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