Canon City is so crazy! It's very different than any environment I've ever been in. But, I am loving it!

Canon City is so crazy! It's very different than any environment I've ever been in. But, I am loving it! It's a nice change of pace. Literally. The speed limit on most roads is only 25 or 30 mph. I'm a city driver! 

This week we saw some really cool things happen. We had a laurel in one of the wards come on a "mini mission" with us. She spent a couple days with us and got a taste of what missionary life is like.  One of the days, we decided to take her tracking with us and show her what it's like. We didn't have much success at first. We talked to a lot of people and gave out a lot of cards, but the miracle came with the very last person we talked to. We were walking back to our car and the mini missionary with us noticed a man on his porch. We decided we'd talk to him before we got back in our car. Well, we were about 20 feet from him when he got up and went inside. BUMMER. There were kids playing on the grass so we started talking to them instead. Their mom was inside and saw us talking to them so she came out. We ended up talking to her and even though we originally desired to talk to the man on the porch, this lady was the reason we needed to come over.

We'll call her H. We got talking with H and she told us she had just moved to Colorado with her kids 2 weeks ago. They don't have any of their furniture or belongings because it's back in their home state. But, we got talking and she told us she is really looking for a church to join here. Hello! We have the answer! So we talked about our basic beliefs and she told us she just recently found a belief in God. She never believed He existed until she gave birth to her daughter. She said both her daughter and herself stopped breathing when she gave birth and the doctors thought they had both died. This went on for 3 minutes then they got their breath back and they are both living today. She said that experience proved to her that there is a God and He loves them. How cool is that!? 

We continued to testify to her and explain more about God's love and how He sent his son. We introduced her to the Book of Mormon and I asked her to read the paragraph in the introduction that quotes Joseph Smith in saying that a man would grow nearer to God by reading the Book of Mormon than by any other book. She said that was extremely powerful and she has a great desire to grow closer to God. H has been prepared with these experiences and it is no coincidence that we started talking to her. She said she'd love for us to teach her more! I am really excited about this. It was super neat because this experience testified to me that the spirit really guides us and makes sure that we are in the right place at the right time. I felt the spirit testify through me of exactly what I needed to say to H. 

We also found a sweet old lady who will begin taking the lessons this week! We met her briefly but then she expressed a need for service. So we came back the next day and did some weeding for her. Afterwords, she tried to pay us for our service and we told her we don't want money. But we did make out a deal that if we did service for her, she could pay us by letting us teach her. She has lost many loved ones in her life and is quite interested in the plan of salvation. So we are going to continue to do service for her and have lessons afterwords. It's gonna be awesome! She's a sweet old lady who lives alone. And, boy does she have jokes! I love it. 

The people here are so interesting to talk to. And, most of them will talk your ear off! Yesterday we sat on the porch with a cute lil granny and her grandpa friend and we just chatted. We talked a lot about Jesus Christ but she was just so happy to have us join her on her porch and visit with her. They are so friendly here and love to talk. I learn so much about these people and I feel so much love for them.

Things are going great here. Some days it feels slow but the work is picking up. The Lord always provides and when we are obedient to the promptings of the spirit, He will not let us down. 

I hope y'all are excited to go back to school! Soak up the sun while you can. 

Love you all!!!

xoxxo

Sister Hoer

We had dinner at the Gooseberry Patch!

The Laurel that did a mini mission with us this week.

The Lord is just polishing you and blessing you with these experiences because He trusts you!

I'm loving Canon City! We also cover a few teeny tiny towns around Canon. Everything here is very different! I'm getting a taste of small town living. It's interesting. The people here are wonderful though. I absolutely love talking to them and learning about where they come from and why they believe what they believe. 

So unfortunately I lost my notebook with my notes about this week in it...and apparently my brain is empty because I don't remember anything that happened this week. We lost half our teaching pool...that was a major bummer! Literally everyone is moving! We call them to set up an appointment and they say "I moved". WHat!? So this week we really focused on our finding efforts and are doing all we can to find more people to teach! 

There is this awesome family that we've been working with. The mom is a member and her kids have been baptized, but they've been less active for many years. And, they are coming back into activity stronger than ever! We meet with them to help them with their struggles and help them learn more about how to stay steadfast in the faith. They have been coming to church every week! The mom is working towards going to the temple for her own endowment. It's so awesome to see that their lives have changed because they put Christ at the center of their family. The dad had always sworn that he would never step foot into a church building. But he's been at church with his family the past 2 weeks. With time, I know he will come to accept the gospel. He makes it very clear that he doesn't wanna be pushed into it. But he'll accept it when he's ready.

Another cool fact for the week. I ate dinner with my psychology teacher's parents! It's such a small world. And, I'm amazed at the connections I've made on my mission! It's funny how people here react when I tell them I'm from Las Vegas. They either get real excited and tell me stories about a time they went to Vegas. Or they roll their eyes and tell me they cannot believe I lived in sin city my whole life. Its hilarious! 

But, yeah. Things are going great here. I'm getting used to this area and the people. The Lord has put a lot of obstacles in front of me to climb. But because of them, I am stronger. I have really come to recognize adversity as a gift. When you can step back and look at all the things you gain from your trials and sorrows, they are so much greater than anything you've had before. You are a better person. The Lord is just polishing you and blessing you with these experiences because He trusts you and knows your potential. This is a wonderful life.

xoxox

Sister Hoer

Our new car! jk~

Who knows why there is this huge duck here?

A sweet YW doing a mini mission with us this week.

Little taste of home!

I had my first kiss on the mission!

All right everyone I have a confession. I had my first kiss on the mission! HAHA! Do not be alarmed though, it was a kiss from my adopted grandma here in Canon City. Let me tell you about Grandma M. She is such a sweet soul. She is not a member, but the missionaries have been doing service for her the past 6 months. She's up there in age and just needs help with everyday things like cleaning and taking care of her house. I fell in love with her instantly! She has a firecracker personality. And she has a colorful vocabulary. It makes me laugh. So the first time I met her, she said she loves to give the missionaries nick names. So I am now "The pretty one". I was flattered! Then a few days later, we had dinner with her. I was just chatting with her and she said something funny. So I said "Grandma M, You're so cute!" Then she stopped in the middle of her sentence, looked at me...then grabbed my face and kissed me! It came out of no where. And I'm sure her lipstick got on me. But it was hilarious. She is seriously so funny. I love being around her! We talk to her a lot about God and Jesus Christ. She has some interesting beliefs, but she's come a long way since when the missionaries first met her. And, yesterday she came to church and even bore her testimony! It was more of a testimony of gratitude for the service and love she has felt. But, it was still awesome. She is so wonderful. We do service for her weekly so I look forward to getting to know Grandma M better!

Golly, so Canon City! It's crazy here! I am almost in culture shock because it's so different than Parker. Yesterday in ward council, they were brainstorming dates for a ward activity. Someone threw out October 11th, and the Elder Quorum president said that would be impossible because that's opening day for Elk hunting. Never heard that in ward council before! but I am loving it more and more everyday. Oh and we get free food every Friday after district meeting! #winning It's a teeny tiny old town. The people here are just living life and doing what they can to get by. But, it's great because they are really searching for something more to life...help from above. I've heard of some amazing miracles happening here and I know that I will see those same miracles as I am obedient and do all I can to work hard! It's really about forgetting myself and loving these people. Whether it's my companion or the investigators or the members. I am really learning to rely on the Lord for strength and help to accomplish His will. I have literally felt the Lord speaking through me as I met these people this week. It was interesting because I met them all for the first time and taught them for the first time. But, I was so guided by the spirit. I knew nothing about them or their past besides the 10 minutes we spent getting to know each other. The Lord told me exactly what to say and how I can bring the spirit as we taught. After all, this is the Lord's work and I'm just here to be an instrument in His hands. 

So things kind of took a turn for the worse when I got here. I must be bad luck or something. They had an investigator who was so close to baptism...but my 2nd day here we got a call from the lady who lived with her. She said that our investigator has run away and has no idea where she went or if she is ever coming back. Goodness!!! I come to town and our investigator runs away! Argahhah! But, we have a few others we are working with. I haven't met them yet...things have been so crazy. But, two of them are kind of "on hold" right now as my companion puts it. And, then our other investigator will not be able to be baptized for about a year and a half due to legal issues. So very different than parker. But, I am excited for the work here! I am ready to put in my all and do everything I can to bring the gospel to all these people here in Canon City! 

I wish I had more time to tell you all about my adventures here, but just know that they are real and they are exciting. I have really learned to rely on the Lord as I said. It's amazing how much He will strengthen us and when we forget ourselves, we have eyes to see what the Lord wants for these people. Next week should be better as I am more adjusted to the area and familiar with whats going on! I Love you all and appreciate the love and support. 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Getting pedicures with Sis Ford

Saying good-bye to the Fords

Driving to transfers with Erkie. I miss her!

Frozen hot cocoa with my new comp. Sis. Stone