Random Pictures

Below are pictures received in between emails! ~Mom

Opening the eggs we sent for Easter with our hilarious notes!!

Some of these are such inside jokes, they are hard to explain! haha. 

But if you are super curious I can share! ~Mom

...and a blow-up elephant and some play-dough. haha

Supermodel hay hauler. He loves goofin around.

I love this picture.. such a dude.

These guys look like they have so much fun when they are working. 

I wonder how much they actually get done? haha

Stormy here in the Deep East

Subject:	Stormy here in the Deep East
Date:	Mon, 9 Apr 2018 16:13:07 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

Hola Fam squad!

Fist of all as you can see by the pics we've had some gnarly storms! The first was Tuesday, on our way back from Longview for a meeting. I was driving the truck and the clouds looked kind of weird, and we were like, "those clouds look kind of weird" then all the sudden, BAM a downpour and crazy wind! We thought it might have been the beginnings of a tornado. We could only really see the tail lights of the guy in front of us and we hoped he knew what he was doing because we couldn't see anything else. We had to swerve a couple time to avoid fallen trees and a trash can in the middle of the road (not sure where it came from either, because there really isn't much between Longview and us, there certainly wasn't any houses around that we could see). Also small sticks were and things were hitting the windshield, and giant thing of mud or something hit the windshield, we thought it was a rock but it didnt crack or anything so I guess not, it was really loud though! 

Well eventually all traffic stopped and we sat there for a bit and while it cleared we saw it was a fallen tree blocking the road. So we sat there for a while until someone could come move it. 

While were sitting there we took some selfies and contacted the guy behind us. He was a nice guy with a nice truck. Elder Mears knows everything about trucks so they talked about that, turns out the guy is in High School! Anyway he said missionaries could come by, and the Nacogdoches Sisters are going to get in contact with him. Can't believe God sent a tornado through East Texas so that he could meet missionaries. Anyway we made it home and all it was good.

Then Friday it stormed again, but not until we were in for the night. It didn't seem that bad, the power went out for a sec a couple times, but that was it. The next day we went by an inactive member/investigator family and a huge tree was totally ripped up out the ground and blown over by the storm! They also said we were on Tornado watch. Crazy!

Other than not much new. Our one investigator who was the neighbor of a member on a mission, we'll he texted us and told us he won't be coming to church anymore :( Last time we met with him we asked him to talk to his dad (who doesn't live with him but is technically kind of in charge of him I guess) about baptism (he had a date to get baptized), and like the next day he texted us that he is going to be going to church with his dad somewhere else. It's kind of funny because he never went to church before that...

We went on splits this last week, and Elder Nelson got to go with a member that has an awesome 1968 Chrysler Newport convertible, it looked awesome!! We also had a service project at the church. The church is kind of in a neighborhood, and the people that live around of have some old leaning or otherwize broken fences, so we had a service project to start tearing them down and building new ones. That was the day after the storm, so we got all muddy and had to wash our shoes and socks and stuff. Then they hot dogs after. Dang I love Mormons. We saw a thing that had to get done, so we just said hey everybody lets all come together, spend a chunk of your Saturday and let's do this thing, and heck we'll have food, make an event out of it. It was awesome!

Other than that we just had a slightly drunk guy at dinner (at a burger place) try to get us to come to a monster truck rally, a hispanic guy we contacted on the street that knew a ton about history, even Mormon history, and a conversation with a Hardcore Catholic (the hardest core I've ever met, and I spend all day talking to Hispanics (who are 99% catholic) about Jesus), that turned a little Bible Bash-y unfortunately. But man was that guy Catholic. He just could not even consider even the concept of any other anything. He was almost aggressively Catholic!

From Mom: It's fun to hear about other religions and it might sound funny to hear stuff like above - but Brett loves every minute of it.  He loves all religious people and loves talking to them!! 
Anyway, that's about it this week, love you all!
Elder Hogg

Conferences 📣 & 5K run

Subject:	Conferences 📣
Date:	Mon, 2 Apr 2018 09:08:29 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

Wow! What a powerful General Conference. So eventful too! I was for sure a little hyped when I heard the name Suarez, I'm a big fan of Hispanics. But then I looked it up and it was Soares, BRAZILIAN. So he's not Hispanic but at least he's Latino. He's awesome and I love him, but Brazil is not Mexico. Also Elder Gong seems really cool. And how about President Nelson?? What a guy! Cool changes and temples. The priesthood session was awesome by the way. I wish more people met at the chapel for it, more powerful that way for sure.

From Mom: Click on the underlined link above to go to our General Conference talks page. All of them were so great! Fun to listen to!! 

We watched it in the chapel by ourselves, no investigators came to watch it there. One session a member of the Spanish branch came, but that was it. 

I can't really pick a favorite talk, they were all awesome. I'm always a big fan of Elder Bednar of course. Then the talks about Home teaching and priesthood are all awesome, and the WWII one. But of course, PRESIDENT TAYLOR! How cool was that!! A member in Nacogdoches invited a friend to watch General Conference with him at their church building, and he started crying during President Taylor's talk.

From Mom: If you follow this blog - you'll remember that President Taylor was Brett's mission president when he was in the hospital and was still serving when Brett returned.  Last July, President Taylor was called to be a General Authority in the Seventy (for non-church people - he's been called to have more responsibilities).  He spoke at our General Conference.  Click on the link above to go to his talk.. it's SO GOOD!! 

We also had Zone Conference, that also was awesome. We talked about the Doctrine of Christ, and as a mission we will be studying the Atonement.

As far as investigators go, we had some cool lessons. The coolest was a chapel tour we gave to a couple we've been teaching. They really liked it. It was also the day that members were cleaning the building so that was neat for them to see, and meet some members. 

We also had a lesson where a rat ran across the room! We've heard them there before rustling in boxes by the couch and in the ceiling but that was the first time seeing them in there. Anyway, he's probably going to be baptized. (I wasn't sure if he meant the person he was teaching or the rat!  Knowing Brett's humor.. .he meant the rat. LOL. ~Mom) His family is moving to Mexico soon, so we are trying to help them make sure they don't get lost in the mix of moving countries!

Also! Last night we went to go stop by a former investigator we had some notes for, and it turns out the wife was a member at one point. Now she goes to a baptist church, but super nice lady. They were outside cooking a ton of gorditas, with a bunch of family, when we walked up. They rig t away offered us some, and they were delicious! They were spicy though, not what I'm used to from a gordita. Usually they are just meat, or beans, they don't usually have a bunch of spicy stuff. 

Anyway, that's about it!

Today we are running a 5k as a mission, we'll let you know if I survive,

Love yall!

Elder Hogg

Looks like he survived!! 😁

Love-kin (and Fiesta de la Pascua)

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Subject:	Love-kin
Date:	Mon, 26 Mar 2018 15:39:19 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

Hola familia,

Not a whole lot new to report on this week. We are still finding some good people to teach, not a ton of progress from our current investigators. No great stories this week, just some Restoration and Book of Mormon lessons. I will say, sometimes they're not exciting, but wow I'm going to miss it when my mission is over. Anything pales in comparison to helping people get into heaven. 

We had a Fiesta de la Pascua. It was great. The Branch met up in a park, made some awesome meat and hid some eggs for the kids. Just a good time. I've really come to appreciate church activities on my mission. Like a big 'ol family getting together to have a good wholesome time. The spirit is just so there, like an activity sanctioned by God. You just feel the real genuine love there too. Maybe it's just because I love the people here so much. I think when I get home I might have to just go to Spanish branches. There's a video someone took that I'm going to try to find for yall.

We are always out of the apartment by 10am, so we go do the rest of our studies in public, sometimes at a park, usually at the library, but sometimes at the Hospital. Particularly when the library is closed and we need Wifi or its just too hot or cold to study outside. Well this time we went we stopped and gave cards to a couple Hispanics sitting in a waiting room. And once they saw that we spoke Spanish, they asked if we visit people, we said we could, and they asked if we could go and visit the guys wife, who was in critical condition. So we did! Well the daughter took us up and she explained that she had a heart attack and has been brain dead for the last 3 weeks. We shared James 5:14, and offered to give her a blessing and we did! It's was pretty neat. Last we heard shes still in there, hope all is well with them. Neat experience though. 

Sorry not much else to write about this week :/

Love,

Elder Hogg

A hay couch.

A toad we found while stacking hay!

A lifted and decked put 15 passenger van! It's kind of funny because elder Hadley drove one for a little bit before the mission haha

Elder Nelson mom sent me a Utah State shirt (Elder Nelson went there for a semester before the mission!

We're staying in Lufkin!

Date:	Mon, 19 Mar 2018 15:43:45 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

Hola Fam!

Well we're staying!! Elder Nelson and I are here for good. Also the other Elders are staying! They just got an apartment in our same complex, it has a green carpet lol. Also the sisters up in Nacogdoches are getting their area split, and another set of sisters are taking over their English work. There's more people coming in than going home this transfer so a couple areas are getting split.

The work here is going well, we are finding some neat people. We have another baptismal date with a 9 year old, whose family we are helping reactivate. They are a neat family, except she's like the only person in the branch so far that's made homemade tortillas DE MAIZ. Their actually pretty good, even if their not harrina. 

Also, the other day, we were walking outside and this lady stopped us and asked if we could come talk to her son. Her son hasn't been leaving his room ever since they moved here after Harvey, because their house is ruined.

Well we go over there and they tell us that he's really depressed and stuff, because all his friends and everything were back in Houston. He comes out for a sec and we invite them to some stuff, really nice people. We even got a chance to talk about the Book of Mormon. We told them we would come check in with them on Sunday as well. Well Sunday night comes around and there is a torrential downpour! The complex seemed to be one big river, so we park by our apartment because it's nearly the end of the day, and run to their apartment with umbrellas. Well we're soaked up to our knees and my shoes are still soaking wet. Anyway they were very surprised when we knocked on their door! They let us in and offered us hot coffee, we instead on only coming directly in the door (as to not destroy their carpet), and not drinking their coffee. We kind of chatted for a short bit and on our way out we asked if they bad a chance to read the BOM, she said yes! She asked about how to pronounce Nefi haha anyway just a neat little miracle. 

Other than that, not much new! I am learning how I don't actually know spanish? I know how to speak Spanish, like I talk and joke with Hispanics all day, but I don't really know the rules. I'm worried that I wont be able to really speak it anymore once the gift of tongue leaves me haha, so now I'm actually trying to study it more with Elder Nelson (who's knowledge of Spanish rules surpasses mine lol, but he's still earning how to listen to Spanish if that makes sense, and be able to speak it without translating first in his head, but it just takes listening and speaking and you pick it up pretty easy on the mission).

Anyway, love y'all!

Elder Hogg

Prayer for the truck... and fireflies

Subject:	Weeks recording
Date:	Wed, 14 Mar 2018 22:12:57 -0500
From:	Brett Hogg

I did get the package!! You should have gotten pictures with lots of hands. They're a hit. Also, I love the socks!!!!! You should get pictures with them soon. Also all the elders are very thankful for the nuttela.

Elder Mears seems particularly fond of the hands.. haha

Apparently they found an air hose... ~Mom

Elder Hogg showing off those twice-in-braces. Hahaha

Elder Nelson

Elder Mears

🌮🥞🌯 Tacos, Pancakes, Flautas...

From: Brett Hogg 

Date: 3/5/18 2:38 PM (GMT-06:00)

Subject: 🌮🥞🌯

Hey Fam,

Not a very eventful week. On Thursday we taught a drunk guy! We contacted him several weeks ago, and he just straight up told us he was a drunk, but he was willing to listen (he was pretty sober at the time, he was on a bike, so). Well it turns out his address is the same as a former investigator, which coincidently a couple days later, our Branch Mission Leader told us to go by!  So we went back and the former investigator answered and let us in. She is the sister of the first guy, And a pentecostal preacher! I guess she talked to missionaries a couple years ago, and was really interested because she was getting her degree in theology. She seems to really like the missionaries, but didn't seem particularly interested in our message anymore. 

So we kind of went on, but a couple weeks later, Elder Nelson and I thought we would stop by. Well, her cousin answered and we talked with her on her porch a bit, also Pentecostal, about The Bible and The Book of Mormon, she seemed cool and said we could come by again one day. Then, as we were leaving the drunk guy gets dropped off, so we chat with him for a sec, but he's drunk, so we plan to stop by another time. 

The second lady invited us to their Bible study thing they have at their house this past Thursday, but when we showed up it was cancelled 😕. But we did get another chance to talk to the drunk guy again, and he was drunk. We tried talking to him a tiny bit about the Book of Mormon, but it wasn't a very productive meeting, so we scheduled another time to come by and he promised to be sober. 

Well when we came by again, he wasn't there, but we got to talk to the preacher lady again. We just kind of compared beliefs and then we talked a bit about the Book of Mormon again, and she said she was willing to give it another shot. So we will see how that goes. Coincidentally she goes to the same church as 2 of our other investigator couples. Never have I found so many Pentecostal Hispanics, must be big here in Lufkin. 

We are a little confused though, because the preacher's sister and one of those couples that we're talking to, believe in the trinity, but the preacher lady, and the other couple didn't? So I'm not sure what Pentecostals/this church believes but there seems to be some confusion about the trinity. 

Also several instances of Hispanics spontaneously feeding us. The first was on Wednesday I was on exchanges with one of the English elders, and we stopped by an old Book of Mormon referral we haven't been able to get in contact with. They had a long drive way, and it was at night, so we parked outside their fence and walked up awkwardly, and there's a group of guys out drinkin' and grillin' and blasting mexican music from their car speakers, as Mexicans are want to do. And I walk up and ask for our guy, and he's not there but I chat with them a little bit, throw in a couple jokes give them all cards, and then they offer us some tacos! They've got some fajita and some pollo goin' on the grill, and they hand us some tortillas and insist on us having a couple tacos, so we do! They were delicious, and now they like missionaries. Elder Mears was a little taken aback, and in a daze, because we just walked up and took over a classic after-work mexican fiesta, ate their food and left, and he didn't understand much of what was going on.. lol. 

Then we had an appointment with an investigator, on Saturday, that has been taught for a long while, and it was for the morning. We show up and she made pancakes for her brother-in-law and some kids she's watching, and she insists we sit and eat her pancakes. A couple interesting things: 1) In Spanish, honey and syrup are the same thing, 2) the Spanish word for jam/jelly/preserves seems to just be the word for marmalade, 3) she put cream cheese on her pancakes, like, A LOT. Like a pad of butter, but like that covers her pancake, then a layer of jam then the other pancake then syrup. I tried a piece like that and it was awesome. She said when she was pregnant she would get a brick of cream cheese for herself and one for everyone else..lol.

Then on  Sunday, we had an appointment with this really inactive lady and her son. And when we pulled up they were all outside eating dinner, flautas! Man, flautas with crema, queso fresco, some salsa verda, maaan it's the best. Well they just kind of pulled up chairs and started getting us some. We ate with them then they let us teach them The Restoration. This is the same lady who gave us a big thing of enchiladas last time we stopped by. 

The way to a Hispanics heart is by eating their food. And eating seconds.

Also! The 14 year old neighbor of the member that has a son on a mission, he came to church! By himself! He's awesome! No other significant updates at the moment on investigators. 

Otherwise, I love the work, I love the people, this is the life.

Love,

Elder Hogg

Elder Mears and I trying to take cool pictures with the truck. And "stancing" it. Also a good ol' Texas sunset.