It is already time for Coloma!?

Hi there!!

Sorry this email is coming late...I have been at Coloma all day! The
missionaries all go with their departing groups the summer before you
leave. So, I went with all the December and January departing
missionaries today. SO WEIRD THAT WE ARE SO OLD! Sister Parkinson went
to Coloma our first P-day together a year ago...it is nuts! I will
talk more about Coloma in a little.

I wanted to share about a neat experience with Susan this week. We
took her on a temple tour Saturday night. The Folsom Stake puts it on
everyday Saturday for missionaries to bring investigators to or just
members to bring people to. they walk you around the temple and talk
about it and show videos, etc. It is great. They show a shortened
version of the Joseph Smith story. When we were leaving the temple
tour, we asked Susan what she thought. She said, "I felt all tingly
during the Joseph Smith video, I love his story everytime I hear it."
I said, "Susan, that feeling is the Holy Ghost." She said, "I never
want it to leave!" I said, "After you are baptized and receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost, it will aways be with you!!" It was awesome to
hear her talk about her feelings and impressions. When we first
started teaching her, she really struggled to feel and recognize the
Spirit. Her testimony truly is growing so much. She loves the Book of
Mormon, and she knows this is Jesus Christ's church. It has been the
coolest thing seeing her grow. It is such a blessing to know her! She
said she wants to be baptized late August because she has to keep
leaving town. Because she is a school teacher, the summer is when she
gets to travel! So she hasn't gotten to come to church a ton. I am
sending pictures from the temple tour for you to see her!

So, Coloma is where the mission takes the missionaries as something
fun to do on a P-day the summer before your mission ends. It is a
place in the El Dorado Stake (where I started my mission), and it is
super historic. It is where they first found gold that started the
California Gold Rush. There is so much history and so much MORMON
history...it is so cool! The Mormons basically founded California!
Those from the Mormon battalion settled this northern California area
and present day San Fran because they thought the pioneers would keep
coming West, but they really stopped in Utah. But, this group in
California, while they were waiting, found the first gold and
basically started the Gold Rush. However, their families and temple
blessings were more important to them, so they all left it and went to
Utah to be with their families. Others came for the Gold Rush. It was
so neat to hear how they left all the wealth they could have had to be
with their families and be sealed to them in the Salt Lake City Utah
temple. President Brigham Young truly was a prophet of God and knew
they would be persecuted in California, so that is why he did not lead
them even more West and stopped in Utah. It is incredible all the
Mormon history in this state! And Sister Gomm, My mission mom (that is
who I lived with in El Dorado with Sister Parkinson) is a "living
history missionary," so she dresses up like a pioneer and re-enacts
the Mormon battalion to teach people this history...well she was our
tour guide today!! It was SO FUN seeing her and Brother Gomm! I have
missed them dearly. She really brought the Spirit today while she told
us all this. We also got to pan for gold. Hahah  it is a fun little
touristy place for people to come and learn. But the best part was
that I got to be with Sister Kandare and sister campbell ALL DAY!! and
sister wright! she goes home later but came on this Coloma trip hahah
I was happy. It was fun!

I love the history I learned today! And with Pioneer day approaching
this week, I love reflecting on the history of the early Saints and
all they went through. I loove love love the pioneers!!! I am grateful
for my Great great grandfather, Henry Moon, who crossed the plains to
Utah. I am thankful for the sacrifice and faith they had in the Lord.
I wouldn't be here today without it!

Transfers are next week, so P-day will be Tuesday. I am fine leaving
or staying, so I am not nervous! I am good either way. I do want to
stay in one area for 6 months, so maybe Folsom will be it :)

Love you all!! Have a great week!!!
Love,
Sister Hickman

At the temple tour with Susan! Isn't she the cutest!? We decided we are all going to do the Church History tour together to see all the sites! 

my girls!! Could not make it without these two. Campbell/Hickman/Kandare for life!

On our way to the historic Coloma :)

Northern California is the prettiest. I believe those are the Sierra Nevada Mountains behind us.

All my old companions/mission friends still in the SAC mission together today!!! It was a blast being with these fun people :)

Our whole group of December/January departing missionaries at Coloma. Seriously all the sisters are leaving haha.

So much fun seeing Sister Gomm! This goat, Taggert, is who watched me run every morning when I would run around the house for my morning exercise :)

panning for gold! Just call us the Gold Rush of 2015 :)