Hi everyone!!!

Hello hello!

It was a pretty good week! Yesterday was Sister Kandare's birthday, so that was fun! We surprised her in the morning...although it did not go as planned due to our phone not cooperating with the time change...yikes :) I loved having both our birthdays this transfer! She is the one who was in the MTC with me...I cannot wait for you all to meet her. We keep making all these post-mission plans..haha not trunky, don't worry :) She cannot wait to come to Tulsa/Norman and meet everyone! And I am excited to see her life back in North Carolina. She is going back to BYU-I after, but I am trying to convince her to transfer to Provo :) 

Celebrating Sister Kandare on her birthday! 

Some Sister Missionaries at her surprise celebration!

I do not know if I ever have talked about this father and son we have been teaching. I met them back with sis garrido...like back in November. We were visiting a less-active, and we asked her if there was anyone around that we should meet. She told us a new family moved in a little ways down, so we went and knocked to meet them. It is a nice father and son (single dad), and he said his family is Mormon! HE was adopted, but he met his birthday family like 10 years ago, and it is his birth family that are members. Anyways, Jim is the dad and Vitor is the son. Jim's family is from Peru. So we mainly teach Vitor because Jim is an atheist. HE is the kindest, most supportive dad and person ever! Seriously, he is a great person. He is so supportive of Vitor taking the lessons. They both come to church every week, and Jim sits in on all the lessons, but he just doesn't believe it is for him. This week during studies, I had a VERY STRONG impression that we should invite Jim to be baptized. IT freaked me out! I am very bold, yes, but we have talked about it so much with him, and he is not interested. The prompting would not go away. I told sis bills that we were going to do it, and that I felt like she needed to! She is so sincere and the Spirit is very strong (when she does talk in lessons, not much haha :) ) We decided we would read 3 Nephi 11, Christ coming to the Americas, and talk about Jesus Christ. We went into the lesson, and the Heavenly Father totally turned the lesson for Jim. If we ever try to involve him, he moves it back to Vitor. In this lesson though, he asked SO many questions and was so intrigued by the Book of Mormon. She Spirit was so strong. Sis Bills invited him to be baptized. He looked at us and said, "That is something I will have to think about." I was scared because I did not know what he would say. He is an atheist afterall!!!!!! It was so cool though. He said, "If you had asked me 3 months ago if I would be sitting here with Mormons, holding the Book of Mormon, I would have thought you were crazy!" He said he wants to read the Book of Mormon, and we committed him to pray and try to feel that God is there. He has not prayed in 15 years!! He was in the army, so he has been in Iraq for a while, and I think that had an effect on this whole "God thing." Anyways, it was a MIRACLE!! I truly believe his heart is changing! We never know who Heavenly Father is preparing. That is why it is essential to follow the Spirit. This was a big testimony builder for me this week. It made be a while (months...years...) but I believe Jim will be baptized. Him and Vitor went to LA this weekend to the temple because his sister was getting married there! 

We are all SO excited for Elder Bednar this week. It will be awesome! Word on the street is that this presentation he does totally changes peoples' missions. I am pumped. 

This Saturday, we are going to the Temple to do baptisms with our recent converts....I am so excited!!!! 

Life is great!!! I love being on a mission. We had interviews this week. President said, "Sister Hickman, through this experience of training Sister Bills, you have a calmness and peaceness about you." Hahah I said, "I guess I am not rough Sister Hickman anymore!!!! I have a heart afterall!!!" Hahha jk jk I just am a "tough love" person. It was great talking with him because he talked so much about this being the "refiner's fire" for me, which is totally what I have been thinking so much about! 

Talk to y'all next week! Love you all so so much!!

Love,

Sister Hickman