This was the last week of the first transfer. I have said it before, but each transfer is 6 weeks and at that point, everyone is up to move areas in the mission. You could move, your companion could, you both could, or neither. So anyways, this was the last week of my first transfer in the field...it was great!!!
The weeks started off with the New Missionary Meeting. At the end of the first transfer, they bring all the new missionaries together to see how training is going, etc. I got to see my friends from the MTC...Sisters Campbell and Kandare. It made my week!!! We were so excited. We are all doing well as new missionaries. A lot of us are in the "richer" areas, which make them harder haha. We are all struggling with the same things, but it was really cool to come together and share experiences. Sister Parkinson said it is good to be trained in a hard area like this because you will grow so much! After looking back on this transfer, I know Heavenly Father needed me to learn from this and grow. I think I have been so used to being handed things in life. I always thought I was a hard worker, but my mission has already taught me so much about hard work and truly relying on the Lord. I am happy I learned that in my first transfer because it will truly change my mission. The first two weeks out here were the hardest things of my life. However, Heavenly Father humbled me and taught me to be obedient and have faith. Anyways, all the new missionaries loved seeing each other!!
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| At the New Missionary Meeting with Sister Campbell and Sister Kandare, who were in the MTC with me. It was the best seeing them!!! P.S. shout out to Kenz for the cute, cute necklace she mailed me :) the best gift for Sister Missionaries!!!! Our clothes get old after a while. |
Later that day, Monika called and dropped us. It was so weird and out of the blue. She basically did exactly what happened last time when she dropped the sisters about a year ago. That was hard for me. I felt like Heavenly Father was bringing people to us, like Hannah and Monika, and they were so ready, and then taking them away so quickly. I felt like I was being teased. However, prayer got me through it. I have faith that it is just not their time yet. I know they felt something in our lessons, and I just have to be patient and see if something happens down the road.
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| Sister Bishop, Sister Parkinson, and me at the Bass Lake Ward Luau. It was at the Bishop's house. Yes, the one I sent pics of last week. Actually, when this was taken, we were not in Bass Lake, but we crashed on our dinner break because we served there three weeks and thought we deserved to go!! Now that we are back over Bass Lake Ward, we do not feel bad at all!!!! |
On Friday, we had this investigator come to the church and work on family history with a member in our ward. It was awesome because we are really trying to push family history! She has been visited by missionaries for YEARS, but now something is starting to happen. We think temple work and family history work is starting to bring the Spirit to her. The Spirit was so strong while we did family history for her. I pulled up mine and started looking through all my ancestors. So, my dad has always been SUPER into family history, and I have ALWAYS taken it for granted. I thought it was boring. But this night, I was so into it!! I was looking at all my family names and places, etc. So, shout out to my dad for working hard....I can now say I appreciate it! I read the story about my great-great grandfather, Henry Moon, on my mom's side. He was baptized in England by the missionaries there (Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde) and came to America. He talked about meeting Joseph Smith and knowing he was a prophet of God. He was set apart as a Bishop by Brigham Young, after coming across the plains. The story then had his testimony to his posterity. He talked about the truthfulness of the gospel and staying on the straight and narrow path. I was crying reading this because I felt the love in my family roots. I was reading the testimony of this gospel from my great-great grandfather. He was a strong man, who raised his family in this gospel. I felt the Spirit so strongly, and I know that this Church is true, just like he testified of.
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| Everyone asks us if we are sisters. It is too funny! We have decided that we do see the resemblance. |
So...we got transfer calls last night and we all move tomorrow! Sister Parkinson and I are staying! Yay! When you are training, you always do haha. BUTTTTT we are back over Bass Lake Ward. Hahah so back to Green Valley and Bass Lake wards. It is so weird because remember how I was and then they brought the member to be with Sister Bishop for the last week so the work could be split? So, we are like...why would they do that if they were just going to be combined again? Sister Bishop is going to Tracey, by the way. It is south. So, I will be living in the same place. I am pumped! However, I am so overwhelmed!! Green Valley was getting SO BUSY!!!!! Not kidding! and now we have another ward!!! I know this transfer will be exhausting but so worth it. We will be working so hard. I cannot wait! We missed Bass Lake..even though we had only been there 3 weeks. So this is the ward Sister Parkinson served in the first 6 months of her mission.
Today, we got to go to the temple. It was incredible. I had missed going!! I wish we could go more. We can only go 4 times a year on transfer P-days. It was so peaceful and the temple is beautiful in Sacramento!
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| This was taken this morning at the Sacramento Temple. We did a session, and we loved going together! |
I wanted to end with some things I have learned in my first transfer, as transfer two starts this week....
A mission is completely what the missionary makes it. Not kidding! There is a HUGE difference between a good missionary and a great one. You can come out here and be disobedient and push the boundaries. Also, not work hard and just be besties with the members. I want to always work hard and remember that I am on the Lord's time for these 18 months because they will FLY! Also, I have learned to be grateful for the little miracles in life. Heavenly Father gives us miracles everyday, and He is truly blessing this area. If I put my faith in Him, he will make sure we are okay. I have learned to find joy in the little things. I have also learned to talk to everyone!!! I have a bad habit of judging people by their looks...thinking "they look mean..they will not listen to us" but sometimes those are the nicest people!!! People here are being prepared for the gospel and WE WANT A BAPTISM THIS TRANSFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously love my mission and being out here. Everyday, I fall more in love with it. Because we have actually been teaching and finding people, I am able to see the gospel begin to change people's lives. I cannot wait for this next transfer. I am in a good place in my mission, but I do not want to be content!! We want to keep working hard and pushing and finding people. Thank you for all your kind words and prayers for me every week. Miracles are happening, and this mission is changing my life.
I know this gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that if we commit to Him and act on our faith, the gospel will change our lives. We can find a new meaning. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that if you read it, study it, and pray to know that it is true, you WILL receive an answer. I love that book. I study from it for a long time each day, and I keep learning.
I love you all, and mail gets stopped on transfer week because they wait to see if you move, so I will get it all at the end of the week! I have printed emails this week, and I will write back ASAP!
Talk to you all next Monday!!!
Love,
Sister Hickman
P.S. If my grammar is ever wrong, I promise I can write well...I just type so fast to get this all in...no judgement :)
P.S.S. I was not effected by earth quake!! I did not even know it happened!!
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