My district this past transfer-Elder Soto, Elder Mortensen, Elder Buys, Elder Riggs, Sister Tucker, MeAlex, Gloria, Baby Eric and Gisele
Me and Sister Tucker today at McDonald's with the elders after bowling

I'm getting transferred!

Hey Everyone,

I can't even think about the week we've had because I'm getting transferred. I found out last night that I'm going to the north, and my companion is going to be Sister Xiques. She is the spanish sister that just got here this last transfer and Sister Tucker and I took her out tracting her first night. She is native spanish speaker, so I'm excited to hopefully improve my spanish.

Man, I have such mixed feelings. Honestly, I knew for like the last week that I was going to the north, but transfer calls just confirmed how I felt. I am sad to leave everyone here. There are so many good things just waiting to happen here in the south. But I also realize and know that I feel like the last two weeks I really learned a lot and feel super comfortable here, so it's time for me to move areas so I can grow even more in a new place where I don't know anyone.

I'm the only one leaving our district, well so is Elder Buys, but he's going home. Everyone else is staying. Elder Lewis, who was here my first transfer, is coming back here to the south and will be the new district leader and companions with Elder Riggs. Sister Moss is coming here to be with Sister Tucker. Also, the south is getting a new zone leader. Elder Ellsworth is leaving to be ZL in Wichita Falls, TX and Elder Spjute is the new ZL with Elder Chun. Elder Dominguez is going home, so there will be a new AP, Elder Reed, he was my district leader a transfer ago. Sister Glenn is going to Woodward and Sister Anderson is coming here to the south with Sister Houston. Elder Bass will be my new district leader is the north. Elder Larson was DL in the north, but he's leaving for Norman to be ZL. Elder Goronson is going to Cushing, which is in the Stillwater Zone. He was here in the south in Mustang.

Sorry that was probably a really boring paragraph for most of you, but that was mainly for those who used to be missionaries here.

Last week we taught 51 lessons total. Usually we teach around 30 or so, but because we've changed how we're tracting, we are teaching more lessons and finding more new investigators. Elder Buys and Elder Riggs got 21 new investigators last week. Usually they just get a couple. So, Elder Buys is leaving the mission having worked harder than he's worked his whole mission.

I'm a little worried about the north because Sister Tucker told me that you don't teach as much up there, and there aren't as many hispanics. But I know that having learned what I've learned over the past 7 months, I'm ready to go there and try to make things better.

Maria Pena wasn't at church on Sunday because she had to go to Mexico last minute because her mom is really sick. Luz seems to be doing worse. We taught her yesterday for the first time in a week or so, and we told her she needs to go to church. Even if it's hard. She said that in two weeks she's moving. She doesn't know if she's staying here in OK or going to Mexico, but she wants to move in 2 weeks.

Sunday was AMAZING! We had fast and testimony meeting, and I bore my testimony. I wasn't planning on it, but after Presidente Espinosa finished bearing his I felt like I should get up. I just thought, no, I don't know what to say. But then I realized that my spanish has grown so much since the last time I bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting. The last time was in February right before Sister Whiting left, and I just bore a simple testimony because I didn't feel like I could say too much. But on Sunday I felt like I basically knew how to say exactly what I felt and wanted to share. I bore my testimony about the importance of changing our lives to be like Christ and getting baptized. I looked and the congregation, and there were 3 families there that one of the spouses isn't a member. I just thought about each of them, and how I long for them to be baptized snd then their families can be sealed. I felt such great joy on Sunday! As I watched less actives and others who I love and have been visiting for a while-Hna. Perez and her family (including her husband who is not a member), Hna. & Hno. Torres, Hno. Zamora, Gloria was in the foyer, but there, Juan (one of our investigators), Hna. Coronado (non-member) and her family (two out of her 3 boys and her husband bore their testimonies), and Hna. Garcia. I looked out at all of them thinking that I was probably leaving, and I'll probably come back to the south, but there's a chance I might not. I seriously have grown to love these people SO much. I just want them to all be happy and be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father. I felt such happiness and joy as I looked at them on Sunday. (I was sitting on the stand because I was conducting the music.) I'm going to miss the Spanish 6th Branch a lot! I didn't say bye to anyone, except like a few people (Chepe, Don Chepe, the Plaudis family, and Reina Ortiz). I just don't want to make it harder to leave. Plus, hopefully I'll be back.

So, this morning we went bowling, and now we're going to play basketball. I'm pretty much packed except for the stuff I need over the next 24 hours. I'm excited for a new adventure in a new area with a new companion! And I know Heavenly Father will continue to guide me and help me.

Sorry this e-mail is pretty scattered... that's how my brain is right now. I love you all! Thank you all for everything! Til next week...

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

zone conf, us and eng sis's matching pink arguile and green

us all bowling
almost all of us that were playing soccer

I decided to go on a mission a year ago...

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I'm e-mailing late! I like Corey have NO time! It's 5:23 and we have a dinner appt at 6. So this for real has got to be short. The reason we have no time is because we went bowling this morning and then went to the north of the city and played soccer with a BUNCH of other missionaries. It was fun, but we have no time for anything now.

Really quickly, it rained like 3 days in a row starting on Friday through Sunday. That was pretty fun! Now the sun is coming back. I think it's supposed to be in the 80s soon.

Zone Conference was last Friday with our area seventy Elder Flukeger. It was AWESOME! He called on me and asked my name. When I said, "Hogewoning," he was just like, "And I thought my name was hard." It was pretty funny! Anyway, I wish I had more time to tell you more.

Tracting has become something COMPLETELY different for us here in the OKC South Zone thanks to the wisdom of our awesome Zone Leaders, Elder Chun and Elder Ellsworth. We are trying to teach. Elder Ellsworth quoted something I said at Zone Conf that to often as missionaries we think of tracting as tracting, knocking doors, and we forgot about the people behind those doors. We should think of tracting as teaching. Anyway, we stopped asking if they have time and just started teaching, and we taught 5 other lessons yesterday just from "tracting." They are right, this is a MUCH better invitation to Christ even if they still reject us.

So, as of April 17, 2010, exactly a year ago from that date, I called Bishop Smith to tell him I had decided I wanted to go on a mission and called him back 5 minutes to ask if he could open my mission papers. And exactly a year later.... well a lot has happened, obviously, and all for the better! Honestly, I really feel like I'm becoming a better person. It's weird because I just realized this on Saturday, April 17, that things are changing, and I'm learning and growing. And I really am happy! Not like there won't ever be hard times, but things are changing.

Well, I love you all! Sorry this was so short!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

7 months!

Hey Y'all,

It's so weird to think I've been gone for 7 months. Time sure does fly! I've been out exactly half as long as Corey. It's so weird to think about how he and I will end up home around the same time.

Things are well. The weather has been mostly nice. 70s and windy. Not too bad. Again, I'm grateful for spring because the summer is not going to be too fun. Sister Tucker and I got a little sunburned the other day. We were tracted and met a man who was interested. There wasn't a woman there so we had to teach him outside, and we got a little sun. I guess it's time to get the sunscreen out.

Maria Pena came to church last Sunday! So exciting! We teach her three times a week, and she loves the church. She is so ready to be a member. Hopefully we can baptize her next month, but we're waiting for some things to be resolved.

I feel like SO many appts fell through last week, but somehow we still taught quite a few lessons. I know that Heavenly Father is blessing us, and I really think it also has a lot to do with our goal of contacting 105 people every week. I feel like as we tract, even though we don't want to, we are blessed.

We had interviews today, which was weird to have them on p-day. I didn't ask about next transfer but Sister Tucker did. And President Gee actually said that he'd probably leave me and Sister Tucker together here and the south and leave the brand new missionaries Sister Moss and Sister Xiques together in the north. Right now they are being trained by Hermana Alas, but she goes home at the end of this transfer. Anyway, interesting. But a lot of times President Gee says something about transfers, but we can't be sure until they are actually here. So two weeks, and we'll know!

Johanna still wants to be baptized, but I don't really know....We should just set a date with her! She talked about how she'll be 15 in June, and she's going to a have a quinceanera (It's basically like sweet 16 here in the states, but way bigger. It's like a coming of age thing. It's way intense!) in September. We need to set a date because we've taught her everything I think now, but we need to talk to her about baptism more. So she really understands. Luz wants her to really understand before she's baptized.

Luz is well, but she's not coming to church. She still wants to move out and get baptized, but she's waiting on her daughter in Mexico. It's way complicated, but when things change I'll let y'all know.

We are now teaching Martha Lopez, another one of Alma and Gloria's sister. She was living in the north, but she's moved down here to the south. Specifically, she's living in Midwest City. She said she was going to come to church on Sunday, but she didn't. :( Man, if Gloria and Martha and Alma and Hna. Segura (their mom) would encourage each other, I could see them all coming to church. But as long as they aren't really coming or trying to help each other, they're not going to come. We'll see what happens. Martha should be baptized, but she needs to get married. Anyway, there's lots to work on with this family. One day they'll all be strong active members. I just don't know if that will be while I'm here.

I don't know what else to write! I feel like everything is the same! But all is well here in Oklahoma. I seriously can't believe this transfer is almost over and I'll be saying bye to Elder Dominguez, Elder Buys, and Hermana Alas. Weird!

Thanks for the packages, letters, prayers, love and support! Corey and I both appreciate it lots!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

the elders in my district-Elder Riggs, Elder Mortensen, Elder Soto, & Elder Buys at Hna. Garcia's (the member we eat with every Tuesday) house last Tuesday

Sister Glenn, Sister Houston, Hermana Tucker, and me at Subway after district meeting last Friday
Hermana Tucker and I at San Marcos last Friday night. We went with Elder Buys, Elder Riggs, and the APs-Elder Dominguez and Elder Olsen

now there's one less dog in Ok City

Hey Everyone,

I've had some pretty cool experiences the last week or so. I don't have time to relate them all though. I've just decided that a lot of things will just have to wait until after the mission for me to tell you all about them. But I'll tell you one...

So, the english sisters gave us a referral weeks ago for a lady named Maria Pena. I can't remember if I've mentioned her or not. Anyway, we went to contact her, and she said she wasn't interested. Then we went to check on another referral, Norma, in the same housing (they're not houses, or apts or condos, so I don't know what to call them). When we walked back passed Maria's house, she stuck her head out and said can you come back tomorrow. So we said yes, and we did, and she was there, and we taught her lesson one. It was great! Since we've taught her lesson 2. She was going to come to general conference. She doesn't have a car though, but we found her a ride. It was Sunday morning, a little before 9 and she called and said that she's going to Tulsa, to her sister's, for 2 weeks. I was SO bummed! Because the next time we taught her we were going to try to set a baptismal date. Then...

Monday comes. We went to check on that other referral, who is now an investigator, and Norma wasn't home. As we were walking to the car, I felt like I should knock on Maria's door, but I was like, she's not there. So, I kept walking and didn't knock. I know you're all wondering why I didn't just listen to the spirit. Well, because that would have been the smart thing to do. Later, we were at Luz's house, and we got a bunch of missed calls while we were there. One of them was from Maria, and we only have her home phone number, so I knew she was home. She left a voicemail saying that she decided not to go to Tulsa because it's more important to be here and read the Bible. I was SO excited! I called her back and asked if she was busy, and then we were at her house like 5 minutes later teaching her lesson 3 (the gospel of Jesus Christ-faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end). We taught her, and she wants to be baptized, but she has a few impediments. But she seems so golden! That was such a tender mercy that she called because I didn't knock on her door like I should have. She even admitted that Sunday she should have come to conference. That she could have told her sister to wait while she went to church, but she let Satan win. She also recognized that the thought to call us was a prompting and she knows this is what she needs to do. She said that she's going to come to church next week no matter what! :) Long story short, follow promptings! Luckily, I kind of got a second chance, but we don't always get a second chance. I'm excited to keep teaching her! I hope she can get things in order so she can get baptized soon!

General conference was awesome! I loved it! My favorite talks were Elder Bednar and Elder Holland. I've loved hearing Elder Bednar speak since he's been called to the quorum of the 12, and even more now after seeing him here in Ok City. Elder Holland has become a favorite speaker of mine probably in the last year or so, and moreso because of hearing him at the MTC. I wish conference lasted longer. I always look forward to it so much, and then it's over so fast! Good thing we have it every 6 months.

We didn't have any investigators at conference! :( We were going to have two, but then things happened and they didn't come. Gloria, (one of Alma's sisters, she was baptized about a year ago, but she never really comes to church) came to the Sunday afternoon session with two of her kids, Sammie and Giselle. She enjoyed it! Also, Dawn, one of the sisters investigators who we found, came to the Sunday afternoon session. She seems golden, but she's the english sisters.

Again, I'm not looking forward to the summer. It's been kind of warm, not like too bad, but enough for me to imagine how hot summer will be. I can't wait to be dripping in sweat! Good thing I'm only here for one summer.

One more thing, I got an e-mail from Corey. He's still in the same area, but he's with a new companion and they are zone leaders. Crazy! I'm so happy all is going well with him in Japan and that he has the opportunity to serve as a leader among his fellow missionaries. Sometimes I wish I was in his same mission so I could watch him serve and lead!

Time to go! I love you all! Thanks for everything! Until next week...

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning