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
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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
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
Thursday, October 18, 2007
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
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
Saturday, October 13, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
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
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 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
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