Sister Melanie Hickman, from Chico California

Sister Melanie Hickman, from Chico California is serving an 18 month mission in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Week 66: Two Transfers Left

Hola Familia,
 
So if I am calculating correctly this is transfer week....right?  I am assuming that you will be staying but thought I should ask:)  Are you and you companion still together?  Has there been a lot of change to your zone?

Well my companion and I are staying together but all of the girls in our zone pretty much got changed. 

So how was your week?  Have you had any success?  Any one come to church? Only one person came to church but it is ok I have decided that I going to be nothing but be happy for the 2 transfers I have left.... not even hard days are going  to bring me down:) 


 
 


What would you tell a future missionary to do to be prepared for their mission? 
Teach with the missionaries in your ward, study chapter 3 and 6 of Preach my Gospel. Learn ,how to get along with everyone and learn to serve joyfully 

Share a miracle or tender mercy that happened this week? On Sunday  we were walking in the street and I saw this teenage boy that was super happy. I felt impressed to talk with him.  As I started talking to him, he told us that he went to our church in Tapachula 4 times... we have an appiontment with him on Wednesday he can be baptized very soon:) 

Best lesson? We left our area for two days to help two of our sister´s  areas that were really struggling. We saw miracles and taught 10 lessons in one day. The second to last lesson we found a 18 year old boy that is golden and ready to accept the gospel. 

If my mom could see me now she would be amazed if she saw me........(you fill in the blank) I get up by myself in the morning. Probably just teaching and talking to people I have never met before in Spanish 


Name 5 things that made you smile:
1. Our  investigador U... that left after sacrament meeting and we called him and said where are you? He said at the bus stop and we said come back church is not over yet. He came back..... he is going to be baptized in 2 weeks. 

2. When my companion says, am I seeing things or is Sister Hickman writting in her journal.... she gives me the hardest time about it:) 

3. The 2nd counsler of the bishop gives me the hardest time that my ears aren´t pieced, so I wore my fake earrings on Sunday and he was like wow what a difference.... lol 

4. Realizing last night that every day depends on my attitude, I have control if I´m happy 

5. Reading Alma 46: Title of Liberty... and the people came running to join Moroni 

 


I love you all so much....
thank you for all the love and support your all in my prayers. I love you all 


Hermana HIckman 


Missionary for LIFE

Monday, April 6, 2015

Week 65: Dog attack...saw my life flash before my eyes!

Hola Familia,
 
 
Share 3 things that made you smile this week:
1. Conference, loved it all. I got to listen to it all in English:) I loved the part that said... He knew what time it is at home.  I know what time it is at home also, but yesterday I was sitting in a lesson and I realized how much I love being a missionary. I love that I can speak with the tongue of angels. It was a feeling I HAVE NEVER FELT BEFORE.  I was sad  and I hate that time seems to be flying by. I find myself thinking of home more then ever with conference, but I want to enjoy every minute that I have left.  

2. I saw my life flash before my eyes as a dog came with his mouth open after me... but thankfully he did not eat me... I thought he was going to...  lol 

3. Friday hardest day of my life... we finished an exchange in the morning and then we returned to our area and walked allllllllll day and no one was home.... when I say we walked all day I mean it. We had like an hour left in the day and we sat down in a park. We made a plan of places we were going to pass by and hopefully find a family... We said a prayer and left with hope to see a miracle... long story short we were fasting also and we found a family and this Sunday they watched conference!!!!

Favorite lesson?  Yesterday we had a lesson with G... she is a golden investigator that goes to school on Sundays but the spirit was really strong. She watched conference and told us that she knows it is true... I loved being able to testify of our living prophet after I had just listened to him. 


Favorite person? This week I have really learned to love my companion. I realized that the problems I saw were things I needed to change about myself.


How did zone conference go?  What did you focus on and was it well received? It went well ! We focussed on a whole bunch of things but one thing we did was showed them how to serve. We read them the story of when Christ washed His discipes feet and then we went and cleaned all the sister´s shoes. We also gave them personalized letter telling them how proud Heavenly Father was of them, 




How much conference did you get to listen to? All and in English 

 

I love you all:)))

Hermana Hickman 

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

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 

Monday, March 16, 2015

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,
     

    Monday, March 2, 2015

    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