Week 64: Pictures worth a thousand words

 

 

 

 

 

Week 63: Loving the people with all my heart!

Hi Family,

What was the most fun thing you did as a trainer? Idk... We wrote a whole bunch of motivational quotes and things we wanted to do on papers and put them all over the house. We just had fun working together C..... and I have jelled together sooo good:)

My companion and I made this up this morning...

What it means being a sister training leader:

1. Our excuse to travel all of Tuxtla

2. See your companion twice a week

3. All you want to do is come home and sleep after intercambios

4. You run out of saldo (unfuntional phone) 

5. You sleep on beds nicer then your own 

6. You get lost trying to get home from intercambios

7. Cold showers

8. We now exercise

9. Never learning your own area

10. Living purely off the ATONEMENT 

Best exchange. and why?.... I got to go to my first area in the mission this week as an exchange. I got to see one of the first converts I worked with. He came up to me and told me how thankful he was for the talk I gave at his bautismo and that he remembered my name.  That shocked me soooo much. He is going to enter the temple in May. He is the baptism I had the day I called home for Mothers Day a year ago. :)))))

How are you feeling?  still sore? dead but healthy I´m fine just stressed all the time.... :)))))

 

Best lesson and contact this week? Well I´m almost never with my companion but we had a power lesson on Friday. We just barely met them. They are a cute little family that accepted to be baptized and they are going to progress. We just got to get  them to church. 

finish the following sentences:

My favorite fruit is: all of them 

My favorite food is: empanadas

I will miss the most when I come home: the people that I really do love with all my heart 

I wish I could take home with me: the family Ramierz P.... 

I love you all! I love doing things I never thought I could do.  The mission has never been so hard. I rely on Jesus Christ every day. I love the mission. The ups and the downs! I love you all and you are all in my prayers. 

Hermana Hickman 

Week 62: Crazy Busy Week!

 Did you have Chikungunya virus  or Dengue or typhoid fever? Yes I had Chikungunya virus, but I´m much better now:) 

 

So tell us about your week? Ok we had a crazy week!   We had a leader meeting with president and then zone conference and then 2 intercambios with two companionships this week. We had an amazing experience with one of our investigators his name is H...., he is 18 years old and a friend of a young women in the ward. Last Monday we had a lesson at his house and we met his mom for the first time. She got super mad at us and told us her son couldn´t be baptized.... we were super sad and did not know what to do. The idea came to my mind that we needed to fast... I will tell you the truth I did not want to, but we got together with the young woman that is his friend and we fasted. Two days later we met with H... and he told us he had a really long talk  with his parents and that somehow they came to the point that he can be baptized.... It was a miracle! That day we also told him we fasted for him and he was in shock... we also got to teach him a lesson in the temple this week and the spirit was so strong I started to cry because I realized that the Plan of Salvation is so amazing. I feel like this young man is someone I came to earth to teach... He is getting baptized in two weeks!!!!

Another cool part about this week is we had stake conference.  My first area of the mission is in my stake and I got to see a whole bunch of people that I never would of thought remembered me but they did. They all gave my hugs and asked me if the sisters in my new ward are feeding me because I look thinner.... I think they are blind... lol 

 

Have you gone on exchanges? Yes so it was interesting because my first exchange was horrible. The sister wants to go home and she is super disobedient.... it was one of the hardest things I have done but I´m trying to do everything that Heavenly Father and my mission President expect of me. 

What is your favorite thing about being a sister leader? Seeing the behind of everything

Favorite person this week? Our bishop... On Saturday they called us and asked us what we wanted to eat on Sunday and told us that he wanted us to teach him lesson one after we ate. After we ate we started to teach him but joking around that he was an investigator. Then we got to the párt about Joseph Smith and I just bore my testimony that I have always had a hard time believing that Joseph Smith really had a vision but then I testified that I really did know for myself that he was called as a prophet of God. 

Do you feel more Mexican or American? Mexican.... I asked for a 4 month extension of the mission and president said yes which is crazy..... :)))) 

I love you all and I know that this church is true. I have felt it and I know that Heavenly Father loves us and the Atonement is real!

Hey mom it was a joke about making my mission longer I´m so excited to come home and see you! I love you all!!!

Hermana Hickman  

Week 61: Return to Tuxtla :)

Dear Family,
 

 

So tell us about your new area? and ward? My ward is amazing! We have a great ward mission leader and our bishop works a little with us... he is also the mission doctor which came in handy this week:) I´m so happy that this will be my last area because I hope to leave the area better then I found it because it is super dead.   

Share 6 things that made you smile:

1. There are only like 7 people to teach here, lots of work to do.

2. My little family of converts from Tapachula dropped me off at the OCC and we just cried for like ever.... #heart broken

3. My first American companion.

4. I realized that the house I now live in now is a house I went to when I had like 2 months on the mission. 

5. Teaching and feeling the spirit in the room.

6. Feeling sick and then realizing that strength was coming from somewhere because I felt like I could keep going. 

 

Favorite person this week and why? The Bishop he is super sweet with us 

How hot is it? it has been super cold this week.

Share a time where you felt the spirit guide you? We had a meeting with the zone leader to plan zone conference and it was neat to see that the spirit guided us to what our zone needed to hear in the meeting.

Yesterday I completed 14 months on the mission. I´m feeling pretty old... jeje No really. I am trying not to think about it but part of me is ready and part of me laughs.   Yesterday after church we ate with the 2nd counselor's wife and they have three kids.  Pretty much the whole time we were there the kids were screaming and I really just realized that in the very near future I will be having kids... lol 

  But really looking back on these 14 months I feel like I have not really changed but that is not true, I know I still have lots to learn but I can promise you that Heavenly Father knows us and puts trials in our life that are there to guide us and help us grow. This week with transfer I expected to get to work right away and gain the confidence of all the girls and then I realized that Heavenly Father has other lessons for me to learn. I love the Lord and for that reason I will give my all until the end! I love you all make it a great week! 

I love you!

 

Hermana Hickman

Week 60: Oltra Semana come and gone :(

Hi Family,

What a wonderful week! 

 So first of all how are you feeling? Yeah I´m all better just my knees hurt sometimes:(  Melanie had The virus is called chikungunya: You pronounce it a bit like "chicken-goon-ya." ... It causes such severe joint pain, she says, that "people who have it can't stand up or don't even want to shake your hand because it's too painful."

 

Tell us about Elder Oaks and your experience:) Wow I cried a whole bunch because the spirit was so strong. I really felt that we have a prophet here on the earth. It was super amazing when I got to shake his hand ;)))))) He talked about what is to have success in the mission. He also talked about being converted and that we do not just say we are converted we work  becoming converted. 

 

Were you able to attend the temple and do the family names? No I did not get to go to the temple but now that I will be in Tuxtla I will be able to go more often.

  

Five things that made you smile: 

1. A sister taught me how to lead music which was super fun! 

2. I talked to the bus driver and taught him a lesson on the way home from Tuxtla when we went to see Elder Oaks. 

3. My companion Hermana C. is now training a new missionary.

4. I didn't want to tell you but I have been called as a leader of all the girls in my new area it is a calling called líder capacitadora 

5. A funny letter from President George 

"It´s so easy to love you! Sorry you are sick right now and hope it will not be too severe. You are a wonderful person. If I had a son, I would recommend you to him. You are a wonderful missionary! Sure love ya!¨" 

Everything is great here, I´m sad to leave but part of me says it is time. I´m excited to start all over. I'm sad to say goodbye to my district and most of all Sister C. I think she will forever be my favorite companion. I learned soooooooo much from her and I´m so proud of her because now she is training. Not sure what else to tell you so bye bye. Ilove you all!!!!!!!!

Hermana Hickman