Testimony continues to grow!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Dear Mom,

What a beautiful day in Texas even with is being chilly outside today! I want to tell you about the experiences I have had this past week and tell you that I know that God lives and that He truly answers our prayers and truly knows us personally!

Well for starters it's been a hard week! The Lord seems to want me to learn lots from the companions that I have had lately! So this week was hard, we didn't do our best, we didn't talk with one another and we were not being the missionaries the Lord needed us to be! We were just frustrated with each other because we are really two different people with really different personalities! It was getting harder and harder everyday but we still went out and did our best to serve the Lord!

Well on New Year's Eve I was ignoring the Elders phone call to turn in the car miles because I just wanted to be alone and Sister Higley was already in bed. We had come in at 8:00 p.m. for our safety because people like to drink and drive for the New Year and President Crawford wanted all the missionaries to be safe and sound! I was taking advantage of the quiet time to finish reading the Book of Mormon. Before starting to read I was praying to God and asking for the spirit to be with me and to not be angry or upset with my companion! While I was reading I heard a knock at the door and it was the Elders coming to check on us. I felt bad because the reason they had come was because I did a big no no and didn't answer their phone call! But they were glad we were safe and they left. I continued reading the Book of Mormon because I only had a little bit left! While I was reading I just wasn't feeling the spirit at all; I felt so alone and just not happy with all the things that have been going on and I just knew I needed to say another prayer so that's what I did. I poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven asking what I need to do because I just don't know what to do anymore. During my prayer I felt prompted to also ask about the Book of Mormon and do Moroni’s challenge by asking if the book was true. When I was asking God if the Book of Mormon was true and if it's the word of God and if Prophets really wrote those things, something cool happened. I just felt the spirit testifying to me that it was true and that Prophets really wrote those messages in the Book of Mormon! Mom I just don't know how to describe the feeling I had on New Year's Eve! I know the Book of Mormon is true, if it wasn't we wouldn't have the Gospel that we have today; we wouldn't have the Priesthood keys that are restored upon the earth and we wouldn't know God's plan that He has for us! It's the best thing ever!

Well after my prayer I just sat there and pondered on my prayer and I looked in the back of my old copy of the Book of Mormon I had gotten from the Moldenhauers at the beginning of my mission. Every time I had finished the Book of Mormon I would write my testimony in the back of the book so I decide to go back and read them! WOW, the growth in my testimony was so cool to see and to read! I have gained a stronger testimony each time I have read the Book of Mormon. By reading my testimonies in my other two books I was reminded of the struggles I had gone through at those particular times and how the Book of Mormon helped me through those tough times. I could also see how the Book of Mormon has been helping me this past time as I read it for the third time. I hope all this makes sense! But it's so cool! I was really proud of myself because before President Moldenhauer left he committed me to read the Book of Mormon three times a year! And guess what? I did it this last year! I am so proud of myself that I have kept that commitment! :) I have started the Book of Mormon again and it's been a blessing to reread it again! And my hope is to finish it before I come home! I just love the Book of Mormon! I have truly grown to love it lots!

I must say I'm truly grateful for the power of the Priesthood and the blessings that we get from it! The last couple of days have been tough between me and my companion and so I texted the District Leader to ask for some advice of what to do because I'm tired of it and just so upset. So two nights ago Elder Tracy and Elder Taney came over to talk with me and they helped me to figure out what I need to do and they told me I needed to continue to have patience and to just let things go, which in my case is hard and frustrating. Then last night they came over again to talk with Sister Higley and then they talked to both of us. We all set goals to help Baytown 2nd Ward and to help me and Sister Higley get through these next two weeks! They then asked us if we wanted a blessing. So we were both given a blessing and the Spirit was so strong in our home. I got a blessing from Elder Tracy and it was a very powerful, spiritual blessing! During that blessing I knew that God truly knows me and He is here to help me! I can't even describe to you how I felt during the blessing and the spirit was really, really strong! After the blessing the Spirit was in our home again and it was amazing! I have truly missed feeling that and it's nice to have it back!

Well guess what? Our church now starts at 1:00 pm! Man it's been a while since I have had church in the afternoon! Super crazy! It's nice because we can do our studies and prepare for the day before we go to church without having to get up super early like we used to since we had early morning meetings we had to go to before church started. So afternoon is cool! This last week at church was very powerful and it was just wonderful to be spiritually fed! I learned so much and felt the spirit! I think it was from the prayer on Saturday evening when I poured out my heart to the Lord and asked for His help! We learned about making new years resolutions and how important they are and how we need them to help us out! We talked about both physical and spiritual goals and how we need them both. So I have been thinking about the spiritual goals that I want to do this year. I haven't thought of any yet but I do still want to read the Book of Mormon three times again this year and maybe read the Bible all the way through. Relief Society was great too! We learned more about revelation and having better communication with God! Just so cool! Wow, what a great day at church. It was also awesome because there was a family at church who are not members and they were checking out the church and all the lessons were really good for them and their little boy loved primary! So that was cool. We have never met them before but they are in the Elders area but when we met them they seemed like they would want Sister Missionaries so we will see! But it was great to have them at church on Sunday!

Well guess what? We get to go to the Temple in January! Yeah! Super excited! I don't know a date yet but it's gonna be cool. I will go in January and then again before I come home. I will get to go with President and Sister Crawford and it's gonna be cool because it's only me and a Spanish Elder that are going home next month so it's gonna be nice to just have lots of one on one time with them and not have so many missionaries around! But it's gonna be weird being at there home and not being with a companion and sleeping in a room by myself! Weird … don't want to think of that … but I'm just excited to go to the temple! I hope you and I can come back to my mission so you can come with me to the Texas Houston Temple and also go around and explore my mission! So ya'll need to save money mom because I'm gonna come back this year and I would just love to have you come with me eh! It will be super fun! Then you can explore the Texas culture! Good stuff!

Well this is what I basically have for this week! Super crazy the transfer is almost over! Wow! Time is flying by! And wow for the New Year! Well mom I hope you have a great week thanks for all you do love ya lots!

Love Sister Hawkins