A witness of Him 11/24/14

Hello Ya'll!!!

If only every week were like this week! It has been such a joy to do missionary work this past week, and we've seen so many incredible miracles. The biggest miracle of all is Michael Chandler, our golden investigator)
I mentioned michael last week in my letter, he is the one who finished the first vision before i did! This past week, we met with him almost every single day, each visit I came out feeling so much joy and there was nothing that could make me happier. A few times this week, we had our ward missionaries come with us to his lesson, and they have taken him right under their wing and have shown him so much love! The greatest miracle I wanted to share today though, was from our visit we had with michael on wednesday night. 
We had just taught Michael the plan of salvation, and the day before we had just committed Michael to be baptized december 13th. He always bears such sincere testimony on how he has the greatest desire to change and to come closer to christ, and he is soo eager for his baptism. Well, Michael was telling us how he just loves the Book of mormon, and how he looks forward to reading his scriptures everyday. He explained that he can't even read a newspaper, and understand it fully, but when he reads the book of mormon, or the bible, the spirit works through him and he can read every word and he understands it perfectly, because its home to him, its familiar! As he was telling us this, I just listened in amazement, because i noticed he struggled a little bit when he would read out loud. And right before we left, I noticed on his fridge he had written himself a note, in a writing that was barely legible like a kids, "God loves you, keep believing." And I know that God surely does love Michael, because I have seen a dramatic change in him. He has grown so much and I love to see the spirit speak through him, and work through him every day. 
Saturday night, michael txted us and said he was going to jefferson to be with family so we mentioned he could go to church in Commerce. We decided to fast and pray for michael as a companionship that he would go to church, because we wanted him to go to church sooo badly!! Well sunday morning, I decided to call michael and see if he was going to church in Commerce, but he said he was home in loganville! He woke up thinking of what he needed to do that day and the thought came to him to go to church, and then we called! At church, he talked to everyone, everyone talked to him, and he bore his testimony in gospel principles on how he feels at home here, and he's waited 49 years for this, and he can't wait for his new beginning on December 13th. Each time he bears testimony, i have to fight back the tears, and i can only smile:) I know, and have gained the strongest testimony of fasting and prayer, and i know that when we put that faith to action, miracles like this can happen. 
AFter our lesson with michael on wednesday, i expressed so much gratitude to my Heavenly Father in my prayers before goin to bed that night. And as I was praying I thought of the wonderful miracle michael is, and how I've seen the spirit work throug him. I thought of how that spirit was so real, so alive, and so powerful, it must come from some one or some source who is just as alive. I've always known that my savior lives, but that night, I will never deny the witness and the answer I received that my Savior, REALLY LIVES!! It almost hit me like a wall, and I felt as the prophets in the scriptures who say "my heart was full of gladness" and it makes you want to rejoice! I've always loved to hear prophets and apostles bear witness that they know christ lives, that they truly are a witness. I've always desired to have that strong witness myself, to know Him, to see His face. But the witness I received wednesday night, is one i'll never forget. I know Heavenly Father knows my desires, and He wants me to have that witness too, so he sent his spirit to testify to me, and I've seen it through Michael. 
I'm so grateful to be a disciple, a representative, a witness of Christ, and I'm grateful for the power of the spirit in this work. 
May you have a wonderful thanksgiving!
Love, SIster Hulme

A Marvelous Work! 11/17/14

Dear Family and Friends,

I am so grateful to be involved in such a marvelous work. It has taken several weeks of much fasting and praying, and my patience was tested for sure! But I can not stop reflecting on the amazing miracles we've seen this past week. Things are definitely looking up, and again I'm so grateful to be working and engaged in a marvelous work. 
On Thursday we received a couple referrals from the Grayson elders, and they actually live right around the block from us, right next door to each other. One named William, the other Michael. We were able to meet with Michael first, and he explained to us that he and his niece have been looking for a church. He also explained to us his desire to change his life, and I've never heard anyone express such a great desire to be clean, to truly feel that atonement in their life. We went back the following morning with our recent convert April Pratt, who shared her story and opened up on the atonement. We as missionaries really didn't need to say much, but April and Michael were able to share with each other their experiences and how to feel the redeeming love of Christ and be changed through Him. The spirit was increasingly strong, and you could see Michael soaking in every word we said, even from the scriptures. He committed to come to church, but on sunday he didn't come because of family matters that came up. So we went by sunday afternoon, and in the lesson we were able to commit him to baptism:) Even when we shared with him the first vision of Joseph smith, I was ending with the words "THis is my beloved Son; Hear Him" And i didn't even have to finish because Michael said the last 2 words on the spot. It was as if the spirit was speaking through him. Oh what joy we felt in that room, and Michael again expressed his great desire to change and to become clean through Christ again. He actually wants us to meet with him everyday of the week, he wants us to make him first in our schedule! We told him we'll do whatever it takes to help him make that change he so desires. In the little time that I've known Michael, I have grown such a love for him and I'm so grateful for the miracle we've had of meeting him. 
We have some other new investigators who we are teaching now, and we're asking for all the help we can get from the ward. There are so many people just around us who are prepared and are searching, they just don't know it yet, but we're reaching out to them. Even if we're pulling this ward together and laying the foundations to build them up in missionary work, the lord is preparing people all around us and this work is calling for our help now. I'm only going to continue to fast and pray, because its been a long time in the making, a long time since we've had elect people to work with. And this time i'm inoculating them with all my might because i don't want to lose them, i don't want to go through that heart break again. SIster ngo and I are loving the amount of teaching we're doing, and we feel things coming together and looking up! Oh how grateful I am to be doing such a marvelous work. The other day i was reading in 2 Nephi 26 and I couldn't help but notice how many times it  said "believe in Christ" and "Look forward with a steadfastness in Christ". I pondered about what those words mean. ANd for me, I've been doing alot of reflecting and alot of looking back on my mission so far. Not that that is a bad thing. But it has been consuming my mind. When really i need to be looking forward to the great work ahead and to keep my shoulder to the wheel. THen when all is said and done, I can look back and see the fruits of my labors. ANd it will bring  the greatest joy! 

I love each of you so much, and i hope ya'll have another blessed week, stay warm! I'm freezing in georgia, but thats because i've become acclimated here and I'm not used to the cold. Enjoy the snow at home!

Love, SIster Hulme

Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you... 11/10/14

Hello family and friends!

I have so much to share with ya'll, alot on what I've learned this past week and the amazing miracles and changes being made in the Monroe ward!

So as i shared last week, we have a  new ward mission leader, Brother rucker. His family recently moved into the  ward a few weeks ago, and it was a heaven sent. He's just who we needed as a new WML! Well last week we had correlation with him, for the first time i've been here in Monroe! He told us to keep communication with him throughout the week, and share with him any ideas we get for the ward mission plan. Well we came up with plenty of ideas. But it dawned on me, that we needed to just be there in ward council when they discuss the missionary work and talk about the mission plan. So immediately i called bro Rucker and Bishop carter and asked if the missionaries could join ward council. So us and the elders communicated on what we wanted to share with the ward, and we shared that previously with the WML, so we could be prepared for ward council. And ward council turned out to be one of the best i've been too! And it's all because we have a great bishop, WML, and other auxillary leaders who are just the ones for their calling! I love working with these leaders and helping them change and progress in missionary work! Bro. Rucker basically cracked the whip and told them as plain as it could be that we are receiving little to none help in missionary work, mostly because we haven't had a plan or a leader to help us. But i shared with them that the key in all of this was communication, and just doing the work. We may come up with the greatest plan and everything on what we need to do, but its just following through and doing it that matters and will make the change. 

We also held a correlation meeting after church, and we now have 2 new ward missionaries, another couple in the ward, making it 4 ward missionaries. BIshop told us he's also calling part time ward missionaries from each of the auxillary presidencies. Which will help tremendously!!! along with an assistant WML. My mind has just been blown at the changes finally being made in the Monroe ward, but trust me when i say its taken alot of prayers and fasting, and work! Our bishop came up to us afterwards and apologized for the lack of help we've been receiving as missionaries from the ward. But he's been putting everything together in place and he wants to make sure that all these plans and changes stick. He doesn't want to have to build it back up again. So basically we're laying a FIRM foundation for a great work:) We told him that we'll patiently wait and work with the ward, even if they don't work with us, cause that's why we're here, to assist and help them. I have loved seeing the changes in Monroe. I am now the missionary who has been in the ward the longest, so I've seen it grow and progress little by little. THis ward really has so much potential and some of the greatest families and people i know. I love this ward so much, and it will be a sad day when i have to transfer out, but that won't be till after christmas:) 

Also, this past week, in our meetings the theme has been to "sanctify yourself" THis last week i've really focused my studies on what it means to truly sanctify yourself, and i thought it meant to sacrifice, and give all the the lord. But what it truly means to sanctify yourself means to consecrate, to make sacred or holy, and over all, to be clean. President bennion shared with us a scripture from D&C 88:73-74. The time to hasten the work is now, and we must assemble, organize, prepare, SANCTIFY, and purify ourselves. I learned that we are justified through christ, and our sins are paid by our savior, but to be sanctified is to be truly transformed and spiritually changed through the atonement of CHrist, It is us consecrating our actions and our hearts to God and his work, making them sacred and holy. When we sanctify ourselves we are endowed with power. AT Mission leadership council they really focused on that, reminding us that we are endowed from on high, we are a symbol and a beacon of the temple, an instrument in God's hands, and he has empowered us. I love how much they focus on the covenants we made! So i've learned to bring down the power:)

I love ya'll and miss everyone so much! I hope you have a blessed week, and remember who loves you most!

SIster Hulme xoxox

Week of Transfers 11/3/2014

Hey everyone!

This week has felt extremely long, mainly because it was transfers. I really miss Sister George, its weird not seeing her face popping up around the apartment, or even having her drive. I basically haven't driven in a year and i'm a little rusty. But sister Ngo doesn't have a license so I'm designated driver. Yikes. 

So SIs, Ngo is such a cutie!! I absolutely love her. She's fluent in almost any language and every time i turn around she's talking to someone in their native tongue. I just stand there and smile:) She's just the companion I've been needing right now. She's a very devoted obedient missionary, and she carries the spirit so strongly with her! She'll only be here for 6 weeks then she's back to temple square to finish her mission. So i'll probably be here in Loganville for 3 more months. Which i'm happy with, i love this area!! the members here are family to me:)

We had an awesome halloween! WEdnesday night our ward had a trunk or treat on this member's ranch and there was a bonfire too. I just love this season:) Sis, Ngo was able to meet alot of the members,  but when sunday came she didn't recognize any of them because they weren't in costume:) On friday we had dinner at our bishops and got to spend the evening with them and a few other families, one being our investigator Dana who is sister Carter's friend. She's met with missionaries before and asks sister Carter alot of questions,  but we still don't know how interested she is. But she's nice and still listens! Her family is strong southern baptist, so its cool that she lets us teach her. We got to hand out candy for a little bit too, but we had to leave by 7:30 to be home early. President wanted us in early on Halloween night, but  we got permission from him to be at our bishops. 

 Our other investigator is David, we tracted into him in a trailer park. I've been dying to tract trailer parks, and now I finally have a few in the area I'm in! We taught him on his porch, but this last week we had a return appt with him, which turned out to be on of the most spiritual lessons I've had on my mission. Our team up was a member who recently returned from her mission a month ago. She loves coming out with us, and after the lesson she told us that he's just golden! It's been a long time it seems since we've had someone promising to work with, but things are looking up, and we're continually praying for our progressing investigators. 
We also had correlation with our WML for the first time I've been here yesterday!! He's brainstorming some ideas for a ward mission plan, in which the ward council is going to try putting one together next sunday. So he's asking us for ideas and what we want to see in the ward. We're still going to need patience though, this is all going to take time before we start to see any changes in the ward. 

So, things are slowly but surely looking up!! yesterday we had a mission fast for our progressing investigators. I'm praying for them constantly because I'm ready to work with someone promising. 

I hope to hear from ya'll soon! remember who loves you most! and have a blessed week:)Love, SIster Hulme

Love Georgia in the fall!!

Sister Ngo and I

Sporting the glasses mom sent in the Halloween package.  :)

Transfer week 10/27/14

Hey ya'll!

I have so much to say, mainly about transfers. But This transfers is a little crazy!

So... Sister George is going to Johns Creek with Sister motuliki, my greenie!!! AND  she is going to train a sister from taiwan, who will be speaking some chinese here!!! Ha,, sister george is excited yet so nervous! It will be good for sister motuliki too, because she'll also be going through the twelve week program again for new missionaries, since sister george is training the other sister, and she needs to do more language study. SIster george is one lucky sister!!! Haha, last night we talked and we discussed how the holidays are going to be very interesting for them, trying ot explain halloween, daylight savings, thanksgiving.. haha she's ending on a grand adventure! She's going to do amazing:) Johns Creek is by Alpharetta Georgia and is packed with rich people! and a lot of international people. SIster George never thought she'd be a minority:) 

As for me:)... My new companion is SIster Ngo (pronounced "no") from the phillipines. She's actually a sister from temple square and she's just here for 3 months, and is on her second transfer. So we'll only have one transfer together. Also.. It will just be me in the companionship who is a sister training leader, i will be over my area, and fort yargo area in our zone. AS for the other sister training leader in the zone, SIster Debry!! is going to commerce, an area that is right in the middle of our zone, and she'll be the sister training leader there over her area and cleveland. So president is splitting the sister training leaders up. and i think he'll eventually move the sister training leaders to the commerce area. The STL have been in Monroe/Loganville for about a year now, but we're at the very bottom of our zone and we have to travel almost 2 hours to get to some of our sisters for exchanges. If he moves the STL to commerce, that will be right in the middle of the zone and will be much easier for commuting for exchanges. Basically its just all craziness and its exciting stuff! This transfer kind of threw me off though, cause I just thought that i would be STL here for 6 months. 3 months with SIster George and 3 months with another sister. But no! now i don't know what the future holds! i just better be here for christmas, thats all! i'd hate to get transfered right before christmas, which is when the next transfer ends. 

It's exciting to see all these foreign missionaries come to the mission, speaking their language! its definitely part of the hastening of the work. Atlanta is sooo international and we need those missionaries! We have a few members in our ward actually who are from the phillipines, so i know they'll love sister ngo:)

Also more exciting news... We now have a ward mission leader!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, its so sad to think we didn't have one. Technically, we did. He just didn't fulfill his calling and is really old actually, so he was having a hard time catching the new wave of the work. Bless his heart. But our bishop has been praying and pondering for a very long time on who to call for a WML, we've given him names and suggestions. But nothing has seemed to fit. WEll, we just had a family recently move into the ward, the Ruckers, and brother Rucker was called as our new WML.  He's a very... stiff kind of guy. WE talked to him briefly yesterday and he said he would call us and arrange a meeting and tell us what he has in mind. ANd he doesn't smile alot. But hey, i'll take it, i'm so happy we actually have a WML now and we'll actually have correlation, and get some  work going. I've gained the strongest testimony of church organization, and working with the leaders in the ward on my mission. We all need to use our callings in unity together in one purpose, and this ward is slowly coming to that point. I have met and grown to love so many familes in this ward and some people who are just fabulous members. But this ward really struggles in missionary work and working in unity. ANd i feel Brother Rucker wants to change that, and so do i! So our plan.. well my plan.. this week is to meet with him first hand with the new sister and the elders also, talk about ward mission plan (if we have one) and see what he would like from us. Also.. i still don't know very many of hte members in the area, so SIster Ngo and i are going to visit alot of them this week, so we can put a face to every name. WE just have our usual like 6 families who always feed us and our 3 members that we can always rely on for team ups, but i want to broaden the range and get more of the ward involved. Thinking about all of what needs to be done makes me so excited yet a little stressed for all the work that needs to be done. THis morning i was thinking of all of it, and my mind reverted to the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34 "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.  Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and the obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days." We have to lay the foundation before we build the church here. I also learned this week that we are called to establish the church in our areas. And what it means to establish the church, to lift where you stand, just as christ established His church when he was here. Thats something ya'll can think about:) 

So, because sister George is training, we had to go to the trainers meeting, and i saw Sister Dunn there!!! we ran and slammed into each other cause we were so excited! Ahh i've missed that girl:) it was good to catch up with her. She's going home in 3 days, weird!!! Some of the members from Collins hill were taking her out to lunch that day, so i got to see them at t he mission office too. It was a joyous reunion. 

Most of this week consisted of SIster george saying goodbye to everyone, especially our converts. She's done alot of hard work here. Its always so hard to see us connect and get attached wiht members and then we have to leave them. its like us leaving our family all over again! SIster george has been really stressed this week, i sat her down on wednesday and asked her to just let everything out and tell me whats going on. I tried to give her the best words of comfort that i could, and told her to not worry, if she's faithful, everything will be ok:) She's just never been stressed on her mission, so this is like her last final test before she goes home.But she's going to do great!:) I have loved every moment being her companion, and I've gained a great friend. Some of my closest friends are from my mission!! 

I hope ya'll have a fabulous week, i love ya, take care.. pray Sister Ngo and I can build up this area!! Love ya'll!

Love, SIster Hulme

Update on Sister Hulme 10/20/14

Hello ya'll!

I'm just really grateful its monday. This week was a long week, and sister George and i were ready for monday! Sometimes you really do need that day of rest to collect yourself and get ready for a new week. 

We've been doing alot of tracting. Alot! and i will say that i admire those who do pest control or security systems after their mission, cause i don't know if i'll be able to knock on another door again when its over! don't get me wrong.. i love having the opportunity everyday to share a message of Christ, and invite others to come unto him. But i don't know if i'll ever grow to love tracting. We're trying to work through the members, but they just can't think of anybody for us to teach. We're praying for them to get out more and find more missionary opportunities. 

We're trying to think of creative ways to contact and get new investigators. Saturday there was a fall festival and we contacted there for a few hours. I wish we had a booth of our own there! Haha, so when we were in the middle of contacting someone, this woman representing Mary Kay comes up to us and tells us to sign up for this drawing and hands us the paper. Well we did so thinking eh.. we won't get it. Well they called our number yesterday and asked for aLexis! haha i had won the drawing for a free facial!! i told them i wouldn't be able to do it cause i don't have time as a missionary. but it was a good laugh:) 

So.. i do have a cool miracle to share:) 

Last night, we had our dinner in Monroe, and we decided to just spend the day there to do work, to save us on miles. Well after dinner, we were driving to follow up with one of our former investigators who we haven't seen in awhile, but Sis. George felt prompted that we needed to swing by the Hernandez family's home. It was about 7:30 and it was dark, so we just kept a little prayer in our heart that they would let us in or at least talk to us. We haven't been able to talk to them since they dropped us, but the neighbors who are members still keep in contact with them and told us we needed to stop by. We said a prayer together before we went to the door, just trying to sum up the courage and thinking of what we need to say and do. We waited and waited at the door for awhile. We knew they were home, we could see lights on and hear them. Finally we decided to leave and when we were getting in the car, we saw Juan looking at us through the window. Now we just felt awkward! Well, Juan came down and answered the door, but you could tell that he was confused and didn't know who we were. So we ran back to the door and said "Hi its the sisters!" And he just stepped to the side and motioned for us to come in:) I got so excited and my heart was racing, yet i felt so much peace and relief because God answered our prayer! And it was soooo good to see them, we've missed them so much! We only visited for a half hour but we just asked them how they were doing and told them we wanted to say hi. Finds out, Juan's family convinced them we were forcing them to be baptized, and they thought they now couldn't come to church because they weren't members. We told them they are always welcome at our church, members or not, and its up to them if they come. So they promised us they would come next sunday, especially because its Sister George's last sunday here. They also had watched all of general conference at the neighbors home and they said they enjoyed it, especially because it was directed to nonmembers too! So it was a little miracle that we were able to visit them last night and it meant so much to us! It took courage on our part, but we're glad that communication is still open between us and we know they feel our love. 

Thank you for keeping the Hernandez family in your prayers! they really need it. THat family means so much to me and i hope we can continue to visit them. 

I love ya'll so much! take care and have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Hulme

Cute little Helen, Georgia.  It was raining buckets the day we went.

A day late... 10/14/14

Hey ya'll! 

Sorry, yesterday was columbus day and the libraries were closed. So they switched our pday to today. And we're actually up in Cleveland right now because we're going to Helen for the day with the sisters from our zone. Even though its down pouring outside, i'm excited! I've heard its a cute little german town with good chocolate. And i'm in heaven right now because i'm wearing jeans haha, cause we're allowed to do that.. we might be going on a hike there too. My body has forgotten what its like to wear jeans. 

Anyway!! This week has been long.. the days have been long.. but when i look back the week kind of flew by. We've been doing alot of exchanges lately to fit them in before the transfer ends. And those just make the week fly by. But we have to do alot of driving on our part, and it kills our miles. So between exchanges, we've been doing alooootttt of finding. And let me tell ya, when they said at conference that persecution on Joseph smith would just get harder and worse, trust me, we've been seeing that. Ha quick story.. we tracted into this man who said he knew all about our church and John Weslee.. we looked at each other and looked at him puzzled.. Sister george caught on and asked "you mean joseph smith?" he was like "oh yeah! thats what i meant!" and he just went off. I told sister george she shouldn't have even mentioned the name joseph smith and we should've gone forward like we didn't know what he was talking about! I thought though.. if you can't even get the name right, your sources must be wrong. I don't think you really know everything about our church like you said you did. And that's just a taste of what we deal with everyday. I also thought of what persecution other missionaries get in their mission.. probably not alot about joseph smith outside of the states. BUt especially in the south, people hear different things and rumors spread like crazy. And we get to put up with the persecution. But its all worth it:) I can definitely say i have a testimony of Joseph SMith, and i know he's a prophet of God! With his one question he had about which church is true, and the answer he recieved.. it also answered millions of other's questions at that time and in the future. And i love the simple evidence of all this truth.. the Book of Mormon, read it, ponder it, pray about it. I've just started reading it over again, and this time i'm really focusing on the doctrine, or the gospel of christ. I've noticed in just the first book of nephi how much pertains to the gospel, and how much it witnesses of Christ! I just love it:)

We did have one cool miracle on saturday! We had dinner with the bishop's family, the Carters, and Sister CArter, whom i just love and adore, texted us and asked if we had any investigators or people in mind that we wanted to invite to dinner. Well we've been focusing on a recent convert, EMily, who is a 15 year old and is very shy, she needs alot of love and attention from the ward. So we asked Sister Carter to text Emily and invite her. Well, we rode with SIster carter to Emily's house to pick her up. Emily also has 3 other siblings who are around her same age. And Sister Carter was not slow to act as a missionary, and invited all her siblings to come to dinner too! We had to really convince them to come, but once one of them said yes, the rest followed suit and wanted to come! It was a little tricky though because we were just driving SIster Carter's little chevy cruz car, and we had to REALLY squeeze in for all of us to fit! We didn't really think ahead, but we were willing to sacrifice for this missionary opportunity.:) haha sister George and i had to squeeze in the front seat. We became really close friends by the end of that car ride. Haha! Sister george couldn't resist and said , "I haven't had this much action in 15 months!" SIster Carter overheard and just laughed. goodness, my companion sometimes. Don't worry, we took the back roads to the Bishop's home.. and we made it safely.. obviously! We had so much fun that evening! We played a big game of kickball, had a great cookout, and roasted some smores over a fire. We taught the gospel of JEsus Christ to them after dinner, and everyone had great input! Emily said on sunday that they had such a fun time and her siblings wanted to do it again. We are so grateful for BIshop Carter's family who were so outgoing and willing to have them over. WE wouldn't have been able to do it without them and their help, especially sister Carter, who was quick to invite emily's family over, let alone all squish in the car! We just love members like them:) Sister Carter is another member who is my long lost friend that i have just grown to love! SHe's from idaho, so she understands sister george and i:) 

BIG BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT TO THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!!!  I hope you have a wonderful birthday tomorrow mom:) thanks for all you've done for me and all you do now:) 

Also, for those who would like to go to Sis. Dunn's homecoming it is november 9th at 1 oclock.. she lives in the woodruff ward in logan. SHe'll email me the address when she gets home. she would love to meet ya'll and i think it would be awesome for you to go and support her. tell her hi! 

well have a great week! 

Love sister Hulme