Nathan gets his VISA

Hola otra vez!

This week has been full of great experiences.

General Conference was amazing! Elder Gollege and I hooked up the TV in a separate room so we could watch it in English. There were so many talks that stood out to me. One in particular was President Deiter F. Ucthdorf’s Priesthood Session talk, with the theme being, "Lord, is it I?" How can we worry about the mole in another's eye without first seeing the beam in our own. Between then and now I have found myself asking more and more the question, "Lord, is it I?" This has truly helped me as I've quickly judged or gotten frustrated. It's humbling. Let us first recognize our own weaknesses before another's.

Earlier this week, Elder Gollege and I were trying to contact a referral (Cesar) we received from our president. We met his mom and left her with a pamphlet. We decided to knock doors around his house before our next appointment. One door we knocked, a man answered and invited us in. We met his wife's sister who was a member! She had been baptized 23 years ago but had not attended church for the past 4 years because of problems with some member families. Although she hadn't been to church in a long time, she had a strong belief of the gospel and of the Book of Mormon. We taught Bryan (the man who opened the door) a lesson and he invited us back. Since then, we've taught him once more and we are going back for dinner tomorrow. As we interact with their family more and more, we will continue to teach Bryan and invite the family to church. Truly a miracle we found them!

Tuesday night, we received a call from the zone leaders that we needed to be in Xela the next day for me to get my VISA. The next morning, we stopped by our investigators houses to move appointments and encourage them on the commitments we'd left. Then it was off to Xela! We passed through Chichi where Elder Galbraith and Elder Hohman hopped on. When we reached Xela, we met up with a lot of elders from my district in the CCM. It was an awesome reunion seeing all of them and hearing the crazy stories they had to share. 

 CCM District Reunion

Elder Gollege stayed in Xela to go to the temple while I headed with Elder Hohman and the other elders from the CCM to the capital. We stayed in a hotel for the night. One missionary, who was ending his mission, stayed in the same room as us. He had served in the Coban mission in Guatemala. He knew Ketchi and Spanish. He'd lived his whole mission in the mountains with no electricity or running water. It was amazing to hear of his experiences. Long story short, we got up the next morning and got our visas. It was actually really fast. All we had to do was make sure our information was correct and then sign the paper. All of us took a bus back to Xela. Half way, Elder Hohman and I hopped off and took a microbus to Chichi. He showed me around his area until Elder Gollege and Elder Galbraith got back from their time in Xela. 

Cathedral in Chichi

 I just can't stop looking at his cheeks

 

From the Plaza

While in Xela and the capital, I truly missed my area. I missed the people, the buildings, the familiar chapel and members. I wanted to get back to Santa Cruz to teach. I hope we can all find the desire to share the gospel and the things we know to be true.

Quick update on Jesus and Abraham. Both attended every session of General Conference. It was great to see Jesus walk out in a suit coat. Neither have ties though. Elder Gollege and I will be sure to get them some. They are preparing to enter the temple as well. Their faith to follow this gospel is inspiring. Everything is so new but they are willing and hungry to learn. I know this church is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith was a prophet and we have a living prophet and apostles in these Latter Days.

 

Thanks Mom!

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes, cards and letters. Miss you all! Stay strong, remember who you are and who you represent. Nos vemos!

Elder Hicken

Hola Hola Hola!

           Another great week! To get to the multi-zone conference this week in Wayway (about 2 hours away), we went to the terminal to catch a bus. 

The Terminal

          As we were waiting for the bus, drivers heading to different cities would come up to us and try to convince us to go with them to wherever they were going. I’m like, "Your right! Even though I'm supposed to go to Wayway, I think I'll just go to Xela instead." I thought that was funny.

        The multi-zone conference was awesome. Because it was in Wayway, all the missionaries in our district came to our area and stayed the night. Half stayed in the zone leaders apartment and the other half with Elder Golledge and I. Super fun! We woke up early to catch a bus to Wayway. We got to see a lot of missionaries from my district in the CCM. The conference started at 9:30 and lasted until 3 in the afternoon. During that time President Smith set a standard of excellence for the entire mission- 1 new investigator everyday, 10 progressing always, 6 attending church every week, 4 baptismal dates always which should lead to at least 2 baptisms a month. He also spoke of a few changes. It was announced that lesson 5 of PME would be taught both BEFORE and after baptism. Also, we need to help people know and fulfill the baptismal requirements described in DyC 20:37. The basic message was "Baptisms are great but means nothing if they don't stay in the church.'' The goal should not be baptism, but the temple. We’re going to do that better. The assistants focused on ''How to find investigators?" TALK TO EVERYONE! Often times we miss crucial opportunities to talk to people in our everyday activities. We don't need to be afraid to share the gospel of Jesus Christ!  It’s true.

Our Zone:  

 Nathan in the back right

Nathan in the front, 4th from the left

            Elder Golledge and I recently came across Juana, Mateo and their 3 kids. They're Catholic but love having us come over. They're always smiling! We see them practically everyday. We've shared the message of the Restoration and have given them a Book of Mormon. When we came back, they had read the chapter we gave them and gave a perfect summary. We are going back this Wednesday for an official visit. I’m excited. We also planned a time when Elder Golledge and I will cook an American dish for them. My cooking isn't the best. Neither is Elder Golledge's. Can't wait!

Juana (un investigador) y yo

            We  met with Jesus and Abraham this last week to prepare them to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. They were so ready! They understood what the priesthood is, why it's important and necessary and they were excited to learn more. During priesthood at church, they received the Aaronic Priesthood. We plan to continue meeting with them and teach them about the temple. They are so awesome!

Hope all is well! Muchas gracias for the e-mails and letters. Means a lot! Nos vemos!

Elder Hicken

 Volunteer Firefighters of Quiche!

Somos Bomeros!

We're Firefighters!

 Un insecto grande

Jesus and Abraham's Baptism!

Mi español está mejorando cada día! [My spanish is getting better every day!] ''japín'' is slang for Guatemalan, kind of like "gringo'' is for american.

For pday today, we played fútbol with all the other elders. Couldn’t believe I hit Elder Golledge in the face! I felt so bad. Elder Pinchi, one of the Latino Elders, couldn't stop laughing. Pdays are always great cuz we get to the see the other elders in our area.

Fútbol  [Soccer]

Both Jesus and Abraham were baptized last Saturday, 20th of September, 2014!

Jesus and Abraham, Elder Hicken and Elder Golledge

We prepared all day to get the church clean, buy food and ensure people would come. There ended up being a lot of people that came to the baptismal service. 30 minutes after the baptismal service was supposed to start, Jesus and Abraham still weren't at the church. That's Guatemala for you! We had to run to their house and get them. The baptismal pants were HUGE on them. They just laughed it off and rolled up the pant legs. At the end of the service, both Jesus and Abraham bore their testimonies that they know this gospel is true and how they feel really blessed that they found the true church. It was so powerful! There are people prepared and looking for the gospel. Its our job to listen to the Spirit and find them.

Sorry that’s all the time I have today! Sent a ton of pictures which took up a lot of the time. Love you all! Thanks for the letters, cards and care package. The gospel is true!

Adios!

Elder Hicken

Independence Day in Guatemala

Hola hola hola!

Earlier this week I said ''Que chevre!'' thinking it meant ''How cool!''. Turns out in this part of Latin America, chevre means ''hot dog''. Guess I said "How hot dog!'' Definitely knew I said something wrong by the look on their face. They were nice about it though. One day I'll get this language!

        It was an awesome week. So much happened! Today is Independence day here in Guatemala! Its been pretty crazy.

        People run in groups through the streets waving flags, blowing whistles, ringing bells, carrying torches and throwing water. Almost got nailed! Throughout the week, banners and flags have been put up around la parque central and la governencia. Today there was a huge parade with soldiers, marching bands and muchas personas waving flags. It seems every 1 minute there's a firecracker or some kind of firework going off. What a fiesta!

  Enfrente la gobernante [in front of the government building]

 Día de Independencia [Independence Day]

Elder Golledge, Hohman, Galbraith, Jerez, Pinchi and I got to visit the ruins here in Quiche. Que pilas! It was amazing to see the remains of the people that used to live here in the Americas, the ''history'' of the people we get to share with the people here in Guatemala. I know the Book of Mormon is true.

Sept 15, 2014:  A Trip to the Ruins of  Q'um'arkaj

Sept 15, 2014: Una planta grande!

[Nathan standing by a giant plant]

 Las ruinas

 Selfie

 Elder Hohman y yo a las ruinas

 Elder Hohman, Elder Gailbraith y yo sobre una colina [on a hill]

Todos los elderes enfrente de una caverna
[All the elders in front of a cave]

 Una fantasma

[I'm a ghost]

Remember Jesus and Abraham?? They're two investigators progressing super fast. Last P-day, we had a lesson with them where we talked about keeping the Sabbath Day holy, the importance of the sacrament and baptism/confirmation. We asked if they would be baptized and they said they would! Their baptism is this Saturday, September 20th and their confirmation the day after. Elder Golledge and I plan to visit them everyday this week to answer any questions, serve them, put away any doubts they have and be a friend. I know this gospel will bless their lives so much!

Remember Carlos as well?? We met him last week as he was bringing in groceries to his house. We offered to help and told him about the message we carried of the Restoration of the gospel. He didn't have time then but said he wanted us to come back later that week. Anyways, this week we stopped by his house and he wasn't home but his wife was. Her name is Carmen. She invited us in and told us she wanted to hear what her husband was so anxious to here from us. We only gave a short intro to the Plan of Salvation then a pamphlet, but we stopped by later and both Carlos and Carmen were there. They invited us in and we taught them the entire Plan of Salvation. They really liked what we had to say and together we set up an appointment for next week. I know it's the Spirit that testifies to those we teach that the message we carry is true (2 Nephi 33:1). Truly a miracle!

Anyways gotta go! Miss you all! This is the Lords work!

Nos vemos!

Elder Hicken

Elder Nathan in Quetzaltenango (Xela)

Hola cada uno! [Hello to each one of you!]

Que calidad! Its a phrase they say a lot here which roughly means AWESOME or COOL.

Last Tuesday I left the CCM and drove four hours to Xela!

We had an overview of the mission from the President and the assistants. During that time President Smith interviewed everyone for about 2 minutes. Once he'd interviewed everyone, he announced where everyone was going. I got called to Santa Cruz in Quiche, Quiche.

El Quiche, Guatemala

My companion is Elder Golledge. He's from San Diego, California. He's been great! He's been out ten months so he knows a lot. Funny story...my companion from the CCM, Elder Hohman, got called to the same district too! So excited I'll be seeing him more!

Mi nuevo compañero, Elder Golledge [my new companion]

Sept 2, 2014: Elder Hohman y yo estamos iendo al campo [in the mission field]

To get to Santa Cruz, my companion and I went to the terminal. It was crazy! There were buses and people everywhere! We ended up on the same bus as Elder Galbraith and Elder Hohman who are companions. We weren't going to make it to Santa Cruz in time so we slept at their apartment that first night.

The countryside is so beautiful. It's very green and there are mountains and volcanoes everywhere. It rains a lot on and off. 

Mucha lluvia  [A lot of rain]

Mucho lodo  [A lot of mud]

There are Tuks Tuks everywhere in the city, which is like a motorcycle taxi. There's also microbuses and chicken buses if you want to get to farther places. There is a huge plaza (la parque central) in the center of Santa Cruz. There's always a ton of people there.

Our apartment is really nice. I feel so blessed. It has a bathroom, study room, sleeping area and separate kitchen. We also get the roof all to ourselves! The view is amazing! Hermana Marisol (a member) rents the apartment to us. She owns a photography shop and lives on the first floor. She's super nice! She always invites us over to talk or for food. She lives with her daughter and her mother. It's been great getting to know them.

 Mi lugar favorita cada noche

[My favorite place every night]

 La lavandería sobre el techo

[Our laundromat on the roof]

[How WILL those white shirts stay clean??]

The culture is very different. A lot more chaotic -- haha -- but I love the people here. Everyone is open to hear about God. We opened our area so we've been doing A LOT of contacting. We like to contact in la parque central because there's always a lot of people there. We've done a lot of door knocking too.

One night, it was around 8:30 and we were knocking doors. We knocked on the last door of this street. A man opened the door and after talking to him for a while he invited us in. We ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and bearing our testimonies that we know Joseph Smith is a prophet. We haven't been able to meet with him since but I hope he reads the Book of Mormon and comes to know it's true.

Another time, we were walking down the street in the middle of the day and saw a man opening his door with groceries. We quickly offered to help and started to talk with him about the gospel. His name is Carlos. We gave him a pamphlet of the Restoration. The next day we stopped by to see if we could teach him more about the Restoration but he was sick. He did tell us he wanted us to keep coming back because he wants to hear our message. We hope through the Spirit we can help him know of the truthfulness of the gospel.

We do have two investigators, Jesus and Abraham. Jesus is Abraham's dad. They've gone to church these past few weeks and have progressed a lot. We taught them a lesson on the Restoration last Friday. The Spirit was so strong! We challenged them to be baptized. They said they would pray to know if they should. We are teaching them later today so I can't wait to hear what they have to say. I know it's through prayer that we can receive revelation.

Gotta go! Thank you for all the letters at the CCM.  I miss you all!

Adios!

1 more week in the CCM!

Hola Hola Hola!

Qué pasa calabaza? Learned that means "whats going on pumpkin?". It rhymes and I thought it was funny!

Our district got to walk down the street to a local mall this last pday to get anything we needed. Of course my companion and I loaded up on some food! I got shout, shampoo as well as some pencils to mark my scriptures. Felt good to walk around outside the CCM. We don't get out much other than pday and temple trips. Still, so grateful to be here in Guatemala!

President Cox got back and is doing well! He arrived last Thursday night to all of us waiting in el comedor to surprise him. He was surprised! It was his birthday last Saturday too so we got to surprise him again. The chef made him a GIGANTIC birthday cake that said "Happy Birthday President Cox!". To top it off, a mariachi band strolled in singing "Feliz Cumpleaños!" haha the look on President Cox's face was great!

We do A LOT of teaching in the CCM. We've been teaching Oscar for the past 2 weeks now. 3 days ago he committed to be baptized. We taught him for the last time yesterday. Sad to see him go! We've also been teaching Miguel. You should know Miguel's blind. At first it was hard to figure out how we would teach him. But with the Spirit we were able to give him a Book of Mormon in Brail and committed his kids to read and pray with him. He's always cracking blind jokes so it's pretty fun teaching him! We teach him for the last time to on Friday. Going to miss him!

One more week in the CCM (Missionary Training Center in Guatemala) ! I'm a little nervous but WAY more excited to get out in the field. The CCM's been awesome in preparing me. Everyday I learn something new whether it's something to do with Spanish, the culture, or with the gospel. Our district's gotten super close as well. But all of them are going to Xela (Quetzaltenango) so I'm sure I'll see them there.

Just want to share my testimony that I know this gospel is true. I know Jesus is the Christ and suffered for the sins of the world so we can return to live with our Heavenly Father one day. I know Joseph Smith is a true prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Keep pushing on! No matter how inadequate you may feel you can always  the Atonement.

Hope your all doing well!

Chao!

Elder Hicken

Chipped Tooth!

Hola amigos!

Cómo le va? A lot has happened these last 2 weeks. Btw thanks everyone who wrote me letters before the mission and for letters you are sending me now. Means a lot!

We went to the market! All the elders piled in buses and drove through the city to get there. There were so many people! It made me want to be out in the field preaching the gospel. The market consisted of seemingly endless stores of hats, souvenirs, shirts, blankets, machetees and much more. Bought a small keychain of Guatemala's national bird, the Quetzal. My companion got a jersey of Guatemala's national soccer team. Going to the market pushed me to learn the language.

Aug 5, 2014: Elder Hohman y yo enfrente del mercado [in front of the market]

I chipped my tooth biting down hard on my fork. I guess it was bad enough that I had to go the dentist. I drove downtown again to have the dentist look at my tooth. Took just 5 mins to get it fixed. Felt bad cuz a lot of the other Natives with me had to get wisdom teeth pulled or major cleaning done.

New elders arrived! We got 6 new roommates, 4 natives and 2 from the States. Elder Pugmire from Minnesota arrived with the new elders too. It was awesome to see another Minnesotan here in Guatemala.

One night as we were preparing for bed, Elder Winward from our district tried to climb on top of my companions and I's bunk and broke off the guardrail. Oops! Another elder down the hall had a screwdriver and tried to fix it but ended up screwing in a screw in the wrong place and got it stuck. For the next 30 mins, the Natives in our room took turns trying to pull out the screw. After banging up the wood pretty bad, the Latinos got the screw out. The next day the janitor fixed it but it was a funny experience.

Another night, one of the Latinos in our room couldn't sleep and asked for a blessing. Together my companion and I and the other Latino companionship in our room gave him a blessing. He never had a problem sleeping the rest of his time in the CCM. The priesthood is real.

We watched a devotional given by Elder Bednard on Christmas that was SO powerful. He had the elders and sisters from many of the MTCs in the world send in questions that he would then answer on the stand. I would encourage everyone to look it up and watch it. One question that he answered that stuck out to me was "What is your favorite scripture and why?" He then went on to read 3 Nephi 11: 14-17 and pointed out "one by one". He said this phrase defines the Savior. Christ didn't teach to groups but rather to the individual. Perhaps he suffered the Atonement one by one for each of us. Elder Bednard said the phrase "one by one" is written 5 more times in the BOM. Try to find them!

Ahhhh theres so much more I wish I could say if I had time. I miss you all!

Elder Hicken