1.25.16 Snow in the Peach State!!!

Hey Yall! Hope y'all had a wonderful week and are staying warm! Even with the crazy "snow" and icy wind we were able to see lots of miracles and have a blessed week here in Big Shanty!

Tuesday was preparation day which was great! We went to a fun antique shop with the sisters and Jocelyn got us Georgia bears from build a bear! They are so cute and I love them so much! I have officially become a Georgia fan!(: we found this delicious burger place and shared some amazing French fries! Food in the south is just so good!


That night we had an awesome lesson with Elizabeth on following the prophet. She asked us to come with her to receive her patriarchal blessing and I am so excited! She is such an amazing girl and will be a fantastic missionary! I am so grateful for a living prophet to help lead and guide us on the earth today.

Wednesday morning we had the amazing world wide missionary conference! It was truly incredible and very inspiring. I loved it so much and learned a lot. The theme of the meeting was teach repentance and baptize converts. One of my favorite quotes was " Speak of him and he will speak of you to the father!" We must always have the savior on our lips, talking with everyone and testifying of our savior Jesus Christ. We were able to meet missionaries from the other mission and learn from them which was way cool! After that we had a great lesson with Justin. The adversary is working so hard on him and he was beginning to have some serious doubts. We talked about the power of the adversary and what it truly means to be baptized. The spirit was so strong as we testified of our savior Jesus Christ and is great example he led. By the end he was feeling a lot better and it was awesome! That night we had a great institute class and then we were able to talk with Brother Rader for a little bit. He is so wise and loves this gospel so much. We talked about how we are all saved by grace and grace alone. Through repentance, ordinances, covenants and enduring to the end we can be saved. Faith without works is dead and repentance is the work. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission and all I am learning. My testimony and love for this gospel grows every day.

Thursday was another great day! That morning we went to visit someone with the Kennesaw sisters but he wasn't home. After that we had a great lesson with Amanda on the Holy Ghost and how she has seen a difference in her life since she was baptized. She is engaged and they are so cute! Her conversion story is amazing and her testimony is so strong! Then we went to the commons and had lunch with Jocelyn which was awesome! We had a lesson with Justin that afternoon and it was a bit rough. He is really struggling and was having lots of doubt. It is breaking my heart as I have come to love him so much but know there is nothing else we can do. He called us later that night in tears and it was so hard. Please keep him I. Your prayers. Don't worry this day did have a happy ending! We had a lesson with Baylen who we met at tables and was in on of Jocelyn's classes. He is amazing and SO elect. We were able to answer his questions and taught him the restoration. Elizabeth, Jocelyn and Will all came as team ups. The branch is so great and everyone wants to be there, especially the converts. As I quoted the first vision the spirit was so strong it was incredible. As soon as I finished he said "that was awesome!" Jocelyn and Elizabeth were both in tears. At the end of the lesson I invited him to be baptized and without any hesitation he said "yea!" It was the best thing ever! I love being a missionary, seeing the Holy Ghost change people's hearts is amazing!

Friday we had a crazy day! It started off with campus being closed because of the "snow!" We decided to get busy and work fast before the snow started! We parked at campus and I realized that I left my BoM in the car..when we turned around to get it we realized that we locked the keys in the car! We were running late for a lesson and decided that we had to go and worry about it later. We had an amazing lesson with Candice. We went in a bit worried, we hadn't seen her in a month and were thinking maybe it just wasn't her time. But God really worked on her heart while she was back home and we had a great lesson with her! We talked about baptism and the power of the priesthood. She told us that it totally makes sense and that she knows that the Book of Mormon is true! It was so cool! We talked about the gift of the Holy Ghost and how much it can help us in our lives. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes!! It was so cool and the spirit was so strong! God really is preparing people every single day and we are his vessels. It was so amazing and such a strong testimony builder to me! After that we called Justin Kirkland and hurried back to the car! Justin Kirkland saved the day and let us into our car! An answer to a prayer, for sure! Jocelyn joined us for the day and we hurried to Woodstock for some great lessons with Skye and Elizabeth. It was so fun with Jocelyn, it felt like we were in trio all day and it was the best! After that we met Justin for lunch and it was so yummy! The "snow" started to fall so we headed back to Kennesaw! We had a great lesson with Haylie, she is so cute and I love her so much! We talked to her about being a daughter of god and our divine potential. The lesson was really good and the spirit was so strong! Then the snow really did started to fall and it stuck! It was so cool and felt like a little piece of Utah in Georgia! We went to talk with Justin and sadly we had to push his baptism back a week. Jocelyn and Justin were both there and helped a lot. We were able to have a great lesson and the spirit was so strong. Snow was falling like crazy and everyone was so excited. It felt like home!(:

Saturday morning we had Marietta miracles and we did see some awesome miracles! We decided to go try to see some less actives that neither of us knew anything about it. We weren't having any luck and most had moved. Not to mention that it was FREEZING cold and the wind was like ice! We were about to get in the car when I noticed a woman was outside with her son and her dog. We decided to go talk to them and she had just returned from a conference in Logan, Utah and was so sad when she was informed that she couldn't go in the temple! We were able to talk to her about the importance of temples and that through them we can be sealed with our family for time and all eternity! It was way cool and we are hoping to go back next week! After that we stopped by Kroger in hopes that Mathan was working and he was!! It was so awesome and we have an appointment with him this week!(: We had time to try to see one more less active and the woman who answered the door had no idea who we were talking about. Although because it was snowing she invited us in and we were able to teach her the restoration! She opened right up to us and we were able to answer some of her questions about our church and the Book of Mormon. We are going back to teach her this week and I am so excited! Then we had lunch with Mario and Tiffany and it was so much fun! Next we did weekly planning and then headed to Golden Corral for dinner! While we were waiting for Theo a guy came up and asked if we were "the Mormon people?" We said yes and found out he was from California and had gone to church a couple times. We gave him a Book of Mormon and are meeting with him again tomorrow! It was such a wonderful day filled with lots of little miracles!(:

Sunday I gave a talk on in sacrament on the Book of Mormon and living day prophets. We also had a really good musical number and we got a new relief society presidency. Jocelyn was called as the second counselor and she is so excited! She will be amazing and I am so happy for her! While we were getting ready for church we were talking about how cool it would be if somehow there was a miracle and a new investigator came to church so we could hit standard! Well God answered our prayers! There was a guy sitting in the back named Derrick who had met one of our members at tables and was given a card. He decided to come to church and see what it was all about! He ended up staying for all 3 hours and said he enjoyed it! We were able to talk to him after and answer some of his questions. We gave him a Book of Mormon and are meeting with him again tomorrow! It was the best!  This is God's work and I am so humbled to be apart of it!(: After that we had a great lesson with Elizabeth on keeping the sabbath day holy. She is hoping to receive her patriarchal blessing next Sunday and I am so excited! That night we had a delicious dinner at the Mourdocks and then a great lesson with Jocelyn and her roommate Tyler! It was an another fantastic day and I am loving it here in big shanty! We find out about transfers next week and I am hoping to stay here on the one and only, KSU!(:

(I love how the Lord works, she cried when she got transferred, to KSU and now she doesn't want to leave...)
Thank Y'all so much for your love and support to both me and my family. I couldn't do this with out you! You are in my thoughts and prayers! I love this gospel with all my heart and am so grateful for the knowledge and peace it provides! I saw a really cool bumper sticker this week that said "Even a smile is charity!" A smile can go a long way! Remember you are never fully dressed without a smile!(;
love y'all! Peach out!
-Sister Hosman🍑

Snow in Georgia!!

Sister Blair

Jocelyn, Sister Hosman and Sister Blair!

1.20.16 Blessings from above

Hey y'all! It was another incredible week here in Kennesaw! Hope all is well and that you are staying warm!

Tuesday morning was lots of fun as we had to get up extra early and bundle up to go outside and hand wash our car for zone conference. You see, we tried to do it on Monday but it was "to cold" for the south and they were closed! haha #onlyinthesouth

Then we got ready and headed to zone conference! It was amazing as always, there were some great
trainings and the trio was united once again!(: A focus of zone conference was baptismal invites so of course we had to role play! Sister Christensen and I got to role play together and it was so cool! The spirit was so strong and it felt like we were back in mission prep. She is such an incredible missionary and we have both grown so much! We talked about how mission culture and how we can be better as a mission. We are working on becoming a Preach My Gospel mission. I am so grateful for Preach My Gospel, I have gained such a strong testimony of it and know that it is truly inspired! I loved zone conference and am so grateful to be apart of GANM! 
This is Tammie inserting what Sis. Christensen wrote in her email home... 
Sister Hosman and I were able to sit together at lunch and it was SO nice to sit and catch up with her! We were even able to role play baptismal invites together! It brought us back to when we both did our first role play ever with Kimo being our investigator in mission prep class. Wow, we've come a long way! The Lord truly does strengthen us!  She is so poised and so bold and so loving. It was so fun to be with her. We saw Elder Woodwell but he kept his distance haha. I don't want to embarrass him either but we'll have to make sure to get a picture of the three of us sometime.

After zone conference we met with Justin who was feeling a bit nervous about his baptism, we talked about patience and how essential Faith in Jesus Christ is. Faith in Jesus Christ includes faith in His promises!  Justin asked me to speak at his baptism and I am so excited! He told me that he has been taking the lessons for 3 years but that no other sister missionary has been able to get through to him the way I have. It was so cool and I have come to love him so much! He is the sweetest kid and has such a big heart! I have seen him grow so much and feel so honored and humbled to teach him! I LOVE being a missionary! It is the most rewarding work and makes me so happy!(: Then we met with Elizabeth and she is so amazing! Her testimony grows more and more everyday and she is so strong! She is so excited to serve a mission and it makes me so happy!(:

Wednesday was exchanges so Sister Kafu came her to big shanty! We had lots of lessons and it was super fun! That morning we had lessons with Laurissa and Jocelyn. We talked to Jocelyn about her patriarchal blessing and it was awesome! She has so many great things ahead of her and I'm so happy for her! Then we went to lunch with Jessie and
Elizabeth which was awesome! We went to O Charley's and it was delicious, it was free pie Wednesday which was fantastic! After lunch we did some contacting which was wonderful! It has been a bit of a drought but campus is finally a lives again! Next we had a lesson with Justin, he is feeling a bit nervous for his baptism. He got on YouTube and was watching some videos when one inside a temple sealing showed up. He had some concerns and it was so sad. It broke my heart that someone would that but we all have our agency. We were able to answer his questions and he was feeling better. That night we had a great lesson with Miles about teaching and learning the gospel. Sister Kafu is so great and I look up to her so much! She goes home in 3 weeks and I am so grateful I was able to get to know her and learn so much from her! She is an incredible missionary and will do great things!

Thursday it was back to me and Sister Blair rocking Big Shanty! We started off the day at the food pantry which is always the best! We had a really cool miracle that afternoon. It really started that morning when we were making some plans and made an appointment for Wednesday's morning but for some reason both felt we would need to reschedule it, for some reason it wouldn't work out. We went on with our day not thinking much about it. We were headed to a lesson with
Justin when we saw him going the opposite way, he was headed to the commons to eat but said we could meet now and he would eat later. For some reason I just felt like he should go eat now, that we had something to do however I had no idea what. We also had Elizabeth has a team up for the lesson but just told her to come to the commons. We walked away and we standing in front of the commons looking around when I noticed a girl sitting at a table alone and she was crying. We walked over and started talking to her, she was new to KSU and was having a rough day. Her name is Sarah and she is struggling with school and going through some really hard things.  She doesn't know much about God or any religion. We stated talking to her about the Book of Mormon and that God is her loving heavenly father with Elizabeth walked over. It was so perfect, god is in the details! We had an awesome lesson with her and she accepted the invitation to read the BoM! We are meeting with her again this next week and I am so excited! She is the sweetest girl! That night we had an awesome lesson with Elizabeth and Jocelyn! The Brooks came to get us for dinner and we were just finishing up when they invited Jocelyn and Elizabeth to come along! They took us to this delicious Italian place and it was SO much fun! It was a fantastic day!

Friday was a fabulous day!! In the morning we had a great lesson with Jocelyn on the plan of salvation. She really is such an amazing girl and has such a strong testimony. You can physically see a difference in her since she was baptized and I am so happy for her. The plan of salvation is so beautiful and brings the spirit so strong. After that we went to institute which was on the eternal family and it was great! Brother Rader is such an incredible teacher and is so passionate. We talked about prophets and the proclamation to the family. I am so grateful for prophets who lead and guide us.  The proclamation to the family is such a testimony that they are truly called of God. After that we had a lesson with Justin, he is doing better and is looking forward to next week! Next we did tables which was the best thing ever!! It was us, Will, Elizabeth, leighton and Jocelyn, best team ever! We were on fire and it was so cool to see Elizabeth and Jocelyn just go for it. They are going to be such amazing missionaries! We were able to talk to over 150 people and introduce them to the church. We got 10 new investigators and it was just so great! It was freezing but it didn't matter, I couldn't stop smiling all afternoon. After we finished we all went to the commons and had dinner together which was way fun! That night we had two great lessons with Haylie and Brittney! It was an awesome day and I went to bed absolutely EXHAUSTED but
smiling!(:

Saturday morning we were back at the food pantry and of course it was awesome! We always have so much fun and it is the best way to start the day! We were able to talk to some great people and after we went to our Methodist grandparents for a true southern breakfast! Oh my goodness!! It was so delicious!! We had homemade biscuits and gravy, eggs, hash browns and fried apples!! Hosman family, no worries I already told them they would have to make it when we came back to visit! We spent the afternoon weekly planning but it was super awesome with all our new investigators and campus being back alive! We have another great week ahead of us and I am so excited!

Sunday we had a special regional conference for the southern states and it was so awesome! There were some incredible talks and a focus on family and temples! I miss going to the temple so much and can't wait to see the new beautiful Provo city temple! That makes the grand total, 150 temples! How great is that? "Every time a temple is build and dedicated it weakens Satans power!" I am so grateful for the temple and that peace that it provides! I hope to be able to work in the temple when I return home.

After regional conference we went over to the Mourdocks for lunch and it was way fun! We had to hurry off to a lesson with Riley but it went so well! We talked about the 10 commandments and she opened up to us a lot. We were able to get to know her a lot better and she promised to come to church this next week and hear me speak! After that we went and had a lesson with Justin, he is doing better but you can definitely see the power of the adversary working so strongly on him and it breaks my heart! He is so strong and I know he can do this! Please keep him in your prayers this week!

Monday we were very busy and it was another wonderful day! The best part was that afternoon when we were able to meet with the group of girlfriends that we met at tables on Friday. We were able to get to know them a little bit more and teach them the restoration! Elizabeth was able to join us and it was such an amazing lesson! The spirit was so strong and they loved it! They all agreed to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if Joseph Smith was really a prophet! It was
so cool! We have a lesson with them again on Wednesday and I can't wait(:

It has truly been a wonderful week here filled with lots of tender mercies and miracles. I love being a missionary and am so grateful for all that I am learning. I know that this is his work and I know that this is exactly where I am supposed to be. Thank you so much for your love and prayers, they give me strength every day! I love y'all and hope you have a blessed week!(:

Love, Sister Hosman🍑

Having fun with Sister Blair

Sister Hosman and Sister Kafu on splits 

1.11.16 My 1st Baptism!!!

Hey y'all! This week was a bit of a roller coaster but It was great and I am looking forward to school starting today and campus being alive again!(:

Tuesday morning we had an awesome district meeting! The zone leaders came and Sister Russell gave a great training on the light of Christ. She used a cool glow stick analogy that every time you crack the glow stick it represents the light of Christ. Or what pulls or influences us to do good and be good. Everyone of us is born with it. As we continue to crack the glow stick the light of Christ becomes the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. Through the Holy Ghost we have constant
access to the godhead! How cool is that?? It was an awesome district meeting! After that we went to lunch with one of our less actives named Jessie for his birthday! He is such a cool guy and it was fun!(:

We then had to hurry back to meet with Andrew before he had to go work. He is really struggling and it is so sad. He wants to give up and has no hope left. We made him promise to hang on for one more week and are doing everything we can to help him. Please keep him in your prayers. After that we walked to campus to meet Justin!  On the way we were talking and we able to get a few contacts which was awesome! I had one more Mormon.org card in my hand and said a little prayer that I would find the perfect person to give it to. A couple people passed but no one felt right then I saw a guy Across the way. We went over and started talking to him as soon as I handed him the card he said "oh, y'all are LDS!" We said yes and then he informed us he is going to BYU Provo!!! He has one more semester at KSU and then is headed there in the fall. When we asked him what made him decide to go there he said, "eh it sounded interesting!" Wow! It was so cool and he wants to learn more and was very interested in meeting with us. We have an appointment with him on Thursday and we are very excited! We had a great lesson with Justin who is on date for January 23rd!!(: we are so excited!!! Although he is having some problems with KSU and might have to move home permanently. Which would mean we would have to hand him over to the other mission. Several missionaries and members of the branch are fasting for him this Sunday. He is the sweetest kid and I love him so much.

On Wednesday morning we had breakfast with Miles at Cracker Barrel. It was fun! We talked to him about what a blessing the knowledge of the gospel is and and how we are all missionaries. It's our duty to preach the gospel and share it with our brother and sisters. We gave him a Mormon.org card and invited him to give it to someone and invite them to be taught. It was great!(: After that we went and had a lesson with Amanda she was baptized in April and just got engaged. She is the
sweetest girl and has such a strong testimony. She shared with us her conversion story and it was incredible! She went through a lot but came out so strong. After that we had a lesson with Andrew who is doing better but still struggling. We talked about how the gospel blesses families and overcoming the fear of being a dad someday. It went better then yesterday and he actually opened up to us. We continue to pray for him and hope things gets better soon. Then we hurried to the branch to meet Justin and Brother Brooks. The lesson went really well and Brother Brooks was awesome. We talked about how we need to forgive ourselves and forget, let the atonement of Jesus Christ heal us. Also that trials are necessary and that God won't give us anything we can't handle. We were able to get a ride home which was such a blessing!(: We ended the day with an awesome over the phone lesson with Jocelyn! She has gone home for a couple days but we are really trying to stay in touch with her especially with it being the week of her baptism. She is doing great and is as excited as ever! We read a tslk from this last conference called "It Works Wonderfully." It was a wonderful and a good reminder on how we need to keep the gospel simple and start right where we are. Uchtdorf is so incredible!

Thursday was a rough day, we had lots of cancellations and some unexpected things come up. The highlight of the day was definitely our lesson with Justin that night with the Spanish elders. We were able to go through the baptismal questions and he passed with flying colors. Elder Woodwell was able to give him a presithood blessing and it was incredible. The spirit was so strong! I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood. After the blessing Justin was feeling much better and we are all looking forward to the 23rd!(:

Friday morning we were able to meet with Kelsey and Katelyn who are sisters and have gone less active. They are both so sweet and it was a great lesson! After that we went and had lunch with Jocelyn, she was a little nervous but mostly really looking forward to tomorrow! After that we went and had a quick lesson with Justin, right as the lesson ended a guy who was sitting across the way came and asked what kind of ministers we were. His name is Ryder and he was super cool! He had some questions we were able to answer and it was awesome! We spent the afternoon weekly planning! It was exciting with campus opening back up this week! Wahoo!(: That night we met with the Mackine family, Nick and Riley who we are trying to get to come to the branch! The lesson went great and Nick has been able to come to the branch so that's been
awesome!(:

 Saturday was the most incredible day! We woke up and went to try to see some people before Jocelyns baptism but no luck. We headed to the Woodstock building to prepare for Jocelyns baptism! It was so amazing! Lots of members from the branch were able to come and it was so great! We were able to stand on the stairs as Mike baptized her and it was truly beautiful. Tears streamed down my face as I watched Jocelyn come back out of the water. The spirit was so strong and there really are no words to describe it. As she came up the stairs she was sobbing, I was able to wrap her towel around her and give her a hug. An unforgettable moment when everything is so worth it. Crazy to think just 6 weeks ago from that day was my first day here and we got lost going to her apartment. That first lesson and now she is baptized! She is such an amazing girl and had changed and grown so much! Her testimony is so strong and I am so happy for her! Her god mother came up to us after and thanked us for being apart of her life and that she can see how much Jocelyn had changed. It was so sweet!(:


After the baptism we all went to lunch at Chili's and it was lots of fun! Then we hurried back to help Miss Donna with some things at the food pantry.  Which is always awesome and filled with smiles and laughter! Then we got to go see Haylie a less active who just got back to school! She is so cute and is getting a ride with Jocelyn to church tomorrow so we are very excited! To end our night we went and checked up on Jocelyn.  She had some questions about the temple and is already looking forward to her next step. Baptism is only the beginning and I can't wait to see what the lord has in store for her. She is such an incredible girl!

Sunday was another wonderful day! We had lots of meetings but they were all great! We had an amazing sacrament meeting where we got to witness Jocelyn being confirmed. She was given the most beautiful blessing that talked about what a light she was to everyone around her. So true! It talked about her being a missionary and what a great plan Heavenly Father has in store for her! How cool is that!? Me and Sister Blair both started to cry. Then we had a farewell talk my Demetrius who is heading on his mission to Fiji! He is the funniest kid and gave a great talk on how obedience brings joy! After church we had more meetings but they weren't great and we have some awesome goals for 2016! With the new semester we have lots of people leaving the branch but also lots of new coming so that will be exciting! We had a lesson with Elizabeth and she told us that she has decided to serve a mission!!! What!! So cool! I am so happy for her and know that her testimony will bless many wherever she serves! She had some questions for us and we were able to talk to her about missionary work the importance of prayer and scripture study! She wants to start coming on team ups with us which is fantastic! 

That night there was a YSA devotional broadcast from BYU Hawaii! President and Sister Nelson spoke and it was  awesome! They both gave great talks about the YSA of this generation. Sister Nelson spoke on the atonement and how we all need a savior to be the person we were born to be. When we're desperate to be the person we were born to be we make changes. I loved her talk so much! Then President Nelson spoke and said that we are the millennial living in the eleventh hour. He suggested 4 things we need to all do:

1. Take time to find out who you are. Learn for yourself. Ask your Heavenly Father how he thinks of you and your mission here on earth.
2. Expect and prepare to do the impossible!
3. Learn how to access the power of Heaven
4. Follow the prophets

He gave a great fireside and we were able to get several recent converts and investigators there. I am so grateful for the apostles and prophets we have to help lead and guide us. It has been promised by the Lord that they will never lead us astray! They are truly called of God and we need to listen and need to their council as if it was coming straight from the Lord's mouth. I love this gospel so much and am so grateful for this amazing opportunity I have to share it with my brothers and sisters! I couldn't do it with out y'all! Thank you for your love and support! Love y'all! Have a blessed week!(:

~Sister Hosman🍑
Sent from my iPad

Twinner skirts with Jocelyn 

Look Mom, our family won the trip to Hawaii ;-)

Nothing I'd rather be than a Georgia Peach for 2016

*note from Tammie - I'm so grateful she writes so much detail because this will be a journal for her one day, but I try to highlight a few things in bold, incase you just have time to glance and look at the pictures.  Thank you so much for your support!  

Hey y'all! Happy New Year!(: we had another fantastic week here in Big Shanty!

Tuesday morning we had a great lesson with Elizabeth on temples and eternal marriage! We are working on getting her temple recommend so she can go and do baptisms for the dead! Being with our families is such a wonderful blessing of this gospel!(: After the lesson we had district meeting and it was great! Sister Blair gave a great training on our commission to teach the restored gospel. 

Then we all had lunch at chick-fil-a and it was delicious!(: We then headed over to Andrews apartment...he was not doing well at all. He unfortunately relapsed and was really struggling. We talked with him for quite awhile which helped a lot. Hanson delivered us pizza for dinner and we invited him over. He is such a great guy, and it was hard to see him so broken. He hung with us for a couple hours and was doing much better. We had another lesson to go to and he was super tired so he decided to stay and just take a nap outside our apartment. We went to meet our lesson but we waited and waited and he said he needed to push it back so we came back to check on Andrew and he was sound asleep. We got some things done and headed back to the lesson that was just pushed back again! So we headed back did some more stuff and went back for the third time (Andrew still asleep). We waited and then I felt very strongly we needed to head back and just reschedule so we did. We went back and woke Andrew up and all started talking, maybe 5 minutes went by when sister Blair said " I think I just saw a cop" sure enough a cop comes up one side of the stairs and two other cops on the other side. Someone had called the cops on the "homeless man asleep in the hall". The cop came in and asked us some questions, it was really scary and we were so worried they were gonna take Andrew to jail. After we told the cop that he was our friend, a member of our church but that he just couldn't come inside because of the missionary rules he said "alright!" , then they left,and  that was that! Haha! Andrew asked if he could have another lesson before he walked home and of course we said sure! We had a little lesson and called it a day!

Wednesday morning we went and helped Laurissa with some cleaning and had a great lesson with her! It was fun!(: That afternoon we met up wth Jocelyn who was struggling with her family. It is so heartbreaking to see the adversary working harder and harder on her. We were able to talk with her and we shared the mountains to climb Mormon message. She
really enjoyed it and was feeling a lot better. After that we went and met with Andrew he was doing better after lots of sleep. We talked with him about the miracle that he is still alive and that he is here for a reason. We talked about how sneaky Satan is and how he knows just what he is doing. It was actually a really good lesson and Andrew realized it was only with God's help he is still here which was a big step. After that we had a lesson with a new investigator named Tyson
who we met in the leasing office while emailing our families on Monday. He was a super cool kid and we taught him the restoration. He thought it was all really interesting and said he would read from the book or Mormon or pray to know that it was true. He said he just couldn't go against what he had been raised in. It was so sad. I know that we planted an important seed and that when it is his time he will be ready to accept this gospel. That night we had a lesson with Jessie who is such a cool guy! We talked with him about the new year and setting goals! It was awesome(: The branch was having a farewell party for the kids leaving to go away to school so we stopped by and it was fun! The branch is so awesome!(: Campus has been closed and we have been worried about what we are going to do but wow! As we have prayed and put in all we have the Lord has really provided. We have been so busy and trying to squeeze everything in. It has been so great! We have been teaching lots and I love it!

Thursday we spent our morning volunteering at the food pantry at it was a lot of fun! People had brought in lots of food so we were very busy! After that we went and had lunch and a lesson with Andrew and Hanson! We had a great time!(: Next we went to visit Colleen and her boyfriend, they are awesome! We had a great lesson with them and working on getting them both back to church. Colleen was baptized by her boyfriend one year ago and they are the funniest couple! They made us bacon bowls and then put homemade mac and cheese inside and breadcrumbs on top!! #onlyinthesouth That night we had dinner a fantastic lesson with Jocelyn! We finished the night with a wonderful lesson with Miles! He is so funny! It was an awesome day! We had a New Year's theme of setting goals and involving Christ more in our lives. I love this quote by M. Russell Ballard. “I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."

Setting goals is such an important skill and has really helped me on my mission. As we set goals and tell them to our Heavenly Father he can help us to reach them and hold us accountable so that we can reach our full potential. It has been a great day making goals with so many I have come to love here in Big Shanty. I am so excited to be Sister Hosman for all of 2016 and want to take advantage of every single day. Remember Lots wife and never look back!

Happy New year! Friday morning we went and had breakfast with Mario! He is such a cool guy and it was super fun! After that we had an awesome lesson with Elizabeth! We talked about her 2016 goals and the story of Lots wife. We also talked about missions and she is considering going! How cool is that?! Convert missionaries are so powerful! Then we hurried to go have a lesson with Andrew before he had to go to work. He is doing better and we committed him to re read the Book of Mormon! It was so cool! We are really trying to get him that foundation. We had sometime before our next lesson and so we went and checked up on some people. It was a little stressful but we were able to get one guys number that we have been trying to get in contact with ever since I have gotten here but whenever we drop by he is always gone. So that was a cool little tender mercy!(: Then we had a lesson with Brittany we met outside and I thought we were gonna die. It was so cold! The humidity is so intense, the wind goes straight through your clothes no matter how many layers you are wearing! But it was a good lesson!(: That night for New Years Jackie took us out for Mexican food! It was delicious and she brought a non member friend so that was really great! Also the waiter was a long lost less active! So many little tender mercies, God is truly in the details. This is His work! A wonderful start to 2016!

Saturday we got to spend our morning at the food pantry! It was an awesome start to a wonderful day. I love spending the morning in the food pantry because it makes me so happy and then I can't stop smiling. I was in such a great mood today and I loved it. After that we had a lesson with Andrew, he read in the Book of Mormon so that was awesome. We were able to talk about it and discuss some of the things he needs to do before he moves out west! Then we spent the afternoon weekly planning, last week of campus being closed! Wahoo!!(: That night we had a lesson with the Elders and the Mackines. We arrived a couple minutes early so we decided to make a few calls and finish up some planning. I looked up from my window and saw a man working in his drive way I was prompted to go talk to him, so we did! His name was Jason and he has met some missionaries in another part of Georgia where he used to live. He asked us what the main difference was in our religion so we were able to talk with him about the Book of Mormon. He accepted our invitation to read it and we are planning on going back next week. It was so cool! All about being in the right place at the right time. We got back to our car and got a phone call from a woman in another ward with a referral. She had met a young man named Mathan at Kroger and started talking to him about the church. He said he really was searching for a church and was interested in learning more!! We hurried over to Kroger after our lesson but had just missed him. We are going back Monday night and we are very excited!

Sunday we had the most incredible fast and testimony meeting. We had so many less actives come and Jocelyn came with her parents. I can't remember if i mentioned this to yall or just my fam on skype but when she told her parents about the baptism they were not happy and said they were loosing her as a daughter. We got a call from Jocelyn sobbing and it broke my heart. She was so heart broken and decided to head home. The next day her mom called and said that she was sorry and wanted to come to church and see what it is all about! How cool is that?? So today Jocelyn came with both her mom and dad! She bore such a powerful testimony and it was so wonderful! We had multiple less actives go up including Andrew!!!! It was truly amazing and the spirit was so strong! I love being a missionary and it is moments like that that make all the hard times worth it! Ahhh it was so cool! After church we had a delicious break the fast and some great meetings! After we went to try to check up on some people but had little success. That night we had a great lesson with Miles about the priesthood and patriarchal blessings! The spirit was definitely there and it was a awesome lesson! Then we ended the day with a lesson with Elizabeth. She bore her testimony and it was so cool! Her love for the gospel is constantly growing. We had a great lesson with her! It was a fantastic day!!

I hope y'all had a wonderful new year and have a blessed week!!(: This New year is the perfect opportunity to start fresh, this gospel is all about change and repentance! We never run out of second chances. I hope y'all think of ways to involve the savior more into your lives and have the best year yet! I am so grateful for the knowledge of this wonderful gospel in my life and so grateful for all of you! I love you!(:

~ Sister Hosman