my address here is 3003 South Broadway #14, La Porte Texas 77571 USE IT! :]

On Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 11:22 AM, Jillian Hicken <jillian.hicken@myldsmail.net> wrote:
Hello family! How are you? I am in La Porte, Texas! I am with Sister Bouwhuis (who is rad rad rad. We are having a really good time together and will work hard.) and this is her last transfer so she is going home in a month and 5 days. She's great, though. If I had to leave Porter, I wanted to go kill Bouwhuis is La Porte. We have had a really good week this past week.
Monday was normal pday at Kingwood. My last :[ That made me sad. Missionary work is the same everywhere, but the missionaries are different and Kingwood has been my home base, ya know? I knew everyone and I loved everyone and I saw everyone. But Monday night we met with Doyle and Debra. Oh my word. They are planning to move in together. YIKES! Apparently they can be roommates (cause it's because Debra can'tkeep her trailer) and it's okay with the church... but I don't like it. They started dating 3 weeks ago. And I just find it odd and if they had been living together two weeks ago, Debra couldn't have gotten baptized. It's just messy. But I will miss them so much. I love them.
Tuesday was the big transfer day. I was sad to leave, but not distraught. I am getting MUCH better at dealing with change. :] We had a big transfer meeting in the morning. It was good all the missionaries that were coming in were there, all the missionaries that were leaving were tehre and all the missionaries that were being transferred were there. Sister cochran is TRAINING!!!!!! I am so proud of her. She will do so good. She will be the world's best trainer. The meeting was good. It made transfers a little less sad and more exciting. Then we drove back to La Porte and visited people went to appointments and I went home early (8) to unpack. Cause I HAYYYTE living out of a suitcase.
Wednesday we had another good day. I couldn't tell you very easily who we saw cause I'm still getting used to all of this. But we share a ward with the Deer Park elders (Elder Brown who is Samoan and Elder Sylvester whose grandpa is in our stake but I just for the life of me cannot remember his name!! Mack or something? Dad you know.) anyway I loooove sharing a ward (remember kingwood 2??) so I'm so excited to be here. We met the Elders' invesitgator Shelli who got baptized yesterday after church.
Thursday was kind of a bust. We didn't do much on Thursday. But I repented. We got to go to this big meeting at night for the Relief Society sisters of the houston area. Sister Barbara Thompson spoke, Sister Esplin (something in primary) spoke, Sister DALTON (!!!!!!!) spoke, and Elder Nielson (Giff. You know the football guy?). It was really good. Sister Dalton talked about how we can do all things through Christ. She says that she used to say "I can do hard things" but now she says "I can do ALL things with Christ". She is just so talented. And her hair always looks rockin awesome. All 3 of them were saying "Oh, when we left Salt Lake this morning it was snowing!"' and I was like "Ohhh man!!! I'm jealous." but then I look outside and it's like 70 degrees with a slight breeze today. GORGEOUS. This is the time to live in Texas.
Friday was district meeting and it was good. It was different. But it was good.
Saturday was choir in the morning and we are far away so it took up a good chunk of time. I am grateful I'm still int he choir thing though! I love it.
Yesterday was church and it was different but good. We were in the parking lot and this family from kingwood ward drives up!! The Lord loves us so much. It made church easier to see them there. Becuase I miss my K2 ward. I felt like I lived there... welll, I did live there but you know? I felt like it was my home ward. I loved them and I knew them and I was in their homes and oh I just miss em. But i know I will love this ward so much! I can't wait to get relaly into it. Then the baptism was after church and I sang "When I am Baptized" again (like at Debras baptism) and I loved it. I love to sing. There are better singers in the world than me, but I really love to do it, so I'm grateful I have some kind of a voice. President and Sister Crawford got there late and so Sister Crawford had me sing it again after the baptism hahaha. It was really funny. Last night we taught a young man who has just so much anger in him. Oh my gosh. The feeling that is there when you talk to him is just awful. He has good reasons to be angry, but he is confused about God and when he really gets to understand who our Heavenly father is I think he will be much happier. I hope we can help him.
Time is still passing here. I was worried it would be like going back to the start of my mission to be transferred but it's not.The only way it is, is that I miss a place I loved and I miss people I loved. Still love. That's how it was when I left home though and I can't imagine my life without being a missionary. This is the most wonderful experience I've EVER had. And I love it so much. I really am so happy here, the happiest I have ever been. I wish every body could go on a mission. I really do. I think every girl would benefit so much from it. And obviously every boy too. This is the most priceless thing. And I am so grateful that I feel that way, I really am. I never thought I would. I never thought I would love it this much. I hoped I might, but there were times when I was like "Crap. I have to do this for the next 16 months and I do not like it." Change is still hard for me, so pray for me still. But I am so much better off than I was before. And I am learning things that I am so beyond grateful to have learned. If it is hard for me to see if I've changed in the past 9 months (YEAH I HIT MY HALFWAY MARK THIS LAST WEEK!! !AHHHH!) at least I can see what I've learned. And I have learned SOOOO much.
Well. My e-mails will probably be better when I know more of the people here. But for this week that's my update. We are right by the water, we run to the beach (beach ish area I guess) and it is rad. The breeze off the ocean is going to make the summer months. So nice. Tracting is THE BEST! We had 11 quality contacts this week (quality contacts is when we contact someone and set up a return appointment) So they don't happen all that often. And we had a lot this week. Things are going good. I will just keep trusting the Lord. As President says "I'll hoe to the end of the row".
Mom, how are you? How has everything been going? I hope it's good! Hows work and the ward and wilsy and your nutrition thing?
Dad how are you doing too? How is your work and how is the stake? When do you have Stake conference? We have ours March 18th, I think. Or maybe it's the end of march. Coming up soon. GENERAL CONFERENCE IS SOOOOOOOOO SOON! AHHH!H!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!! Da dada!!
James, how goes it!? How did your date go? The word is she had a good time :] So give me your update. Por favor. Muchas gracias. How is school and church and etc?
Jonny basketball? How did the playoffs go? did you have a good time? You are getting close to graduation! ENJOY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you.
Family yall are the best. Sorry this is kinda short we have to stand up to e-mail here and my back is killin me. Please write me and keep doing the good things. Read those scriptures, say those prayers, and do that service. Yall will be happy. That's what I promise people all day long.
LOVE, Sister Hicken
picture me and balwin saying Adios!
P.S. I really want to buy cowboy boots! And they are kind of expensive. My birthday maybe???? That is the one souvenier (how do you spell that sucker?) that I relaly want from texs.what color should I get? Tan? black? red? I'm gonna get the pointy toes, but not really ranchero pointy toes.
P.P.S> Madre! Could you pretty pretty please get me daren's address??? Por favor? He is coming home soon and I want to write him before then!! thanks! Also update me on the ward!! what's going on? I only hear from kelley (and she's not relaly in the ward) and then I heard from Darcie Boyack at the holidays :] So I want to know the goods. Whta is going on at home?