California Sacramento Mission: 1 year mark and AMERICA!

Hello hello!!
Can you all believe it has been a YEAR!?!?!? Wow, it has gone by fast.
I cannot even believe I was in the MTC one year ago. This has been one
of the best years ever. I have never learned so much or grown so much
in this short amount of time.
It was a fun week! We volunteered at the rodeo a couple nights. It was
so much fun!! my very first rodeo...and I hope not my last! It was
funny seeing like this new culture of country cowboys haha I liked it.
I kinda want to make it a hobby to go to rodeos. I am obsessed with
mutton busting!!! It is the little kids riding wild bucking sheep,
holding on for dear life in these little helmets!! IT IS HILARIOUS!!!!
They try to stay on as along as possible as the sheep run around. I
want my kids to do it! It is awesome!!! People there kept looking at
our name tags...we were ushers. They kept asking "Which way to the
alcohol??" Haha so that was pretty ironic being directed by Mormon
Missionaries to the drinks. It was hot but luckily California cools
off at night...unlike Oklahoma. The 4th of July rodeo is a Folsom
tradition, so we were happy to be apart of it and to be in the
community. It is all about good PR!
Sister Briggs and I ran the 10K on the morning of the 4th. Two members
put on runs every thanksgiving and 4th of July. It was fun! We didnt
walk. We finished in just a couple minutes over an hour, so we were
happy! The rest of the missionaries just volunteered. People kept
coming up to us telling us how they love their Mormon friends. One
woman told us how she had met President Hinkley! It was awesome. After
the run, we had a zone training. It was put on by me and Sister Briggs
and the Zone Leaders. We pull up and saw the Assistants' car and
President's car. I was a little annoyed. It was kind of a discussion
training, and I knew no one would be "real" if they were all there. Oh
well, it went well but that definitely threw us off having them just
show up. After zone training, we all went out and contacted at
downtown old Folsom and at their outdoor shopping mall. We just wanted
to do something different and fun for the holiday. We had a great
time! though we were dripping in sweat :) Our Pday started at 5pm, so
we ate dinner together and played games at the church. It was fun to
all be together! I have really branched out to all the missionaries.
It has been good for me to get used to having all these Mormon
friends. Still a little weird but getting used to it. I beat all the
Elders in basketball shooting games so that was pretty fun :)
For Sister Briggs' and I's 1 year mark on July 2nd, we went out to
lunch with the other sisters...sushi of course :) and then we went to
dinner at a member's house. She is a single mom, recently divorced and
has gone back to school. We figured out that she is in the accounting
program that Alec (the one I taught who got baptized in Roseville) and
Brenda (the member in my East sac ward who brought him into the
church). WHAT A SMALL WORLD! So they came over for dinner and the
member invited some nonmember accounting friends they all knew and we
taught a lesson and Alec talked about joining the church and the
friends said they felt the Sprit. It was so cool. they dont live in
our area but they are going to start going to church stuff. That was a
fun one year miracle. The morning of our one year, we met with this
lady from Vietnam who had just walked to the Church last Sunday asking
to serve. one of our members talked to her and set her up with us. We
taught her and focused on prayer and taught her how to pray. She said
the most tender prayer I have ever heard! She said, "Dear God. Hi, I
am Belle. This is my first time praying and I am happy to get to know
you..." She kept going and it was the sweetest, most genuine thing
ever! I had tears in my eyes. How incredible that God allows me to
witness these moments of His children coming to know Him better.
We are still teaching Susan and she is doing awesome! We are also
teaching this family...he is the head baseball coach at the high
school, the city of Folsom loves him and the family! They are awesome.
We are excited to see what happens.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve a mission. I mean it
when I say that everyone who can do this SHOULD! I cannot imagine my
life without this. I really cannot. I love getting to see those who
the Lord has prepared change their lives to find more happiness than
they could ever imagine.
I hope everyone had a great 4th!! It is my favorite holiday. I LOVE
AMERCA!!!! I did miss the lake and my friends and my family, but we
had fun here :) I love Northern California. Everyone is "sporty
outdoorsy" as I have started to call it. They all love to run and bike
and boat and do everything outside, and I have fallen in love with
this culture! Sister Briggs is like a total Northern Utah granola
(intense camping, hiking barefoot, ya know...granola things). But
here, everyone is not that intense and it has broadened my horizon to
new hobbies I want to incorporate in my life! I am obsessed with it!

Have a great week!!! I love you all!!! in less than a month, I will be
an auntie!!! YAY!!!!

Love,
Sister Hickman