Monday, August 4, 2014

I'ts all Coming Together

Hola mis amigos!

I'm emailing today because all us 2 weeker missionaries will be going to old Guatemala tomorrow morning. So excited!

President Cox went back to the States this week for a surgery. He was doing P90X with some other missionaries then his left shoulder started to swell. Turns out he had some sort of blood clot near his heart. He'll be gone for a few weeks while he returns to the doctor for post surgery checkups. In the meantime, President Pitcher has become our new President. Funny connection: President Pitcher used to be my companions Stake President in Pleasant View, Utah before he and his wife's mission here in Guatemala.

All the 6 weeker missionaries and Native speakers enter the field tomorrow. It reminded me how much I'm going to miss the hot showers, clean water and good food of the CCM when I'm out in the field. It's been an adventure trying to talk to the Natives these last 2 weeks. Everyone in me and Elder Hohman's room are leaving. I'm going to miss them so much! A lot of missionaries have had rough times before coming on the mission. For example, Elder Perez, a missionary in my room, grew up in the church. However, he and his family fell away when he was 12. In the years that followed, Elder Perez got into all sorts of drinking and drugs. Looking back, he describes those years as "awful and dark". Just 10 months before coming on his mission, he prayed and wanted to change. He confessed his sins to the bishop and totally changed his life around. Now he heads out tomorrow to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Guatemala. What a turn around! The gospel works miracles in peoples' lives. Although I've never experienced a life changing experience like Elder Perez that I can share, I've been blessed with a life of less guilt, hiding from my parents, and more blessings from living the standards of the gospel.

We've been teaching Hermana Lopez (our "investigator") for the past week. In our last lesson with her, we taught her about the Doctrine of Christ and why she should be baptized. She said she would think about baptism and continue to read the Book of Mormon. The BOM is such a powerful tool in conversion. In my own life, it's answered questions that I've had, comforted me in times of hardship, and brought me closer to Jesus Christ. I know it's through this book that the investigators we teach can come unto Christ and His gospel.

Know that I'm doing well, working hard to learn the language and learning to listen to the Spirit as I read the scriptures everyday. Adios!

Elder Hicken

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