WEEK 70- Things will work out....in HIS timing

Hey my family. Crazy week this week. Missions really are a full time

of ups and downs and all arounds! This week was one of those. Such

awesome miracles last week! And little Satan doesn't like that one

bit. He kinda makes me a bit peeved sometimes. Sorry this is kinda a

weird letter......its just kinda what's been feeling lately...

So this week started off good! We had great people we were working with and serving ..

 But toward the end of the week, Satan

started to work hard….Its started to Rain in the weather…and lots of others

things started to happen too!

 

So L came with us to a relief society activity this week!

 she has been doing so well and last week was such an amazing experience!

 But she's amazing and Satan is working double time on her….

she has had some sadness and concerns .. So we postponed her Baptismal date.

She's meeting with  bishop and were still teaching her, but she said it looks like it's

going to be a while. We are so glad that she takes the covenant of baptism so seriously!

She does not want to be baptized until she knows she can fully live all of the

commandments. But there's also that part of faith and trusting that as

we live the commandments the Lord will provide a way for things to

work out. Satan is just putting those fears back in her head. Not okay

Satan.

Then with this weekend, M was supposed to be baptized on

Sunday. Our district leader said her baptismal interview went great,  the whole branch was on board, she had been taught in lots of the

branch members homes and so everyone knew her and she was ready! But

then, things happened-Satan happened-and we had to cancel her baptism

a few hours before. Honestly it was a little heartbreaking. Okay, a

lot heartbreaking

 To be honest it was a though week.

I've kinda been thinking and pondering a lot this week....what am I

doing that's slowing the work down? What can I do to be better? To fix

this? What can we do to help L feel peace and calm about her

commitment ? How can we help M? So much

going through my mind. And kinda a lot of sadness.

And to be completely honest, there was

a bit of frustration. Why did this happen? Why did she think that? Why

didn't this work out!

Did we not teach enough about these principles

and commitments? What did we miss

Then the more I started thinking, the more I realized how off the mark I was. All of these

thoughts and feelings and frustrations were focused where? Not on

Christ. It was "what's wrong with ME? I didn't do that right. Did I

not have enough faith? That's not what WE

thought should happen. That isn't how I thought things would go."

Etc.

The last few weeks, I've been reading a lot of talks and scriptures

and trying to focus on humility and turning my will over to God.

Trying and praying to make His will, my will and to just trust Him. So

this week was a humbling one. The more Sister Wong and I talked about

it together, the more we realized a bit of the lesson in this.

 All of the things that were happening, were the way that WE planned it at

first. But was it the right timing the Lord needed it to be? This work

is just completely the Lord's work. And we need to do it His way. I

feel like there are so many times in life where we want things to

happen, and we want them to happen now, the way we think it should.

And often times  these are  good

things, things the Lord wants too! But the thing of it is, it still

has to be in the Lord's timing. Whether it's a baptism, college, a

job, family, etc. no matter how much we want it, how much we think

it's a good idea or it makes sense, the Lord sees the whole picture

and He knows.

One of the talks in sacrament meeting yesterday was about how "it will

all work out" and trusting in our Savior and His atonement. That is

the best thing we can do. As I took the sacrament and pondered these

thoughts, I was rebuked by the Spirit a little bit...haha but I was

also given such a sense of hope and peace. I am so grateful to have a

loving Heavenly Father and a Brother, Jesus Christ, who see the whole

picture. It is so humbling and so comforting to know that God loves

each of us and knows what we need. It's such a simple truth. One of

the first truths we learn in this gospel. And I'm so grateful that He

is so patient with me as I try to learn, and relearn these

principles

It is  All in His timing. My

testimony of the Lord's plan was really strengthened this week. He

knows us. He loves us.

W/<3

Sister Hodgson                             Enjoy Conference we know you CAN.......

Ok...so there have been LOTS of bunnies around lately....and I just  had so much fun trying to catch one!!

WEEK 69- YOSO...Psych! or " LETS DO THIS"

Hello fam bam!! It's been another wonderful week here in Sheridan.

 

  It is starting to cool off So my comp thought my study picture was funny!

So our theme for this week has been YOSO-You Only Sheridan Once. Haha

(yea, maybe we're not super original.) Haha but PSYCH! Here, we

Sheridan twice because TRANSFERS!....

Sister Wong and I are both staying!! Wooho! We are super pumped for    

another transfer here together,,, and also surprised.

Our entire group is still STL…we thought sister Anderson and I would FOR SURE be released…..when he told us

I guess I looked shocked and he said “ yea,this group of sisters has given me many sleepless nights”

( mom note-Next transfer is the last for all of these STLs so who knows what will happen)

So this week was a whirlwind!! It started off in Gillette. We went up

for zone preparation day on Monday and then stayed there for an

exchange with the Gillette Spanish sisters. They're so awesome. We had

an wonderful  lesson with a woman who is trying be stronger in the gospel and

 to get her family to the temple. Again, everyone get to the temple!! Going this

long without being able to go inside the temple has been the trial of

a lifetime. It makes me just be so grateful to be so blessed to live

near one  when I go home and be able to go often. So take advantage of that and go!!:)

But also. SUCH A HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK WAS L AND M .

M is doing so well!!  And is preparing for baptism!  Keep her in your prayers if you would.

Satan is such a little stinker and really tries to work on people

right before their baptism.  She doesn't have the most

supportive family when it comes to her joining the church.  Why would people not want

others to change their lives for good??

Turns out her ex-husband had told her some

crazy things about the church. So Sunday morin when they got up for

church, Jacyn(her daughter) wouldn't go. She was scared about the

things her dad told her. Ugh Satan!!

But it all ended up okay. We had

an amazing lesson this week with her in the Reichert's (a family in

the branch) home. Holy cow does it make a difference having the lesson

in a home where the Spirit is already present.  We talked about the set up and systems of the

church and why they are there.

It turned out to be such a spirit filled night. We are

so excited for Michaela!!

Another miracle of the week is L. Gosh my heart is for her!!

She's amazing.  So you know last week she was having a hard time with tithing?! So the

lesson in church the next day was on guess what....tithing!! Haha and

holy cow. Everything everyone said was perfectly for her. It was

amazing to see the Spirit work on her throughout the lesson at church.

The next time we met with her, Sister Wong and I wanted to help her

recognize the importance of covenants so much! We had this WHOLE big

ole lesson plan about covenants and making and keeping and blessings

and all the good things...and then we walk in and after we get

started, she's like "yep, I'm ready to get baptized!" WHAT THE WHAT?! thank you

all for the prayers on her behalf.

...when I

first got to the area a few weeks ago, she was pretty sick and we

offered to help her receive a priesthood blessing and she wasn't

really up for it. Still pretty nervous about things, and it kinda made

her a little uncomfortable, just with the unknown of a lot of

things...so we haven't brought it up since.  Then as she has been feeling sick again

.. we felt prompted to bring up a blessing. And this

time she was like "...you know what, yes! I would love that. I know it

would help." She is so faithful.

So then on Saturday is was back to Gillette we go!! We had stake

conference this week so President and Sister Wadsworth came into town

and also Elder Foster of the seventy. Such a great conference weekend!

We drove the 2 hours to Gillette Saturday evening for the adult

session, spent the night there, then drove back to Sheridan for

conference at 2! (Here, the stake is pretty spread out so they had a

10:00 session in Gillette, then all the speakers and everyone drove up

to Sheridan for another session at 2:00). It was so amazing!

 But here's the things right before it started, we were sitting there with

some Ward members and L. She was feeling nervous and sick …unsure .

So this session was so amazing.

I don't even know what it was but the Spirit was just so strong. I

can't even tell you how hard we were praying for Leslie and for

strength for her. At the end after Elder Foster spoke, Leslie was just

crying. And we were so nervous because we couldn't tell if it was a

good or bad cry. After the conference, we went with her to bishops

office for him and our ward mission leader to give her a blessing. She

expressed her concerns to them and then they gave her a blessing.

Woah. The spirit was so strong. Her emotions eased as the spirit

filled the room. It was one of the most beautiful moments ever. After

the blessing was finished, she just looked so peaceful. The spirit was

there, and she just said the sweetest words of thanks. Then she turns

to us and says "okay. My fears are gone!! Let's do

this, when can we fill the tank?!" (That's what she calls the font.

Haha) my oh my the priesthood is real!

It is just so amazing to me how individual this gospel is. The gospel

is for everyone. Literally everyone. But it is also for each of us

personally. That was really testified to me this week how different

each of us are, but how everything in our lives has the same cure; the

atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. And that is what this gospel

brings knowledge of. I am SO so grateful for this gospel and the

change and the peace that it brings in each of our lives.

 I know that as we accept the gospel into our lives, it doesn't take away our

problems, but it helps us say as Leslie did "okay. My fears are gone.

Let's do this."

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!

W/<3

Sister Hodgson

Puppy Love......................

A branch member gave us a box of wonderful fresh veggies... Sister Wong has never Shucked Corn!...so it had to happen!