Feb 13th 2017

Hello All!




All I can say about this week is that I am grateful for trials of faith. Because this week has been a big one. It started off hard and stayed pretty hard the rest of the week. But it was a good learning experience for me.

We lost most of our investigators, our most progressing and most solid one, Valarie, did a complete 180 after family got to her and that set the tone for the whole week. It seemed no matter where we turned Satan threw something else at us. We ended up dropping or being dropped by almost all of our investigators, we literally have 1 left. And she's not even progressing. But she will be soon. We have a few others, but we haven't met or taught them in weeks. So we are dropping them too.

We got kicked out of Walmart. Someone called the manager and complained that we were offering service or messages of Christ in the parking lot. So the manager came out and told us to leave immediately. Yay. Our best place to TWE. Then we got kicked out of an apartment complex (very rudely). And no it wasn't illegal since it's public government property, but the manager didn't care. Then no one would answer the door, no one else wanted to be taught and both of us haven't felt the greatest. But I have come to be grateful for it. Granted I wasn't feeling very grateful at all in the beginning. I was mad and yes slightly discouraged. But I had a little change of heart as the week has gone on. I had a really great personal study this week. And some how everything I studied seemed to mention the idea of joy and the importance of being happy, or trials of faith and the need for opposition in all things. I got to have a very real and personal conversation with my Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost. It was pretty great. I love wearing this missionary tag with Christ's name on it. Even if it makes so many people angry and rude to us. Elder Holland is right when he says that it is in those moments we stand shoulder to shoulder with the greatest missionary that ever lived and whose name we wear, and for a moment I am proud to bear a little of that cross.

I loved President Hinkleys lesson this Sunday on how the Gospel brings joy in any and all circumstances if you stay grateful and look for the positive. I am a firm believer in the idea that we find what we look for. If we look for reasons to be grateful, we find them. If we look for things that are negative, we find them. If we look for a reason to be happy, we find it. At times this is easier said than done. But what makes it easiest is when we put our focus on the savior and his gospel. Then it seemed like I always have multiple things to be grateful for. And this week it was the opportunity to further build my faith through a very rough week. We now get to get more practice tracting, get more creative in places to TWE, and look for opportunities to find those whose hearts are prepared. I am excited to show Satan that he will not win this week.




Other than that there has been a few fun things this week.

We were able to give a small training on the atonement and how it applies to the doctrine of Christ during district meeting with the zone leaders. Nerve-wracking but fun.

Got to go teach a less active who has some pretty bad health problems. It was amazing to watch her whole countenance change as we talked. She has had an amazing and full life. Sang with famous people, on cruise ships, on TV, worked on movies, all this crazy stuff. Pretty cool.

Found a few new potentials through tracting. One is this Spanish family who is very Catholic, but open to learning.

Found this gorgeous blue house out in the middle of nowhere. If there is one thing southerners get right it's the architecture. Big windows, wrap around porches, just super pretty.




Love and miss you all! Stay happy!
Sister Hoyt