A Witness Unto You That I Am God

My scripture from this week 2 Nephi 29:8. (I´ll let you look it up becuase I do not have it memorized in English yet) 

 8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

This scripture was a strenght to me, just as the Book of Mormon has always fortified my testimony that the church is true. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and the Book of Mormon is his prepared way to learn the truth. It makes me ponder that He loves the people of Nacaome, Honduras just as much.

This week was great, with less sickness.

On Monday we helped a daughter of a member move into the ward. 

On Tuesday we had a Zone Conference, and it was excellent. (If i´m not wrong there will be pictures ont eh blog) We realized many things that we can be doing better. So we will keep moving forward becuase there are still people in every area that are being prepared.

The rest of the week we continued to work. We´ve found a couple with three children - we actualy opened the mouth with them last week and they said we could pass by again. And we did and were surprised to find that the husband had lived in the US and attended church several times, and the hermana had read the pamplet we had left. We hope Hermano Luis and Hermana Guadelupe can progress very much!

On Sunday we had District Conference. The messages were all excelent. I saw more of the need to teach the commandments to the people - I know that even if they don´t accept the complete gospel at this time, they will at least be blessed for keeping the commandments. 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Hermana Hogge

Let Us Cheerfully Do All Things That Lie In Our Power

The scripture that I chose to meditize this week is found in Doctrine and Covenants 123: 17. Therefore, dearly beloved bretheren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation fo God, and for His arm to be revealed.

Deciding to memorize and meditate in that scripture helped me out a lot this week, because it turned out to be a time when I couldn´t do all that I wanted. But I learned that if I focused on doing what I could - what was within my power (or to use the spanish translation, within my reach) - I could still feel the Spirit with me and know that everything will be alright. 

        To make a long story short, I´ve been sick. A cold going around knocked me down (even though it is very hot, it´s also been raining), and I didn´t have much energy for a few days, but now I´m getting myself back up.  Heavenly Father is always with us - He´s been so great to me this week, letting me know over and over again that everything is going to be okay. He has a perfect plan for each one of us. He wants us to learn and grow, and knows that it is most often through adversity that we really learn to develop - in faith and love and strength. Hermana Vera has also been a good sport, even making me food to make me feel better. 

         The branch had a Talent Show Night on Saturday, which was super fun. The young men and young women of the ward did a lot to participate and also sold food to raise money for SOY (their EFY, basically)  It was a big success.  I wish we could have had more investigators but we were able to have some and other less active members come, as well as our lovely converts Rachel and Xochil. They´ve also invited a cousin of theirs to church with them, so hopefully we can help her know more about the gospel of Jesus Christ as well. She´s only 11- the faith and love that children have inspires me. 

         On Sunday when the primary ran out of teachers my companion and I helped the kids learn songs. It´s been a long time since I´ve been in primary, but it worked out well. Xochil has only been a member for a few weeks but already is singing the songs like she´s known them all her life. 

         We have an investigator Jose who came to church, but only for a few seconds - he wanted to come back but then couldn´t. But we will keep doing what we can to help him. He is the investigator that, as I shared a few weeks ago, made me think of dad because he likes astronomy. We hope he can come to all of church next time, but we were surprised with the interest he showed and - well, I will let you know how things go with that. 

           We have a zone Conference tomorrow (I´ll be leading the music - yay) so that should be very good, and help me to get back on my feet. I love you all and thank you all for your prayers in my behalf, they help get me through everything.         

 

         I hope that things continue to go well in work and school, in celebrating the good times (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!) and saving turtles and getting through the darker days - Remember that at all of these times, God is never far away. 

           I love you all and wish you all the best of the best (sir!). Do all that is within your power and do it with a grateful heart, and you can know that Heavenly Father is pleased with what you have done and who you are becoming. 

             HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

             Hermana Hogge

Be Thou An Example

Let no man dispise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

           I was meditizing that scripture this week. I realized that everything that I am asking others to do, I must begin with myself. It would be very unfair to preach otherwise. That doesn't mean I´m perfect, but I do try. I like the first part Let no man despise thy youth - I know that refers to me too. I may be young but I can still dedicate my life to teaching and helping others. 

         Word and conversation. I tried to apply this by thinking and speaking more positively. I also dedicated (and we as a mission are dedicatint) more time to teach my companion English. She loves to learn it and I love to teach it, so it works out. She knows all of Families Can Be Together Forever now. We actually had a zone meeting on Thursday and President Bowler surprised us with a visit. But it was also really nice of him to offer us and some other missionaries a ride back to Nacaome and other areas. Hermana Vera and I started singing the song in English and President Bowler suggested that we all join in. We were like a family going on a road trip, singing in the car. It was a special moment. 

         Charity. A level of love that comes with The Spirit and a service, patience, and kindness. It isn´t something that comes all at once. But we had a good experience in service this week. We went to visit a sister in the ward - we started teaching a message we had prepared, but we soon realized she was worried. We asked her and she told us about some of the challenges she was facing. We did what we could to testify that everything would be ok, and then moved outside to help her take up the weeds in her yard. Hermana Vera cut the grass with and weeds with a machete, and I worked with the kids, pulling up weeds with my hands. Then Hermana Vera taught me how to use the machete. So, don´t worry, I know how to use a machete now. :) 

         Spirit and Faith. When you don´t know what to do, pray. Heavenly Father is always there, when we are need and when things are going well. Having the Spirit is super important, which is why prayer and scripture study are important. As a mission we read Nephi chapters 3 to 7 and were reminded of Nephi´s example of obedience and faith in our Father in Heaven - his faith that He would provide a way. Here in the mission, we receive rules, standards of excelence, we have goals and plans to help the people, and they don´t always work out the first time. Sometimes we have to reanalyze and try again, just as Nephi and his brothers did in getting the plates. President Bowler also taught us a lesson about Ishmael and his family: they had been prepared by the Lord. There are also families and people in our area that are being prepared. 

      Purity. Repent every day and keep trying. Live worthily to enter the temple. 

Take the sacraement every week and remember your covenants. 

      Well as for our investigators, we keep moving forward. This week was a little dry but we know that blessings are around the corner! This sunday in testimony meeting was very nice. 

We´ve been enjoying the goodies you sent. In case you were wondering, the chocolate frog card was Dumbledore. Oh and some news: the mission has a new blog! It´s not something for me to go check out but it´s for our families and returned missionares. You get to read my emails but you don´t always get to know what´s going on in the mission as a whole. So here it is if you want to take a look:servingintegucigalpa.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

New Missionaries with their trainers. 

        I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week. Ally, good luck with AIDA I hear it´s going great, Mom and Dad, have fun in Mexico, Miles keep being awesome in school, and Bryan and Annette in preparing for the big day in November. My birthday! Haha just kidding. I admire you all so much and wish you all the best.  Miracles happen every day! 

        All my love,

        Hermana Hogge

          

Oh and speaking of rules, just to remind all of you - please don´t write me while I´m online. You can write me later and I will read it next week. I love all of you but it´s better if you don´t write while I am on, okay? Okay. Love you all.

Thoughts Of Conference

Well, what do you know. The power went out. I hope this is able to reach all of you. So this week has been a good one. Hot, and right now rainy. But it sounds like the weather there hasn´t been that different. I hope you are all well, having adventures, and are happy. 

           Like I said earlier, Hermana Dubon was only with me for a time. My new companion is named Hermana Vera. She´s a convert to the church of two years, comes from a family with seven brothers, and is from an island of the coast of Ecuador. She had to travel three hours to get to church, if you can believe it. Basically, she´s amazing. She´s got a lot of energy, and a willingness to serve. I´m training her, but really she came prepared.  I like training, but I don´t think anyone is suprised that I´m training again - missionaries I don´t even know came up and asked my how long I´ve been training  (If you´ve been keeping track, about six months). Even though it requires a little more patience and effort, I like it a lot. 

           This week we´ve been working with people and finding more. There is a mother and daughter that Hermana Dubon and I found, the daughter we found when I felt I needed to go to the park. Well, they´re positive investigators, named Ana and Kelin. Kelin is the daughter and has a little five year old boy. 

          Hermana Vera and I also found a young man and were able to visit him and his family yesterday. They are only here temporarily in Nacaome, their work is to make these boquets (more or less) of paper flowers that they sell. It was interesting to enter a home and teach surrounded by piles of paper flowers, and the boquets hanging from the walls and ceiling. But they were a receptive group, even the children quieted down (that almost never happens). It was a good lesson, the young man Olvin is very ineterested in learning more.

          General Conference was, of course, amazing. THere were a few hiccups in the technology (namely, at the time that they were announcing the new apostles, thank you.) It was a very emotional thing to say goodbye to those great men but also very exciting to receive the new ones. Elder Bednar´s talk nearly made me cry. I loved all of the talks. I noticed the theme about the importance of having and following the Spirit. I loved the talk about asking what I need to improve and acting on the impressions of the Spirit. I also like the idea of metidizing the scriptures. This week I will be starting with the scripture that President Monson spoke of in Conference - Timothy 4 12. I´ll let you know what I learn this week. 

             I also loved the talk by Elder Holland on Mothers. I thought of you, Mom, very much and also about Annette who is preparing to be a mother. I thought of my grandmothers, aunts, and other examples of mothers that I have had throughout my life. And I thank each and every one of you, especially you Mom. I love you very much and know what Elder Holland said is true. The love of a mother is the closest thing to the love of our Father in Heaven. 

             Things are going well here. I´m healthy, the shoes and clothes are still holding up (though I´m looking to buy a new backpack) and I did receive the package, thank you all for the game, the chocolate frog and other goodies. Made my day! I love each and every one of you. Don´t worry, the time will fly. So just enjoy it! Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. I love you all. 

           Hermana Hogge