"Why is everyone dressed like that so tall?"

A new week is here and we just finished having another amazing week here in Union City. This is really such an amazing area and I hope I get to stay for a while longer, but who knows if I'll be transferred in two weeks or not.



This week we have seen a lot of success. Yesterday Fiorella and Samantha both got baptized. Fiorella has been an investigator for quite some time off and on, and yesterday she was baptized and seemed to be really happy. Hopefully her siblings Emily and Brian will get baptized soon as well.

This week we set two new baptismal dates for the 24th of April with our Investigators Christian and Trixi. They are two very prepared souls. One is from Columbia and another is from El Salvador. They have such a great desire to learn, and I think they really love the message. Sadly they haven't gone to church at all because Christian works, and Trixi is very pregnant, like going to have the baby just any day now. But they are doing good and I think will continue progressing.

I had another great opportunity to return to my Birth Area last Tuesday. I went on an exchange and was working with Elder Flake in the Bayonne/Jersey City area. We were able to go see Hermana Aranda (The older lady from Bolivia) which was a great experience. She didn't really remember me very well, but it was great going back and seeing her. We also got to go see Patricia and Leonal, the two investigators that me and Elder Yates re-found at the end of my first transfer that had a lot of great potential. Leonal was baptized, and just recently passed the sacrament for the first time, and the other elders have been trying to work with Patricia as well. Elder Flake and I went there and we set Patricia with a new baptismal date, and she wrote down a few things that she would have to give up in order to be baptized, but she seemed pretty sincere, and I was so happy to be able to see them again. As I was leaving their house it was kinda sad knowing I might not ever go back, and I really felt a great love for that family.

This week we taught Yolanda and Hector again and they seem to be doing great. Besides the fact that they have a few trials hitting them, I think Hector has progressed a lot. He seems so interested in the Gospel and we are still hoping that they can be baptized on the 10th of April. Elder Hannah was saying today that maybe Hector can just get baptized on the 10th, and then a few weeks later he would be able to baptize his mom and grandma. That would be cool for sure, but we need to get permission from Yolanda's Husband for her to be baptized.

Also, Brian Martinez left today for his mission which is kinda sad. He's really helped me and Elder Hannah out a ton, and has basically been our 3rd companion for this entire transfer. But he's gonna do awesome on his mission.




Becca asked for funny stories, but I don't have any really funny long stories but just funny little experiences or just things where I could say "That would only happen to me". Just like the subject of this e-mail. We were walking by a couple of kids and once we passed them they were like "'Why is everyone dressed like that so tall?" Or another experience where I was walking into an apartment and my foot accidently knicked some thing and it fell and made a loud clanging sound. Or at a dinner appointment I picked up the salad that was in a strainer bowl and as I was serving some salad to myself, it was dripping from the bottom onto the floor and chair. Or a cat walking by my leg during a lesson and getting it's hair all over, or me sitting down waiting for Elder Hannah coming to plan and seeing something move in the corner of my eye only to find a mouse running across the floor and under the fridge (kinda like last year huh?) We have traps set up though and hopefully we'll catch him, but I guess you gotta just love it all.

I really do love it here in Union City though. Elder Hannah and I are getting along better than ever. We've been trying to work with our Recent Converts, but Diana still didn't come to church this week, and neither did the Ramirez family, but I guess everyone has their agency. It just gets dicouraging at times when you feel like people are just not doing what they know is right. As is said on the PMG DVD's and everything I felt this way yesterday. I was sitting in sacrament just kinda frustrated that certain people didn't come to church, and then I thought about how going on a mission really does help you try to become more like Heavenly Father. You love the people and you try to teach them what's right and really hope that they'll follow through, and sometimes they just don't and they make the wrong choice. It makes you feel sad and dissappointed because you love the people so much, and then you just think about Heavenly Father and how he feels when His Children are taught correct principles, and still fall to the natural man and make wrong choices. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be serving a mission, and all the great experiences I'm having. My Spanish is getting better little by little, but I'm still far from being fluent.

Thanks again for everything!
The Gospel is True!

I love you all! (Les Amo Mucho!!)

Love, Elder Hicks

SPRING IS HERE!

Well, happy first day of spring everyone. I'm so happy that the weather has finally gotten warmer here. I mean right now it's rainy and stuff, but on Friday it was like it was summer. I went proselyting in a short sleeve shirt and was out at a barbecue for awhile, and there were a ton of people out on the streets enjoying the weather.

This week has been another great one though for sure. Elder Hannah and I have really been seeing great success together, and he told me this morning that neither he nor I would see another transfer like this one again. It really has been amazing. Yesterday Christian and Francisco were confirmed. Unfortunately Fiorella and her daughter weren't able to be baptized this week, but they are planning on it for next week for sure.

This week we had the opportunity to go teach Yolanda, Wendy, and Hector again. They are the family from Ecuador. We read through the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them from 2 Nephi 31, and they seem to understand it very well. Hector was telling us that he has never felt the same way with anything as he has when he reads the Book of Mormon and goes to church. He really is a champ, and I hope that one day in the next few years he can go on a mission. During that lesson we were able to set all 3 of them with the baptismal date of April 10th. Hopefully they can continue learning and feeling the spirit to really be prepared by that date. They are an amazing, and really prepared family for sure.

We also have these other golden investigators named Christian and Trixi. This week we went over, and they had done their reading and the first 10 or 15 minutes of the lesson was spent talking about what they had read, things they picked out, and questions that had. They have such a great desire to learn. We taught them the plan of salvation and Trixi liked it a lot. After the lesson Christian was asking us how he could know if he had retained a remission of his sins, and another question about how to judge or discern. They are so awesome, and I think they could have baptismal dates pretty soon as well. Trixi is due to have a baby though very soon, and they haven't been able to come to church yet, but things will all work out in the end.

We've been working with our Recent Converts a good amount lately and they all seem to be doing well. Ruth is continually learning, and she's really a great member of the church. I'm getting a little worried about Diana though because we haven't seen her at Church the last 2 weeks, and we haven't really been able to see her or talk to her in awhile. Yesterday we saw her mom though and she said that Diana has been busy taking care of her little sister, and that her phone was broken, but sometimes I just don't know. I really hope we can get back in contact with her, and help her grow in the Church.

This week we were walking down the street and a guy waved to us from across the street. Then he started yelling out Jimmer Fredettes name. It was pretty funny that he recognized us as Mormons, I guess because of BYU basketball. We didn't talk to him or anything, but I thought it was a pretty interesting experience.

The mission life is good though, and I'm still trying to learn Spanish. I haven't been progressing a ton lately, but I'm sure it will come with time. It gets discouraging at times when people don't come to church, especially recent converts, but I guess that's why we are here. To bring other people unto Christ, while at the same time strengthening the ward that we are in. The Gospel truly brings so much happiness, and sometimes you just want to make people take it. Everyone has their agency though, and you really learn to develop Christlike attributes on the mission. I can't believe almost 7 months has gone by. Pretty crazy huh? Well, gotta keep working hard and staying focused, and may this spring be a great one for all of you. May we truly find happiness in the little things and allow to "Come what may, and love it." I love all of you and I'm pretty excited for General Conference in a few weeks.

Love, Elder Hicks

Chicos!

This week has been another great week here in Union City 1-30. The combination has actually turned out to be pretty great for Elder Hannah and I, because it keeps us pretty busy for sure. I guess I'll just update you on any news or cool things that happened this week, and then I'll send you a picture of... Our two baptisms this week!

We had a pretty cool opportunity to invite Diana (Our recent convert) to go on a Team-up with us to go and teach another Dominican Girl that has had some interest in the church. We went and taught her about the plan of salvation, and Diana was trying to explain different things to her, and trying to help her understand, and even asking for a certain pamphlet to show her a thing or two. Diana is pretty awesome for sure, although we've had a really hard time being able to actually teach her and help her grow in her gospel knowledge.

This week we were able to go teach this awesome lady named Yolanda who was a former investigator awhile back. Last week she came to church and we set up an appointment to go by in the week. We went to the appointment and she was there with her daughter Wendy and her Grandson Hector. Yolanda lived in Utah for awhile and I think really has a testimony about the Book of Mormon, and in the church as a whole. We taught all three of them about the Restoration, and they all seem to be really interested. I think they are from Ecuador, and Wendy and Hector are especially new to the states having only been here for a month or two, I think. Wendy commented during the lesson about how she liked what we were saying, and all three of them came to church this week. Hector even stayed for the baptism, and is showing some great interest in learning more about the church.

Ruth is becoming a pretty strong member of the church as well. We had to reconfirm her this Sunday, but she seems to have a strong testimony of these things, and will probably do some pretty amazing things in the church.

This week I had the opportunity to do splits and be out with another recent convert named Jan (John) which was pretty cool. We didn't actually get to teach anybody, but it was good practice for my Spanish, and good to get to know him a little more. We went to his house to wait for Elder Hannah and Brian, and I decided to share a message with him about prayer from the book of Enos. I talked to him about the pattern of Enos' prayer when he starts out by praying for himself and repenting of his sins, then begins to pray for his bretheren the Nephites, and then his bretheren the Lamanites, who were their enemies. And that's how our prayers should be. Not just for ourselves, but for our bretheren and even for our enemies I guess you could say.

This week we were able to go eat at the bishops house, and after I left, one of the friends of the Bishops daughter showed interest in taking the lessons, and he even came to church and the baptism yesterday, asking how long it would take, or what he needed to do to be baptized. The Lord has really blessed us this transfer.



Yesterday we also had the opportunity to have the baptism for the "Chicos". Well, Christian (9) and Francisco (11) I guess you could say. And when we asked who they wanted to baptize them and we gave them their options, Christian picked me. It was a really great opportunity yesterday to baptize Christian and I'm really grateful that I had the privilege of doing it. Next week we are supposed to have two more baptisms with Fiorella and Her Daughter, who were both at the Baptism yesterday.

It should be another busy week, but I really love being busy. It definitely makes the time fly by for sure. After this week the transfer will be half over. There are going to be some big changes coming up in the next few months though with about 17 Spanish missionaries going home, and only like 2 coming in, and then a new mission president this summer. But I guess life is all about changes.

I'm so grateful to be a missionary. The Gospel is True!! I know that Heavenly Father really has a plan for all of us, and we can learn new things from every situation. It's up to us to react to the situation in a Christlike way, and that's where the learning will take place. I know that becoming a consecrated missionary is really the way to find happiness in the mission field, and working to develp christ-like attributes brings even greater happiness.

I love you all so much!!

Love,
Elder Hicks

Twice the area, twice the joy!

Hello Family!

I was thinking about titling this e-mail, "Can anyone say Mojado" (Wet) but I guess I can just tell you that we've experienced some pretty heavy rain, and my new companion says that that's how it's going to be for spring. Yesterday we were out in the rain, and I got super soaked. My shoes were like full of water, but I guess it's just one of the joys of missionary work. Come what may and love it.

Anyway, to explain the title of this e-mail I guess it's important to say that I'm basically in my 4th area in my fourth transfer. Nope, I didn't get transferred but... with transfer conference, unexpected things seem to follow me. Union City 1-15 became... Union City 1-30. They combined the Area's of 1-15 and 15-30 and now Elder Hannah and I are companions.

(From left to right: Elder Butler, Elder Hannah, Elder Hicks, Elder Sopena)



Elder Hannah has about 5 more months left in his mission, and he's from Idaho, but went to Utah State. Now Elder Hannah and I cover streets 1-30 which means we have a lot of work to do. We have been staying really busy this week with so many people to see and visit. It's been pretty excellent though and probably one of the most successful weeks of my mission. One sad part is that Elder Sopena and Elder Butler left, and there were no new replacements. Now Elder Hannah and I are the only two that live in the house. When I first got to this area there were 7 people living in the house, and now there are only two. It gets quiet at times, but It's all good.

So just an update on what's going on....

(Ruth and family at her confirmation)



Ruth and Diana both got confirmed this week. We were a little worried cause we hadn't had a lot of contact with Diana during the week, but luckily Elder Hannah was able to get a hold of her on Sunday and she made it to church right in time to be confirmed.

Sadly their isn't a ton of work to do in 1-15, but in 15-30 there is a lot of stuff going on. We have 5 people with baptismal dates that should all be baptized within this month.

Next week we hope to have a baptism for Christian and Francisco. They are I think 11 and 9 years old. Their older brother is a member, and their Mom and Step-dad (I Think) both have testimonies and will hopefully be baptized eventually. They are really good kids though.

There is also a guy name Jose Fernandez who has a date as well. He's a really nice guy and wants to follow Jesus Christ, but I don't know him a whole lot.

This week we had the opportunity to go and teach an investigator named Fiorella. She has been taking lessons for a long long time, and now she has decided to be baptized. She told us that she was going to be baptized and then her kids would be baptized after her once they received their answer. One of Fiorellas little daughters agreed to be baptized on the same day as her mom, and the other two kids are still working to get their answers but seem to have a good interest in the message. Elder Hannah says that if Fiorelly gets baptized, it will start a chain reaction of a few other people getting baptized as well.

That's mostly the update as far as I know. I'm still not too familiar with all the investigators and members from 15th to 30th street, but I'm learning. Elder Hannah and I get a long pretty well, although we differ in personality in some spots, he's pretty laidback but is an experienced missionary. I think we'll both learn a lot from each other this transfer and hopefully can stay diligent to keep seeing success and inviting people to come unto Christ.

Thank You so much for all your support! The gospel is really true! I'm grateful to be serving as a missionary and for all the great opportunities you receive as a missionary. It's amazing to participate in different things and also to see how the gospel really blesses people. There are people out there ready for the gospel, whether they be former investigators, potential investigators, or referrals.

The Lord really has blessed Elder Hannah and I this week. I want to be better about using the scriptures as I teach because the scriptures really carry great power. The Spanish is coming a long. Some lessons it's really good, but other lessons it's hard to say what I want to say. I'm really grateful for the opportunity I have to learn Spanish though, and all the great different people I'm meeting here in Union City.

I hope all is going well at home. I love all of you so much!

Love,
Elder Hicks

TWICE THE JOY!

This week has been pretty great, and we had the amazing miracle of baptizing Ruth and Diana this week, but I'll talk more on that later.

Anyway, for once in my mission I am not getting transferred, and I didn't think I was going to be anyway because Elder Sopena was an automatic to-go ticket. I do get a new companion tomorrow which should be pretty great.

So the first news of this week was that on Saturday we got the opportunity and privilege to have Elder Bednar visit our mission, along with Elder Clayton from the Seventy. It was really great to have a visit from him, and it really made me want to be a better missionary. He taught about the importance of teaching by Observing, Listening, Discerning, and Talking. And I think there is a tendency of missionaries to just Listen briefly and talk without really teaching to the investigators needs. It's so important to ask questions and really ask as Elder Bednar did," What did you learn?" And that's really how we can follow up on how well an investigator was doing.



Elder Bednar also talked about how the witness of the Holy Ghost is a lot more powerful than the other 5 senses, and he and Elder Clayton mentioned that we receive answers to our prayers as we pray for other people. I think that was really good for me, because I think a lot of times I become selfish in my prayers and it's all about me, me, me, but the truth of the matter is, is that it's not about me. I think that's something I'm still learning, but when I can learn to master it and truly become a consecrated missionary, and will really find greater joy in the mission field.

Now to give you an update on our 3 main investigators.

Diana:
Diana was baptized yesterday!!! Pretty awesome for sure. On Thursday Diana had her interview with the Zone leader. Her mom signed the baptismal form to give her permission and things were looking good to go. The next day, we tried going to see her, but her mom told us to come by later, which turned out being no for that day, which wasn't good because it's generally best to see your investigators with a baptism that week every day. The next day came around and we called and went to her house a few times, but she either wasn't home, and nobody answered the phone. This made us a little worried, cause we didn't know yet who was going to baptize her. I think she's been having some family problems lately, and one of the days we were there, her Step-dad got mad that we were there all the time. So Sunday came around, and we still weren't sure if Diana was going to be baptized or not. As I sat in PEC Elder Sopena came in and later told us that he got a hold of Diana, and she was still planning on being baptized! And that she wanted Marco to do it. Marco was baptized like 3 months ago, and he's been the main one to go to lessons with us to Diana. He's actually the one that set her with a baptismal date as well. The thing was, is that Marco still didn't have the priesthood as of Sunday morning. The arrangements were made, and Marco was to receive the priesthood the same day.

We went to Sacrament meeting, and then came out right after still waiting for Diana to come to church. We waited and waited and wondered why she wasn't at the church yet because it's important to come to Sacrament meeting and all. Finally after the closing prayer we saw Diana get off a bus and walk to the church. It's was actually pretty sad, when she came in, she started crying because she couldn't get her mom to come to her baptism. She really wants the gospel to bless her family, and her Mom hasn't been super supportive about the whole thing. But Diana will be a great example to her family, and hopefully one day we can help her mom and step dad be baptized.



Marco did Diana's baptism and she seemed to be really happy. The Young Women's president gave her some materials, and last night she texted Elder Sopena telling him that there was something in one of the Young Women's book that she didn't understand. So that's a pretty good sign that she's really wanted to progress. I was saying to Elder Sopena last night that Diana could very well be in one of the Young Women presidencies. It's amazing how much the gospel can change and bless people.




Ruth:
Wow, Ruth got baptized! After working with her the whole transfer, and Elder Sopena and Meador working with her some of last transfer, she finally entered the waters of baptism. Ruth came to church, but then I think started getting cold feet as the time came closer. She told us she wanted to pray about it, and she went into the chapel. As the hour arrived she put on her baptismal suit and was ready to go. Elder Sopena had the opportunity to perform the baptism, which is pretty great because it's his last. Ruth said that the little thing she had in her heart (Whether it was doubt or fear or something) went away when she was baptized.





It was a great baptismal service, and just one of the many in our zone. Last night we got the word that in our zone there were 13 baptisms on Sunday. Pretty great week for sure. Our Zone Leaders were really inspired on focusing our zone goal this month on inviting people to be baptized. This transfer we're going to try and teach Ruth's 9 year old son and hopefully baptize him.



Maria:
Unfortunately Maria didn't get baptized yesterday as was her original date. She's learned a lot, but not a lot of progress can happen until she get's divorced, separates from Gabriel or marries him, but she has a lot of faith and her daughter is pretty close to being 8 year's old.

Otherwise, this week has been pretty great. Last night we went and did an FHE with the Ramirez family (Recent Converts) and some other members in the ward. This week we didn't get to spend a ton of time in our area because of P-day, Elder Sopena's temple trip, and some Baptismal Interviews, but I'm excited for what the new Transfer has to bring, and the new things I can learn. There's a lot of work to be done, that's for sure.

This picture is from Elder Sopena's hot seat. That is what missionaries do with the zone before they go home where they answer questions from the rest of us.



The Gospel is true! I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to share it with others and work hard each day to find new people. I know I can be a better missionary, and I'm still working to really consecrate myself. The gospel really does change lives, and the members play such an important role in the work. Ruth was a referral from a member in the ward, and Diana had really good fellowshipping from other Young Women in the ward. I really need to try and become better acquainted with those in the ward, and it's sometimes hard because of the language barrier, but I'm excited to continue learning spanish, and continue developing relationships with the ward members, and getting them to come out and work with us.

Thanks again for all your support, and I hope all is going well! Love all of you!!!