MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I love you all!

Christmas is around the corner! I love seeing everyone's spirits lift as we get closer to the day that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The members here have been so thoughtful and kind to us this holiday season. We've felt so much love from the wards here! And even from those that are non-members. That has been the best part of this Christmas....we have been so welcomed by so many people that we contact. They are all so open to hearing about Christ this Christmas time. We had a wonderful visit with a nice old couple the other day. We had met the husband weeks before and we read the book of Mormon with him. We decided to bring him some Christmas goodies and he and his wife welcomed us in. They shared some candy with us and we had a wonderful conversation about Jesus Christ. We shared John 3:16 with them and asked them to think about what they can give back to Christ this Christmas. As we left, they excitedly told us that they are really going to think hard about what they will give Christ. I could go on and on about all the wonderful things that are happening as we spread the real meaning of Christmas.

Of course, the holidays are fun and exciting! We have enjoyed Christmas parties, gift exchanges, art shows, hay rides, caroling, ugly sweaters, goodie-making, and so much more! But as I have centered my thoughts on Christ, this Christmas has meant so much more. We had a Christmas Conference with our mission leaders and I learned some amazing things. Our stake president gave an awesome talk that will stick with me for the rest of my life. He was speaking about the birth of Christ and how Christ is the ultimate gift to the world. But he told us that instead of reading Luke 2 on Christmas Eve, he likes to read 1 Nephi 11. We then went and read 1 Nephi 11 together...and oh my. As we read, I felt so much LOVE from our Heavenly Father. Nephi wants to know the meaning of his father's dream. 1 Nephi 11 is where the meaning of the tree of life is explained. But I found it very interesting that instead of simply stating "The tree of life symbolizes the love of God"....Nephi was shown Mary. He was shown Christ being born into the world. He was told what Christ would do for all mankind. And then Nephi realized the tree of life is the Love of God. Because the Love of God is so evident as we reflect on Christ and His life. I know without a doubt that Christ is our Savior. He came into the world because He loves me. And He loves you. He was born into a stable...such humble circumstances...and His life was dedicated to doing good. He died for every single one of us so we can be forgiven of our sins and live again with our Heavenly Father! 

Redemption and eternal life. What greater gift could we ever receive? 

I hope you are all thinking of Christ this time of year. Seriously, go read 1 Nephi 11 with the Christmas spirit in your heart. It will change your perspective and help you grow closer to Christ this Christmas. It truly is the most wonderful time of year! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I love you all! 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

P-day hike to "Tunnel Drive". Originally made for trains in the olden days.

Sis. Elama and I, just being hipsters...jk. Colorado is so gorgeous!

Christmas Caroling with Canon City ward members!

Christmas Horse

Glam gingerbread houses!

Christmas caroling with real horses! Only in Canon City! LOL

Christmas Zone Conference

The Christmas spirit has sprinkled all over Canon City!

The Christmas spirit has sprinkled all over Canon City! I think this is going to be the best Christmas of my whole life. There is nothing that could be better...we spend all day, everyday helping people and finding those who are seeking Jesus Christ. With the big "He is the Gift" initiative, we've been able to talk and teach a lot more people than we have any other time of year! In such a religious community, people LOVE to talk about Christ. And especially when we talk about how Christ is the real meaning of Christmas. 

I've been praying real hard that Heavenly Father would place people in our path who are searching....who's hearts are prepared. And boy, oh boy it's amazing what God can do. Without a doubt, He's answered my prayers. People have literally been placed in our path. I'll share one story.....my companion and I were walking to see our investigator because we were right by her house. Turns out she wasn't home, so we just kept walking. I chose an odd route that I've never walked before. So we turned a corner and I saw a man walking towards us. He was rather rugged looking and honestly I was afraid at first. But, he walked by us, we smiled and said hello, then the spirit told me "DUH! Talk to him! He's been placed in your path!" So I turned around and asked him if he was celebrating Christmas this year. We shared the He is the Gift pass along card with him and we ended up having an awesome gospel conversation. We taught him all about the Book of Mormon. He told us he's been visiting a lot of churches trying to find the one that feels right for him. After we gave him the Book of Mormon, we asked if we could come to his home and teach him more. He said "yeah, I'm gonna go home and read this. Will you come back later today?" God is real! The end of this story takes a twist because we actually had a full afternoon, so we didn't have time to go back. But, thank goodness we share a ward with elders! So we called them and sent them over to his house. It's better that they teach him anyway because he's a single man living with 4 other men....but the elders went and had a great lesson with him! They are going back to teach him again tomorrow. It was just so cool to see how Heavenly Father literally places people in our path. 

It's been a wonderful week. Everyone is just so happy and grateful for what they have this time of year! It's the best time to be a missionary. I can't wait to see what else Heavenly Father has in store for us! I hope you're all spreading the Christmas cheer as well. Take advantage of this opportunity! 

I love you all. Merry Christmas! 

xoxox

Sister Hoer

Tacky Christmas sweaters.

Our district in our Christmas sweaters.

We did a lot of service this week on a farm...  Yeee Haw!

We got a Big Christmas Tree!

We butchered this chicken to eat for Christmas Eve dinner. I was crying and laughing at the same time.  I am a real farm girl now...  maybe!

By the time I get home, I'm gonna be a little farm girl, haha!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We sure had a great thanksgiving here in Canon. Thanksgiving never ended! We had multiple thanksgiving dinners...and we're still eating leftovers! But it was great. Even though I was away from family, I got to spend it with the people here in Colorado who have truly won my heart.

We've got a lot to be thankful for. And the Christmas season is quickly approaching! We are all super excited about the "He is the Gift" initiative that the church has put out. As missionaries, we are challenged to hand out at least 10 of those pass along cards each day. It's been so cool as we put forth our best efforts to work even harder and talk with everyone about Christ. The hearts are truly softened this time of year. People love talking about Christ and especially when Christmas is among us! There is much joy and the Christmas spirit is all around Canon! This little town is VERY religious. The other day, someone told us there are 52 churches here! I couldn't believe it. There's hardly 52 people! Hahah just kidding, it's not that small. But it's quite religious. I'm excited to see how things go with the "He Is the Gift" initiative.

Our investigator, S, is doing great! She is progressing towards baptism and starting to get really excited about it. We've pushed her baptism back because she wanted more time...she really grasped how important this is and she told us she wants to make sure this is the best day of her life. It's exciting to see the change in her and to see how she really understands and is looking forward to her baptism. Our other investigators, D and A, also want to be baptized! Their goal right now is the beginning of January, so we'll see how things go! They've got a lot of learning yet to do, but the spirit works in miraculous ways. It's really cool to step back and see what the spirit has done. Because it's all the spirit...my companion and I don't do a whole lot besides open our mouths and let the spirit speak through us. 

We did a lot of service this week! That was a blast. I'm starting to love animals a little more. So many people here have farms so we help out with that kind of stuff. And in return they usually give us fresh eggs! It's awesome. By the time I get home, I'm gonna be a little farm girl haha! I tried my hardest to smile for the pictures, but they caught my fear through the camera. It's kind of hilarious.

Well I hope you're all remembering the real meaning of Christmas. Because Christ truly is the gift. The best gift the world has ever received. Love you all! Merry Christmas.

xoxo

Sister Hoer

This is Sis. Elama's first time to meet Santa.  There is no Santa in Samoa!

Doing service this week. Getting to know the animals. Not so sure about this chicken.

Ok, got it down. I forced this smile!

Now it's the goats turn!

They just threw this goat on my shoulder. Scariest moment of my life!

Whooweee! I DID it!

Found this chair. Decide to take a little break.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Patience truly is a virtue. And patience is key when it comes to answers from our Heavenly Father. I read this morning in 1 Nephi chapter 10 that "the course of the Lord is one eternal round." so there is no time in the Lord's eyes. Only His wisdom to know when is the right timing here on earth for His miracles to come forth. This past week I have really been reflecting on the miracles that surround us. Mormon chapter 9 is one of my favorites which tells all about how God does not cease to be God...He is still a God of miracles today. And that has been so evident to me on my mission! When my companion and I were first put together 3 months ago, we fasted that we could find a new investigator who would be prepared and who would progress towards baptism. For the first 6 weeks we were together....nothing. A lot of potential, but no real progress. Then the second transfer, the miracles came. We truly followed the spirit and started teaching S, our investigator. And the spirit has been working and teaching her for the past month or so. She has really changed and I can see the light growing within her. She has grown so much in her faith and deepened her desire to follow Jesus Christ. Even though we prayed and fasted for this 3 months ago, I know this is an answer to our prayers. We also know that miracles are a result of our faith. I told my companion before we fasted that we had to put ALL our faith and trust in the Lord and then do our part to work hard if we really wanted to see the blessings of our fast. In the end, it just goes to show that God loves every single one of us. And he WILL bless us.

Yesterday at church, we had another miracle. 2 people showed up at church that we did not recognize. A soon-to-be-missionary was giving her farewell talk, so there were a lot of visitors. But these 2 had no relation to the sister who was departing. They talked to the bishop after sacrament meeting, and the bishop introduced them to us. We'll call them D & A. The first thing that A said to us was "So how do I become a member of your church?" That is pretty much every missionary's dream come true! They explained how they've been going around to all the churches and D said he's heard that the Mormon religion is the closest to the most correct religion. We were stoked. So we set up an appointment to go teach them this week. The Lord knows best. He truly does put people in our path who are prepared. Sometimes it comes unexpectedly, but the miracles do come. I am excited to see how things go with our new friends!

Colorado is still beautiful. I love waking up every morning and looking at the big mountains right outside my window! Life couldn't be better.

Love you all!

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Last P-day our district went hiking! It looks all sunny and warm but it was freezing!

I took up the banjo.

We have a new band, the "Mormon & Sons".  We plan on replacing the "Mumford & Sons"!

We were out tracking and found this red tractor.

We know how to teach...with hot cocoa!

My companion from Samoa - has never seen snow before!

I've made the re-discovery this week that snowflakes are indeed shaped like snowflakes. I just can't believe it's cold enough that I can see the tiny details and beauty of these small, frozen snowflakes. Bu,t it's exciting because Sis. Elama - my companion from Samoa - has never seen snow before! I wish I had a video of when we woke up Tuesday morning and looked out the window to see snow. She got SO excited! More excited than a little kid on Christmas morning....it was precious! But, the snow sure is beautiful. Everything looks so clean and fresh when it has just snowed. And, I'm learning some important life skills....like how to drive in snow and how to dress so your knees don't go numb. The elders here have given me a little course on snow driving 101. So far, so good! I'm ready for Alaska!

One day this week, it was about 10 degrees all day. We decided to go tracting that day. And, on that day, I learned that you should always wear leggings under you skirt if it's 10 degress outside. I had my boots on but they only cover my shins. So by the time we got down one street, I couldn't feel my knees and they were bright red. Not the best idea...but these are the sacrifices I'm willing to make to find a soul to save! My companion and I had a good laugh at how we were two girls from hot places tracting in the snow. Ohhhh what fun. :)

We also had a mission conference this week from Elder Baxter, a general authority! Cool side note: He is from Scotland so his accent was wonderful. But, besides his accent, he had some powerful things to say. I took a lot away from our meeting of how I can be a better missionary and focus on helping others “develop FAITH in Jesus Christ”. In our mission, a lot of missionaries struggle with discouragement because they don't baptize. But that's not the point. The point is to be committed to the work and to help others develop faith in Jesus Christ. And if they truly do develop faith in Jesus Christ, the baptism will follow. But, until they have faith, we wont' be successful in helping them experience conversion. Elder Baxter also said some very touching words as a message from the first presidency of how much they love us. He greatly applauded us for coming on a mission and enduring what we go through. It sure ain't easy out here, but it is worth it by far. I am learning and growing and developing skills that will last a lifetime!

I hope you're all enjoying the season of being grateful. Because we have SO much to be grateful for. I was studying about the Jaredites and how they traveled across the sea in those barges...which doesn't sound all that pleasant. But, in chapter 6 of Ether it mentions how they “never did cease to thank the Lord their God”.  If only the world could have that same attitude of gratitude. Love you all!

xoxox

Sister Hoer

This is Sis Elama first snow fall!!!

We love the SNOW!

Ice cream is good even when its freezing!

Hot Cocoa... Yummy

Work hard. Play hard.

Work hard. Play hard. I read a talk by Jeffery R. Holland recently and that's pretty much what he said. He was speaking to missionaries and said "When you work, WORK. When you play, PLAY" But the same can be taken for life! Give every day your best shot…whatever you're doing, do you best! I've realized lately that my mission has taught me a work ethic that will last the rest of my life. The mission field is probably one of the only places where you can work day and night and give everything your best shot and not know what results you will get. Sometimes your results are not what you desired. But in the end, you can look back and say "I gave it my all. I did everything I could." Not knowing what's gonna happen in the end but still working nonetheless has taught me a lot. It's taught me to work hard because I know that's what I need to do....not because I want to baptize someone or because I want to impress my mission president. 

This week was a good one. We were so busy! I love being busy. Sometimes, it's overwhelming, but at the end of the day I feel good knowing I did something with my life today. Yesterday, church was awesome. Our investigator, S, came to church! She also brought her nieces along. But we've been teaching S for a couple weeks now. She is so solid. When we finished the restoration, we were about to wrap up and go to our dinner appointment but the spirit was like "NO sister Hoer, you're not done! Set a date for her baptism!" So, without second guessing, we set a date for S to be baptized at the end of this month. And she is super excited about it! In fact, she asked if we could teach her 3 times a week so she will be ready. We also took her to a baptism yesterday so she could see what it's like and feel the special spirit there. It was marvelous. I love how strong the spirit is when we teach her. More often than not, we walk out of a lesson with her and I think..wow...that wasn't me teaching! The spirit is doing it's job here and I'm just the mouth to audibly say His words. So yes, great things are happening and we are working hard! 

There was also a breath-taking sunset this week. The beauty of the Earth is so stunning! Every time I see something beautiful like that, it just makes me realize that THERE IS UNDOUBTEDLY A GOD. and He LOVES every single one of us so much. He knows I love sunsets, so He blesses me with a beautiful one on a day that I need it. The sad thing is that my little camera can't even capture the real beauty of the sunset. But it was wonderful. 

I love you all! Go spread the good word. 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

We got hot cocoa at our favorite little shop :)

Boom! Sunset!

I got to see Sis. Koval again!

Brrrr, Cooold nights are here!

I've hit my halfway point on my mission!

The fun is just beginning! I've done a lot of reflecting this week as I've hit my halfway point on my mission. It's just not fair how fast time goes by. But in our mission, we get to take a trip to the temple when we hit halfway! And oh, what a glorious day was that. I love the temple so much! And I missed going!!!

It was so special to be there with all the sisters who were in the MTC with me. We've all grown so much since we were together 9 months ago! And our mission president also came with us. He is such a great guy. It's amazing what a strong spirit he carries with him everywhere he goes. He is truly called of God to be our mission president here in Colorado Springs.

So naturally, I learned a LOT at the temple. But the biggest thing I took away was the simple truth that Heavenly Father is PERFECT. I was blown away at all the little tender mercies and things that happened in the temple...and only Heavenly Father could have made those happen. He knows me better than I know myself and He knew that day what I needed to see and hear. And as I went through the session, it was so amazing to me how perfect His plan is. It all makes sense! Heavenly Father thought of everything. And He's given us everything to return back to Him! He is so loving to provide us with His Son as our Savior. and the plan of salvation. I could go on and on but Heavenly Father is perfect. Being in His House this week was so special. It gave me a lot of motivation as well for my purpose as a missionary. The happiness I felt in the temple was beyond any happiness you can feel in the world. And that gave me such a stronger desire for all my brothers and sisters here in Canon City to feel that same happiness!

The church is true. The gospel is our plan. And Heavenly Father is perfect and loves us perfectly.

Everyone go to the temple! Cuz I probably won't be able to go for 9 more months...so GO!

Love you all,

xoxo

Sister Hoer

All of the Sister I came out of the Mission Traning Center with. (MTC)

My mission training center compaion.
Colorado Temple

Pumpkin Heads

My District

Life lesson #024: Never put liquid dish soap in the dishwasher.

Life lesson #024: Never put liquid dish soap in the dishwasher. 

First of all, this week I learned that liquid dish soap does not belong in a dishwasher. MOM. You should have warned me. We ran out of dish soap and we had no more spoons so I couldn't eat my cereal! Without thinking this through, I put some liquid dish soap in the washer and started it. Yeahhhh bad idea. I was eating and talking with my companion..we were enjoying a delightful conversation and yummy food when my companion looked at the dish washer then back at me in a panic. So I jumped up and looked and started cracking up. But here's the twist on the story...our landlord was around the corner while all this was happening! She had come to shampoo the carpets and we didn't' want her to come and see the kitchen covered in soap! So we tried to keep our cool and continue a normal conversation as we slipped around and tried to clean up all the soap. It was hilarious! But I learned my lesson.

We are workin hard here in Canon City! there's a giant banner when you're driving down the main boulevard here in Canon that says "Welcome to Canon City...where the fun begins!" And boy is that a true statement! I've learned to just expect the unexpected here in Canon City. You never know what these people are gonna say. I've had to learn to keep a straight face because so many times I've wanted to just bust up laughing! And sometimes it's not so funny. We were teaching one of our investigators this week and she had a date set to be baptized in November! Things were going well, until our last lesson. We were talking and teaching and reading from the book of mormon and she was not paying attention at all. In fact she was acting a little high. And as we taught, she ended up telling us that she does in deed smoke. We switched our lesson right then and there and began teaching the Word of Wisdom. It was sad because she told us she had no desire at all to quit smoking weed. So, unless she changes her mind, she won't be baptized this November. But prayer is powerful. We'll see what happens.

There is a lady in our ward, Sister N, and she had our whole district over for dinner this week. We sat down and she put a giant bowl of rice and a giant bowl of chili on the table. We blessed the food and were about to eat...but none of us had utensils. So one of the elders said "Oh, Sister N we need spoons!" and she said "Nope. this is a PIG PARTY!" 

Pig Party: (n) a dinner party in which all participants must use their hands to eat.

Oh my goodness was this a mess or what. We all looked at each other with the same thought....chili with our hands...this is gonna be a disaster! And it kind of was. But I will never forget that night. Then she fed us a pudding pie for dessert. And the elders, being the tricksters they are, came up with an excuse to leave dinner (they went and got pizza) and left us there to deal with this pig party. Yup. Never will I forget dinner with Sister N. 

Like I said, you never know what to expect here in Canon City! And that's why I love it. 

xoxox

Sister Hoer

I love all of the yellow leaves here in Colorado.

We totally built this fence behind us! Yay US!

My district leader and me.

l.i.f.e.g.o.e.s.o.n.

l.i.f.e.g.o.e.s.o.n. The good news my friends is that life goes on! This week, we had so many appointments cancel on u, 2 of which were our new investigators! But, life goes on. And, life is so wonderful! If we look for the bright side of the situation, it will always be there. We had such a fantastic week! We really put forth our best efforts and worked hard this week.

We are teaching a lady named J. I absolutely love J with all my heart. The elders in our area found her, but she is a single lady, so we are helping out. We had a lesson with her this past week and it was one of the most powerful lessons I've ever had on my mission! When we first met, I immediately loved J. I looked at her as my sister...not an investigator. We proceeded to teach the plan of salvation. She was very interested in it all. When we taught the spirit world, she was deeply touched. She started to cry and explained how much peace she felt knowing that all those people in this world who live in far away lands will still have the same opportunity to accept Jesus Christ's atonement and follow His example. The spirit was so strong as we testified of God's love to her. And once again, when we taught about the 3 degrees of glory, she said she felt a lot of peace knowing that there is a place for everyone. It's not just heaven or hell. The plan of salvation is probably my favorite lesson to teach for this very reason! It's such a happy plan. And there's no way you can deny that God loves EVERY SINGLE ONE of his children when we talk about the plan of salvation. J mentioned that this was the first time she ever heard of this or even thought of life and the plan in this way. She is awesome. As we were teaching, the spirit was also speaking to me. I think I learned just as much as J that night! And it was amazing, I really felt the spirit take over. It was one of the  most powerful feelings ever and I can't even explain it. But all I know is that it wasn't me teaching J! It was the spirit. The spirit is the best teacher we can have. I am really excited to continue teaching J and see how things go with her! She committed to baptism and also to pray and read the Book of Mormon. I am just blessed to be able to have met her and shared these tender experiences with her. 

Sis Elama and I have been really determined to find more people to teach! And boy, is that an adventure. You find the most interesting people! But that's what makes life so exciting. You never know what you'll run into! We've talked to some very interesting people. Some are very religious, and some are absolutely not religious at all. And some are on drugs. We get a wide variety of people. 

Man, I just love being a missionary though. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing right now! Of course, some days are hard and some people break our hearts. But, as I said, life goes on. Heavenly Father has a plan for every single one of us. And if we depend on Him to follow His will, not only will life go on, but it will go on and, we will be happy.

I love you all and hope you are sharing the gospel at home ;)

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Yeah!!!  FALL IS HERE!

Free pie at the Village Inn!

We both got HAIRCUTS!

Last p-day my district went to Goodwill and bought each other outfits!

And we're back with another episode of... The Wildlife of Colorado!

And we're back with another episode of The Wildlife of Colorado! You'll never guess who the guest star is for this week....a camel! I couldn't believe my eyes when we were driving to visit someone and I saw a camel on the side of the road! I have never seen a live camel before...and I never thought I'd see a camel for the first time in Colorado. But this is why I love Colorado so much. You gotta expect the unexpected! 

In other news, we had a great week! We worked really hard to find new investigators and revamp our teaching pool. And the Lord sure does bless us for our efforts. This week we found 2 new investigators! I am so excited to start working with them. Person A was a referral from someone in the ward and if it wasn't for the member referral, she probably wouldn't have talked to us. But we had a great discussion with her and we're going back to teach her this week! She is a sweetheart and she really wants her kids to go to a church where they will learn values. Well we have the place for her! 

Person B was actually found through tracking. The elders knocked on her door and she was a young teenage girl so they asked us to take over. Once again, the Lord blesses us and puts people in our path. She has recently lost her mother and has a LOT of questions! I love teaching young girls because I can relate to them so much easier! When we met her, we clicked and I think we will get along very well. I'm excited to help her on her quest to find answers to her questions. 

We are just working hard and doing all we can to find those who are prepared for the gospel! They sure are out there. And it is SO much easier when the members help us. Through my mission, my most solid investigators have been referred to us through the members. SO all y’all get on your A game! Help the missionaries and refer your friends to them!! It's not scary and the worst that can happen is they will say no...but at least you'll know you tried.

Love you all so much! 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Here is the Camel*

:{CAMEL}:

We are "Singing in the Rain" Ha, we made the Elders pose with us!

So many apples in Colorado! mmm  mmm good!

P-days~It's all about yoga!