Feb 26th 2018 1 Week left!!

Hey Y'all!

It's been a soaking wet week here in Kentuckiana. It's rained
basically all week and there's a lot of flooding everywhere. Been
getting a lot of good use out of my rain boots. They're seriously the
coolest things ever.

We had MLC Monday night and Tuesday. That was awesome. I got to see
some of the awesome missionaries I've missed. We got to listen to a
broadcast from Elder Bednar and Elder Nielson talking about the new
smart phones we're getting as a mission and how we are trusted by the
Lord and his servants and need to honor that trust. It was pretty
cool. It's been nice to have the phones this week, it makes the work a
lot easier and it's a great tool for missionaries.

So I had this cactus. It was the cutest little cactus. I got it at the
very beginning of my mission. It's been with me my whole mission, I've
taken it to every area. Well I had to leave it in Salem but had the
promise of the elders and the zone leaders that they'd take good care
of it and bring it to me at MLC. Well that first MLC they said they
accidentally killed it. I was so sad. That cactus had made it so far
and the elders kill my little cactus. Well this week during district
meeting I said the prayer and when I open my eyes my poor pathetic
looking corpse of my cactus is in front of me! It was so shriveled and
sad. So never trust your zone leaders to keep anything alive.

We had two exchanges this week. I got to go to the New Albany bike
area with Sister Baker. We had a ton of fun. She is a rocking awesome
missionary and it was great to learn from her. We even got to bike in
the torrential downpour and wear a giant ugly yellow vest. It was
great. We went to teach a less active member and she came to the door
in nothing but a towel. A very small towel. That was interesting. She
has a cute cat though. When we exchanged back we immediately got in
the car and drove to exchange with the Jasper sisters. I got to work
in Corydon with Hermana Acireale. She is from Venezuela and has been
out about 9 months. She has an awesome personality and loves
missionary work. It was so fun to be with her.

We got told we were going to hell this week. We were out knocking
doors in the rain and this guy let us in to his porch. And he says he
loves when missionaries knock on their door because he hopes to save
us and help us be awakened because we're going to hell because we
don't believe in the real Jesus. He goes on and on about how he's this
awesome preacher who believes in the real Jesus and we don't and we're
going to hell. It was hilarious. I love this place.

My talk on Sunday went well I think. My piano playing left a little
something to be desired, but it's one way I can actually serve in the
Spanish Branch so that's ok. They're very nice and humble people. I've
loved it.

Going into my last week as a missionary.... kind of crazy. We've got a
lot to do this week.

Anyway love y'all!

Sister Hoyt

Feb 19th 2018 16 more days left!!

Hola Y'all!


Haha things are pretty good here in Kentuckiana. This week has gone by in a blur as usual. I still don't know Spanish, but I am working on it and can recognize some random words. Someone tried to call us while my companion was sleeping last Monday and started speaking Spanish, I tired to tell them we were the missionaries but I no habla espanol, so they hung up and tried texting instead. Thank goodness for google translate. Not exactly the most accurate tool, but effective none the less.


It was a bit of a rough week, we have both been struggling, but it was a week of miracles none the less. We got 6 new investigators this week. Which was just awesome because here it's super exciting if you get 1 or 2. We have return appointments with them this week so hopefully we can get some good solid investigators with a few of them. We've really worked hard this week and God has blessed us as we push ourselves out of our comfort zones a little.


We ate dinner with a family that has a mouse living in their stove. True story. Somehow it hides when the oven is on, but then comes out in the vent or crack between the stove and the place where all the dials are to try and get the food. And they felt bad about setting a trap for it, so it just hangs out.... but they're super awesome people. He has a quick sense of humor and pretty sarcastic to boot so we got a long well.


Valentine's Day was fun. I broke into an apartment..

Ok well it was ours, but I was still impressed. We were headed out the door to district Meeting when we figured out that Hermana Boyson locked the keys in the apartment, including the keys to said apartment. So we had to call the zone leader and district leader telling them we weren't going to district meeting. Then we had to call the land lord who sent a maintenance guy to try and get it open. Luckily we have a covered entrance because it's pouring down rain at this point of time. The guy comes and none of his keys work. Past sisters had to change the locks because they kept coming home to find their door open or unlocked. So none of the master keys work. He had the office lady come try her key and he tried opening the door with a credit card a few times. But basically they just said tough luck and left. So I look up how to pick locks on Facebook trying to find a video, because I was not paying $60 for a lock smith... and tried to get it with my Chick-fil-A gift card and some bobby pins while Sister Boyson called the mission office who were sending someone out with the spare key. But I kept working at it and all of a sudden BINGO! I got it open. Double reinforced lock and I got us in with a Chick-fil-a gift card. Not super impressive but I was victorious and proud of myself. We got to skype into most of district meeting and then Leonard and Sarah came down to take us to lunch.


Saturday we had a chili cook off with the ward and branch. They asked us to be judges and we had a ton of fun eating lots of chili. They even had this apple cinnamon chili. sounds weird I know, but it was pretty good. People here like to put spaghetti in their chili, don't know what that's about, but they had a lot of good ones. People kept messin with us trying to get us to pick their chili. They take it pretty seriously here haha. Even had a trophy for the winner.


Sunday we had Ward Conference, and the meetings were all combined so I was spared the embarrassment of having to play without practicing again. And I got to sit by Jen! After the week I had I so needed her loving spirit and one of her mom hugs. She just radiates the spirit and love, and always knows exactly what needs to be done to lift and encourage those around her. So many times on my mission her and her husband Eric's letters and small acts of love have made a world of difference. I can't brag about them enough.


Also cool story. We ate at a members house. His wife is from Brazil, and they all speak Portuguese. I told them my dad served in Brazil around the same area that he had. When Sister Harvey saw my name tag she got excited and asked if my dad was from Utah, and if he was tall white and skinny. I showed her a picture and she started texting her friend from Brazil. Apparently my dad had eaten at their house occasionally and knew her best friend when he was on his mission in Brazil. What a crazy small world. Who would have thought that I would run into someone from my dads mission in small town Indiana. It was pretty cool.

This week we have MLC, 2 exchanges, and a bunch of other crazy things. Its going to be exciting!


Love y'all!
Sister Hoyt

Feb 12, 2018

Hola amigos! It's been a pretty wild week.


We got a call from President Hughes this week and he asked me to be part of an emergency transfer and if I would go to Corydon Indiana to be with hermana Boyson. Of course I was not very happy with that decision. 3 weeks left on my mission and they ship me to a completely new area, with a new companion after spending the last 9 weeks working my tail off to create relationships and build up this area. With not even a chance to go to church and say goodbye. I loved my companions, I loved the area, and felt like we had a lot of really good things started. Bitter tears were shed this week, but whenever something difficult or weird has happened on my mission I've learned to ask myself "who am I to limit the Lord", so even though it hurt, I packed my bags and went. It has been hard, I've been sad, but I am determined, and will continue to kick some butt and take some names.... to the temple. ;D My new companion is nice though. She is actually and older missionary and has a pretty cool story. My first few hours there we went and taught a family who has lice... so we came home and dumped everything in the washer and will be checking each other for the next week. Joy.


We cover both an English branch and a Spanish branch. We go to the English sacrament meeting and then all three hours of the Spanish church. So it's my first actual day in Corydon and I'm in a branch where I have no idea what's going on. All the meetings are in Spanish, all the people are Spanish, and I am completely lost. People try and talk to me and my companion is talking to other people so i try to stutter out that I don't know Spanish and they just look at me and I feel like the most awkward human being. THEN they last minute ask me to play the piano for sacrament meeting. I haven't played in months or practiced hymns, have never played a sacrament hymn or in sacrament period, and I already have no idea what's going on. Not to mention the entire stake presidency was there to reorganize the branch presidency. It was the most scared, nervous, and uncomfortable I've been on my mission in a longggg time. By the end I was ready to crawl underneath all the blankets on my bed and refuse to leave. And then they asked me to give a talk... I think they want to kill me.


But even though I was freaking out most of the three hours of church. It was really cool to feel the spirit as the new branch presidency and members of the stake presidency shared their testimonies. I had no idea what they said or what their testimony was about, but the calming influence of the spirit was unmistakably understood. Christs restored gospel is Christs restored gospel, no matter what language it is preached in. The spirit will always testify of the truth and that is a universal language.


In other fantastic news. Bill quit smoking!!!!!! We had a really powerful lesson with him, pushed him kind of hard, but it was completely spirit led. Reminded me of the story in Alma where he had to "bear down in pure testimony" against them to help them change their hearts and repent. It worked. He broke his entire pack of cigarettes into my hand and committed to stop. We made him a shirt with the non smoking sign and "I'm A Quitter" on the front. We cleaned out all the ash trays and scrubbed the bathroom and walls where he would smoke. We even got up early that next morning to run and buy him some vitamin c. (Vitamin C helps break down the nicotine in your system, fun fact). We are praying so so hard for him to be able to stay committed this time. He has one of the strongest testimonies. He even volunteered to go home teaching and he's not even a member yet! He does more and attends more than 75% of the ward.


Oh and guess what?! Remember the awesome guy I taught for 6 months in Salem? Michael and his wife Vicki? Well Vicki messaged me and said Michael is finally getting baptized on March 3rd!!! I'm so excited!!!!


We also got rear ended at a light in Lexington on Friday. Nothing too major, just bent and scratched up our bike rack and gave us a headache, thank goodness for bike racks. The paperwork took more time than anything. But that was exciting.


So yeah a pretty eventual crazy week. Gotta love it.


Love you!!!


Sister Hoyt