California Sacramento Mission: Meet my trainee!

Hi guys!!! I GOT MY BABY!! Her name is Sister Lillie (such a cute name, right!?) and she is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. SHE IS A CANADIAN!!! She calls the bathroom a washroom. it is so funny. and she says "eh" all the time. The stereotype really is a thing! She graduated in 2011, but she is just 2 months older than me. They just do grades weird there. She hasn't done any college...she worked as a receptionist at a dental office. So, she is really great with people! It is SO different training her than before. Im like, wait...she knows how to talk to people. Hahah I dont even have to teach her anything. It has been a little hard because we have similar "take charge" personalities, so we are struggling to find how our roles fit together, but it is getting better! I think it will be a great experience.

Wednesday is the day we became companions, so we pretty much just used our car that day (it is a convenience car...limited miles because we are in a full biking area), so Thursday we went out on our bikes. Literally 15 minutes in, I hear a CRASH behind me. Sister Lillie hit a curb and totally ate it! Poor thing. She fell on her arm and kind of sprained it. She has been in a sling and we have been in car. Hopefully this week she will be healed and we can be back on bike. At least she crashed at the beginning of her mission, so that it is over with!

The ward is awesome! They are SO excited to have sisters. They seriously never have them! The ward is kind of similar demographic of my East Sacramento ward. There is a pretty nice part of this ward that takes up about half of the ward. Not a lot of members lives there and the missionaries haven't really worked it, so we are hoping to work that better. I am excited to be in this zone! Cordova is honestly SO ugly compared to Folsom. I miss the hills in the background! Cordova is just so metropolitan with no background....kind of like Oklahoma I guess. I have been spoiled with the last 6 months of my mission!

I am excited for what is in store. There are a couple pretty solid investigators her, but otherwise, we are definitely in finding mode. And we are trying to meet the members. You stay busy when shot gunning, so it will be great!

I felt all over the place this week, and I felt like I was lacking the Spirit a little. I had an experience Friday night with a returning less active member. She opened up about her hardships and how much the gospel was helping her. I felt this overwhelming amount of love for her from our Heavenly Father. One of my very favorite things as a missionary is having the privilege of sitting across from someone, bearing testimony, and feeling God's love for them so strongly. I needed this experience this particular night. I needed to be reminded that God knows and loves all of His children. He understands our situations perfectly. He is watching out for us. I know that He loves us. I am grateful that He allows me to be apart of so many peoples' lives.

If you all haven't already heard, I will be returning to the University of Oklahoma in January for that semester. I had been receiving promptings for a while that God wants me there that semester (maybe He didnt want me dying going to BYU 2 weeks late after just getting home from a mission :) ). I am deferring to BYU the Fall of 2016. If I have learned anything the last 2 years, it is that God has a much better life plan for me than I do, so I better follow Him! I am excited to be back in Oklahoma that semester and to be with my best friends their last semester of college!

I cannot believe that it is already mid-September. Time is a crazy thing. I am trying this transfer to really "re-discover" my passion for missionary work. I honestly am so tired. I am worn out. But, I dont want to stop now. I am praying extra hard for that added strength. I want to give my all in the Rossmoor ward. Sister Lillie and I are so excited to work here!!!

I love you all and miss you!!! Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Until next week,

Sister Hickman