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
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
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
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
Thursday, September 6, 2007
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
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
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