Kangaroos and such

Here's the most recent update from Hermana Hopkins. Enjoy

When I saw the subject line I laughed cause my companion knows all about kangaroos since she is from Australia! I have included a picture of her. She is awesome. She used to teach Latin dancing! The picture with the donut is from awhile ago but I figured I would send you a picture for you to get a taste of the Texas culture. ;) Don't worry, I only ate all of... a bite or two ;) Haha :) 

RS was about tithing, I shared how you have always been a wonderful example to me of paying a faithful tithe especially when you feel like you won't have enough for the month.

Since this last transfer it has just been Hna Alfaro and I. We know that we are going to see a lot of miracles this transfer. Transfers are every six weeks. We are both hard workers and willing to work hard. We are focused and obedient. And the Lord knows that too. Already, in the week that we have been in this transfer, we have seen even more and more wonderful miracles. Guadalupe came to church with her boyfriend. THAT is a miracle because first of all he is hardly ever in town and because he is still married to his wife in Mexico. We taught him his first lesson on Saturday. Gaudalupe wants this so bad for him... She is ready for baptism. She knows that this is true and has expressed that to us multiple times now. The only thing, and I mean the ONLY thing, keeping her from baptism and enjoying the companionship of the Spirit is that she is living with her boyfriend. She can't just marry him and be baptized because he is married to someone else. And she can't just move out because she doesn't have papers to live in the US and she is barely making enough money from babysitting and and selling her food and pinatas that she makes. She is a beautiful and wonderful woman. She is my heart and a half. She is so willing to learn and repent and takes the best notes from her Book of Mormon studies that she does. We are praying that something will work out soon.

We have met so many cool people here, an Italian man, a man from Nicaragua, people from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, tons from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Iran, Haiti, the Philippines, Hindus, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses, Seven Day Evangelists, Catholics of all kinds, Nondenominational Christians of all kinds, and much much more. I love meeting new people and talking to everyone.

Yesterday we taught an investigator who had been investigating the church in November of last year and had come to church again today. We met with him after church and got to know him a little better. He came back because he felt alone and desperate. He said he is now ready to prepare for baptism. We invited him to be baptized and he will be baptized on the 20th of July. I am praying really hard lately for all of our investigators to hold strong. And you all as well. I hope you know that I pray for you all everyday and love you dearly.

Also we had an investigator come to the church on Saturday for a lesson and a church tour. her name is Angelica and she is a single mom of three kids. She felt the spirit and it is so cool to be able to see that work in her. She came to church with her kids on Sunday too and it was powerful. The Lord has a time and a place for everyone and everything. I know that this perfect Gospel will bless her life and her family.

It is truly a blessing and a miracle to be apart of the only true church of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, and that we have the fullness of the Gospel on the earth today. I am so grateful and humbled every day.

Hermana Hopkins

June 3rd 2013

Here's the weekly update! Make sure to write her everyone.

Guess what, I cut my hair last week! I know you probably would have cried if I cut my hair too short, so I just trimmed it and made it look more clean and fresh instead of scraggly and split ends everywhere. It feels nice to have less hair to deal with. I also cut my companions bangs for her. She felt better too. A lot of the little things you taught me are becoming ever so useful now as the others here don't know how to do it themselves. Like how to clean the kitchen or the bathroom, how to cut hair or how to cook even. It's nice to already know how to do these things and I know it's a blessing.

I fasted yesterday as well, It's amazing how much strength we receive from the Lord when we sacrifice our own comfort. He makes up the difference and blesses us with hundreds of times more than what we give him. And what we give him is his already so all around we should be very thankful! I love the Lord.

This week we met Raul as we were knocking on doors. We knock on doors in trailer parks because that is where the Hispanics live. Hispanics are a lot more friendly than white people, I can say that too because I am white. We knocked on the door of this trailer and Raul answered the door. He was simply working on the empty house doing construction. He let us in and gave us each a cold bottle of water. Usually we would not be allowed to enter a house if there was only one male in the home but because there are three of us in a companionship we can go in to any home. It's great :) Anyway, he let us in and he said that he had gone to our church when he lived in Arizona. He said that he went there with his friend who was a member and that he liked it a lot but never went back since moving to Texas. He is Christian and he said that he has so many questions that are running through his mind all the time. For us missionaries this kind of person is almost like a dream come true because usually the Hispanics are Catholic and want to teach us about their beliefs instead of letting us teach. Anyway, Raul was awesome and it was so cool to get to know him. He is a dad of 5 kids and loves working with his hands. He said he lives in Round Rock though so he doesn't actually live in our area. That was sad for me cause I wanted to teach him, but the Round Rock missionaries are going to visit him sometime so I am excited to hear from them how he progresses. 

Right now in our area we don't have any progressing investigators. We usually teach a first lesson or a second lesson and then the person either is not interested in learning or they won't make time to meet with us (which also means that they aren't interested). It's been a trial, but I am learning how to better talk to people and to get out of my comfort zone when talking to people about religion. Especially in Spanish.

I took the mission Spanish test about a month ago and just got my results yesterday. You need a %80 to pass and that is pretty much the best that people usually get too. I got a %26 hahaha. But ya know, I think I did pretty good! For only three months of Spanish at that point, I am happy to say that I am learning fast! The Lord works miracles after we have and show our faith. 

I love you all, I hope you are learning from the things that I am learning as well. Thank you for the birthday wishes! Read and study the Book of Mormon, it's my favorite book!

Hermana Hopkins

May 27th 2013

Here's this weeks update from Hermana Hopkins!

This week we met a man named Steve who told us to prepare for The Rapture... This is a belief that his religion has (I'm not sure exactly which one) when the good people who followed Christ will be taken up at his second coming and the rest will be under the rule of Satan for 7 years. Steve said that they study the bible and only the bible and they only believe in what the bible says and nothing else. He told us that we aren't ready for the Rapture and that we need to prepare... We asked him where it was called the Rapture in the Bible and they said it wasn't in there... From this experience my testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened. People have been so confused about the Bible. So many people understand the same passage of scripture so differently (just like Joseph Smith said) that it really is quite obvious as to why so many people are so confused. The Book of Mormon is beautiful. It clarifies in a way that children and adults can all understand. I truly love the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith's history. I am no professor or scholar, but I know from my studies and my personal experiences, prayers, personal revelation, and answers that this book is true. Just like Joseph Smith said, "I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it."

Transfers are in two and a half weeks and I had a dream last night that I was being transferred to open a new area and also train two sisters... That was a pretty rough dream haha. I thought of how my companion must feel having to train two sisters and I had a little bit more compassion for her when I woke up this morning.

I studied this morning in Moroni 7 about faith, hope, and charity. I am learning so much about each of those three things every day. They go hand in hand for me, I need them all equally, not one more than the other or sooner than the other. They are all so so so so important.

I love you all, sorry I didn't have a ton of time to write too much or respond to everyone, but know that I am doing well and I am learning probably 10 times more than I teach haha. But even that's an exaggeration... because I don't teach, the Spirit does.

Hermana Hopkins

Sunshine and Rainbows

It's that time again, Hermana Hopkins has sent another email.

This is a more serious email, and I have permission to share it in it's entirety. I hope Hermana Hopkins's words are a comfort and a help to anyone who needs it.

Depression is self-torture. Don't do it! Please hear me out as this is the biggest thing that I learned this week and the following phrase has played over and over in my head for the last few days. Depression is Selfish. Hear me out, I am not saying that YOU are selfish, but depression in general is selfish. This is one of the most self-destructive feelings that a person can have. I have been so incredibly depressed this week as well. It has been very difficult. I received a blessing though and have been conversing with my Heavenly Father and He has helped me so much through prayer and other people as well. One of the Adversary's best working tools is selfishness. If he can get you to be sad and think about how hard your life is and how useless you must be and that you can't achieve what the Lord has commanded you to do then he is winning and has power over you. Making the decision to be happy is not an easy task though! We can't just decide to be happy and smiling and positive all in the snap of a finger! It is a process, study the Atonement. Study how the Savior must have felt as He walked with His apostles to the place in the Garden of Gethsemane where he would, knowingly, take on the sins of the world. Think of how He must have felt as he was rejected, knowing full well that He was correct and true and obedient in everything that He ever did, thought, or said. Think of how He must have felt. Don't let sadness and doubt and depression hold you in a trap. The Savior of the WORLD did not suffer so that you could be depressed. He suffered so that you could be HAPPY. And enjoy the BLESSINGS that you receive in EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF EVERY SINGLE DAY. THIS is the message which I share with people every day. THIS is HOW I am even able to be out here right now. Without the Atonement I would be far from worthy to serve as His representative. But He makes all of that possible.

Satan does not want you to go to the temple either. Will you let him win????

This is the Lord's time and we missionaries are His representatives. Yesterday a man asked how long I had been learning Spanish... I told him the truth, which is 3 months, and he was rather surprised. It made me realize how long I have been on a mission already. I can't believe that it has already been 3 months for me...  In the MTC I remember thinking every single day about how I did not want to go home being the same person that I was. I wanted to have a complete change of heart, to be spiritually reborn. I have realized that being spiritually reborn comes by experience using the Atonement of our Savior in our lives. It comes from repentance. I feel like on the mission we see ourselves as if we are looking at a carpet with a magnifying glass. Before the mission I felt like I was a good person with good intent and didn't have a lot that I needed to repent for. But now as I look closer at my "carpet" I can see all the tiny things that I couldn't see before that I need to clean up. And there is a lot! But I am definitely learning that even though I have many faults and things to work on and change, I must always be turning outward and serving. This is not my time to practice perfecting myself. This is the Lord's time to focus on inviting others to come unto Him, and even though I have things to work on I must always be striving to serve and bless the lives of those who do not have the same blessings that I do. That is probably the most recent thing that I have been learning. How to turn outward even when I would rather turn inward and focus on myself. There are so many amazing people here who are prepared to receive all the Father has prepared for them. We just have to find them and teach them how to follow Christ. I get so excited to share with other people and to love them. I get so excited to hear their stories and help them apply the Gospel and be blessed. They are wonderful and beautiful people, my brothers and sisters. 

If you are WORTHY to go to the temple then GO. Do not confuse worthiness with perfection. Our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect yet he LOVES us anyway. He trusts us to make our daily decisions and repent for the mistakes that we do make. But never confuse those two things.

I love you. You can choose to share this entire email, parts of it, or none of it with others if you would like. But know that I love you. Know that Heavenly Father loves and watches over you and the entire family each day. He is aware of all that happens and he has many blessings in store for you if you only ask and do your part.

Hermana Alexandria Hopkins

Courage

It's that time again! More updates from Hermana Hopkins! Don't forget to email her!

Sometimes I forget the things that I have learned and felt in the past. Sometimes when I get too focused I forget the meaning and significance of why I am doing what I am doing. On Sunday a man named Abel, who was our waiter one P-day at Chuy's (it's like a tex-mex CafeRio/Costa Vida kind of place), called us saying that he was on his way to our church to come to sacrament... WOW. He came and even stayed for Sunday School. He had been taking notes during Sacrament and shared during Sunday school. He was in awe and when he had to go he was at a loss for words. He told us that he knew he had to come back and that he wasn't sure what he was feeling but he had to come back. I knew it was the Spirit. He was all lit up and smiling. The speaker in Sacrament talked about Integrity and how "Integridad es Valor." Integrity is Courage. 

I would like to add Faith as well. Faith is Courage. 

Also this morning in my personal study I studied 4th Nephi and came across a verse that made me think... Where there is Love there is no contention. So, where there is contention there is a lack of love. When we find ourselves in a contentious situation with a loved one we need to take a step back and examine the situation. Is there contention? Am I showing love for this person? Are they showing love for me? ...I know that I don't want others to feel unloved by me, therefore I strive not to cause contention. We know that "Where Love is, there God is also."

Love, Courage, Integrity, Faith, what do all these things have in common? You can figure that one out for yourself, but for me I think of my Heavenly Father. I think of my Savior. Our perfect example, Jesus Christ, is the Master of all of those attributes. Being Christlike truly brings happiness.

I love you and I love my Savior. I have courage because I know that God is in charge. I will show Integrity by being diligent and doing my best each and every day. I exercise my Faith by continuing in hope and trust in Christ's Atonement.

Hermana Hopkins

Doing The Dishes

Oh my heavens I love hearing all of this wonderful news!!!! I can't believe that Miss Kate received her call!!! That is so awesome! And Andrew sent me a picture of his hair and I let my district look at it too and we were all like "Aaahhh!" and "Oooohhh!" I exclaimed, "Cut your hair!" to the computer in hopes that he would hear me haha. I sent him those words as well just in case he didn't hear me :) I need a hair cut too ha, I will probably do that myself in a week or two. Yes Mom, I bought a pair of hair cutting scissors :D Don't worry, I won't go crazy or anything.

Also I am glad to hear that we were of any help when we were there, I still feel as though we didn't give you the help that you needed. I don't understand how things can get so messy though! Although I think I have figured it out. My companion does not wash her dishes after she uses them but my other companion and I do. By the time P-day comes around and it's time to clean the kitchen thoroughly, all the dishes are dirty and are sitting in the sink. Even though two of us constantly clean, if one does not do her part than it avails us nothing. The answer is, we always have to clean up after ourselves! I figure this is probably a lot like marriage. Both have to do their part! 

It has rained a few times since I have been here, it's amazing! I love the sky here as well, the sun is so big! You can see from one horizon the other... I have always loved and admired the sky but especially here in Austin the sky is so gorgeous! This morning as we were running for our exercise time I was running backwards as I was staring at the sky and I almost fell as I went over a speed bump! Ha! If Regan Funk is reading this please know that I love you and think of you in moments like these haha :)

My clothes... I am gaining weight! Haha I am planning on buying a skirt and a shirt today at target because my clothes are getting a little tight... Oops! The mexican, domincan republic, el salvadorian, and columbian food from the members are just toooooo good!

I used to LOVE getting covered in mud! Getting sprayed off was rather painful at times as it was cold and the mud had dried to be hard on my skin, but it was always a memorable experience. This is very much like repentance. Sometimes it is painful! But like with doing dishes right after you use them, if you clean up after yourself and repent when you do something wrong, then the mud won't harden so much and the pile of dishes might not pile up quite so high. When we remember to repent every day for the mistakes that we make, the people we may offend, or the lies that we told, we are washing our dishes right after we use them and we are washing the wet mud off with warm water.

I love you all! I don't have any more time to write as my Zone Leader, Elder Booher (Elder Booger as our Ward Mission Leader calls him) wants to use the computer now too haha.

Hermana Hopkins

The Church Is True

Sorry for the late update everyone. Here's the updates for Hermana Hopkins!

Everytime I sit down at this computer and get ready to write you I try to think of what to say that will let you know how I am doing, how the work is going, what cool experiences I have had, and also what will benefit you all the most to hear... The same phrase comes to my mind every time... THE CHURCH IS TRUE. Simple as that. 

I have learned the importance of having members present in the lessons. They bring something that the missionaries just can not bring. If you have ANY spare time, or would like any extra blessings, GO WITH THE MISSIONARIES. Introduce yourself to them, tell them you want to come to a lesson with them if they need you. They will LOVE YOU. Your testimony will grow, the investigators' testimonies will grow, and the missionaries' will too. I know that when I get back I will be going with the missionaries every chance I get. And I will be feeding them. And I will be in a Spanish ward. And I will go to Church EVERY Sunday. And I will do all these things because I KNOW how important they are because I have developed a testimony of them. How can we develop a testimony of anything if we have not used and applied it in our lives?? Try it, then pray, then apply.

We met a woman this week who's name is Nelly. She allowed us to enter her home as we were knocking in her apartment complex. She readily accepted the gospel right then and there. She accepted the baptismal date that we gave her and said she would come to church with us the next day. Awesome! ...BUT, she didn't come to church. Why? I don't know exactly, but I know that Satan does not want her there. He knows that the Church will bless her life and he does not want that. My dearest family and friends, Satan does not want you to be happy. He does not want you to succeed. He does not want you to feel loved. Going to Church every Sunday is MANDATORY. It is like polishing your shield. Polish it every week so that the arrows of the adversary will continue to bounce and slide off and away from you. 

Polish your shields, sharpen your swords, and stand ready.

I love you all!

Hermana Hopkins