the sisters on Maui

the sisters on Maui

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Week 61- Chocolate chip cookies



Aloha!

I don't really remember what we did this week....it seems like every week just smears together and I have all these great things to share but I don't know if I already shared them or not..... But I am journaling every day and in December we can read through a more detailed overview of my mission.

We are working with some part member families. In both cases it is the wife who isnt a member. Both are doing well. one of them has been living the word of wisdom (although her husband, who is a member but not enjoying the blessings of the gospel fully, is not) and she told us that she has been doing really well! She told us that her husband is even supporting her. she said with out thinking, she asked to try his hard lemonade and right before she took a sip, her drunk husband hit the glass out of her hands and shouted "you can't drink that!!!" so he spilled the lemonade all over her!  gotta love the spousal support:)

It sounds like sis Oh will go back to the VC and I'll stay here. I am kinda excited....but kinda ready to have a new area. we have knocked on like every door in this town......I feel like belle in the beauty and the beast singing "there goes the baker with his tray like always- the same old bread and rolls to sell. every morning just the same since the morning that we came to this poor provincial town" etc...
but im singing "there goes the hobo with his dog like always.... and there goes jim our stalker friend..." haha. but I know that if I stay it is for a reason and it is just up to me to find out what that reason is. Heavenly Father puts all of His missionaries where they need to be!

We got to go to the temple this week!! yay temple trip Tuesday!! and something really special was that president and sister warner came to our session! it was so great to see them again! now we are emailing in the library at BYU Hawaii campus, then we will go to the PCC again! woo hoo! oh and for the first time we got to have a tour of the visitors center!! President wants us to know what is going on in there so we can recommend people to come and see from experience! It was so great! I loved the family video! we'll have to watch it when we go to Hawaii together:)

Probably the happiest part of the week was our friend A. He is working to come back to the church. he's been less active for most of his youth/young adulthood. so he is the older end of YSA now so we work with him and the YSA elders work with him. this week he told us that he had been praying morning and night like the elders invited him to do and he had been focusing on being grateful, like we invited him to do (after reading pres. utchdorf's talk). He said that he felt so much happier!!!! and he met with his bishop and is doing all the right things to get back on track!!! we are so happy for him!!!!there is so much joy in helping someone work towards the the temple! that's really all that we do as missionaries. sometimes it seems like we are trying to help people to work towards baptism.....but the reason that we even care about that is because we want  to be baptized to eventually go to the temple! and we need to go to the temple to make those promises to God and to learn and to receive all of the blessings that He has in store for us!!
it is so important!!!


One of our little blessings this week was the chocolate chip cookie miracle:
siter Oh and I had one of those days that just felt kind of unsuccessful  and we were talking about who was having us over for dinner tonight and we said "you know what would be really nice? a salad....and a cheesy pasta.... and bread" just getting fancy with our wishes...then in my head I thought "and chocolate chip cookies!!!"  I just laughed to myself and thought "I know that Heavenly Father loves us .....I don't need to be so selfish and picky in how I want Him to bless us. let's not be childish" so I just offered a silent prayer of gratitude to Heavenly Father for all that He has blessed us with. So then we went to dinner and guess what they were serving? okay don't guess, I'll just tell you- salad and pasta with cheese and bread and.....drum roll please.....chocolate chip cookies!!! And I know that it seems like such a silly little thing, but it was Heavenly Father's way of telling us that He was so aware of us , and even our simple wants and wishes.
We are His precious children! He knows that things we hope for (big and small). and He love us! Tell everyone that!!!! That is what missionary work is- telling people of God's love. He loves all of His children so much and He wants us all to have joy and to one day be able to return and live with Him.
I am so grateful that He always gives us little miracles and reminders of His love. Keep an eye out for the little miracles He will give to you today, and everyday. and let us always remember to thank Him too.

aloha nui loa!
-Sister Hodgson