Why Hello there my family and friends :)
This week has been AWESOME!! First off, I just wanna say sorry because the letters I sent last week probably never actually arrived at their destinations. I included pictures last week, and silly me forgot that pictures weigh more, and more weight requires more postage. So, hopefully the postal service will return them to me and I can get them back out before too long.
Trudy Kimberly Clift :) I already love that little girl. And that is quite a FANTASTIC name if I do say so myself. Family, I neeeeeeed pictures of this little darling! I'm not sure how much longer I can go without seeing her! I am so glad that Sarah and Trudy are doing well. If I were back home, I would buy Sarah a nice big Winco muffin :)
That was some scary news about Jackie. From what I was told, she is doing better now right?
Thank you momma and grand momma for the thanksgiving packages!! I feel so loved :) I kinda have the reputation in my district as the one that gets mail all the time. Which I am totally ok with because of how much love and support I have back home. What a wonderful feeling to know that my entire family and friends are supporting me. Makes the mission an easier experience for sure.
So I suppose ya'll wanna hear how my thanksgiving went. In a nutshell, it was absolutely fantastic!! Backtracking to tuesday, we had a devotional that night. Elder Christofferson spoke to us. What a wonderful man! He told of how he had seen the Lord's hand in his life. It was super cool. And yesterday was thanksgiving. I can suppose what you all did. Maybe some raking leaves, spending time with Trudy, having delicious turkey and probably awesome pie. I hope it was as wonderful as my day. Yesterday morning, we had a continental breakfast. Wasn't the best I've ever had but it was good. After, everyone went to the devotional. Elder Russell M. Nelson spoke on giving thanks and how much that concept appears in the scriptures. Really cool. Afterwards, we had our thanksgiving dinner for lunch. Now that was pretty good. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing... mmmmmm... Good stuff. After lunch we had the opportunity to walk up to the temple and walk around for a bit. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Next, we had a special devotional on the service project we would do later that day. Not necessarily the highlight of my day but it was good to listen to. Next was a thanksgiving program. Ten elders sang this barbershopish version of Amazing Grace. Wow. Very impressive. Then one of the wives of the mission presidency put on an interactive thanksgiving skit. Then, a few people got up and told what they were thankful for and picked a hymn for everyone to sing. After that program was the service project. For about an hour everyone worked together to make these emergency kits for third world countries. That was a cool experience. Then afterwards, we all met in the big room and the Mission Presidency put on 17 Miracles for the entire MTC. My opinion on movies may be biased because I haven't seen one in about a month but that movie was so good!!! It was nice to be able to just sit back and relax for a couple hours. So thanksgiving was great :) I am sure I will always remember it.
Life keeps chugging along here at the MTC. I'm getting more comfortable with the language (Definitely understanding more than when I first started) and I love being able to teach the gospel. Teaching it has only strengthened my testimony. I have seen Elder Trent Lewis quite a few times already. He seems to be doing great! We always give each other a big hug when we meet. I am excited for next week because there will be quite a few people from the stake entering the MTC. I'm so excited for them!
Not that I wanna sound greedy or anything but if you are ever in doubt on what to send in packages or for Christmas, TIES! (especially of the paisley persuasion) And goodies of course :) Getting letters and packages are like manna from heaven. Well, I love you all and hope the best. Till next time.
Love,
Elder Hogge
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Aloha from el CCM
Hola mi familia! (y amigos of course)
First off, thank you ALLLLLL for the support. You all are da best! I hardly go a day without a letter, or dear elder, or package or whatnot. These gifts from all of you always bring a smile to my face and brighten my day (speaking of which it looks like a storm is a'brewin.) I will always do my best to send a letter to those who write me or dear elder or send a package. (if I get it before friday i will most definitely be able to write somethin on friday to send back. :) ) Life at the MTC is great! I'm learning a lot, feeling the Spirit like crazy, and know that I am doing the Lord's work. Nothing better than that.
Dad I hope you are feeling better. Colds are no fun and I have been lucky to stay away from any such illness since being here. Thanks for getting me that thing to sign and i sent it off yesterday. Tell Coleen and Neal that I miss them dearly and that I hope that all is well with their moving adventures. I'm glad our family has so much support in what we do :) Thanks for your dear elder mucho. I love recieving treasures of wisdom from my old man ;)
It was sweet getting a letter from willie!! I'll be writing him later today so he can expect somethin from me by next week. (there will also be pictures included for all y'all.) (also I'll include my p-day schedule in it so that you all can know what im up to)
I am sooooooo excited for baby rogue to enter this world. I expect a letter with pictures ASAP when the little darling finally gets here. I pray for Sarah to be in good health and I know that the Lord will watch over her. Please please please give Mari and Alice a great big hug for me. Those two cuties are in my thoughts all the time and I want them to know that even though I cant be with them, I still love them immensly.
Mom, you did an amazing job in preparing me for the mission. I didn't need any shots at all. Its been really cool hearing what you've learned from the Missionary Moms. Please tell them I'm grateful for the support that they provide for all the missionaries :) Also, I am ECSTATIC to recieve the package soon!!! Theres almost nothing better in a day than getting a little slip in the mail that says a package is waiting for you in the post office. Its gonna be fantastic :)
Life here is good, but hard. Waking up at 6:30 is really starting to take its toll. I'm having absolutely no problem falling asleep at night though so thats cool. The spanish is coming, slowly but surely. I might have already said this but my english is deteriorating quicker than my spanish is picking up. My communications are starting to get all weird haha. But I absolutely LOVE my teachers. Hermano Harker and Hermano Lucero. They are really helping me develop an understanding of the spanish language. Its weird here at the MTC. Almost all study time is devoted to preparing to teach our investigators. I didn't realize how much time I would spend doing this. My expectations for the MTC were different than what actually happens here. I thought that we would be focusing on our own knowledge of the Gospel. But its all about learing how let the Spirit manifest the truth of our words to others. Our purpose here is to invite others to come unto Christ through faith in His Atonement and his Ministry, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Spirit, and Enduring to the End. I think thats why one can never be fully prepared for the MTC. Because no one is perfect at knowing exactly how to bring others unto Christ. But thats where the Spirit kicks in. There's something about the experience of the Holy Ghost talking to one's own spirit that no earthly words can explain. I know that without the Spirit, I am nothing. I can teach all I want but if I'm not living a life that allows the Spirit to be my companion, then I will not be an effective missionary. It's not me that converts people, it's the spirit. Before the MTC I understood that concept, but now I live by that fact.
I love ALL of you and I am so glad that I have the support that I do. Yo se que nuestras familias son eternal. Yo se que a traves del Espiritu Santo, podemos ensenar con autoridad y amor. Yo se que con Jesucristo en nuestras vidas, podemos vivir feliz. Yo amo mis amigos y mi familia mucho. Ustedes son el mejor!! Mi espanol no es fantastico, pero con la ayuda del Espiritu Santo, puedo hacer muchas cosas.
amor,
Elder Hogge
First off, thank you ALLLLLL for the support. You all are da best! I hardly go a day without a letter, or dear elder, or package or whatnot. These gifts from all of you always bring a smile to my face and brighten my day (speaking of which it looks like a storm is a'brewin.) I will always do my best to send a letter to those who write me or dear elder or send a package. (if I get it before friday i will most definitely be able to write somethin on friday to send back. :) ) Life at the MTC is great! I'm learning a lot, feeling the Spirit like crazy, and know that I am doing the Lord's work. Nothing better than that.
Dad I hope you are feeling better. Colds are no fun and I have been lucky to stay away from any such illness since being here. Thanks for getting me that thing to sign and i sent it off yesterday. Tell Coleen and Neal that I miss them dearly and that I hope that all is well with their moving adventures. I'm glad our family has so much support in what we do :) Thanks for your dear elder mucho. I love recieving treasures of wisdom from my old man ;)
It was sweet getting a letter from willie!! I'll be writing him later today so he can expect somethin from me by next week. (there will also be pictures included for all y'all.) (also I'll include my p-day schedule in it so that you all can know what im up to)
I am sooooooo excited for baby rogue to enter this world. I expect a letter with pictures ASAP when the little darling finally gets here. I pray for Sarah to be in good health and I know that the Lord will watch over her. Please please please give Mari and Alice a great big hug for me. Those two cuties are in my thoughts all the time and I want them to know that even though I cant be with them, I still love them immensly.
Mom, you did an amazing job in preparing me for the mission. I didn't need any shots at all. Its been really cool hearing what you've learned from the Missionary Moms. Please tell them I'm grateful for the support that they provide for all the missionaries :) Also, I am ECSTATIC to recieve the package soon!!! Theres almost nothing better in a day than getting a little slip in the mail that says a package is waiting for you in the post office. Its gonna be fantastic :)
Life here is good, but hard. Waking up at 6:30 is really starting to take its toll. I'm having absolutely no problem falling asleep at night though so thats cool. The spanish is coming, slowly but surely. I might have already said this but my english is deteriorating quicker than my spanish is picking up. My communications are starting to get all weird haha. But I absolutely LOVE my teachers. Hermano Harker and Hermano Lucero. They are really helping me develop an understanding of the spanish language. Its weird here at the MTC. Almost all study time is devoted to preparing to teach our investigators. I didn't realize how much time I would spend doing this. My expectations for the MTC were different than what actually happens here. I thought that we would be focusing on our own knowledge of the Gospel. But its all about learing how let the Spirit manifest the truth of our words to others. Our purpose here is to invite others to come unto Christ through faith in His Atonement and his Ministry, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Spirit, and Enduring to the End. I think thats why one can never be fully prepared for the MTC. Because no one is perfect at knowing exactly how to bring others unto Christ. But thats where the Spirit kicks in. There's something about the experience of the Holy Ghost talking to one's own spirit that no earthly words can explain. I know that without the Spirit, I am nothing. I can teach all I want but if I'm not living a life that allows the Spirit to be my companion, then I will not be an effective missionary. It's not me that converts people, it's the spirit. Before the MTC I understood that concept, but now I live by that fact.
I love ALL of you and I am so glad that I have the support that I do. Yo se que nuestras familias son eternal. Yo se que a traves del Espiritu Santo, podemos ensenar con autoridad y amor. Yo se que con Jesucristo en nuestras vidas, podemos vivir feliz. Yo amo mis amigos y mi familia mucho. Ustedes son el mejor!! Mi espanol no es fantastico, pero con la ayuda del Espiritu Santo, puedo hacer muchas cosas.
amor,
Elder Hogge
Saturday, November 12, 2011
I Made It
Week one, done!!
Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. But dont get me wrong, Its hard. I just read your email Mindy. Thank you so much for the support and I am SOOO excited that you guys get to move into your new home soon. :) Be sure to send lotsa pictures of lil jak jak. I sure miss that kid.
The Spanish language is going well. Line upon line, precept upon precept. Its not going to come all at once but I KNOW that with the Spirit and the Lord's help, I can do anything He wants me to do. I LOVE my teachers. Hermano Lucero and Hermano Harker. I feel such a great spirit when they teach. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this MTC deal. A new district came in on wednesday and it was really cool being able to help them out and give em little hints and tricks for making your time at the MTC more valuable.
Willie is the MAN! I really wish I could have been at Cumorah and seen him and Bubs perform. I'm stoked that willie is doing so well in spanish. I fully expect to be able to have conversations with him in spanish by the time i get back. im just going to stop capitalizing my letters because this shift key is being mean to me. anyways im sorry that he feels so alone at home with no one to watch evening stuff with. i definitely miss that greatly. life is sure different without netflix a remote away haha. but time is a strange thing here at the mtc. the days have been going by very slow but the week just zoomed by. the Lord really knows what he's doing. its getting so much easier just jumping in bed and falling asleep. i had so much trouble with that back home but here i have a chronic exhaustion. but its good cuz i know that its for an amazing purpose. though waking up at 6:30 is in no way shape or form easy. im just getting used to feeling sleepy all the time.
Im soooo excited for the new baby that will soon be in the family :) im glad to hear that sarah is doing well and that she will be able to have giant costco muffins after rogue enters the world. i dont remember when the freezer stocking party was going to be, but hopefully it will be a success! i miss my nieces so much. make sure that mari and alice know how much i miss them and that i know that they are such great little girls.
Dad thanks for the dear elder. its great to hear from you and i'll take all the advice i can get. i sincerely hope that all is well in the elk grove stake. tell president williams and president taylor that they have been such a great example to me and that i am glad i can have them not only as leaders but as friends. i'll have you know that i've built up a little reputation as being a decent volleyball player. gym time is waaay fun. its definitely a very fun point in my day. last night my entire zone went out to the missionary fields for gym time and played futbol (soccer for all you americans). i have never been a futbol player, but with all my zone it was fantastically fun!! i actually made some pretty cool plays haha. Father, thank you for the example you set for me. because of you i know that this mtc experience has been much easier than what it might have been. i just feel so prepared here.
Mother, dont think i could forget about you. thank you for the addresses!!! when i find time i will send those thank you letters. time is a very valuable thing here at the mtc. i just cant get enough of it here. so there are a few things that i would like from home in the next package you send. ive noticed that on p-days i dont really have good shoes to just walk around in so if you could send my grey plaid airwalks that would be fantastico. also, any pictures of the family and friends would just make my day. :) i know you were planning on doing that album and i wasnt sure when you were gonna send it but having that here would just make my life. also, if you could send my green and blue beanie that would be great. i didnt think i could miss a certain piece of headware so much. anyways, enough of the asking... thank you for being such an amazing influence to me mother :) i know it must be hard for you to have your child so far away and not a phonecall away. but i KNOW that you love me and that always makes me happy here. i miss your hugs, your food, and your loves but i know that this is where the Lord wants me to be and I wouldnt have it any other way. love you mom :D
well i only have a couple minutes left before i get off. i bear my testimony that this gospel of Jesus Christ will make everyone happy who wants to take it into their life. everyday my testimony on the Spirit is strengthened. i know that i cant do anything without it. i can teach and teach all i want but its not me who manifests the truth of the gospel, its the Holy Ghost. i know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is our brother and our Savior. we are NEVER alone. because of Him, everyone can be happy. I love you all and pray for you all every single day. May the Lord keep you and bless you.
love,
elder hogge :)
Not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. But dont get me wrong, Its hard. I just read your email Mindy. Thank you so much for the support and I am SOOO excited that you guys get to move into your new home soon. :) Be sure to send lotsa pictures of lil jak jak. I sure miss that kid.
The Spanish language is going well. Line upon line, precept upon precept. Its not going to come all at once but I KNOW that with the Spirit and the Lord's help, I can do anything He wants me to do. I LOVE my teachers. Hermano Lucero and Hermano Harker. I feel such a great spirit when they teach. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this MTC deal. A new district came in on wednesday and it was really cool being able to help them out and give em little hints and tricks for making your time at the MTC more valuable.
Willie is the MAN! I really wish I could have been at Cumorah and seen him and Bubs perform. I'm stoked that willie is doing so well in spanish. I fully expect to be able to have conversations with him in spanish by the time i get back. im just going to stop capitalizing my letters because this shift key is being mean to me. anyways im sorry that he feels so alone at home with no one to watch evening stuff with. i definitely miss that greatly. life is sure different without netflix a remote away haha. but time is a strange thing here at the mtc. the days have been going by very slow but the week just zoomed by. the Lord really knows what he's doing. its getting so much easier just jumping in bed and falling asleep. i had so much trouble with that back home but here i have a chronic exhaustion. but its good cuz i know that its for an amazing purpose. though waking up at 6:30 is in no way shape or form easy. im just getting used to feeling sleepy all the time.
Im soooo excited for the new baby that will soon be in the family :) im glad to hear that sarah is doing well and that she will be able to have giant costco muffins after rogue enters the world. i dont remember when the freezer stocking party was going to be, but hopefully it will be a success! i miss my nieces so much. make sure that mari and alice know how much i miss them and that i know that they are such great little girls.
Dad thanks for the dear elder. its great to hear from you and i'll take all the advice i can get. i sincerely hope that all is well in the elk grove stake. tell president williams and president taylor that they have been such a great example to me and that i am glad i can have them not only as leaders but as friends. i'll have you know that i've built up a little reputation as being a decent volleyball player. gym time is waaay fun. its definitely a very fun point in my day. last night my entire zone went out to the missionary fields for gym time and played futbol (soccer for all you americans). i have never been a futbol player, but with all my zone it was fantastically fun!! i actually made some pretty cool plays haha. Father, thank you for the example you set for me. because of you i know that this mtc experience has been much easier than what it might have been. i just feel so prepared here.
Mother, dont think i could forget about you. thank you for the addresses!!! when i find time i will send those thank you letters. time is a very valuable thing here at the mtc. i just cant get enough of it here. so there are a few things that i would like from home in the next package you send. ive noticed that on p-days i dont really have good shoes to just walk around in so if you could send my grey plaid airwalks that would be fantastico. also, any pictures of the family and friends would just make my day. :) i know you were planning on doing that album and i wasnt sure when you were gonna send it but having that here would just make my life. also, if you could send my green and blue beanie that would be great. i didnt think i could miss a certain piece of headware so much. anyways, enough of the asking... thank you for being such an amazing influence to me mother :) i know it must be hard for you to have your child so far away and not a phonecall away. but i KNOW that you love me and that always makes me happy here. i miss your hugs, your food, and your loves but i know that this is where the Lord wants me to be and I wouldnt have it any other way. love you mom :D
well i only have a couple minutes left before i get off. i bear my testimony that this gospel of Jesus Christ will make everyone happy who wants to take it into their life. everyday my testimony on the Spirit is strengthened. i know that i cant do anything without it. i can teach and teach all i want but its not me who manifests the truth of the gospel, its the Holy Ghost. i know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is our brother and our Savior. we are NEVER alone. because of Him, everyone can be happy. I love you all and pray for you all every single day. May the Lord keep you and bless you.
love,
elder hogge :)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Spencer's First Email
Dear Familia,
I guess you guys wanna know a lot about how my past few days have been. Mind you that I only have 30 minutes a week to email haha. Dad its perfectly fine if you forward this to everyone. Well, the MTC has been fabulous. I've heard horror stories about how awfully hard the first week is but I have experienced none of that. I absolutely LOVE it here. I do miss home a bunch, but I know that this is where I am supposed to be.
Ok now for the specifics. I am serving in District 17C with three other elderes and four hermanas. My companion's name is Elder Verhagen (Vur-Hay-Gen). I know that we were meant to be MTC companions. Though we are still very new to this experience, I feel that we have gained a ton from what we have been introduced to. We still dont know how to study together very effectively, but that will come. Mom he has plenty of support from home (Fairbanks, Alaska) and all his family are members of the church. He is a very hard worker and is obedient as I am. We will make this MTC experience very worth while.
Elder Verhagen and I live in a room with another companionship (in Building 13M in case anyone was interested). The other companionship is going to Dallas, Texas spanish speaking. Their names are Elder Chapell (Shuh-Pel) (also the district leader) and Elder Moore (Moore). The four of us are having a fantastic time together! We hardly ever split up. The four of us have been going and doing everything together. I can already feel a strong sense of unity. About the four sister. Mom, Hermana Cahill is in my district! She and Hermana Madsen are also serving in New York South. The other sisters are Hermana Walden and Hermana Nielson. They are serving in Guatemala. All eight of us are having a very fun time learning the Gospel and the language.
Elder Verhagen and I taught our first investigator yesterday! Yes the lesson was completely in spanish. And no, we did not understand very much. But we taught him that familias son eternas. We will be teaching him today about prophets and the Book of Mormon. I absolutely LOVE learning spanish. Though I currently have only a simple understanding of the language, I believe that with the spirit I can have el don de lenguas (gift of tongues.) But yes, MTC life is fantastic and very fulfilling. A companionship in my zone will be serving in Sacramento!!! Their names are Elder Bawden and Elder Fullwood. I really enjoy speaking with Elder Bawden. Besides my district, he is probably one of my closest friends. Our zone leaders are completely awesome!! Elders Cummins y Hallenburg are extremely helpful and fun to be with. They only have ten days left till they leave for Mexico but I know I will learn a lot from them.
Jon Niu. I met brother Caywood(?) last night. He said he was from Springville so I asked if he knew the Nius. I do believe that you are good friends with his son. Small world eh?
Well, I love you all. Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y Redemptor. Yo testifiico que el Libro de Mormon es el verdadero y de Dios. Yo se que nuestro familia es eterna.
May God be with all of you and I will email next friday (my preparation day).
Love,
Elder Hogge
Elder Spencer Jeffery Hogge
MTC Mailbox #237
NY-NYCS 0102
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT84604-1793
P.S. Thank you Joey and Julie for that package!!! I love it! And thank you mom for the dear elder. I will try to get some snail mail done today but because its the first week its a very weird and short P-day. We will have pdays every friday after today.
I guess you guys wanna know a lot about how my past few days have been. Mind you that I only have 30 minutes a week to email haha. Dad its perfectly fine if you forward this to everyone. Well, the MTC has been fabulous. I've heard horror stories about how awfully hard the first week is but I have experienced none of that. I absolutely LOVE it here. I do miss home a bunch, but I know that this is where I am supposed to be.
Ok now for the specifics. I am serving in District 17C with three other elderes and four hermanas. My companion's name is Elder Verhagen (Vur-Hay-Gen). I know that we were meant to be MTC companions. Though we are still very new to this experience, I feel that we have gained a ton from what we have been introduced to. We still dont know how to study together very effectively, but that will come. Mom he has plenty of support from home (Fairbanks, Alaska) and all his family are members of the church. He is a very hard worker and is obedient as I am. We will make this MTC experience very worth while.
Elder Verhagen and I live in a room with another companionship (in Building 13M in case anyone was interested). The other companionship is going to Dallas, Texas spanish speaking. Their names are Elder Chapell (Shuh-Pel) (also the district leader) and Elder Moore (Moore). The four of us are having a fantastic time together! We hardly ever split up. The four of us have been going and doing everything together. I can already feel a strong sense of unity. About the four sister. Mom, Hermana Cahill is in my district! She and Hermana Madsen are also serving in New York South. The other sisters are Hermana Walden and Hermana Nielson. They are serving in Guatemala. All eight of us are having a very fun time learning the Gospel and the language.
Elder Verhagen and I taught our first investigator yesterday! Yes the lesson was completely in spanish. And no, we did not understand very much. But we taught him that familias son eternas. We will be teaching him today about prophets and the Book of Mormon. I absolutely LOVE learning spanish. Though I currently have only a simple understanding of the language, I believe that with the spirit I can have el don de lenguas (gift of tongues.) But yes, MTC life is fantastic and very fulfilling. A companionship in my zone will be serving in Sacramento!!! Their names are Elder Bawden and Elder Fullwood. I really enjoy speaking with Elder Bawden. Besides my district, he is probably one of my closest friends. Our zone leaders are completely awesome!! Elders Cummins y Hallenburg are extremely helpful and fun to be with. They only have ten days left till they leave for Mexico but I know I will learn a lot from them.
Jon Niu. I met brother Caywood(?) last night. He said he was from Springville so I asked if he knew the Nius. I do believe that you are good friends with his son. Small world eh?
Well, I love you all. Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y Redemptor. Yo testifiico que el Libro de Mormon es el verdadero y de Dios. Yo se que nuestro familia es eterna.
May God be with all of you and I will email next friday (my preparation day).
Love,
Elder Hogge
Elder Spencer Jeffery Hogge
MTC Mailbox #237
NY-NYCS 0102
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT84604-1793
P.S. Thank you Joey and Julie for that package!!! I love it! And thank you mom for the dear elder. I will try to get some snail mail done today but because its the first week its a very weird and short P-day. We will have pdays every friday after today.
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