New Area, New Companion, And a Whole New Adventure!!!

So last week, our Elder Hoffman got transferred to a brand new area! He is now the district leader in Kaikohe. Here's a picture of how gorgeous the country side is there. And it is very different from Manurewa, the ghetto of Auckland. It is quiet and absolutely Beautiful!!! but still very full of the work, and full of people who are ready to hear the gospel.

Now, with a new transfer, comes a new companion, Elder Lamb. And, following the trend, he's a very tall red head.

Well, our Elder Hoffman is still loving the work and working hard. Lets keep him in our prayers, and send him letters. He loves them, and he's grateful for everyone back home, giving him support and strength to work harder and do his best to help build up the kingdom.

Doris!

Alright, time for another update on Elder Hoffman's mission thus far! So, as we all know, missions are a lot of hard work, but they are filled with a rich amount of blessings. These past couple of weeks, Elder Hoffman and his companion, Elder Williams, have been enjoying their share of these promised blessings. After a lot of hardship and work, they were able to see and experience many miracles. They now have about twenty people currently in their stewardship, and every single one of these people are miracles. I would just like to inform you about a very special one. Her name is Doris, she is 52, and she is a prime example of what makes these two years worth it for these missionaries.

So before Elder Hoffman left on his mission, I shared with him this story, and I would like to share it with you now.

I FOUND MY FRIEND

The following event took place in a ward in Salt Lake City in 1974. It occurred during Sacrament Meeting and was told to me by a Regional Representative of the twelve, who was in the meeting.

A young man, just before leaving on his mission, stood in Sacrament Meeting and bore, in essence, the following testimony. "My Brothers and Sisters, as you know, during the past few weeks I have been awaiting my mission call. During the time I was waiting I had a dream I was in the pre-existence and was awaiting my call to come to earth. I was filled with the same excitement and anticipation that I had before I received my mission call. In my dream, I was talking to a friend. He was a very dear friend, and I felt a special closeness to him, even though I've never met him in this life. As we talked, a messenger came and gave me a letter. I knew it was my call to go to earth. In great excitement my friend and I opened the letter I gave it to him and asked him to read it aloud. The letter said: You have been called to earth in a special time and to a special land. You will be born into the true church, and you will have the priesthood of God in your home. You will be raised with many advantages and many blessings. You will be born in a land of plenty-a land of freedom. You will go to earth in the United States of America. "My friend and I rejoiced as we read my call. And while we rejoiced, the messenger returned. This time he had a letter for my friend. We knew it was his call to earth. My friend gave me the letter to read aloud. The letter said: You have been called to go to earth in circumstances of poverty and strife. You will not be raised in the true church. Many hardships will attend your life. Your land will be fraught with political and social difficulties which will hinder the word of the Lord. You will be born in Costa Rica. We wept, my friend and I as we read his call. And my friend looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "when we are down on earth, you in your choice land and me in Costa Rica, my friend, come and find me." Then this young missionary, with tears in his own eyes, said, "Brothers and Sisters, I have received my mission call. I am going to Costa Rica. There is a special sequel to this story. About a year after this Sacrament Meeting, the Bishop to this Ward received a letter form the Missionary in Costa Rica. The letter had one sheet of paper in it, and on the sheet was written in inch-high letter four word: I FOUND MY FRIEND. (From the Journal of Floyd A. Hill.)

Elder Hoffman said that when he met Doris, he felt as if he knew her, and that he knew her very well. The spirit was so strong, telling him that this woman that he just met was special. Then it hit him. Alright, now you may have already guessed where I am going with this, but I am so happy to tell you that Elder Hoffman has found his friend!

Time for Christmas!

Alright, so you may be wondering how Christmas works in New Zealand. According to Elder Hoffman it's pretty relaxed, and definitely not as big as in the U.S., but they still have Christmas none the less. So Elder Hoffman and his companion will be "family hopping" for their Christmas, meaning they'll be visiting a bunch of families that they have gotten pretty close to.

Also, Elder Hoffman mentioned how it didn't really feel like Christmas to him because it's summer down in New Zealand, and there also isn't any snow. Well, I guess we're in the same boat. Here in Utah we also don't have any snow, which is very weird. Usually we have two feet of snow in October, but this year it's a green/dead grass and leafless tree Christmas. No snow to be seen except for up in the mountains. It's also not unheard of to go surfing on Christmas day in New Zealand, but Elder Hoffman won't be doing that. :(

Alright, let's end off this post with a reminder of what Christmas truly means. Elder Hoffman mentioned the First Presidency Christmas Devotional a couple weeks ago. Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and his counselors reminded us of what we are really celebrating, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope we can all remember to give him a gift this year. Be it service, or just bettering ourselves to grow closer to him and our Heavenly Father, let's make sure that we give it sincerely so that we can be ready to receive the countless blessings that they are waiting to give us.

Merry Christmas!

Elder Williams

Well, you may be wondering how this new missionary training is going for our Elder Hoffman. I've gotten a few pictures and videos with Elder Williams in them and he seems to be a really great guy. He describes himself as "a great, outgoing guy who likes long walks on the beach.... :D and is really happy to be out in the mission field." He sure seems like a fun companion, and the training is going really well. They've already had two baptism commitments, one next saturday and then another on Christmas Eve. The work is really moving along down in New Zealand, and Elder Hoffman and his new companion are loving it.

New Companion!!!!!!

Alright, so this is Elder Hoffman's new companion, fresh out of the MTC and ready to save some souls. As you can see, he is really tall, just like all of Elder Hoffman's other companions so far. He said that that he's really excited to train him cause he seems like such a great missionary. Also, he said that he reminded him of the comedian Jim Gaffigan, so that should be pretty fun. Alright, that all for now, but I'll keep posting more updates as they come.

Happy Birthday Elder Hoffman!

Last Thursday was Dana's twentieth birthday. He's now two decades old! He also said that he got a lot of letters and packages the day before, so he had a great time opening them on his actual birthday. He's so grateful for all the support and prayers, and all the great letters and packages. For anyone wanting to write him a letter or send a package, his mission home address is on the left here. He may not get it for a while though, cause they tend to hold it at the mission home for a while, but he will get it none the less.

Oh, but on another note, an update on his mission. He is actually getting a new companion, cause Elder Keyes, his companion, went home yesterday. His two years are up and he's back home, in South Africa, today. Oh, but his new companion will be fresh out of the MTC, so Elder Hoffman will get the chance to be a trainer. Super exciting! Alright, that is all for now, but I'll post more updates as they come.

Also, A Recent Letter/Update

So this is just a snip-it of one of his recent emails, hope you enjoy!

Its humbling to me; so my area that I'm in right now is the... Ghetto (luckily, they don't have guns here)! Most to all of the people we teach are living in poverty. Many families have 10+ people living in a one story house with four bedrooms and one bath... Or less. Many couples live in someone's garage, with a bathroom added to it. We teach people, they progress in the Gospel, then life strikes and they are kicked out of their homes and they disappear the next day. As I serve these people, I recall Jesus walking amongst the poor, meek, and humble, seeing their struggles to just survive. But He then stepped in, not to save them from their temporal situation, not to rescue them from their mortal sufferings, but He gave them the opportunity to receive everlasting joy beyond what this life can offer, for this life is but a moment, and their sufferings were for their benefit and gain. I do not have the capacity to fix all the earthly problems which these people face, but I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to share this everlasting joy which Jesus Christ Himself is able to give freely, if they will follow Him. Many state that they are fine with their religion, or they enjoy boozing their life away, and have no need for religion.

Haha, funny story! So, Heavenly Father has his own plan for us. He will place us where we are needed the most... Well, as Elder Keyes and I rode to visit a family (we deemed them the Cheetah Girl family... for they have daughters that are at that age where cheetah patterned clothing is awesome, and make-up is caked on), and on the way to this family, we saw a girl outside her house. We talk to everyone we see, so we bike up with smiles on our faces and asked "hello! How are you today!" She said "not so good, I'm locked outside my house, and I need to get inside to get my keys so I can visit my father in the Hospital." This was definitely a delema. Well, my companion replied, "I'm from Africa, I know how to break into houses! Hmm... My companion here can probably fit through that window over there!" She was a little shocked, having that questioning face like most people do when something out of the norm is said... But she accepted the offer! So, I was lifted up to this window that was pretty high up and I slid right through the window, right onto a couch! And I opened the door for this lady. Hahahaha! She went into her house and came right back out with some keys and she said, "So, is there anything that I can do for you missionaries?" We replied that we were fine, but wondered if she would be open to sitting down with us to hear about how God has called another prophet today. She stood back and gave it some thought and came back with, "you know... I'm of a different faith, but I know some mormons... You know what, sure, why not. I've always turned away the missionaries, but since my dad was diagnosed with cancer... I think you guys coming around could be God calling out to me... by having you guys break into my house!" Hahaha, Heavenly Father reaches out to His children in countless ways, and this girl needed it in this way at this time... Who knew sharing the Gospel would include breaking into houses! (Also, I've had the opportunity to break into every single flat I've visited, that house, and a few chapels... Haha, I know I looked like the most dodgey missionary, but I know that it was done out of righteousness)!