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!

We got to preview Meet the Mormons this week!! EVERYONE GO SEE IT!

Conference was so amazing! I absolutely loved every speaker and every word that was said. It was a little sad to have it end yesterday. But 6 months from now we'll have the same opportunity to listen to the prophets and apostles called of God to deliver His word. That was one thing that was witnessed to me over and over again by the Holy Ghost during conference....that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and he speaks what God wants us to hear. All of God's servants speak by the Holy Ghost and we can have that same Holy Ghost confirm to us that what they say is true. I am continually amazed that the Holy Ghost will witness truths to me even if I've asked 10 times in that same day. No matter what I ask, the spirit testifies to me if that thing is true.

I've pondered a lot about the things I heard and what I learned from conference...I've tried to pick a favorite talk but I just can't! One that really stood out to me was the one by Jorg Klebingat (at least I think that's what his name was....) He spoke of the 6 things we can do to be spiritually confident in ourselves. The things he said were quite basic but absolutely wonderful. I loved how he said we need to become really really good at repenting thoroughly and quickly. As a missionary, I think it's safe to say I am more in tune with the spirit now than I ever have been in my life. So the spirit makes it very clear to me in the moment if something is not right or if I need to change my ways. But I've never thought of immediately repenting. Thoroughly and quickly. That is a principle and habit I hope to create in my life. I know that as I do that, I will become spiritually confident in myself and know that I am working on changing and improving my life. Ya’ll should do the same! The world will be a much better place. There is just such a sweet and special spirit that I feel every time I watch conference. We are so blessed to have a living prophet today and his apostles to guide us and help us in this crazy world we live in. 

Speaking of the world we live in...we got to preview Meet the Mormons this week!! EVERYONE GO SEE IT! It was absolutely stupendous. It brought tears to my eyes and I got to take a peek into the lives of my fellow Latter-Day Saints around the world. The church is true no matter where you go. And there are wonderful people out there in the world. This movie made me realize that we all might just be one person...one individual...but we can make a difference. By our choices, examples, and decisions to do the right things, we can heavily influence all those around us. Seriously, everyone go see this movie, and bring your friends! This week has just made me very grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Not only because of the happiness I feel from knowing God loves me. That I am His daughter. That Jesus Christ is my Savior. That I can live again with my family. But also because of the morals and values I have learned...how to be a good person in society and how to do what is right even when what is right is not popular. We are so blessed! 

I love you all and hope the best for each and every one of you. 

xoxo

Sister Hoer

Only the scarecrows seemed to listen this week! LOL jk

BBW~Where we get free food every Friday! Ya!

Our general conference set up! Couches and all.

BBW