# Because He Lives

He lives

I just love this video! I know that the Savior lives, and not just because that's what's recorded in the Bible. When the angels spake to Mary they told her: "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."

One of the reasons I love Jesus Christ is because he is ALWAYS true to His word. In John 10:16 he tells the Jews of the other sheep that HE must see, that they may hear HIS voice and be of one fold and one Shepard. True to His word, Christ visited his other sheep in the Americas. Those people made a record of his ministry to them and now we have another witness that Christ is risen, as he said! It is the Book of Mormon. 

The risen Christ also appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, providing an additional testimony of His resurrected being. At transfer meeting on Tuesday I had the chance to share my testimony of this through a quartet with Sister Jarvice, Elder Keys, and Elder Afualo. [I can't upload the entire video yet, but here is a very fast part of it. Cool how it is a song put to the tune of another]

This Saturday and Sunday we will hear the testimonies of especial witnesses of Christ, namely the Savior's prophet Thomas S. Monson and his Twelve Apostles at General Conference. I invite all to hearken to their words and see for yourself their living witnesses of Jesus Christ, which are as true as those chosen twelve witnesses of the New Testament. (check out lds.org for details)

With Easter coming up, I am particularly excited to get to bare MY witness that the Savior lives, and share with people how they can know this through the restored gospel :). 

We had a miracle this week that I've been dying to share with you!

A few weeks back Sister Oldroyd and I tracted into a sweet family that said they wanted to support us on our "mission trips" and feed us dinner [they're not members!] We gave them our number, and they totally scheduled a day to feed us! That day happened to be this week. So Sister Rawlings and I went, not sure what to expect, and IT WAS AWESOME! We showed them the "Because He Lives" video and it opened up room for them to ask us lots of questions. By the end, they decided they wanted to learn more so we gave them a Book of Mormon and they signed up to feed us AGAIN on Saturday so we can teach them! I can't wait to share with their family that they don't just have to know OF Jesus, but they can personally know Him through a covenant relationship, thanks to His restored church that He is the head of! 

I know that because He lives, families can be together forever. We are currently working with a new member/ less active family on getting married and then sealed in the temple. One of the first goals we made in order to reach that big one was to do family home evening every week. This week was their first time ever doing it, and it was ADORABLE to see them. They were treating it like it was their baby's first steps or their first time saying a prayer or something... they even texted us later and thanked us for being a part of their family history. haha. The dad gave a solid lesson on the Family Proclamation we had left with them, and we played Easter charades and ate fried chicken and it was a blast! The Spirit was so strong! What a comfort it is to ME to know that my family can be together forever, and that my future family can, too!  

There was a missionary who just got home from Boliva in this ward, and it really impressed me to see how strong his personal witness of the Savior had become. It made me feel even more motivated to increase my testimony of Jesus Christ, and I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon and modern day prophets who provide the evidence I need to study and talk to Heavenly Father in prayer. This Elder had an Open House, which was so neat to go to because we got to talk to all his non-member friends and neighbors! 

Just a tip for all ya'll: whenever you have cook outs or open houses, invite missionaries and non-members. This was my first time every seeing a missionary homecoming as a missionary, so it kind of freaked me out, too. Time has been going very slow since getting to Nolensville, so I guess that's giving me what feels like more time to become everything the Lord needs me to be. This returned missionary was also a little awkward--I had completely forgotten about that aspect. haha. I hate to admit it, but I think I'm pretty socially awkward at this point XD.  

Speaking of socially awkward, the assistants brought us some "fudgie wudgie" they found while cleaning out a missionary apartment. It was so funny. This picture describes them all perfectly. 

We got to have a mission leadership counsel this week which was so awesome. I enjoyed getting to train in front of the leaders of the mission, even though I was nervous. Sister Rawlings was funny and came and stood right by me for "moral support". She's a crack up. haha. She's from Othello, WA and loves all things nerd. Like, more than me. We have lots of fun and I have to work extra hard to not get distracted with movie quotes and 80's hairband lyrics. lol. You would love her. [sure would love a picture! I will update this blog when I get one]

So one awkward moment of the week happened when we were going to visit a reassigned person from a different set of missionaries. We pulled up in front of her apartment complex and tried to look and see which one it was. We decided to call her to see if we could visit (we weren't going to tell her we were already outside her house, haha). She answered the phone, and said she was busy with her grand-kids, but to call her later. After we hung up, Sister Rawlings was acting strange. "I think that's her!" she told me, looking full on at the apartment complex. 

"Where?" I couldn't see anyone. 

"No, behind you!" she told me. 

I ever so slowly turned my head and sure enough, there was the lady on the phone with us, standing right by my window. 

Very carefully we drove away, being sure to keep our heads down and not look too suspicious.

Hopefully she doesn't recognize us as the creepers outside her house when we go back to visit her! Ahhhh, the life of a missionary. 

Happy Easter! 

Sister Hochstrasser

Write to me!

Sister Jennifer Hochstrasser

Tennessee Nashville Mission

105 West Park Dr Ste 190

Brentwood, TN  37027               or dearelder.com

Pictures from last week that arrived late