Still waiting to hear about Emily’s surgery date. We think the holdup has to do with her medical insurance. I will post a date just as soon as I hear anything. I am posting two letters from Sister Hawkins this week; the first is the email I received today, April 4th, and below that is a letter we received in the mail this past Friday that she had written last Monday, March 28th, after President Moldenhauer told her about Roger Waters’ passing. Following these two letters is another post entitled “Hump Day Package”. Emily is coming up on her half way mark and we are putting together a “Hump Day Package” to send her and would love for you to participate in this package with us. Be sure and read the “Hump Day Package” post for all the instructions. Thank you again to all of you for your love, support, and prayers on Emily’s behalf.
Email - Monday, April 4, 2011
Hey Mom,
Wow I loved your e-mail today telling me I get some things of Rogers that are going to be dear and special to me! I really loved the pictures you sent me of the corner shelf and the microwave table! It's going to be perfect for my future home! I'm gonna love it! Can't wait to hear from your letter of what else I got! It's going to be exciting but I bet it's going to be a teary-eyed letter reading about Roger's funeral! I bet it was lovely and very wonderful to hear about his life and things that he had over come in his life. I wish I could have been there but I know I need to be here on my mission. The Lord wants me here and it's really interesting, I feel like Roger is right beside me sometimes telling me to keep on going. I do feel like he is watching over me. I sure am going to miss Roger a whole bunch! I have been praying for Roger's family to receive comfort and peace that Roger is in a totally better place. I can't wait to come home and be able to meet Marilyn and to talk with her. I think it would be cool if she could come to my homecoming and get to see me so I can give her a big hug!
Well mom things have been so tough for me this week as a missionary! I have been having a lot more pain coming and going and I have been feeling kinda light headed and dizzy in the mornings. I know it's because of my gall bladder not making me feel well but that doesn't stop me from doing the work of the Lord, though it's tough yes, but I am doing it. Well I called the doctor’s office on Thursday to see what's going on and to tell them that I still didn’t have an appointment to see a stomach doctor. They said they would call me back that day but they didn't. I let Sister Moldenhauer know and she told me to call her if they got a hold of me. Well I called the doctor’s again on Friday mid morning telling them I called on Thursday and that they didn't call me back so the nice lady did more explaining and said that they are waiting on dad's insurance saying it's gonna cover it, or something like that. And they said for sure they will be calling me Monday. So then I called Sister Moldenhauer and told her what was going on and she said if they haven't called me on Monday to let her know and that she is going to find a doctor in Kingwood to get this process going. Which I think is good because I hate feeling crummy and in pain off and on during the day and sometimes all of a sudden I feel sick and just feel like crap, man this gall bladder business is no fun! But I know when the time is right I will have my surgery so I'm just relying on the Lord for His help and for His strength to get me through this process.
Something else that has been hard this week is showing Sister Kinikini around. Man it's been such a struggle and most times I just have no idea what to do because sometimes the people aren't home and that's super frustrating and I try to figure out who we need to see and it's just been really hard. It's been so stressful like no other. I feel bad because Sister Kinikini doesn't know what to do for the area because she doesn't know it yet and it's just been so hard and very stressful and I've been so tired lately and I'm so behind on my journal writing that it's sad. I’m doing my best to catch up but it's just been so busy trying to lead the area and to teach Sister Kinikini at the same time. She has been out one transfer longer then me and so she is kinda still new to this stuff too. But mom she has truly been a huge blessing in my life at this time. She gets me and she understands me and she is helping me all the time and just letting me know it's going to be okay and not to worry or stress. She has been a huge example of saying prayers and praying for the little small simple things. She is truly an amazing woman and a great friend. She really reminds me of Kaylee. We are just having so much fun taking lots of pictures and having late talks sometimes, and we always have fun talking about different stuff. She is truly a blessing and I for sure know that she is going to help me out so much when I have that surgery! She is going to be my life saver!
Well now for an update on Lauro. Sister Kinikini and I got done teaching him all the lessons and we are baptizing him this coming Friday and I'm going to be talking at the baptism about the Holy Ghost so I'm gonna be preparing his talk this whole next week. Sister Singleton will be able to come back for his baptism so that is exciting for Lauro, he was excited to hear that. He came to the morning sessions of conference on Saturday and Sunday and he was interviewed by Elder Walker, our District Leader, to make sure he understands the basics of the Gospel. So things are just on a roll with Lauro. He really liked conference and he didn't get tired or anything. He was focused the whole time which was totally awesome! We also had a new investigator come to the Sunday morning session and she liked it but said she didn't understand some of it but that she liked it. She is going to be a little longer to work with because she wants to really make sure she understands a whole lot of things and the Gospel. She wants to really come to church and to check things out which is cool and plus that is what we want all our investigators to do! But we have really no new people to teach so we are just doing a lot of tracting and trying old potentials. So the work has been tough and is slow right now.
But something cool is that Sister Kinikini and I had a talk last night about really organizing the area. We have a really big ward and we have so many less-actives which is sad. So we are going to color code a lot of stuff and really get things organized and try to work with the less-actives to help them come back to church. We are thinking this is what we probably are called here to do this transfer because there aren’t really a lot of people who are interested right now so maybe our work is helping the ward with the less-actives. It's going to be fun during our weekly planning this week … it's going to be long and hard, but it's going to be so worth it getting lots of stuff organized!
Well my Book of Mormon reading is so good and I'm understanding lots of things more and more. I'm in 3 Nephi right know and I can't wait to get to the chapter where Christ visits the people in chapter 11! It's so cool to read a little bit every day and to have that understanding of the Book of Mormon because we are always reading it. It seems like if I miss a day that the storyline gets a little confusing because I really can't remember what had happened so it's been fun learning new things from reading every day. I hope you and dad's reading is going well and that you are just learning and growing so much from reading the Book of Mormon every day. And mom that is really what is going to help us each day is if we read the Book of Mormon and if we don't, we are really not going to be prepared for the second coming! So I hope you and dad keep continue on reading and when I come home I can see your Book of Mormons all marked up and well used! LOL!
Well I really enjoyed General Conference. I still remember when I saw you and dad and Rachel and Jackson last year on TV at General Conference. I was kinda hoping to see ya this year! LOL, but I know you weren't there. I loved all the talks and the words that they spoke. The spirit was strong and it's cool that new temples are going to be built in Canada, Colorado and in Idaho!!!!!!! The work of the Lord is just progressing everywhere and it's just a blessing that the Lord's children are getting found and are being brought back to the fold! The work I am doing is so cool and so worthwhile. I hope you and dad think about doing a mission when your guys are older and retired! It will be such a wonderful experience for you to have in your life and to see the lives that you touch and the people you help to come closer to our Heavenly Father. But it's up to you and dad and it's not up to us kids to force ya to go and do a mission. But think about it okay! It's the best ever!
Hmm.... I'm trying to figure out what else to write ya about this last week. It's just been stressful trying to figure out the doctors and to show Sister Kinikini around so not a whole lot else happening. But oh yeah, last Tuesday was Sister Kinikini's birthday and I found out Monday so guess what I did for her birthday? I went to the dollar store and I bought balloons and streamer stuff and some cool glasses and a picture frame and a brownie mix! Then Monday night I prayed that the Lord would help me wake up early so I could blow up balloons to try to decorate the house. Well the Lord heard my prayer and so I got up and quietly blew up all the balloons, tied string on them, hid them in the closet where we store our bikes, and sneaked back into bed before the alarm went off. We got up, did our morning walk and then we came back. While she was busy showering and getting ready I hung the balloons from the ceiling and then hung some streamers all around the room and on the door. I totally surprised her! Then get this, I made a hole in an apple and put in two candles and then knocked on our bedroom door and sang Happy Birthday to her when she opened the door. She loved it. So she had a pretty good birthday! She got lots of phone calls that day from our mission, everyone singing happy birthday to her. So yeah that was fun and easy!
Well mom it's sad that this letter is short but I don't really have much to say. I am getting a package together to send home because I don't want to be stressing at the end of transfers trying to send stuff home. I was also wondering if I can get more stamps! That would be so awesome! Well mom I love you lots and thanks for being the wonderful supportive mother that you are! I hope you are getting phone calls letting you know what's going on with my stomach but don't worry too much!
I love you mom and I hope you have a great week and just know I am always thinking of you and the family! Things are going to work out for me! Just know the Lord is watching over me and I have an awesome companion who is helping me so much and President and Sister Moldenhauer are just a phone call away to always help me and I have awesome Elders who hold the Priesthood and who are good and dear friends!
Tell everyone Hi!
Love Sister Hawkins
Letter - Monday, March 28, 2011
Hey Mom and Dad,
Well I got the call from President this morning right after I got through e-mailing ya'll. When my new companion told me to call President, I knew that it might be Roger. And it hurt, I'm not going to lie, this is hard to accept. And it's sad to not go to the funeral and to hear of his life and to celebrate the life that Roger had. I do know he is in a better place! I can truly testify to that! Roger isn't in pain anymore, and he can be happy!
I miss the times when me and dad would take him his Sunday dinner and he would just go so crazy over the yummy pumpkin cake that everybody just loves! So mom, please make some for Roger's funeral for the family, in loving memory of Roger! He would just get so excited over the cake! LOL I miss Roger's voice. I really wish I could hear his awesome cool voice Roger had! I miss his personality! I hate it that I'm not there! Today after I heard the news I cried. I did, but I made sure to have fun with my new companion. I didn't want her first day in La Porte to be crummy because of a loss of a loved one! I said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me today and He did. It's just hard right now because we're inside and we're not working and I'm thinking of what happened. I'm not crying because I just know where he is! I think if I wasn't on a mission I would be a balling mess and just saying it's not fair! But we go through this life to do our best and become more like our Savior!
Mom, Dad, always use the Atonement in your life, if its a mistake, ask for forgiveness, if it's to carry your sorrows, burdens, or pains, use and apply the Atonement. In John 3:16-17 it tells us God gave his beloved son. Christ died for us. He carried our sorrows, pains and our mistakes that we make. We can come so much closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ if we apply what the Gospel truly teaches us! I'm truly grateful for the gospel and knowing His plan and knowing why we are here ... to become like Him and to go home someday. Wow, I wouldn't have this strong of a testimony of God's Plan or the power of the Atonement or of Priesthood blessings if I had not gone on this mission.
Mom, Dad, this gospel is so true! I testify I know of these things to be true!
Things are going to get better. President called me tonight to see how I was doing but its going to be hard when were in our apartment in the evenings and mornings. He's probably going to be checking on me throughout the next couple of days.
Well the surgery doctor's nurse scheduler hasn't called me yet but if she hasn't called me by Wednesday or Thursday, I'll be making a phone call to figure it out! So Sister Moldenhauer will likely call you at the end of the week! Well just know I love you both so much! And please send a funeral announcement program, or anything if he's in the newspaper. I would love to have it.
But all is well with this missionary! I have my challenges but I have the Lord on my side! Well love ya'll so much and I hope to hear from ya'll soon. You’re the best parents every! Don't forget we got the most amazing thing in the world ... the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! That can get us through anything!
F.R.O.G Fully Rely On God
Love Sister Hawkins
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