To Jonathan

-Must be a busy week...only this quick note to Jonathan this morning-

Hey buddy! Really sorry to hear bout´ the blackout and fall and skull fracture. That’s awful! Pretty cool though that the hospital room was decked out in Pacers stuff. Mom sent some pics in the weekly letter. That was your first blackout right? jaja it´s a weird feeling uhn?

To let u know changes are this week. BOTH my comps are going. Feeling kinda sad to see them go but happy to see what next changes brings. Today we went to a country club. It was awesome! There were tennis courts (but of course it had to rain so I didn´t even play), mini golf, soccer, basketball, gym, pool (couldn´t swim tho), human sized chess (kinda reminded me of Harry Potter), a pool table, foosball.O and one of our investigators works at this club so we saw him there and got to say hi. Hope you’re feeling better. Peace out girl scout!

Love you, 

Nathan

The work is progressing

It’s been a great week! The 3 Gomar kids were baptized! Such a miracle! It was really special cuz they wanted each one of us to baptize one of them. Being in a trio, it worked out perfectly. The actual baptismal service was good. The Gomar family made sure to get there plenty early. While they were waiting, we were running around making sure everything was ok. The baptism started and the chapel was half way filled. By the end it was full, about 60 people. The oldest, Fernanda, was baptized first. Then came Julio. And last was Cerjio. As the leaders were giving a welcome to the Gomar familiy, it was incredible to see the entire family hugging and crying. Baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost are so important and truly a doorway to more opportunities and blessings our Heavenly Father wants to give us.

Another miracle, one day we were knocking doors and found this crazy guy who let us share a message. At first, he didn´t seem very positive. Many times he would interupt us, ask off topic questions or just ignore us. By the end of the lesson, however, he told us of a drinking and drug problem he´s had for a while and said he wants our help. His wife was very receptive and was more than happy to listen to us as well. By the second visit, the whole family had a baptismal date to work for. They were excited to hear of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the church. They have a hard time coming to church cuz of work on Sundays, but poco a poco [little by little].

We were also able to meet a man named Luis. He let us in his house and was happy to hear us. He was renting the room and had left his wife and little girl in the coast to work here in Xela. We bore testimony of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that there was one real church. At the end he just stared at us and said. ¨I didn´t know there was just one true church. Now I know the church has been restored on the earth.¨ Isn’t it great to know this? He accepted a baptismal date as well. Another miracle.

We´ve been working a lot with Isaias and Floridalma. There kids were baptized just a little bit ago but Isaias and Floridalma have been having trouble commiting to a baptismal date. Plus they aren´t married yet. When we went to visit them this past Saturday with the bishop, Isaias said out of the blue that he and his wife are ready to be married. He put the date himself. If everything goes right, there should be a wedding soon, hopefully followed by a baptism. We´ve been pushing hard that they read and ask God if these things are true. I know that if they do, they´ll receive an answer!

In my personal studies this week, I read a part in Elder Ucthdorf´s talk entitled ¨On Being Genuine¨

¨Here in the Church of Jesus Christ you can mature spiritually and draw closer to the Savior by applying gospel principles day by day.

With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin—as a simple spark.¨

It starts with a small beginning that can spark into something much greater with patience, persistence and daily effort.

Have a great week!

Elder Hicken

P.S. Oh, last Monday, I forgot to mention we were able to go to a Mayan history museum. Got to see all the different types of traditional apparel common to each region in Guatemala. There is so much symbolism I didn´t know before. Now every time I see corte, it seems to stick out a bit more.

Corte comes from the verb cortar, meaning "to cut".  The fabric is a cut (or length) of cloth which is typically handwoven on a foot powered treadle loom.  This cloth is produced in bolts (or rolls) and a section of fabric which forms the skirt, usually many yards in length, is cut from them.  This fabric isn't sold by the yard, but rather the length or "corte".  Much of the fabric is woven in Salcaja and Totonicapan.  Not all villages produce this corte fabric by the bolts, for instance many of the villages in Huehuetenango weave their skirts individually, reflecting their village identity.  Though the styles vary, most commonly the corte is sewn in a tube-like fashion and it's worn by stepping inside of the tube, wrapping the balance of the fabric around the hips in a very tight manner.  The corte is then secured with a sash tied at the waist.  These skirts are usually mid-calf to floor length. 

No time

So cool the Petrie family was able to go to MN! Sounds like all had a blast. Really short on time today, but I love being a missionary. Hopefully I´ll have more time for a letter next week. Thanks mom for always writing.  Love you. 

Elder Hicken

Future Vision of Quetaltenango

Sounds like fun times with the Moores.

It was a great week here! My comp. and I were able to learn a lot from President in training meetings. 

The vision for the mission Quetzaltenango is that in 3 years, we can double the number of stakes. Pretty bold, right? But with the Lord, nothing is impossible! It´s a lot more simple if you break it down. President Smith showed the mission the family plan. This plan invites every member family to bring another family to church. Wouldn’t that be cool if every member did that? The point is if every family were to bring another family to church in the next 3 years, the stakes would double. It really helped put things into perspective. The mission is more than getting a baptism before the next change, but really working to build the kingdom of God with the members. It´s amazing to have leaders inspired of God.

President Smith also talked a lot about the standard of excellence. My comp. and I have really tried to push ourselves this week to get our standard up, and we saw amazing results. It was incredible to see how the Lord blessed us in our efforts to achieve His standard.

Went on divisions with the assistants, Elder Bryan and Elder Pérez. I was with Elder Bryan in Garbaldi, whereas my comp. went to Cauvario. We ended up contacting a really positive family. So we were walking in the street and just started talking to this lady. She told us her dad and mom were really sick and took us to her house. The funny thing was the sister of this lady had rejected Elder Doty and I just 3 days before. haha. This time, however, she was a lot more receptive. We came to find that the mom has brain damage and the dad can´t get out of bed. The woman´s sister, Norma, had received missionaries a long time ago but had never progressed. Elder Bryan and I taught of the Restoration and left a pamphlet with her. On Sunday, Elder Doty, Elder Rivera and I passed by again but this time the daughter was there. We boldly taught about the Book of Mormon and challenged them to be baptized. They said they would! They want us to keep coming to help them know our message is true. The Lord has blessed us SO much!

There are so many dogs in the street! The buses are always super crowded! There is garbage everywhere! I love this country. Really I do.

What does Christ expect of me?

In the Book of Mormon, we find the answer,

 23  Y él manda a todos los hombres que se arrepientan y se bauticen en su nombre, teniendo perfecta fe en el Santo de Israel, o no pueden ser salvos en el reino de Dios.

 24  Y si no se arrepienten, ni creen en su nombre, ni se bautizan en su nombre, ni perseveran hasta el fin, deben ser condenados; pues el Señor Dios, el Santo de Israel, lo ha dicho.

[23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

 24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.]

 2 Nephi 9:23-24

I know that Christ has suffered for our sins and paid the price to allow us to return to live with God. What he asks is really a small price to pay. He asks for everything.

All the best!

Elder Hicken

Seeing Miracles

Hola,

It´s been quite a big change. There are now a lot of forms and papers to fill out and turn in. We call A LOT of people. But it´s a good change. My comp. is awesome! Also, a new elder, Elder Rivera, was sent to be with Elder Doty and I this past week. We´ve been working as a trio since Wednesday and it´s been so fun! We´ve been working hard and seeing miracles.

Isais and Floridalma have been our priority. We visited them three times last week. The third time we went over, a miracle had happened. Floridalma told us she wants to be baptized! She has been a little skeptical, but she has felt it´s the right thing to do. Her husband even told us that the day before, Floridalma just would´t stop saying, ¨I wanna be baptized!¨ ¨I wanna be baptized!¨ Such an answer to prayer. She´s ready to go. However, her husband is a little slower. He says he knows it´s all true, but he wants to take everything ¨poco a poco¨. And the thing is, they aren´t married either. But we´ve made HUGE progress and the Lord is on our side. We have faith in miracles. We know they can do it!

Quick thought! What are our goals? Our plans? Our vision? It is so important to have SPECIFIC goals and to have a plan to work towards them to accomplish the bigger picture.

Sorry gotta run! Have a great week! All the best!

Elder Hicken

 Barbecue to celebrate the 4th of July

 Bishop, Luis, and Kevin

Painting

 Mmm...(?) Cow Foot Soup

Changes were great! Caribaldi

Changes were great! Turns out I ended up crossing the street to get to my new area. haha It´s called Garibaldi. I´ll still be attending the same church building just with a different ward haha and I´m with the best comp. evah. His name is Elder Doty. He´s from Sandy, Utah, He is a super fun guy, always joking but really focused on why he´s out here. Mom, you asked about his family-He has 2 younger sisters and is really into skiing.

It´s been a week full of new faces. I´ve already gotten to know a lot of the members and all of our investigators. With the changes, Elder Doty and I ended up taking all the old and current investigators of Elder Sanchez. (the old Zone Leader)  Elder Doty´s trainee is working with the stuff he already knows. It’s great. Hope that all made sense!

Want to tell you about Familia Monteroso. They are really special. The four kids were baptized as of 2 weeks ago. We are now teaching the mom and dad. The mom has come to church nearly every Sunday, whereas the dad just once. We´re definitely excited about the potential there.

More to come on what´s happening in Guatemala area Garibaldi!

And just something that has been on my mind-one of the great blessings we have each week is the opportunity to partake of the Sacrament. It is a really special time to think of the Savior, His life, His love, His sacrifice, His example, etc. We are given the promise that if we remember Him always, we will have His Spirit to be with us. Just thinking of Him allows us to be guided constantly and become even as He is. Like it says in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36-37,

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.  Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit thekingdom of heaven. Amen.

I know that Christ lives. I know that as we remember Him and follow His example we will be guided and blessed.

Have a great week!

Elder Hicken

What makes the Book of Mormon important to you?

Hola,                                     

So this is good-bye to the area las Américas. I´ll be heading out tomorrow. President Smith mentioned that I´ll be serving as a zone leader. I’m very humbled. Also, that kinda limits the options of where I´ll be able to go, but wherever will be great! 

Goodbyes to Familias Signor, Ixcot, and Rodriguez

Us missionaries with the Ward Mission Leader

For the first time, I got to see German with his family at church on Sunday! Elder Salazar and I have really tried to help him over the past month and a half. He is the father and husband of an all member family who just became less active. Before Sunday, he hadn´t gone to church for 2 years. It was truly a miracle that he came. And the best part,  he really liked it! He already knew a lot of the members and stayed for all of church. The members were great as well, talking, smiling, showing him around. That is so helpful when members make a point to talk to those we invite to church.

Fernanda is a friend of Mike, who is a less active in the ward. She has a real interest to learn if the church is true but she has been really busy with school and work. We had asked her to read the Book of Mormon last week but she didn’t have time. We invited her and Mike to come to a family home evening in the house of a member Sunday. They both came! We talked about the Book of Mormon and the role it plays in our conversion. Every person bore their testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Spirit was super strong. It was awesome. I love the Book of Mormon! What makes the Book of Mormon important to you? Do you feel the need to read it everyday? When you read it, is it a drag or is it a delight? Do you feel the Spirit as you read? Do you begin and end your study with a prayer?

Maria has been a new investigator as of last week. We had given her a Book of Mormon in quiché and a hymn book as well. She really likes the hymns. We end up singing at least two hymns every time we go. She had read a little and was excited to learn more. Unfortunately, she had to go back to the village where she´s from because her mom got sick. She supposed to be back by the end of the week. We´ll see what happens.

Father´s Day here is always on a Wednesday. To celebrate it with all the fathers of the ward, the sisters prepared an activity for Friday. There were games, food, performances, etc. It was fun. 

The best part was that we were able to bring Cerjio and his dad German. They both know how to play the guitar really well so they played a bunch of songs by Carlos Santana. I had the honor of accompanying them on the tambourines! We got to see a lot of familiar faces and meet a lot of new ones as well. All and all a great activity!

Cerijo and German at the Father's Day activity

We are all servants of the Lord in His great work. We all have a role to play in nourishing and strengthening our little part of the Lord´s vineyard. The olive tree is commonly used in many parables and allegories throughout the scriptures. Why is that? Maybe because it will begin to decay if not taken care of (hope I said that right in English). If we don´t magnify our duties in which we are called, the olive tree begins to wither away and perhaps grow wild fruit. May we all do our best to learn our responsibilities, wherever we are serving, and do all we can to fulfill them.

 

Making Pupusas

 Ran into Elder Pugmire! GO MN!!!

I love this gospel! I know it is true. Have a great week!

Elder Hicken