Monday, February 29, 2016

Hi everyone!

This week has been full of miracles! So many blessings and wonderful people. We found a couple new people to teach and we found one that was a huge answer to prayer. We were on exchanges with the STLs again but this time I was with sister Loveless. We were walking back to the car to go back home hoping we would find someone to talk to on our way because we still had about 20 minutes before we needed to be home. We didn't see anyone so we decided to pray for guidance. I said the prayer and asked Heavenly Father where we needed to go. Sister Loveless pointed to a street and said "should we go that way?" And then I thought about it and said " there are a lot of members on that street. Like every other house is a member. But I can't remember which houses they are so I don't know.. Maybe.." And then someone came into my mind. A couple weeks ago we had gone down that street to see if we could find a potential. We know people were home but no one came to the door but I decided we should try again. I said to sister Loveless "I have someone in mind. Let's go." So we crossed the street and started walking down the road she pointed to. About 10 seconds later someone came running down the sidewalk! I looked at Sister Loveless thinking "is this him? Is he the answer to our prayer? Is he here?" So we started to talk to him about our message and asked if we could come by some other time and share more. He said yes! Then we asked where he lived. This is always tricky when we find someone on the street like this because the usually don't live in our area and we have to refer them. But he lived in our area! He lived in a gated community that we are in almost every day. So we set up a time and asked if we could end with a prayer. He said yes and then we asked if he would say it and he said yes again! People never do that! It was awesome. It's crazy how when you pray with faith, knowing that Heavenly Father will answer your prayer, you will get an answer! After we walked away from him I was talking to Sister Loveless and I said "we are going to baptize him. I just know it"

So the next day we went over there to see him. But his family said he wasn't there. So again we were trying to figure out what to do. We were there for a couple more minutes when Alex came walking out the door! His family hadn't even checked to see if he was there! So we sat outside and had our lesson. We got through the whole first lesson and he was so interested in all of it. Especially learning from the Book of Mormon. And then I asked him to be baptized! I just had the strongest feeling to do that and I had never done it before but after I asked he said YES! We made a return appointment and then said goodbye to him. After we left his house I about screamed at sister Loveless and said "I told you we were going to baptize him!" I can just feel the spirit when we are around him so strong. I know he will get baptized someday. Maybe not while I'm here, but he is one of those people that the Lord has prepared for the missionaries to come and I know that. These last couple days have been such a testimony builder for me. The power of prayer and having faith along with that is so important with missionary work!

Sister V and I were trying to take a selfie with the strip but the sun was too bright..

 

Sister Loveless and I were walking down the street and she was talking about something and said "uhhhhhhhhh" and then right after she said that we looked over and saw this license plate

We also were scared to death by a dog that jumped up on top of a wall right next to us and it was pretty much foaming at the mouth. There is something about exchanges that make dogs want to attack me because I dog tried to bite me last time too.

We have a member in one of our wards with some interesting pets... On the top is Bella and the bottom is Autumn! We got to hold them while we waited for dinner.

My goal for this next month is to erase all doubt. Often times I'll go up to a house and immediately start thinking negative. I'll say "it looks dark. There probably isn't anyone home" but then I remember that with faith we will be able to find someone. If I go up to a house with those kinds of thoughts Heavenly Father isn't going to trust me to teach those people. The only way that we will be able to find someone is if we have faith and confidence that we will find someone and have no doubt in our minds.

I know that Heavenly Father loves me and all of his children. I've seen that so much in my life this week and we have been given so many amazing blessings. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I hope everyone knows that because it Truly is a huge blessing that I'm here.

This picture is of the sisters that taught Bonnie! Sister V. Who is my trainer, next to her sister Erickson who is sister Vs trainer and sister Faucett who is the trainer of sister Ericksons trainer!

We also had a baptism! Bonnie got baptized! She is so happy and it was such a great experience. Bonnie is the type of person that is very shy and hates being the center of attention. We asked her if she wanted to get up and say a couple words after she was baptized and she was very set on not talking. But when it actually came down to it she got up in front of everyone and talked! It was awesome! That was such a huge thing for her and she definitely made me cry which wasn't great because I was supposed to get up and conduct the music... But it was a great experience and I'm so happy for her!

Well I think that's all for this week! Have a wonderful week everyone! Love you all! 

Sister Hopper






.....And guess who stopped by for a visit?

Dinner at the Petersens.  They have a Golden!! Her name is Annanut...

Monday, February 22, 2016

Hello!

This week was crazy! Lots of ups and downs. 

We got to go to the temple this week and we had exchanges with the STLs (Sister Training Leaders)! The temple was beautiful! It's the sister temple to the Portland temple so I felt right at home. It was such a great experience! And I got to see my MTC sisters! It was so great to get to talk to them and have some time together. I also got to spend some time talking to President Snow in the temple. He is so great and him and Sister Snow make us feel so loved.

After the temple we did exchanges with the STLs so I got to go to a different area with Sister Wilde! The area that they are in is pretty much all trailer parks and apartments so it's a very interesting place to work in. But we had a lot of fun and I learned so much from sister Wilde! She is an amazing sister and such a great leader. This week we will be doing exchanges again but I will stay in our area with Sister Loveless and Sister Vaaie to their area.

Love you all! Sorry this is so short! Have a great week!

Sister Hopper

Monday, February 15, 2016

So we had a lot happen this week.. We are teaching some very interesting people. We have an investigator who is a KISS impersonator and another investigator who is a guy that is married........ To another guy..... So that's fun! We went to teach him about the restoration and we just wanted to get to know him a little bit and we asked if he lived with anyone else and he said oh yeah I live here with my husband.. So next week is going to be another interesting one.. 

Then last night we had a very interesting fireside. We had a speaker come that used to be a baptist preacher! He wrote a book called Baptist preacher to Mormon teacher. He came and told us his conversion story and he brought a choir with him! The choir is called the Genesis choir and it is mostly made up of black people and they sing like a baptist choir. Apparently there was a group called the Genesis group and it was an organization within the church that was for black members back when they couldn't have the priesthood. So we got to see them and they ALL came to our biggest ward on Sunday!

Sacrament meeting and relief society were packed! Relief society was so packed we had people standing in the back and it took us 15 minutes to introduce all of the visitors. But it was so great to meet all of those wonderful people! They all have such wonderful spirits and were so kind!

So you know how sister V has super long hair? She got her hair cut today! It was a huge shock to everyone and I'm sure there will be a lot of people with shocked faces his week. She said that her mom and her grandma are going to kill her because women in Tahiti always have long hair and she keeps cutting her hair!

That's all the crazy stuff that has happened this week! Now for the most exciting thing! We have a baptism coming up on the 27th! Bonnie and her daughter Kim! I sent a picture home with them last week and Bonnie is completely ready! She is so sweet and we are so excited for her!

So that was my week! Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!

Sister Hopper

(Hopper missionary #3)

Monday, February 8, 2016

Hello everyone!!

So is week was hard.. I'm FINALLY in Vegas and I'm in the best area in the mission! But it hasn't been easy.. We live in a really nice area with lots of gated communities and houses with super high fences..

There are so many pretty houses! Aaaaand we live right next to the temple! 

We can see the temple and the strip right outside our front door! And out our back window we can see a mountain!

So my companion is Sister Vaaei and she is from Tahiti! She just learned English and she is doing so well with it! She speaks French and Tahitian and last night we had a lesson with a French family! I kinda knew what was going on and could pick up some of the things they were saying (thank you high school French class). But it was really cool. Sister V. Was able to help them with a lot of concerns they had about the church!

This week has been hard b cause we have had so many meetings that it wasn't really a normal week.. We haven't had many lessons and one of our investigators with a baptismal date told us she didn't want to go to church anymore.. So it's been a rough week.. On the up side we have a baptism coming up! Bonnie and her Daughter Kim! They are so sweet and they wanted to get baptized together so we are working with Kim's elders so that we can make that happen for them! We took them to see the temple the other day and Kim said "mom do you want to get sealed to me?" It was a very sweet moment and I loved being able to go see the temple with them! It's beautiful!! All of the new missionaries get to go next week I think.. So I'm excited for that!

I can't remember everything that's happened this week! I need to get better at writing down all the things I want to write home.. I'll get better at that as my mission goes on! I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Sister Hopper

February 2, 2016

Hello!

It's our last day in the MTC! Vegas here we come!

Last night we said goodbye to our Elders in the district and this morning at 5 am we said goodbye to the other 3 sisters in our district. So now it's me, Sister Hunt and Sister Jebe (JB) here at the MTC getting ready to leave tomorrow at 3 in the morning! So I have two companions now! Being a trio is fun. So exciting!

Lets see if I can remember all the things that I wanted to write in this letter.. 

We had a great discussion about the Holy Ghost the other day and it was amazing! It's crazy how much you learn here and how many things you learn that you think "Duh... of course! how did I not realize that!" So the other day we were reading, as a district, in 2 Nephi 31:3 and it talks about receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We have been given the gift and we have to unwrap it! How cool is that! We don't just get confirmed a member of the church and call that good. We have to be actively working to receive the Holy Ghost by following the commandments! I thought that was really cool and I thought I would share that with you all!

So our teacher Brother Bennett is pretty much the best person ever and he gave us some advice before we left. He said "If your trainer says to get rid of what you learned in the MTC, you kick them in the face." Because of Brother Bennett I will never forget what I have learned here! He is truly an amazing teacher. 

We got to go to the temple again on Sunday and we got our new district last Wednesday and other than that its been lots of laughs and really weird stuff going on. People go crazy by the time they get a couple weeks in here at the MTC. In the next couple weeks they are switching English missionaries back to 3 weeks! So I guess I'm pretty lucky with that. 

I'll add some pictures to describe the rest of the week. Love you all! Have a great week!\

Sister Hopper

A picture of a picture in the MTC! It's a picture of people getting baptized in crocodile infested waters! So there are people on the side with spears so that they can fight off the crocodiles!  

Picture with our teacher sister Thompson! 

They decided it was braid Sister Hopper's hair night