Sister Emily Hawkins' Mission

A lot to read this week from Sister Hawkins … I received both an email from her today as well as a letter in the mail that she had written on last week’s p-day. I am going to post the letter first and then her most recent email along with some fun pictures she sent today. Enjoy!

Letter - Monday, December 20, 2010

Hey Mom,

Today is zone p-day and it was so cool what we did and are doing for zone p-day. We arrived at Sulphur, Louisiana at 9:45 a.m. and we went crabbing by the Gulf of Mexico! How crazy is that! I got to catch two crabs and then I helped other people; Elders and Sister Brosnahan’s catch their crabs. We got two coolers full! Right now we are waiting for the water to boil so that’s why I’m writing ya! I had a lot of fun plus I got to wear jeans all day … well till six as we have an appointment at six. But wearing pants feels great! LOL Don’t worry by the end of my mission, I might love skirts, but we will see, right! LOL I’ll try to get pictures to ya within the next couple weeks so ya’ll can see me crabbing!

Well mom, I get to talk to you soon! How awesome is that?! Can’t wait to talk to you and dad. I really want to see if I sound different plus to hear your voices is gonna be so much fun! We’re gonna call ya from the Skinners and we’re not going to have Christmas day to be all p-day. We get to go out and work so we’re going to see some members who don’t have family and were gonna to try to go caroling at the veteran’s home and visit Brother Martin on Christmas so it’s going to be a good day! But the coolest part will be talking to ya’ll. I’m being prideful but I miss ya’ll!

I got your packages and Melanie’s packages and I got a sweet package from the Ribbon Retreat! They spoiled me mom! I love all the stuff they got me. They got me a cute yellow stocking made out of ribbon and fabric from work, a Dalmatian dog, makeup remover, hand towels, and a cute ear warmer. You’ll see it in the crabbing pictures. I also got packages from Chelsie and Krisi, Tiffany’s sister-in-law, but I haven’t opened them yet. Have to wait till Christmas! But it was cool to get all the stuff I got. So many people were so kind to me.

This last week I went on exchanges and it was a really great experience for me! I met this awesome Sister Pilmar from Utah and she’s cool. I went to Woodville, Texas for a day. It was amazing to see myself again! I taught in lessons and followed the Spirit and remembered where scriptures were! It was an amazing feeling to feel and I got really humbled when I was there. Mom, I met this lady and she is a convert to the church and she doesn’t have good living conditions and it broke my heart. It made me so grateful for the things I grew up with. I was truly blessed! Mom, thanks for you and dad. I know I complained about our home but I’m so grateful for the house I grew up in! Also I met an elderly lady in a nursing home and half her leg is gone and she can’t do anything really and needs help a lot! But the awesome thing to see from this was they both had and have a very strong testimony of the gospel and they rely so much on the Lord! Wow, my testimony grew so much last Wednesday. It doesn’t matter how you live, the gospel is there and will help you through anything or through any trial. It was so neat to experience that. I’m learning so much. Yes, it is hard but you have those days where you learn so much! I’m so grateful for the exchange. I really felt like myself that day. I was happy and I laughed some! It was great! But the sad thing is that I’m not that way in Jennings and I can’t figure out why! But I’m trying to be myself. It just seems a lot harder in Jennings! But I know I have to learn something. The Lord will show me the way. He always does!

Last Thursday was so cool! We had our mission Christmas Zone Conference! Man the Spirit was so strong! I learned so much about myself and about the Savior! We watched a really good movie. It’s called “Mission Christmas”. It’s about two elders and one of them is having a hard time and it really reminded me a lot of myself. He found a family were the boy is deaf and the elder knew sign language and converts them to the church! But man, I learned so much from that. There’s also a book that talks about the Houston Temple being built and how many miracles that happened. And it’s cool because my mission is a miracle. I can’t remember the title of the book so I’ll have to get back to you on that. It’s out of print but it’s possible to find. We got cool gifts from President and Sister Moldenhauer. We got a DVD of all the missionaries and there are pictures of me on it too. So after Christmas I’m sending a package home for sure this time and you’ll have to watch it. They also gave us a temple recommend holder of the Houston Temple and our mission sticker. I’ll send ya’ll a picture of it. The Christmas conference was amazing. I loved it. Plus I got to meet Elder and Sister Nielson of the Seventy! I even got a picture with him. It was sweet! I also got a Christmas picture with Sister and President Moldenhauer. It’s cute.

Well mom, this is a long letter and it’s gonna be a long letter to retype for the blog! But I love ya’ll and I sure can’t wait to talk to ya’ll on Saturday! I love you mom and dad.

Love Sister Hawkins

P.S. Can’t wait to talk to ya’ll!

Email - Monday, December 27, 2010

Dear Mom!

Wow, that was so neat to be able to talk to you and dad and Brooke and Rachel and Melanie! That was so crazy and super fun! I miss ya'll! It was so great to hear ya'll voices and to be able to talk to ya'll! Yeah it was hard for the next couple of days to get back on track and to not think of home so much, but that is what happens when you are so close to your family! But I'm so grateful for my family and for the love they have for me! I'm so very blessed with a wonderful family and with so many friends that send me cards and letters and packages! It truly does help out a missionary so much to receive mail because being missionary is hard work, it aint easy! But it's amazing how the Lord is there to help me through so much! I'm learning a whole lot to rely on the Lord and to learn to have so much patience!

I had a great Christmas! It was fun over at the Skinners! We all got Nerf Guns for Christmas so we went outside and although it was cold, we had so much fun shooting at each other! Afterwards we got yummy Hot Cocoa! The boys got cool stuff for Christmas and they loved the candy coal and the movie you got them. They loved it that ya'll gave them gifts! Nina loved the movie with all the videos and stuff about the Doctrines and Covenants that you gave her. It was fun having Christmas with the Skinners!

After talking to ya'll on the phone, Sister Brosnahan and I talked for a bit in the boys room so I could have my eyes stop watering and we talked about our phone calls and things that were happening back home. It was funny because she was talking to one of her sisters that was having contractions and then the next day Sister Touchet called Sister Brosnahan to tell her that her family had called to tell her that she is an Aunt and that it was not false contractions so that was pretty cool! It was a girl and they named her Samantha! So that was neat!

After being with the Skinners we dropped off a gift to a member to wish her a Merry Christmas because she doesn’t have family near by. Then we went to go see Sister Frasier to wish her a Merry Christmas! We had some cider with her and just visited for a bit. But that was my Christmas day!

Things are going well some days and other days are lot more tougher but ya know that is missionary life like ya'll said on the phone. But it makes us stronger everyday and makes us closer to our Heavenly Father too! It’s neat to see how much I'm changing and growing. It's hard some days to not see it but it's cool to take time and to look back on the progress I have made being on my mission. I wonder what's going to happen this week for transfers; if I'm staying or going. I have been in Jennings for 3 transfers and wondering if I'm gonna stay one more! I hope I do! I'm not ready to leave. I feel like there is more work for me to do here in Jennings. I don’t know what, but I know the Lord knows what’s best for me and where I need to go. I could be like Sister Brosnahan and work my way to Houston, Texas because that is what she did, only backwards. She worked her way from Houston, Texas to here in Jennings, Louisiana; I think that this might be her last area because she only has 3 transfers left and then she is on her way home. So in missionary terms; she might die here. LOL. But I hope I'm here longer, but who knows really.

Hmm, I kinda don't know what else to write because I just talk to ya'll on Saturday and there is kinda not a lot to write ya know. I love ya and miss ya a whole lot and I will more than likely have more to tell ya next week! Thanks for all you do! I love you mom!

Love Sister Hawkins!