Dec 30

Dear Family,                                                                                    Dec 30, 2013

1. The rest of my week has been great. We have continued working and we are trying hard to help others come unto Christ. Also if you want to know this week I had to do a particular service for Elder Campos.  He had some nose hairs that were growing a little long and I had to cut them for him. Fun... ha

2.On Christmas after the call we went and visited some investigators. The people in Argentina celebrate their Christmas on the 24th in the night and that is when we ate rice and meat... a lot of meat... ha

3.The investigators are doing great, Right now Noelia is working on her testimony. And is praying a lot to know if the church is true. She has a baptismal date scheduled for the 12th of January,

4.The People in Argentina celebrate their Christmas a little different than we do. They celebrate it like new years. First the night before, on the 24th they open the presents and in the night at 12 midnight they start partying and then they party all night with their family. They believe in Santa Claus but not that he comes over night like we do.

5. For the new years we are going to the bishop’s home again to eat with him and his family. I think we are gaining his trust. I really love this ward so much in José C. Paz and I really don’t want to leave

It is so good to hear about Blake and I loved seeing all of you on the camera. To me it seems that you are all doing so great.

First of all I want to tell you that I love all of you so much. And I am so glad we had the opportunity to talk and to converse about everything that is happening in the mission.

I still have not fulfilled the Christmas tradition I still haven’t had time to go to a place to take out the money.

Today we have played soccer so I don't have much more time to write you. But I love you all so much and this week I will try to take out the money to give it to someone. It is kind of hard to find time to go to a place to take out money we have to wait in a long line...

Today I studied about the obedience and about the 2000 stripling warriors, and I learned so much. It says with their exact obedience they were blessed and protected. Also if we are exactly obedient to what the prophets are asking us we also will be blessed and protected. It doesn’t mean we won’t be hurt, because the stripling warriors, all of them had wounds, but it means we will be protected from Satan his hurtful influences on us that if we are not careful…will not be able to overcome.. Be obedient this week. and I am so glad for your involvement in the missionary work of the Lord. All of you are much better examples to me on how to involve yourselves in helping people come unto Christ.

Much Love, Elder Hicks

SWABH

See you all soon!

During this email I hope you could find some funny experiences and I hope I could answer all your questions. Sorry for not doing the challenge still...

P.S: I am gong to try to relax a little both Mom and Dad told me I needed to relax. haha maybe it’s a sign

I love you all so much (:

Dec 23

Dear family and friends

 I know that this church is true and i am so greatful for what our savior has done for us. During this time of the year i hope we can remember the reason for all of the christmas decorations and for all the love and joy in the air. This joy does not come from us but it comes form the true Chirst and Lord. A scripture that i really love helps me rember the reason for this time of year is in Matthew 1

It says:

 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of ^aDavid, the son of Abraham.

 2 ^aAbraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat ^bJudas and his brethren;

 3 And Judas begat ^aPhares and ^bZara of Thamar; and Phares begat ^cEsrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and ^aNaasson begat Salmon;

 5 And Salmon begat ^aBooz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat ^aSolomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;

 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;

 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to ^aBabylon:

 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat ^aZorobabel;

 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

 16 And Jacob begat ^aJoseph the husband of ^bMary, of whom was born ^cJesus, ^dwho is called ^eChrist.

 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen ^agenerations.

 18 ¶^aNow the ^bbirth of Jesus Christ was ^con this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick ^aexample, ^bwas minded to ^cput her away privily.

 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a ^adream, saying, Joseph, thou son of ^bDavid, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the ^cHoly Ghost.

 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his ^aname ^bJesus: for he shall ^csave his people from their sins.

 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

 23 ^aBehold, a ^bvirgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his ^cname ^dEmmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his ^awife:

 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her ^afirstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

When i read the last verse i feel the love that the savior has for each one of us.

This scripture helps me rember the reason behind Christmas, that Christ our saviour our example and our redeemer was born. it is to help us remeber his birth. I know he is our saviour and as his representative, I know his atonement changes us and helps us to be BETTER, without a doubt i know this church is true and IT really is his church. 

I am so excited to be able to talk to you mom and dad and makenna and brennan this wednesday. Keep chirst in your hearts and remember who we all represent as believers in him.

Love,

Elder Hicks

P.s. i love you all so much

Dec 17~ Elder Campos

I am going to recieve aniother new missionary! i don´t know where he is from i am going to meet him at 3 today and i am so excited to meet him. I am going to miss ELder Paricahua so much. He really is like an Hijo for me... He is going to serve with an Elder in my Group named  Elder Williams who is from Mesa and he is going to serve in a place called Savio.

This week we have worked hard and Noelia went to CHurch! I am not sure if i have told you a lot about Noelia but she is a single Mom and is raising her Son (who is such a great kid by herself) she is also raising a baby. After she went to the church she told us, I really loved the church this week! WOW, it was so great to hear that!.

Noelia has a goal to know if the Book Of Mormon is true by the 31st and in that day she is going to choose a date to be baptized. We are trying really hard to help her to feel the spirit and to help her recognize the blessings of the gospel. 

ALso in the news, we are going to have snow here for Christmas!! ha no just kidding, but for Christmas we are going to go on the 24th to the office of the mission and we are going to be with all teh missionaries and also with the president.! and then on teh 25th i will be able to call you in skype, i have completely forgotten my passwword and username, i will try to create a new one on the day of.

Mom, thank you so much for telling me that i need to continue being obedient, it seems as i become more comfortable in the mission, it is a lot easier to be desobidient to each rule that we have. thank you mom!

Dad, you asked me if i am involved a lot in the process with ward counsel. i try my hardest to always bring a progress report to each meeting, and it goes pretty well, I think in general somethind that i need to improve is involing the members more in our work and to becine a tireless missionary when it comes to the small and simple things,

A scripture that is really helping me right now to do more of the small and simple things is found in Alma 37, 6-7 

through small and simple things are brought to pass big things and in many cases, the small things doth confound the wise, ANd the lord GOd works through samll means to bring to pass his great and eternal designs. 

I know this is true and it is helping me and my investigators to realize the importance of the small things everyday.

Love you all so much,

Elder Hicks

 Our district

 I received the Ensign!

The last goodbye to Elder Paricahua,

Dec. 2

Dear Family,

i LOVE YOU SO MUCH, i hope in each messsage you can feel the love i have for all of you. Mom you are such a hard worker and seriously you have been an angel in my Life. I love you and think about you so much, i remember your example and how you always served me. thank you for your example. This week especially i have a lot about the family.. with thanksgiving and all, and now chirstmas! i´m not going to promise that i won´t cry because it would be crazy if i did not cry. i hope the missionaries in our ward feel welcome by the families in our ward. especially in this time of the year. Anyway i love you all so much and you are such a great family, dad you are such a great example to me of how to be a man, i have thoughts of you too, of how you set an example to me of how to work. Makenna, i have not recieved a message from you in forever and i am begining to worry about your situation  with the boys , hopefully you are staying away from them. hah only a couple months more you will be able to date, it is worth the wait Makenna. And brennan i always think about you, we have progressed together and gone thoruhg so much, you are my borther and will always be my best friend, Love you a ton.You are all my eternal family and you  are all my bests friends. 

        This week has been great: we have worked hard, we have been exactly obedient, and we have felt the spirit.

THis week i have felt the spirit so strong, We had divisions and my district leader came to my area. he taught me so much about how to live. He is from Nicaragua and is a true represantative of the Lord, He was always thinking about others and always helpìng, and especially always trying to listen to the spirit. He taught me so much about life. 

This week we had an investgator recieve an answer that the Book Of Mormon is true, THe cousin of Abril named Daiana knows that the Book of mormon is true.  Hermana Luna the Mom of Abril has started to do missionary work she invited Daiana to come to church and now Daiana know that the church is true. All we have to do know is teach her and baptize her and have the support of her parents. the other investgators that we have are named gonzalo and Noelia. Noelia is the sister of a less active and yesterday we taught her. She told us that she needs more hope in life. She is not married and has 2 kids that she is raising by herself. and she is really trying her best but she says it is so hard. During the lesson we read the scripture in Ether 12:4, after she read this scripture she started crying. All she has to do know is pray about the book and Joseph smith and her life will be changed forever! WE are going to see her later today, i ll tell you how she is doing next week! 

Also in Argentina it is getting super hot... you know what that means... more Ice cream! hah no, it means that we need to drink more water so we will be able to function. It is so much differnet than the states because their is no air conditioning here and everyone has fans which really are lifesavers! ha to sleep we need the fan, tostudy we need the fan, to not always be sweating we need the fan. It is like football practice but all the time. ha The heat doesn´t really bother me, i just hope it helps more people listen to our message so they can save their life through Chirst.

My foot is doing os much better, it doesn´t hurt and i need to be better about applying the lotion on it, but other thatn that it is okay. thanks for asking mom

I´m really so glad you got to see grandma this week, I thought about her this morning, i looked at my geneology chart and i was thinkning about the death of Granpa Burke and i was thinking that my kids are not going ot know who he was and our not going ot have the chance to meet him, it really struck me. I learned that as we grow up life really does change a lot. And it will not ever be that same, so we have to enjoy every moment that God gives us, I am so glad that i was able to learn that.

Something that i learned this week is that we should always be learning, If we learn from every experince we will always be progressing, ANd if we learn something thorugh the spirit we will be able to use it for some period furhter in the future.

Thank you for all that you have done for me, you really are the best family ever. I think about you often. 

Love,

Elder Hicks
sorry for not having any pictures... i din´t take much this week i will be better the next week.

Nov 25

This week has truly been great!

This week we did a lot of walking but we are seeing results.

Elder Paricahua and I are having so much fun. Also this week the heat has started to hit Buenos Aires Argentina. Each night we have to use a fan to be able to sleep or we would sweat to death.

Also something funny yesterday during a lesson that we were having, We were teaching a young man named Gozalo who is 20 years old. And while we were teaching I was sweating so bad, also I had about 20 bites from a mosquito, but all of that did not matter because I could feel the spirit and I could see that growth of a young man. We challenged him to be baptized on the 8th of December. He said yes and is going to be prepared to be baptized that day! This is the Lord's work.

One of the investigators named Elizabeth was baptized this week in our ward and she is doing so great. She truly is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The missionaries have been teaching her since I arrived in José C. Paz. But she could not be baptized because she lived with a man. And This week she moved all of her stuff so she could live in a different house and she got baptized!! It truly was so great! She was so excited and she has waited for this day for so long.

She has told us that the missionaries saved her life. About 2 months ago before the missionaries came over she was thinking about doing many bad things because the man she was living with did not love her and also because she did not have a Job and she was not able to escape her problems. She was truly sad and devastated. 

The day the missionaries came over she was going to take her life... She has told us that with the gospel her life has changed. It is so amazing to see a change in her over these past 2 months.

Also Abril and Hermana Luna are starting to teach the Gospel to other People, Hermana Luna is starting to teach the Gospel to her cousin. And this week after Church Abril shared her testimony with her cousin, Her cousin’s name is Daina. And Daiana is going to listen to us teach this week.

Also this week Elder Paricahua and I are doing so much better in our teaching, We have truly seen the Lord help us with our teaching. 

I think one thing that is so important in the mission is that it teaches us what are our priorities. Right now, I am training and I need to focus on Elder Paricahua and each day that I focus more on him and his progression we always have more success. The Lord knows are needs and when we focus on what is most important in our lives we have more happiness and more success! 

I cannot believe that the mission is going by so fast... I truly love each moment of it. I can remember when I was in the MTC and I saw Elder Breinholt and he told me he had 9 Months in the mission and I thought... Holy cow that is so much time. But now I will have 9 months in a little bit of time. I can't believe it. I truly love every moment we have to serve the Lord-

The pictures that I sent are of an investigator named Horacio, It was his birthday and he invited us over to celebrate it with him... If you think I am gaining weight you can call me out... Hah I promise I am doing my exercises each day! 

I know that Christ Lives and that is we act like him we will always be more happy and be able to enjoy life to its fullness. We need to remember what are the priorities and once we do so we will be able to be happy. I am so grateful for my trials because they help me grow closer to Christ and they help me plead for his help. Remember we need him in the worst of times and also in the times that are difficult, always remember him. 

Love you all,

Elder Hicks

P.S. how is reading of the Book of Mormon...? We only have one month left, and it will go by fast.

  Troy sent the picture of the meat for his Dad to see, last week Bill sent him a picture of a bunch of steaks he was grilling for Dinner.  I think this is Troy's way of saying Dad I am eating pretty good myself!

Nov. 18

Dear parents and family,

In this letter i want to communicate with you how much i love you, I hope you can feel the LOve i have for you.

THis week has been great and the time is flying by so quickly. We listened to Elder Holland this week and he spoke a lot about who we are. That we are literally representatives of Christ. ALso his wife spoke about a scripture in Doctrine and convenios in section 88: 63-68. It really has left me thinking about many things in my life and during my misión. OUr investigators have not been doing so well. BUt what is so good is that ABirl went to church with her mom this week and they are on the track to being members for the rest of their  lifes and for eternity.

Dad, you asked me what I do with my spare time. For my spare time I don´t workout. I am trying to be as healthy as I can be and I am learning so much about the importance of the word of wisdom. If we follow the word of wisdom we can be the most happy possible. Also about the country of Argentina I don´t know much about, It is truly hard to find time to do anything on the Preperation day and to come back in time to teach all of our investigators.

 I really want to talk to you about what I learned during the conference with president and sister Holland. I really loved the talk by sister Holland. SHe specifically talked about the verses in the doctrine and conenants. And in this scripture it talks about how we need to keep our put only on the glory of God. And after this the scripture gives a promise that if we have any darkness inside of us. The darkness will be chased out and it willed be filled with Light. I have been thinking a lot about this scripture and how we can chase the darkeness out of our life. I know if we think of the God all the time and of his glory we will be able to chase away any darkness that is in us.

In he talk of President Holland, I learned so much and I am still learning more. Elder Holland talked about who we are, that we are somewhat apostolic. That as missionaries, from the time that we wake up we are thinking about how we can save the human soul.  And that truly is the mission, that we can always think of a way to save the human soul and each day we can focus ourselves in this mighty goal.. the same goal that God has.

In the end of the talk, I wrote in my Journal: I just listened to Elder Holland and I know He is a prophet of God. I felt the spirit, a feeling of tingles that starts in my mind and goes to my feet.

I know that Christ lives and that he Loves us so much, This following week is going to be so great!! Always keep your head up and if you are sad, think about who you are. A child of God. That, I can promise will bring you happiness.

I hope you can feel my Love for you all through my letters, I know they are not perfect and I don`t always answer all your questions, but what I know is important is that I  love you and I hope you can feel it. Also I hope you can feel the love God has for you.

Love you so Much,

Elder Hicks

Nov. 11

I still have the same companion, Also i did not hear about the typhoon in the philippines, I will keep the peopele that have been impacted in my prayers.
HA Dad about your comment of me waving to people.. i don{t wave to everyone but i make sure that i have the opportunity to say hi to everyone that i see.. i hope they don´t think we are weird.
I recently read a letter from Elder Sellers and I am realizing how different each mission is for each missionary. How different it is and the different challenges people face in each part of the world. This week I have gained a strong testimony that I know i am where I supposed to be. Also I am starting to understand that each moment that we have hsa ben organized specifically for us and each second is measured by God, that hopefully we can use to be happy and use to grow.
This week we had trials but also we had the opportunity to see 2 confirmations. Of Ramon and of Abril, not that i want to say it but we arrived late to the sacrament meeting with Ramon ( probably the worst i have felt on my mission) but it was all okay. Our bishop is so patient and he still gave us time during the sacrament meeting to confirm him as a member of the church of Jesus Chirst of Latter day Saints. Such a blessing. Also Abril with her Mom arrived late but she had a chance to be confirmed also. These next couple weeks are of utter importance to teach them the doctrine of arriving on time... hopefully as i teach it I will come to understand it... ha

Elder Paricahua and I are doing so much better each week. He is such a great companion. I am beginning to see his growth and it is such a blessing to see your companion change through the gospel... (Maybe Mom you have seen a change in Dad thorugh the years with the gospel.) He has grown in so many ways and is truly becoming a man of God. As i am seeing him change through the atonement i am filled with so much happiness.
This week with Elder Paricahua in our training we learned a lot about using the Book of Mormon to testify, we had an opportunity to apply our learnings in the house of one of our investigators. We were passing by the house and a man came outside form another church and he started preaching to us. I was thinking wow if you really knew what the truth was you would be so much happier. after he finished talking Elder Paricahua started preaching of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, once he finished we asked him if he would read the invitation that Moroni gives in Moroni 10.3-5,  He said no so then i started to read it, the spirit was so strong.    After we read it Elder Paricahua bore his testimony of the Book of Mormon.  It was such a great moment to have to see and to have th eexperience to testify of the Book of Mormon even though the man did not accept our invitation i felt so satisfied. 

This week we don't have a cellular so we are again living with the Zone Leaders in The Plaza of José C. PAz, It is really fun to live with them, each night we always laugh. I am not sure when we will be able to go to our other apartment again.

This Saturday we are having a conference with 2 apostles! Elder Holland and Elder Christofferson are coming to our mission. I am so excited more excited that a girl would be if she was gong to a concert of Justin Beiber.. Ha maybe, but i know that the spirit is going to be so strong. and that this day will probably change my life. 

The mission life is so great and i Love you all so much

Love,
Elder Hicks 

P.S. I hope you are all on track with your readings of the book of mormon we have to finish it by Christmas.. I am in Alma.

SWABH
See you soon.. time is flying by...