Dec. 9, 2013

This week was pretty good, other than empty mailbox syndrome...no letters. Anyway, it wasn't too bad. But on a happy note, on Tuesday I will be on my mission for 8 months! 

This week was different because my companion was sick on Thursday, so we didn't have that great of a week. We have been trying to figure out how to love our area more and find new investigators. We decided that we would walk around our area and talk to anyone we saw outside of their houses. That led to a few cool experiences. We talked to this boy who is friends with one of our ward members and he talked about how he wanted to go to our church, so he might be coming to church next week. After we talked to him for a while, we were walking away and this other boy ran towards us saying, "Are you the Mormons?!" Obviously we said yes and were very excited! He was a Jehovah's Witness and he said he wanted to know what our ministry was like. So we talked to him a little and he talked to us a lot. But he said that he would like to talk to us sometime to see what we believe and he accepted a pamphlet which is a Miracle! The only problem is that he is 13, and his dad is really hardcore Witness, so I don't know if we will be able to talk to him. But I am really feeling stronger in following the Spirit because the day we decided to walk around, I felt like we needed to switch our schedule a little so we did,and we went and tried to find some former investigators. It turns out that both of them moved, but a less active lady just moved in and she didn't move her records and she might have just stayed less active if we didn't knock on her door! So that was awesome, and we told the ward about her and it turns out that they all knew her from like 10 years ago before she got really less active and they are so excited and proud of us for finding her. And if that wasn't awesome we felt like we should go tract across the street and as we were going to the first door, this guy was like, "Hey are you sisters?" and again we said yes! And after talking with him, we learned that after 30 years of being away from Hawaii, he moved back from Idaho 3 weeks ago. He said he has been less active for a very long time, and he just got married to a girl who has been less active forever. He said that he would love to have us over for dinner and that we could come by. It was awesome! God did not want those people hiding anymore! So that was way fun.

So our investigators...There is A, and he is this full on Samoan guy. He comes here off and on from Samoa for a few years at a time. He plays rugby and is a super goof ball. He is getting baptized on the 21st and he is really excited. We had a really good lesson with him this week. It is hard though, because he is really attached to the last sister who taught him. I know he likes me but I don't really feel like this is my baptism. I am happy for him and the numbers don't matter, but I just feel like the other sister should be here for his baptism. But I am happy to be here either way. We also have J,and she is awesome.  We don't see her much because she doesn't live in our area, but she wants to be taught by sisters. Her only problem is smoking. She really wants to stop but she is really stressed at work so that doesn't help. She is amazing; she really wants to get baptized. Whenever we say something that really hits home to her, she is always like, "See! I needed you guys!". And she always tells us that me and Sister Haws are a perfect team. She says how good we are and how she loves us. It makes me feel really good. We also teach these twins girls who are 10 and they are totally ready to get baptized, but their mom will not let them because she thinks that they are too young. So we are working on that. This little girl came up to me the other day and whispered in my ear, "You are my favorite missionary...My 10th favorite." I guess I am just the 10th missionary she has liked. That was funny...I don't want to tell you everything so I can tell you some stuff on Christmas, but I hope that was good.

It does not feel like Christmas here at all. But it is OK-it makes the homesickness less. It is just super hot and there are a few decorations up. They do a lot of parades-none that we can go see, but the Christmas devotional really helped and I am focusing my studies on Jesus Christ so I can celebrate Him more this year. He is really becoming something more to me. He is more like my friend. I love him a lot. Everything else is really good. I love my comp and the other sisters. Every night after we all get home we always laugh and have tons of fun. One of the sisters is from Pompeii and she is teaching me how to hula! I am gettting pretty good! I miss you guys all the time and there is a dog abovoe us that has a bark just like Liesl, but I know why I am here and that I have a purpose here. I can wait 10 more months to see you again. 

Have a good week, read your scriptures and remember Jesus loves you

Love,

Sister Amy Hoskins

Dec. 2, 2013

Aloha everyone. I am doing pretty good. This week was pretty crazy! Overall I am feeling pretty good. The holidays make me a little homesick, but it is not snowing, so I cannot really tell the difference anyway. I forget it is Christmas time everyday. 

 Thanksgiving was good. I missed being with everyone. Nothing was too different except that there was rice along with everything else. We ate with a big Samoan family, and it was surprisingly really quiet. But it was fun because they had it at the church, so all of the missionaries ended up being there and we all played basketball with the family. Then later on this DJ guy came and they had lights and music (they apologized to us but didn't really care), so we kept playing basketball and I did the electric slide with them...I couldn't resist...I will repent. 

Anyway it was pretty normal, but this week I have learned that I am completely terrible at every sport known to man! I just could not show up no matter what we played. I did not play in the Turkey Bowl because it was pretty much NFL Status with non-member draft picks. It was crazy. My companion "played" and pretty much just stood there. It was all huge Samoan men with big tempers. They were all wearing cleats, and a University of Hawaii, and BYU tight end were playing also. So that was not a place for Sister Hoskins. Everyone here is good at sports so I kinda sit back and watch. I cannot even beat the 7 year olds.

 Everything else is pretty good. Most of our investigators just have silly things holding them back and we have one with a date for baptism. I already love this ward. They are really good and nice. It always takes a ward a while to get over the sister who just left, so things will be even better after that. And we are getting 20 lessons a week which is really good. President Warner just changed the approach when we talk to people, so we are trying to get used to that. It is pretty much what tracting used to be, but we can be a little more creative and we count the numbers differently.

 So this week we went to Pearl Harbor AGAIN!! I have been there 3 times in one month. To say the least I think that I could give people a tour now. But this time it was cool because there was a marching band there that we got to watch, and we got to go to the U.S.S Utah memorial which was really cool. This Senior Sister came to stay with us so she could go to the baptism for this family she found, and after the baptism she took us to Costco and let us get whatever we wanted. I also sang at the baptism. We had some good lessons that I think will go somewhere, our goal and the ward's goal is to get 4 more lessons by the end of the year, so we are working for that. I like teaching more, it makes missionary work a lot easier.

So today was pretty fun. We woke up and worked out and Al, our trainer, is trying to fix my back. Apparently I am not aligned correctly and it is causing me a lot of different problems, we practiced walking and standing up straight. Who knew I had a problem with that? So that was good, and he said I will be strong by the time I leave which will be cool. Then I got all dressed up and one of our investigators took Christmas pictures of me, so hopefully I will get those to you. After that we went bowling with our zone. I totally lost any skills
I had in that area, but it was fun. We got lunch, and now I am writing you.

Honestly, the only thing I want for Christmas is my phone call (o man that sounds like I am in prison Hehe) Anyway, I am happy and my testimony is growing everyday. I hope I can make you all proud. It is hard, but I am trying.

I love you all very very much and I don't know what I would do without you. You are my everything.

Love,

Sister Amy Sharleen Hoskins

Aloha Everyone!

 I have been transferred to....drum roll....Palehua Makakilo! It is on the opposite side of the island from Kaneohe, and I pretty much love it!  It looks nothing like Hawaii except that you can see the water a little ways off. It totally looks like the mainland! I thought I was home again. There are a lot more stores and industrial buildings. And it is really dry and HOT. The palm trees give it away a little. Another cool thing about it is that it is a walking area again! I love it. It is cool because we live with 2 other sisters- one of those being my Trainer, Sister Clayson :)- We share a car with them, so if we need a ride we have one. We also live really close to the church, so that is sweet! And the apartment is not a closet!!! It is so exciting! It looks almost exactly like Millie and Nathan's apartment. I am so happy to have a stove and a refrigerator that are bigger than a shoe box. We even have a couch! That is my first couch on my mission! And we have a deck, so I am a pretty happy camper.

 But here is the craziest thing of all, which I know you are all going to laugh at, but in this area we have a personal trainer!  He is not a member, but he trains all 4 of us at 6 in the morning everyday. He is a boxer, I think, and he has trained his sons. We run up and down the street and then we work out in his garage. Here is the really weird part...I kind of like it!! I know! I know! Sorry Dad for almost giving you a heart attack...I should care more about your aging heart :). But yeah, I have only been once because we don't work out on the weekends, but it was fun. He is really good at not making me feel weak and lame. I have never been so sore, but it was way cool, and everyone says after 6 weeks I'll be in shape, so sweet! He also noticed that I walk on my left foot weird and that I over correct on that side too much. He said it could be a cause of a lot of back pain and stuff, so he said he will help me fix it! It will be nice not to have a sore back.

 My companion is Sister Haws. She came out a transfer after me. She is from Kaysville, Utah and she is a few months younger than me. We have had a lot of fun so far. And she is an AMAZING violinist! You can give her any song and as long as she knows the tune she can play it, and she makes it a different arrangement. I played name that tune with her and she made up new arangements for everything and it was AMAZING! So yeah, that is way fun. I wish I had a cool talent like that.

I really like the people so far. There are a lot more locals. There are a lot of apartment buildings in our area and that is usually where you will find locals. It is cool because we walk around and little kids come running up to us, and it is way fun. Our ward is very missionary minded. The Ward Council always asks us specifically how they can help! I love it! I did cry on my own when I left Kailua. Everyone was really sad and they gave me big hugs. I will always love those people, but I am not really homesick for the area so I am OK here. I can see a lot of things I can help with here, so that will be nice. I also like it because I am actually teaching here. I actually feel like a missionary! I get to tell people about the Book of Mormon before they shut the door in my face-it is marvelous! I really like teaching people. We had a great lesson this week with a lady who is super excited to get baptized, she just needs to work on the Word of Wisdom...and she is totally willing to stop. She even told us that it would be good to stop smoking so she can pay her tithing better! She is so good! I also loved that lesson because I really felt the Spirit.  Stories quotes and scriptures kept popping into my head that made her light up. Almost everything I said she was like, "Wow I never thought of it that way. That makes sense. I needed that!" So that made me feel really good. And we have these two 10 year old girls who want to get baptized, we just need to get mom's approval which is the problem right now. I just love how much I am feeling the Spirit here. 

For Thanksgiving we are going to play in the Turkey Bowl and eat at the church with a few of the families in the ward! I am excited for that. It was cool because yesterday Steven, my marine investigator from Kailua, got baptized! I am so happy for him. I am totally half-way counting him. I was sad I couldn't be there. He is such a good person.

So yeah, that is mostly what happened this week, and I am loving it! I am having so much fun. And what is crazy is that I am going to be 8 months in in a few weeks! Crazy! I tell people that I have been out for almost 8 months and they are like "Wow You are not new at all!" That makes me feel good.

There was something else, I will tell you next week I don't remember

Love you one more than you will ever say

Sister Amy Hoskins