Hola! How are yall?? I hope you're doing so great. I'm doing so great :] We all should be doing so great. This last week was really good. We are still not perfect - suprise suprise - but we are doing better. Every week we improve a little bit. You cannot imagine how weird it is for me to try to be content with not being 100% spot on right on the money. But I am learning and I am oh so much happier. I am way happy! I hope you can tell. Last week I was having a little bit of an "oh my gosh, I'm still in Porter" moment when I e-mailed. But I got over it really quickly and we are back to work and having a ball and doing good things.
This last week we saw Doyle and his neighbor Deborah and we are now teaching her!! When we taught her a first lesson, it went so well. Also, remember Karen? She has decided to try to quit smoking. I wish that was the only thing keeping her from being baptized, but it's a big one so that will be nice if she can quit! She told me that the reason I'm staying here is for her, and if that's the truth she better get with it becuase I'm not staying in Porter just so she can cupcake. I love Karen though. So much, she has such a sweet heart.
Okay, so we are doing the coolest thing!! We are doing a missionary choir and putting on a fireside with the missionaries singing and mormon messages and testimonies and it's gonna be so great! I think I've already told you about the people in charge of the choir, but one of them writes the music that we sing (or arranges it I guess) and he is MEGA talented. His arrangement of Come Thou Fount is AHHH! So grand. The piano makes me want to cry. The fireside is February 12 and it is going to be AWESOME. When the Elders sing, I am always so moved. Because for some reason, I don't see myself as "a missionary". It's really weird, and I wonder if it's because we never had sister missionaries, but for whatever reason. When the Elders sing, I feel the spirit so much. I love the elders they are wonderful. They are singing an arrangement of "I know that my redeemer lives" and every time they sing the line "He lives to calm my troubled heart" I feel that He does live to calm my troubled heart. I think that it will be so powerful to hear the testimonies of these young men and women who have devoted their lives right now to telling people how they know that their Redeemer lives! That is what we do. That is why we are so lucky. And we are so lucky in the church that we never have to stop sharing that. We share the scripture Moroni 8:2 with people a lot and I think it is one of the greatest demonstrations of the Savior's love for us that he calls each of us to the ministry and to His holy work. He lets us share His work. He could do it a billion times more perfectly than we can, but He loves us enough to let us help him. He will straighten out the bumps when we fail, but we need to do it! We will be so happy if we do!
Jonny, you are going to be such a good missionary! Don't worry about doing it, just do it. You will be awesome. I wish you would come to THE. You'd be so good for the people here and the other missionaries. We need influences like you. But I don't think you're comin to Tejas. I just don't feel like you are. I hope and pray pray pray that you go English speaking stateside. Cross my fingers.
I just wish I could tell you all how much I am loving being a missionary. The way I love it feels so personal to me. It doesn't remind me of any one else speaking about their mission. I am loving learning how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am loving learning how to serve. I am loving forcing myself to serve when I don't want to. Sometimes the Elders give us a hard time because we are sister missionaries. And if a girl goes on a mission it MUST be because she didn't get married and something MUST be wrong with her. And I find that retarded. I came on a mission becuase I WANTED to serve the Savior and the people. I was not commanded or compelled to. I have found other reasons for being here, but that was why I came. I love Him! And those Elders can just go home and marry those girls who had "nothing wrong enough with them to go on a mission" and I will go home with so much gratitude that I was able to serve. I love in the talk from general conference where it talks about the gifts that missionaries come home with. It says something like "gifts packaged in well worn scriptures, tattered copies of Preach my gospel, and grateful hearts". I want those things and I will come back this December with those things. I'm at 10 months left next week WHAAAT????
I love you!!!!!!!! Please write me :] Will you please? even though I'm having a great time, I still looooove mail. Fo real. Thank you mom for sending me a letter this week. You're THE BEST. I'm going to write you a little note back tonight.
Have a good week. The Lord loves you, please please please PRAY to Heavenly Father and then believe He is helping you. He might need to be working on someone 45 miles away to get the ball rolling, but He IS working to grant your righteous desires.
\Love,
Sister Hicken
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