8 months! 6/2/14

Hey family! 

Well today marks the day of 8 months! Can you believe it? FIrst i was thinking where did april go, now i'm thinking where did May go?? I know today is also Ethan's birthday! Happy birthday shout out to him:) Thank you everyone for sending me the wonderful videos and pics of all the grandkids. They are the light of my world, apple of my eye, everything to me! It always makes my day to see their smiling faces. We are so blessed with our wonderful family. I can only feel my savior's love when i think of my family. Ya'll are the best:) 

So Taz is on date for June 21st! She has some word of wisdom issues she needs to take care of so we are giving her some time. She is something else i must say! Sometimes i stress and worry if she will fit in with the ward. BUt i only think, hey i'm just adding some color into the ward:) She's very different from everyone else, different background, but we all have our story. So continue to pray for her, i have faith in her. She's taking some work, but i love to see the change in her life. Our next investigator, Dritan, is on date for June 14th! Im very excited for him. He's just another one of those that is just ready to belong to something. He wants that sense of belonging and he needs family here. He is from Albania and speaks very little english. I just always seem to find those. It's amazing to see how the spirit teaches, because of the language barrier. I worry if he's understanding us and what we teach him, he's very quiet in the lessons and doesn't really give any response. But whenever we meet and talk beforehand, he does pretty good in conversation. So i trust that he's learning and that the spirit is teaching him. Both he and taz attended a baptism on saturday that the other sisters in our ward were holding. I asked him if he was ready to be baptized and he just smiled at me and said "June 14th yes?" He's a pretty sweet guy. I'm so grateful that we were diligent, obedient, and exercising our faith, otherwise we woudln't have found him! 

We found some new investigators this week. A woman named Josita from Haiti, she's very sweet and promising! Another woman named CHarline. That was a cool lesson. We forgot to call her beforehand for our visit on Wednesday afternoon.And she almost told us no and come back another day, but we got to talking on her porch and she said, you know just come on in, you don't need to stand on my porch. And from there we started teaching her! I love to see the spirit work on people and change their hearts. She's divorced and has two daughters at home. So next time we come she wants them to sit down with us. 

This past week we had zone conference, last one with the Wolferts! Im going to miss them so much!!! They are truly amazing. I swear Sister wolfert is going to be the next Relief Society General President, and President Wolfert an apostle or a seventy. They have done so much for us, i'm going to have a hard time saying good bye to them. Sister Anderson, Debry, and I had to do the musical number. WE sang the olive tree. It applies so well to misssionary work! Try singing in front of a bunch of missionaries from 4 different zones though. Scary!!! Oh it was sooo good to see sister debry, anderson, and dunn. I missed them so much! 

Thank you everyone for your letters, i've gotten so many! Nat, thank you for writing sister motuliki, it made her day, and i've never seen her so happy. Your words were perfect! She got emotional by the end of the card, and gave me the biggest hug saying thanks. I can only thank my heavenly father for a wonderful sister who cares so much. 

Until next week! Take care, and god bless you and your loved ones:)

Love, 

Sister Hulme

The members are really good to us....

Our three generation picture.

Week of Miracles! 5/26/14

Hello ya'll!

This week has been absolutely amazing! We have seen so many miracles I absolutely love it! But it has all come because of so much faith and obedience. Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles!

So to start off with, we have a new investigator named Dritan, he's from Albania. We seem to find those foreign people. We didn't have any lessons planned for Monday night, so we just tracted instead at our apartments. We were walking around the parking lot and he was riding his bike around. He passed us three times, so I took it as a sign that God was placing him in our path and we needed to talk to him! We've been needing some new investigators too and here was our chance. So talked to him for a brief few minutes and exchanged contact information, and planned to meet with him on Friday. Well we had a member come with us and on Friday we knocked on his door. He walked out all dressed for church and said, "Let's go to the church!" We were a lil taken by surprise but went to the church anyway. But we weren't as prepared as we thought, we didn't have a key! But the member with us is awesome and took us out for ice cream instead. There we taught him the restoration, gave him a book of Mormon, and he committed to baptism right on the spot! He speaks lil English and so does Sis. Motuliki, but she lead the lesson and did a great job explaining everything and keeping it simple. The next day, Saturday, we did a real church tour with him and after showing him the baptismal font, he committed to june 7th! What?! This guy is amazing! He even had already read a little bit from the book of Mormon, and he came to church on sunday. We can only meet with him on weekends, so I don't know how serious june 7th is.. but it's what we're shooting for. So keep him in your prayers! I am just so grateful that we are  part of this miracle, all because we exercised our faith and were obedient!

Our next big story is Pin. He's from Taiwan, has a young family. Anyway, we tracted into him in march, but he told us to come back in april, He and his family had bought their new home and would be moved in by then. So we came back in april, and finds out he has no Christian or religious background whatsoever. so we started with a clean fresh slate! He had no idea who Christ was, other than a lot of people worshiped him! Anywhoo, we met with him on Saturday and taught him the plan of salvation. We had a member come with us who is from China and is a convert herself. She had the same story as him, so she helped tremendously! He as read quite a bit from the Book of Mormon, and at the end he told us that he fully believes in Christ! So I asked him if he would ever follow the example of Christ and be baptized, he said well of course! I would have to eventually so yes! I wanted to jump out of my seat for joy! I have loved to see this man come to know his Savior and to find who he really is! I can totally see their cute family going to the temple someday. It's going to take time and patience, but I have the faith that it will happen.

Last is our investigator Taz. Oh man, she is something else! We also commited her to June 7th, but we are going to have to push it back a week or so. She texted us yesterday and said she couldn't come to church because she had a bad hangover. That dang girl! she makes me frustrated sometimes, but its going to take patience and a lot of time!

Tomorrow we have zone conference! I love zone conference! But it's our last one with our mission president, he leaves in july. i'm pretty sad to see the wolferts go, they are amazing! Also, my trainer so gladly volunteered me and sister Anderson to sing for the musical number, so that will be fun!

Love ya'll so much! take care and God Bless:)

Love, Sister Hulme

Oh! P.S. We had a member by us some papaya and coconut, and sis. Motuliki showed me how to drink water from a coconut!! I have pics but I left my camera at the apartment:/

Training a Tongan!!! 5/19/14

Hey fam!

I am absolutely loving training! My companion is Sis. Motuliki from Tonga!!! She is such a sweetie and an angel! When president told me i was going to train her, i was so excited and happy! Sis. Motuliki is amazing. She has such a heart and is a hard worker. You know the movie the other side of heaven? yeah, that was pretty much her life. So this is a BIG  culture shock to her. SHe also has never ridden a bike before, so i had to teach her. And she has been doing great! I know the Lord is really helping her adjust and she is having extra power from on high. She is very quiet and doesn't say much in the lessons, but the past couple of days she has really impressed me! She will bare the most sincere testimony and the spirit has been so strong! She has very little and went into the MTC really with nothing, except the clothes on her back and her scriptures. She got a few clothes in the MTC but she still doesn't have much. So i gave her some of my stuff and one of my blankets. SHe's taught me the importance of sacrifice, and i realize how blessed i am! HAha the other day we were showing each other pics of our families and her family and home looks like paradise and beautiful.. then she looks at my family pics and first thing she says is"Oh! Cowboys! they real!" hahah i just busted up laughing and she gets the biggest kick when i tell her about my family. From rodeo, to camping, to living in the country... she loves it! So i told her well, you come to idaho and i will definitely come to Tonga! She said she'll take me fishing and swimming with the whales. I asked if she really does that and she looked at me crazy like i thought she was lying and said, yes! Thursday was also her birthday and she had a wonderful day! A woman, sister Anderson took us out to eat at a resturaunt called Longhorn, like texas roadhouse, and SIs. Motuliki, kept telling me oh cowboy, this is like cowboy! She also got a cute little present and free dessert:) Last night before we went to bed, it was really quiet so i thought she was already asleep, but she quietly whispered, "SIsta Holm, thanks for the best week eva!" I seriously smiled from ear to ear and my heart was melted. I can only thank my heavenly father so much for this amazing opportunity to have her as a companion. 

Everything else is going really great! ONe of our investigators came to church yesterday, dressed like the biggest gangsta of my life, she was even wearing shades and a huge silver cross necklace, in a black linen suit. I wanted to stand up and smile and say Yep that's my investigator! she really enjoyed church, i can totally see her in white. 

Well love ya'll! take care, remember who loves you most, yep sister hulme, and the Lord. Btw, SIster Motuliki will get very little mail if any because her family lives far away. So instead of writing me, write her. I know i beg for letters, but she needs them most:)

Love, Sister Hulme  XOXOXO

Transfers 5/12/14

hey Fam!!

It was so good to see ya'lls smiling faces and to hear your voices yesterday! Thank you for your love and support. I truly have the best fam out there and i wouldn't trade it for anything! 

So Sister Dunn got the transfer call during lunch today.. we were eagerly and anxiously waiting all morning. Sister Dunn was getting a lil stressed and was losing her patience. And this morning seemed to be the morning that all members wanted to call us so we kept jumping everytime we heard the phone ring. We were out at lunch with Leona and the assistants finally called. She's going to Sharon Springs in the Sugar Hill Zone with Sister Grayson. I guess she's a new sister.. only been out 4 months. She keeps getting stuck with the greenies i guess! That area needs some buildling up too so she's going to put them to work. Im going to miss her soooo much! We've been through alot together and have become close friends. I'm going to miss her teasing me constantly and her humor! Ya'll have to promise me that you'll be there at her homecoming in october when she speaks! 

I also have some big news! I'M TRAINING!  yup.. i'm gonna have a daughter:) I don't know who she is yet.. but i'll find out wednesday when we pick her up! it should be some fuunnnn stuff. I know she'll love collins hill but i hope she can take biking! I'm getting kinda nervous and excited and stressed out though. Training is going to be hard but i know it will stretch me and help me grow. Pray that i'll have the patience, and the love! I'm just grateful that we have some good people to work with and i know she'll get a good experience. Its just alot of pressure. Her training experience will effect her whole mission. I can either make or break her mission.. as president said. Although she can decide on that too. Ah.. its just killing me not knowing who she is! There is supposed to be a tongan sister coming in and most think i'll train her. President likes to give the hard task to them cause polynesians are known to pile out.. but i wont let her:) He said "make sure they go to bed delightfully exhausted!" oh don't worry.. they will:) So that's the big exciting news for this week!

Our one investigator demetrius, the thug, is probably moving to Ohio or Kennesaw soon. So that's a bummer. We taught him the restoration this week and watched the dvd and he was all into it! He commented on how strong the spirit was and it all makes sense. Only problem is the other day we caught him in the middle of a drug deal. He was all chill and cool when we talked to him and he told us how to do the business and everything! But we decided we best get out of there and move on to better business:) I don't know if he's quite ready to give up the thug life. Did'nt seem like it to us. But we planted a big seed and helped him in his life then.

We have some other really promising investigators. One we're hoping to put on date soon. Laura ann lives out of our area and its always hard to get ahold of her.. so again we're putting her on the back burn and taking her off date. we'll still keep the contact though.. it just takes time. We have alot of potential.. just got to follow up, the most important part! So keep everyone in your prayers! 

I hope everyone had a great mother's day! happy mothers day to the special women out there! Love everyone of you! Take care and god bless:)

Love Sister Hulme

So this is what a biking sister's hands look like when you change a tire... felt good to get the hands dirty again!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!! 5/5/14

Dear familia,

In honor of cinco de mayo, i thought i'd throw in some spanish there. But i can't remember a lick of spanish from high school, so it stops there. 

Well, to be honest, i don't want to say much because i want to save it all for mothers day! But i don't get to talk to everyone. So i'm just going to give a brief overview from this week because i'm a little limited on time today. But Laurann, our investigator on date, has been really busy with her new job so we pushed her baptismal date for the end of may. She was bummed to hear that she can't get baptized this weekend, she asked if we could just jump in the water right then and we could baptize her. Obviously we need to review the restoration with her and point out the priesthood authority. But i wish it was that easy! She's still commited though and is excited, so continue to keep her in your prayers.

We have a new investigator, his name's demetrius. He also lives in the holland hood aparments. He is thug to a T! He has the tear drops by his eye that shows how many people he's killed, that's two if you're wondering. He's a way cool kid though. Hes 23 and said he has given up the gangster life about 4 months ago. He wants to move on. We've had two lessons with him and we talked about the light of christ, which he was all in for. He has such a testimony of Christ, i feel like he gives a sermon when he preaches! Later we asked him about baptism, and he got really quiet,which was rare for him, and he thought it over for  few minutes, then he responded that he feels this is what's missing and this is what he wants. But it's going to take some time and work to change him. He's willing so we're going to work with him. 

Everyone else is doing good. We have soo many investigators we're teaching right now, but hardly any progressing. So we're dropping a ton and trying to clean out our pool. We finally found a way to teach Victor, our mexican 40 year old bachelor. He has so much ADD and never stops talking, so we now show him videos from mormon channel. I have faith in him, but he needs to exercise his faith. I tend to lose patience when teaching him, but he's entertaining. 

Saturday night i experienced my first flat tires from bking. We've been really lucky actually for not having any real problems so far. But my tires were completely popped Luckily it didn't happen till the second we pulled into our apartment that night. But its not fun to take care of the repairs from my own funds, thats the downer. 

We have transfers next wednesday. i'm getting more and more nervous the more i think about them. Im so sure i'm training, so i fasted this sunday that i'll have extra help and power. Sister dunn is terrified she's going to go to another biking area. SHe's spent 9 months on a bike so far on her mission. SHe's ready to give up the bike. she loves to vent to me while we're tracting and i just smile and listen. I've really learned on my mission that the quote "come what may and love it" is the best advice. God knows what is needed to refine us, so we need to take whatever comes with courage and embrace it. that goes for me too with training:)

Well i hope ya'l enjoy your spring. we're jumping into summmer this week. Humidity is setting in, ugh... biking is going to be sooo fun.

K love yall!!!

Love, sister Hulme

Baptisms 4/28/14

Hello fam!

This week has been one of those weeks you wish you could repeat over and over on the mission. Marie and malia were baptized on saturday and confirmed yesterday. I am so pleased and happy with that family! They have improved so much and have come so close together. There was so much support from the ward also and i am so grateful to be serving here! The girls received so many gifts, love and support from them, and it meant so much to their mom Leona. Their dad is not a member but we met him for the first time at the baptism. He's a great guy and i hope this will be the stepping stone for him to take the discussions and be baptized. You could just see the spirit touch his heart during the baptism and him really ponder over everything in his mind. Someday that family will go to the temple.. someday!!! Its all in the making:)

WE have some other big news! Laurann is on date to be baptized may 10th! She's our crackhead and alcoholic:) We met with her on wednesday though and she has been reading the book and praying! I couldn't smell any alcohol on her and she told us she hasn't had a lick or drink for a week! There is such a change of spirit about her and she has such a light! She's really changing, and its all her and the spirit. SHe's a great example showing that it's not us missionaries that do the work, the most important relationship in the change is between the investigator and the spirit of God. We just help guide them along the path of righteousness, we are there for support and love. So after talking about what Laurann had read so far in hte book of mormon.. she stops us and says "sisters.. i've been thinking and talking.. and i think i'm ready for the plunge." Wait.. you mean you want to get dunked?! ok! we extended may 10th as a date and she immediately asked :what do i gotta do before then? so we told her she has to come to church and we need to teach her a few lessons. She's all in and wants to commit! But a lil conflict.. she got a new job and works alot! so meeting with her will be a little difficult. but it will all work out according to God's will. We're having faith!

Everything else is going really great. Sister dunn and i will probably only have a couple weeks left together. I'm guessing ill stay and train here.. president kinda told me so. I love this area and the people we're working with. I don't think i will want to go back to a car area to be honest.. I see so many miracles from working so hard and being on a bike! There are tender mercies everyday! We'll be in the pouring rain and we'll have people left and right offer us a ride or invite us inside. They may not be interested and just want to bible bash. but they can't resist extending some southern hospitality, especially to girls serving the Lord:) I've noticed that the Lord has provided for us in so many ways.. there are tender mercies everyday! Sometimes i'll be wishing for a good drink of water or a restroom and its so funny how the next house God provides for us! Now i just need to have that amount of faith in finding the next soul to baptize:) 

May ya'll have a blessed week and remember God loves you and so does SIster Hulme!!

Love, SIster Hulme 

A little sign meant for the biking sisters.

Happy Easter 4/21/14

Hey Fam!

I hope everyone enjoyed Easter as much as I did! This may be my only Easter on the mission but it was the best Easter ever. I didn't have to worry about the worldly things that cover the true meaning of the holiday. I was able to focus only on the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And Easter has now become my favorite holiday! For the month of March and up to Easter I studied the harmony of the gospels in the bible. I gained such a greater knowledge of my Savior's life and I focused on the characteristics he had while he taught and served others. I'm trying to apply them in my life and work. But starting today, I am reading the Book of Mormon all over again ( can't read it enough on my mission :) As I studied from the bible though, I learned even more how important and great the Book of Mormon is! Our knowledge of what our savior really did for us comes from the book of mormon! It testifies of his atoning sacrifice, and the plan of salvation. The most important thing about the gospel is the atonement. The gospel IS  the atonement! Because the bible was translated so many times and without divine authority from God, important details were lost. But because of the book of mormon, we have that fulness today. That knowledge of the atonement, and of our Savior is restored to us today through the book of mormon! And that little book has had the greatest impact on my life and millions of others. Never take the book for granted! Those prophets in the book sacrificed for us to have it today. I noticed in Ether 12, moroni writes that his writing is weak, and not as great as the brother of jared's, and he fears that people will take it for granted and it won't convince them. But God assures him that he gives mean weaknesses that they may be humble, so they can turn to him for strength. I have found that those who truly gain a testimony of the book of mormon are humble. They don't take moroni's weaknesses for granted but focus on the testimony of Christ. They search with real intent, turn to God in prayer for strength, then He gives us the testimony of the Book of mormon. our greatest strength is our testimony! I could go on all day about the book of mormon!! But all in all, I know what my savior has done for me because of that book. I know he loves me, knows me personally, and everything that i've been through, because of that book. He really lives and is beside us every step of the way, because he knows how hard our trials are. AT times we may feel all alone, but when we open our hearts and give everything to the Lord, we find that we were never alone, he is our strength!

So... now to what has happened this week:) Marie and Malia are getting baptized this saturday!!!!!!!! Im a little excited:) They are so cute and excited. Yesterday at church they wanted to sit all the way in the very front! ha their mom wasn't too happy about that, but we did! They had them stand when they announced their baptism, and they were shy, but you can see the light about them and how excited they are! Malia, the 9 year old, gives the most sincere prayers i have heard! pretty sure i told you that last week, but they are just improving and getting better every time! they were going to have their uncle fly out from seattle to baptize them, but sadly he can't. So we asked a young priest-age man from the ward to do it. He gladly accepted, and it reminded me that I had chase baptized me when he was that age. It will be a really cool experience for him:) Our other investigator victor, ha he's crazy! He keep jumping to the big do's and donts and goes into such depth, so we keep having to pull him to the surface and focus on the basics. He loves to exercise so we told him you have to start with the little weights before you get to the big weights. He and us both have to have alot of patience, but its coming! He came to church yesterday.. to the last hour.. punk. We had a brightest color contest and he wore the brightest orange pants i have ever seen! I was worried he would show up in a suit like dumb and dumber. But he was so scared and nervous to go into priesthood all by himself, they had just started. so we pretty much shoved him into the class and ran around the hallway out of sight before he could come find us! Ha after church he was talking to everyone, members who came to lessons with us came up and said hi, he was just mr. popular! he didn't even notice us when we said good bye:) Ha oh! i can't forget, we had lunch with him on friday and he told us that he ran across the mexican border at the age of 13!!! This guy is crazy. He's having word of wisdom issues and loves his weed and beer, and tequila.. so i told him i would stop sweets if he stopped smoking, we'll start with that addiction. I dont know how serious he was, but i was serious! 

We met another investigator who is a total thug and lives in the same apartments as us. He's crazy too. He is from Jamaica and believes Christ has come in a different form, like a black person, and visited Jamaica, He's anticipating CHrist's third coming. Ha we invited him to church but he said he's busy on the weekends. He runs his own business. I asked what he does, and he said  "I sell organic products.." Sis. DUnn was quick to reply "I love natural organic stuff, like natural oils and what not.." He just looked at her weird and didnt' say anything. I had to explain to her afterwards what his business was. not what she was thinking!! 

Im running out of time unfortunately! I wish i could tell more. So much has happened this week. Oh, we are at the library and we met this guy  named harry who volunteers here. He has autism or down syndrome i think. just not really there.. and we had to wait for the library to open so we taught him the restoration and gave him a book of mormon. He just came up to me and said, he really liked the book, he just read it. I was like what? no you didn't read all of it did you? he said ya! i did and i liked it! hahaha i just laughed and said, well keep reading it! (little liar:) 

I hope ya'll have a great week! Shout out to scott and hannah for their birthday's this week!!!! love ya'll

Love, Sister Hulme

P.S. CHeck this out! good, video:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU