This is at Taco Bell after district meeting last Friday - Elder Christian, Elder Call, Elder Lambert, Me, and Sister Davey

lots of news!

Hey Everyone,

My mind is so scattered right now that I don't even know what to write. A lot has happened and I haven't even been here a week, well tomorrow will be a week.

It's been great to be back here in the south, where I was born and everything. It's been fun to see everyone again. I feel so welcome here, and I love it! But it's been kind of sad hearing how old investigators are doing...

Maria Pena pretty much told the sisters a couple weeks ago not to come back. :( I honestly think it has to do with her family because she knows it's true and she wants to be baptized. So I haven't seen her since I've been back. Pray that somehow we'll be able to go over and things will change so she can be baptized. Because everything got worked out for her to be baptized. It just needs to happen.

Luz has been avoiding the sisters pretty much since I left. They've only been able to teach her once since I left. Really really sad! We tried her yesterday, but Moses came to the door saying she wasn't there. I'm hoping that knowing I'm back she'll let us come over, but who knows.

Good news... Juan is progressing! He actually came to church on Sunday. We went and taught him on Saturday, and it was awesome! The thing is he's only been to church twice. Once before I left, and then this past Sunday that I was here. Hopefully we can set a date with him soon though. I think he's the closest to baptism. I'm way excited for him!

Hna. Coronado was also at church this past Sunday. The sisters said that she's coming along. Her youngest son, Danny, will turn 8 and get baptized at the end of August, and we're hoping she will too! But we'll see!

So, Sister Tucker got bitten by a dog last Tuesday night and had to go to the ER. She's fine. BUT then on Saturday she rolled her ankle, and we had to take her to Urgent Care. We thought it was broken, but it's not. They just said that she tore 2 ligaments, they are second degree tears. She barely started walking on it on Sunday after church. She has an appt right now with an orthopedic surgeon to check to make sure nothing is wrong. Sister Taylor just came to pick her up. Hopefully everything will be all right. We don't need to be down another sister.

Also, we went tracting Friday night and found 3 new investigators and a less active! It was awesome! We also found another less active yesterday! I really feel like this area is going to take off and there is going to be a lot to do! I am excited and feel ready to work really hard. I just hope I can listen to the spirit and do what Heavenly Father wants me to do.

Well, I gotta run. I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

change of address!

Hey!

I forgot to tell y'all that my address is changing! Please don't write to the Ann Arbor address!

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

416 SW 79 St Ste #210

Oklahoma City, OK 73139

Love you!

Hermana Hogewoning

Hey Guys,

I'm just e-mailing to let you know that my companion is going home on Thursday morning. It's really sad, but it's her decision. Either way I was still going to go to the south, that's part of why I wonder why I need to be there. Anyway, I just hope that Hermana Xiques can be happy because I love her so much. She is seriously one of my best friends. Honestly, when I found out we were going to be companions, I didn't think that would be possible for me to love her so much.

So what that means, is that the central elders will take over our area in the north. Not ideal, but better than the area being completely closed. And I will be in a threesome with Sister Moss and Sister Tucker until next transfer or until things can be figured out. Please don't tell people about this or forward this e-mail. Thanks! I love you all!

Love,

Christina

I'm going back to the south! :)

Hey Everyone,

We got transfer calls last night, and after a lot of begging my leaders finally told me that I'm for real going back to the south. I'm really excited. It almost seems to perfect. I didn't think I'd be going back this soon though. I've been wanting to go back, and I'm actually going back. I feel like things usually don't work like that, that what I want is what needs to happen. I feel like I'm dreaming or something. This doesn't feel real. Don't get me wrong, I love the north! There are a lot of things happening here in the north that I just feel like I don't want anyone else to take over. I wish I could be split in half, so that half of me could stay here and half of me could go to the south. President Taylor really felt strongly about me going back to the south, and actually I've been thinking about it for the last week. But I don't know why. I wish I did. I feel impatient. Like I just want to know everything now. I don't want to wait and find out why. I just wonder why do I, Hermana Hogewoning, need to go back to the south now? I'm not complaining. Like I said, I'm way excited, but I just wonder what's in store for me.

Elder Linford is going to Chickasha and will be going english, Elder Bell is going to Wichita Falls, and Elder Whipple is staying and Elder Reichman will be his new comp. Elder Mortensen is also staying and will be training again, Elder Gonzales (he's from Utah). Anyway... Elder Call, current ZL here in the north, is going to the south to be ZL. I'm very excited that we're both going to the south. He's awesome! Elder Norman will stay here in the north, and Elder Jensen will be coming to be ZL with him, and Elder Peterson will be with them.

In the south...Elder Lewis is district leader and will be training, and Elder Ortiz is shotgun training, which means nobody is staying in the area to show them the ropes. Zone Leaders will be Elder Call and Elder Chun. I'll be with Sister Moss and Sister Tucker.

Missionary work... Maria Bucher came to church on Sunday! It was a miracle. She is a recent convert within the last 2 years I think, and she's been less active for at least as long as I've been in Oklahoma. Anyway, she always tells us how she doesn't believe in Joseph Smith and many other things, and it's way sad. Because at one point she did have a testimony of these things. But she promised President Gee that she'd come to church. And she did! I hope she can keep going and slowly regain her testimony that she once had.

We taught the ENTIRE Reza family last week at Sister Christensen's house in Piedmont. All the husbands came! I've never taught the husbands. Sister Christensen has been wanting their family to come to her house forever, and FINALLY they ALL came! It was awesome! We ate, and then we had the lesson. I hope that maybe the husbands are thinking about the fact that their wives are reading the BOM, coming to church, and want to be baptized. Hopefully, those families will one day be sealed in the not too far future! We've been trying to set baptismal dates with Mari and Erika, but Mari wants to wait and Erika... she seems more ready and willing, but she said let's wait til next time to set a date. Hopefully, they'll be baptized soon, so eventually they can be sealed.

Sorry no pics today. I forgot my battery to my camera. And I had district pics I wanted to send y'all. Sorry!

Corey is doing well. He's still adjusting to all the new things... the mission, the area, and his companion, but he sounds well as usual.

I'm excited for all the changes happening tomorrow! I can't wait! I just hope that I can be what Heavenly Father wants me to be and do what He wants me to do, so I can be the best missionary that I can.

I love you all!

Love,

Hermana Christina Hogewoning

can you say yeehaw?

Hey Y'all,

So this morning Hermana Xiques and I went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. It was cool, but I'm honestly not a fan of museums. Hermana Xiques has been wanting to go since I got here, and so we finally went. We took lots of pics, sorry you only get to see 3. It was neat, but honestly I just don't like museums. I really enjoyed the Oklahoma City Bombing Mermorial because I remember when that happened and it interested me.

You'll never guess what happen after we e-mailed last week. Remember how I randomly said it started pouring, well when we left it was pouring as if somebody was pouring buckets of water down from the sky. We didn't have our jackets, and we had to go straight to interviews after. So we ran to the car, which honestly wasn't far at all. But because of how hard the rain was coming down, by the time we got to the car, we were both drenched! Our hair was literally dripping wet. And the church is just a couple blocks from the library we e-mailed at, but the street was flooded! It was crazy! I felt SO embarrassed walking into my interview, seeing the APs and President and Sister Taylor looking like a wet rat! Luckily, Hna. Xiques had a hair tie, so I put my hair up and that helped a little. But wow! The weather here is SO crazy! And we've had at least two other storms since then. Today it's like in the 90s, and it's humid. I hate it, but it's only a little bit longer and then the summer will be over!

Sunday was the final game of the World Cup, and we had a less active call us to tell us he wasn't coming because he was going to stay home and watch the soccer game. And Saturday we had gone over and taught him about keeping the Sabbath Day holy. I guess I just have a strong testimony of keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and I don't understand how other people would let anything keep them from coming to church. And actually, there was a guy that came to the spanish branch just to take the sacrament so he could go home and watch the game. Wow! Honestly, I'm excited that the World Cup is over because I feel like it ran so many peoples lives. But I will be excited to watch it in 4 years!

Corey is doing well! He's been transferred to the Senri Ward in the Osaka North Stake. He is still Zone Leader, and his companion is Elder McLaws. He said his zone is really small, just 3 other companionships. But he's doing great! His new address is:

562-0892

Osaka-fu, Toyonaka-shi, Yamanoue-cho 10-10

Yamanoue Haitsu #201

Thank you for everything! We both love and appreciate the prayers, love, and support. Sorry this was short!

Love,

Hermana Hogewoning

Happy July!

Hey Everyone,
I hope y'all had a good 4th of July. We didn't see fireworks, nor did it even feel like Independence Day. We didn't sing patriotic hymns at church, but it makes sense since I'm in a spanish branch. The only thing I saw was at our apt complex there were three people with sparklers having their own little party on Sunday night when we were coming home. Anyway, I hope you guys had a good weekend.

So, we met the Taylor's last Thursday, and they are awesome! I love them! I still miss and love the Gee's, but I'm excited to get to know the Taylor's. They have five children, two of which are with them-Quinn (just turned 14) and Preston (15). They are awesome!

President and Sister Taylor gave us some changes that came straight from the MTC straight from the 12 and the prophet. These changes went into affect world-wide in all missions. The brethren say that now is the time for this work to hasten (as it says in D&C 88). Zone Conferences and interviews will now be quarterly instead of every 6 weeks, and everything will be done on a monthly basis instead of every 6 weeks, although missionaries will still come and go every 6 weeks (transfers). Also, there are 8 simplified PMG lessons to be taught to missionaries to help us be more effective teachers. We will learn these during trainings, zone conferences, and other times. Basically, a lot will be changing, even though nothing feels different. The goal of this is to help us more effectively do the work that we're already doing, which will in turn help things to happen faster.

President Taylor said that they were coming to Oklahoma hoping to make no radical changes, but this is from the Quorum of the 12 apostles and the prophet and his counselors, and yes, we believe in modern day/continuning revelation. I'm excited for all of this, although I don't really know what to expect. But I trust in these changes that are/will take place.

Kind of a bummer that means we won't have zone conf this week. Zone Conf will happen in all missions every Aug, Nov, Feb & May. Interesting! I feel like my time is the mission just got shorter, considering I went from having 6 zone conferences left to now having 3.

(It just started POURING outside! And it was sunny two seconds ago. Oklahoma has very unpredictable weather! And it rained Saturday way hard, almost flooding again! And apparently it's supposed to rain/storm all week. But it's still nice and hot and humid despite the rain. Although Sunday night it felt nice outside.)

Sister Taylor had some exciting news for the sisters... we no longer have to wear nylons! Hooray! I wasn't as excited as Sister Xiques. And Sister Goodell was WAY excited! Anyway, kind of nice. Also, we can wear prints/patterns, and our skirts don't have to go all the way to mid-calf, just have to cover our knees when we sit. Of course, Hna. Xiques and I took off our nylons when we got home that day, and it was weird not to be wearing them. But now I'm getting used to it.

Well, I gotta run! Sorry this was so short. I only had like 10-15 minutes! I love you all tons!

Love,
Hermana Christina Hogewoning

bowling today :)

Me, Elder Call, Elder Whipple, Elder Bell, Hermana Xiques, and Elder Norman in front