December 24, 2014
Feliz Navidad!!!
I don't have a lot of time, but good news: Melisa will be baptized on saturday! Horay!!
The best thing that happened this week was yesterday, the reunion that we had with all the missionaries! I will tell you more about it, so sorry I don't have time right now :(
Love you all!
Remember the meaning of Christmas always! John 3:16-17 and Johnn 17:33 have become some of my favorites this Christmas!
Love you,
Hermana Hogge
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| Isn't she cute? Happy happy happy! |
She started tearing up when she saw us all gathered together on the couch to see her. It was so great to hear her voice and hear her stories! What a great Christmas.
Quick random side note:
My family received a box of chocolate covered fortune cookies as a christmas gift from neighbors. The fortunes were all holiday related and submitted by random people. Allison and Miles opened up this one:
Ummmm.... coincidence? I think NOT! Kind of crazy!
Here are pictures from when she got together with the other missionaries in her mission for Christmas!
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| "Hna Arango and I at the Christmas party with the other missionaries! Those were gifts from a ward in Utah and we got things like socks and candy and an orange! It was nice!" |
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| "Me, Hermana Bowler and President Bowler" |
Then we got to hear from her the Monday following Christmas. Unfortunately, she wasn't feeling too great. :( Here's her email:
December 29, 2014
Dear friends and family,
First of all, skyping my family was the best christmas present I could have asked for.
(See? SEE? The fortune cookie was RIGHT!!)
I love you so much! As for the rest of the week, last week..it didn't really go as planned. First of all, I told you that Melissa was planning on being baptized on Saturday. But, that didn't work out when she had to work until 9pm. Now her family is telling her to wait. It's frusterating but we just have to be patient. There was a brother and sister baptized on saturday though! Monse and Dustin, 12 and 10. Hermana Molina and I had the opportunity of teaching them a little when we had the whole ward. They are very sweet.
The other bad news is that I´m sick right now. It started around noon on Christmas. I came down with a fever and was really tired. I have been well taken care of though. I've been resting, plus my companion is really great and makes sure I do everything that the hermanas enfermeras (sister nurses) and Hermana Bowler tell me to do. These past few days haven't been fun. But I've been comforted by a priesthood blessing I received. I was told not to worry about my calling. I¡m already feeling much better and I know it is through the atonement that I am and will be healed. I have a little more timne to rest, but after that I will be able to get back to work. I am going to the doctors tomorrow.
There isnt much more to say about this week. Keep being awesome, and keep me in your prayers, (even though I know you already do!)
Love, Hermana Hogge
January 5, 2015
Well, I´ll start with the good news of this week: I am definately feeling better!
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| "This is me today! Look how healthy I am! Yay! And this is the outside of my apartment. It´s a nice place." |
This last week went something like this:
Everyday I rested, and Hna Arango worked with the other Hermanas that are here in the ward as well to do divisions, so Hermana Arango and one of them could visit some of our investigators, and one of them would stay with me. At the end of the week, we didn´t have very many lessons with people. But this week will be better :)
Every night, I talked with Hermana Bowler. She´s the mission president´s wife, for those that don´t know. Her calling is basically to be the nurse for the english-speaking missionaries. We also have two hermanas that are called as hermana enfermeras that serve the spanish-speaking missionaries. We talked to both, but mostly I talked to Hna Bowler and gave her uptdates. The first few days, I had a fever and did not have an appetite. But, my companion made sure I ate, and the members brought us food sometimes too. Once it was a quesedilla-type meal, with tortillas filled with cheese and chicken and tomatoes and peppers. Yummy!
At the beginning and end of the sickness that I had, which here is called denge, I also broke out in a weird rash. It didn´t itch or hurt at all. I just looked like an alien.
The only time I went out was for tests at some local clinics. One is called San Rafeal and the other is the laberatorio Flemming. I got my blood drawn and I was tested for denge and other things like my white blood cell count and platelets. I didn´t understand all of it, but what I did understand was that my wbc and platelets were below normal, and I was given instruction to stay home and rest until they were back up to normal. And the good news is that they are normal now! So I can be around people again.Horay!
On Tuesday night, we actualy had a special visit from President and Hermana Bowler. Thankfully, the house was clean and everything (because, of course, it´s always clean). They were in the area for zone conferences, which I didn´t get to go to, but that´s ok. They are really good people, the president and his wife. I have a lot more appreciation for both of them and all they do.
It´s been boring and a bit stressful to be inside for nine days, but I know that, like the blessing I received said, I have been healed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And now I understand that to mean physically and spiritually. I wasn´t alone. He´s been with me every day and for that I´m very grateful. I was helped to have patience and hope. And I also read a lot from the scriptures and general conference, and that was a blessing. I really liked President Uchtdorf´s talk from preisthood session, when he invited all of us to adopt the attitude of the apostles when they asked ¨Lord, Is it I?¨when He said that one of them would betray Him. It´s helped me to be better about not blaming others or my circumstances and focus more on what I can do, with His help.
I´m sorry to hear that some of you are sick, too! I hope you´re already doing better as you read this! And remember that you´re never alone!
New Years here passed a lot like Christmas Eve, with lots of noise and fireworks outside at midnight.
As for our investigators, we´re still working with them. Like I said, this last week was slow, but this week we should have more oportunities. Today has been a fairly normal Pday - we took a bus to el centro (downtown) of Choluteca, paid our light bill, bought grocieries at a supermarket (which isn´t very super, but it does have peanut butter). We took a taxi back, and we started talking to him, and it turns out he´s been our taxista (taxi driver) before. I didn´t remember, but he even remembered Hna Molina. I think his wife is a member. He doesn´t live in our area but hopefullly he will feel the Spirit and attend church! That´s a big step for people. We didn´t have investigators in church this sunday but the other hermanas did and I sat next to her and tried to help her understand the hymns and why we raised our hands and the sacrament and everything . Hopefully that helped.
Well, there´s my week. Now go have a good one yourself! :) As always, thank you for your updates and prayers and pictures and your love. I love you all very much!
Hermana Hogge
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| "As requested, a picture of my apartment. Tada!" |
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