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