Rawlins Letter #4

Look what we found!

Picnic with Moose and some of his grandkids.

Dandelion crown made by Sister Waite.

A cool train we found to explore.

The toilet seat trophy we made for the Outhouse Races.

Running up to Devil's Gate.

On top of Independence Rock.

Pulling all the kiddos at Martin's Cove.

Sister Waite and I with the three little boys I mentioned in my letter.

The Martin's Cove gang.

Last week was rough. I was super sick. I felt like I had been hit by a train. It seemed like nothing was really working out. We couldn't schedule any appointments (school is getting out this week so everyone is super busy with all that, or out of town for Memorial Day weekend, or just gone...) It was rough. However, we were driving and saw a house that we had tried to visit previously but didn't get to talk to anyone. We saw the lights on and I immediately pulled the truck over (I think I scared Sister Waite a little bit) and changed our plans. We were warmly received by a wonderful family. The wife hasn't been to church since she was 13 and we invited her and her daughter to take the missionary discussions. They both seemed excited about it and we'll be meeting with them again tomorrow.

Moose took all of us sisters and some of his grandkids on a picnic Thursday. Getting outside always cheers me up :) and we had dinner with the S family on Friday night. They are incredible. There is just something so special about this woman and her three boys. Her husband works out of town and isn't there very often, but it just feels like home there. I love it.

So I had a cool thought on Saturday. I feel like myself and those we visit tend to struggle with the same things over and over. It's frustrating. I think to myself all the time, "Why can't I just change. Just make a decision and do it!" Well, change is made possible through the Atonement. Repentance is how we access that power. True and lasting change can only happen when we sincerely repent and turn to Christ for strength to overcome our weaknesses. So, that's something I think I already knew, but it became much more clear. We hear that all is possible through the Atonement. The Atonement is what gives us power. These are true statements, but it's hard to see how it applies to us sometimes. The gospel of Jesus Christ is how we apply them: Faith, repentance, making and keeping covenants, feeling the Spirit and just keep moving forward. Repentance doesn't always mean we have done something terrible. It simply means change, changing to be more like Christ. 

So Sister S, her boys, Sister Welch, her granddaughters, and us four sisters all went to Martin's Cove, Devil's Gate, and Independence Rock yesterday!! It was sooooooo fun to get out in the middle of nowhere. I loved every second of it. We had the best time pulling handcarts, hiking, and running along the river (I can't tell you how close I came to jumping in). The 3 little boys (that I just adore) say, "Hey, Sister Hoer"...and then something random about every two minutes. If they don't see me for a minute, I'll hear, "Where's Sister Hoer?" Coolest family ever. They want to take us to Saratoga to go hiking next :)

The best part about yesterday, however was after we got back and were sun burnt and sore and so incredibly happy. We got to meet with R and S. They are the most prepared people I've ever met. It was the best lesson of my mission so far. Not because of anything we did, but because the Spirit completely took over. You could just feel the love that Heavenly Father has for these two individuals and how much He wants to bless them. Sister Waite and I just listened and asked questions and taught a little here and there. We've been trying really hard to teach according to people's needs. Yes, we want to share everything with them, but Heavenly Father teaches us the things we want to know step by step. After we explained what the Book of Mormon was they asked, "How do we get one of those?" We talked about the prophet today and S said, "Yeah, we need that." They even said they would read the Book of Mormon every night for half an hour without us even inviting them to. That is what happens when you teach people what they need/want to know. They naturally desire to do those things. I had the opportunity to invite them to be baptized at the end of our discussion and they both said yes!!! They both expressed how they want to make this a part of their lives and then asked when we could come back.

Life is simply amazing.

Love, 

Sister Rashauna Hoer

Rawlins Letter #3

Our new pet, the fish we found in the freezer!

We're proud of our muddy truck (don't worry, we washed it today).

The sprouts are doing good.

Sue and David Day stop by for a visit!

We eat the raspberries like candy!

We all wore ugly sweaters to the district meeting.

Each week in Rawlins gets better and better. Sister Waite and I are officially meant to be together as missionary companions. Everyone asked us when we first got to town, "How long have you two known each other?" We responded, "Oh, just under two days." 

Miracles this week:

Monday - Raspberries were only a dollar per carton.......we went crazy.

Tuesday - We basically do art projects for service at the Chamber of Commerce. The woman in charge is awesome. She wants to take us to Martin's Cove and she is so much fun to spend time with. Best service project ever.

Later in the day...

"Oh man, we don't have a dinner appointment tonight."

"Bummer." 

Not two minutes later Sister Ina Welch texted us: "Sisters, I just made a large pot of vegetable soup. Do you want some?"

After receiving manna (soup) from heaven...we tracted into a less-active that we had the most amazing discussion with.

Wednesday - At the Chamber of Commerce we decorated a golden toilet seat that will be the trophy for the upcoming outhouse races, hahaha. I forgot to take a picture, but maybe we'll get one tomorrow when we go back. We also decorated the front desk with a cool chalkboard thing. I'll have to take a picture of that, too...David and Sue Day stopped by on their way home from Cheyenne! It was sooooo neat to catch up with them a little bit and to just be in their presence. I sure love those two, even though David used my appropriate handshake to trick me into a hug! Hahaha. I sure appreciated it though :) AND I got a letter from Paige.

Thursday - One of the young women, G, (who has been contemplating going on a mission) came out with us for an hour in the evening. We passed out two Book of Mormons, got a new investigator, and taught two lessons. We got back into the truck. I turned to her and said, "What do you think?" She responded simply, "I'm going on a mission." Sister Waite and I screamed. It was the coolest moment. It reminded me so much of when I told Leshelle and my mom that I had decided to go on a mission. Calm and sure, but also a little scared. It was a really neat thing to be part of.

Friday - We contacted a referral Friday evening. She was furious. At God, at life, at her situation, her past. Just furious. We listened and bore testimony of Heavenly Father's love for her. She screamed at us, telling us we we believed in some crazy things (Jesus Christ dying in a battle...weird things like that???) For some reason, we were prompted to stay. So we continued to listen and then bear testimony of the truths that we know. After a very long time, she calmed down. We were able to share the Plan of Salvation with her and by the time we left she was smiling. She looked hopeful and even apologized and sincerely told us to have a good night. Change is what the gospel is all about and I absolutely love when we get opportunities to see it happen before our eyes. 

Saturday - We were contacting referrals and there were three houses that caught my attention. None of them were the houses we were told to knock on. I mentioned to Sister Waite who agreed to stop by those three houses. No answer. No answer. No answer. Well, then let's leave a mormon.org card on each door. I just felt like we were there for a reason. So we started placing cards on the doors and were going to the middle house when a man came out. "Hey, I'm Ricky. What's your names?" We explained who we were and he was so excited to meet with us. "I've been meaning to get back to church for quite some time now" was a direct quote. Then, his girlfriend came out and we invited her to meet with us, as well. "Of course!" she said. We got their numbers and we got a text from them this morning!!! We have an appointment with both of them tonight :)

Sunday - We have been inviting all the members we meet with to pray and look for the "Bridger Pass Family". We have felt very strongly there is a family ready to be baptized and start on their path to becoming an eternal family in this area. They are in almost every one of our prayers and I think we met them on Sunday. The K Family. The wife is baptized but her husband and two of their three children are not baptized. They were so kind to us and we are just really excited to see them again. They said we can stop by any time :)

Sorry, half of our miracles were about food. It's those little things all the time though that help me be sure that Heavenly Father is always looking out for us. It's an amazing feeling. He cares so much for each one of us. Keep looking for miracles!! I also just put a ton of things in the mail, so be looking for those, too!!!

Love, 

Sister Rashauna Hoer

Rawlins Letter #2

At the dump.

Cleaning out a creepy crawlspace at the new apartment.

Making cookie bouquets for a church activity.

Getting pulled over by the police. Received a warning ticket for going 8 mph over the speed limit.

Lamp shades we found all over the new apartment!

Treats we got from church on Mother's Day.

My pride and joy wall.

When we saw this blue house with a blue car, we knew 

we had to take a photo of our blue truck in front of it!

Bubbles we found!

A cool sign we found.

TALKING TO YOU GUYS WAS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!! I felt like I hadn't been gone at all :) Love and miss you family.

I'm in a mad rush this week...kinda always am, but I wanted to share this one miracle.

Miracle of the week: We were trying to get in contact with a woman we had been told we should visit. We tried calling...wrong number. We decided to go knock doors and ended up on this random street close to the train tracks. We had decided on this street, but a green house around the corner caught my attention and we decided to start there. It was the first door we knocked on and guess who it was? Yup, the woman we were trying to contact earlier! She let us in immediately and made sure that after we shared a message with her and her husband, that we knew we were welcome back, anytime. They told us to come over to eat. Don't even knock, just come in. They also want to take us fishing on a p-day!!!

Life is what you make it. "An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered. An adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered." I totally forgot who said this, but it wasn't me :)

Love, 

Sister Rashaua Hoer

Rawlins Letter #1

Saying goodbye to everyone in Greeley, Colorado was incredibly hard. Grandpa and Grandma Buss, Mama Liz, my island daughter (Sister Tafengatoto)...ahh...that was pretty rough. But the drive up to Laramie was surprisingly mellow. The roads had been closed all morning due to bad weather, black ice, bad visibility and such. They opened right as we were driving to Laramie and closed once we got through. Miracles. I got to say hi to Grandma Thompson in Laramie and one of my favorite members from the Sherman Hills ward was at her house when we randomly showed up!!!! Sister Trudy McCracken was there! It was neat coming back to an area I had been to before. Then my new companion, Sister Waite, and I drove our BLUE TRUCK (I've been hoping to drive a truck my entire mission and finally get to) out to Rawlins. Right as we were nearing town we got about eight text messages from a contact in our phone simply named "Moose"...off to a fun start! He is a member of our ward and took us out to dinner that night to welcome us to town. He has treated us to lunch and several meals since that time. The Relief Society President, Sister Welch, has also taken great care of us. Actually...everybody has taken such good care of us! This is the first time since anyone can ever remember that there are sister missionaries out here. Everyone is so excited to have us here and I feel lucky to be here! Sister Waite and I are still in shock about how fortunate we are to be the first sister missionaries out here.  There are two wards in Rawlins. We have one and another set of sisters we share an apartment with are serving in the other one.

Sister Waite and I don't have beds. There were only two in the apartment. We let the other sisters take them and we just crashed on the floor next to the space heater the first night. (The heat in our place didn't work until this morning.) Well, we decided to just sleep on the floor the whole transfer, haha! So every time someone asks us if we have enough beds we just say, "Yes, we figured it all out." Hopefully no one in town figures it out or we might get into trouble for not telling them. Members here would seriously do anything for us. Sister Waite is so cool. She and I think a lot alike and neither of us can turn down a challenge. That makes for interesting experiences.

We found an antler in the closet of our new home. I hid it in the microwave to surprise the other sisters. Then it was in the shower the next morning for me to find. Sister Waite and I put it in the foot of one of the sister's beds. Well, two nights ago I opened up our bedroom door, felt for the light switch, and right as I turned it on, something touched my face! I was so scared, my feel flew out from under me and I cut my hand on the vent. It was the antler! The sisters hung it from the ceiling! Sister Waite and I are scheming for where to put the antlers next!

Coolest experience yet: one night after getting lectured by how wrong we were, we were understandably feeling a little down. We had 20 minutes before it was time to head home and the thought to just go home early was pretty tempting. I turned to Sister Waite and said, "You know what's going to cheer us up? New investigators." I started driving without really thinking. Soon we were at an apartment complex that neither of us had ever seen before. We walked to the stair case and went up a flight. We walked right up to a door that had lights on, paused, and without talking we turned and went up another flight of stairs and passed several apartments. We walked straight to apartment B and knocked. Inside was the most amazing couple. We had the opportunity of teaching them right then. They had us over for breakfast and another lesson the following day. They have started reading the Book of Mormon and we meet with them again this weekend.

I've never felt so directed by the Spirit before!!!

Love, 

Sister Rashauna Hoer

LAST letter from Greeley!

After our 20 mile bike ride to Pres. Brown's home in Windsor, CO last week!

This has been one of the best/toughest weeks of my mission. The bike ride to President Brown's house in Windsor was the best p-day of my mission so far. So much fun!!! R was baptized and confirmed. We had so many less active members at church yesterday. Tuesday was Earth Day (Happy late Earth Day). We got to help out one of my favorite members who is in a wheelchair with some gardening. Service projects are always a highlight of my week. Saturday I found out I was leaving Greeley and being sent to Rawlins, Wyoming. It's the northwest corner of our mission boundaries. It's been really hard to say good-bye to people, but for some reason I'm excited to go to Rawlins. Everyone here says I'm going to love it. I trust that Heavenly Father knows what He is doing. Sister Grammer, Elder Torres, Elder Winter and I all gave talks in church yesterday. I had the opportunity to speak about our life on earth. There are so many things that are important for us to know here, but I focused on making and keeping covenants. Nothing compares to the strength that comes when we do our best to keep covenants with our Heavenly Father. EJ showed up and attended church with us! She is a convert/returned missionary I met up in Laramie who was traveling through :) Her visit made my entire week! Yesterday Sister Grammer and I contacted someone that Joanne Hill mentioned we should visit. They opened the door and immediately said, "No, thanks," and almost had the door shut when I blurted out the Hills names. This caught their attention. I explained that I went to church with the Hills and Grove even taught me as a youth. They let us in and we ended up talking a little about the temple :) Tell the missionaries about your friends. We would have never gotten in if it wasn't for Joanne's help. Thank you! This morning we went on one last bike ride to the wall downtown. Life is good. Change is good.

Love you all!!!
Sister Rashauna Hoer

Making hundreds of burritos for the food bank

R's baptism! 

Sister Grammer and I riding tandem

Smile!

Last bike ride in Greeley...

At the mural in downtown Greeley.

I had to include this sign for Brandilyn & the Tennessee gang!

Greeley Letter #22

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We've had some amazing progress with one of the less actives we've been working with. She's been going through some tough times, but simultaneously making change a little easier. Heavenly Father is helping her so much even if it's not as clear to her right now. We'll be having family home evening with her and her two kids tonight :) and it was her idea!!! She has a hard time changing on he own, but she really wants to give her kids the knowledge and tools that will help them avoid the path she took in life. She will do anything for them. It's cool to see such a clear example of why Heavenly Father has asked us to have children.

B received a Priesthood blessing before minor surgery this week. Everything continues to bring her a little closer to her Father in Heaven. She felt so good after the blessing and said when she started getting a little nervous at the hospital, she remembered the spirit she felt earlier and immediately felt peaceful again.

Prayers are answered all the time. We've had so many prayers answered this week. Oh, and I ate it on my bike! We were on our way to help build at Habitat for Humanity. I was riding without hands thinking I was really cool...and I made several turns smoothly, but right when we arrived at the job site I turned (a little too hard). My pedal scraped the ground and threw me off. I went rolling, camera and phone flew out of my pockets. It looked like an instant yard sale, hahaha! Without really trying, though, I was rolling and on my feet in no time. Sister Grammer said I actually looked pretty graceful :) Picking up my bike I realized my back tire was completely flat, which probably contributed to the crash. I found a huge chunk of glass stuck in my tire. Not cool. "And that's why you never throw glass bottles on the side of the road..." (quote for Monica, Brandilyn, Josha and anyone else who is an Arrested Development fan).

Cool study this week. I opened up to Doctrine & Covenants section 109. I thought to myself, "why not?" I'd never read that section before. It's the Kirtland Temple Dedicatory Prayer, but I tried to read it in regards to a person or a home. Anyway, verse 8 is quoted often. It's good, but I love verse 12: "that it may be sanctified and consecrated to be holy, and that thy holy presence may be continually in this house" and verse 13 made me think about how people feel in our presence or our home. It's an amazing goal, "And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold (enter your last name here)'s house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge that thou hast sanctified it, and that it is thy house, a place of holiness."

We "egged" a family in our ward. We got 12 plastic eggs, filled 11 of them with goodies and hid them all in their front yard. The one we didn't fill represents Christ's empty tomb and therefore His resurrection. I think we got away with it...they haven't said anything, at least. Nice pranking is one of my favorite activities.

We acted on a feeling to visit one of our investigators randomly. Sister Grammer and I showed up at L's house at precisely the right time again!!! Heavenly Father keeps helping us get there right when she needs a reminder that He loves her and her family. It's really neat to testify of His love for people.

Happy Easter. Keep the spirit alive and study the Atonement.

Love,
Sister Rashauna Hoer

Greeley Letter #21

More snow in Greeley -- Sister Grammer and I

My awesome fortune this week

Only in Greeley -- these are in someone's front yard!

My soccer team this Monday, whew-whew!

Sister Grammer, so owl-like!

My turn with the owl

Well, it's been another miracle filled week. I didn't fall down any flights of stairs and WE HAVE THREE NEW INVESTIGATORS on top of the several people that are already steadily progressing.

We had all sorts of cool experiences happen while on exchanges. Sis. Grammer found an investigator in our area and I found a couple while in the Centennial ward's area with another sister missionary. It's been crazy trying to plan exchanges alone during this transfer (especially because I don't like leaving my area, haha). With both of us sets of sisters, most of our set plans for the day didn't work out, but we just kept going and that's when the Spirit directs us to where we most needed to be.

Sister Grammer and I were happy to be working back together in our area on Wednesday. We've been biking everywhere for our in town appointments, and it's been fantastic! R loves it when we show up on our bikes. He's doing really, really well. He invited most of his family to his baptism on the 26th and he continues to get more and more excited as the day approaches. The ward has helped out so much with getting him to church and making him feel welcome.

We got a referral for a woman named M. She is looking for a church, and when we met with her she informed us she has already been reading the Book of Mormon!!!! We are very excited to meet with her again this week, as well as to meet with J, the investigator that Sister Grammer found when we were on splits. People are being prepared everywhere, we just have to keep our eyes open for opportunities.

R said the most amazing prayer during our last lesson.  He is an older gentleman, so he struggles to remember even some of the little things. However, he said his first prayer without having to ask us how to start or how to finish. He said a prayer after the example that our Savior set. I was in tears by the time he thanked Heavenly Father for the support He has given him by sending us sister missionaries. I had this brief but powerful thought about being able to continue our friendship with R after this life. I keep learning that real and lasting relationships are based on eternal principles. Moral of the story: if you want friends in heaven, invite them to come to church. Hahahaha, I'm only half kidding.

B didn't make it to church, but I fasted specifically for her this week and I feel completely at peace about it. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for her and we went over Sunday night just to make sure she knows we still love her. Love is truly the greatest motivator. I have no doubt in my mind that she will be at church next week.

Love you all, do something nice for a family member today!!!
Sister Rashauna Hoer