El Fin.

NOTE FROM MOM: Next Monday Brett arrives back home. Let me know if you would like the airport and flight information. I'm emotional as I read this email... I'm happy to have him home, but I'm also feeling so many emotions as he says goodbye to the Texas/Oklahoma mission. The people there have been truly amazing... I have "met" so many people online and through my son. What a blessing this has been on so many levels - I can't even begin to explain it! We will continue to post in the future couple weeks some of the pictures and I'll have Brett write more when he gets home. Thank you for following! ~Mom

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

Subject:	El Fin.
Date:	Mon, 26 Nov 2018 16:21:55 -0600
From:	Brett Hogg

Well this is it!

It snuck up on me really quick! I don't know how to feel! It was just yesterday that I realized that today was going to be my last letter home. By this time next week I'll be back in the Mil!

First things first I suppose, this week:

One of our neighbors here that lives behind us is a 19 y/o kid who we've said hi to several times and he always invites us over to talk but we just haven't had the chance, till this week! Apparently he's read a lot of other books from other religions, and talked to missionaries in the past. He's a big fan of herbal substances, and when we sat down with him, without saying anything just took out some paraphernalia and started to rolling himself some good ol' fashioned plant material, without saying anything about it lol. Eventually a friend of his pulls up, and joins us, and they start smoking it and by the end of our conversation they were a little more "enlightened" lol. They were HIGHlarious. It went well though and they accepted to read the Book of Mormon and ask God if he is there.

We also had a Book of Mormon referral come in. Turns out it was for a Marshallese lady! She talked to missionaries a long time ago, and her husband is actually a member. For reference, there like 6 people on the Marshall islands, so they've all been baptized or have talked to the missionaries before lol. Anyway, she spoke very little English and the husband spoke none. BUT we have an app that helps missionaries learn languages,and it has select words and phrases in marshallese, and using that we kind of taught the restoration! They're awesome and very patient, so it was good experience lol.

Lastly we stopped by this really old guy we knocked into a couple weeks back. He let us in and we just talk a little bit about his life and what he believes and stuff. Then his phone rings. He answers it and says "No, I'm not doing anything" then goes on to have like a 20 minute conversation over the phone while we sit there like chopped liver lol. Anyway, eventually he hangs up and we talk a tiny bit more and invite him to church. Well Sunday comes around and he actually shows up! People we've taught the doctrine of coming to church to don't even come to church. But the guy that ignored us while he took a phone call in the middle of our conversation came to church!

Oh and Thanksgiving! We ate a good thanksgiving meal with an awesome family we have here in the branch. They seriously are just the best. 

We also made some thanksgiving cards and handed them out to some people around here. Oh and we got up at 4:30am that morning to go help out at a member of the church's chicken farm! His family was all out of town and he needed help with his new brood. The chicks come in on a huge stack of trays and you just kind of toss them out onto the feed. It was extremely hot and disgusting smelling, It was quite the experience.

Our family that we were hoping would be baptized this week or next, is not :( They still will be baptized, I just won't be here for it, unfortunately. Love them though!

Well friends, this is it. No email next week, just my beautiful face, live and in person!

This has honestly been the best two years of my life. I now know that Jesus is the Christ. I know my place in the universe. I know God. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and this is His work.

I am going miss it all so much.

Elder Hogg

"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."

3 Nephi 5:13