New Mission President

Dear Loving Family, 

This week we had President Guhlbrandsen leave and President Ayre Arrive. Our new president is so full of energy and very cool. I think you might like this dad, He said to us the first day while he was talking to us about himself. ´´I am more like you missionaries`` and then he said, looking at his wife ´´ she is more like my mom, and keeps me in line`` all sister Ayre did was shake her head yes at the comment. He is so fun and will be a great leader for our mission. 

Also mom we live in an apartment it is on the second floor of it is so great. Our ward is so great we have a young bishop who is very determined. But by the end of the year we need to have an average attendance of 140 and we only have 80 right now. We are praying very hard to help out this ward reach that goal or they will be combined with another ward. We are trying right now to work closer with the bishop, this week Elder Barragan and me started a plan to get the members more excited about the work. We gave a sticky note to each president of every auxiliary that said 

1. Pray for guidance of spirit

2. Read Alma 13:24

3. Pray for families/people we can visit together to help this ward grow

And then we put 2 spots to put names.

This means every auxiliary is going to give us 2 names and the bishop and his counselors are going to give us 6 names to visit together. This is our plan to get the members more excited about the work. The leaders are going to bring us the names on Sunday and then we are going to start working with goals we can plan as a ward. And right now are ward is making a ward mission plan. And once we set that up we will be able to do a lot better. I know that each ward is a reflection of its leaders so we are working really hard to strengthen the leaders first and we know the ward will follow. Also in our ward we have 2 general authorities. Elder Costa and elder Sppannaus.

With our baptism it was a little girl named Oriana of the age of 9 and she said I don’t want to get baptized anymore... it was a hard moment to take when she said that. I know she needs to get baptized to have any chance to live with heavenly father again. Also this girl is the grand daughter of Elba, our first baptism, so we still visited Elba every once in a while and every time we went over, Oriana would avoid us. So all we have been doing is praying! And guess what happened this Sunday. She showed up to church with Elba. We were so excited and we reset her date for next Sunday. And she said yes! And is she is so excited to get baptized now! I know the lord was working on her with the spirit to help her come to church. 

Also transfer day was amazing! We didn’t receive al call to see if we leaving until last night at 11... and I am staying with Elder Barragan! I am so glad I am staying with him! I love him so much! He is such a hardworking missionary and we really want to grow this ward together. So hopefully we have another 6 weeks together of hard work! With all the changes in the mission and with so many new missionaries coming in we might be changed half way through the transfer. Either way I am excited for the work! 

I still haven’t received my garments, but that is okay ill tell you when I do.

I love being a missionary, it is so fun. We have been working a lot in a place called Villa Rosa. It is kind of like the hood. Has dirt streets, but the people are so humble. and we have been working with a family named the family Ledesma. I wrote in my journal this week that I don’t think I have loved a family so much that wasn’t my own. I know that the service I have been giving them has opened my heart to love them. It is so great when people progress, but this week they have stopped progressing and have not gone to church. It was too hard to see them not progress and not take any more steps of faith. For yourselves don’t ever stop taking steps of faith. Keep listening to the spirit and the lord will bless you. If you look first for the kingdom of god, you don’t have to worry about anything else, it will all fall in to place. Easier said than done I know that. But I am working on being exactly obedient even if I don’t have the opportunity to brush my teeth some nights, but I know it is the plan god has for me to be happy if I follow him first and always! 

I challenge you this week to be exactly obedient. Read every day in the scriptures, pray at your bedside right when you wake up and right before you go to bed. And always serve others (Makenna serve mom=)) and if you look first for god and love him with all your heart, he will bless you with the sprit and joy. Don’t ever stop your progression and I know you will be blessed, Endure to the end and have hope! 

I love you all so much and I love your stories you have written me about your week they sound so amazing! i laugh and i cry every time i read these letters from you. Dad: keep telling me how the study goes of preach my gospel. And mom and makenna make sure you read from teh scriptures every day with a prayer to start and the end. And Brennan I did not receive an email from you. I love you so much and I hope you can send me an email about your studies of the gospel this week

Love you family,

Elder Hicks


Oh for exercise I do a lot of pushups, oh and Mom my mission president said to have your moms not update your facebook while you are on your mission. Some people might think I am getting on. Thanks a lot! Love you so much more!