Fort Collins Letter #7

Yeah, the weather is nuts! Haha. Sunny and warm one day (80 degrees) and snowing the next! I kinda like it though.

I studied Doctrine and covenants 58:26-28 this morning and on how we are given the power to make righteous choices and how Heavenly Father expects us to bring about good on our own, to have initiative, not just to be missionary puppets controlled by His spirit:

 26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is ^acompelled in all things, the same is a ^bslothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

 27 Verily I say, men should be ^aanxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are ^aagents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their ^breward.

Short missionary story: A woman named H (she's from Africa) haha just kidding, she's from China, who we have met with a few times had to drop us because her husband didn't like her meeting with us (even though he's never met us). But we told her we would never want to come in between them. She cried and told us how much closer she is to God because of us and how we helped her get back on track because she hadn't been to church in several weeks until we started meeting with her. She told us how grateful she was for us and got our emails so we could stay in touch. I think this is the first person to drop us who didn't want to. It was really sad to say goodbye to her, but incredible to see how her faith had increased.

I love being a missionary!  

Love you!!! I'm out of time, but I'll get a letter in the mail for you today

Sister Rashauna Hoer

Fort Collins Letter #6

I'm so so so so sorry for the brief-ness of this email, I tried to read all the emails today and there just simply isn't enough time. I want to read more about everything but I just didn't get to it.... can you believe that. Please know how much I love you and look forward to hearing from everyone.

 

This week was good. God is good and the gospel is true. I miss you just doesn't cover it.

And that is what I had written last week when the computer logged me off at exactly 59 minutes.... yup the computer stiffed me of one precious minute and wouldn't let me log back on because there was a line to get on a computer at the library. I still haven't read several emails....
 
 

I really enjoyed the pictures! It was cool to see pictures of everybody. I get a lot of the Hilmar boys and Tennessee kiddos and those will NEVER get old and it's just cool to see everybody. Thanks for all of the pictures. :)
 

Well I'm out of time, again.... this is the most depressing part about the mission so far. I just don't have time to share all that I want to with you guys. Other than library time, I'm doing really well. All our potentials dropped us... everybody you asked about.... BUT Helaman 3:35 and John 10:11-18 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 and 1 Nephi 10:19 and Alma 7:7 are some of my favorite scriptures right now. They bring me a lot of comfort in some way or another.
 

Love you, Sister Rashauna Hoer

 

Helaman 3:35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 

1 Nephi 10:19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

 

Alma 7:7 For behold I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all -- for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among His people.

Fort Collins Letter #5

Your emails always make me tear up... haha it's actually videos of all the nieces and nephews, all the pictures that everyone sends, little email notes from Dad and Seth, getting letters in the mail through out the week, and the sweet words in your emails. All of it just touches my heart in such a positive, but emotional way. I think I cry at least a little bit every time I come to the library. (Yes, it's a little embarrassing) They are happy tears, though. I just get overwhelmed thinking about how lucky I am to have so much support, to have people that I miss so much, and to know that we all get to be together forever. It's a lot to try to take in every Monday.

We had almost everybody we planned to meet with this week not answer their doors. This was kind of disappointing. However, we met an amazing man by the name of Paul. (Funny you should bring up the apostle Paul from the New Testament in your email, mom =]) He has a truly remarkable story full of hardships and has completely turned his life to service, like Paul of the NT. He volunteers all the time and has really dedicated his life to God and His children. Paul is inspiring. He has his priorities straight.

Conference was incredible. What did you all think? I loved looking at the audience and thinking that you were there. Elder Holland's and President Monson's talks were my personal favorites. So powerful and positive. Realizations from conference and from my precious, personal study hour each morning have really strengthened my testimony in the peace that comes from trusting Heavenly Father. I've been able to feel such an increase in peace as we go about our work, knowing that He is in control and quite simply that He knows more than I do.

Love,

Sister Rashauna Hoer

For Collins Letter #4

Happy late Easter everyone and I loved the Easter "basket" - haha. Our bishop and his family gave me and my companion treat baskets, too. I'm well taken care of out here. 

There are rabbits everywhere!!! Hey dad: Are there billions of rabbits in Boulder or is this just a Fort Collins thing? We see them all the time. The weather is absolutely nuts. Completely unpredictable, especially without access to the daily weather report. It's kinda fun. I'd live here in a heart beat. The people here are just so nice, it reminds me a lot of home... just bigger. People leave their doors unlocked, it seems like a super safe area. I found out that we are just a few miles away from campus, like 5 miles or so. We meet a lot of students while we tract around or while street contacting. 

We were able to meet with J and S yesterday and it went really well. Our two progressing investigators are dedicated to finding out the truth for themselves and it is an amazing thing to see. We had a member with us who bore her testimony that she didn't understand all of the Book of Mormon when she first read it, but what she did notice was the effect it had on her everyday life. She felt more peace, and gradually understanding followed. It was perfect. I love how honest J and S are. They ask us all sorts of questions and I can tell they feel really comfortable with us. S said the closing prayer and thanked God for their new friends (that's us!!). We're still working on Jack, but he has been reading and even praying before hand. It's incredible. I know God will bless them for their efforts and I can't wait to see them again next Sunday.

It's incredible how much I've seen God's hand in this work and it is very humbling to be trusted with the responsibility of sharing His gospel. Our planners are more full each week and I know that we are being blessed because of our hard work. I feel like the first few weeks were a trial period and now that we've proved ourselves, God keeps sending people our way. Seeing improvement even in one person's life makes everything worth it. We tracted into a young man named Caleb last week and are really excited to talk with him again on Tuesday. We have a couple other appointments this week, too.

I've decided to spend some time during each morning's personal study hour to focus on the Atonement. This is something I plan to do my entire mission and really look forward to increasing my understanding so that I might better be able to help someone else access it's redeeming and enabling power. 

Last Preparation Day we played a game called "box" at the stake center with all the other elders and sisters in the zone. It's very similar to ultimate frisbee but both teams have the same goal so if there is a turn over, you have to switch from offense to defense really fast. It's so much fun that I played for a little too long. I showed up with a very rosy face to our dinner appointment - haha. I love the ward here. Every time we have dinner somewhere I love it more. It takes a little while to get to know people, but I feel like I have quite a few friends now :) It feels nice. Members are amazing.

I printed out pictures today!!! finally!! I'll send some soon.

Love you all so much.

Rashauna 

Fort Collins Letter #3

An older woman is yelling about Sante Fe in the library right now... not intentionally of course. An employee is helping her on the computer and she is yelling all her questions at the worker. I don't think she can hear very well. What do you think?  :)

So this week has been amazing. It all started last Saturday or Sunday when I starting praying a little differently. I had always asked for help to find those that the Lord has prepared but nothing was really happening even though we were doing all we could to find people to share the gospel with. So knowing this, I told Heavenly Father that I knew there were people here; here in the Stetson Creek Area that were prepared to hear what He has to offer them. I told Him with all my heart that I know they are here and that I can't find them without His help. (This has been made very apparent through our unsuccessful weeks tracting and such) Well, Monday night rolled around and we headed over to some apartments to tract. Before knocking on a single door, we ran into a woman sitting on the patio of an apartment we had already tried knocking a few days prior. The woman, S, and her two children live in another state and were visiting her husband over spring break. She was so open to conversation and shared some really incredible experiences as we asked questions and taught the whole first lesson. We left her with a Book of Mormon, a prayer, and a promise to check back in. 

Well the week flew by (full of very unique tracting stories, service opportunities, and meeting more of our ward's members). When we woke up to a fresh blanket of snow Saturday morning, my companion was disappointed but I couldn't help but smile knowing that more people would be home than usual. I couldn't wait to get started. Wanting to make sure and see S before she left the next morning, we walked over (it was a "no drive day" for missionaries) and knocked on the door. Her husband, J answered and invited us in. We all sat down on the floor and got to know their family a little bit. They are so kind and have the most comforting southern accents. We then brought up the gospel and included J this time. When I bore testimony of how much Christ's gospel could bless him and his family and asked if that is something he would be interested in hearing more about, he responded with, "I'll listen, but I'm not going to say anything." Well we prayed and began teaching. He asked several questions, shared his thoughts, and spoke openly about the kind of father he wants to be to his kids. Oh, and S mentioned how they had plans to go to the zoo that day, but then it snowed! I was beaming by the time we left their apartment thinking about how grateful I was for the spirit and the snow. I cannot wait to return this Saturday to teach their family again (S via computer). 

The Lord really does act on faith and I know that my faith gave Heavenly Father an opportunity to bless someone else. It is an extremely humbling experience to know how much He has assisted us in finding this beautiful family that is sincerely searching for truth.

I love you all and am working really hard to get letters written to everyone. Know that I think about you all the time and truly live to read about what you are up to. :) Thank you for the love, support, pictures, and time you spend to make sure I know you care.  

I don't know where I'd be without my family and the knowledge that we get to be together forever.

Love you, 

Sister Rashauna Hoer

Fort Collins Letter #2

Rashauna with Sister & President Thoombs

Oh man hearing about the family makes me so happy. Thank you for the letters :)  Thank you for fasting for me, too! I had been sick and throwing up for a few days and Sunday.... the day you fasted.... was the first time I felt like myself again. It was so incredibly difficult trying to work still while feeling like I was about to throw up almost 24/7 and not being able to sleep. Ha-ha, I went a little crazy and thought about how you said something along the lines of: "if anyone wanted to torture me all they would have to do is keep me awake" Well, let me tell you, I couldn't agree more. Anyway, thank you. It amazes and inspires me every time I think about how spiritually in tune you are. 

I  heard a rumor today we might be getting 2 hours of email time instead of 1 sometime in the future. Keep your fingers crossed. Oh, I've been thinking of a scripture and just can't make up my mind on one (what's new?) I guess Alma 26:15-16. Yeah.

So, this week we followed up with a woman named M that I challenged to read the Book of Mormon. She read and I almost had a heart attack when I asked what she thought about it and she answered plainly, "It's true." My companion, Sister O'Donovan, laughed later as she told me how obvious it was how surprised I was by the look on my face! The sisters before I got here had been visiting with M and now we are finally going to be able to teach her a lesson! Very exciting. P, another person I challenged to read the Book of Mormon, got pneumonia..... so we'll be checking in with him later. 

There's a woman named R we met.  She was just sitting on her back patio (which is open, no fence or anything) so we walked up and asked if there was anything we could do for her. She was having a pretty bad day and after we were able to talk about some of our basic beliefs and assure her that Heavenly Father loves her, she helped remind me of why we are here when she said, "Here I am thinking no one cares, and you gals come out of nowhere just to check on me. That means a lot." I can't really describe how that made me feel, but it was incredible. It was energizing. It gave me the incentive I needed to keep going that day, even though I felt so nauseated I almost threw up on her dog. O-kay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit :) But, thinking back about what R said just makes me happy. Happy that we were able to uplift her in some way and so happy to be healthy again. 

I was able to teach my first lesson!!! It was to an amazing 7 year old, J. His mother, M (incredible woman, I love her), joined the church about a year ago and J is really excited to prepare for his baptism in April. We taught him about the Plan of Salvation and were impressed with how well he answered our questions and asked his own. 

Tracting (going door to door) this week resulted in a few possible investigators that we're excited to follow up with. Other than that, life is good, and anything is possible with our Heavenly Father nearby.

Love you all so very much and I think about you always.

Sister Rashauna Hoer

Fort Collins, Colorado Letter #1

At the MTC...

...unloading Rashauna's suitcases...

...the traditional mom & dad kiss...

...one more photo before Rashauna entered the MTC.

The last few days at the MTC were full of good advice but one particular phrase that stuck out to me was from a member of our zone's leadership, Brother Ellis, who said, "Give 'em heaven!" I hope you liked that as much as I did.

We were waiting for our departing devotional to start when I saw a picture of Uncle Mike and Aunt Laurie greeting missionaries pop up on the giant screen in front of the room. Most of the people around me were sitting quietly so it was very noticable when I stated in my normal (which is kinda loud) voice, "That's my family!" I was so surprised. There was also an Elder Bryce Klabacka in my zone that knows Steve and Cynthia as well as another Sister who approached me at lunch asking if I knew who Chantre Hoer in Las Vegas. Well as a matter of fact, yes I do. She wrote her name on a napkin for me: Sister Melissa McElvany. My family is pretty remarkable. Case closed.

Anyway, the MTC was incredible and I've learned more about Christ in two weeks than I have in my lifetime. The more I learn, the more I want to be like Him. The more I want to slow down and trust Heavenly Father. The more I want to reach out to others and encourage them to do the same.

Perfect time to head out into the real world, right? Well I'm in Colorado! Fort Collins to be exact. We've just been doing a lot of door to door tracting. I've realized how much I enjoy a conversation with anyone about anything after getting so many people fearful to say more than a few words with us before closing the door. It's an exciting challenge though to bring the gospel into any one of those precious conversations. I have a few people committed to read the Book of Mormon and will be checking in with them later this week. A few of them have already snuck their way into my heart and I want more than anything for them to know what I know: that happiness comes through following Jesus Christ. One particular person is Pete. I really hope that I have more to share about him soon. Stay posted.

The Mission President and his wife are amazing people. They have so much respect for their responsibilities while serving a mission, but still have fun. My companion, Sister O'Donovan and I have acquired a similar balance and work really well together. The Stetson Creek Ward we are serving in is also incredible. I've really enjoyed getting to know the people here and it's only just begun.

Rashauna