Hello, Hello! 7/28/14

Hey ya'll!

Sorry this came later today.. We actually have been shopping with a member alll day today! She was sooo generous and wanted to spoil us! The people here just show so much love for the missionaries! It was alot of fun to be with the other sisters and Sister Todd (the member) . Truthfully i've never been a fan of shopping al day and she could tell:) But i loved to see sister motuliki get spoiled and have fun. She really needed that:)

So we really worked extra hard this week! I realized that I probably only have a few days left here in collins hill and i want to leave it better than i found it. ANd it's been in a little slump throughout july, so I was sick of that, so we went to work! I told sister motuliki we just need to extend baptsmal dates like crazy and get these people to seriously commit! No more flaky investigators. And let me tell ya, when you put forth the faith and the effort, the Lord provides the miracles! It takes work, but they do happen. 

We have this investigator named ANthony, Sister DUnn and I tracted into him way back in march and he was an iffy potential.. nothing promisiing. But we tracted into him again and he almost told us no again, but i wasn't going to take that for an answer! So we kept talking and eventually he said we could come back the next day! so we went back on wednesday and softly committed him to August 16th! He was all in for it during the restoration lesson. he was all excited and jumping up and down agreeing with us. So really keep him in your prayers. We inoculated him, but he's going to really need the strength from the spirit. 

We also had a lesson with a man from Ghana last night, he's only here by himself and his family is still in Ghana.. but he committed to August 16th as well. We have a lot of work to do with them. But we're not afraid of hard work!  Im just sad that I'll most likely be leaving right when things pick back up again! I told Sister Motuliki that she can't slack off and she must keep pushing forward with these people!

So my favorite investigator right now is Beena:) She's from india and she's hindu. She actually isn't interested in converting at all, but she loves learning about our religion and she finds it very interesting! She is sooo friendly and has the best personality! Well she came to church this sunday with her little boy. and when she walked through the door, my mouth dropped to the floor and then turned in to the biggest smile! SHe was in the prettiest Indian outfit! She was decked out in the jewelry and everything! Unfortunately her son was a little pill and wouldn't be quiet so she couldn't listen to the talks in sacrament, and during relief society she didni't understand a single word. It was way over her head:/ but We told her we'll explain it all to her in simpler terms. She really loved it though! She felt the spirit and said everyone is soo friendly! She wants to come back, so I'm praying that she'll just feel the spirit and some day she'll take it all into thought. And another unfortunate is that the book of mormon isn't translated into her language yet which is Gujrati. But we're praying with her hard and she's just a great friend:) 

Well I don't have much time left, Things are going just peachy in Georgia:) Thanks for all your prayers and support! 

Love ya'll 

SIster Hulme

Our lovely Beena!

Little Miracles 7/21/14

Hey ya'll! 

Sorry this email is a little later than usual.. but we had a mountain to climb this morning. We hiked stone mountain today!!!! It was a blast and we enjoyed every second of it. Sister motuliki is a mountain goat and we kept having to tell her to slow down! I told her though that she really needs to come to idaho because there are some great hiking trails. It was a workout though and when we got to the top we felt like we had conquered the world. It was the first time i could breathe and it felt good to be that high!! I can't wait to bring my family back to show them everything. STone mountain is a must!

So we've been seeing some cool miracles this week. We found a family to teach! Just a young couple with a little baby:) We asked them to be baptized and they said yes! We don't have a date set yet, but we're determined to have them on date next time we see them. They're names are Gary and Tory. Gary is black and Tory is white. You would never think of putting those two together. He has tattoos and peircings all over his face but he's a complete softie! I'm excited for that family. They  seem promising and i wish i was staying here longer to work with them!!

Our other miracle is pretty cool too. We planned to visit our investigator Doug, but it was just a drop in, so he wasn't aware of us coming by. Well we had a member with us and when we knocked on his door, he didn't answer, and we waited for like 10 minutes.. finally we decided to leave and we were driving to follow up with another investigator in mind. But God had different' plans for us! Along the way we saw doug walking home, so i told the member to pull over and we could give him a ride. He jumped in and we went to his home and taught him a lesson. It was one of those teach people not lessons moments. I was so heart broken though because he struggles with depression and he's unemployed due to medical issues. He is just always so down and I try everything i can to uplift him! We really emphasized on the atonement and the spirit was so strong. I will never forget that feeling! In the end we tried to commit him to baptism, but he's scared to commit. He lives wiht his sister who is anti religion and he's scared she will kick him out. So really pray for him and that his sister's heart will be softened. We're praying so hard that the people's heart's will be softened here. Too many people don't see the need to hear more of christ and think they're saved and good. But we're working:) 

Another awesome miracle we had... we had planned a lesson with a former investigator named ivory, who lived just around the corner from one of our other investigators Greg. When we showed up though she said she had company and had to reschedule. We didn't plan to see greg, but to follow up with some other people.. It was friday evening and greg is always busy on evenings. But something told me we needed to go say hi to him. That's all we planned to do, just say hi:) But when we showed up he lit up and said "THe sisters!" He welcomed us in and we had a very intense lesson with him. WE just read 2 nephi 31 wiht him but he had some serious questions! He's seriously searching and i know he'll find it someday. He's a strong First southern Baptist.. htye're hard! But he's willing to search and find out the truth. I only wish every lesson was like his. 

So I was thinking.. haha there i go thinking again.  But as we were climbing the Stone mountain this morning.. I thought of how climbing up is like the first 9 months of my mission. IT was hard and really challenging right before we got to the top. There were times when we had to stop and take a break.. Just like in a mission, the journey is full of obstacles and we stumble.. its' hard.. we're just growing and testing ourselves. Sometimes we have to stop and think and really rely on the lord. And when we get halfway.. or to the top.. we look at the mountain we've climbed or the journey we've had so far.. and we feel so happy and proud of ourselves. Then we must climb down.. and the journey down is fast one! It's a steep downhill slope and we try to slow ourselves down. The journey down is easier.. it seems, but we're still growing. I'm afraid the rest of my mission will be like the hike down stone mountain. It will be a fast downhill slope. I'm learning to just love and soak up the time that i have. I truly love the south , and i love the people of georgia! I'm so grateful to be serving them and the lord. 

Thank you everyone for yoru love and for your amazing support! I hope you have a wonderful week.

God bless ya'll and your loved ones. 

SIster Hulme 

Trials and Growth 7/14/14

Hello family and friends,

So good to see some of the fun pictures you sent this week! Love to see everyone's smiling faces. Glad to hear everyone is doing well and had a great week! I can't believe July is already half way through. That means summer in Georgia is halfway through. And I hear that we haven't even hit the climax of the humidity and the heat. Heaven help me! Good to know that i really do receive help:) 

So the update  isn't much this week. Sorry, everyone is on vacation trying to escape the heat in Georgia! 

So because everyone has been gone, we've had to find new investigators. That means we've had to tract alot! We've been really praying that the people's hearts would be softened here. We've actually found alot of potential at our apartment complex. So hopefully we can go somewhere with those people.. like the waters of mormon:) 

We had a new member lesson with Taz this week. Oh man,, I'm starting to really question if she was ready. Its as if Satan has really been on her after she was baptized. We taught her the plan of salvation and she acted like it was all new to her and she could't remember any of it .We also brought up temples and baptism for hte dead. Ya,, she wasn't ready for that. She was creeped out by the whole ordeal. I wanted to cry after the lesson, it was a mess. So we're gonig to go over things again this week and pray that it goes better. We're thinking of showing her a mormon message video on temples. Just really keep her in your prayers. SHe hasn't been able to come to church either since she was confirmed. My recent convert is going less active. Great. I'm trying to have hope in her. She lives in a very hard environment, so that affects her too. I worry if we rushed her into her baptism adn if she was really ready. But i trust the man who interviewed her, and the baptism worked out, if she wasn't ready god would have stopped it. 

We also had a little lesson with her sister Mia while there. SHe told us she's thinking of baptizing her new baby boy and asked what we think of that. I told her we strongly don't believe in infant baptism. We explained everyting to her and told her why they don't need ot be baptized. She had a hard time grasping the concept and she's stubborn in her beliefs. It just makes me sad, wishing that the spirit will soften her heart. I would like to start teaching her and the dad too. That family needs this gospel desparately. 

Like I said, not alot to update on. Hopefully this next week will be better with more miracles. Gotta lot of potentials to follow up with. 

Thank you everyone for your prayers and love and support! 

I love you all dearly,

Love sister Hulme

This was Sister Motuliki's first experience with fireworks.  She loved them!

Here's the traditional "9 month" picture that the sisters missionaries take.  It's not nearly big enough!  Looks more like 6 months.  :)

Hello from your Georgia Peach 7/7/14

Malo'lele family!

That means hello in tongan:) Ive been really practicing in my language studies:)

WE had a wonderful fourth of July! We had a fun celebration at our church and one of our investigators came, he really enjoyed it. And Sister Motuliki had a blast!! She saw fireworks for the first time and I recorded her reaction to them. It was the cutest and funniest thing ever! Its like a 5 year old seeing the world for the first time! I'll never forget this:) 

THis week has been a little long and hard to be honest. WE still saw some good miracles. We found a hindu woman who we tracted into on the fourth. SHe invited us in and we told her some things about the plan of salvation. SHe was really amazed and started to really think. We said a prayer with her at the end, and she mentioned that she felt to at peace and felt really good. SHe wants us to come back this next week so we're really excited about that.  

But truthfully, its been a little dead here. Alot of the members and even our investigators are gone for vacation. And not just any vacation, but i'm talking like 3 weeks at a time! Also some of the members from our ward are in the middle of moving away. So i feel like we're a little on our own. But its forcing us to reach out towards other members and use them in missionary work, and also to continually find new investigators. ITs also been hard because most of our appts dropped this week and we had to resort to tracting.. We literally tracted alllll day on wednesday and only talked to 8 people. Our numbers may have been low this week, but I promise you we worked ourselves to the ground! I'm a little fearful for what this week or even the next week has instore. It might be worse. But we're going to work even harder, cause I don't want to give up that easy.  I think its going to be a looong summer and next few weeks. But we're still going to work and pray that we'll see miracles! 

We met our new mission president, well we did at the baptism, but officialy met him at a meeting this week. He and his wife are truly the most humble people that i have met. I know the Lord has sent them to us for a great purpose. THey are going to do amazing things here in this mission. He gave us a great talk on hope, and i realized that its something i really need to work on. I think it is something that alot of us missionaries needed to here, especially for me. With this week being very hard and having few people to work with, I've been getting discouraged easily lately. I'm trying to do all I can to have faith, but I realized that I also need to have hope. Because Faith, HOPE, and charity work together. So i'm trying to acquire more hope, and I feel God is going to really test me with that this week! But it will give me great practice to have hope:) I'm also still learning that I only need to do the very best that I can do. THe Lord is not asking more than I can give. Sometimes I'm not satisfied with my efforts and wish I could do more. THis last week I read Alma 29 and I felt the same as Alma, wishing that I could do more than I am called to do. But I just need to do my best and leave the rest to the Lord. His will is better than mine! 

I was just thinking.. I've always wanted to go to the hardest, toughest mission in the world.. like somewhere in hte deep deep jungle. ok like where chase went. speaking physically hard. But i realized that this mission is the hardest mission, spiritually speaking. I've never had my testimony tested so many times of my life. Everyday its tested! THis is in the heart of apostasy! With sooo many different religions and cultures, it really makes you ponder what true. But I have come to know, with every fiber of my heart and all that i have, that this is the true gospel and church of christ. I am very grateful for the liberty and freedom of this country. I know the Lord has preserved this land for a purpose. ANd I know with out a doubt that he helped our forefathers and our ancestors fight for this land. He really keeps his promises. i know this land is the promised land and because of our religious freedom, Joseph smith was able to find the truth for so many of us. EVen though there was an apostasy and there's so many religions. It helped joseph smith really ponder on what is truth. So many of us wonder what is truth, but do we really know for ourselves? ANd because Joseph smith had the freedom of religion, he was able to ask heavenly father one simple question. And Our father loves us so much he answered his prayer with 7 simple words. "THis is my beloved son, Hear him." ANd the restoration began from there. WE are so blessed to have the truth here today. To have the restored gospel and the priesthood here. I know for myself now that Joseph smith was a prophet of God, and I know this is the only true church of CHrist. I will never doubt my faith or testimony. If i thought i knew before my mission... well i sure do know now!! I am grateful for my testimony:) 

I hope ya'll have a testimony just as i do. I encourage you and invite you to really seek and find for yourself. We as members of this chruch and disciples of christ need to be truly converted. WE are the light for others. I love you all so much and I hope you have a wonderful week. God bless!

Love sister Hulme xoxo

HaPpY 4TH Of JuLY! 6/30/14

Hello Yall!

So i know its not just me, but this week went by incredibly fast. And this next week is going to be pretty busy too, gotta lot of good work and fun stuff happening! I'm super excited for the big fourth here. Our ward along with a few others are having a big celebration and some good food:) So we're hoping to get most of our investigators there.

So we had just a wonderful weekend! Taz entered the waters of mormon and it was glorious. Oh so glorious! i think i'm still in shock that it all happened. There was a good turn out even though most of the ward has been gone for vacay, including our bishop and ward mission leader. But she was just so pleased and happy to see everyone who did come! And surprisingly our new mission president came to our baptism too! Oh,.. ya we got a new mission president this week. It was very hard for us to say good bye to the wolferts. My companion and I had to shed a few tears the morning they left. They called us and left us a voicemail to all the missionaries, thanking us for our hard work and the time they had to serve with us. But back to the story of the baptism.. President and sister Bennion decided to come to our baptism! Even though there were 12 others that weekend. But we were happy to have them there. I was nervous and scared.. but I think he was more than we.. He seemed like a deer in the headlights.. BUt he and his wife are very sweet and we are meeting them again tomorrow. I'm excited to see what changes he'll make to the mission. It will be hard to adjust , but i know he'll be great. 

So I'm thanking my Heavenly Father that everything went smoothly at the baptsim! Taz (Fatimah), has a very different background then most members in our church. To be honest, I'm still shocked that she was really baptized! We've been through alot with her. I've been through so much stress and tears because of that woman! But because of the power of the atonement, we made it to this point today. Oh how grateful I am for the atonement! It is real and it heals everything. And seeing her come into this church, tells me that the church is for everyone! We're all children of God. And teaching her has taught me how much love Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father has for each of us. I really had to work for that love. But through our hardest times, I realized what it was like to be in the Savior's position, what it was like for Him to be heartbroken, but more importantly how sincere and real His love is for us, and for Taz. I do worry about how she's going to do now, and if she'll really stick to the church. But I know she'll never forget this moment in her life, and how much love was shown for her through us and the members. This experience is something I'll forever remember and has impacted me in so many ways.

We also had another great lesson with Pin and we brought a member with us who was very helpful!! my companion felt prompted to read with him Alma 32.. because he talks alot about nature and how he sees God in everything and there is one truth in everthing. He compares it alot to the growth of a tree.. So alma 32 was perfect for him. He really loved it and he lit up while we were reading it. AT the and he was smiling and said he feels like he's getting closer to his answer. Little does he know that its right in front of him! but i can't wait for the day that it all just clicks in his head and it makes sense. Because it does! It all makes perfect sense! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fabulous fourth of july! I am so grateful for he freedom we have today. I know that God prepared this promised land and ensured our freedom here, so that we can have the restoration and the fulness of the gospel. Im super excited for Sister motuliki to experience the fourth here! she's stoked too:) I read with her 1 nephi 13 and 2 nephi 10 and she thought it was the coolest thing. Yep,, america is the coolest:) 

Well love ya'll! take care and god  bless america

Love sister Hulme:) xoxox

The necklaces mom sent for 4th of July.

It's heating up in Atlanta 6/23/14

Hey family and friends!

I feel like i just emailed ya'll yesterday! Hope everyone had a wonderful week! Our's was full of alot of hard work. And this heat doesn't make it any better. its amazing to see how the Lord helps us endure and gives us the strength and power to do his work everyday! I really wouldn't be able to do this without his spirit bearing me up. It pushes me forward everyday. I am constantly motivated by the love he has for me and shows me, and I act by the inspiration he gives me from his spirit every day. 

So this upcoming week is full of events. We get a new mission president, President Bennion, and from this point on there's just a wave of missionaries going home! I'm sad to see the Wolferts go. They are truly incredible and I have loved serving with them every second. I wish i had more time with them. its going to be hard to adjust and switch to a new president. But i know we'll love him and he'll be amazing. From what i've heard he sounds like it. Ha so this last weekend we had to contact president Wolfert to schedule an interview for one our investigators, Taz, and he txted us to see if we got everything arranged ok. We told him yes and thank you, and he replied with the best words i could hear from my mission president, just before he leaves! "Wonderful sisters! I'm happy its working out. Congratulations on an upcoming baptism. I'm so pleased with you!" ha we texted back thank you, and he texts us" :) " haha i'm gonna miss his humor. He's pretty cool guy. 

So yes, we have an upcoming baptism this week. Hopefully! We're keeping a prayer within our hearts. Taz is scheduled for this saturday, but she has an interview with the mission presidency this thursday. We had to arrange this because she admitted to us that she's gay. She hasn't been in a homosexual relationship since november and she's commited to live the law of chastity. But she told us she can't change over night, its going to be hard. So please pray for her. She really does want to be baptized, and she come such a long ways. so we're planning on the baptism, yet we're planning to push it back, just in case. If she gets baptized though, there is hope for everyone! and it shows that the church is for everyone! We're just putting a little color into the ward:) 

This week we've found alot of new investigators! We finally were able to schedule alot of followup lessons with people we tracted into. So im excited to see where the spirit will lead us with these people. There is just so much work to do! 

 Yesterday Our ward mission leader asked us during correlation, with each person we talked about, how we found them, and everyone of them was basically through tracting. So he gave a great talk on how he really wants to change that and have the finding effort be more through the members. That way the investigators will be more promising and they automatically have that fellowship. People will be more open to listening to us when they know a member of our church personally. so we;re going to try to enforce that more with the members this week and here on. Cause really we are all called to the work.. ha every member a missionary! and if we have desires to serve god, then we are called. The lord qualifies the called and he will help those who want to share the gospel. 

WE also had a great lesson this weekend with our investigator Pin. He's the one with no christianity background. This time, we sat and listened to his story and what he's been thinking. The guy is very smart and just by looking at nature and science he has come to know and believe there is a god and there is a truth. He's just still trying to find what is the truth. He is confused by the trinity though, one of his friends tried to explain it to him.. dang satan.. therefore he is confused about God and Christ. He believes in God but not Christ who is the son of God, who came here to earth to atone for us. ANd just listening to him, my heart just reached out to him. My heart was more of broken, because he is a son of god himself, yet he does not understand the love his brother Christ has for him. AT that moment i wished i could give all that i had, everything of me for him to know and believe fully in Jesus Christ. I think of how i was raised my whole life knowing of what my savior has done for me, and here is a man who knows nothing about him. He expressed though that he knows there is truth and he will be able to find it through feelings. I just kept nodding my head saying yes! And we keep testifying to him that the truth is right before him, He's searching in the right place.. God is just waiting for him to open his eyes and heart to the answer. So I'm praying that he'll recognize the answer. In order to do that, like he said, its through the feelings he has. And that comes by exercising our faith. He's struggling with this part. he reads, but he hasn't been praying and he hasn't come to church yet. But he's committed to now pray, and said someday he'll come to church. Having patience with all of this is hte hardest! Right now i am planting a HUGE seed. I can't wait for him to find the truth. I think of how much patience god is having with all of this, i don't know how he does it! But i know that he and his family will someday.. someday! go to the temple. 

Well.. I'm unfortunately ran out of time.. So much to say! I love you all, i hope you are enjoying your summer. Take care

Love sister hulme

Hello, Hello! 6/16/14

Hey family and friends! 

This week just flew by for me! We were extra busy with meetings and had some awesome appointments. We had zone meeting this week and a one month follow up for all the new missionaries and the trainers. I have to say i'm one proud trainer. Sis motuliki shared her testimony story and the spirit was amazingly strong. I felt like her parent though, she asked me to come up with her, so you know my "daughter dragged me up there". But i was so happy to bear my testimony too. It was a much better follow up meeting than mine was clear back in november. 

Anyway, Dritan wasn't baptized this weekend. He has some word of wisdom issues also. So for now he just wants to come to church. Which we're still happy about, then he can feel the spirit. I believe that's his only reason for coming, for the spirit and the sacrament. But he has the best motives. The language barrier is just so hard though! But there is a sister missionary in our ward who's grandparents served as mission president in Albania, so i asked president wolfert for permission if we could call them and ask them to translate or talk to him. That's just not coincidence, but there's a reason for everything! 

our other investigator Taz is on date for the 28th. She has made a complete 180! I love to see the change in her! Just please keep her in your prayers, she's come a long ways, but still has a lot to go. I have so much hope for her adn we've worked so hard with her. I don't want to give up! 

Father's day was really great, we spent it with one of my favorite families, the Cobians. We watched a great mormon message video called Earthly father heavenly father. I really focused on my heavenly father's love for me this father's day, it was good to have that different perspective. But happy father's day shout out for all you dad's out there! Especially mine!

So saturday i had to sit down wiht sister motuliki and ask how she was really doing. She was shaking her head at me telling me no, but then immediately broke down crying. she misses her family sooo much. And it's killing me as her trainer that she hasn't heard from them yet, and they haven't heard from her. She emails her sister who is either in New Zealand or on the main island in Tonga so she has access to email. But she hasn't heard anything about or from her parents. So i'm determined today that we send her letters to the address that she has on her mission call and pray that they get there! I know they will if we have the faith.  But thank you to those of you who have written her and send her stuff! It means the world to her and me. She said its like she's hearing from her own family. She really is like a real sister to me! I told her that we were also meant to serve in this mission so we coudl meet each other. I love that girl to death. The day of transfers will be that hardest day for me! I'm dreading the day we have to say good bye to each other. She has become my closest and dearest friend. I thank god for her everyday:)

Well, Fam, i hope all is well with everyone! Take care and god bless

Love sister Hulme xoxox