October 21, 2013

Dearest family and friends,

This week was awesome! 

Sounds like (and looks like from Mom's pictures) that baby Louisa is doing great!! She looks so little and cute and squishy!! I cant wait to meet her. Mom says she's got a lot of Hogge resemblance, but she just looks like a cute little squishy thing to me haha. I've never been good at distinguishing features. I'm glad Mom enjoys being the go-to helper.

I dont know if all of you know, but I'm (hopefully) going to be going into the Mechanical Engineering program at BYU. My trusted advisers (aka sarah joe and dad) have really helped me get to this decision. It was such a cool revelatory experience. I did a lot of praying asking Heavenly Father to just tell me what I should go into, but then I realized that he gave me agency for a reason!! He wants me to do what I want to do. And I felt the sweet assurance that he would be at my side for all righteous and intelligent desires. Whether he lets me stay this course, or veers me to a different direction once I get into it, i know not. but I know that he truly is guiding me based on what I want to do. Its so cool!!

this week was stake conference!! i got to hear some amazing talks on certain topics that have really been on my mind. For instance, ever since Elder Soares gave his talk at general conference, I've been intrigued with the concept of meekness. I love everything about meekness!! And I came to realize in a talk at stake conference how meek I wasn't. Haha kind of funny but it was a nice awakening. I find that sometimes (especially when driving) I am not as meek as I could be. But I have been doing studies on this principle. Something else I learned at stake conference from the stake president, President Hartman, is what being a peacemaker truly means. I realize now that the phrase "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" means a lot more that I thought it meant. (Thats the great thing about the mission!! I realize how much I dont know and it makes me desirous to learn more!!) He spoke of punishment and why God punishes us. Its not because God is retaliating. That was never the purpose for punishment. But we punish out of retaliation because we still have some of the natural man inside of us. I learned that godly punishment is His way of teaching us that "wickedness never was happiness". I know that on the mission I am learning principles that will bless me for the rest of forever.

As for investigators, we haven't been able to see fernando and karla for a while :( in fact, most of our investigators have been MIA. Its super weird cuz... where do they all go?? but they just arent around... ever. But life and the mission goes on. One of our solid investigators right now is roberto. We have been able to meet with him for the past three saturdays in a row (which is pretty unusual here). But he is really interested in learning more. He is kind of a passive investigator at this point, but we really hope to open his eyes to a sense of what he can truly accomplish as a son of God. This week we will be visiting a lot of members. Helping strengthen their resolve to share the gospel in any mean possible.  Also on tuesday I'll be going through the temple with all the departing missionaries and president. Sooooo im pretty pumped for that. yay!

Everything is going great. I'm looking forward to everything that this week has to offer.Thank you all for the love and support you send my way. you all are GREAT!!!

Love, Elder Hogge

P.s. The entire mission is getting ipads and iphones November 11th

October 14, 2013

Family and Friends,

Seems like this flash mob video has gone somewhat viral. Good stuff eh? It was even better in person ;) I'm glad so many people are seeing that this is how we share the gospel with these wonderful New Yorkers. This has got to be one of the most interesting missions in the world :) For all those that haven't seen it I'll post it to my timeline. I hope you can all share this video on your facebook to help friends and family (member and non member alike) see how great it is to be in the Lord's work. 

This week was really great. We have been able to do a lot of good teaching. We really reached out to the less actives in the branch. Elder Pincock and I were able to visit with some nice members that have long since been out of the church. I have really learned what the difference is between conversion and testimony here in New York. We've also been able to meet up with some investigators this week. We taught a good amount of lessons, but the tricky thing is really help these investigators progress well. Being in such a tiny branch, the active members are very willing, but there are very few that are usually free to come out with us and be friends with these great investigators. But our branch president, President Krueger, has been wonderful for us. He is really energizing the work here and is being diligent in helping the members understand their responsibilities.

My birthday was great!! We mostly just worked, but I felt the love of all of you on wednesday even though we are so far away. There's no better way to spend a birthday than laboring in the work of the Lord. The following day the senior couple, the Jorgensens, made a nice chocolate cake for me. It was delicious!! Mom, my favorite part about my entire birthday was opening my gift from you. I was stunned at how beautiful that tie is!! I cant wait to wear it when you and dad and willie come to New York and we can do a session in the temple. That tie in an instant jumped up to my favorite tie. thank you so much!! :) Oh, and I would love to speak in our ward on the 10th! Please tell brother Watkins that I accept!!

Well my friends and family, I know I dont have a ton to say but my heart is just bursting with joy and happiness!! I'm excited for these next few weeks and all that is in store for me. Thank you so much for all the support and love you send my way. Love you!!

Love, Elder Hogge

October 7, 2013

Family and Friends,

 

Wasn't conference AMAZING?????? Oh man there is just something about the mission that fuels your desire to wring every bit of inspiration and knowledge out of conference. I am so glad I have gained this love for g-con on the mission (not that I didn't love it before) and it will certainly aid me for the rest of my life. I learned a lot of fantastic things and I am so privileged to have had the companionship of the Holy Ghost whispering to me all I can do to improve. I hope you all got out of conference as much as I! (Exclamation Point!)

 

As for another exclamation point..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY LOUISA!! I got soooo happy when I saw the picture of Papa Joe, Mama Ju, and Baby Louisa on facebook! It was quite the surprise :) That girl looks like a darling. (judging by one of joey's posts I saw, she is already ruining shirts!!) I cant wait to meet that girl... along with the all-grown-up Trudy too! 2 years sure does a lot.

 

This week was really good. Elder Pincock is doing great!!! He is feeling super good and pumped about the mission now. I am so glad that I have been able to be an example to him. To me, there really is nothing like being a strong positive influence on the life of someone else. We truly enjoy working together and I hope that he can retain this attitude throughout his entire mission. OOH! We had a funny conversation this week. We were talking about the west coast, and his family used to live there. So naturally I asked him, what part? And he replied, "something like Monticello.... Mondasillo... something like that." It clicked in my mind and I screamed "MENDOCINO1?!?!?!??!!!!?!?"...... getting an odd look from him, he nodded in agreement. I went on to tell how much I love that place and how we visit every year. Not very many people in the world know where it is so that truly surprised me. he never lived there but his family did before he was born. (mom, I heard you talked to sister pincock! this could sure be a topic of conversation between you two)

 

As for the rest of the week. Everything is going along just swell. We are still trying to grow our teaching pool. President Krueger is being a saint working with us. We met with him to come up with combined missionary-branch goals for this next quarter. Though I wont be here for all of it, I know that working through the branch will offer the greatest blessings. We are coming up with specific plans we can do to fulfill the goals we have set. Fernando and Karla are doing well, we hope to meet with them more frequently this week. We will be doing some family nights with part member and less active families this week so hopefully we will see some cool stuff come into fruition.

 

I love you all so much!! Your support is astoundingly strengthening in my life. I hope you all have a fantastic week!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

October 1, 2013

Family and Friends,

 

Happy October!!! Oh how I love this blessed month. Behind December, I'd have to say it is my favorite :) I can't believe that this is the last month of the mission. Though my time may be winding down, I feel pumped and ready to go!!

 

I saw the video the Robby made of the EG ward missionaries. It was so cool!! I can't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the other missionaries in the ward. It's so awesome to see how we have all grown up together, and how wonderful the choices are that we are making. I can't wait to meet up with all of them and share our experiences. Thanks Robby!!

 

Its weird to think that all my baby nieces and nephew are all growing up so much. I know I've seen pictures of them getting bigger, but in my mind I still think of them as the little tykes that they were. My last memory of trudy was still being in the womb!! Two years does a lot haha. Mom, I still have that email that you sent about Alice trying to dial me up to talk to me. That was possibly my favorite email I got my entire mission!

 

Riverhead is doing great. We are working with Fernando and Karla. We watched the John Tanner video with them. I love that movie so much!! It is such a strong example of sacrifice and consecration. We also read the story of the widow that fed the prophet with her last portion, thinking she and her son were going to die. I love how both of these stories show that the Lord really will provide if we are willing to sacrifice. Our investigators are praying about the sacrifice that they would have to make to be baptized. We will be having another lesson with them this week.

 

I am becoming very close with our branch president, President Krueger. He is such a patient and enduring man. We have had great opportunities to help him and the branch out over the past couple weeks and through that we have formed a great relationship. I really feel like we have his complete trust and that is doing wonders for us. I love being here!!!

 

Well, this week has been great. There are some slow times, but Elder Pincock and I are really motivated to keep on chuggin. All your wonderful support back home keeps me going strong. Thanks for everything!! I hope you all have a fantastic week!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

September 23, 2013

Family and Friends,

 

Yup, Riverhead. Tuesday at transfer meetings I received the call to serve there. I was so thrilled and humbled to be able to return to this beloved area. And I have received very warm welcomes from the members here. Nearly all of them had astonished looks on their faces when they saw me once more. Because I came here so long ago, nearly a year and a half ago, they all believed I had already returned home. What an amusing surprise to all of them when they realized I would be back here for one more transfer.

 

My companion is Elder Pincock. He is from Blackfoot, Idaho. He is such an awesome companion!!! We have a lot of fun together and we are working very diligently. He has had a few struggles in the mission thusfar, but we are doing great together. This is his second transfer out in the field, so I am finishing training him. One of my main objectives over this next few weeks is to put Elder Pincock in a position to really make this branch flourish. Seeing as how I dont have too long and chances are he could be here well into next year, I really want to help him get acquainted with the area well enough to work miracles here!

 

I've been able to reconnect with a few people that I taught over a year ago. One of the families being Fernando and Karla. I'm not sure if you remember them, but last year Elder Lunt and I found them and started working with them. Since that point they have become one of my most favorite families in the entire mission! We stopped by there place a couple nights ago and when Fernando answered the door he just about passed out from surprise. It was so wonderful being able to see them again. They are still going through a really tough situation. Because of some weird complexities of the law, if they get married then it will take them practically forever to become legal. But I guess Fernando has a chance to become legal a lot sooner. So that is why they are waiting. It's tough to see, and I just wish they would get married now, no matter the earthly consequence, but it is their choice to make. When I left Riverhead the first time, Karla was very pregnant. Now, they have a very rambunxious little one year old girl!!! It just amazes me how much changes in one year. I will hardly recognize my own nieces and nephew!!

 

Overall, it is a thrill being back here. It will not be easy, but I am so lucky to be serving with these wonderful people! My goal is to inspire a sense of urgency in the members here so that they find no excuse for fulfilling their missionary duties. "When all is said and done, if the world is going to be saved, we have to do it." (Church News)

As you can all tell, I am very excited!! This final stretch is when runners push their hardest, and I plan on doing no different. Thank you for all the love and support I feel. It really drives me to do the very best I can. Have a great week!!

 

Love, Elder Hogue

September 16, 2013

Family and Friends,

 

This week just flew by!! I can't believe it.

 

Mom and Dad, I am jealous that you were able to go to the "Noche de Hispanidad" without me. Over here in New York, the multi-cultural Hispanic night is a big big hit. Last year in Bushwick we had over 250 people attend. It is a great missionary opportunity for the members. I was also jealous of all the great food you got to eat without me. Tamales, atole, ceviche, horchata, enchiladas... man that just makes my mouth water. I remember before the mission how worried I was about being called Spanish speaking because I would have to eat all this weird Spanish food that I assumed I wouldn't like. Now just the thought of having to leave it all behind really makes me sad to the stomach.

 

As some of you might have seen on Facebook, I was tagged in a photo of me standing under a booth that said "Meet the Mormons in Queens". Well in Woodside every summer there is a street fair and the church bought a plot to put up a booth. That happened last Saturday. We had pictures of Christ, all the service we've provided to the community and during Sandy, and a big canvas in back that said "Family is _____." We had people in the street fair come into the booth and sign the canvas with what family means to them. It was a great opportunity to get out of obscurity in the community. We met a lot of great people and had good discussions with them.

 

Speaking of Facebook, it is going well. President wants us on for an hour each day. It is at times difficult to fill the hour with meaningful activity but we are reconnecting with less actives and non members. There was a really cool experience that happened last week actually. One of my friends from BYU facebooked me and told me that she had a brother that was living in my area!! He hadn't been to church for a while, and she was excited at the prospect of us going and visiting him. I was able to contact him and set up an appointment for last Saturday. Unfortunately we had a leadership meeting so I wasn't able to go visit him, but the English elders stopped by and visited for a little while. The next day (yesterday) he came to the singles branch!! So we are already seeing how facebook will be a real strength to the work. If any of you ever have anyone that would be interested in chatting with me on facebook or skyping to learn more about what we believe, please let me know. We have nothing to lose!!

 

I got an interesting call last Friday. President informed me that I will not be in Woodside next transfer. He also informed me that I will not be a Zone Leader anymore. He is giving me a special assignment to be with a young missionary that has had some rough patches so far in the mission. We will be blinded in (lingo for both of us going into a different pool together) and Prez said that we will be out in the "country". Now anyone who knows New York south mission geography would also know that there are but a few places in the entire mission that could be considered "country". Turns out Riverhead is one of them. Could it be???? I am thrilled at the prospect of returning for my last transfer. We shall see tomorrow. (and I will be updating my "current location" on facebook to wherever I move so you will most likely know a lot sooner than next Monday)

 

I cant believe my mission is coming so close to an end. Six rapid weeks await me. I am so excited!!!! I know that this work is real and that through the atonement of Christ all men may be healed from sin and affliction! Love you all!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

September 9, 2013

Shout out to JOE HOGGE!! WOOT WOOT!! Happy birthday big bro!! You are basically an old geyser now hehe. Anyways....

 

Family and friends,

 

Wow. This week has been something else. Definitely one of the craziest, most spiritual, different weeks I have ever had in the mission.

 

Sounds like all is well back home. I loved mom's email. She always fills me with so much joy due to her love for helping others understand the gospel. I'm glad everything is going well with Isabel. Its great to have good fellowshippers, but good friends are what these returning members truly need. And I can see that mom plays that role for her.

(mom, as for the package:quarters, burts bees chap stick, beef jerky, oreos and whatever else your heart desires... or feels that my heart would desire haha)

 

I couldn't help but notice on facebook that a certain brunette sister of mine got signed by a literary agent or something like that? I dont think I truly understand what that means, but it sounds pretty darn cool haha. When do I get to read that book sarah??

 

This is the last week of the transfer. I have a small feeling that I might have to get packing for next transfer, but knowing how good I am at guessing these sort of things I'm probably wrong. So with that logic I could probably safely say that I am staying haha. (obviously I have no idea) But I would absolutely love to finish my mission here with elder heagren. He and this area have been so good for me.

 

So about this past week. Each month we have a meeting called Zone Training Meeting (ZTM). Because we are the zone leaders, we get to prepare these ZTMs for the zone. Its one of my favorite meetings in the mission. Usually these meetings are derived from what president teaches us zone leaders in the prior week's mission leadership counsel. And we got to teach on the Atonement. Oh boy was that an experience. I've noticed that usually the best insight comes not from those giving the workshop, but all the others participating. This workshop was a spiritual feast! Elder Heagren and I helped everyone get a 360 degree view on the Atonement. Thats what prez had taught us. So as we were talking about how they felt about the atonement, we could feel the spirit enter the room. As we dug further into how Mary, mother of Jesus, must've felt, emotions stirred. Then as we spoke of how Christ and even Heavenly Father felt everyone's hearts in the room just completely melted. There were very few dry eyes in the room (darn allergies haha). This experience gave me such greater appreciation for what our Lord has done for us. I will forever have a better outlook on what the atonement means to me and to others.

 

As September comes to an end, so does the three month baptismal goal of our district. Lets just say we have a ways to go. Our wonderful District Leader Elder Rogers comissioned a fast for the past sunday that we may receive divine help to accomplish this promise we have made to the Lord. Basically, I know that fasting works!! In previous weeks, our district has averaged maybe 1 or 2 investigators at church. Last sunday, 7 nonmembers came to church, 2 being people that had come on there own. One was a lady named Norma. Apparently, she has a friend in Argentina that told her that she should go to church. So she found the closest one and came here!! That was no coincidence that it happend on our day of fast. Our lovely sisters will be teaching her.

 

I have seen such great miracles on the mission. I cant believe I only have little over a transfer left. This has been so good for me.

 

I love you all. Hope your week is fantastic!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Facebook Mission

Hey friends and family!

Sorry this email has taken so long.... its going to have to be quick too haha. There have been some crazy cool things going on here in our mission. The reason why I havent sent the email yet is that I've actually been on facebook all morning. Nope, that wasn't a joke. President has recieved the OK for our mission to start implementing facebook in our proselyting efforts. This doesn't limit to just my confined geographical area either. Through facebook and skype, we will be able to teach anyone in the world that is willing to learn more about the gospel. So say I have some friends back home that are interested in learning more, well I can facebook them and start up a conversation. But what if YOU have a friend that wants to learn more about the gospel? Well I can be in communication with you (through facebook) to set up online appointments and you can even be present in the online lesson. The objective is for me and my companion to help them gain enough of an interest and knowledge in the Gospel for them to want to meet with the missionaries in their own area. So elder Heagren and I have been pretty overwhelmed this morning with changing our facebook profiles to meet the new standard. We will have about an hour a day to do online missionary proselyting. basically, everything is free game as long as I can answer well this question: "Is what I'm doing fulfilling my missionary purpose." We will be getting mini Ipads october 29th. Yep, thats the day I end my mission. Haha I'm excited. Well, sorry for the abruptness and shortness of the email. My mind is still spinning a hundred miles an hour. Love you all!!

Love, Elder Hogge

Creative Mission

Family and Friends,

 

As far as outward success goes, Elder Heagren and I have seen absolutely none of it. It has been a very baffling time of my mission. I feel like I have really hit my stride as a missionary. I can speak the language decently well, I am very (perhaps overly) comfortable with talking to strangers, and I have developed a sincere love for teaching. But after all we can do, we are seeing no lessons to teach. Its really weird. The zone as a whole had one of the best weeks i have seen on the mission. there were a lot of very solid people at church from all the other companionships. But the mission goes on. Nothing can or will stop Elder Heagren and I from working ourselves to the ground.

 

The mission is taking really cool strides in how we work with the people in New York City. We have been doing a lot of service here in woodside with the districts of english and spanish missionaries working together. There is this woodside icon named Dave Rosasco that is kind of the vigilante of service here. He goes around painting over graffiti and planting and cultivating the flowerbeds in his free time. So we have been working very closely with him to make Woodside a prettier place. This has caught some attention and the New York 1 news station came and interviewed one of our district leaders. Also, we have been doing flash mobs as a zone on the trains. Our entire zone of missionary will dress up as regular people and get on a subway car together. One missionary will start singing a childs prayer and more and more missionaries will jump in until there is an entire chorus of seemingly random people in the train singing a primary song together. It is soooooo cool!! After we finish singing the train errupts in conversation and all of us get to talk to most everyone on the train car. Talk about an ice breaker haha.

 

I am thoroughly convinced that mine is possibly one of the most creative missions in the world. The work is just amazingly different here. But that is why I love it. At times it can be very tough, but I really feel like all this has been refining me. I absolutely love the mission. It is very strange to think that there are only a few more of these emails left for me to write. Time is just all out of whack for me right now haha.

 

Well, I love you all. Here's to a great week!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Blessings

Dear Family and Friends,

 

This has been one of the best weeks for me in my entire mission. Its tough to explain how I truly feel, but I know that the Lord is doing some serious refining for me at this point.

 

First off, I had no idea Brock was going to Ghana!!! That is so cool! I bet he is so excited. Sounds like he will be fine with sleeping on the floor for sleep overs when he gets back ;p But seriously, that will be such a blessing to him in his life. The coolest things about missions is that they are so unique. Each missionary has a completely different experience. Its a bit like snowflakes. Each individual snow flake has a completely different design and plan, but they all come together putting a beautiful touch on the world.... Wow I can't believe I just compared missionary work to snow. haha the mission really does change you :)

 

Mom, I am so glad that you have been able to see the blessings of doing missionary work. You are that fellowshipper that we all dream of here in New York. And the greatest thing is that you will get just as many blessings as Isabel because of your labors. The gospel is so cool!!

 

As for my week, It has been an unusual one at that. 13 of our 14  investigator appointments fell through, the only person we actually taugh lives outside of our area so we will have to hand him off, none of our once progressing investigators are answering the door or phone, and we didn't have anyone come to church. I think at the very beginning of my mission that would have been so tough. The super weird thing about it is that Elder Heagren and I feel like successful missionaries. We have worked our absolute hardest. We have been the most obedient we can be. We feel like we are lifting and supporting our members in their work. We talked to as many people as possible on the street and got the most contact infos from people in one week ever in my mission. It is only a matter of time until the Lord pours His blessings upon this area. Whether I am here to see it or not it doesnt really matter. I just cant wait to see this ward flourish and prosper. I truly feel like the Lord is teaching me an awful lot right now. I feel like because of these past few weeks I am becoming a better missionary and person in general. I dont feel frustrated in myself at all. What makes me truly sad is that the people here dont know what they are truly missing. But I didn't come out on a mission for it to be easy. One of my missionary friends explained what it feels like to be a missionary like this: "Imagine you are a life guard, and everyone is drowning". I know that as soon as someone is ready to be saved and come into the fold, these past experiences will make me more effective in bringing them to Christ.

 

I know this work is real and the gospel provides true blessings. I love you all and hope that you can have a fantastic week.

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Friemly

Dearest Friemly. (sorry, that was a sore attempt at a friends/family hybrid word....)

 

It sure does not feel like summer here any more. This past week the average was probably about 75 with a nice breeze and occasional rain. Besides the humidity, this was possibly the nicest week in weather I've experienced on the mission. I dont know what it is like back home, but I was loving it here. Seems like fall has jumped the gun and taken a head start. Not that I am opposed to that at all...

 

Mom I really liked your comments on obedience. I really appreciate the quiet but enduring example of Hyrum Smith. Seems like he was always in the background of church history but was an unshakeable demonstration of faith and obedience.

Stephanie must've seen Elder Ah Quin at the temple. He has been one of my closest friends on the mission. I'll have to mention that to him.

How was the meteor shower? One of the downsides of serving in the city is that looking up into the night sky, there are practically zero stars. I think one time I saw one, but it might've been a plane haha just kiddin...

 

We are really anxious for the rest of this month in missionary work. Elder Heagren and I have been working very diligently to get the members on board. And it is working!! Right now, we have six different families that we are workign with. Each of them has commited to a day by the end of this month to invite us and non member friends or family over for FHE's.  The members here are really grabbing on to the work of salvation. Yesterday morning we had ward counsel. The bishop has left a standing invitation for us to come each month and participate. We followed up on the 20 names the counsel came up with to start working with within the ward. Members have gone to these homes and invited them to participate in the missionary lessons. Hopefully soon we will be able to go teach these less actives and non members. Members truly are the key.

 

I am excited for this transfer. Everything is headed up hill. The members are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the work. I expect to see many great things come of this in the rest of my time here.

 

Thank you all for your support. I love you and hope that all is well.

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Staying in Woodside

Family and Friends,

 

This is the moment you all have been waiting for!! The big news!! I am............ staying in woodside this transfer!! Wooo! I am pretty excited. Looks like elder Heagren and I will be rocking at least one more transfer together. We have some really good plans for this upcoming transfer.

 

It looks like mendocino was an absolute BLAST! I'm semi jealous... but I have two mendo trips under my belt on the mission already. This time next year I will be rockin a tye dye-hogge clan-traditional mendo shirt whilst chilling on the beach. Booyah! ( Yep, mom sent me the tye dye picture. I must say, you all are looking great!!) Its weird though..... Mom had told me that the mendo trip was last week, but I dont even remember thinking about it during the week. 'Twas a miracle that the lord helped me stay focused and keep my mind off of the beach.

 

We had the musical fireside last night. It was amazing!!!! There were about 140 people there, which was on the high end of what we were expecting. Sister Franklin and I were able to perform the "Green hill/ Our saviors Love" medley. It was really humbling experience. Many people came up to me afterward telling me how great we sounded. It was really cool. I am so glad that I have figured out a way to use my musical capabilites to help others feel the spirit and come closer to Jesus Christ.

 

Elder Heagren and I have been going strong with getting to know all the members better. We have been diligently working with our focus members in the ward to help them feel more confident in their missionary ablilities. We have set dates in august with four of the families we are working with for them to invite family and friends that arent members over to their home for an FHE. We are so excited to see how all of this pans out. Elder Heagren and I have been very diligent in trying to find through our own efforts, but we realize the more emphasis we put in working with our members to find, teach and baptize the greater we can help the ward.

 

I am excited for this next transfer. Only 3 months left in the mission. Its pretty weird to think about but I plan on going all out. I hope to be able to bring about much good being led by the hand of God. I love you all!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Last Week of the Transfer

Family and friends,

 

Its cool/weird/awesome knowing that this mendocino trip is the last one that I am missing. Boy does time really fly. I hope ya'll people are having fun camping and chilling. (Just a word of caution: do not become over-zealous in attempts to roast the perfect marshmallow or else you may get a meteor-marshmallow to the face hehe).  I cant say that I have ever had over-powering senses of missing home on the mission, but tantalizing thoughts of mendocino can make it quite an experience. But I have decided that its not exactly the place that draws on my emotions, but the people and experiences that are there with me. Good thing families can be together forever! Booya!

 

Things over here on the mission front have been pretty darn normal. There have been a few ups and downs throughout the week, but nothing too extremely out of the ordinary. I feel bad because there isn't a whole lot to talk about this week. Well, I guess one cool thing is that our district of missionaries combined with one other district is going to be putting on a community fireside. We are pretty excited about that. The name of it is "For God so loved the world". It will be about the ministry and life of Jesus Christ. We will have a few musical numbers mixed in with some bible videos and testimonies from church leaders. We hope that there is a great showing there. I know that this could be many peoples first time that they truly feel the spirit. For some odd reason I was selected by the missionaries to do a musical number. I'm working with one of the sister missionaries to make a medley of "There is a Green Hill" and "Our Savior's Love". The fireside is on August 4th and we still havent figured it all out so hopefully it will turn out well haha. Throughout the mission I feel like I have been getting better and better at arranging hymns n stuff. I'm excited to explore this maybe talent of mine. We shall see. I'll let you all know how the fireside went in next email.

 

As far as investigators go, we have been meeting with quite a few people off and on. Its really tough here. We struggle to really find people devoted to progressing. The older I get in the mission, the more blatantly obvious it becomes to me that members really are the key to missionary work. We are going to make a big push to get all the missionaries in our ward to be visiting all the members more frequently. We talked to our district leader about that last night and we truly believe that as we improve our relationship with the members, we can help them see how their relationship with non members will be strengthened through sharing the gospel with them. That will be the big focus going into next transfer.

 

This is the last week of the transfer. Transfer meeting is a week from tomorrow. I find out on Saturday if I am staying in Woodside or out. With only two more transfers after this, if I stay in Woodside, it will almost definitely be till the end of my mission. I have mixed feelings about if I want to leave or not. I think the only reason I would want to leave to a different area for these next two transfers would be to train a new missionary. I would absolutely love to train one more time before ending. And I definitely think that would help me to stay going strong through the end. But it is in the Lord's hands. I really am cool with whatever haha. You all will know next monday :)

 

Thanks for all the support and love. It is felt through the emails, letters, and packages I receive from you all. (this is a shout out to grandma buck for the awesome dear elder package. thanks gramma!!) It sure is comforting knowing how blessed I have truly been. I wouldnt have it any other way.

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Pioneer Day

Family and Friends,

 

This has proven to be quite the week for me in missionary work. We were only able to teach a few lessons but It was awesome.

 

MOM!!! Happppy birthday this week! Turns out the whole ward is getting together to celebrate your birthday on the 24th! They said something about pioneers as well or something like that... But I'm glad you can finally be hitting the big 29. You must be excited haha :) Sounds like you had a really good time last week.

 

Today for p-day, we are going to Outback Steakhouse. Nope, I'm not joking haha. My dear friend Elder Ibarra, now Marc Ibarra, has come back after his mission to visit NYC and couldn't help but to treat my companion and me to a nice lunch :D So I'm really excited to be able to spend some time with my former companion.

 

So on tuesday, we had a good lesson with a family. Their names are marcia and jorge. They have two adorable children named melanie, 6, and samuel, 2. We had taught them a couple months ago but they kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a while because jorge had a lot of work. Long story short we got back in contact with them and were able to watch the restoration with them. We talked a lot about the book of mormon and how knowing that joseph smith is a prophet would truly bless their lives. So we left them with those commitments, as well as to come to church, and said fairwell. Well, Sunday rolls around and after highly anticipating their arrival, they show up!! (just about forty minutes late, but still!!) Yesterday was the first time in my whole mission that a full investigator family came to church. They couldn't stay for very long, but promised to come back for the full three hours next week. Elder Heagren and I were absolutely loving it!!! I had never had the experience previously of having an entire family come to church so I felt truly grateful to the Lord for providing us with the opportunity to be a part of it. Tonight we have a lesson with them, and a super solid couple in the ward will be coming with us. I know that they can receive an answer and truly be blessed by the gospel.

 

Later on Sunday we had a bit of spare time so we decided to go try to knock on Edgar and Jelena's door. They had stopped answering our calls and were never home when we had went by so we kind of gave up on them. So I ring their bell, and Jelena answers the door. As soon as she sees us, her face brightens up and gets super excited. She goes on to expain to us that she had lost her phone with all her contacts and had no way to get in touch with us. She and Edgar even tried looking for the church on their own to try to find us!! (Now that shows desire.) She talked about how comfortable she had felt when we were stopping by and invited us to come back the next day (today) to visit them. So now we have an appointment with them as well, right after Marcia and Jorge.

 

These past couple weeks in the mission had been really tough. Elder Heagren and I had been doing all we could to bring people to the knowledge of the truth, but it seemed to no avail. But as we endured well, the Lord blessed us with two solid families to work with. We will be working harder than ever to bring these children back to Heavenly Father. I really am experiencing the joy described in D&C 18 of bringing souls unto Christ. Thats the true secret I have learned on the mission. If you want to be happy, you must be in the service of others in bringing them into the fold. It is my hope that all of you are doing the same.

 

I love you all so dearly. Thank you for all the tender love that you have for me.

 

Love,

Elder Hogge

Trying Week

Dear family and friends,

 

This week has been a trying week, but I feel like I am learning an awful lot.

 

Poor Alice!! I can just imaginge that sequence of events in my mind. One time at byu, I was waiting in line to get to the BYU v. SDSU basketball game. We waited in line for hours and it was freezing cold and super snowy. It being so cold, I pulled my arms out of the sleeves of my sweater and into my chest. Not one minute later, I was walking in line and hit a patch of black ice. Next thing i knew, my feet were up in the air with the rest of my body, and having inhibited the use of my own arms within my sweater, I hit the ground back first. Luckily it was for the most part and I got a good laugh out of it, but I can relate with Alice in that moment of pure helplessness.

 

This was a very odd week in the work. Elder heagren and I have been working our hineys off but that blessed thing called agency seems to be holding these people back. We had a solid ten appointments set up throughout the week, had members ready and willing to come with us, but every single one of the appointments fell through. We weren't able to teach a single investigator. I could not believe it. Its like a weird missionary nightmare. And the thing was, I couldn't really feel sad for me. I felt bad that all these people were missing the blessed opportuinty to hear the gospel. Now granted, its not like they were all choosing to not meet with us. Here in new york i've noticed that it can be very, very difficult to prioritize.

 

The bright side is that we have some great appointments set up for this week. Today at three we are going to stop by the house of this guy we met yesterday. We are just going to drop off a plan of salvation pamphlet, but he seemed genuinely interested in knowing what God's plan is for him. On Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday we have more appointments set up with people that have accepted to let us come. So there definitely is a great bright side. And we really feel like we are putting in all our best efforts.

 

Today for p-day we will be having our zone activity. On of the District leaders offered to make pulled pork sandwiches and we are going to be playing some volleyball. It will be a pretty relaxed pday, but I am excited. I really think this week is going to be fantastic! Well I love you all and hope that your week is fantastic as well :)

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Woodside Update

Dear family and friends,

Hope you all had a fantastic fourth of july week. Over here in woodside we had plenty of fun. The ward put on a nice barbecue with 100 pounds of meat. It was pretty awesome. Those hispanics sure know how to make loads of food. We played a bunch of volleyball, ate a bunch of food, and talked to a bunch of people. I was able to talk to a non member family for a while and hopefully we will be able to do an FHE with them this week. But overall it was a great 4th. It was a bummer that we had to be in before fireworks came out, but I'll live. :)

This week has definitely had its ups and downs. We weren't able to meet with Pedro, Luis, or Edgar and Jelena. It was very sad to have all this great stuff set up and have none of it actually happen. I hate to say this but you kind of get used to it as a missionary. I'm just glad that Heavenly Father is helping me develop the divine attribute of patience. I just want everything to happen now now now. But the Lord knows best, and His timing is the best. I have definitely acquired a sense of urgency. Everyone around me is continually saying that I do not have very much time left. Thats just a great reminder that I must work hard till the very end.

So updates on investigators... Pedro will actually have to move out of his apartment from his family. It's sad to hear. From what it sounds like, he hasn't been in the wrong, but he is doing this to prevent any serious problems. He will be moving just a few blocks away so we will still be able to meet with him. We hope to have a couple lessons with him this week.

Luis has been sick this week so he hasn't been able to do much.

Edgar and Jelena... Well they were supposed to come to church yesterday but never showed up. We have called them a few times but haven't been able to get contact with them. Kind of a bummer but we will keep trying.

Not exactly the smoothest week so far but there have been some bright points. On saturday there was a huge fair in Woodside. It happened just a block away from the church! So taking advantage of the situation, all the missionaries that attend that building got together and we set up a table to give out free cold water at the fair. We must have had three hundred people stop at the table. It was a great finding opportunity. Every companionship was able to get people's info and we were able to give a few church tours as well.  It was a fantastic experience.

Our ward counsel has been stepping up their game. They have a list of twenty names for people that they want us to start working with. Mostly less-actives, but there are some of our investigators on the list as well. Each auxilary has responsibility for a few people on the list. The concept is that the auxilaries will invite them to listen to our lessons, and then we will go and teach them with strong members support. I am very excited to see how this is going to develop.

Seems like everything is slowly but gradually going uphill. I think eventually we will get the ball rolling and there will be nothing that can stop this ward from doing missionary work. I'm very excited to see how all of this turns out.

Thank you all for your support and kindness. Have a great week!

Love, Elder Hogge

Happy Fourth!

Family and Friends,

 

This week has been filled with great experiences. Transfers always bring a much needed, power sense of newness that aids the missionary work. From what I hear good ol' Danny Heaps is back home livin the RM life. Dad you should really figure out that connection with your old companion and my old companion haha. I suppose that you all would like to know about my new companion. His name is Elder Ian Heagren from Copperton, Utah. He has been out ten transfers now and he is a fantastic missionary. We are both energized for the work and I already know that we will see great things here. It just so happens that Elder Heagren was trained by the one and only Elder Heaps haha. Like father like son I guess. But I can already tell that the next few transfers are going to be fantastic.

 

Mom, I got your package! What a wonderful explosion of red, white and blue haha. I, along with many members of my district, truly appreciated all the sweets and snacks you sent. Those peanut butter chocolate covered granola bars are just heaven. I really enjoy receiving those treats :) Turns out Elder Heagren is allergic to peanuts (poor guy) so next package we would really enjoy some peanut free healthy snack that he can stuff in his backpack and eat whenever :)

I also enjoyed your comments on all that happened this sunday. I love the concept of learning by faith. Elder Bednar has a great talk on that concept that really helped enhance my ability to learn and comprehend spiritual knowledge.

 

Today Elder Heagren and I are headed to a department store to buy ourselves some awesome comp unity ties. I'm pretty stoked. Then after that I think we will just chill, rest our selves up to prepare for this upcoming week. This thursday our ward has a fiesta for the fourth of july. We are going to be eating food, playing games, and just having some good ol' fashioned fun. I am really excited. We hope to be able to get some of our investigators over there.

 

Speaking of investigators, the work has been going very well in our area. This week Elder Heagren and I were able to teach a few very solid lessons. We have begun teaching a wonderful man from ecuador named Luis. He is very solid and so prepared for the gospel. He has accepted to start preparing for baptism in July. We will be working closely with him to help him progress toward that date. We have been making good contact with Pedro. He called me last night to inform me that everything is good with his family now! He will not have to move after all. We are really hoping to get in to the home to be able to unite the family for ever. The only reason we have been able to hang on to Pedro is because he has become very close friends with a brother in our ward. They have been talking on almost a daily basis and Brother Arrascue has helped him keep his sights high. In other news, we have begun teaching a young mexican couple named Jelena and Edgar. They are very sweet and open to learning more about Christ and His doctrine. We have an appointment set up with them for wednesday so we are very excited to go back.

 

It really feels like everything is going right. I can testify that a dedication towards obedience pours out amazing blessings! My testimony in this concept has strengthened me so much over these past couple weeks.

 

Thank you for all the support. I have been getting great letters from friends and family that really strengthen me and give me the added push to keep going. I love all of you and I am so proud of the people that have made me who I am. Thank you so much!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Family and Friends

Family and Friends,

First off, I just want to let you know how stoked I am because of the broadcast last night!!! It was music to my ears as the apostles taught us of our responsibilites as members and missionaries. That was one of the highlights of my week.

Sounds like everything is going just fine back home. I would gladly trade your 100 degree weather for my 90 degree weather. It is just unbelievable how muggy it feels out here. I am dreading the day when it hits 100 degrees and 100% humidity here. But alas, I will continue to put my shoulder to the wheel and my feet to the pavement.

Seems like after all the hooplah before and during the wedding, things have quieted down a ton. Its lookin to be a peaceful summer back home.

Today Elder Heaps and I are being taken to lunch by Elder and Sister Bottomfield. Elder Heaps wisely joked about how young Sister Bottomfield looked and Elder Bottomfield shouted in exclamation "Well that deserves some five guys!!" (five guys is a burger place out here. I hadn't ever seen it back home) So we are reaping the rewards of Elder Heaps tactful comment this afternoon. After lunch, we will head back to the pad so that Elder Heaps can finish packing. It'll be a pretty chill day.

Pedro came to church yesterday. He is really enduring right now. Because of his family situation, he has to find a new apartment so he has had to dedicate a lot of time to that. Our hopes are that as he finds a new apartment and settles down, we will be able to more actively involve him in the gospel. Our ward has been fantastic with staying up to date with him. We have a couple solid members that have been contacting him every couple days. He is very much a part of the ward now even though he isnt a member yet.

Last wednesday we had the opportunity of meeting with a family that hasn't been active in a long time. Its a mom and dad with two daughters, 10 and 13. Their name is the Parra Family. Missionaries have knocked on their door hundreds of times but they have just never answered in the past. We were able to meet them on the street a couple weeks ago and once again we have gotten into their home. The father really has a desire to come back to church. He set his own personal goal to return to the temple by next May to be able to do sessions once again. The mothers isn't as motivated or excited as him but I have faith that we can really see a change of heart in the entire family. We now have a set appointment to meet with them every thursday so hopefully we can involve the ward and help reactivate them together.

Tomorrow is transfer meetings. I'm going on my fourteenth transfer. I will most likely be the oldest missionary in my zone. It all just feels too weird. If anything, it gives me even more desire to persevere and push to the end. I will most likely be training a new zone leader. I'm sure it will be a blast. At the transfer meeting I'm going to be playing on guitar and singing a musical number with a sister in my district. We are doing "Oh My Father" in spanish to the tune of "Come thou Fount." I am really excited.

Well family and friends, I love you all. Families really will be together forever through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thats basically the best news EVER!! If we aren't sharing that with others we are pretty selfish. Thats why I love this work. It makes me happy! Hope to hear from you soon!!

Love, Elder Hogge

Technology

Dearest family and friends,

 

Sounds like a bunch of fun stuff is going on back home. I was excited to get those pictures from mom on father's day. Looks like you all are having a blast back home! I cannot believe how big the new generation of cousins is getting! When I left they could hardly speak or walk and now it looks like the have their own social club haha.

 

Mom thats really cool to hear about your lesson. Technology sure is a great blessing, when used the right way. there is a companionship of sisters in our zone that covers the Queens YSA branch. They have their own facebook and use it to share cool stuff with others. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this, but word on the street is that our mission will be getting iPads in the next few months. The way it was explained to us, the iPads will be used to store all the info we create for our investigators, it will have all the pamphlets in digital form, and it will provide us with really cool videos to show people we teach. Technological advancement is very exciting when used in the Lord's favor.

 

I got an email from Brittany about her mission call. That is super exciting! Knowing what kind of person she is, I'm certain that she will be a fantastic missionary.

 

Sounds like you all heard about the special broadcast too. Elder Koelliker mentioned it when he was here so it has kind of been the talk of the mission for a while. I am pumped to hear what he will speak about. It can only be good for the Work.

 

I'm glad to hear Neal is doing well. I have been praying and fasting that he will be able to keep going strong. The mission is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done. It was never meant to be easy. But looking back I can see how much I have been changed and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

As for the field, everything is well here. It has been kind of slow though. It has been really hard to meet with Pedro. He's had a lot of work on his hands and he is going through some pretty serious family problems. But the ward is well aware of him and they are all ready to help out. Woodside has been just spectacular as a unit. They've shown the most support I have seen here in New York. I feel so blessed to be working side by side with them. Our newly called ward mission leader is awesome and fired up about the work. They are making plans for how to more effectively fulfill their role as the finders in the work. I am excited to see the results.

 

This is the last week of the transfer. Elder Heaps heads home next week. It has been really cool to work with him. I hope his transition back to normal life in Cedar City goes well.

 

I love you all. The more I hear from back home, the more happy I become. But that doesn't detract from the effort I put into the work here. The thing that motivates me most is hearing about how my family and friends back home are involved in serving the lord through serving others. It is fantastic! Have a great week!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Woodside Ward

Dear Family and Friends,

 

Sounds like everything is settling down back home. I'm glad all the receptions went well and that everything went nice and smooth. There isn't really too much to report this week. This following week is full of some pretty cool stuff though.

 

Pedro came to church yesterday. He showed up with a nice white shirt and tie. It'd be impossible to tell that he wasn't a member without prior knowledge. He is fitting in very well to the woodside ward. Members are really getting attatched to him and we have had multiple members share desires to come teach him with us. In fact, I believe there are going to be home teachers assigned to him within the next week. The ward is on fire right now. It is amazing to see how they are helping us out as opposed to even a transfer.

 

Everything is going in our favor. Just yesterday, a new ward mission leader was called. The previous WML was a fantastic and humble member of 5 years and he worked so hard for us. It will be sad not to be able to work as closely with him. The new ward mission leader just called is an RM of about three years. He was AP for ten months. He knows preach my gospel like the back of his hand and is already making preparations to find more people for us to teach. He is going to work wonders for Woodside. He suggested quite a few people as ward missionaries and we should be seeing them get called in the next couple weeks We missionaries are so excited!

 

Today we have our zone activity. We will be making burgers and playing minute to win it games. I'm pretty excited. Elder Heaps and I have been planning this with the district leaders for a few weeks. I think it will be really fun.

 

Well, sorry its short but I hope it was sweet :) I hope you all have a fantastic week!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

 

p.s. Mom i got the otter pops. I have one for a treat each night while planning :)

 

p.p.s Grandma buck I got your dear elder package. thank you so much!!

Pedro

Hey Family and Friends,

 

I am doing really well. Things are really moving here in Woodside. I'm excited to let you all know what has been happening.

 

Sounds like the Chino Hills reception went smooth as a baby's bum. Its awesome to know that Hilly and Sean are well taken care of by both families. Grandma Buck sent me a really nifty photo of us siblings with Hilary and Sean. With some nice photoshopping it looks like I was actually there haha. The photo also reminded me of how short us Hogges really are. Sean looks like a giant compared to all of us!!! I think he raised the average height of the clan a few inches all on his own. But I most certainly welcome him into our family.

 

As for this week in the mission field, we have had a pretty sweet chain of events happen. It all started on Tuesday. I was on exchanges with a new missionary named Elder Coca. As we were heading back to the church, a random man on the street fearlessed us. We walked over to him and he told us his name was Pedro. He expressed his desire to come to church with us on Sunday. That doesn't necessarily happen every day in this mission haha. So we agreed to give him a tour of the church on saturday so that he would be more aquainted with the facilities. I then left him with a Restoration pamphlet and we parted ways. That saturday, we took a really cool member, Jonny, and gave Pedro a tour of the Woodside chapel. Pedro thought it was amazing! He told us that in Peru over twenty years ago he had visited the church a couple times and remembered the good feelings he had. That was why he talked to us on the street. He knew we were missionaries and that we were willing to help him.

 After the tour, we sat down with him for a few minutes and got to know him a bit better. He explained to us that the reason why he fearlessed us was because he recongnized distant his relationship with God had become and desired to fill the emptiness inside of him. He told us that he was going through tough times in his family and decided that if he was going to see any changes with them, it had to start with him first. Pretty solid, eh? Jonny fellowshipped him super well (they are both from Peru), and invited Pedro to sit with him at church.

 

Sunday came, and Pedro walked into church fifteen minutes before the services started. Jonny showed him where to go and what scriptures to turn to for the next three hours. We met with Pedro again after church with Jonny and another member. We taught Pedro the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and he accepted a baptismal date for the 23rd of June. Thats Elder Heaps' last sunday in the mission. We have another appointment with Pedro in him home tomorrow, though I will be on exchanges in a different area. Pedro has been so solid through this last week. We are really excited for him and hope to see real growth within him.

 

Obviously I am really excited about Pedro haha. The rest of our district is doing really well. There are three of us companionships in Woodside. All of us are developing strong relationships with the members and we should have 10 new ward missionaries before too long. I am sooooo pumped for what is going on here. I'm really becoming a better missionary through all of this and I have seen great changes in the people I have been around.

 

This upcoming week should be great. I'm grateful for all of your love and support. I hope all goes well. Talk to you next week!

 

Love,

Elder Hogge

Wedding!

Dearest Everybody,

 

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you, memorial day coupled with a greenie exchange yesterday left me lacking sufficient resources to use a computer. But alas! Here I am :)

 

Sounds like this past week has been quite the week. I'm sad that I missed it, but I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here. I got the package from mom last wednesday or thursday (i cant remember haha). My absolute favoritest thing in there was the tie!!! Though the reeses cookies did come in a close second. I made sure to wear that tie loud and proud all of saturday. I did a little celebration at twelve on saturday to commemorate the wedding. I just felt super happy and uplifted all day. It was fantastic! Sounds like all went well and that the reception went fantastic. If only all that left over food could be sent over here to new york ;) I am so excited to meet my newest brother in law! I guess I am kinda warming up to him haha.

 

I thought you'd all like to know that Elder Neal Hogge and I have started corresponding. He sure has a lot to say! I was expecting maybe a couple sentences but it was a fantastic email. He recounted his plane ride story. (I'll make sure to not eat panda in the airport before my flight) Its been great because I feel like I have been able to relate some of my mission experience over to him. I really hope all goes well.

 

This has been a good week. We went to ward counsel this sunday. That was the first time in about a year that I had been invited to ward counsel. Everything they spoke about related to missionary work. It was fantastic!!! We have an appointment this evening to meet with bishop Yanez. This will be the first time the missionaries have been able to get into his home for a very long time. I really feel like things are looking up in Woodside. We are really starting to see strong member support and I am so happy for how everything is turning out.

 

Unfortunately Sergio and Pedro have disappeared from the radar. We really dont know what has happened to them. Thats kind of how new york is. People just disappear out of nowhere. It can really be frustrating. But luckily we are still seeing good things happen. Just yesterday a random guy on the street fearlessed us and asked us if he could come to church with us on sunday. So I know that the Lord is still 100% involved in this work. Even though we think we know what we want to happen, its great to know that the Almighty still directs the work. I love a quote by president Calderwood. He says "if the lord really wanted to punish us, he would give us every single thing we asked for". This has been such a humbling experience for me. Things that have happened over the past few weeks have fortified my testimony and relationship with God tremendously.

 

I love you all a ton! I am so happy to hear that all is going fantastically well back home. I will talk to yall next week!

 

Love, Elder Hogge

Real Progress

Dear Everybody,

 

This week we have seen some real progression in our area.

 

I am super duper uber stoked for the wedding on saturday! Tho I shall not be there in physicality (i dont think thats a real word), I shall be there in heart and spirit. I'm sure by now Sean full well knows what he is getting himself into as he joins the Hogge clan... What a brave soul. I know this will be an experience that they will never forget. In other news, it sounds like mindy, jon, joey and jules are making a combined push to match sarah and aaron. I'll have gone from 3 nieces and nephews before I left, to 6 by the end of the year!! A lot changes in two years I suppose. 

 

This was a marvelous week for a couple reasons. One, we got a great visit from a general authority. And two, we had an unexpected call from a less active and his non member amigo.

 

Thursday through Saturday, Elder Paul E. Koelliker of the first quorum of the seventy made a visit to our mission. We have nine zones in our mission so friday, we (zone 4), zone 5 and zone 6 had a mega zone conference. Elder Koelliker had all the zone leaders come an hour early for a special leaders meeting. It was very cool and humbling having an intimate meeting focused on us from a Seventy. We had an open discussion about some of the things that would make us better leaders and push the mission forward. It was fantastic. Afterwards we had the general meeting with all the zones. We learned how powerful prayer can be for investigators. We were promised by elder Koelliker that if we made prayer a priorty and really taught them well the power of prayer, baptisms in this mission would double. that was pretty cool to hear. I took a lot of great insight from that meeting. After all the sessions were done that day, Elder Heaps needed to get his temple reccomend renewed with President Calderwood. It just so happens that when he and president went into the office, it was me and Elder Koelliker left outside to wait!!! I believe this was the first time I had ever had an opportunity to strike up a conversation with a General Authority so I jumped at the opportunity. After exchanging pleasantries with him, we started talking about my plans for when I go home. I mentioned that I wanted to work in the temple when I get back but I didn't know how to "enlist". He explained the process and then counselled me to start working in the sacramento temple as soon as I got home. I think it would be wise to heed to his advice haha. After about ten minutes of conversation,  the interview ended. We said our farewells and Elder Heaps and I went on our way. Though it was a simple ten minutes, it was a conversation I will never forget.

 

The second great experience was completely unexpected. And it was actually on the same day as the mega zone conference. That night we had a family night at the church with some of the members of the ward. At the end of the family night, I got received a call from a number from pennsylvania. Perplexed at the lack of people from pennsylvania I speak to, I answered the phone. A member starts speaking to me in spanish on the other end. He notes that he had just recently moved from pennsylvania with a friend and they had become lost in the city. As they had but the slightest clue as to where to go or what to do, this member noticed an English class poster that we had put up the day before. Recognizing the church logo, he jumped at the prospect of connecting with the missionaries. So we got this call and met up with Sergio (the member) and Pedro (the non member). The explained that circumstances had been tough and Pennsylvania left no more opportunities to stay. Many hispanics believe that coming to the United States offers a greater life with greater benefits, but sadly for some such is not the case. Unfortunately, they have had to live in a shelter until they can find somewhere to work to be able to pay for rent. But Sergio's long drought of inactivty had been cured by this humbling experience for him. He and Pedro came to church on Sunday and we were able to provide comfort through prayer and the book of mormon. Pedro at first seemed rough around the edges, but he is warming up to us. He sees how willing the church and God are to help him and I believe he will grab hold of the gospel. Everything is still developing and they are still trying to get on their feet, but the hope is that soon enough the church can help them out. It has been a whirlwind of an experience.

 

As seen, this week has included some interesting experiences. I have really enjoyed everything that is happening and this next week we have some great people to teach. Today for P-day I believe we will be playing games at the church. I am really excited for how this week will go. I wish all of you the best of luck back home and I am pumped to hear about the wedding next monday. Talk to you soon!!

 

Love, Elder Hogge