Goodbye Union City

Here's some final goodbye pictures with some people from UNION CITY:
(Elder Hicks's mother posting this trying to match description to pictures. If they are incorrect Elder Hicks can fix them in another year when he gets home.)

Norbert: our good friend that helped us all the time



Hector: Recent Convert



Abel: Super Less-Active that we helped bring back into the church



Margarita and Cristina: Super nice members



Christian and Trixi: Awesome investigators



Bishop Chavez: Really awesome bishop for Union City



Elder Caleroni Going Home



Hna Martinez


Efrain and Martin (2 Investigators)


HECHO!

The Land of Plenty

I know I'm on the computer a little earlier than usual, but I guess a change of area, calls for a change of schedule.

So the drum roll please.... I am now serving in the land of plenty (or so my companion calls it) of Passaic New Jersey. It's a pretty great place, and a lot different from Union City. The culture is more so Mexico here, with the majority of people being from the homeland of Mexico. I haven't had a lot of opportunities to work with and talk to Mexicans (a little bit but not a lot) so it will be interesting to get to know them a little better.

My new companion is Elder Jarrett from Highland Utah. He went to Lone Peak, and is actually my first companion that loves BYU about as much as I do. He loves basketball, and we get a long pretty great. In honesty, Elder Jarrett reminds me a lot of my old roommate Chase Bastian. Maybe it's just because he has red hair and freckles, but I think in someways he talks like and acts like Chase which is pretty cool. It's only us two living in an apartment. It's a pretty big apartment for 2 people. We have a really cool mega-desk that we study at, which is basically 4 desks pushed together, but I'm really liking it here in Passaic.

It was kinda sad to leave Union City while at the same time kinda refreshing to come to a new area and meet new people. It does have it's challenges though. Without Utah Mountains, it's really hard to tell the direction you're headed. I left the awesome grid system of Union City, to a place that just has a bunch of random names, but luckily Elder Jarrett is the driver, and we have a GPS to help us out.

Life as a zone leader get's pretty busy. This week me and Elder Jarrett had to do 5 baptismal interviews for people in our zone. It was a great experience, and I did my first all Spanish interview with a guy named Atelmo. It was pretty humbling though, because it really made me realize that I need to work on Spanish a lot more.

So on Tuesday we went to transfer conference where we all received our new assignments. I was thinking I was going to go to Passaic, I guess it just made the most sense. I shook President Jeppson's hand on the way out of the chapel, and he had me in a hand shake and was really expressing his gratitude for accepting the assignment of Zone Leader. I think I'm going to have a really good relationship with President Jeppson.

On Tuesday night we went to correlation and I had the opportunity to meet the Branch President. He's pretty new, but he's really awesome. He was talking about how important our health was, and was trying to get a feel of who was feeding us. He asked us about every meal for every day of the week. So that's why it's called the land of plenty, because we get fed a lot (supposedly) and one of the ladies in the ward buys a bunch of grocery items for us including Milk, Juice, Muffins (Costco muffins), Water, Yogurt, and other items. This really is such a great branch, and I think it is only a branch because we are in a district and therefore can't become a ward.

We have 4 people with baptismal dates right now, and they are as follows:
1. Marilu. Marilu is a really sweet lady, I think from Mexico. She was taught in the past, and last year went to church 3 times. She was picked up again, and set with a date. She still hadn't been to church since last year, but this week we taught her a little about church, and she showed up to church an hour early, and stayed for all 3 hours. She is set for July 31st which is pretty great. Hopefully she can be ready by then, and can continue coming to church each week.
2. Dilcia: We found Dilcia just the other day. She is from the Dominican Republic, and let us in on account that her dad received a blessing from missionaries or members one time in the DR and now he's still alive, so I guess that is a good sign. She didn't come to church, but I think she has a lot of great potential, and will be baptized one day.
3. Ana: Never met her, will tomorrow though.
4. Victor: Last night we went and taught Victor and the family he is living with. He lives with the Garcia Family who are recent converts, as well as his sister who was baptized last year. Elder Jarrett told me he wasn't sure how much his mom would like the idea of baptism, but last night we taught him the Plan of Salvation, and talked about baptism and helped him overcome some of his fears. We invited him to be baptized for August 7th, and he ran to the back room to get permission. His mom said yes, so now Victor is preparing to be baptized. He is like 11 years old.

But yeah, things have been pretty busy, and Sunday night even busier trying to fill out all these reports and things. It's good though, business makes time go by faster, and keeps me more focused. I don't have too much else to update on.

Our new address is 56 Chestnut,
Garfield, NJ 07026.
Yep I live in Garfield, the City of Champions (Or so the sign says).
It's a nice place, and there is a lot more green here.

Well, I guess that's just about it. Thanks for the cookies you sent, they are delicious.

Thanks again for all our support.

I hope everything else is going well, and that you are all still enjoying the summer. Love you tons!!!

Love,
Elder Hicks

Almost 6 months... 100 days... y Ya Me Voy de Union City

Well, it's finally time for Elder Hicks to leave Union City.

After being here for almost 6 months, that time has come for me to pack my bags and head out to a new part of New Jersey. Today Elder High and I have been together for 100 days which is pretty cool.

Where am I going? Who knows? But I did get a call from the assistants last night, and I have been called to be a Zone Leader! I'm so grateful for the opportunity I'm going to have to be a zone leader, and learn how to better serve others and be an example. So my possible future areas are pretty limited. I will be going to either West New York, Passaic, Newark, Elizabeth, or back to Dover. Most likely Passaic, Dover, or West New York, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I've already packed a bunch of stuff, and will probably finish packing tomorrow, but I'm excited to move onto a new Area and try to take all the things I've learned here into a different place.

Hector was pretty sad to hear that I might be going, and now that I am, he says things like "No Te Vayas!" Meaning "Don't Go!". It will be sad to leave Hector. He really is a stud and is going to do great things in the church, but I guess it had to happen sometime. That is why it is so important to have friends in the church, because the missionaries will always be leaving. Luckily Hector has been making good friends with people, and so I know he'll be ok.

Oh yeah, by the way, President and Sister Jeppson are super awesome. President started the zone conference out by pulling out his guitar and singing a missionary song to the tune of a Johnny Cash song. He is really an amazing man, and has been through so much in his life, including the death of a brother, his dad, his son, and the loss of one of his legs. He's from Utah, and graduated from U of U, and got his doctorate at BYU. He was a Lawyer, and some callings he's had in the church include Bishop, Stake President, and Patriarch. President Jeppson's theme I guess you could say, or at least for that conference was "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart." I'm really excited to get to work with President Jeppson more and to get to know him a little better. His wife is equally amazing. She is super nice, and super loving. Truly a mom away from home. Sister Jeppson said EFY music would be ok, but all my EFY music is on the Ipod, and Ipods haven't been cleared yet, and I don't know if they will be. So that might be coming home in the mail. We shall see.

This week has been a pretty good week nonetheless. Things didn't turn out quite as we expected. We got juked by a lot of people. We had some really set appointments, and some still ended in no shows. I called one of our investigators Elias 15 minutes before, and he said that we could come in like 30 35 minutes, and he didn't even show up. So obviously that has been a little frustrating this week.

But the Exchange with Elder Christopher was really good. He doesn't mess around at all. He is a contacting machine, and he really does ask everyone for referrals. We were able to teach Yolanda this week, with her husband there. He said that she can make her own decisions and could be baptized if she wanted, but we aren't sure how true that statement really is, because we tried setting a date with Yolanda, and she was able to accept it at that time. She probably wants more support from her family. But Elder High and his companion will probably keep working with them.

Felix is doing ok, we haven't been visiting with his as much. He kept rescheduling appointments, and then there came a time when he didn't answer his phone, so we haven't really been in much contact with him, but he called yesterday saying that he's been busy and he would call us when he got out of church. That didn't happen, but I think there is still some interest. We were able to see Christian and Trixi again yesterday and they are still willing to be baptized, they are just not really close to getting to that point with the divorce and everything. Elder High and his new companion should see a lot of success in this area. I sure hope so anyway. Hopefully they can do work with the recent converts to get them active. In all honestly Hector has really been the only active recent convert lately. But I guess that's where the ward needs to step in, the missionaries can only do so much.

That's about all the updates I have for the week. Yeah I am coming up close to a year, and it's kinda crazy. I'm sure when that day hits, time is just going to start flying even more so. There is still a lot of growing and learning I need to do as a missionary, and hopefully I can continue becoming better each day. Thanks for all of your support and love!

The Gospel is True!!

Love you all.

Feliz dia de independencia!

Ok, so sorry this might be another short letter. I guess a quick update.


President and Sister Bahr have left the mission and President and Sister Jeppson just came in on Thursday. We haven't met them yet, but tomorrow we have a zone conference to meet them which is pretty exciting. Who knows what changes that will bring, so I guess we'll have to wait until next week. This is the last week of the transfer, and potentially my last week here in Union City, but who knows, I could stay here for one more, than I will have been in Union City for 7 and a half months. It's a good area though, and I think there is still a ton of potential here.

Hmmm.... More information about the temple. I mean it was good, like really good. I wish we could go to the temple more often. It feels kinda cool walking in New York City in a suit and tie. The temple in Manhattan is really nice though, and maybe one day in a few years we can go as a family to the Manhattan Temple.

So last night was also another really cool experience probably a once in a life time. We got to watch the Macy's firework show on the Hudson river, with New York City in the background. I was saying that the cool thing was, that we get to see the show and New York City, while those in New York get to see the show, but are just looking at New Jersey. It was awesome to see all the camera flashes on the other side of the Hudson in the buildings and stuff of people taking pictures. I took a few pictures although it doesn't quite capture the whole experience.


Things are going pretty well here in the Area. We have found some pretty good investigators. Last week after the temple trip, we went to a members house, and ended up teaching their nephew Alex. He's a really cool guy. We taught him in English, and his aunt helped us teach him as well. We invited him to read the restoration pamphlet, pray, and come to church. He did all three of those things, and hopefully when we see him tomorrow, we can set a baptismal date with him.

On another note. This week we dropped by to see the family of Paul, one of our old investigators. And guess who happened to be there? Paul!! He came back for just a little bit, and we are hopefully going to teach him this thursday. I don't know how long he will stay before he heads back to chicago, but we are also going to try and start teaching his family.

We are still trying to work with Hector's mom Wendy, and she didn't end up coming to church like she said she was going to, but hopefully we can go and set a date with her today and help her progress. Today I am on an exchange with Elder Christopher who was just barely the assistant to the president, which is pretty exciting. Hopefully I can learn a lot from him, although he is expecting me to teach him. But I'm sure we will both learn a lot from each other.

Felix is still progressing kindof. He has a lot of questions that hit points of the gospel, but he's just struggling to believe that there is only one true church. We taught him the plan of salvation, and he was telling us during the lesson that those were things he didn't know before. Finally he came to the conclusion that he needed to really pray, which is basically what we've been asking him to do for awhile, but I guess now he has a greater desire, it should hope for better results.

On Thursday of last week, we were able to finish moving out of the house completely, and got to give one of our fridges to Ruth. She has been living without a fridge ever since I have been here, just because I don't think she had the funds to pay for it, but one of our members with a truck came to help, and we took it over to her house. Her and her kids seemed really happy and excited about it.

We went to the court last week, and it turned out that we had needed to call in for a court date. So we set a court date for the 13th of July, and there is a definite possibility that I'm not going to be here for that, but I guess we will see.

It is getting pretty hot now a days, and I guess a few more short sleeves wouldn't hurt, especially cause my shirts are starting to get worn out. Things for my birthday... Not too sure. Maybe some b-ball shorts that are a little longer. Caleb would probably know the best which ones. Probably the Jordan Brand. The shorts I have are still good, just a little on the shorter side. Other birthday things, I'm not sure. I already have way to much stuff, like 2 suitcases and 2 crates full of stuff, so I should probably start sending stuff I don't need home, give it away or throw it out.

It's good to hear you are all doing well, and Caleb and Becca should be having a baby pretty soon right? That's super cool. I hope all goes well with that.

Well I'm gonna put some picture up from last night. Thanks again for everything!!

Love you all soooo Much!!!!!

Love,
Elder Hicks

Back to the Temple a Year Later

Hello hello Family,

I don't know how long this letter is going to be cause I don't have much time. We go to court in about a half an hour about the ticket, so I'll just keep it short and sweet.

Anyway... The temple was pretty amazing. Can you believe it's been a year already since I went through the temple for the first time. How time flies.


And it was awesome being in New York. It is really such a cool city.



I saw a few missionaries from the New York New York mission, and some of them knew Elder Abraham Boekweg, so I decided to write him a little note again, and have the Elder's take it to him.



It was really nice this time not having to worry about buses and subways. We rode with some other missionaries, with a Senior Couple in their car.



It was fun driving around, and the Church has actually done some good work advertising in New York. We saw a Taxi with a Mormon.org sign above it. Another screen billboard that was showing a little part of a video from Mormon.org, and I've included a picture of a huge advertising sign put up in times square. It's pretty awesome.



This week has been a pretty good week. We finally moved out of the house, and are now in our new apartment which is pretty nice. It's nice having air-conditioning again, and since we live in the basement basically, it doesn't get to hot, although a little more depressing because of the darkness.

Our investigators are doing pretty well. We may be pretty close to dropping Felix though, because he's not really committing much, and some of the things he says just kinda let us know that he isn't ready right now. We'll go see him once more and see how things go. We found out that our other investigator with a baptismal date, Maria, is moving to south Jersey, so we had to drop her as well. I'm not really sure what's going on with people moving, but I guess the Lord has more prepared people for us.

Sadly Elder Yates went home yesterday, but it was good to work around him for one last transfer. I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with Elder Hunt again which was pretty good. We were able to find this pretty great guy for the English Elders. We were able to set a baptismal date with him on the first lesson, but sadly I don't think the Elder's have been able to get a hold of him again.

We were able to teach Hector about the temple this week, but sadly he wasn't able to go with us. He is going to go tomorrow for part of Institute though which should be pretty good.

The new Mission President gets here tomorrow. We will get to meet him next Wednesday, and this Transfer will end on June 11th. Staying or Going, I'm not sure, but I did forget to say that Elder Yates was replaced by Elder Christopher, who just got dropped as Assistant for his last transfer, so now I have the pressure of having a former Assistant in my District, but it will be alright, hopefully he'll be able to teach me new things.

I sure love all of you!!

Love,
Elder Hicks