Sister Emily Hawkins' Mission

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