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