Going home next week~Thanks for your love and support! Y'all are great!!!

What a week! I literally cannot believe how fast time has gone by. But this has been great. This morning, I pulled out my journal from the very beginning of my mission and I took a little walk down memory lane. That was a precious moment. As I read my thoughts and worries from 18 months ago.... it's amazing to see that all my goals and hopes for my mission have come to be true. The coolest thing was to read about little me and see just how much I truly have changed. That's what it's all about. When Elder Holland visited our mission, he told us "You are God's investigators. As missionaries, you are literally His investigators" He continued to tell us that we need to keep commitments, and learn and grow just as we want our investigators to keep their commitments, and learn, and grow. And if we do that throughout the course of our missions, our lives will change just like our investigator's lives change. It made me so grateful for the miracle my mission has been in my life. I will literally never be the same! And my life will forever be different because I've served a mission!

So this week was crazy. R was at girl's camp all week so we didn't see her until this weekend! She had some great spiritual experiences at girl's camp. So that was really good for her! We took her to a baptism on Saturday night and she kept saying "I can't wait until that's me in the water!" She's so cute! We are still working on getting that permission from her mom. .R's mom went out of town this weekend, so we couldn't go see her! But in the next day or two, we will go see her and we've fasted and prayed so hard! We are confident the Lord will work this miracle for us.

It's just been a super busy week. The Lord sure is keeping me busy so I can stay focused on the work! But I am LOVING that. I've prayed to stay busy these last few days. It's just a little surreal. But like I said, it's all about change! And we can't stay on our missions forever. As amazing as that would be, there comes a time that we need to go out and apply everything we've learned. 

Thanks for your love and support! Y'all are great!!! Love you!

xoxo

Sister Hoer

I am a pro cotton candy maker now! Check it out!

We did service at a community fair making snow cones, cotton candy and pop corn, fun fun!

Planning on our back deck, Colorado is so good to us!

Walking and it so was SO hot so we stopped by the lake to dip our feet in to cool off.

First of the goodbyes~goodbyes are no fun.

How long does it take to gain a testimony?

How long does it take to gain a testimony? My mission president posed this question this week. His answer has got me thinking a lot! He said it literally only takes a matter of seconds for someone to gain a testimony. If you think about it...he's right. Different people take different paths and the events that lead up to someone gaining a testimony take a variety of different time frames. But for every person, the tender moments when the spirit pierces their heart and lets them know that the church is true.....that only takes a matter of seconds. When that person is ready and their heart is open to recognize and receive that spiritual confirmation it only takes a matter of seconds. BOOM! That blew my mind!!!

I got to watch this happen right before my eyes this week....and this is why I LOVE being a missionary.....

So we started teaching the D couple a few weeks ago. They are friends with the members that we live with so we have a good relationship with them. This past week, they were coming to have the Plan of Salvation lesson with us, but Mr. D stayed home. Instead, Mrs. D came with their daughter M. And M is the miracle. As we taught the plan of Salvation, I could just see the spirit working on her. Her face lit up with every point we taught... then she would ask a question.... and many times she said "That's exactly what I believe." When we taught about the spirit world... she had lots of questions. And we had answers to all of them! After answering, it was so tender to see her get a little emotional and tell us...."you have all the answers that I have been looking for. 10 years ago I began asking these same questions, and no one has ever given me an answer....until today." The Lord has been preparing her for 10 years. And for 10 years she has been on the search for truth! M literally just walked into our house. We had no idea she was living with her parents or that she was even going to come to the lesson. But the Lord knew. And thank goodness she came! She felt the spirit that day. She got so excited when we told her we could meet with her again! So a few days later, we met with M again and shared the message of the Restoration with her. She was nervous coming into this lesson because she told us she has heard some wacky things about Joseph Smith. But like I said, it only takes a few seconds to gain a testimony. And this happened for M during our lesson. We were talking all about the Restoration and how it fit in perfectly with the Plan of Salvation...it's all part of God's plan! The church needed to be restored. She had a lot more questions and once again, the spirit was so strong. I was blessed to be able to share with her Joseph Smith's first vision in his own words... we asked her how she felt afterwards and she said she couldn't even keep eye contact with me because she could see and feel the spirit radiating as we shared the first vision. Amazing. So we finish the lesson and we say the closing prayer. As soon as we said "amen" M says...."Guess what came into my head as soon as she began praying?" We were all anxious to hear... so she continues and says "I heard in my head 'He was a prophet'...Joseph Smith was a prophet." That was amazing! We originally asked M to say the closing prayer and ask if Joseph Smith was a prophet..but she felt uncomfortable doing that. So my companion prayed... but even without M praying, God still sent her an answer. She wanted to know and it only took a couple seconds for her to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. Earlier in the lesson, she was asking us about standards and what would have to change if she became a member. After this tender experience with the spirit testifying to her, she said "Looks like I better start learning about those standards.." God is so good. Heavenly Father loves every single one of us SO much!! It's amazing. I was overwhelmed just watching this happen right before my eyes. M is prepared. And I felt so strongly that Heavenly Father LOVES her and wants her to know the truth. Miracles happen!!!

We are continuing to meet with M this week and she is so excited. I am excited to see what more the Lord has in store for her! We've also continued teaching R. She is preparing for her baptism in a couple weeks! Our ward is so supportive. It's gonna be great! She is going to girls camp this week and I know she's gonna feel the spirit so strongly there! R is also prepared. She's been prepared for a while. And it's all because of members that we are even teaching R or M or any of the other people we teach! Members make all the difference in helping us find people to teach. 

Well, I have seen countless miracles on my mission. I could sit here all day and tell you all about them! But we've got limited time and work to do. So take care and don't forget...Heavenly Father loves you all DEARLY. 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Last p-day we went golfing.

The sister we lived with in Fountain took us to this cute Diner.

Love this sweet family!

I held a snake this week!

I held a snake this week!

That's all.

Hahah, just kidding! But really, it's been a week. Our poor investigator, R, was recovering from a car accident all week, and then on top of it all... her childhood friend passed away. And her mom backed out on giving her permission to be baptized. She is just getting bombarded! We were able to spend some precious moments comforting her. It's amazing how even among all these trials, the Lord's timing is still perfect. I was pretty frustrating that this all happened the week before she was supposed to get baptized. Of course, we've moved her baptism back.... but from the outside, this might look like a disaster. However, if R had not gained a testimony of the gospel- the plan of Salvation in particular- these trials would be unbearable. I can't even imagine the increase of pain she would have felt this week if she hadn't had a testimony. Yes, it's still sad and hard. But the Lord knows what He's doing. He put the gospel in her life with impeccable timing to deal with these hardships. The gospel gives us the tools to solve all of life's problems. I know that to be true! I've seen it time and time again. The answer is always found in our scriptures or on our knees as we plead with the Lord. Every time we face a bump in the road, just remember the Lord is still aware of us. And HE CARES.

I love you all! Hope your'e not melting in Vegas, because I'm soaking up some 80 degree weather here. Woohoo! 

I LOVE COLORADO! These sunflowers grow wild here!

Sis. Davis and I out on exchanges. We came out together!

Sis. Davis and I with the wild sunflowers.

xoxo

Sister Hoer

The stake here in Parker rented the Gazebo at the park on Main Street and we set up a Family History booth!

This week, we had a lot of meetings and teaching to do. We did have a cool finding day on Saturday! The stake here in Parker rented the Gazebo at the park on Main Street and we set up a Family History booth! We had computers and signs and it was off the hook! All the missionaries came to the park and we talked to people that were hanging out in the park. We invited them all to mosey on over to the gazebo and we could teach them about family history! Our mission president joined us and he ended up teaching the whole Restoration lesson to one of the ladies that came into the gazebo. What a stud! It was exciting though. I got to man the booth for a little bit and help other people set up accounts with Family Search and teach them about families! It was super fun and exciting to see how pumped other people get when we talk about families. The spirit of Elijah is real! And it's contagious. Family History is a target here in Parker. The people up here are soooooo into that kind of stuff! So of course, we use that to find people to teach. 

Unfortunately, we weren't able to meet with R this week. She was not feeling well and was not up to seeing anyone. But we did hear from her and we will see her tonight! We are all fasting and praying as a ward to soften her mother's heart so she can get permission to be baptized. That's gonna be the trickiest part. R already has such a strong testimony and she is SO close to the spirit. We are still seeing the fruits and miracles of our 40-day fast! I think that fast was the best thing that happened to our ward all year. People have shared some amazing stories and the ward has really changed. I love seeing what miracles the Lord can work when we put our faith in Him.

Life is wonderful. And things are going great! Parker is such a pleasant place. You all don't know what you're missing out on! Hahahah but really, it's great. I love you all and hope you can see the miracles in your life too!

xoxo

Sister Hoer

The Parker, CO stake rented a gazebo on Main Street.  We set up a family history booth. Sis. Zitting is my new comp!

All the missionaries helping out! Our mission president taught a woman who came into the booth an entire restoration lesson!

Happy Fourth of July y'all!!! I LOVE AMERICA!

Happy Fourth of July y'all!!! I LOVE AMERICA! It was a good week. Quite a crazy week.... but always good. I got a new companion this week! She is a cutie. We already get along great and it's just a party all day long! Hahahah We are going to have a great transfer, I can tell. And we've already seen some great miracles happenin!

So we saw R a couple times this week! Gosh, the spirit is just SO strong as we teach her. It's amazing. My comp and I were talking about it last night and how excited we were because this just isn't a baptism coming up... she is experiencing true conversion. It's amazing to see the difference in her compared to other people I’ve taught. She truly is becoming converted and growing in the Spirit. Last night, we taught her the plan of salvation. That is my favorite lesson to teach! I love the look on people's faces when they recognize the hope that this plan brings... the comfort that comes from our Savior and the peace knowing there IS a plan. R was in tears as we talked about the plan and what it means to her. And to make it all better, we taught this lesson at the Bishop's house. He and his wife bore powerful testimonies. I was sitting there teaching R and looking at the amazing support she already has and it just gave me the goose bumps!

I am SO happy to be a missionary and to get to witness these things. There is no better feeling than testifying of our Savior and helping others come unto Him. R is so precious and I can feel just how much Heavenly Father loves her. I could feel his happiness in the decisions she is making. She is literally going to change countless lives... for her family past, present, and future. That's what the gospel is all about. 

It was a wonderful week in Colorado. This ward is wonderful. They really know how to love and support missionaries! So many wonderful families took us in this 4th of July! I don't think I've eaten so much food in my entire life.... but it was a pleasure to be with people I love and adore so much. 

I hope you've all had a fantastic week! I love you all.

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Me and my new comp. Sis. Zitting, Peace to America! Fourth of July.

Fourth of July breakfast. I love America!

Goodbye to Sis. Hall forever! She went home...

If I had a dollar for every miracle I saw, I would LITERALLY be a millionaire.

If I had a dollar for every miracle I saw, I would LITERALLY be a millionaire. We are in day 39 of our 40-day fast and the miracles have just been out of this world. Yesterday at church, I think the reason for this fast came to be.

So the S family has a friend that has been living with them for the past 6ish months. Their daughter's best friend...we'll call her R.... moved in with them and it has been the best thing for her. The S family told R that in order to live in their home, she had to live by the family rules- which included going to church, mutual, seminary, and all other activities. R is really good friends with their daughter, so she has been a great influence. This past week, the youth all went on the Trek up in Martin's Cove. I remember doing that same trek and how much it built my testimony...so I was super excited and pumped up for all these kids! R went with the S family and that's where the miracle came in to play. She had an amazing time on the trek and received the most clear prompting in her life that this is where she needed to be.... this is what God wanted her to do with her life. It's no coincidence she moved in with the S family...and that's when she decided she wanted to be baptized. We saw R at church yesterday and she gave us the biggest hugs! It's amazing because for the past couple months, she has been dodging us at church. We've tried to teach her this whole time but I guess she just wasn't ready. So she was so excited to see us and she told us that she wants to be baptized! Her friend excitedly said "so yeah, let's set up some missionary lessons!" We went over right after church and had a sweet little lesson. We talked about her experiences and what will happen before she gets baptized. Then we were talking about a date for her baptism and she says "OH I would get baptized tomorrow if I could!" That just made my heart so happy. It was precious to see how her countenance had even changed. She was glowing with the spirit! And it was amazing how confident she was in her decision. She said she could not deny the spirit she felt and she wants that feeling in her life all the time. Like I've said before, the spirit is the only weapon we've got. And boy, is it powerful.

I just can't believe the miracles we've seen. I've been here for a long time and with the way things have been going, I started to lose hope that we would get anything going. That's why we started the 40 day fast and it's been amazing. The miracles have been countless. I truly feel that R is the reason we needed to do this 40 day fast. The ward is amazing and so supportive of R already. Geez, being a missionary is just so great. I really think I am a millionaire. I sure feel like a million bucks! Hahahah The spirit is the real teacher and Heavenly Father is the miracle worker. I'm just lucky enough to witness it all. 

I love you all! 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

We are the Pinery Ward Sisters! I LOVE the Pinery Ward!

We went kick boxing with an investigator. Oh so sore the next day!

Our district this transfer.

Hiking this last p-day. 

COLORADO is soooo beautiful!

One last hiking picture, I love to hike!