Miracles happening in Baytown!

Monday, February 06, 2012

Dear Mom,

Wow, what an amazing week! We had hard times and we had good times! I just want to say that the Gospel is so true and that God's plan is the plan we need to follow and apply to our lives! I have had a great week that has strengthened my testimony so much and it's making me sad that my time is running out because I want to keep having these experiences that just touch my life so much! Well I don't have much time today because we are going to Battleship Texas so that should be fun. The other missionaries haven't been before, just I have! Super Excited!

Well to start off we had an awesome miracle happen on Wednesday that I just have to share! Super cool! I thought about keeping it to share with ya'll at my homecoming but it's too cool and I just have to share it! Sister Cochran and I are super excited! Wednesday was turning out to be a really hard day because things were not going well and it was not a very pretty day weather wise as it had been raining off and on all day! That morning Sister Cochran had a doctor’s appointment and then for lunch we went grocery shopping since we had just received our new missionary funds for the month and had no food in the house, especially with my silly diet! After that we visited with a lady named Sondra that we had previously met on Monday and set up an appointment with her on Wednesday. She had never heard of Mormons or LDS and so on when she saw us again she was just so excited to see us so that was pretty neat. After our visit with Sondra we went home and ate but Sister Cochran wasn't feeling too well so she took a little nap and then we were off again to do more missionary work. We tried to see people but they weren't home and we were really struggling to know what to do. It was not a good time to go tracting yet as no one would be home during the day. We tried visiting another person but she wasn't having a good day so we didn't really stay too long. After visiting with her, we tried a couple more people but no one was home. Sister Cochran decided we should just go tracting anyway so she picked a street and we went to it. The houses were all colorful and it started to rain again and it looked like a lot of Spanish people lived there so we knew if we went tracting on that street that it would not be productive because we can't speak Spanish; then it started to rain harder.

We both didn’t know what to do and neither one of us really felt like tracting but realized we needed to and one of us needed to make a decision. So I stepped up and made the decision. I decided we were not going to tract on the street we were currently on and after looking at the map I decided we were going to tract on Mabry Street. I also decided we were going to tract the street no matter what it looked like and even if there were a lot of Spanish people living there. So we drove to the street and the rain had let up again. It was a really long street and I suggested that we park in the middle of the street and just start in the middle and go to the end of the street. But Sister Cochran decided we should just park at the end and start at the beginning and so that is what we did. After tracting and walking a ways, it started to sprinkle! I looked at Cochran and said, “Let’s sing songs or talk and just be happy right now!” So we started to sing "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" and we were having a good time. We knocked on several doors and no one was interested and the time was moving so slow! I was going crazy! Soon we saw this guy sitting on his porch just watching us. We knocked on a couple more doors and then went to his house.

As we were walking up to him he had a friend that came out to get something from the car and they both laughed and I thought to myself, “This guy might bash on us or make fun of us and this is going to add to the already hard day we were having!” Well guess what? I was so wrong! The guy was so nice and his name is Hugo! He is a very funny guy and so awesome! We told him who we were and what we do and we asked if we could come back and teach him more. He said, “I have a few minutes right now.” And WOW, that blew both of us away! So we sat on his porch and we were talking with Hugo and started teaching the first lesson. I was thinking of inspired questions that I really have never asked anyone before and we taught him all of lesson one and it was just so cool. During the lesson he told us how a couple of days earlier there were Sisters visiting with his mom that were Mormons and they wanted to make tortillas and see her again. They were the Spanish missionaries. So his mom had told him about these missionaries that had come to see her and he thought to himself, “I want to meet them.” He then told us how he said a prayer and asked God if one day he could meet the Sister missionaries. And then apparently earlier when Sister Cochran and I were walking down the street, he saw us and he wondered if it was the Sisters or Mormons that met with his mom. He told us he was waiting on his porch for us. We then told him that we were the answer to his prayer.

We then got to the First Vision and Sister Cochran got a picture from the pamphlet we give out and she gave him the picture of Joseph Smith’s First Vision! While she was reciting the first vision I was looking at Sister Cochran and then I looked up at Hugo and he was just looking at the picture and just wouldn't take his eyes off the picture! When she was done telling the story we asked Hugo what he was feeling and he said, “Wow, this is me. This is what I am going through right now.” He had tears in his eyes. Then I started to tell him about the Book of Mormon and he was like, “Look at my arms, I have goose bumps!” And he really did. I then told Hugo that it was the spirit telling him and testifying to him that the things we were telling him were true. It was so cool. The spirit was there and he was like, “This is what I need and maybe this is what can help me and my family.” We testified to him how the Gospel blesses families and how we are brought closer together in the gospel to help our families grow stronger. It was so cool!

Well we got his information we kinda committed him to baptism. He said he wants to get baptized but we didn't set a date. But we have an appointment on Tuesday (tomorrow) to do a church tour and guess who is going to be there … President Crawford! Yep, for real! During our weekly planning we were figuring out who could come with us to go on the church tour and President Crawford kept popping into my head. So I asked Sister Cochran what she thought and she didn't think he would be able to since he is so busy but she said that I could call him so I did. And man I was so scared to call and asked. He told me that he didn’t have anything planned for that day and that he would love to come! So President Crawford is going to be in our Church Tour appointment with Hugo and we are going to set a baptism date for Hugo with President Crawford there! So that is going to be so much fun tomorrow! NO PRESSURE!! Only our mission President is going to be there. But I think it's cool he can come and help us teach the Gospel!

Well after our experience with Hugo, the rest of the evening went well! I think the Lord tested Sister Cochran and me to see what we were going to do with all the oppositions we were having that day. But we stuck it out! I will admit though, I just wanted to go in and not work and be lazy because it was a sad day with things not working out and I was wondering what was happening because we have been having such a good time going out and teaching and seeing people and now this. But it was a learning experience! I loved what Sister Cochran said earlier that day, “Don't worry, there will be a miracle today!” And it was so true! So True!

Well yesterday was an emotional day! It was my last Fast and Testimony Meeting! The Spirit was so strong! I was crying the whole time and I knew I needed to share my testimony before I go so I got up and bore my testimony. All I can remember really is telling whoever is preparing to go on a mission needs to go because it’s such a wonderful thing that they will have their whole life to look back upon it. I told them I have learned so much about the gospel and the Book of Mormon that it just really has blessed my life! And yesterday I was thinking while I was sitting in Church that next Fast Sunday I'm going to be sitting next to you Mom! How crazy is that?!? Wow, time is moving so fast! I can't believe my time serving the Lord is almost done! But it's been so much fun and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the Lord.

Well I have to go because it's time to hurry and go shopping and then head to Battleship Texas! Yeah I'm so excited! Well I got to go! I love you and can't wait to hear from you! Oh I was wondering if you can get me some dried Mango there at Sams Club … they are so good! If not it's all good! I love you! Have a great week!

Love Sister Hawkins!