Happy New Year! I hope you guys had a ball at the new years party. It feels like New Years was a million years ago. Weird. Want to know something else weird? At the end of this transfer (a week and a half from tomorrow) I will have ELEVEN months left!! WHAT? I told you! Weird wierd weird. I come home this year. Next transfer (which starts January 16) I will hit my halfway mark. Sometimes December still seems far away and other times it seems really soon. I am loving it out here. And it is still just mucho dificil.
Well, what happened this week? Me and Sister Baldwin had a fight. I cannot believe what happened, and we were both at fault but we had a BIG fight on Sunday morning. I don't anticipate ever having a fight like that again and definitely not on my mission. It was neither of our proudest moments. We're better for it, though. We really are. Let me just say here that it is totally 100% unnatural to live with someone 24/7 365. Even when you are married you have your seperate times and you can like LEAVE for a second if you want to. So, when you have two people who are as similar and yet as different as me and Sister Baldwin that can lead to bad things. We are moving forward now, though, and we will have a great two weeks! And then I'm pretty certain I will be transferred. President kind of said that to Sister Baldwin. I like that, but I also don't like that. I love this area, I love the people, I love the ward, I love the missionaries. But what I'm learning is that everywhere you go is good. Especially if the Lord took you there in the first place. So, as missionaries, you can be absolutely certain that wherever, whenever you're transferred, you will LOVE it if your heart is open to it.
Doyle is doing so great. I'm on exchanges in Humble today, so I missed dinner at his house last night. Did you like the picture of his pirana?? Yeah, nutso. He talked to the Bishop on sunday and he will be ordained a priest next week. He is wonderful and so humble and there is a peace that practically oozes from his house. It's pretty great.
We are working with a part member family, the Glasses. He has been a member all his life, but he might be disfellowshipped... we're not sure. Or at one time he was, or his brother was or something. Anyway he has a wife and two kids. And his wife is so sweet and SOOO timid. Baldwin and Lundgren had a lesson with her this morning, so I'm really hoping that it went well.
We've decided to start working a lot with Less Actives in our ward. We just feel like that's what needs to happen. We have accidentally run into so many of them recently that we'd never met before. And it feels right to both of us.
I've been listening to the song "Consider the Lilies" so much recently. Because I think that's what I need to know and do. I will just write the words and then tell you what I'm thinking about it
Consider the lilies of the field,
How the grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky
How they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the birds in the sky
And He will feed those who trust Him
And guide them with His eye
Consider the sheep of His fold
How they follow where He leads
Though the path may wind across the mountain
He knows the meadows where they feed
He clothes the lilies of the field
He feeds the birds in the sky
and He will feed those who trust Him
and guide them with His eye
Consider the sweet, tender children
Who have suffered on the eart
The pains of all of them He carried from the day of His birth
He clothes the lilies of the feild
He feeds the sheep of his fold
and He will feed those who trust Him
and make their hearts as gold
I love it for SO many reasons. Because, like in a talk I have from Elder Holland "He can fix everything - how is it that we are so afraid?" Consider all of these things that don't do a single thing to attempt to grow or improve or anything and He takes care of it. I love how in the scriptures it says "Soloman, in all of his glory, was not arrayed like one of these." They don't do anything to make themeselves beautiful and yet the are beautiful - so much more beautiful than any king of the earth. And I really feel like I just need to trust the Lord more. And I KNOW I need to stop worrying so much about myself. Forget yourself!! Forget yourself and go to work. Because you will be better and happier and more taken care of if you don't try to so hard to take care of yourself - if you let the Lord take care of you. He will take care of you if you trust Him. Always.
It's like 70 degrees here. I thought you might appreciate that :] Has it snowed at home yet? I can't believe it was just a week ago we talked! I don't think that we're going to be allowed to skype any more. But that's okay, I only have one more phone call and then we're home. :]
I'm sorry this is short, but we have an appointment we have to go to :[ :[ I love you all so much. Please write me a letter. I appreciate every letter I get. Seriously. There is not a whole lot of time to write letters EVER, and I feel bad about that and I'll be better about writing back but I want you to know that I appreciate every letter I get more than you can believe.
Katie got married today huh??? WHOAAAA! How was it? I hope somebody can send me pictures of the day and the dress and everything. That is so exciting.
Have a good new year! Read the talk "Remember Lot's Wife" by Elder Holland. It is such a goooood talk!! I LOVE IT. Be happy! Be motivated! This is going to be the best year for our family! Every one of us has great things in store this year. I'm WAY excited. Just keep chipping away at the things in front of us, and be happy about your blessings, and all will be well. I was reading a talk or Sister Baldwin was reading me a part of one of Sis Thompsons talks and it was a quote from a pioneer who said , talking about the Lord, "He maketh all things well." And He does, doesn't He? That's what He does, it's His specialty, if we will only let Him do it.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Sister Hicken.
P.S. did you ever hear the phrase "Be serious about the work, but don't be a serious missionary"?? I never have until this week and I would like to know WHY. I think that is gold.
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