May 19, 2014

Hello beautiful family,

WOW. CONGRATULATIONS TO TODD, on Graduating AND on getting your call to NEW YORK!! what? We will have served in the same state! God works in mysterious ways and I cried reading your call, I'm so excited to be able to serve with you for a few months. Hurrah for Israel Brother!

This week we went from teaching a Baptist, to an Evangelist  to lots Catholics, a Born Again, a Jew, and even a Muslim. I love New Jersey. We walked and walked and ran into a lot of Spanish people, which is pretty rare in this area. Every time we contacted one I would think to myself I should have paid more attention in Spanish Class.... but thanks to some previous companions and exchanges in Spanish areas we can successfully contact someone in Spanish and get the message across, well sort of :) Our very last contact last night was in Spanish to a man by the name of Louis, at first he told us he was a "MORMUN" then he told us he was still an "investigator" in Peru but had moved here and couldn't find the church. We testified that the EL Libro de Mormon is verdidero (The Book of Mormon is true) and he said Si! He left so happy he had found the true church in america, and we walked away saying a prayer of gratitude, Heavenly Father had been preparing us ALL week to help us remember and practice our Spanish so we could effectively communicate with Louis. Heavenly Father always helps us accomplish what we need to do. 

Church was incredible, Marie was able to come while Sister Andrus was giving a talk (which was so great) she kept saying "Amen" and giving her thumbs up, I simply love her. AND Donna and Katie came to church, AND so did Bill. It was a very busy Sunday and I am so grateful for the ward here. The members are incredible and always supporting us, introducing themselves to the investigators and simply so loving. 

This past week has been a new experience for contacting. I have felt like the group of people pressing forward to the Tree of Life, while the people in the Great and Spacious building are pointing fingers and mocking us. We have been laughed at, hollered at, fingers pointed at, but we KEEP smiling and pressing forward. I feel so blessed to be here serving a mission at this time. There are many prepared. We just need to keep pressing forward and we will find the ones who are ready. So very blessed to be here. I love this gospel and I love this calling. Thank you for your love and support!. 

Sending love from New Joisey

Sister Houghton

May 12, 2014

Hello Family! 

I loved seeing all of your faces yesterday and hearing your voices, feels like I just called home for Mother’s Day last year? OH boy, time is really flying. 

TODD I am ECSTATIC for you to get your call, remember it doesn't matter where you serve....it matters WHO you serve. :) Give the lord your whole heart and you will love every second of your mission. (Even the hard ones) Also...when people have a hard time pronouncing Elder Houghton just say it's like Santa Clause "Ho-Ho-Houghton" trust me it helps. But getting called "Hot-en" isn't too bad either ;) 

My whole mission my jaw has been giving me some issues, and as time has gone on it's becoming more and more swollen. Just call me Chipmunk. It really is just pay back for when I used to laugh at Amber's cute wisdom teeth checks, she got pretty swollen...The mission nurse sent us to Dr. Thomas, he is a member and has helped the mission in many ways. They took my blood in the office, I was so nervous, Sister Andrus held my hand and I didn't pass out. victory! After that I got pretty slap happy, and did some embarrassing things, becoming a Dr is definitely not in my near future. A masseuse came in and gave me a massage, wow. I think all Dr's visits should end in one of those. :) We came out to our car to see a parking ticket stuck to our window, got to love parking police. Lesson learned ALWAYS put extra quarters in the meter. 

We had been praying for Heavenly Father to guide us with our plans, we felt prompted to put a less-active who has NEVER been home the 8 times we've tried. By the time we got back from the Dr's, paying the ticket it seemed almost silly to drive the extra 30 minutes just to try one more time. We decided to just knock somewhere closer and save the miles. But as we were driving to our new spot both Sister Andrus and I felt like we needed to stick with what we had told Heavenly Father we would do the night before. When we pulled up...(we were holding our breaths) and there in the driveway was a car! Miracles. We knocked and  met Sister Angel. She is a special woman and told us that she has desires to come back to church. .After we left we said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for the guidance and that tender mercy. It was an incredible night. I learned that Heavenly Father ALWAYS does his part, the rest is up to us, we must exercise our faith and stick to the plans we've made (unless prompted by the spirit) :)

Sunday Pat was confirmed a member of the church. She was feeling pretty sick and tired but she came and I've never seen her so happy. She is a faithful woman and I've been blessed to  know her. After everyone raised their hands to welcome her she said "THANK YOU" I just wanted to go over and hug her, (but that definitely was not appropriate) Also saw one of my friends Sean from the Y at church, I'm serving in his home ward. Such a small world! 

I love you all lots and lots! Thank you for your love and support and just being you. You’re all incredible examples. Keep being missionaries!  Mom- So proud of you for Studying PMG. Maybe we can have comp studies when I get home? 

Sending love from Jersey

Sister Houghton

P.S Dad- loved seeing your face and hearing your voice. I'm positive you have some calming therapy in your voice.

Mom- you looked so pretty! :) so exited for you to start your new job today. "Hello this is Fin Fun" :)

Amber and JT- your still the cute newlywed couple, can't believe its been 2 years

Todd-Mr Shelley? so happy your loving it and graduating!

Jenn-umm cute! cute nails, and loved getting your dance pictures!

Rach- Thanks for the dance move, you better believe we are having dance parties!!

Taking a Bunny Rabbit for a walk.

I love you all!!! xox

May 5, 2014

Hello Family!

Wow, this week has been better than my words can explain! God has been guiding us and directing us.

Last Wednesday we were hit with a huge storm, I like to refer to it as a typhoon--and all of our appointments cancelled. We prayed and prayed for guidance to know where to go, we went to our backups and knocked for 2 hours, we prayed again asking Heavenly Father to put prepared people in our path...according to our faith, and then door after door we knocked we found prepared people, lots of potentials and 4 new investigators, Maria started crying when we shared our message, she said she had been praying for God to send her someone to show her the way back and to feel his love. Heavenly Father knows our needs, and he will answer them. That night we made a special dinner to take to Pats house to go over her baptism interview questions. We took Sister Andrus's famous Pizza pockets to her house and turned the oven on to cook them right up. After a couple minutes we started to hear a strange sizzling/bubbling noise coming from the oven....turns out the oven was turned into extra storage space, that Pat had forgotten about and we were about to cause a huge electrical fire...not safe, we ran back to our apartment cooked them and took them back to Pats. We ate dinner on Cat plates and forks with Cat hair stuck in between, we might have coughed up some hair balls later on.

We volunteered at Ellis Island this week. It recently opened up since Hurricane Sandy. The exhibits are still pretty devastated right now. Our job is to walk around the family history center and "pretend" we know what we are doing...pretend is the key word here because it was some advanced family history work. We are not allowed to proselyte but if they ask questions we can answer :) We met people from all over the world, mostly French "wee wee" lots of Irish, and of course Italians :) They all were so happy to find their ancestors names, and I can see why family history is a BIG part of missionary work. "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" people are having greater desires to know about their families, all part of our Heavenly Fathers plan to Hasten the Work.

Eye spy....

Sunday we had Stake Conference, The stake Patriarch spoke on the three key elements of a Patriarchal blessing. 1. God KNOWS YOU, He LOVES you. 2. He wants you to RETURN to Him again 3. He wants you to experience the blessings of the Temple. It was an incredible meeting and made me want to look and focus on the specific promises in my blessing, they are given to us, from our Father in Heaven, with promises that apply to the now....and the eternities. It was an incredible meeting. Pat loved it and was excited to get baptized. We decorated her stall, (it’s a Sister thing) and after she got in whites she said "Ok....now throw me in there" It was hilarious because Pat is a soft spoken person and then every once and a while she says the funniest things. She told us she's not a lost sheep anymore and then started to Bahh like a sheep.I almost fell to the ground laughing, I love that woman.

President and Sister Jeppson came to the baptism, it went smoothly, (thanks to a lot of help from this ward) Pat picked out all the speakers and songs for the program, and asked Sister Andrus and I to sing, oh boy, I almost had a heart attack, I was so nervous, but with Sister Andrus's help (she has a heavenly voice) we sang "Teach me to Walk in the Light" we pulled through and I didn't pass out- a success. We had two priesthood holders help her into the font, and assist her going down gently into the water.  She's still too weak from the cancer to climb up and down steps by herself. It was a special moment, after the baptism, when she looked up, smiled and said "I'm a new WOMAN!" She turned her jacked around to even symbolize starting new. It was a special moment. After the service she turned into a speedy demon we could barely keep up with her. We stopped by her home later and told us that this is the best decision that she has ever made. Reminded me of the promise of Joy in Doctrine and Covenants 18: How great is our joy now?

 I'm so grateful for this work and the love and joy and happiness it brings. It's not easy, but it is WORTH it.

 President and Sister Jeppson came :)

TODD. Your mission papers are in!! :) My guess is Chile or....NEW JERSEY MORRISTOWN either way, I can barely sit down because I'm so excited for you!

I love you, I love this work, and I love my Savior! Let's spread the good news!

Sending love from Joisey

Sister Houghton

 

CTR power 

Our first baptism together!