Hello Again!!

Hey Everyone!!

To summarize my week, I just want to quote Pres. Lee who said, "Missionary work is but home teaching to those who are not now members of the Church and home teaching is nothing more or less than missionary work to Church members.

We have had so much success in our branch this week because I feel that the members here are finally beginning to understand this crucial principle! I think far too often we try to put a line between all of the organizations and divisions of the Church but it is crucial for us to understand that they are all interlaced with each other and that is how it is meant to be! Home teaching is no more less important than the visits the full-time missionaries make to investigators. If anything, we should consider these visits even more important! 

Here in 3rd branch we saw so many miracles because we are continuing to work closely with our branch members and the leadership. So often I read and receive this advice, but I do not think I have ever fully put my plan into action until now. The blessings of doing this were so great this last week. We were able to go and help with some visiting teaching visits to less-active/inactive members and they went wonderfully!! It really has been a big surprise to me how involved everyone is getting...now we just need to keep encouraging them all to refer potential investigators to us. :)

The biggest blessing of the week happened yesterday when we saw more new faces in sacrament meeting than old faces. Inactive members are returning, new investigators are coming and people are bringing their friends. It is miraculous!! Things may never go as we plan but it is always according to the Lord's plan. 

One of my favorite things happened this Saturday as we were doing our weekly service activity. This is something new for me but I love it, and this week we had the opportunity to plan the activity. We got our hands on some Helping Hands jackets, got some sacks and gloves and went and cleaned a nearby park. The first forty-five minutes were pretty boring but then at the end a miracle happened. There was a little group of boys who started asking me a lot of questions about who we were and what we were doing so I of course answered them. Then I offered them some gloves and asked if they wanted to help out with the cleaning. They were a big hesitant but then jumped right in. For the next twenty minutes all six of them were running left and right picking up anything that looked like trash and filled our bags in a few short minutes. The best part were the comments they were making about how usually they waste all of their time but how they loved helping us clean and that they wanted to do this every week. We thanked them for their help and invited them all to our English course. It was beautiful to see the spirit of wanting to help spread so quickly!

Other than that, things are going forward with the work here and I am learning lots! Thank you all for your love, prayers and support!!

Motra Hawkins

P.S. Here some pictures that I have forgotten to send.