The boy who cried wolf/the first & last bike ride of my mission

Hey Everyone,

Wow! It's been a crazy week! First of all we had a tornado siren go off last Tuesday night, and then we found out it wasn't real. They were just testing it. I guess that's what it said on the news, but since we don't/can't watch the news we had no idea. Can you say the boy who cried wolf???

Also, Miguel's baptismal date has been changed due to the fact that they're rededicating our church building this Sunday. So he'll be baptized June 6. We're so excited and so is he!

We've met some awesome people and had some awesome experiences! I wish I had time to tell you the details! We found a couple less actives the other day, and we've run into people who in the past had been taught by missionaries. I hope that they'll be ready this time around to accept the gospel and be baptized, but if not, I know our work is not in vein.

Don Chepe didn't get baptized this past Saturday. :( I was SO bummed to hear that when Elder Reed, one of the APs, called Friday night to tell us it wouldn't be happening. Something happened to his son, Chepe (Jose-in his 20s). I got to him Saturday night anyway though. We talked, and he still wants to be baptized, but he doesn't know when. Anyway, please keep the two of them in your prayers. Even though I never taught them, they are very dear to me.

You will never guess what Hermana Xiques and I did yesterday. We thought we'd finally use our bikes and see what it's like to be an elder. We rode them from our apt to a less active's house (Ligia Barona). The elders said they think it's about 3 miles there. I honestly don't know. It didn't feel that far to me. We were so excited to ride our bikes finally! We get outside, and we are about to leave the parking lot when we realize we should probably put shorts on because we were wearing skirts. So we go back inside, and again leave. We hadn't even gone like 5 blocks when Hermana Xiques was just like, okay, this isn't fun any more. Haha! Man, we were SO pathetic! We were so dead tired by the time we got there! Ligia fed us and then we shared a message and did some service-raked leaves. We decided to ride home in our service clothes. When we got back on the bikes to leave, I didn't think I'd make it home. We were both SO sore and so out of shape! Wow! We don't know how the elders do it!

We told the elders (Elder Bass, Elder Linford, Elder Whipple, and Elder Romero) that we rode our bikes, and they were proud of us, but they laughed a lot. Then they told us that the first two weeks (for those of you future elders, maybe you should close your eyes and not read this part) you are SO sore and it's not fun at all. But I guess after that you get used to it. We are SO grateful we have a car, and I don't know if we'll go back to bikes ever.

Zone conference was AWESOME! The temple was WONDERFUL! It was President Gee's last zone conference, well he had 3 others after ours (today and tomorrow they will finish), but he talked about the transition between him and the new mission president, President Taylor. He told us to let him and Sister Gee be the grandparents. It's going to be hard to say bye, but we'll be fine. President Taylor comes on June 29, the same days the Gee's will leave & return to Rexburg, ID

I didn't hear from Corey, but I'm sure he's fine. He too, will have a new mission president at the end of this transfer.

I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

Temple Conf tom!/Bombing Memorial

Hey Everyone,

I have 13 minutes and counting! Sorry! I wanted to e-mail the pics from the bombing memorial. Today Hermana Xiques and I went to the Oklahoma City National Bombing Memorial. It was awesome! It is so beautiful, and I love how well they have captured and remembered that event and the lives that were lost. It feels like such a sacred place, and I definitely felt something there. I also shed a few tears. You can just go visit the grounds, but to go inside it's $10. The $10 is worth it in my opinion. You hear recording of the bomb going off, you watch the news footage, and hear stories of survivors. It's amazing! I didn't know a lot of things about this event. One being that it wasn't the first act of terrorism. There were LOTS of things I didn't know, and I can't even remember everything. But I want to go back some day with Corey and later with my future family when my kids are older. In my opinion, I think kids should have to be at least 12 to go inside. There were at least two groups from schools and the kids just went through it way fast, and I don't think they appreciate it as much. We were there for 3 1/2 hours. (That's why I'm e-mailing so late!) And that wasn't enough time to read an enjoy everything. We could have easily spent all day there.

As for the work... all is well here! We set a baptismal date with Miguel Tepaz last Friday I think, for May 30. We're WAY excited! Also, I found out that one of the investigators in the south is getting baptized, Don Chepe (Jose Martinez). He had many dates, but he's FINALLY getting baptized this Saturday, and I get to go! I'm so excited I'll be able to be there. He was never my investigator, but I feel like I knew him as if he was my investigator! He's awesome!

Tornadoes... so it's definitely tornado weather in OK. And we had two warnings (the sirens went off and all) last week. One was last Monday, a week ago, and the other was Sunday. Right after church we were told to stay in the building, and sure enough we heard the sirens. Everyone took refuge in the basement, I didn't know churches had basements, and us missionaries stood at the doors watching this crazy weather. Again, the tornado passed us, but the rain and wind was CRAZY! Oh, and Sister Xiques and I have seen multiple windshields on cars that were cracked or damaged.

But don't worry about me. I'm safe, and I know I'll be fine. I also heard that where we are at in the north of the city, tornadoes don't tend to ever hit here. But I'm right next to Bethany and Warr Acres in OK City, if you want my direct location to "check on me."

Temple conference is tomorrow, and I'm SO excited! It's going to be nice to go to the temple and see President Gee and everyone!

Sorry this was way short! I love you all!

Oh, and Corey wasn't transferred. He's still in Yonago, but he got a new comp, Elder Muraoka. Oh, and he found out that he will be in the Kobe Mission. This is his last transfer in the "Hiroshima" mission.

Gotta run!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

Bombing Memorial pics

Last week, all of us at indoor SOCCER! Gotta love it! Find me and see if you recognize any of the other missionaries from other pics.

chairs in memorial of people killed at 9:03 gate
me in front of 9:01am gate at Ok City Bomb. Mem.
Hermana Xiques and I in front of 9:03am gate at the Oklahoma City National Bombing Memorial

OKC Temple in Yukon

Hermana Xiques and I in the bathtub being safe and scared! :)

8 months & 1st Tornado Warning!

Hey Everyone,

It was SO good to call home on Mother's Day! I'm so glad I got to talk to my family! It was a great call home! Corey and I only have one more phone call home, at Christmas, and then we'll be home! That is so crazy to think about! But he and I still have a while!

So, you'll never guess what happened yesterday! Well, maybe because of the subject line. Hermana Xiques and I were tracting, and it was a little before 5. We heard there were supposed to be thunderstorms, but it was sunny when we started tracting. Hermana Xiques was like, I hope it rains. I said nothing. Then it starts raining just a little. Then it starts pouring, so we go back to the car to get our jackets. I didn't want to put my jacket on because it was hot, like high 80s/low 90s. But I didn't want to get wet. Then we walk back to the door we left off on. Suddenly, off in the distant, we hear some noise, Hermana Xiques thought it was a tornado siren. I thought it was a train, BUT I knew that I hadn't heard a single train up here. I told her it was a train, hoping she wouldn't freak out or worry. She tends to get scared a little more easily then I do. Then I go to knock this door I've been standing in front of for like a minute or so, and the tornado siren goes off. Hermana Xiques starts freaking out, we link arms and run off to our car. Hermana Xiques kept saying, what do we do, what do we do!?!? I wasn't too worried, except that I hadn't been told what to do in this situation. And it's not like either of us are with Hermana Whiting or Hermana Alas to tell us what to do.

We get in the car, and we start calling our leaders-district leader: Elder Bass...no answer, zone leaders: Elder Kleinman and Elder Call...no answer, APs (they each have their own phone): Elder Olsen...no answer & Elder Reed...no answer, President Gee...no answer. Hermana Xiques was like, President Gee is probably in his storm shelter, having left his phone upstairs, thinking they'll (we'll) figure it out. Haha! I knew that wasn't true. I knew that President Gee was on the phone with the APs or some missionary telling them what to do. We also couldn't really get signal on our phone, and I was like, maybe it's due to the weather. I probably shouldn't have said that because Hermana Xiques was just like, great, so what happens if we can't call anyone. I just started driving to our apt because I didn't know what else to do. By the time we were a block from the apt, Elder Bass called saying to go to the apt. Surprise! Then after being home for a little bit, Elder Bass calls again saying the APs told us to get in a bathtub or doorway. We didn't think much of it because it was just raining really hard, and by the time we got that information the storm seemed to be settling down. In times like these, we wish we could watch the news. But we can't. We just have to depend our on leaders to tell us what we need to do. We seriously couldn't believe this was happening, especially after I was like, it's not a tornado. Haha!

Well, we did get in our bathtub at one point, but not for long. Oh, and there was supposed to be golf-ball sized hail. The hail came, but it was like between the size of a pebble and a rock and it lasted for like two seconds. A member called us, Hna. Veronica Morales. She was in the south on 44th and Penn (that's close to the church I used to go to down there and my apt down there). She said the sky was black, and she saw a tornado touch the ground. Hermana Xiques and I were so jealous we weren't in the south because there was more action happening down there. Anyway, the rain stopped here in the north, and around 6pm Elder Bass called saying we could go back out.

Later on that night, Elder Reed (one of the APs) called us, I think returning our call (who knows), and he told us all about their adventures down in the south. Apparently they were at Hibdon Tires and saw the news about the tornado and everything. They did have golf-ball sized hail which dented the top of their truck. Oh, and it gets better... because the hail was so bad some of the windows in their apt complex were shattered. Pretty crazy, huh?

Anyway, I didn't really see anything because the tornadoes around us never hit us, but if I had still been in the south I'm sure I would have seen some pretty crazy things. But it was kind of fun to experience my first tornado warning.

Don't worry, we're still working hard. We had 3 investigators at church this past Sunday! It was great! Also, 2 of them were from Watonga. Watonga is an hour away, and Sister Christensen, a lady from a completely different ward that lives like 40 minutes from us, takes us there every week. There are members in Watonga and investigators, but they're all the same family-the Reza family. They are AWESOME! I love them! The biggest problem is the distance! When we drove out there for the first time last week, we drove through nothing! I asked Sister Christensen if this is more what Oklahoma was like and she said yes. Being in the city, I don't really feel like I'm in the middle of nowhere where there is nothing, but I definitely am.

So, church was wonderful! Miguel Tepaz also came. He's one of our investigators too. We've taught him a few times since I've been here and he seems GOLDEN! The first time we went over, loud music was coming from his house, and he came outside and seemed out of it (he was drinking), and Hermana Xiques and I didn't even get a chance to introduce me. Then a few days later we were in the area and went by. He was home, and we taught him the Word of Wisdom. He told us that he had stopped drinking on his own for two months, but Saturday, when we had gone by he had returned into his old ways. He almost started crying. He commited to live the WOW. Then we went by and taught him lesson 3, the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repent, baptism, Holy Ghost, endure to end), and two of his roommates joined us. He wants to be baptized! Then he told us we should teach his friends the WOW. We did, and they said they would live it. He lives in a house with 5 other guys. If we can get them to listen, maybe they all help each other live the WOW.

We have some awesome people, but we also do a lot of tracting. But it's all good! I love it!

Oh, on Sunday I ran into a girl who I used to work with at BYU-I in the bookstore, Brittany. It was so weird to see her in Oklahoma. It felt like we should be in Idaho. Apparently, she's selling alarm systems for Apex this summer, and she'll go back to BYU-I in the fall. It's a small world after all!

Today we are going to go play soccer and hopefully the spanish south district is coming up! I'm SO excited! Man, I LOVE sports! I'm not that great, but it's so fun!

Well, I love you all tons! I hope all is well with you and your families! Thanks for all y'all do for me and Corey! And Corey is good! he has two more transfers (two periods of 6 weeks) until the mission closes I believe, and his transfers are this week, but I won't know until next week whether he'll stay or get transferred or if he'll stay zone leader.

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

pics from transfers!

right before transfers! Elder Chun, Elder Ellsworth, Elder Buys, Elder Riggs, Sis Houston, Hna Tucker, Me

The wind was CRAZY at transfers, and I wore my hair down, so this is how my hair looks is MOST of the pics I took. Hna. Xiques (Hee-kis) and I! New comps!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey Everyone,

So, I'm now in the north of Oklahoma City, in the north west part, which includes Warr Acres & Bethany. Before I was in the south east of the city, Del City, Midwest City, and Moore. Now I'm in the opposite corner of the city. I LOVE it here! Wow! I was sad to leave the south because it was my first and only area I've been in, and I didn't want to leave all those people. But I already love it here in the north. I love our investigators, members, and everyone! I'm still meeting people and getting to know my way around. But I love it!

Hermana Xiques is AWESOME! I love her! She's from Orange County, CA, so that means after the mission we won't be too far away from each other. She's 25. She already finished school with a bachelor's in criminal justice. Before the mission she worked with the probation department. After the mission she wants to be a sociology teacher I believe. She is native spanish speaker, which is a HUGE blessing! My spanish is fine, but it's only "fine." I want to improve and perfect it so much, and I'm so grateful to at least have 6 weeks to do so. Last transfer was her first transfer, so this is only her second transfer. But she's seems like the senior companion and like she's been out for months. I'm grateful for that because the load feels evenly balanced between us.

This past Sunday was great! It was fast and testimony meeting, and I bore my testimony. Again, I wasn't planning on it, but I did. I think I might just make it a goal to do that every month. My spanish is to the point where I can say what I want, and I don't really have to think too hard. It never ceases to amaze me that I can speak, read, and understand another language. It's such a blessing! I'm excited for after the mission when I can continue to use spanish as a teacher!

Sorry this is so impersonal, but Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers! You all have had such a powerful impact on my life, and I owe a lot to you and the things you've taught me. Thank you for example! I know your children also appreciate you and look to you as an example, even if you think otherwise!

So my new district- Elder Bass is district leader (I have heard LOTS about him because many of the missionaries I've served around him had served with him or were his comp. I'm excited to get to know him!), and his comp is Elder Linford, I think this is his third transfer. Then the other two elders are Elder Romero (yes, I already served around him in the south, so I'm excited to be serving with a familiar face.) and Elder Whipple (this is his second transfer). Anyway, we have an AWESOME district! I'm excited for this transfer! It's going to be great! Half of them are brand new, and half of us are old, in the mission anyway.

What else??? Umm... Corey has asked me not to forward his e-mails any more. But all is well with him. They just had zone conf, and he's still zone leader. I think transfers for him are next week, but I won't know until then whether or not he gets transferred.

We have temple conference this transfer. They are just doing it by individual zones, so the only missionary I know I'll see that I already know is Sister Glenn. Aside from that, I think every missionary I've served around is in a different zone. Oh, Elder Reed is AP, and he was my district leader for two transfers, so that's exciting!

Yesterday we went tracting, and we ran into this guy named Jacob. He wants to live with his family for eternity, but doesn't believe he can. We bore testimony to him, but he says we don't know and that we have blind faith. As much as he kept telling me I didn't know, I know that I KNOW without a doubt that this church is true and families can be together forever. He thinks that we're all here by coincidence and that we're going back to nothing after this life. How sad! I'm so grateful for my knowledge of the gospel!

Gotta go... 6 minutes. I'm excited to call home on Sunday! Love you all!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning