessing! I have learned how valuable the members are!

I love being a missionary, I love the people of DC, and I love all of you so much!

With Love, Sister Hogge

p.s. Thank you for all of your letters and love. They mean so much to me! My new mission president is Al Mansell from the National Realters Association.

p.s. Dad, is agency an eternal law? Does God give us our agency?