Week 9!

Hey y'all! 

This week I had exchanges and it made me very grateful for the area I've been put in! Exchanges were in Runcorn and it's basically a large industrial city (not on the same scale as Manchester though). It made me very grateful to be in quiet, green, Telford! Sister Sutherland (my companion during exchanges) was absolutely lovely and she could walk FAST! It's a sign that I need to walk faster on my mission. After exchanges, it was back to the grind. We are really focusing on the less actives and finding new friends for the rest of this transfer. It's so important that we share what we know with everyone. You can tell that spring is on its way, because the spiders are getting bigger. The spiders here are massive! Way bigger than California spiders. It also was windy and rainy most of the week so I'm sure next week will be sunny (this will require a lot of faith)(haha). We also met this lovely lady who I'll call Sonia. She is very sensitive to the spirit and feels like her current church is missing something. She promised to read and pray about the book of Mormon and wants to meet again! Talking with her really made me realize how much having the authority in our church makes a difference. You can really feel when something is accepted by God. Like Moroni said, that anything good comes from God, we can see the good works of The Book of Mormon, and teachings of our prophets. By their fruits you shall know them. Don't let yourself become stagnant in the Gospel, keep looking for that feeling of peace and love you so much can feel! I love all of y'all and hope you all stay true to what you believe!

Love sister Honkins 

The funny stuff:

On exchanges, Sister Sutherland accidentally dropped the phone in her spaghetti! Luckily the phone, spaghetti, and carpet all survived.
While sister Poussard and I were on the train, every time another train went by in the window, I had a mini heart attack. The train was more stressful than bus contacting.
This cat literally followed us for an hour and a half while we were tracting (pictures will be included) I didn't hold it bc I'm allergic
We found the cats house too (it had a collar) it led us to a new area to tract!
We had to go down this scary road to go to a tea appointment. It was one of those country roads surrounded by trees with no lights, and it was completely dark out. I kept on thinking of slenderman
These kids thast sister Poussard gives French classes too, gave her a mini flower plant. I thought the leaves were plastic at first. Seriously, those leaves look so fake but  they're not??? Genetic unfairness I guess
It's been really windy lately, and at night it makes everything super creepy so I'm a bundle of nerves. Sister Poussard noticed that and decided to grab my back while I was knocking on a door, thus making me shriek. It's like living with mom all over again. (*Gwen here..this made me laugh so much! I totally miss scaring Haley all the time!)
Sister Poussard tries to hold every cat she sees! I only held one, but that's because I knew I'd be able to wash my hands in like five minutes.
The spiders are getting bigger. Soon I'll be the ultimate spider killer. Better watch out Spiderman, you can't run from the gospel! Lol 

*Haleys companion Sister Poussard and then Haley with the cat

*Haley said the lady with her is ​Anmarie Wilson who knew Sister Poussards dad while he was on his mission. I didn't get from Haley if her dad served in England also, or somewhere else.

Week 8!

Hey y'all! 

This week was my first zone conference! Is was great to hear the news from the mission president and to meet all the other missionaries! I also got to see my mtc companion, Sister Terry! It's amazing how everyone is so invested in the gospel. To any future missionaries reading this, don't worry about the experience or lack of that you have when you go out, because once you get set apart and as you're obedient, the spirit will guide you through your whole mission. There's never going to be a perfect area, companion, or investigator!, but there is the potential to have a good attitude. I talked to missionaries who were in the hardest areas, and who were pretty much glowing with the spirit! 

After zone conference, we met some new friends (investigators) And some less actives. A lot of these people really need a friend and it's so important that we remember them. It's easy to stay in your own group of friends where it's comfortable, but is that the best thing to do? One of the ladies we met knew sister Poussards dad when he was on his mission! It was so fun hearing stories about him. 

As for the weather, it rained the first half of the week, snowed for two days, and rained again. Now it's sunny though. Sister Poussard loves the snow and was having the time of her life in it. (To each their own I guess. I'll stay loyal to my desert) the snow didn't go too deep though, so that's nice I guess. The elders we blitzed with were constantly chucking snowballs at each other! Well I don't have anything else to say, so until next week! 

Love, Sister Honkins 

And now the funny stuff: 

one of the elders accidentally called sister poussard fat. she was pretending to be super offended and he was so scared
we saw some deer while we were on the bus. I wouldn't have noticed if the bus driver hadn't pointed them out
at zone conference there was pizza and one elder ate like seven slices. I want to know his secret.
everyone also got all their mail. it was like late christmas! thanks for the keyboard and new tablet case mom. thank you Oyler family for the  Christmas cards!
one elder literally got his christmas presents late, it was funny seeing him carry around festively wrapped packages
everyone has the flu including the members and investigators. one member told me about how a teenager in england died of the flu this year. luckily sister poussard and I are very healthy right now.
Sister Poussard was teaching a French man on messenger and she forgot how to speak French. the gift of tongues is real
It was snowing all morning and during church. Amazingly about half the members came. (In England when it snows everything shuts down) 
One of our single young adult investigators came to church and the gospel principles lesson was on temple marriage. Yep. 

*Haley sent me lots of pictures this week, so I'm one happy mom!! 

-In the picture with the sour face... Haley is showing me how much she loves the snow. ha! 

-The lady in the picture Haley said is a member in her ward (Sister Marshall)

-Haley bought herself some slytherin pajamas with some of her Christmas money. 

-Haley and the other missionaries went to a pizza place on their p-day. 

-The pictures of them all in front of the Telford sign are my favorite! It's great to see Haley happy working hard, and having a little fun too! 

-Haley's mission Presidents wife posted a few pictures from the Zone conference, so I was able to have the ones with Haley in them also! I love that she wore a bright yellow sweater that day. Made it very easy for me so see her! 

Week 7!

Hey y'all!

This week was a mix of rough at sweet. We found more people but we also met a bunch of angry people. I can take that off the checklist now. One of our progressing investigators dropped us but then he came back! He's really invested but because of some difficult parts of his life, he's been feeling a bit rushed. He keeps all his commitments so I know that he'll eventually be baptized. There's a couple other investigators that seem promising too! If you pray for miracles and commit to act on them, God will provide. 

On a funner note, I introduced sister Poussard to one of the greatest fruits of all time. Pomegranates!!! (I just wanted an excuse to eat one, haha) she loves them. One of the elders hasn't tried them before so I need to convince his companion to get one during groceries. Also this must be the cat mission because we see at least five a day and pet one. Because of this, I've gotten really good at not touching my face (I'm allergic). I've found that just looking for little bits of sunshine in your life can turn a whole day around. Even when we come across rude people or bad weather, pointing out all our blessings just makes those bad feelings disappear. Being grateful is such an important part of our life. Well I don't have much more to say so bye I guess

Love, Sister Honkins (Hawkins)

And here's the funny stuff

While we were doing companion study, the phone kept ringing and sister Poussard got really mad at it so I started laughing a bunch. It rang like 8 times. It was wild
I thought brother Smith was related to sister Smith but all three smiths in our ward have no link at all. How many smiths are in england???
We met this really polite dog that would gently tap your leg before he jumped on you
I got a scarf and the first ten minutes I had it, I spilled tomato soup on it
Whenever I annoy sister Poussard she'll walk in the middle of the road because it freaks me out.
There was a blip in the system and we missed interviews with the mission president so I'll have my first interview with him on Facebook messenger.
We still haven't put away our Christmas decorations
My slytherin pajama pants I bought had a rip in them! I threw away the receipt but luckily I brought a mini sewing kit so problem solved I guess (I was very offended)
I almost got to see a cat fight but sister Poussard scared them away (dang it!)
Someone passed around a bottle of gum in relief society and I thought it was a pill bottle. (Totally thought I was offered drugs in church)
I killed another spider! My assassin career is really taking off

** This is info Haley sent in her email to me. I didn't include it in the weekly email, but wanted to add it to her blog so that she can look back later and remember how much she walked on her mission. 

This week was so tiring. We walked So much. We literally walked about 12 miles on Tuesday. We missed the bus back from lightmoor so we decided it would be faster to walk instead of wait, and it was but still. I ended up sleeping for lunch like two times this week and you know what? My legs are going to be super nice when I come back. (The rest of me will just get fat). Idk actually, I've been chewing gum instead of snacking and we walk a lot so maybe I won't gain too much. The members do feed us a bunch of sugar though. We have zone conference next week and sister Poussard is super scared that she'll have to give a talk because president spoke to here about it during interview. I'm just scared cause it's the first time I'll use the train. And yes, I bought some tights and slytherin pajamas, and I covered the difference for groceries because we needed cleaning supplies and our reimbursement for the bus hadn't come in yet. 

**We loved the video she sent us last week of her trying the butter beer.. A friend in Clovis told me of a store in town that has it.. I went out and got some and took a video of Chris and the girls trying it out and we sent it to Haley. She thought it was hilarious!! 

Week 6!

Hey y'all!

This week was insane! So we have 11 new investigators and we were visiting all the investigators from last week. Most of them cancelled or didn't show up but we did get one lady who is coming to church with us next Sunday so that's fun! Tracting has been really good lately. People seem a lot more interested so it must be the new year. We also cleaned out our pantry because we didn't have lots of tea(tea means dinner in England) appointments this week. This next week is loaded though!  Bring on the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding! We did try a fish and chips place near our flat and it was cheap and greasy heaven. I asked for tartar sauce with mine and they gave me curry. One thing I noticed is that a positive missionary is a likeable missionary. Even if people aren't interested in your message, you still want to leave a good impression. Always be a good friend to everyone. The mission really taught me how to love. Love isn't just wishing someone well, but it is a principle of action. Jesus didn't stand in the sidelines and just say that person is great, he would go up to, serve, and spend time with. If you feel scared or too shy to show people you care then I have a piece of wisdom from my little sisters. Just Do It, don't let your dreams stay dreams, just Do It! Haha! I've found that everything is so much easier after the first time, so don't be afraid, just Do It! 

Love Sister Honkins 

And now, the funny stuff

I accidentally roasted a member during tea (dinner) he said his hobby was secret parkour (he was being sarcastic) and I asked if that was pretending to do parkour on the couch or something. His kids freaked out and so did I but for a completely different reason (I can never look him in the face again)
Elder Klitgaard and Elder Devonport retold the roasting story during district meeting. My embarrassment was successfully rekindled.
I'm so sick of chocolate that I'd rather be hungry then eat more chocolate for snack or lunch.
Elder klitgaard got a haircut and I didn't recognize him until he spoke. (He looks like stiles stilinski from teen wolf now)
Elder Devonport tossed me a bag of Oreos and I dropped it and Oreos flew everywhere. This was during coordination meeting. Why this? Why now?
One man told us that all the Gods were actually aliens with better technology we didn't understand. He should write a book.
I eat pizza with a fork and knife now. I am a true European. 

Seriously, eating pizza with a fork is so much easier.

We have a new stalker cat. This one let us pet it though, and sister Poussard picked it up and held it like a baby. I was very jelly.

*pictures.. The picture of Haley with Elder Carlson..I (Gwen) connected with his mom on the FB missionary moms page when we saw that our missionaries were in the same mission and the same area.. His mom joked with me that Haley would have no trouble spotting him. Elder Carlson is 7ft tall! Haley is 5'3". I asked Haley if she had met him yet, and she sent me the picture. Their height difference is comical! 

-Haley captioned the picture of her blistered heel saying she's a true missionary now! Looks like she's doing lots of walking! 

-And, typical  Haley is still doodling in her free time. I do love her artwork! ​

Week 5!!

Hey y'all! 

To this week was amazing!!! We saw so many miracles and found 10 new investigators!! We planned appointments for them all this week too so it'll be super busy! One of our miracles was a former investigators daughter. We stopped by th e ladys house not knowing she was a dropped investigator and she let us in! She introduced us to her daughter who was very religious and she was super interested! What are the odds that a former investigator would let us in while having family over? Definitely a miracle. Miracle number 2 was on the bus. Sister Poussard talked to a lady her first transfer who took a book of Mormon but didn't want to meet. Well on the bus she started talking to a lady who was the same person!! And she had read it and set up an appointment!!! Im not allowed to doubt anymore. January and February are winter months for England so the temperature dropped a bunch. I put an extra layer on my coat, and you'd be surprised the difference a scarf makes. With new years today, I'm sure everyone is making goals. I hope that everyone can make at least one spiritual goal. This is the best time of the year to start bettering yourself. Don't procrastinate eternal salvation. I love y'all and uh, I guess I write y'all next week.

Love, sister Honkins (Honkins is how her french companion prounounces Hawkins)

Funny stuff:

Sister Poussard is teaching me how to say pardon instead of huh, because huh is too ugly apparently
It was hailing but there were no clouds. God let Satan take control of the weather today
Fam in French means ladies. So when I say hey fam! I'm calling all the men ladies. I'm finding this very entertaining
There was this cat that stalked us for a whole block but wouldn't let us pet him. What his purpose was, I don't know
I got Christmas cards from the Oylers (I love y'all), and they must have sent them while I was still in the mtc. It took me a bit to realize that so reading them the first time was a bit confusing. You figure I'd be smart enough to know that the first time
One of our investigators toddler son accidentally called us. It was so cute!
I was being an overly indulgent dog petter during a dinner with a sister from our ward, and because of that, the dogs both tried to jump on me when I was giving the prayer. It was the most difficult prayer I'd have ever given. I LOVE dogs!

I've gained a reputation for weird questions so now I'm in charge of the weekly question for district night (phone call)

We had haggis (meat oatmeal cooked in a sheep's stomach) and I thought it was stuffing at first. Tasted good to me

One of the Danielles girls loves Hamilton too, and we sang some verses together. Now I have it stuck in my head again and I have to repent (not mission approved music) 

I literally can't get that stupid Aaron Burr sir song out of my head (this is your fault olivia) every day I repent for humming Hamilton. This has been one of my hardest challenges in the field. That and Disney music.

Made a mulan reference and sister Poussard laughed. ( the dishonor one naturally) 

Haley's email is hhawkins@myldsmail.net 

*Haley sent me some pics of her awesome artwork and a fun video of her and her companion Sister Poussard singing together. Haley said the busses were all closed for New Years so they didn't go anywhere other than close by in walking distance, so hopefully next week on Pday she'll be able to take and send some pictures of herself in England!