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Monday, November 29, 2010

November 29, 2010 email and pictures

Another letter from Sister Hawkins. For the most part she is doing well. She is still struggling but pretty determined not to come home. Unfortunately the things worth having in this life are often the hardest. Emily truly wants to be a missionary and wants to serve her Father in Heaven but struggles with the unknown and being so far away from home. We are so proud of her for all that she has accomplished and she is so grateful for each and every letter that she receives. Your support is invaluable! Enjoy her latest letter, she is really beginning to sound like a Louisianan … “ya’ll”

Monday, November 29, 2010

Hey Mawmaw,

Lol! That is the Cajun way they say it down here. It's really for the grandparents but I want to use it for you and for dad it's pawpaw. So when I talk to you on Christmas I might say that lol. Who knows?

Wow it's almost December 1st. I can’t wait to call you and dad on Christmas. That would be super cool if Wade was there too! I got an e-mail saying he is going to see ya’ll in the morning on Christmas day. I don't know when we are doing our calls; I'll try to figure that out. Are Rachel and Jackson going to be there too? That would be cool. Then ya'll would be on speaker phone and I could talk to ya'll. I only get 30-40 minutes to talk so I bet it will go by fast.

Well this week has been fun and it has been tough. Sister Brosnahan is a really fun companion. She has her own personal thoughts and ideas and she just talks straight up with everyone. It's crazy and she really, really talks to everybody. I am not kidding. She isn’t afraid of nothing. Maybe that would be good for me to overcome my fears, right? We talked to a lot of people this week and taught a lot of lessons. We struggle at night to figure out where to go and who to see because it's dark earlier now and everyone is so far away and we have to drive everywhere. But we usually figure out somewhere to go and something to do.

This last week was good. We had fun over at the Touchet house. I forgot my camera so I didn’t get any pictures but I wrote very well in my journal about the food and the fun talks we had about Christmas shopping and lots more fun stuff! The Touchets are so cool! It's fun to go over to their house. It was fun. I had some yummy food. I had cornbread dressing. Ya’ll never had it up there in Idaho! I'm gonna get the recipe from someone. I tried it at the Turkey bowl at the church and we had it for Thanksgiving and boy it is so good!!! The food down here is good! I can't wait for you and Dad to come back with me to try this yummy food here in Louisiana. Even boudin is good. You will look at it and think, “What in the world am I eating?” But it's good. It feels like I am gaining weight and not loosing little by little like I was. But I'm still trying to run every morning and to do crunches. I'm working with Sister B. with running. She isn’t too use to it yet!

I spent a lot of money the last couple of days because I found me some boots and a nice coat! How cool uh. It has been super cold and I didn’t have warm boots or a coat so Sister Brosnahan and I went shopping because I couldn’t go out in the cold without proper shoes and a coat! And it's so cool because my coat looks like Aunt Amy’s missionary coat!

Now about my ear. It is ringing louder then ever and it’s the left ear, not the right one that had surgery. I just have been noticing it a lot more and it's hard to fall asleep because I have this loud ringing in my ear. It's not hurting yet. I'm worried about my ear. I just notice the ringing and its super loud and annoying. I can just always hear it and before I was used to it because it was a low ringing but now it's a loud ringing and it just isn’t normal plus it's not the ear I had surgery on ya know.

Well ma it's been tough lately because I am still trying to be myself and it's hard to be. Everyone is so talkative and has fun with the other missionaries and I am the one who is quite and sits in the corner. And I truly hate that. I wish I can be happy with myself and not be so up tight. I just feel so out of the loop and it's hard to figure out what I need to do. I just feel lost and still feel like coming home. But I know I am not going to even though everyday it is hard to figure out who I am. But I hope in time things will figure out right, the Lord will help me in some way. Mom I am going to stay because I know if I don't I will have so much regret and I will be so miserable. I know I will. I'm just gonna have to live one day at a time like Melanie wrote and told me to do so that's what I am going to do. Yes I am learning and I am changing a bit. But it's still hard to be out here. And plus it's getting harder because people are not writing as much anymore. I know I'm not the new missionary that is out and people get busy, I totally understand it gets harder. But I do love the letters I get every week from you and dad and Brother Bird and from Sister Bolander, and other friends and family when they have time. But this is just a tiny trial that I am going through to become stronger. These last few months have been hard and super long, and I mean super long, but I think the Lord is letting me feel like it is long because I wanted to come so bad that He doesn’t want me to see it fly by like it is with everyone else’s mission.

I got a really good letter from Wade and I miss him so much mom. I wish I could hear from him a lot more but I know he is a busy dad and a husband. I just love his letters of encouragement and he gives me tips and ideas to try to get through the holidays. It's really cool to get letters from dad. I know I haven't written him lately, my p-days are just so busy going to different places or for zone p-days with other missionaries or cleaning up the place but I will try to write him soon.

Well mom it' about time for me to go. I'm gonna send ya a picture of me and my new coat and boots and also a picture of my new hoodie and sweat pants I bought with the money Aunty Sarah and her family sent me. The apartment has been getting cold and they keep me nice and warm! But I just want to let ya know I love you and I miss you lots and thanks for being such a great support in my life. Your amazing mom and I love you and I just can't wait to hear from ya more this week! I love you so much!

Love Sister Hawkins

New coat and boots!

New hoodie and sweats ... Thanks Ohki family!


Are we cool or what!!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sister Hawkins has a new companion

One of the things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving is for the blessing of having a daughter on a mission. Miracles are happening and Emily is growing every day. Today was transfers and Emily has been very anxious about what was going to happen. Although it was really hard for her to say goodbye to Sister Smith, she knows the Lord is with her and she has again been blessed with a wonderful companion who will continue to help her grow. Sister Hawkins and her new companion will continue to serve in Jennings, Louisiana. There are many wonderful families and members from the branch that Emily has grown to love and who will help make the upcoming holidays very special for her and her new companion. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Here is today’s email.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Hi Mom,

We did get some time to e-mail today, not much but I'll probably write ya on Thursday for Thanksgiving! Well we are going to eat at the Touchets house! Cool Uh! I'm excited.

Well I better tell ya about my new companion! Her Name is Sister Mary Brosnahan and she is from Utah and is super excited to be in Jennings. I'm excited to have her as my new companion. I've met her a couple times at Sister Training and at other events that we have had on my mission. She is so kind and loves to talk to everyone! She is so excited to be here with me. At the Elder Costa conference she talked with me and she knew I was struggling and I guess she talked with Sister Smith some too and so she knows a little bit about what I am going through and totally wants to help me out in anyway she can! She is so cool! I'm excited and she is excited to go run three miles in the mornings! I'm super stoked! It's gonna be fun! I hope I can continue to lose weight. It seems like I lose a little weight but not a lot. But I've been taking those vitamins you sent me and trying to eat healthy and eat less. So slowly it will be okay.

Well this last week has been a struggle just worrying about transfers. I felt like it was coming but I just didn't want it to come. But it did and I saw wonderful things happen. It was special to see the families here in Jennings say good bye to Sister Smith. They love her so much! It just broke my heart and it's like how can I help these people like Sister Smith helped them. It was hard seeing everybody saying good bye and it was hard to say good bye to Sister Smith! I'm truly going to miss her mom! She has helped me out so much these last two and a half months. She really has! She is amazing and I just can't wait to see her at Sister's Training on December 1st! It's going to be great and also for our Christmas Party on the 16th of December! So it's going to be great!

Anyways, it was cool this past Saturday. We watched a video with Robin who is a convert that Sister Smith and Sister Singleton converted. I love her. She is so amazing and she just finished the Book of Mormon and is starting to read it again! We watched the Joseph Smith the Restoration video, not the short version, its the hour long one. I felt the spirit so strong to just see what all Joseph Smith went through and how he stayed close to the Lord! During the whole movie it was just so amazing and I got a stronger testimony of Joseph Smith and how he was truly a prophet of God. He really did see God the Father and Jesus Christ and he did translate the Book of Mormon. I just know it to be true. It's so amazing how my testimony is growing on little things. Yes I do struggle but my testimony is growing and I am learning little bits everyday!

The Houston Temple last Tuesday was so amazing. I just loved it. It's so beautiful inside. As I was walking up the stairs to go get changed into pretty white clothes, I was holding onto the handrail and I totally felt the spirit so strong. I felt peace and love and it was so amazing. I got teary eyed and I wanted to cry so bad but I kept it in so I wouldn't cry in front of the Elders! But it was so amazing. I loved the session and I was so worried that I was going to fall asleep but I didn't. We had to wake up early in the morning but I'm so thankful that I didn't fall asleep! I was so excited to be in the temple, OOHH Mom it was so pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just can't wait for you and dad to come back and go to the Temple in Houston!! It's gonna be so great! I just can't wait to go again! I don't know when I'm going again but I sure can't wait. I loved the temple. I felt peace and I prayed lots to have the Lord help me and to give me strength and comfort. When it was time to go my heart seriously just broke. I didn't want to leave but we needed to because all the Elders in our Zone were waiting for Sister Smith and me to talk to the Temple President. It was funny because his talk was basically about marriage and how our missions are preparing us for marriage and to be committed to marriage and how the Temple blesses families and that when we are married in the Temple it will bless our family! It was just so awesome to go there. And I took a leaf to put in my journal to remember my first day at the Houston Texas Temple. But man it was so amazing. I really can't describe it. I just loved it and it was so hard to leave. I love the Temple and I love to feel the peace that is inside the Temple. It was amazing and it's hard to describe in words how I felt that day. It was truly a great day.

My knee is doing better. I’m done with the medicine and I popped it the other day and lots of stuff came out. I'm still kind of worried because it is still hard but it looks like it's healing and people around here say I would know if it was a spider bite because I would still be in pain and stuff would still be coming out and so they think it's a staff infection and that I itched it and that my hands were dirty.

Last night I finished my first Journal ever in my whole life!! I was super excited! I couldn't believe I finished it. And it was super funny to read my first day as a missionary. It was silly but I was looking at my journal and flipping through the pages and just thinking to myself like wow! This is super crazy that I am doing this and that I have so many memories of struggles and of good times in my journal! I can't wait to start my new one tonight! I'm so grateful to keep a journal because there are some things that I have seriously forgotten but I'm so grateful to write it down and to be able to remember everything. Mom you should start to keep a journal and to write about special things or write about your feelings and then you can look back to see how far you have come in life ya know.

Mom I know that I'm growing. Sometimes I have doubts that I am growing and that I am changing but last night was cool to see one full journal all done and to know that I have cool, wonderful memories. It makes me sad to not have kept a journal when I was growing up. But ya know you can always start new everyday! So I'm going to continue to write in my journal. Yeah, I forget a day or two but I always go back and fill in the days so I can have an entry to remember every day of my mission! So I'm really happy about my journal. I just need to add pictures in my journal and it will be all good!

I hope this coming week goes well and that the pre-planning that Sister Smith and I did works out and that things will go through and that we will have a good week and that I can be able to show the area to Sister Brosnahan. But I know that the Lord will be there for me and that He will put me through tests but hey it will be okay. Right? He will help me. And the Touchets and the Skinners and lots of other people from the branch are there for me and said they would help us in anyway they can. So I know the Lord will be there for me!

Well I love you mom and thanks for the pictures that you are sending to me. You’re so amazing and I love you so much! You’re the best mom ever! I miss you lots. And I can't wait to hear from you soon! And thanks for taking such good care of Buddy and for letting him sleep inside. That was very smart of you to cover my bed, I never would have thought of that. I hope to write ya more on Thursday! I love you and I can't wait to hear from ya. Tell everyone hi and sorry for not writing anybody last week. I was too busy with other stuff. But love ya'll and talk to ya later!

Love Sister Hawkins

Sister Hawkins and Sister Smith
Houston Texas Temple


November 16, 2010


Last moments as companions! 
What a blessing Sister Smith has been!

Leaving her in goods hands ...
Sister Hawkins, Sister Brosnahan, Sister Smith


Sister Smith --- truly an angel!


A new chapter begins!
Sister Brosnahan and Sister Hawkins
Jennings, Lousisiana - November 22, 2010

 

Monday, November 15, 2010

Sister Hawkins had a wonderful birthday thanks to the great people in Jennings, LA and to so many of you. She received many, many cards and well wishes. She could not help but know she is loved. On November 18th, Sister Hawkins will have been out for 100 days. To help celebrate this huge accomplishment for her, we sent her a small package (that she is not allowed to open until the 18th) with “100” starburst and a darling poem written by her sister Melanie. It was such a cute poem, I thought I would share it with you:

100 days
100 ways
The Lord has blessed you so
100 days
100 ways
He’s been there as you go
100 days
100 ways
You’ve given to the Lord
100 days
100 ways
His blessings He has poured

Thank you Melanie! I could not have summed up the past 100 days any better myself!
Well here is Emily’s email I got today along with some fun pictures of her birthday. Enjoy!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Hey Mom,

Well this week has been busy doing service and helping out people in my area. But I want to make sure to tell you about my birthday! Well it was yesterday and Sister Smith decorated the apartment with balloons and put messages and candy in the balloons and got me candles for my birthday! I was surprised. She did it when I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day.

Then at church the primary program went great. It was fun singing with the kids and people said Happy Birthday to me. Then at the end of Relief Society for the closing song they sang Happy Birthday. But before they started singing, they brought in the cake. I saw it and I started to cry. I was so surprised. It was a Dalmatian Cake. I loved it. We served it to everyone but the funny thing is that we have not eaten the dog yet! LOL It was a cute cake! I loved it!

After church we got an inactive lady, Sister Young, and went to Coach Pizz’s house to eat lunch. He is catholic and he bought me a pound caramel cake to take home and he also gave us the leftover of pasta. It was good. We gave some cake to Sister Young because we had the Dalmatian cake still and Sister Smith wanted to make me a cake. So we had lots of sweets. Well later that night we went home and Sister Smith made me a strawberry cake with whipped frosting and we opened my presents. I was so excited for the mini cd player and speakers and for a new Mormon Tabernacle cd!!! I was so excited!! I love it!!! I listen to it in the morning getting ready. Then after presents she sang happy birthday to me. And also that night the Elders in my District each called and sang Happy Birthday which I thought was cool. Even the Assistance to the Mission President called too and the Zone Leaders did, so that was really cool!!! It was a great birthday. Tonight we are having a birthday party at the Touchets so that's gonna be lots of fun!!! Can't wait. So things have been good, but a long week.

Now about my knee. I notice on Tuesday that my right knee was hurting. It hurts to put pressure on it and it was getting hotter. I told Sister Smith on Thursday and she told me to call Sister Moldenhauer. I did and she said to go get it checked and to make sure it's not a spider bite or something. So Friday morning we got up early and headed to Lake Charles to go to the clinic there because they accept our mission insurance. We waited in the lobby for about 30 minutes and then they took us to the room where we waited for over an hour. So we got at the clinic at 8:30 and then were seen by the doctor at 10:30. He came in and was in and out in thirty seconds. All he did was ask what was wrong and I showed him my knee and then he touched it and pushed on it and said, “Ya, your skin is infected you need shots and I'll put you on some medication.” He was leaving and walking out the door as he was telling me this and I couldn’t even ask questions. I was so upset because we waited for so long and he didn't care. Well then the nurse came in and gave me two shots, one on each hip. Well then while we were checking out at the front desk, they told me that my insurance might not cover the shots and that I might have to pay for them. Then they handed me two prescription slips and I asked, “What’s this stuff?” I told them the doctor didn’t tell me what’s going on. They said one is cleaning stuff for the skin and the other is pills I have to take four times a day. I was about to cry but I said okay.

So we got to our district meeting late and I got sharp pains from where the shots were given for some dumb reason. After our district meeting the Elders had made me brownies and sang happy birthday to me. Then I got to meet with Ken. We didn’t get to go to lunch with our district or the assistants to the mission president that came out because Ken was coming and we didn’t have time to go and eat with them.

Meeting with Ken was really great! He gave me lots of homework to do. He gave me some ideas of how to handle things and gave me a football analogy that was cool of a quarter back. I'll have to send ya that next time as I don't have it with me. But it was a great visit. I don't see him till the week after Thanksgiving so that gives me plenty of time to do my homework. I have to make three lessons plans for him next week and write out the area with people’s names and descriptions to remember the people because transfers are in one week and who knows if Sister Smith is leaving or not. Then I have to do role plays with Sister Smith to help me and to give me advice. So hopefully I can have time to do all that stuff. But Ken is a cool guy and he is helping me a lot. It makes me think of a lot my counselor in Idaho Falls, DeAnna, and what we did together and how much she helped me. I wish she was here. I don't know why I can't remember some of the stuff we did and I'm trying to remember things we worked on of ways to help me so I can be able to tell Ken. She was the best and I changed a lot over the last year and half because of her help! But it was a good visit with Ken.

Well I just also want to say thank you so much for all the wonderful packages I got for my birthday and for the cool packages I got from the young women and from Melanie and from Sister Pulispher and from you and dad! It was wonderful to get all the birthday cards and the letters of support and I hope I can continue to get letters as they really do help out a missionary to know that they have support from home and to know that they are loved. I love getting mail. Mail is the best thing as a missionary!!!!!!! :) So thank you for all the letters and the cards!!! Love it!!!!

Oh, do you know what’s funny? A couple of weeks ago after a zone conference our zone leader asked Sister Smith if she could crochet. She told him no but told him to ask Sister Hawkins. So he did and I told him I could. He then asked me if I could crochet a scarf for him. I said, “Well I'll have to see when I'm not busy if I can.” And he said, “You can, you can do anything.” So guess what? I crocheted him a scarf and his companion asked for one to and same with my district leader and so I have one done and have to make two more and Sister Smith saw the scarf and she likes it, so I'm gonna try to crochet her one too! LOL But it's funny that I might be the sister missionary who crochets scarves for the winter!! Lol I have time when we are driving place to place because it takes a while to get to places, but it's just funny. But we will see if I can do it. But I just thought that was funny to share with ya.

Well mom it's about time to go but I want to let you know I love you and miss you tons. I know that I am struggling and that I'm hurting because of my dumb bite that I have but the Lord is there. Even though I don't feel like He is there sometimes, I know He is there. I tell that to the people we see that the Lord is always there! It’s like when I am struggling with transfers coming up and trying to figure out what I need to do, I feel like He isn’t here right now but looking back over the last couple months, He has been there. He will be here for me during the next couple of hard weeks ahead.

Mom we watched a Together Forever movie with Brother Martin and it talked about families. It was so touching and it made me think of you and dad and Melanie and her family and Wade and his family and Rachel and her family and then to think that I will hopefully have a family like my family who is strong in the gospel and who will be close to the Lord. I thought about all the things our family has been through and we as a family have been through a lot of stuff and it's amazing of how we got through it. It’s great to see how much we helped each other out and to see how much the Lord was there for us and supported us through our hard times. I'm so grateful to have a family who loves me and who is still strong in the gospel and who goes to the temple and who loves the Lord. I'm so grateful! :)

I have to go. I love ya mom and sorry for not much details of what’s going on. It’s a short p-day because of the temple tomorrow. I just can’t wait. You have no idea. It’s going to be so great and plus afterwards we get to meet with the temple presidency and then go to the book store and just hang out with missionaries tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I love you and I will write to you soon!

You’re the best and I can't wait to hear from ya'll!!!! :)

Love Sister Hawkins

Yes, she is crying, not laughing. 
She truly was surprised and very touched!


She was able to pull herself together!


Sister Skinner, the very talented lady who made that amazing cake!
(She is the mother of the two boys that were baptized a couple
of weeks ago and were in the pictures I posted last week.)

How cute is that!


Sister Smith and Sister Hawkins sharing the yummy cake!


Sister Smith decorated their apartment!


What a team!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Well considering the week Emily has had, she is doing pretty well. We got word to her that one of her best friends is battling cancer and that was really hard for her. Things like that are always hard but even harder when you are so far away from home. She is excited about her upcoming birthday and then to be able to go to the Houston Temple on the 16th. Here is her latest email.

Monday, November 08, 2010

Hi Mom,

Well this is going to be a really good e-mail, hopefully, if I have time to write ya stuff. So last week I couldn't really tell ya about the baptisms. Well Noah and William’s baptisms went through, but the girls’ one didn't which is sad but we are still trying to work with them. We haven’t seen them these last couple of weeks because of the holidays and there grandpa isn’t doing well is in the hospital.

The baptism was amazing! The spirit was there! Yeah, there were a lot of kids there, but it was amazing; the peace and feeling of the Spirit! I'll try to send ya pictures of the baptism if I have time this week.

This last Monday was zone p-day which means the missionaries in my zone got together and played softball and they invited another zone to come play with us! It was so much fun and we had to wear red t-shirts to tell the zones apart. I didn't have one and so I went and bought one. Sister Smith and I bought letters to iron on our shirts. On the back of my shirt says HAWKINS and on the front is says O-ZONE because we are the orange zone. I didn't have enough letters to spell out the word orange. Sister Smith did the same. It was cool and we each got red headbands and had them on our heads and it was great to have the headband because it kept the sweat off from my face. LOL!!! But it was cool because my team, the orange zone, really liked me on their team. They said I was their MVP (Most Valuable Player). How cool it that! I was the pitcher and they liked my batting too because I only batted one handed. So it was fun playing softball last Monday. I was the one driving us to Orange Texas and it was raining and boy the rain was so bad. It was pouring down buckets of rain for real!!! Big Buckets of Rain. It was scary but we got there safely!

Oh so what I am going to do for my birthday is that after church we are going to Crowley. That’s in our area and there is this guy and his name is Coach Pizz, and he invited us for lunch. We are bringing an inactive member with us because we can’t go inside unless there is another lady there. We are having lunch and it's going to be a weird lunch with three meat sausages, onions, peppers and chicken over some noodles. Coach Pizz says the Elders loved it and so it's going to be interesting! But that is all I know about what I'm doing for my birthday.

It's crazy; I'm going to be 22!!!! I can't wait for my package; it's going to be sweet!!!! I love getting packages. I feel bad that you and dad spend so much money on packages. You truly are the best parents ever!!!

So this last Saturday was fun. Why? Because we have been helping in the Primary for the Primary Program that is happening on my birthday. So this last Saturday we had a practice and it was so much fun helping the Primary and singing songs. The kids really don't know the songs and I sit with the kids and Sister Smith leads the music. I keep the kids settled down and tell them to be quite and help them sing. I have been thinking a lot about you. When we are helping the primary, I wish you were here to teach the kids to sing. I know that you miss primary. You never know, you could get called back in there someday. But it's been fun working with the kids and singing primary songs. I can’t believe I missed primary growing up; I was just too scared and afraid. I missed out on the great messages you learn in primary. There is a lot of stuff in life that I missed out on because of my fears. I just hope and pray that I can do this mission and not miss this opportunity to learn and to grow and to change and to not be afraid anymore. But we will see right?

Transfers are on the 22nd of November. We won’t know till the 20th if we get transferred or who gets transferred, so just letting ya know. Sister Smith thinks she is leaving which is really sad and hard because she has helped me so much to give me comfort and to help me out with Danee right now. It was so hard to hear about Danee. I just started to ball and ran into my bedroom, fell to the floor by my bed, and just cried my heart out. I can’t even imagine what she is going through. It breaks my heart so much that I can't be there for her mom. So transfers are going to be interesting. I just still feel like I need Sister Smith.

Oh I know what to tell you about! So the last couple of weeks Sister Smith has been itching her back. It reminded me of a lady in our branch who had shingles. This lady told us that she began to itch and one day she itched and it hurt and looked red so she went it and got it checked and the doctor told her it was shingles. So I told Sister Smith that she might have shingles and to call Sister Moldenhauer and tell her what’s going on. So we told Sister Moldenhauer and she told Sister Smith to go to a clinic. Since Jennings is a small town, we had to go to Lake Charles and she saw a doctor on Friday and they told Sister Smith it is the beginning stages of Shingles!!!!!!! And so she is taking medicine and they told her to buy itching cream to help her not itch. It is not contagious to me because I have already had the chickenpox. So I am okay. But I'm still am worried and wondering if I'm going to get it. She is itchy all the time but I hope the medicine helps her. She says the clothes really irritate her but she is being upbeat about it. I wonder what’s next for poor Sister Smith; she got a chipped tooth (got that fixed in Lake Charles) and now she has shingles. I'm trying to help her out anyway I can.

This is all I can think of to write about today. I'm going to try to send ya'll pictures. I love you guys and I hope things are going good and I hope you have fun decorating for Christmas. I miss the leaves changing colors and seeing snow. The weather here doesn’t change except for cold and hot.

Love ya and I hope to hear from you soon!!

Love Sister Hawkins

Carving Pumpkins at the Touchets


This is the pumpkin Sister Hawkins and Sister Smith
started carving and the Touchets finished
putting on the darling face for them


Louisiana State line


"Yes, the have swamps in Louisiana"


Noah and William's Baptism!


Lake Charles Halloween party


Noah and William's Mom -
Trunk-or-Treat after the Halloween Party


Sister Hawkins and her District at the Trunk-or-Treat
(Sister Smith is taking the picture)


Mr. Piggly Wiggly Store - Jennings, LA
(From the movie - "Win a Date with Tadd Hamilton")


Brother Martin, the gentleman from the Veterans Home
that Emily often writes to us about


Sister Hawkins, the one-handed hitter!


Sister Hawkins - being cool! LOL


Zone P-day "Orange Zone" T-shirts


Monday, November 1, 2010

Just a short letter today as she had to get to a Two Zone P-Day. Emily is still struggling with her fears but is trying hard to work through them. She loves her mail and is so grateful for each letter she receives.

Monday, November 01, 2010

Hello Mom,

Well this is going to be a kind of a short letter because I don't have much time to tell ya a lot of things. Could you also put on my blog that I didn't have time to write letters because of Zone P-day? We are going to be combined with another zone in the mission and so it's going to be crazy. This morning Sister Smith and I made cool shirts for zone p-day and my shirt says Hawkins on the Back and on the front it says O-Zone for Orange Zone. I didn't have enough letters!

But the baptism for Noah and William went really well. The spirit was there and there was a peaceful feeling. It was so great to see them get baptized. When we got there it was so funny because Sister Smith had to walk across the font while it was filling with water to get to the girl’s side to get the baptism cloths because we forgot them in Jennings and we did the baptism in Lake Charles. The font was filling up and we didn’t have keys to open the girl’s side of the font from the bathroom and so she walked in the font and the water was to her knees and it was funny … you had to be there to see how funny it was.

But our other baptism for the three girls didn't go through. The mom says that we were going to quick and that we needed to slow down so we are going to continue to teach them but were going to go slower. We were going fast just to try to have them baptized on Jessie's birthday at the end of October. But the dad is an inactive member and so I think to get all the family baptized would be cool if the dad would do it. But the Lord will help out their family this week.

This week was hard on one day. I was just down on myself thinking I can’t do this and Sister Smith and I were out going to see people and things weren’t working out and my spirits were low. I bet it's hard for Sister Smith to deal with me every day and so she got upset and it was time for lunch so we went home and we didn't talk. It's truly my fault because I am still scared and things and afraid of trying new things and meeting people that I don’t know and I just didn’t feel like going out because I just wanted to stay home and keep studying but you can't do that as a missionary. You got to go out and work for the Lord and I understand that but it's just really hard. But we figured things out and I told her I was sorry and she was sorry too because she is trying so hard for me to love what I am doing and I know that I am not trying hard enough. It's just hard and scary. I hope to see Ken this week to let him know what is going on. I just hope and pray they don't send me home because of me being too scared. I do want to be here but I just want to be the person to see all the cool things and just be invisible, if that makes sense.

I talked with President Moldenhauer again after a zone conference we had this past week and we went over things and he told me that this mission I am on is really for me. I told him that I feel like I am doing more for my family and friends at home then here on my mission. Me being on my mission is helping everyone I know back at home. He said I am making a difference here but it's hard to see that. He asked me when was the last time I had a blessing. I told him recently with Elder Sedar. He asked me if I would be okay for a while until the next time I see him and I told him ya. He said that is good and that I just need to have faith with the blessing I received from Elder Sedar. I know that Lord will help me. I just need to keep pressing forward, right?

But I loved the package you sent me. That was great. I love the shirts. I am sending one of my friends on a mission a box of NERDS that mean Never End youR Day Scriptureless. Pretty cool uh! So he should enjoy that. But I love getting letters from you and everyone else. Even Brother Bird, he always tells me about his studies and things going on in Shelley and even sports which is so great to hear. Tell him thanks for me when you see him. I will try to write to him next week. But the Bird family is so amazing!

Hey mom, as of today I have been out two months in Jennings and on the 11th of November I will have been gone 3 months from home. And on the 14th I am going to be 22! Wow pretty crazy uh!

Well I have to get going. Tell everyone in the family hi and tell them I am sorry I couldn't write to them this week. I love you lots and miss ya tons and you’re the best ever!!!!! Thanks for sending those amazing packages. I know you and dad are spending so much money sending me stuff and trying to help me out to make things easier. I know the Lord is going to bless you mom, and it was great to hear dad is feeling better.

Well I have to run but I love you and I will write ya better next week and send ya pictures of the baptism and of the Halloween party we went to in Lake Charles ward. I hope your day and week goes good. Love ya!

Love Sister Hawkins