*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
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