PADUCAH???

Looking good in Buena Vista.

This week is the last week of the transfer! Everything on Saturday was fine and dandy. We weren't worried about transfer calls because I'm still in training. During studies I wasn't even thinking about it...until our phone started ringing. We hoped it was only a text but Hna Cruz picked it up and saw that it was President Anderson. Here is the deal: If you get a call from Pres. during the day you are either training or you are being called as a leader and if you DON'T get a call from Pres. you have to wait til the end of the day when the ZL's call with the transfers.

Hna. Cruz answered and Pres. called her as a TRAINER!!!! She is training another missionary in a different area (Which means white-washing) and I was being sent to PADUCAH KENTUCKY!!!! I am being transferred to Paducah AWAY from my Mission Mom!!!!! I am not happy! Especially since I'm not even out of training yet. I am going to have a Madrastre (Stepmom in spanish) and I will also have a sister.

They are also whitewashing our area with Sister Training Leaders. We had to visit with all of our investigators and the members in the Branch and tell them what was happening since both of us are leaving. Everyone was sad. I am still sad. I don't want to leave Buena Vista. I have grown to love this area so much and I am just starting to really get to know the members. :( But I guess The Lord wants me in Paducah. I guess it is a little rare to go up to Paducah because there are only 2 sets of Spanish Missionaries in that entire zone, one set of Hermanas and one set of Elders. I'm excited but also nervous. I will also be driving the car that we have full time since my companion doesn't have a license. I'm pretty nervous about that too. I haven't driven in 3 months, but I'm also excited. I am ready for this new adventure and to get to know more people and bring them closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.

This week has been pretty crazy weather. On Wednesday it was hot all day long and I felt like I was going to die but then that evening we had a crazy storm. Of course Hna. Cruz and I walked to our appointments in it. We were walking up a hill and it was like a river. It was super fun. We got super soaked.

Saturday was crazy too. It was hot and humid again and then at 5 o'clock a storm came out of nowhere. Everyone had been telling us that Saturday was going to be hot and to be careful but no one said anything about a storm so it hit us by surprise. Luckily we had a ride home for dinner.

I hope everyone is having an amazing week. I am thinking and praying for all of you.

Love, Hermana Hoferitza

Less Actives and Aliens

So this week hasn't been too eventful. We have had a bunch of good lessons. We went tracting everyday and found some really good contacts...for the Elders... but it was still good. I am sad that we didn't find too many new investigators. We did have the chance to meet this one guy who flips houses for a living. His name is Mickey. We talked to him for a little while about the Plan of Salvation and we gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it. I bore my testimony that I have read it for myself and I have prayed about it and know for a fact that it is true. The spirit was strong and I really hope that he reads it. We are probably going to go back and talk to him some more.

I got sick this week with a cough that made me feel like Wheezy from Toy Story 2. I am feeling a lot better but my nose is still kinda stuffy.

Yesterday was kind of crazy for us. We started making a 30-ish minute walk to an in-active family's apartment when a lady stopped and gave us a ride. Turns out she is a less active member from one of the English wards. She was really sweet.

We then went to another less-active family's house and visited with them. When we were walking home we met this guy named Don. He was a little strange. He wouldn't take a Book of Mormon but we talked with him for a little bit. He had some...interesting theories about why we have different languages throughout the world...One word "Aliens" we said goodbye to Don and went on our way. We were almost home for dinner when a couple stopped and said that they were less-active members who were in the OTHER english ward and that they would love to have us over for dinner one day. It was really great to meet them.

We decided that it was a day that we needed to see those less active members on the road. Maybe they needed to see us walking and that will help them come to church more often.

I love being a missionary. It is hot and sweaty but it is the best work in the world. I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Love, Hermana Hoferitza

Making a Splash in Nashville

So this week has been a little bit of a tough one. We didn't have the car this week and it was scorching! Half the days, when we walked, I had a pounding headache. It wasn't fun. The weather also decided to take a bipolar turn during the evenings and started pouring rain. Unfortunately, my companion and I both have pride and we have been asking for rides from the members a lot...so we walked. In the pouring rain. A few minutes into our 40 minute trek home it looked like we had jumped into a pool. We stopped at a Burger King to check to see if our bags were okay. Mine was fine but Hna. Cruz's bag was soaking.

(Rachel's Mother says: I SENT A RAIN PONCHO WITH YOU!!!  WHY IS IT NOT IN YOUR BAG ALL THE TIME?)

A lot of the pamphlets she had in her bag were wet. We decided to continue and not call a member because we were more than half way there. We got onto a main road and were walking when about 3 different cars all sped up so they could try and splash us. I thought it was funny because we were already drenched. A few minutes later a lady stopped and gave us a ride. She was really nice. We told her that we were missionaries but didn't have time to share anything with her.

Yesterday was good but Hna. Cruz and I were basically at each other's throats all day. Now I realize  that it is because of the super moon. Everything that I did made her angry and when she got angry I got angry BECAUSE she was angry. It was a vicious cycle until finally I apologized and we worked it out. I am thankful that we worked it out and didn't have this problem for the rest of our time together.

Later that night we went over to an English Member's house, who is his ward's Mission Leader, for dinner and then a meeting to talk about our English . His wife is from Columbia so we talked to her in spanish because she doesn't get to speak it a lot. 4 other Elders were there for dinner as well. We joked and had a good time then after dinner we played Scripture Jenga! Oh my gosh it was so fun! We said a scripture and the other people had to guess the reference and if they got it right they went next. It was super intense and our DL was going crazy. It was super fun.

This week we went tracting in an area that is a little sketchy but we have friends there who are looking out for us. We knocked on this guys door. He turned out to be a hispanic! He is from Costa Rica but he has been in the states for 22+ years and speaks english. He basically just wanted to fight with us the entire time (which was like 40 minutes) but we got some good principles in there. I was being good cop and Hna. Cruz was being bad cop and pulling out questions that he didn't answer. He also just talked to me. I was trying to agree with him on points that he brought up that were truths. He said he didn't like organized religion but is a Christian.

Click Picture to See Full Size.

He says that all we have to do is be Christ-like and then we are good because God knows our hearts. He also said that we don't have to read the scriptures (Which is definitely false because it is a commandment) They are just their to read history that doesn't apply to us anymore. We combated that with "Well we can learn from their mistakes and learn from their examples" then he moved on to another subject. Finally Hna. Cruz asked him "Well I'm just curious but what did Jesus do on the Earth? I thought that he organized His Church on the earth and that is a religion" He said really quick "Well, I would love to talk more but I am cooking." (Again, we were talking for 40 minutes!) He turned to me and asked me if I had ever been to Costa Rica. I said no and he said that I should go sometime. I thought in my head "Not with you!" It was funny.

That is how my week has been. I hope everyone has a great week this week! I love you all!

Love, Hermana Hoferitza

You are my Sunshine...

So this week has been interesting.

We had the car this week and guess what? It was super nice and cool outside. I was so angry :P Now the Elders have the car and this week is going to be hot again ugh.

This week has been rough and our numbers have been down, unfortunately. I don't know what happened, we just weren't having a lot of lessons. We think that it is because we haven't been as obedient as we should have been. We have been given the assignment to knock for 1 hour everyday. This past week we didn't make it a priority and, in total, we only did about 2 hours, which is not good. As a result, our new investigators have been down and we haven't been having a lot of other lessons. It was frustrating but last night we decided that we were going to make knocking a priority everyday and make sure that we do our hour. We have been promised that if we do this then we will see blessings and I really do believe it.

We met this hispanic woman from knocking about a week and a half ago named Mara. She let us in as soon as we started talking about our message. I was surprised because that hasn't happened with knocking to me yet. It was super great and she really enjoyed the lessons. This week on Friday we taught her about the Plan of Salvation and invited her to be baptized. She accepted! She just needed to start coming to church. The problem was her husband, who is super catholic. She had to talk to him about going to church. We prayed so much in those two days that she would be able to talk to him and that his heart would be softened. She told us that she really wanted to come, too. We prayed and prayed and on Sunday we waited. She didn't show up. I was so bummed! I wanted her to come so badly. We are going to see her later today and ask her what happened. We are also hoping to talk to her husband and get him involved in the lessons. He apparently thinks that Americans have their religions and Mexicans have theirs and it should stay that way. I am hoping we can change his mind.

We volunteered at an assisted living home this week. We went and played BINGO which was so fun (There are some really sassy old ladies there) and then the next day we went back to paint their nails. It was super fun. One lady was singing You Are My Sunshine. I told her that that was one of my favorite songs. She looked confused and said "How do you know that song?" I told her that my Grandma sang it to me when I was little. She nodded like it was an acceptable answer. Old ladies are funny.

Today is my 2 month mark! My companion and I got some cookies to celebrate :) These two months really have flown by. I am hoping it doesn't go by too quickly. I love being a Missionary. It is probably the best decision I have made in my entire life.

Love, Hermana Hoferitza

PS:  I also think it is super funny that you have been talking to Elder Montgomery's mom. I emailed him as soon as I saw your email about it. It is super great that you have been finding the moms of my friends from the CCM. Everyone from my transfer group was super great. I loved them so much.

Well, I am off! We are going to (Wait for it) GOODWILL!!! We went shopping last week at a mall and it didn't have the right kind of skirts. If they were longer, they were REALLY long and went to the ground which we aren't supposed to wear so we decided that we were going to go to Goodwill. Hope you're proud of me ;)