the board

Monday September 17, 2012

 

Hi family! We had a good week this last week. We met our goals!! Which we haven't done yet in full. And the only two goals we didn't meet, we are okay with. We met our total lessons goals and we are just so happy. It is all because we made ourselves a board. And on the board we put red tally marks for how many lessons or whatever we plan to get that week. And then every night when we do nightly planning we erase how ever many tally marks we got that day. So we have this constant view of how far we've come and how much farther we have to go. It's rad.

So. Monday we went to see the alligators. It was cool but they were really small. I was expecting them to be huge.... and they weren't. But it was still fun and cool. Then monday night we went to see Gabriella and her girls. It was amazing! it was such a good first lesson. We talked to them a lot about if they were feeling the spirit and at one point the daughter who is in 5th grade was just all of the sudden like " I feel like crying, but I don't know why. It's like happy tears." And we were like "sweeeet!" So we're going to back tomorrow with a member from our ward who is very similar to gabriella. It was awesome. Then we had dinner with some solid members, the beveridges. They are so awesome, just moved from Arizona. We have like a Arizona pod in our ward. Lots of people are from there. Weird.

Tuesday we met with Betty our investigator that has parkinsons disease. We need to teach her over again because she wasn't sponging before. And she lvoes coming to church. We go over and walk her to the church cause she lives so close. It's awesome. The weather here is getting nice. High to MID 80s. I LOVE IT.

Wednesday we met with ssuan and talked to her about praying for a new date and talking to her family about her decision. We also went and met with Debra and Jozetta. Debra has... some kind of a disease and Jozetta is her care taker. And Jozetta has talked to the missionaries several times for AT LEAST a year but we went and she had read Alma 32 and was so excited to talk to us about it and we gave her a purpose lesson and told her we were going to come and teach her where the church comes from. So we're going back this week to do that. Wednesday night we met with the Bishop. Have I told you about our Bishop? He is awesome!! I love him. Bishop Young. He is involved in everything, he is so loving and he is just a get it done kind of a a guy. He's the best. But in the middle of our meeting, one of the Young Men leaders car got it's window bashed in. So... we kind of had to stop and deal with that. Or let them deal with that and we went home. It was okay, it was about 9.

Thursday was a great day. We met with Betty again and moved her baptism date. We also did the hour of power witht he Mortimers, he used to be the ward mission leader and she is less active. Weird right? But he and his daughter are super active. During the hour of power we talked to three people. It was on the street of the church. And I have felt like there's someone on that street every time I pass it. So we started knocking, the first was a family who was going out of town for the weekend, so we're going back wednesday night, the next was a baptist lady who we talked to for probably at least a half hour. She preached a lot, but after we listened to her she agreed to let us come back and she'd listen to us. The last people were two college kids from mainland china and they were leaving in like 36 hours to go back to china and so we were so excited to tlak to them. We took them into the church building and sorta gave them a church tour but they don't have a concept of God really so it was difficult. Props to anyone who teaches people who have no christian background. It's tough. We did ask them how they felt, she said Safe. And that was sweet. We also told her to look for people with a badge like ours that they wouldbe nice to her (they're traveling the US on their way home) and we gave them each a book of mormon. So missionary work IS being done in China. Take that! :] we were really happy about it.

Friday was a good day. We met a lot of less actives who haven't had contact with the church. Most notably JAmes O'Dell. He's lived here for 2 years and no one has ever come by to see him. And that is awful. His wife died and then he said the church just never checked on him after that. he's hurt. but w'ere going to meet with him. We loooove him. We're going to dinner with him and his new wife this week. So excited. We met another less active who is so cool. She gave me a peacock feather because I LOVE THEM. And we are friends now. We're going to work with her. Also, we got done with visits for the night we got home and our keys to our apartment were no where to be found. So that was fun. Elder Brown was on exchanges with Elder Hamilton, so I thought he took them, but.. he didn't. We just lost them. Luckily we could sleep in the boswells apartment because the boswells left on Thursday. So crazy! They were an amazing senior couple. I hope you mom and dad get to go on a mission REALLY soon because we need yall!! SOOOO BAD!

Saturday we had service with susan and a really dumb day besides that. Saturdays man. They are always hard we don't know why. We're goign to fix that. Maybe we'll just go finding all day. And see how that goes.

Yesterday was my companions 25th birthday! She didn't want to tell anyone, but I told a few people. It was cool. Church was amazing, we saw less actives that I adore after church and worked with them, then we had dinner with Sister Borton, who used to feed the missionaries every single sunday. She's moving to beaumont next week. we're sad. She s a ward missionary and is so cool. She's from germany! She like KNOWS president uchtdorf!! how cool is that?? Then at night we saw Lora. She's the one who is from Oregon on an externship and we love her so so much. It was a good day over all.

Today is just pday. Nothing big. BUT GUESS WHAT?!??!! WE GET TO GO TO THE TEMPLE ON WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. You cannot imagine how excited I am. Thrilled. Also guess what? General conference is in like three weeks?? I think. Are yall writing down your questions yet?? Can you believe it's general conference? time flies flies flies. I feel like it was just barely LAST year general conference october. Basically I come home in two seconds. Which is just terrible and awesome at the same time. It's just making me want to work harder. I only have TWO TRANSFERS LEFT after this week. That makes me want to throw up. But I will work hard. I love this mission, I love the Lord, and I love this church. There is a new song by Alex Boye and Carmen rasmussen herbert "Have I done any good?" And IT IS SO AWESOME. Yall should find it and download it or buy it or whatever. It is my anthem. "Have I done any good in this world today?" I ask that every day. And some days the answer is more strong than other days. But that's what's awesome about the atonement, we can make mistakes and try again. If we were perfect we wouldn't need a savior. And also, we don't have to to be perfect. The world already had a Jesus Christ. What it needs is a Sister Hicken, or a Sister T, or a YOU and we just need to do what we can. And keep trying. We've been sharing "The race" with people dad. They are liking it a lot! Thank you fors ending it to me. We've been doing it with Less actives and a few active members. It's great.

Family. I love you. I am so grateful to be here and to be a missionary. I always want to be a better missionary and I wish I was, but I will keep trying my best. I'm grateful for my FAther in Heaven who guides us all. I'm grateful to my Savior for being a Savior. For making it okay that I made a mistake, and that someone else made a mistake and hurt me. This gospel is so beautiful. I adore it with all my heart. This week, ask yourself every day "Have I done any good in this world today?" And if you haven't, then just plan to do something tomorrow! Or right at that moment. We can all do something good even if it's small. Like taking out the trash or walking my dog or giving someone a hug or a compliment. JUST DO IT. Yall will be so much happier I promise. I wish I could be with you, but that will happen soon enough. For now I wouldn't be anywhere but here. :] How are y all??? wRITE ME AND TELL ME!! THanks so much. Yall are the best. I love you. I love this gospel and this church. They're Christs! Be good and be so happy.

Love, Sister Hicken