Happy Halloween!

THANK YOU FOR THE PICTURE!! James, you are the best! You guys all look relatively the same... except Jonny is like a mammoth. What are you eating, boy?! You're tall. And like... grown up. That's weird. Wilsy needs a haircut :] But we will disagree about that because Mom likes his hair long and I like it short short. Oh well.

This past week was a good one. Sister Kinikini was so awesome. She helped me a lot with my speed during lessons. I am usually full speed ahead, talking talking talking (which is so not good) but she was so relaxed and asked a lot of questions. I realize, though, that she is so effective because she focuses so much on the work and bettering other people. And as I focus so much on that as well, I will be good like her. I told yall about my "servants" verses "great missionaries" thought right? I'm still trying to do that.

We are continuing to teach Doyle. He is so awesome, and so sincere and he DOES ALL OF THE THINGS WE INVITE HIM TO DO!! I'm loving it. He is keeping commitments, my hero! We have taught him a lot about the Book of Mormon and how we can't prove or disprove anything. God will tell him, and that is something he and I firmly believe. We just have to deliver the Spirit of the Lord well. Which is one of the reasons I am starting a new study of Preach My Gospel. I am reading it from the beginning and doing ALL of the "Personal/Companion Study" activities. It is so great. Because, let me tell you, I could be 900X better at teaching than I am. That's what Preach My Gospel is, a guide on how to be a better missionary. Because I really do want to be a good missionary... or I guess I really want to be a good servant, right? :] It is a little overwhelming at times, but I am learning to live with myself and my imperfections. I'm SO glad I figured all this stuff out now, before I have a family and a husband. I have realized that I put that perfectionist expectation on others as well as on myself. I'm working on not doing that. Obviously that is a very bad thing to do. I'm also reading through the book that the church just put out "Daughters in my Kingdom" Have you read that mom?? It's the Relief Society book. OH. MY. GOSH. Mucho gusto.

James Jr. is again MIA. I am trying not to have a heart attack about it. I'll keep you posted. Last thing we heard from him was that he went to Institute all by himself! So good!! And nooowwwww... we have no idea.

Yesterday we had stake conference. And it was SO GOOD! President and Sister Crawford Spoke, one of the temple presidency members and his wife, and then the Stake Presidency. Our Stake President is pretty cool. He reminds me of you Dad! Something he does is every year, he challenges the Stake to do something. This year it was this: "Every day, for the rest of your life, read one chapter of the Book of Mormon." Those things sound a little melodramatic, but let me tell you, people won't usual do something unless they're invited to. And if President Paulsen invites someone in the Stake to read the book of mormon evrey day for the rest of their lives, the invitiation will be taken by at least one person, and that one person's life is -badabing!- changed forever. So cool. He also talked a lot about member missionary work which WE NEED SO BAD!!!! I am so done tracting, and like I said, I really think it's because the Lord wants us to work with the members more often. Anyway, the title of his talk, I'm pretty sure was "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" And it was kind of losely based on a talk by President Kimball in the October 1974 Ensign. Could somebody print that out for me and send it? I would appreciate it, I really want to read it. And, whilst you are doing that, could you print out the talk by President Uchtdorf about Creating? It was conference a couple years ago and it is BOMB. I am way excited to read it. This leads me to my Christmas list:

SISTER HICKEN'S CHRISTMAS LIST

1. memory card

2. Mormon Messages DVD

3. My gray sweatpants. (Not the dark gray one's with the bleach on them, but the light gray ones. They should be in the bottom drawer in my dresser. I hope. I have no sweat pants and guess what? It's COLD! Amazing! A miracle!)

4. Lotion. Sister Lundgren had some called "Paris Amour" from Bath and Body works that was great. But whatever kind you like, just something fruity and nice.

Those are my requests for Christmas. I feel like a loser for not only wanting socks and red pencils. But you seriously don't have to get me any of those things if it won't work out. You are helping me so much with this mission, and that is for reals enough of a gift. I don't want to ask for like 6000 other things on top of that.

So. Now. Family.

How goes it this week? Can you believe it is Halloween???? Yall should watch Hocus Pocus for me, since I can't. Tomorrow is NOVEMBER. TOMORROW CHRISTMAS MUSIC STARTS ON THE RADIO!!!!!!! YUSSS!!!! We will not benefit from that, however. If you run across any Christmas MoTab CD's I would love them. We only have "Ring Christmas Bells" and that will get old real quick.

Dad, no worries about the letter :] I will just be more excited to get it now. I hope you give me a full account of stake conference. mom said you spoke and striving for perfection or something? Holla. That is the best topic and I really feel like SO many church members struggle with it. Hence President Uchtdorf's talk in Relief Society. How is everything else? Any exciting things going on?

Madre, you are just my best friend. You were in my dream last night. That was sad. I can't wait til we can hang out again! That will be awesome. How is everything? Did you decorate for Halloween at all this year? Or get th books out?

James, I already told you you are the BEST, but you really are. Thanks for that talk. Go Cecil! Perfectionism seems to be a common thread in the talks I'm hearing which is just proof to me that the Lord knows who I am and wants to help every single one of his children individually. How is work for you? I will get everyone to go to Chelsea's on Friday after district meeting and take a picture so you can show that person at your work. I'm excited- I'm sick to DEATH of going to Jasons Deli every week. Free Ice-Cream ropes the Elders in every time.

Jonny. You seriously look way old, it is weird. WEIRD. How is senior year? You are almost half way done, right? Maybe? Also weird. Tell me all about it and the dances and how is basketball looking for you? Hopefully good.

Well. My Family, I love you so much. You are the greatest people ever. This week we had a hard day, I hate transfers and I get all emotionally weird right after them, and then we had a funeral to go to and it was so sad and then just other things piled up and tracting in Kingwood scares the pants off of me because there are no trailer homes and that intimidates me, and I just wanted to see you guys! I was like "Man, I miss my family! I miss talking to people that like me!" So thanks for being people that I miss. And that I like to hang out with. I love you so much!!!!!!!!!

Keep the letters comin' Por Favor! And turn on the Christmas Radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Jillian

Pictures:

• some of the missionaries at the Cruz house for dinner. Pratt and Peterson were going home in two days so we were saying hasta la vista. It goes, Peterson Me Sister Cochran Natalie Elder Pratt and then behind us Rasmussen and Davis. We miss them a lot.
• (you really don't need to see me in this picture) the k2 missionaries in the car sunday night. We LOVED those Elders and they loved us. And it was so nice to have them in our ward.
• at the halloween carnival for our ward. we are so cute, huh?