I'm in Texas!! I am so happy to be here! It was a hard time going though. The night before was the Tuesday devotional where Elder Neil L. Anderson spoke. It was a great talk and then because of lightning and rain outside he stayed a little longer. He went around and shook hands while all the missionaries sang hymns. It was an intensely spiritual experience, even though he never came and shook my hand. Eventually we had to leave and walk all the way from the Marriott Center on BYU campus, back to the MTC. In the rain. We were all soaked by the time we got back. Then we had to pack and clean, which was finished around 11:30pm.
We then took a short nap before getting up at 1am in order to meet the bus at 2:30am which would take us to the airport to catch our 6am flight. I was so exhausted and hungry the whole way there, and then we had to switch flights in Dallas before we could even get to Houston! But eventually we made it all the way, us tired and hungry group of about 30 missionaries.
President and Sister Pingree met us there and then with the assistance of some wonderful members brought us to a church building for snacks and training. It was long and tiresome, but there was a BBQ dinner at the end so I was able to stick it out. We also had Bluebell ice cream which is
Newest group of missionaries in Texas Houston Mission super big in Texas. It's a brand of ice cream they make here, and it is super good. I love it. The President hadn't finished interviews that night so me and 3 other sisters stayed at the mission home that night. They next day was a whirlwind of craziness. We got up, had all the missionaries at the mission home for breakfast, went back to the church, had more training and then got our new companions!!!
Shoes of all the missionaries at the mission home
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| Holly with her new companion, Sister Seymour |
My companion is now Sister Seymour and we are in the Parkway Ward in Tomball, a suburb right outside Houston. She has only been out 6 weeks, so we are both pretty new! We live with a widow in the ward, Sister Campfield, and she is the greatest. I'm going to be spoiled for the rest of my mission. Though I did find out I'm biking, which made me a little nervous at first. But it is turning out alright. The humidity means we get really sweaty and sticky, but we are learning to handle that. That, and riding a bike in a skirt. It is not the easiest thing, let me tell you, but we are getting used to it too. The ward members are super great here. There used to be a car for the sisters here, but it was taken away when I got here. There is a super busy and dangerous road that divides our ward and no one wants us riding on it, so the ward members were super upset and rallied to get us rides. We now have a list of people that we can call at anytime to help get where we need. It is so great! We also have a full dinner calender which is great!
I know that riding a bike in the heat is a trial, but there is no miracle until after the trial of our faith, so I know we will be blessed for our efforts and our faith.
My first night here I got to teach a lesson and I was super nervous. But after meeting Susan, our investigator, and starting to teach, I was able to be completely settled. I think I am getting the hang of this already! Since then, I have been able to meet a few more of our investigators, tract, and meet with lots of members. I truly feel the love of all of them, the love God has for them, and love for them myself. Sometimes I marvel at the fact that I'm here, and that I'm a missionary, but I love it. This is a great place to be.
Holly with her new wheels! Sweet Ride!
Love Sister Holly Hudgens
