WEEK 56- Head, Heart and Soul....or moms title....OVERLOAD!!

Holy cow. Holy cow holy cow. Ohh my word. What an amazing week.

Seriously one of the bests. Of this month. Of my mission. Of my life.

And the sad part is there is literally like no way to express it all

over email

AndI'm so sorry, I'm am warning you right now this might not be one of

those emails that makes a ton of sense...in fact I pretty much know it

won't because my mind doesn't make much sense right now. But it makes

sense in my heart so that's what we're going with.

First …we were riding home the other night and there were just

a few deer in the road! Haha Wooho Montana!!

So. Last week. Eek. Haha asking a missionary to sum up more than a one

week in one email is like asking me to never go to the beach

again...it just can't be done.

BUT—

last week we had 2 exchanges and it was awesome! Gosh we have

such amazing sisters here. We were with the YSA sisters for 2 days and

with the Frenchtown sisters for 2 days. They're all incredible and it

was such a fun week. We had some solid lessons! We had one with M

and that was amazing. I was with Sister Timothy and the member we have

been bringing is so awesome . We were talking about the Book of Mormon and in

the middle of the lesson Morgan just kinda blurts out "can I say

something?" Then she started tearing up and talking about the gospel.

She bore the most beautiful testimony about how this gospel has

blessed her life and helped her not just realize that she has a reason

to live, but she deserves to be happy as well. She testified of how

knowing that there is a God has turned her life around. It was

amazing. Just to see the impact that one simple but profound truth of

the gospel has. When we know that we have a Father in Heaven who loves

us and wants us to be happy, it changes us.

He shows us all the time ….One quick one, on exchanges, Sister Timothy

and I were walking and met this sweet woman on the street. We started

talking with her and turns out she's from Laos. We came back and

started teaching her but she's a little tough to understand because

she slips between English and Laos sometimes. Haha the miracle though,

right before ward council and we were telling Brother McBride, our

ward mission leader, about her and then randomly this other brother

who happened to be filling in for the young men's president that day

was like "hey, I served my mission in San Diego!" Haha at first we

were super confused, then he's like "so I served there and I spoke

Laos, so if you need a translator I can come!" Haha it was awesome!

Little answer to prayers haha:)

So now the fun part. Mission tour. Lots and lots of craziness!! ….

Can I just say it was amazing. So we had a long few days of sitting. We got ready and had ward council at 7:30 am, then straight into church, then after church, when home and threw things in

the car and drove 2 hours to Helena. Met with the Sisters there, then

drove the 4 1/2 hours to Billings. Haha and can I just say we had way

too much fun in the car. Love those sisters!!

THE BEST PART was I GOT TO SEE MICHELLE!!!!!!!! We
swung by her house but she
wasn't there..so we sadly drove to the church to get the sisters. But
then as I was filling up my water bottle the church door opened and
Michelle walked in!!! Eek I died!!! So so happy. She heard from the
sisters that I was swinging through and came to say hi!! I love her so
much. She's doing amazing. She is the secretary in the relief society
presidency now. And she introduced her friend to the gospel and her
friend just got baptized ! And they went to the temple
to do baptisms.
my heart is so full. Love this woman.
 

  Haha then we spent the

night in Billings and had to be at mission tour at 8:30. We had an

incredible meeting till 3:00. President and Sister Wadsworth both

spoke, and Elder and Sister Andersen, then he did a questions and

answers session. It was SOOO good! ---Also funny side note-it's like

the joke throughout the mission now of why President put Sister

Fletcher and I together. Haha as we were exiting the chapel for

lunch-very reverently I might add!!- President came up to us and was

like "now Sisters, we have a general authority here! Can you two

behaves yourselves?!" Haha the. He just cracks up…Then MLC !!!

 Then we jumped in the car and drove

the 4 1/2 hours back to Helena, spent the night there, and did it all

over again the next morning 8:30-3. But it was just amazing. Superb.

So spiritually strengthening. It's so difficult to put to words

everything we learned because often times the things that hit the

hardest aren't always in the words that are said, but in the feelings

to the heart.

But if there's one good nugget that I can kinda explain, it goes right

along with that. It's the difference between head knowledge, heart

knowledge and soul knowledge. Elder Andersen taught us all about this.

How head knowledge is academic. It's memorization, it's things you

learn through your 5 senses. And how we have to learn this way first.

But in order to build desire and motivation, we have to have heart

knowledge. It's things you feel, thoughts you have, and the Spirit is

110% necessary to have heart knowledge. Then in order to actually act,

we take that knowledge from our head, find desire through our heart

and then we go and do. We act. And then it becomes soul knowledge. It

was amazing.

For family--I don't even know. I don't even know if any of  this is making

sense? Haha but this week has been amazing. …and one more amazing thing…

after the meeting, President pulled Sister

Fletcher and I aside and said that Elder and Sister Andersen had a few minutes and

wanted to interview some missionaries. So we

got to go in another room with them after all the missionaries had

left, and sit and talk with them. It was amazing. One of the spiritual

hi lights of a lifetime. The spirit that comes when a servant of the

Lord speaks and discerns is powerful. It was incredible to just have

the Spirit testify to me, once again that this church is true. That we

have a Heavenly Father who loves us.

 This is Christ's church and it is directed by a prophet of God. The organization of this church is

inspired. It is divine and I know without a doubt that this is true.

There is so much. So so much that I can't even explain, but I can

honestly say that I have been changed through these past few days. I

have experienced the head, heart and soul knowledge. We went and

soaked it in, we learned things. But the key is we learned through the

spirit. It went from our heads to our hearts. And now, here we are

going to apply it! To make it part of us. To make it soul knowledge.

Gosh. I am so happy. So full. So loving life. This has been one of the

best weeks ever. Ever ever. I love being a missionary. I love this

work. I love Montana. I love the people we serve and those we serve

with. I love the Wadsworths. I love my companion. I am SOOO happy!!!

And most of all I love the Lord and this gospel

It truly changes people.

I love you all! Sorry this is way scattered. But my brain is still

recuperating from being blown spiritually this week. It's the best. I

love you!!!!

W/<3

Sister Hodgson

 MONTANA IS SOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!

 COOKIE DOUGH AND LIFE LONG FRIENDS




















HOW MANY SISTERS DOES IT TAKE TO BLOW UP AN AIR MATTRESS??

And.... at mission tour ,Because we got to go to both, in Billings
and in Helena, I GOT TO SEE SISTER RASMUSSEN!!! She's starting her last transfer so this will probably be the last time I get to see her until we're both home. But I love her guts!!!

WEEK 55- A little bit of everything

 Off to Ice Cream and  Clark Fork....I will send more later ...love you!

 

 

WE ARE BACK!

Woah crazy week!! Sorry if this is a little scattered today...haha

it's been another crazy week of exchanges and work! So...first off-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY SHOUT OUT!! Wooho. Hope it was a good one and fun in Utah!!

And--

HAPPY ALMOST ANNIVERSARY MOMMY AND DADDY!! Im so grateful you chose to

get married in a temple of the Lord. So amazing and the blessings that

have come are incredible. Love you both, thank you for your examples

of love and marriage and serving God. Love you!!!!

Okay and now the business stuff....

So we have mission tour next week with Elder Wilford W. Andersen. I'm

 excited! But it's gona be a crazy week. We leave right after church

on Sunday at about 1:00 and drive to Helena! We'll get there around 3

and then carpool with the sisters there down to billings and get there

at about 9 at night. We'll have mission tour there, from 8:30-3 and

then we'll have MLC with Elder Andersen right after. Then we'll drive

back to Helena that night and spend the night there, then we'll do it

all again and have mission tour round 2 there in Helena from 8:30-3

and then drive back to Missoula! So crazy week coming up....so we

won't really get much of a preparation day, but I'll be emailing on

Wednesday of next week instead of Monday! Just so you know:)

ANYWAY. So to be completely honest this week was a blur. A complete

blur. Haha for family--Sister Fletcher and I were talking and we're

just thinking how our focus is always our purpose and the people in

the area! But some weeks there's a special emphasis on our purpose

with the Sisters....I kinda feel like this was one of those weeks.

Haha so lots of time was spent on exchanges and reports to president

and preparing for exchanges and talking with the zone leaders and

stuff like that...so lots of time

and energy was spent there. Which is totally fine.

So. M is doing well! She got a job! Yay!! She and us have been

praying for that! But it was her first week on the job and she was

exhausted and didn't come to church. Boo. :( but the upside is, one of

our members that is involved was like "NOO!! She didn't come!! Can I

have her number? I'm gona text her. Or maybe stop by and see how she's

doing!" So that's awesome. And we're going to see her tonight. Gosh

members are the best!! Everyone. Right now-go ask the missionaries in

your ward who you can help befriend and teach. It's the best and

you'll make the missionaries' day. Missionary work is the best!!

The P family...so I don't think I've mentioned them in a bit...but they

are doing AMAZING. They got callings! They now teach Sunday school

class to the 7-12 year olds. And they LOVE it.

They're now attending the temple prep class and loving it! Gosh I love them.  So keep them in

your prayers! That they can take the last few leaps to being ready for

the temple. :)

This week I went to Darby for exchanges with Sister Adamson! Darby is

an adorable little town about 1 1/2-2 hours away. It's super cute and

we had a great exchange there! We were super busy the whole time,

biking all around town and had some awesome miracles.

We also had exchanges with the Sisters from Blodgett Canyon this week.

Well this was going to be a short and sweet email, but the second I

sit down and try to think of what all happened this week, things keep

flooding back into my brain, so sorry about that...haha but last thing

I promise! So we had interviews with President this week. Gosh I love

that man. He is amazing, inspired and loving. And a total goofball.

But that part is probably why we get along so well:) haha he told

sister Fletcher and I that as he's gone around doing interviews, he

has had atleast 5 people say some variation of the sentence "what were

you thinking putting those two together?!" Hahaha he thinks it

hilarious. He's amazing.

And along with interviews, Sister Wadsworth called us and asked if she

could come out teaching so us for the night! So we picked her up from

their hotel and took her to our appointments with us! It was SOOO good

to spend that time with her! Gosh I love her so much. We had a crazy

night, but the Spirit was so there and very strong. She is amazing and

can bring the Spirit in like nothing else. It was amazing to see. I

love the Wadsworths!!

Well sorry-this week was a little scattered, a little random, a lot of

the Spirit... But that's been the week. I love being a missionary. I

love Missoula and I love the people here! I love my companion, I love

President and Sister Wadsworth. I love my family, I love this gospel

and I love the Lord!!

 

W/<3

Sister Hodgson

 

SO-on exchanges in Darby....we're having dinner and the member
were with see a bunny outside....so she gets up and casually grabs her
compact bow and goes out to shoot it! Hahaha Montana right?! 

                                                             

    -Young Sister Conrad is on her way to Brazil!! Wooho! 

(Also excuse the nasty hair...we got $5 hair cuts from the hair
                         

  school....bad choice. Haha)