It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

This week is going to fly! Please let me know if there is anything I can do in preparation for the next week!

Everything is going great in Nuevo Amanecer! My comp and I have seen a lot of miracles and I'm not really sure how so many can happen in such a short time! My daughter/comp, hermana Monjaras is doing great! She's a little stressed about me leaving her alone haha but we've been able to find some great people and I know that she will be okay with her new comp. It makes me sad to think that I won't be able to be here for her here, but I'll do my best to keep serving her and helping her along. i can only hope that I am doing all that my Father has asked me to do. I'm sad to leave, but excited for the new adventure. I'm sad that idk when I'll see these people again. But I know that the Father has plans for me and that it's my time to apply everything I've learned here into the real life. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to serve here in the DR and I'm going to give it my all this week. I love you all and thank you all for what you have done for me these past 18 months. Have a very merry Christmas and I'll talk to you all soon!!

Love, aloha, y amor,

hermana Ho

The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow! But you Gotta Hang on Til Tomorrow

Thank you all for sharing the gospel with everyone. even though some people will reject the message that we have to share, there will be those who will accept it, live it, and rejoice in it with us. thank you all for being persistent and diligent in your efforts! The Lord is pleased when we are obedient to His commandments :)

Sounds like there were some trials back home this past week. Looks like Satan was working hard on both islands hahaha! I got sick on Wednesday with a fever and a sore stomach (I'm all better now today, trust me, just not eating a ton like before :) I think I got a virus or something that's going around. But I was bedridden and slept pretty much the entire day ... but what's the opportunity in the opposition? It made me want to work even harder the next day!! And we sure did! We had received a reference from the ward secretary and so the day after I was sick, we went out with the brother to teach his reference... and wow! This guys was prepared to receive the missionaries! His name is Solifer, and he's about 24 and studying. The member works in the temple once a week and contacted Solifer in the street a couple times as he was walking to the university (it's by the temple). So the brother invited Solifer to receive the missionaries and he accepted! And when we went to visit him, he had some questions and accepted to be baptized in that same lesson! It was a spiritual lesson and plus, Solifer has a big family. He's got 4 siblings and his dad just recently remarried ... legally(that's rare). So I think the Lord has big plans for this family! 

There's been lots of hard points that we came across this week. But, like the title of the email says, tomorrow will come, but you gotta keep hanging on, keep pushing and keep persevering. And it all pays off in the end. It was a little hard for me to keep pushing forward, but we did it! We were able to have our stake conference this past weekend, and one of our investigators, Frank Cocco, came and really liked it. he's been investigating for a while, but is hesitant to be baptized. But he really enjoyed all the talks in the conference and we're hoping that it animated him just a little more. Also, Sabiel, the young man I talked about last week, came to the Saturday session with Steven and I believe he also stayed for the priesthood session! He's a great kid. 

I know that when the trials come, it's hard to look for the opportunities in the opposition. But I can assure you that there's a lot of opportunities! I'm still working one looking at the opportunities first before looking at the opposition. And one of my companions that lives with me shared with me a good thought. "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy." Men ARE that they might have JOY. We were meant to have joy! We were sent here to have the joy that our Heavenly Father desires that we have! Adam fell so that men might exist and might have joy! We deserve to have joy! This past week, we were also able to go to the temple and President Corbitt spoke to us inside about being obedient and the law of sacrifice. I know that when we are obedient and keep the law of sacrifice, that we will find that joy in the opposition. We will find the joy that we so deserve and that God created us to have. Adam fell so that we could have joy. The Savior was born so that we might have joy. So many others sacrificed so much for us so that we might have joy in this day. What great love they all showed for us! So this week, I encourage you all to look at the opportunities that God has given us so that we might have joy! And share these experiences in the family :) I'll do it from my end here too. And if you guys so desire, I would love to here your experiences too :D Love you all and take  care this week! Thank you for everything that you do! 

Love, aloha, y amor,

Hermana Ho

A Savior is Born

This week was another week of miracles. We´ve been able to find a ton of families to teach, and we´ve even gotten some references from the members! Nuevo Amanecer is super special, and this stake is in the good hands of a great stake president. We´ve been able to get to know a lot of the members and to visit them in their humble homes and share the message of "a savior has been born". One of the lessons that we had, we shared with a mom and her 14 year old son and her little daughter. We were able to watch the video and they really liked a lot. The member that accompanied us bore a simple and great testimony about the savior and as a result, the son came to church this past sunday! The son knows the son of the member and so when the member invited him to come to church, he said "steven is your son right? yeah, he's different. I have a lot of friends but they aren't like Steven. Steven is a good example and I trust him. I'll come to church with Steven." And they both came :D the mom had to work unfortunately, but that was one little miracle that we saw. And I know that there are many more to come. I hope that in this Christmas, we can share the gift of the Savior and invite all to come unto Him this Christmas and to worship Him in Church. I know that this iniciative that the Chruch is doing has been inspired and I have the faith that it will bring many miracles into the lives of many. All we need to do is share it! 

Anway, love you all so much! thank you for all of the love and support that you have given me! Have a great week!!

Love, aloha, y amor,

Hermana Ho

Be converted :D

Well, as for this past week, it's been crazy! We had so much going on that I can't remember everything! But training has definitely been such a great blessing! Me and my companion are seeing many miracles every day and even though she's tiny (or I'm just big lol), she's a big spiritual giant! I wish that I would be able to see the rest of her mission, but I know that she's going to continue to be an amazing missionary :D being here in Nuevo Amanacer (our area) with her, we've been able to work a lot with the members and to get to know a lot of people. I can only hope that I'm preparing her good for the rest of her mission ...

On Friday, we had a mission tour and Elder Cornish of the seventy was here to visit us. He spoke to us about baptizing everyone and helping them come unto christ. What really caught my attention was when he said "we don't want more baptizms; we want more conversions!" He focused a lot on the importance of baptizing everyone, but at the same time having them be converted to the gospel. It was a very spiritual day that day, to say the least. And my invitation to all of you would be to not just be members of the church of Christ, but to be converted members, doing always what the Lord wants us to do. 

Love you all so much! Thank you for all of the love and support that you have given me! Have a good week!

Love, aloha, y amor, 

Hermana Ho

Because I'm Happy!! :D

Yups, you know that song!!  This past week was my first week training and it has been wonderful! My companion is Hermana Monjarás from el Salvador. She´s so cute! I´ll send some pics! But she is amazing. She´s kinda like me ... and people have said that we look alike ... I think it´s those Filipino features, ya know? hahaha but wow, I´ve been able to learn so much from her and I can only hope that I give her the best start to her mission that she deserves... but yes, we are also whitewashing here in an area that´s called Nuevo Amanecer. It´s a branch that is almost a ward and the missionaries before us established really strong member and missionary relationships, so when me and my comp came, there was a ton of support! And there's like a missionary work fever here! A ton of people want to have us over or to leave with us! It´s like heaven for a missionary! And this week, me and my comp have seen a ton of miracles. For example, in the other three times that I´ve whitewashed, I have never found so many families as I have had here in this area, nor have we had so much success in week 1 as we did this week! It´s truly been amazing. Idk what we´re doing, but the Lord has truly blessed us, and hopefully through our efforts, has blessed those we´ve talked to and visited. Seriously, idk how these things happened, but they´ve happened! We´ve gotten to know a lot of the members (and it hasn´t even been a week yet), we´ve got family home evenings to go to, we´ve got a ton of new investigators, and we´ve even got some references, new appointments, and i just know that things are going to keep moving forward. I know that the hard things are just around the corner, but I also know that me and my comp are going to be seeing many miracles. I´m stoked to be here! And finally, when I feel like I finally know enough to be an effective missionary, imma gonna leave. But that means I get to push push push and run those last 100m of the race, even though it´s the hardest, it´s what I´ve worked for.

I think what I want to invite you all to do is look for the miracles in this week. It´s turkey week, and thanksgiving week, and we all have a ton to be thankful for. So during this week, amongst the eating and the celebrating, I invite you all to take some time to recognize, during each day, the miracles that the Lord has blessed you with. Then, truly be thankful :D 

Love you all and take care! Thanks for everything you´ve all done for me!! Enjoy the food and family!! :D Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love, aloha, y amor,

Hermana Ho

Me and my daughter, Hermana Monjarás.

me and hermana Nazaire with our daughters (yes, her first time training too)

us with president and Hermana Corbitt

us ;D I love her so much!

It's a girl!! :D

Guys, before I write anything else... just want to let you know... I'm TRAINING!!! I'm stoked! For those who don't know what that means, it means my companion for this upcoming transfer (aka. begininng tomorrow) is a newbie!! Greenie!! I'm so excited and so nervous, and I only have one transfer to make sure that I give her all I got!! We will also be whitewashing, which will be fun and which I like doing :D aka. we'll be starting fresh in a new area that I don't know anything about! It's called Nueva Almanecer. Okay, now that that's out ...

As for the investigators, everyone is doing okay. it was a really wierd week because all of the investigators that we had, their appointments fell through and they weren't home or didn't answer the phone. But, I do want to share some cool spiritual experiences that happened, even though all those things fell through. So we had a leaders meeting in which President Corbitt talked about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and how we have faith in the blessings that have been promised to us as missionaries and, using this faith and knowledge of the blessings, how we can help our investigators see themselves as though they had already been saved. It's like in Jarom 1:11, where the prophet Jarom is speaking as though Christ had already come, when in that time, it was about 400 years or so before his birth. So, applying this to the mission (I hope you follow), President Corbitt explained the great faith that Jarom had, that we missionaries need to have, to see our investigators as if they had already been saved, as if they had already gone to the temple. It was such a spiritual meeting and the spirit was testifying to us the reality of these things. 

So that night, after the meeting, me and my companion when contacting, knocking on doors. And we applied what we had learned into talking to these people, seeing them as if they had already been baptized... and one of them has a baptism date! It truly is amazing how the Lord works through us missionaries, as though He literally is speaking through us, or right there with us. And it's an experience that I want to repeat over and over again :) Since I'm leaving this area, Gascue, to go to another area, I've looked back and have been able to see the many changes that have been made here, and I'm so grateful to have been a part of this marvelous work and wonder. I hope that I'm still able to help my investigators that are here, even though I'm going. And I realize just how many good friends and family that I've made here in these past 5-6 months. 

Well, that's about it for this week. Thank you all for all that you do for me and for your love, prayers and support. Wish you all the best for these upcoming days!! Love ya!

Love, aloha y amor,

Hermana Ho

El fin esta cerca y hay poco tiempo

So , theres a song in spanish that talks about the how the end is drawing near and there's not enough time... yeah i think that describes my week.  Wow, okay, idk where to even start... seriously, the days just fly and idk where they go anymore! well, we finally got in contact with the jimenez family and they are doing good. It's still kinda slow with their progression, but they need a small push to keep on going. We're trying to work on that. But they are still amazing :D I love them so much and they want to take me to see Brother Jimenez's baseball team play before I go home!! haha they are sweet. everyone else is doing okay... it's kinda been a little slow with the spiritual progression with our investigators, and a lot of that is due to the fact that they aren't home when we pass by. But it's okay :) 

This week has basically been filled with a lot of contacting. Just knocking on doors and trying to find people to teach. We've been blessed with a lot of rain here this week too ... and lots of wet socks!! hahaha but its truly been a blessing. It tests your faith to see if you'll step out there to find people. And I can truly testify that we have been blessed for these efforts! We were able to find a lady, Rosario, who said that she had had missionaries teach her before. We talked with her a little and it seems like she was really open to listening again. The spirit directed us to ask if she would be baptized on Dec 19th and she said yes! So that was a miracle in and of itself! We just had to walk in the rain for a little bit and put our faith in the Lord and we were blessed to find this wonderful woman! We really don't know who is prepared until we put our faith and actions into the work!

Other things that have happened is that we are strengthening our relationships with the ward and are working on getting to know them even more. We've been trying to have FHEs with the families and have been inviting a greater variety of people to leave with us and we have seen the fruits of our labors! it doesn't come immediately, but it's amazing how much the Lord has blessed our missionary efforts when the members and missionaries work together. 

So with that being said, I want to invite you all to leave with the missionaries this week or to invite them into the house. I know that we are all busy and have a lot of things to do, but the missionaries understand. All they want is a little of our time to help out our wards. :D And I know that we will be blessed to when we help them, maybe in ways that we can't see. 

Thank you all for all you do and for your love and support! Love you all!!

Love, aloha, y amor, 

Hermana Ho

Me and the sisters I lived with. we decided to do a family photo shoot and the pics turned out pretty nice :D

Sahony's baptism! It also happened to be combined with one of my old investigators' baptism, Shyna. the two girls got along great :D and yes, I made leis for them :D theres also Sahony and her brother that baptized her.

some things never change ... 

We decorated cupcakes (thanks to a cupcake package we got :D) for Halloween ... than I might've started a mini war ... woops! 

And Me and sister Allen "celebrated" our 16 month day. 

Sunrise here :D

yups, I'm still stealing food :D 

Service project! The way we clean in the dr ... just throw water on the walls and mop it up after and then we're all good :D