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Monday, May 25, 2015

Happy Memorial Day!!

Hi friends and family!!!

Happy Memorial Day!!! We have been volunteering at the all runs in folsom and at the last one, there was a booth for the memorial day run and I was SO EXCITED because I have been looking for a run on Monay (Pday) MY WHOLE MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted the whole zone to do it, but I guess that dont find running for fun exciting like I do :) haha. The Zone leaders did it, and then Sister Wright and I did it. I asked President to make sure it was okay, and he said, "Yes, that is a great idea! Now, dont worry about your time and try to talk to people and teach! Missionaries back in Utah did that at the runs and taught more lessons than the rest of the week!" Sister Wright HATES to run. Hates it. Haha I run in a circle every morning while she watches me. BUT, she wanted to do this. We ran 2 miles every morning this past week to "train" for it haha. That was a big deal for her! She did the race with our Ward Mission Leader's wife, and I did it with their daughter. We finished in under 30min, so I am not TOOO out of shape :) Sister Wright and the wife didnt walk! I was so proud of Sis Wright. She was so excited. It was fun to do something like that this morning for the holiday. 
Our running group before the Memorial Day 5K :)
Action shot thanks to Sister Campbell, who was volunteering at the race. I am barely in there towards the middle of the picture!

Post 5K selfie....I have taken more selfies on my mission than in my entire life.....

I am so proud of her!!! What a fun start to our Pday :) 
So, the Lane's cancelled the lesson last monday with the Jardines. Ian was sick, apparently. We just stopped in Friday night because we are tried of the cancelling! We FINALLY talked to them both. It is complicated but basically they said they would pray all weekend to see if they wanted to keep investigating or not. Us and a lot in the ward fasted for them yesterday. We'll see. They weren't hardcore "anti-ed" from online, but kinda....so sad. 

Folsom is great! I am doing a lot better because I really was kind of depressed those two weeks after the Lanes flaked on everything. I was trying to act like I was fine and everything was fine, but now that I am normal again, I can tell that it was hard on me. Sister Wright and I work hard, and I love being comps with her! Right when I got into interviews with President, the first thing he said was, "Sister Hickman, are you burning yourself out??" I said, no!!! Plus, I have to work hard now because I have a companion who does, and that is not always the case!!!! Haha he said that is true. It was great having interviews. We talked about the new mission, and I really dont think I am going. He alluded to that, but I guess we'll see. We talked about going home early for school, etc. Okay so here is the news...

My mission is set to end January 14. A lot of you know that I was really thinking and praying about coming home a transfer early (dec 4th) to be back in time for school at BYU. I have been thinking and praying a lot, and I do not feel peace about December. After talking to President, my family, and of course, Heavenly Father, I have figured out what is best. I am coming home on time on January 14 to Salt Lake City, and I will go to BYU (in Provo) the next day. I will be like 2 weeks late, but annalee and mychal said they will help me out with my classes and assignments for what i miss :) I will then fly home a weekend (TBD) in January or February to Tulsa to see my friends (CANT WAIT) and have my homecoming. My family will be at the SLC airport. I have SO MUCH peace about, and I am so happy it is done and over, so I can stop worrying about it!!! To my friends, I know you thought december this whole time, but hey, it has been so long, what is a few extra weeks, right?? :) That will make the reunion that much sweeter in the Tulsa airport!!! 
I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us, and we can seek His help through prayer. I am thankful for His guidance in my life, and I love being His servant. I just cannot cut that short. I only have one time to be a missionary. It is the most incredible thing. 
I love you all!!!! I hope you have a great week!!!! 

Love,
Sister Hickman
In El Dorado for the afternoon on team-ups...It was fun being with Sister Allen in her area! it is SO COUNTRY but BEAUTIFUL!
Went on exchanges back to East Sac for the day, so of course I set up lunch and running with my Sister Kandare! Nothing is better than seeing your best friend! She has finally jumped on the BYU Provo bandwagon....cant wait :) 

Monday, May 18, 2015

Hi everyone!!!

Hello family and friends!!!

This week wasn't super exciting. Things are going well, but I am really working on having the faith to find those that are prepared. I have been lacking motivation lately to go out and really find Heavenly Father's children that are ready for the restored gospel. 

This week, I am going to add to my list of things that are different here in Northern California from Oklahoma...I think I started it a few months back...
1. soft curbs: They are the BEST! I think it is because of bikers being everywhere. If Oklahoma had soft curbs...I would not have gotten those 4 flat tires in high school!!!!!!! 
2. King's Hawaiian rolls: I am not sure if they sell these in Oklahoma, but EVERYONE eats them here!!! They are from the grocery store and come in like an orange bag. Seriously, these are at almost every dinner we eat at.
3. Sourdough bread: I guess it is famous from San Francisco, so it is BIG up here. Everyone make such a big deal about it! It is funny. You "have to have San Fran sourdough bread" is what I hear all the time.
4. chickens in backyards: this is becoming quite the trend. I think because a lot of the people in Northern California have a bit of a country draw to them, but they live in the city, so they all build chicken coops in their yards and raise chickens for eggs. Well, maybe they have them because they love everything "fresh." Like fruits, veggies, etc, so why not eggs!? it is funny!
5. "totes" : You know plastic bins you buy from like target/walmart for storage? Everyone calls them totes!!! I had never heard that before. I just say plastic container/bin. 

So there you have it for some of my northern california fun-facts. I love it here, I really do! Word on the street is that we actually are not getting iPads next week, but that we are just getting trained on how to use them. Everyone is mad haha. Because we have been getting this "we are getting ipads talk" for like a year. Also, another word on the street is that our mission doesn't have a lot of news for the mission split July 1st, so we have no clue when we are getting told what is happening to us. So much for finding out in January or February! We may get moved mid-transfer (next transfer). Hopefully I stay!!!! 

Everything is good! We are meeting with the Lanes tonight with President and Sister Jardine. That will be interesting. Keep praying for them. 
There was a missionary farewell yesterday in the ward, and Sister Wright and I were asked to bear our testimonies at the beginning. the first thing I said was, "I just love missionary farewells!!" Ugh missionary work is the best! It is the coolest thing to be apart of. 

Love you all so much! If you are living somewhere different for the summer, email me your new address :)

Lots of love,
sister hickman 
We were on the bike trail and stopped to talk to these kids...they are freshman in high school and were working on an English project for school....making romeo and juliet. We talked to them and they weren't interested, but before we left we said, "Is there anything we can help with?" Because we always ask that and people always say no, but they go, "wait, yes! We need someone to be her possie in the video". Idk what character she was. Sister Wright and I were dying laughing! The Mormon missionaries making a guest appearance in a school film. It was hilarious.

Exchanges with my fav, sis campbell! Bike selfies are just becoming a tradition with my mission best friends :) 

The Ficklins, an office couple, are ending their mission. They took the Folsom sisters out to lunch because Sister Campbell and I are their favorites :) we like to think that at least :) They forward the mail, and I think they are VERY glad to never see a letter addressed to "Genevieve June Hickman" again!!!!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Post-Mother's Day....

Hi everyone!!! 

I feel like I am coming off a high from talking to friends and family yesterday!!! It was SO FUN!!!! Wow, I have missed my fam and I HAVE MISSED MY BEST FRIENDS!!!! cannot wait to see the rest in 8 months :) 

Not a ton of SUPER exciting things happened. We did have that lesson with Susan (from the park that we met) and it was GREAT!!! she is so awesome. Her daughter came in for the weekend, so we didnt see her at church, but we are excited to teach her this week.

On Friday night, Sister Wright and I get home, and I realize I left the keys inside, so we were locked out haha. Our member is usually always home, but she wasn't that night. We called and texted and could NOT get ahold of her. Sister Campbell and Sis Kauvaka come pick us up and we had a sleepover!!! It was so fun. I have always wanted to do that!!! Still went to bed at 10:30pm hahaha so still missionary approved :) We helped with a mother's day run the next morning early early, so we all went and got bagels for breakfast before. It felt a little like normal life! We enjoyed it.

On Thursday afternoon, we were out biking, and I was having a day where I was just feeling super super bold and happy and I was contacting like nobody's business...it was way fun. I car contacted this guy (went up to his car that he was in....lol awkward) and he was super nice, and he said we could come back and teach him this week!!! Sister Wright goes, "your strength is that you literally talk to everyone, even in their cars haha you just dont care!" Thanks, Sister Parkinson, you taught me well :) I think one of the strangest things after a mission will be not talking to every person that you see......no wonder RM's are freakishly friendly....

Folsom is great! We have a lot of great potential, so hopefully some baptisms in the coming months.....
The Lanes all have been sick (terrible time, ugh). We have seen them a little bit. They are reading the Book of Mormon. I really hope this doesn't drag out forever, but whatever the Lord has planned is how it is supposed to be!

Mission life is great!!! I cannot believe that it is May. The weather is beautiful here!!! I love being in the hills. 

Have a great week!! I love you all!!
Love,
sister hickman
Our sleepover :) maybe I should lock the keys in more often!!!! 



I forgot to mention that last Monday, for "man-up monday" (monday before transfer tuesday) we cleaned the temple as a zone and they took us to the roof!! It was so fun!!!!!! 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Crazy Week!!!

Hi everyone!!! 

TRANSFERS HAPPENED AND WE ARE BOTH STAYING WOOHOOO!! sister wright and I are SO happy :)

Celebrating our 10 month with my girl, Sister Campbell! So happy she is still in the Folsom zone with me :) We had a picnic on Temple Hill and saw lots of weddings that day...oops :) 

I feel like I title every week a "crazy week." Hahah that is a mission for you. Well, just life actually, right? :) So, big stuff happened this week.

Starting with Monday night after I emailed....the Lane's decided to POSTPONE the baptism. It did not happen. We went over there to talk to them. They were nervous about telling us....probably because I cried like a baby in church last sunday!!!!!!!! They just need more time. We literally only taught them 30 days, and they want to look around at other churches to make sure this is the one. We felt like they were breaking up with us!! haha bur seriously. I was super bummed, but I have no doubt that one day it will happen. Idk when. maybe this transfer...maybe in a couple months. I have faith in the Lord's timing. We still see them every week to build their testimonies, but it just feels different. I was just sort of depressed all week. BUT lots of miracles happened yesterday that I will tell you about :)

President called on thursday to tell us something and at the end said, "Oh, Sister Hickman, did you know Sister Bills is leaving the mission to do a service mission in SLC?" I said, "WHAT?!?!? is this her doing or the Church's?" He said she came to him asking for that. I was glad it was her decision and not someone telling her she can't be here. I started crying on the phone talking to her. I really do love that girl, and I wanted her to serve the full 18 months more than ANYTHING. I asked if I could go have lunch with her and say bye (perks of being her STL, I could leave the zone to see her...tender mercy!!!). We went down there, so I could see her. she is so at peace. she was scared to death to tell me because she thought I would convince her to stay haha. She didn't want to let me down or disappoint me. I told her how dang proud I am of her. It was incredible the time she gave! She leaves today for the service mission. I think it will be so good for her. I am grateful that I was able to train her because she has left a huge impact on the person I am. I will miss her!!! 
Saying bye to my little baby. I will miss Sister Bills! She will be great in Salt Lake City. 
it wouldn't be complete without a selfie hahaha she's an awkward one :) 

WE OFFICIALLY GET IPADS ON MAY 26!!! WOOHOOO!!!! We are all pretty pumped because we were told for MONTHS that they were coming. And now they are :) Hopefully I am not a facebook missionary.......

So, as I said, yesterday was full of miracles! we had a down week with the Lane's and like nothing was happening. Yesterday, we prayed SO HARD to find SOMEONE who wants to listen to us. We told Heavenly Father that we would not come home til we found someone!!!!! We were visiting a less-active and as we walked away, there was a woman sitting by the park I said hi to her as we approached the complex, and she totally blew me off. I was not really wanting to talk to her because I thought she made it clear she didnt really want to listen. BUT we said we would do anything! We go up to her, and thank goodness we did! We start talking to her and long story short.....she knows tons of Mormons an loves them, she has gone to baptisms of her students, and has always wanted to learn more. ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?!? I told her that Heavenly Father answered our prayers because we were praying so hard to find someone. she said, "I think you were sent to me for a reason." It was the coolest. We are teaching her tonight! Then, we are walking away about to scream of happiness and we check the phone and have a text from our newest ward missionary. She seriously started coming back to church like a month ago from like 30 years of not going. SHE IS ON FIRE and TALKING TO EVERYONE SHE KNOWS!!! she has brought so many to church. Well this text said she talked to someone in her complex who wants to learn more and has always wanted to be Mormon. WE couldnt believe it!!!! 

My heart is so full. We have so much faith that Heavenly father will lead us to those who are prepared. 
Thankful for her!! She is the cutest lil trainer around :)

On a side note: our zone training this month was on "being" and "doing." the talk is "What manner of men and women ought ye to be?"
It is a great talk if you focus on the principle behind it....you can apply it to not just parenting that he is talking about. I have made a "To-Be List" in the back of my planner. I am going to evaluate myself each night to help myself become who the Lord needs to be. I wanted to share my list because I think it could help a lot of people! Life is crazy, so it can be hard to really focus on the kinds of people we are in the day-to-day ways.

Sister Hickman's To-Be List
In what ways was I a good companion today?
Was I: 
compassionate?
understanding?
patient? 
charitable?
honest?
diligent?
humble?
generous?
In what ways did I look outside myself to serve?
Was I obedient?
Did I easily forgive?
How did my faith help me in today's challenges?
Did I speak kindly to others?
Was I positive and hopeful, even when things didnt go my way?
Engrave His image in our countenance and His attributes in our behavior.
The scripture for this transfer that is my "theme" is 3 Nephi 27:27 "therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, EVEN AS I AM." 

I am excited to really focus on becoming as Christ is, as I evaluate myself every night to truly become the woman that He needs me to be. If we aren't improving, then what are we doing?
Stake Conference was this week. I LOVE having the Temple in my stake!!! The flowers are so pretty! Happy spring from nor cal :)

I am excited to talk to my family and friends on Mother's day!!!! Time is flying. I love this gospel, and I LOVE my mission.

Love
sis hickman