Oct 15

Dear Mom,

This week has been so great, I Just want to tell you that I am a little jealous that you could go to the beach, but when you were all at the beach I went to a zoo this week with all of our mission, we saw a couple of the animals. I don’t have very good pictures of the experience but I will send you a couple that you might like, and I literally love the pictures you have sent me, they look so great.

First of all, I could not send a letter yesterday because it was a holiday in Argentina and everything was closed; it was a very peaceful day.

Second this week we have had so many miracles. We went from having no investigators to have three people come to church and we are working so hard to help them keep their testimonies. It is so fun being a missionary, I love it so much, IF we focus on being humble and being obedient the Lord provides everything that we need.

This week our investigators that came to church our named Rocio, Ramon, and Abril. They are all so great and are doing so much good. All I can ask is that you pray for them and I know they will progress even faster. Also can you pray for Claudia, and Fernando?

Right now, Elder Paricahua and I are doing great and we are progressing so much as a companionship, I really love him and through the Lord I am having more and more love for him each day.

I really want and have desires to talk with all the family about something I learned this week with my companion.

As a companionship we don’t always get a long and we disagree about quite a few things and sometimes it is hard for us to always be happy together, but this week I learned something amazing. And it has to do with something that I have never studied and is probably one of the biggest changes I have made in my life. And it is called humility... this week and this transfer I have learned and made it my goal to be more humble and it has helped me to get along so much better with my companion. We live with the Zone leaders and at the beginning of the transfer elder Carvajal, one of the Zone leaders told me the most important thing about being a missionary and the way to have success is to be humble. At first I did not believe him and I did not understand why. I always thought that the most important thing is to be obedient but as I have learned about being humble I have learned that it is so important to be humble. I the General conference priesthood session one speaker talked about being humble. He said to have the guidance of the lord is to be humble obedient and you will have to spirit. He said if you are humble, you will listen to what god says and you will in turn be obedient and if you are obedient you will in turn be blessed to enjoy the sprit in your life.

As I have applied and studied the Christ like trait of humility in my Life I have been so much happier. I don’t judge others and I think more and more each day about what god wants me to do and it brings me so much peace and happiness. Especially as I think about my companion. Ever since I have been more humble and thought about him instead of myself we have gotten along so much better.

Mom, I love you so much and I can’t believe that 7 months of my mission have already passed by. And every day I love you more and more. I want to especially thank you for all the nights for praying for me and for caring for me. I would not be here without you

Love your son,

Elder Hicks

Dear Dad,

    Ha yes, it is a dessert; it looks really good doesn’t it.

Ha and I can’t believe that you went to the beach how fun is that. Well while you were at the beach I was at the zoo. We went to a zoo called Temaiken this past week. It was so great. I am going to send some pictures to mom.

And I think my Spanish is well so, so. Right now I think in Spanish a lot but I Defiantly don’t understand everything but as I study and read and write down the words I don’t know the Lord is helping me a lot to remember what I put in my mind.

Also Dad, we all know that when we all return from our missions that when we play that Jackson is going to beat all of us in Ping Pong. I only think that because he is serving in Japan. Ha but between you and me I think I can still beat you. We will have to see.

Also I love the idea of reading the ensign each day and the addresses from it from the prophets today. It is revelation for the next 6 months of our life. Wow, I will try to use more talks in my life also for these next six months.

I decided that right now it is not a good idea to buy groceries for the people... the purpose of the gospel is to help us be auto sufficient. And as a missionary if I am buying groceries for someone they are going to come to the church looking for only help and not for a way to feel free, not for a way to enjoy the spirit of Christ.

Also I would love for you to be my companion, I think that would be so cool if you can learn a little bit of Spanish when you come down. Hopefully I will be able to teach you a little bit more also.

And the gear is holding up great, I have had to sew a couple things up here and there, but I figured it out and it seems to be working fine :) ha, I'll send some pictures in the email to mom, But I love you so much and never forget that we are an eternal family and every day I think about all of you as I teach and how great a blessing we have to be an eternal family.

And then we received this 3rd e-mail from Troy today...

Oh and it is a dessert, also I don’t know if I have told you guys but something funny about the mission is that I have I had a fungus on my foot since I have arrived here and it still has not gone away. ha-ha I just wanted to let you know. I love you so much and I hope you can laugh at the e-mail. Because I have cream and it seems to be working so. Love you.