January 31, 2011 email

When the third sentence of her letter tells me that she is loving her mission ... well, it just can't get any better than that.  I am truly humbled and give thanks to our Father in Heaven for the growth Emily is seeing.  This mission is such a grand blessing in her life.  She has come so far and continues to get stronger every week. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! (Oh and just for your information, in this letter she refers to Melanie and Troy and the grandkids because she knows I am currently in Washington being a grandma!)

 

Monday, January 31, 2011

 

Hey Mom,

 

Wow, what a week and what a wonderful time I am having.  I just love how much I am growing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how much more I am becoming like my Savior. I'm just loving my mission! I can't believe I am here. Last night I watched a really great movie with some members, the Berges! They are the cutest old couple ever and the movie was from the Church History DVD  you sent me. It was a movie I haven't ever seen before and it was the John Tanner movie. Boy did that movie move me so much! My Testimony grew so much on Faith.  It was amazing to see the faith that John Tanner had to be healed from his bad leg. All the doctors told him to cut off his leg because it was eventually going to kill him because it was infected. But John Tanner wouldn’t because he told them "I came into this world with my leg and I will leave with it too!" Then the missionaries started teaching him and then it was cool! They told him to arise and walk! And that was so amazing because they have the power of the Priesthood. And well you're gonna have to watch it with Melanie and Troy and just see it for yourself.  Just see how much your testimony grows!! Mine is just growing so much everyday! I'm so very grateful to have had the Priesthood growing up in my life and I will most defiantly look for a husband in the future who has the Priesthood to bless our home! I'm just loving how much I'm growing and understanding so much!

 

I got to see President and Sister Moldenhauer this week for interviews and boy that was so uplifting! Mom it was so sweet to see President get all teary eyed!  When we were visiting, he just looked into my eyes and told me that I have grown so much and that he and Sister Moldenhauer keep me in a special place in their hearts and that they just love me so much and they just love watching me grow! He is sad they won't see me continue to grow when they get released this summer but he told me that he will be there for sure when I come off that plane in 2012!  I just couldn't believe all the wonderful things he said. He is really proud of me and he is very happy that I listened to his counsel and that I visit with Ken! It's crazy to hear from people that they see how much I am growing. Some days it's hard to see, but other days I realize it and I'm like, "Wow! I am really here on a mission. And I am really doing it!"

 

Well I know right now on my mission it might be a little bit of a breeze even though it's hard but I still do have my trials like when I go into lessons and I freeze up because I get very nervous or very scared and just talk really fast and just don't know what to say sometimes. But I know that the Lord is helping me. And like Wade always tells me, the Lord is shaping me into a Diamond. And it's true! I just wish ya'll could see me but I know that when ya'll read my letters, I think you can see me grow.  I can see it in David's and Angie's mission letters too. Missions are amazing and they truly help you grow so much and help prepare you for the future and help you grow so much in the Gospel. Ya, I'm never gonna leave the church ever or become in-active because it is just so true and it just really blesses your life to know where you're going and although we do have hard times, we know the Lord is there to help us so much!!!!

 

Well I don't know how much time I have left on the computer because we are at a Collage library and they are pretty busy today but I want to tell you about this really cool family that I'm just loving so much!! They are the Prigmores and it's a part-member family. Amy is the wife and she is a member and Jay is the husband and he is not a member.  Before they got married Amy had 6 kids and the 3 older kids are members and the 3 youngest which includes twins are not members. They just love us missionaries!!! Jay was taught before and he felt pushed and he didn’t like it.  He is an Army or Navy guy so he is BIG and TUFF!!!! But he is the nicest guy ever!! It was cool last Monday because we went and played racquet ball with them.  They just love that sport and we're gonna do it again tonight with them.  When we shared our lesson with the family, Jay opened up to us and said that we are welcome anytime to stop by and say hi and that he doesn't want us to forget them. And for sure I'm not gonna forget them! They are just too cool!!!!! I can't wait for ya'll to meet them when we come back to see my mission hopefully! That would be so cool and then we could all go play racquet ball!!! But they are just an awesome family and we got Jay and Amy to come to church yesterday because all four of us missionaries had to speak in Church. We told them we were speaking and Jay told us he would be there and they came!!! How cool is that!!! My talk went well yesterday; I talked about prayer and I got a lot of compliments on my talk and some people used it in the classes that followed which I was shocked. But hey they liked it. And mom can you believe I am preparing talks by myself and not asking for ya'll help!!! WOW I'm growing up!!! LOL!!! I just used my scriptures and "Preach My Gospel" and the awesome Ensigns you send me each month!! I love getting those and reading them!!! It's just so cool the things you learn and grow from in the Ensigns!!!!

 

Well mom I have a week left and will then be done with my second journal!!! WOW another journal done and I will be on my 3rd; how crazy is that?  It's cool that I have been able to write in my journal every day, well almost everyday. But I do catch up and tell my journal about the days I have missed so I have like every day written down in my journal!! I love keeping a journal and being able to look back and read all the wonderful things I have done and to see the cute pictures that I put in my journal.  It's gonna be so nice to be able to go through my journal with ya'll when I come home and to be able to show my journal to my future kids and to have that be a testimony for them that the Lord can help you through anything!!!

 

Man, I'm just doing really well, but don't be shocked if next week will be hard, because the adversary likes to bring ya down all the time!!! But it makes us stronger and helps our testimonies grow ya know! Well I know this isn't a really long letter but I have to get writing to President Moldenhauer and then we have to go shopping and we are also gonna try to write more letters because I need to write some people. But just know that I think about ya'll a lot and miss ya tons! I'm so grateful to have a family that is so supportive and helps me out so much and is praying a lot for me! Ya'll are the best and I'm so grateful to have friends to hear from and to see how much they are growing as well as I am. This Gospel of Jesus Christ is so true and I thank my Heavenly Father every day that He has given me this wonderful blessing of serving a mission.  I know without Him to rely on that I couldn't get through every day that I go through. I know He is always there.  I know the Book of Mormon to be true and that we have it for us to read and study from and to apply in our lives.  It can help us in these hard times that we go through. We have a Prophet to lead and guide this Church so we can have that direction from him to help us return to live with our Heavenly Father again. I know this Church is true and for anyone who is debating on whether to go on a mission ... go! Going on a mission is the best thing ever! Yes, you do read my letters and see how I struggle sometimes but the Lord is helping me become more like my Savior Jesus Christ so I can be that example and teacher to others so they will know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Life isn't easy  but neither was the Atonement that our Savior had to go through. This Gospel is so amazing and I just love doing what I am doing even though I struggle but the Lord is there!

 

Well I love ya'll and miss ya tons I hope to hear from ya soon! And mom have so much fun with the grandkids and give them loves from Aunt Lou!! Have a great week!

 

 Love Sister Hawkins!