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Monday, April 27, 2015

Emotional Roller Coaster!

Hi everyone!!!

It was a great week :) But man, it is hard being a missionary because I am so dang emotionally attached to everything!! This week we had exchanges with Sister Bills and her companion. Sister Wright went to their area with Sister Bills, and the companion came here with me. It was funny hearing about their day together when Sister Wright came back to Folsom. Sister Bills is doing well! 

Sister Wright's birthday was Thursday!! I will explain the day through pictures, so check the blog :) We threw a surprise thing at the Lane's with the ward. It was so cute seeing everyone at their home!!! It was a great day for Sister Wright. And you know me, I love birthdays :) 

So, the week was good with the Lane's and yesterday, when they walked into church, we asked if they would be comfortable with us announcing the baptism. We did not want to pressure them, since the whole "not smoking" thing is hard and the baptism could get pushed back. When we talked to them, Ian said, "I don't know if we can do this. It is a HUGE commitment and breaking of 17 year habits in just 30 days! I don't know if we can do this the rest of our lives." Okay well, I pretty much wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I held it together, and we talked it out. The boys started having meltdowns, and they did not want to be there. They were just tired. We went outside trying to talk things out. This is all before church. President Jardine came out and talked to them. I honestly was trying to not cry. They are SO READY to be baptized and can totally DO IT, but it is stupid satan!!!!! Ugh. We said a prayer all together and went into church. I just sobbed during sacrament meeting. It was fast and testimony meeting and the testimonies were ON POINT for them. But, I was jut an emotional wreck. I TRIED TO HOLD IT TOGETHER!! I REALLY DID!!!!!! I just had a rough weekend, and I felt like I had been holding in so much, and this was the breaking point. I have NEVER prayed so hard in my whole life then I did that sacrament meeting for that family. Church went so well, and the boys loved it more this time around. We think everything will be fine, but we honestly don't know what will happen. They will get baptized, but I could see it being pushed back to Mother's day weekend. So, PRAY PRAY PRAY!!! Whenever it happens is the Lord's timing. "When" doesn't stress me out, just that part of it ACTUALLY happening. I feel peace about it all working out how it us suppose to. 

This week will be super up in the air, but it will be a great week! transfers are next week, so Pday will be Tuesday. WE ARE FREAKING OUT! We do not want to be transferred from each other! So, we will just add that to my list of emotional problems!!!! hahahaha

Seriously, being a missionary is the best. I would not change this for the world. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be serving here in the Sacramento Mission. I know this Gospel is true, and it is the most incredible thing to see it change lives.

Have a great week everyone!
Love,
Sister Hickman  
We biked to the bagel shop for Sister Wright's birthday breakfast :) 

Sushi for the birthday lunch :)

We love Sister Lane :) Selfies for the win!


Celebrating Sister Wright at District Meeting! Love her lots and lots! 

Celebrating Sister Wright at District Meeting! Love her lots and lots! 

Sister Wright's Surprise birthday at the Lane's! Ian, Sara, Kalani (10) and Kai (4). LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!

the dream team :)

Little Bday treat from sweet, Sister Kolander :)

Monday, April 20, 2015

Folsom's on Fire!

Hello Everyone!! It was a CRAZY week! We did lots of exchanges/team ups (team ups is where sister wright and I both go into the other area and we each work with a companion), so I felt like I was hardly in my area with Sister Wright...which is a bummer because we love each other and our area! The other sisters' areas are struggling so all the zone leaders are on our case about doing exchanges all the time/helping etc. I really don't mind because I love helping other missionaries because I love my mission, but it is just hard because I wanna work my own area :) However, we know the Lord will bless us and our area as we fulfill our calling! 
Exchanges with Sister Allen! She had a great day coming to Folsom :) She said, "This has been the best day of missionary work of my whole mission!" We had a blast, and it was great to be with her again :)
The Lanes are doing awesome! They came to the ward activity this weekend and to church. They loved it all! the ward is SO good with them! We taught them the Big 3 (word of wisdom, chastity, tithing) and they are all good to go except for the smoking part. Ian has cut cold turkey, and Sara is cutting back. PRAYERS PRAYERS PRAYERS PLEASE!!! The baptism is 2 weeks away!!! EEEEKKKK!!!! I just love this family.

This week, we got these black boxes (called Tiwi's or something) put in all the mission cars. Lots of missions have them. We log in and it monitors our driving.....ugh I already have violations from speeding...yikes! It talks at you when you speed, dont stop, etc. We are all pretty annoyed haha but I wouldnt mind being fired from driving :) to all my friends, you are probably laughing reading this and are secretly so happy I am being forced to not be a crazy driver!!! 

Kody is doing SO GREAT! Seriously. He wanted Sister Wright and me to meet him at the temple grounds on Tuesday for a "testimony meeting." He just loves the gospel, and it is incredible to see the change in him! I keep messing with him that I am going to line him up with Bubba!! hahahaha. but really. I found my new bother-in-law :)

This whole purification thing is awesome! Just totally sacrificing it all for the Lord. Look up the talk "The Challenge to Purify." That will explain what we are doing. When you surrender to Him, miracles come! 

The Lanes and Kody are in Folsom 2nd ward. This ward has not had baptisms in like 2-3 years, so this is an exciting time! We have started teaching pretty solid people in the 4th ward, so we are sooo pumped! We want to find a family in 4th. The members are AWESOME and want to do missionary work so badly. We are doing an April fast in 4th ward, where someone in the ward is fasting everyday for the work. Folsom is happening! 

Just a fun fact: I never had sushi before my mission because I never wanted to try it. Well, I finally caved and I LOVE IT!!!! I cannot believe it took so long!

Sushi date with the Folsom Sisters :) Candids thanks to Sister Wright! 
I finished the Book of Mormon this week for my 2nd go around on my mission. The first time, I read it marking the "Doctrine of Christ." This last time was for "Christlike Attributes." I LOVED reading it that way. I did the Christlike attributes from Chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. I totally recommend that! It was a tender mercy because I started that before training Sister Bills, and it had to have been inspired because when that training started I need to develop Christlike attributes more than ever! I am now reading it marking for Preach my Gospel Principles...like from the Lessons. passages having to do with the Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Gospel of Jesus Christ, etc. I have 2 more times to read it on my mission, so 4 times total :) The Book of Mormon is the best! I have a strong testimony that it is true and the word of God. It truly does strengthen our relationship with Christ. It adds as another witness to the Bible. If you want to FULL truth of the gospel, I am telling ya people, The Book of Mormon and the Bible is where it's at! 

I cannot even express how much I love my mission. I start to cry even thinking about it being over. This gospel is the best thing in the world. I do not even remember what I did with my life before my mission, but I sure know what I am doing with it when I get home! We have to "cling" to the rod. As we stay on the straight and narrow, we will be happy and experience true joy...none of that fake stuff! 

I love you all!! Have the very best week!!!!!! 

Love,
Sister Hickman

Monday, April 13, 2015

BEST STORY EVER!!!

Hi hi everyone!!

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLE WEEK! Side note: everyone keeps asking me separately if I am really this happy, and YES I REALLY AM!!!! Remember the beginning of training...!?! I would tell you if I was struggling :) This has been like the best part of my mission. I am so happy all of the time! Well, not all of the time, but most of it :)

So, Tuesday I went back to my first area on exchanges! That is where I served with Sister Parkinson. I did not like being back there without her! It was sad. I had lunch with the Gomm's (who we lived with), and it felt like home :) I have missed them!!! I honestly felt weird being back there. Not a lot is happening there. We think they are going to shotgun Elders in which makes me so sad because that area is my baby!!!!! Ugh, oh well. The Lord knows best :) It was fun to be back and try investigators from when I was there. I tried Matt and Hannah, but they were not home. I need to write them.

Okay, so remember the family I told you about last week? The Lane's? I think I wrote about them at least. They are the GOLDEN FAMILY WE FOUND HERE!!!! EEEKKK I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, Sara, the mom, was baptized when she was 8 in a Baptist church. She said she felt the spirit, and she felt it was right. She has been struggling whether to get baptized on May 2 with her husband and her oldest son. We have tried teaching priesthood authority a million times but nothing was sticking. We left our lesson Wednesday, and I was super worried. It was just a tough situation. sister Wright and I decided to fast and pray about it the next day (Thursday) for us to know how to help her understand she has to get baptized by priesthood authority. That Thursday we were fasting, we had a leadership meeting with two guys from SLC from the Mission Proselyting Department. It was incredible!!! Sister Wright and I went up to them during lunch to talk about our situation. We explained it to them, and how we didn;t know how to help Sara because we do not want to diminish her baptism. One of the men explained out Elder Richard G. Scott explains it. He said there are two main parts to baptism. The first, is just having a desire to follow Christ. You sincerely want to make that promise. The second, is actually being baptized by the proper authority of God. In both, the Spirit can be felt. He told us to tell Sara that she has righteous desires being baptized at 8 to follow Christ, and now this is the next step...to be baptized with the proper authority. It isn't taking all those years of being baptized away. Sister Wright and I felt like we received a lot of revelation that day at the training, while fasting and praying. We decided when we would teaching Friday night, we would not bring it up, so that we wouldn't be pushy and talk about it Saturday.

At our lesson Friday night, we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. We just wouldn't talk about Sara's current concern and teach the doctrine. We were reading the beginning of Acts 19 about Paul and the Holy Ghost, and I saw something change in Sara. I asked her what she was thinking and she started talking about the time being "now." We just listened, but in my head I was thinking "THE TIME IS NOW FOR WHAT?!?!?!" Ian, her husband, starting talking about how they discussed all of this yesterday and he told her that if she wanted to be on this team, aka Jesus Christ's church, then she had to be baptized here. We shared our experience of fasting and praying for her. We shared with her what the guy from SLC shared with us. the Spirit was so strong. The strongest I had ever felt in my entire life. I was crying. Sara was crying. Ian was crying. Sara said she felt her answer come the day before that she needed to be baptized May 2 with her family. So, she got her answer the day we were fasting and praying. I was so overwhelmed with the Spirit. IT WAS A MIRACLE!! TRULY! HER HEART TOTALLY CHANGED. Heavenly Father listened to our prayers and answered us. I felt so much love. It was the most spiritual experience I have ever had. It is a blessing to get to witness the conversion of this family. I get so happy thinking about them being sealed in a year. I do not even know how to fully express, except that Heavenly Fathers knows us personally. He knows what His children need, so we must seek HIS help. 

Kody was baptized on Saturday!! It was an incredible baptism!! His past seminary teachers spoke. His nonmember Dad came, and the dad's GF. They both cried during our "missionary moment." We taught about the Atonement. They totally felt the spirit, It was incredible!! 
The Lane's came and loved it. We walked them around the Temple after. The baptismal font for my stake is in the church building right next to the Temple. 

I just cannot express my joy. This is the family that I have been praying for. Sister Wright and I have already planned our trip back here to see them sealed as a family. They are just incredible. They have such strong faith. They are prepared. They are SO ready to be baptized. They do smoke, and they are stopping this week. please pray for them. I love folsom, I love Sister Wright, I love being a missionary, I love this Gospel, and I love getting to share it!!!!!! 

This transfer will be one that I NEVER FORGET. The Lane's are some of the most special people I have ever known! Hopefully they come visit Oklahoma to meet y'all :) 

Lots and Lots of Love from NOR CAL!
Sister Hickman 
Nothing beats bikes :) We love Folsom!

What will like be like after the mission when I am not biking in a skirt anymore...!?!

Lunch with the Gomm's in El Dorado :)

Stopped by Karen and Carissa when I was there for the day....still aren't baptized...maybe one day :) I LOVED seeing them again!

Kody's baptism this last Saturday! He is hopefully going on a mission in the next couple of years. He was brought into the Church through friends growing up. How neat!!!! He is awesome! Yes, I have gotten lots of sun on my bike.....

Bishop Grimsman baptized Kody. Such a special baptism!

Monday, April 6, 2015

HALFWAY IS THE SCARIEST THING!!!

Hi Everyone!!!!! 

This week was the best. Life changing. Seriously! So first off, I hit my halfway mark on thursday. I was on exchanges with Sister Campbell, so it was the best to celebrate our hump day together!! I just love that girl. It is really sad because missions go by way too fast. I do not want it to end. I am done thinking about time :) I just have got to soak it all in! 

So, this weekend was just so spiritual and wonderful. It started off with a Zone Training on Friday. In MLC (Mission Leadership council) this week, President gave us the topic, and then the Zone Leaders and STL's go back and present it to our zones. The topic was like "lower law vs. the higher law." Along those lines....It was not so much obedience because President is not mean or harsh at all, so focusing on that is not his personality. It was more like "What can we do MORE right?" So many things clicked for me! So the lower law is like the Law of Moses in the bible. Very checklist...cut and dry, etc. The Higher Law is what Christ teaches in Matthew 5. It is obedience by principle. The white handbook is the higher law. We should be obedient according to principle. the lower law isn't WRONG, but by living the higher law, you are taking it a step further. It totally clicked that I have been lower law. I follow all the rules, cut and dry, but I do not take them a step further. We read a talk called "The Challenge to Purify" (way good, by the way), and it talked about these Elders purifying themselves to become more dedicated servants of Jesus Christ. The commitment that President Jardine wanted us to do as a mission was to go through the white handbook and prayerfully make a list of what we can do that is "more right." I did that this past weekend, and it has been incredible! I was reading a talk by Lynn G. Robbins, "what manner of men and women ought ye to be?" It was all about "being" and not "doing." I am such a "doer" but I want to BECOME! anyways, I think this all might be confusing, but my life really has been changed.

General conference was AMAZING!!! Idk where to even begin. I loved so many of the talks. This has truly been one of the most spiritual weekends of my mission. 

Kody is getting baptized this saturday! He is the 19 year old who went to all 4 years of seminary with his friend. I am not sure if I told you about him. the zone leaders are a little upset because he is YSA age, but he doesnt want to go to the singles' ward. 

WE FOUND A FAMILY!!! THEY ARE GOLDEN AND SO INCREDIBLE!!!!!!! they are on date for May 2!!!!! SERIOUSLY I CANNOT STOP SMILING!!! HEAVENLY FATHER IS THE BEST!!!!! They have 2 boys..a 10year old and a 4year old. They just moved into the house of one of our potentials. that is how they were friend. Tender mercy let me tell you! we watched conference with them yesterday morning. They LOVED it!!!!!! AHHHHHH I just love everything!! I am so happy. I love teaching them. I go on exchanges in my old area tomorrow in El Dorado...I cannot even wait!!!

Have the best week ever!!!!!!!
Love,
Sister Hickman
A member made us the cutest April Fool's dinner! the "cupcakes" were meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The "french fries" were sugar cookie strips with icing as "ketchup." It was adorable! 

A member made us the cutest April Fool's dinner! the "cupcakes" were meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The "french fries" were sugar cookie strips with icing as "ketchup." It was adorable! 


She copied me :) Hehe jk, but everyone was commenting on our matching shirts haha

celebrating our halfway mark together! Love my Sister Campbell :) 

celebrating our halfway mark together! Love my Sister Campbell :) 

Watching General Conference with my comp at a member's home :) What a fun weekend! 

Easter Sunday! I am thankful for Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice. Because of Him, there is so much hope and love in our lives.

Sister Wright took this of me after a long day of work. WORK HARD, COLLAPSE HARD! Welcome to our lives :)