Come unto Christ

Dear Family and friends,

    I don´t know if I have told you or not but I truly love the mission. Also A member in our ward fixed my memory card, so the memory card that i was using to send pictures now works and i can send all the pictures that i have not sent you!!

MOm, Thank you so much for your email. I really love your testimony, and i am going to get better sending you information about how my week is going. 

This week as a zone we have really focused on having group effort. And working with the members. So this week we all did divisions within our zone to be able to wrok even harder. THis week on tuesday and on friday we are all going to do divisons to be able to have a group success. Also as a companionship we worked so hard all week. As we went to bed each night i was sososo tired. ja son´t thin i have ever been so tired before and been so happy. 

      Well, on monday we started at 6 and we taught some people but we still did not see an success... on tuesday we did divisions i was with ELder Edmonds who just arrived from Utah. and he helped me learn so much about how to use the spirit. on wednesday we worked and rode are bikes! and on thursday we kept working but still noone showed up... I thinhk god is and was trying to try our patience... then on saturday as we were trying to find some less actives a man named Pedro Vargas from PAraguay called us over( He told us that his name is from mexico! Im pedro Vargas From MExico!) so we started talking to him and he told us he had been preparing to be baptized for 5 years in Paraguay and he wanted to be baptized. So we agave him a book of mormon and we taught him.. God really blessed us. (this was on saturday) on saturday night we looked for more peoplet to teach but we coul not find anyone until saturday night at about 8 30,,, it was another miracle...

     Then on sunday night at around 6 oclock, we only have had 2 investigators for 2 weeks and these 2 investigators we found in the past 2 days... at this hour we recieved a referral from the offices named Karla so we went and visited her she opened her door and said ¨Hola Chicos vinieron!¨ You came boys¨ ( here it is normal for them to call us boys) as we taught her we felt the spirit very strong that she was an chosen person form God. She had gone to the church in other places. And had already read part of the Book of mormon until chapter 10. We talked to her a little bit about baptism and she agreed to be baptized this weekend... It truly was a miracle from God. 

  I know God prepares people to be able to share the gospel with them. this week required much patience, but I have realized that the lord always blesses us. I like Alma,   

...would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

 3) But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

    I don´t tell you this to brag but to let you know that helping others to repent and to change therir lives really brings so much Joy. If we can come unto Christ and do what he wants from us we will have so much joy.

I would like to give a challenge to everyone this week that we can ask ourselves... What can I do to come more unto Christ? 

    He will help us grow and help us to overcome our trials that we all have, I promise that as we come more unto Christ, We will have peace in our Lives.

I love you all so much and I love this gopel, this next week we are planning to do even more divisions as a zone and to hopefully help mroe people make covenants with God. 

Love,

Elder Troy Hicks

P.S. I hope that Mom I will always be that innocent little boy who did not know how to say ¨r¨. I love you so much. I am going to focus even more on my mission right now so that I can sleep 15 hours on the plane. I hope you have fun in provo and that you dress warm for the ocassion. 

I just wanted to share a song with you that has really helped me out htis past week feel the love of god.

Love,

Elder Troy Hicks

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

1. old pictures that I had to send you!

  ELder Barragan and I reppen¨

 El Obilisco! last year!

 In North Carolina, not knowing spanish, teaching to our mission leader...

 Elder Tenney, Elder Clawson, Eler Castillo

La familia angel! the are recent converts and they are so nice!

Look, what we got!!!!

Dear Parents,

February 11, 2015 represents your missionary’s official release date.  In order to ensure proper travel plans, we need you to verify the following information:

1.       Parents’ names

2.       Home mailing address (home to which the missionary will return)

3.       Name of home ward

4.       Name of home stake

5.       Stake President´s Name

6.       Email address to which you would like the flight plans sent

7.       The closest airport

8.       Will your missionary need the Church to provide additional transportation from the airport to home?

Please reply to this email with this information as soon as possible.

We do not send this information to your missionary in order to help him/her stay focused on the work.

Thank you so much for your help.

 I have attached a page of information for picking up your missionary.  I look forward to meeting you – we love to meet the Arizona families (we´re from The Gila Valley)!

Love,

Hermana Lines

Secretaria

Misión Buenos Aires Norte

The Church is True!

The questions:

 1.My biggest concern right now is… will I be able to work when I get home, also my goal to baptize and how I will be able to baptize that many  people.  Another concern I have is in what subject will I major in. Or what will I for a living. I have thought a lot about that these past couple months. I have thought about a lot of things but I still don´t know. Also I think a lot about the Zone during the day and how we can help the missionaries in our zone to be able to preach all their lives and to be successful missionaries. One last concern that I have is that I truly want to love the people in Argentina, I want to serve them and finish strong my mission before it ends!! seeing that I still have a year left in the mission!

2.     My greatest joy is when I am teaching to other people and the moment when they understand something from the spirit, it is truly an experience to see when someone says: oh I finally understand what you are saying. And we explain that it is from the spirit.

3.    This week our zone could do a lot better. We are talking about how we can improve as a zone and as missionaries.

4.     Elder Bobadilla is so great he is such a great missionary and person. He reminds me a lot of a bunch of my best friends. Also, as we work he helps me a lot to be an even better missionary.  We are going to help a lot of people this transfer!

5.     And about the blood sausage it tastes just like ham… haha no it tastes a little weird but it is not bad. Ha

6.     About meet the mormons I heard a little bit about it the other day. The trailer looks great. 

This past week has been great. We are working a lot more with the members. And we are trying to help the ward to grow. This week we have passed by a lot of Less actives and found a bunch of families that we never knew. One family has not gone to the church for about 5 months and another family for about a year. I learned a lot when Our prophet talked about the rescue of the members who our less active and to be able to find people through them. Also we are working with another family named the A_____ family who are so great. They are recent converts and I love them so much. They can go to the temple in march. Yesterday the dad went with his 2 daughters ( ______ (9) and ______(6)) to church by themselves. The family consists of 9 children and 2 parents. But they walked by themselves. I loved to see the conviction of the two youngest daughters to go to church.

I truly love this area and the people here. This month we are going to try to find 4 people more to baptize through the many less actives that reside in the area!

I love the church and I know it is true. Also I know Christ is our Savior, if we do something wrong we must only get on our knees and repent and he will help us get through our trials!

Love you all so much. you are so important to me.

Love,

Elder Troy Hicks

Transfers! Who left?

Dear Family, 

It has been another great week in the mission. I am a little bit fatter, A little bit smarter, and a little bit closer to my heavenly father. !) ja and I hope this next week goes exactly the same! ja 

   About transfers! Elder Molina and I are now not companions... My new compnion is Elder Bobadilla and is from Mexico He is from Mexico City. This week We took a couple of pictures but I do not have to much to send. ( i sent a picture like always with me and My book of mormon... It ry to always get the book of mormon inthe picutre.)  Let me tell you I am loving the mission so much. As a zone, we had 19 baptisms in one month and we are going to keep growing!! 

This week I loved the general conference, I especially loved the talk by Elder Robbbins about how we should only fear God and not the men. We are here to serve God and Not sreve Men or try to be popular but to be obedient to our heavenly Father.  The mission really has been one of the hardest things i have eer done and feel like the Lord is making me someody that I need to be. And helping me become a man and not just a little boy. If I know something and it is true I must stand by that and support it. A quick story that I read by legrand richards: a man was in the Army and they had to support their captain by drinking to him. One man who was a member of hte church drank a glass of milk and when the captain saw that he drank milk he was surprised and asked the young man... ¨ why did you drink milk to support me...? ´ the young man then told his captain that he drank milk bexause he had ecided that he was not going to drink alcohol because his god did not permit him to do these things. The captain then said ¨tomorrow I want to talk to you in my office¨ Thne legrand richards say thta he supposed the boy did not sleep at all that night... i imagine that i would not sleep well either... after that the boy goes to his office and the captain gives him a raise or gives him a position in the army. the captain told the boy in the army that h eliked people who stood up for what they thought was right. This story has helped me a lot this week. Even if we think the whole world is against us... But the lords wants us to do it... We must fear the lord and we must do it... Thinking about ether being the only prophet when all of the jaredites were wicked. I´m sure the example of ether also helped a very lonely moroni when he was alone and he did not have anyone ot talk to about the plates... 

some of his last word ¨and I make not myself knownto the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.

 2 For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves;and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite thatwill not deny the Christ. 3 And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wanderwhithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.¨

I testify that we are never alone and that Christ is always with us, and if we must do something and we know it is right we should just do it.

I love you all and I hope you have a great week. 

Love,

Elder Hicks

P.s. Mom the picture that i sent was from a farewell of Elders. and also if you want to know you are such a beautiful mom and A lot of people here think i look like you!

-I am doing great out here on the mission and I am going ot work harder than ever to return with Honor!!!

The photo is of my companion and me!! 

Love, God, And The Salvation!

Dear Family and Frineds,

 This week gave a guy a blessing and her started to cry, it was amazing to see the lord work through him and thorugh us. He was super sick and his wife is a member. ADn he asked us for a priesthood blessing, as we were giving the blessing he could barley stop from crying and totally broke down. before we gave him the blessing we shared a scripture with him that is in Doctrine And Covenants, That says we should care about what God wants and the rest will fall into place. This week I have really felt that this is true, even though it can be hard as we do what the Lord wants everything will fall into place. In a talk by President holland named ¨the bitter cup and the bloody baptism¨ he makes a reference to C.S. Lewis where he describes God as a surgeon.

  He states the following: But suppose that what you are up against is a[wonderfully skilled] surgeon whose intentions are [solely and absolutely] good. [Then], the kinder and more conscientious he is,[the more he cares about you,] the more inexorably he will go on cutting [in spite of the suffering it may cause. And] if he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. . . . [pp. 49–50]

[So I am, you see, one] of God’s patients, not yet cured. I know there are not only tears [yet] to be dried but stains [yet] to be scoured. [My] sword will be made even brighter.

The Lord is forming us to be something greater than we really are and as we trust in him and Love him with all our heart might mind and strength he will create us into somehting we never thought we could be...  SUre we know we will be Gods one day but do we really undersatnd what that is like?? I can´t wait to be like my Heavenly Father.

This week, I have felt the love of my savior and of my heavenly Father. He wants what is best for us. I know he Loves us and is always there for us! 

I want you to know how much I lvoe you all so much. And I want what is best for each one of you!!

About my Week: 

This week we have wroked in trying to find more people. we have met a ton of great people.!)

We are working on an incomplete family named the ANgel family. Every one is a membet except on edaughter named Candela and her Bropther. CAmila is also her sister who got baptized.

In our area we get around by walking a lot! ANd we use a bus. Almost in all of Buenos Aires, you have to use bus to get around. It is a quite interesitng experinece when it is super full of people. Usually it is quite calm.

Also We have to go to another compueter... they are closing up here... one second!

love you!!

This week we have  meeting as zone leaders and we are going to teach our zone what the president wants us to help the zone. Also as a mission we focus  a bunch on the Book of Mormon and finding through the members! SO we will see. but the zone is so great. 

The craziest thing I have ever ate... Would have to be.. we have eaten blood susge.. also yesterday while we were eating lunch a guy caught  frog and wanted to eat it... he had been drinking  a couple of drinks... But I said I wasn't going to eat it.. I didn´t think it was  good idea to share the gospel with him in the moment.. he was way funny.

Also yesterday I saw Elder Erickson ( he is the neighbor of Michael Peterson!)  at the farewell of Elders and the Sister Missionaries.

all in all it has been a great week! 

Love,

Elder Hicks

P.S. The mission is so great I love it so much

Mom, Just so you know, I would love for you to come down in February... I want you to come and see what it is like in Argentina and I want you to get to know My converts. also I would love for Brennan to come.

Love you all,

Elder HIcks



Love you more!) haha

Surprise Email on Sunday

Hey mom, it's Elder Hicks I'm in Lopez camelo. I love you all!!! 

at a meeting With President Ayre, Elder Damitz, and Elder Bennett

LA Grano Misiòn

Dear Family and friends,

    Well, THis week has been great. I`m not really sure what to say but it is so crazy and I am so thankful for my father in heaven hwo heres my prayers.  Recently i HAve seen a trailer for a movie about the Momons that is going ot come out. I had no idea that this was even in production. It makes me think ¨wow, HOw crazy it is to be part of the gospel. ANd to be able to share it in all times and in all moments. Akways it is so great to see the Hand of God in this work and also in my  Home and in hoems around the World. I truly love recieving the emails of all the elders i know. Knowing that also in Japan People are acepting the Gospel. In mexico, In Aregentina, In CHile. In all the world. ANd now GOd wants people all over the World to know about his gospel and that through his son everyone can be part of his restored Gospel. I preach day in and day out... Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the gift of the HOly Ghost, And Enduring to the ENd. Eery day it is my goal to have someone CHANGE, and I see it everyday!

      I want everyone to know that God exists and that His son is our saviour. And that thorugh him we can feel... CAlm, Peace... Even though we don´t live in a place of peace this spirit that we recieve after baptism will gice us this peace. I know it, I have felt it, ANd I have seen other people feel it too. 

     This week i have seen changes in Uriel, BEfore he told us he didn´t want to change,,, THen when we told him we weren`t going ot pass by more he ASked if we could come back. and we set the baptismal date and now he is a baptized member of the church. HE is such a great kid. He is 15 years old and he is a boyfriend of one o the members of the CHurch.

     Well, this week has been super great,  ANd I want everyone to know that God exists and that he loves us. If we TRY or if we change a little bit I know he will help us. Even in hard situations. BUt we must do it in christ way he is the pathway and the only way we can have eternal life. I know it and i love my Saviour for that. 

BE happy!! and keep smiling God is there to support you!

I love the mission and I love this time to tell everyone that Their is a better life!

Love, Elder Hicks

Dad
This week we have gone to the Gym every day. I am running on the treadmil. also on saturday i ran with one of the elders from Chile... I almost died after 20 minutes... ja Also it would be great for you to come down dad. are mom and makenna going oto come?? and Whatever you think is best i am fine with.

Ps.  I want to see pictures of your hunt dad! 

Love you,

Elder Hicks

Only one foto... B day of angeles, A member who loves to share the gospel. Hree in aregentina when it is a b day that means everyone has the right to throw Eggs and Flour and I guess old dirt all over your head!!