Hola de terminar primer cambio aqui

Todo está bien en Jorge Chavez!

Well things didn´t go too hot this week, and we mainly spent all day every day in the street, looking for people to teach, and teaching them, but not ever getting inside. We´re hoping to have better success finishing this upcoming week, after new years and everything. As for now, we´ve got to pass the trial of faith with valor and honor.

I´m short on time, here´s some blurps;

 Elder Pinedo and I in the Cangalaya Home

Elder Pinedo asleep as I redo the whiteboard

Elder Pinedo "driving" the Reyes's car to its parking spot while we push

I was reading old letters: Paul teaches in the MTC?

Lily, have you seen the TV show pepa the pig?

Cammie and Rachel? and Joseph? Are they still on their missions? They´re still alive, right?

Wherever you go, everybody asks the missionaries: "Cuantos con fecha?" Or, How many investigators on date?!

Make everything you do a way of preparing to go to the temple!

I love you!

Yo sé [I know].

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Feliz Cumpleanos!! Happy Birthday To me!

My Birthday!

 "Happy Birthday" from Elder Bunt

 "Happy Birthday" from Grandma and Grandpa Hicken

"Happy Birthday" from Hermana Brasga (friend serving in Mexico City)

Opening Peter and Annette's Package!

 Opening a letter from Elder Erlof

 Oh, THIS was awesome: 

Elder Gomez and I found 100 soles [ about $35 in US] in my drawer! ... 

 ...and we used it to buy PIZZA ...

...for the whole district for my birthday!

Elder Torres, Elder Hernandez, Me, Elder Gomez, Elder Pinedo, Elder Fernandez

An Alfajor Cake for My Birthday

The Reyes Family threw me a party

Miriam, Aaron, Grima (?), Mattew (Orisegoto), Jair (Moran)

POSE!

Jenny, Mattew, Grima, Allison

 "Feliz Cumpleanos!"

Singing Happy Birthday -- Hermana Reyes

 Budin!!

(Jennifer Digna in Background)

 Elder Pinedo, me, Miriam, Janice O.

Olinda, Jaime, Grima, Mattew O, Jenny, Jennifer M, Ariana

 Elder Pinedo

Mattew Orbegoto leaves for Trujillo in a few months

Feliz Navidad!

Ok, well I´m going to talk to you soon, so just some quick news.

Todo está bien aquí en Jorge Chavez!

This week has been super hot, and not very successful. I´ve been thinking about where the Lord is saving the chosen investigators for us, as we haven´t been finding anyone. We´ve been devoting much of our time and efforts to contacting the lists of future investigators, and teaching less actives, and the recent converts that we have, even though they are less active´s children.

The hardest thing is that I have yet to see a real consejo de barrio [ward council] in this ward. Our bishop told us that we would start to have them every week when we went to the training broadcast together, but the next week he told us that it was going to be tough, so every two weeks, and now he says we won´t have one until January. That means that we aren´t really progressing. Nevertheless, I say that ´todo está bien´ [all is well] here because we are working hard to be more obedient.

I feel a strong desire to study PMG [Preach My Gospel] more in depth as a part of my personal study. I find that every time I find an excuse not to follow my study plan, I don´t have an effective study, and I am rededicated to make good use of that hour. It has been stressful having Pdays change last minute, to be completely honest. We´ve lost a lot of momentum.

I found great interest in the movie of choice during our Christmas get together: How the Grinch Stole Christmas. For the first time in my life, I understood the movie as a satire, and it´s message rings true here in Perú more than ever. 

A very welcome taste of home, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas

My testimony of our promised land doesn´t cease to grow stronger each day.  The work of the Lord is progressing at an incredible rate. The adversary is fighting to keep up. His work is disgusting in every way, and even worse is that he disguises it to not appear that way. In Elder´s Quorum this week, President Jimmy said that everything Satan does is to divide the family, and he works with the weakest member. Don´t be the weakest! Even better, don´t let there be a weakest! When a family is united in persevering to the end, there is no place for Satan! No handhold! But he has many workers in this world, and he will pull at every seam, and tear at every fray. I testify of the importance of gaining a testimony by way of the spirit. The devil reasons with perfect reasoning. There is no outsmarting the devil, but there is overcoming. We overcome the devil by rising above reason and learning to listen and understand the spirit. I know Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, a chosen seer and mouthpiece. I do not believe, I know. The Lord has sent his special messenger to testify directly to me, so that I, in turn, can testify. There is no seam, nor fray, nor fault in the testimony of the spirit. Joseph Smith was a man, and just as the rest of us, had mortal weakness. Like him, I know I can grow in faith and virtue in order to gain an extra portion of his spirit. I am fasting and praying for this portion, that I may be able to begin bringing his sheep into the fold by the waters of baptism. I love the work!

Testifico que solo todo es sufficiente. Sé que el Señor espera nada menos que 100% de lo que podemos dar. Tenemos (especialmente nosotros como Elderes) que sacrificar todo lo que somos, no importa el precio. Se que la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días es la unica iglesia que ha sido organizado por Dios antes de que el mundo fuese. se que ha sido restaurada en su forma completa, pero muchos misterios son todavía para venir. Sé que la senda es muy estrecha y angosta, y que muchos son los llamados, pero pocos los escogidos. Los escogidos son los que sacrifican todo, sin reservo. Sé que la oración es una herramienta que Dios nos da para ayudarnos a cambiar nuestra voluntad, para que sea más como la suya, pero dicho cambio require mucho tiempo. Estoy en el horno, y con frequencia, el herrero me saca para formarme con sus herramientas. Pero gozo en el cambio, y quisiera compartirlo con todos. Acompañanme en la obra, y gozamonos en la mies.

[I testify that only our all is sufficient.  I know that the Lord expects nothing less than 100% of what we can give.  We (especially as Elders) have to sacrifice all that we are, no matter what it costs.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only church that has been organized by God before the world was.  I know that it has been restored in its complete form, but there are still many mysteries that will still be made known.  I know that the path is very strait and narrow, and that many are called, yet few are chosen.  The chosen ones are those that have sacrificed it all, without reservation.  I know that prayer is a tool that God has given us to help us change our will to be more like His, but such change takes a long time.  I am in the refiner's fire, and the blacksmith takes me out often to form me with his tools.  But I rejoice in the change, and I want to share it with everyone.  Join me in the work, and let's find joy in the harvest.]

I love you!

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Celebrating Navidad with the ward!

(for more pictures, view the December 2013 Album on the Right Sidebar)

The Ward Christmas Pageant 

Put on by the Primary while I read Luke 2.  

Victor Sejas was the director.

 Chezes

Olinda

Jaime Reyes, Jose Moro, Jenny Reyes, Antonio Reyes

Jessica Reyes de Dabegozo

Our Missionary Christmas Skits

All of the missionaries, Dec 20, 2013.   Here we are at the Institute Building in Palo at our Christmas Party.  The party consisted of games provided by each zone.  Then skits by each zone, dinner, and the Nativity DVD, singing and a message from the President.

Getting ready:  "A Haircut for President Borg" -- Courtesy of Elder Gomez

(He was a barber before coming on his mission)

Elder Hernandez and Elder Torres look on.

And it's show time:

Skit # 2:  Elder Condori y Las Flores

"Me Robaron"

["They Robbed Me"]

Skit #3: Los Pitufos de PLC
[The Peru Lima Central Smurfs]

Skit #4: from the Office:

"Head Music"

 (ahem...See President Borg's hair --top left-- Looks like we got the look just right for our skit!)

Skit #5 "Bus Ride"

Hola de Navidad

Pues, hola de navidad. No puedo creer que ya estamos en diciembre mas que todo porque hace demasiado calor, de verdad. Me mata. Si podrían mandarme hielo o nieve, sería lo máximo. Gracias.

Todo está bien aquí en Jorge Chavez!

[Well, a Christmas Hello.  I can not believe it's already December mostly because it is so hot!  It's killing me ... if you could just send me some ice and snow, it would be the best.  Thanks.]

It is super hot, but we´re doing our best to quitarnos el sueño [get rid of sleepiness] with hard work! After all, there is no better remedy than hard work, según PME [according to Preach My Gospel].

We´re steadily improving, and we finally have an investigator on date. To be completely honest, I didn´t have anything to do with it, as the two times that we have taught her, I was on exchanges within my district. She has been taught some (or maybe all) of the lessons by the sister missionaries that were here before us. 

Well I´ve really realized that I´ve changed a TON. I hope you don´t expect to know me when you get back home. I think I´m about (at this point) 60% the same as I was before, and the best is yet to come! Haha, it´s interesting that you can´t even imagine what I´ll be like, or even what I am like! Maybe you´ll get a small taste in the skype call. Other than that, Kai´s got the best idea of who I am.

Thanks for all your hard work! I love you! Merry Christmas! See you soon!

Well my Christmas present to Christ this year is that I´m going to share my testimony with you every time I write home. In spanish.

Yo sé que estoy en la fabrica, experimentando el horno para formarme para el futuro. Experimento en una forma real el amor que Dios tiene para con cada uno de nosotros. He aprendido y cada castigo debe empezar y terminar con una oración. Testifico que los pensamientos de Dios, no son como los nuestros, y que tenemos que ser fieles en consultarlo para conocer su voluntad. Se que Jesucristo vive. Él es el Salvador y redentor del mundo. Me conoce, y está concentrado en prepararme para mi futuro. 

[I know that I am in the factory, experiencing the furnace to form me for the future.  I experience in a real way the love that God has for each of us.  I have learned and each chastisement should begin and end with a prayer.  I testify that God’s thoughts are not like ours, and that we have to be faithful in consulting with Him to know His truth.  I know that Jesus Christ lives.  He is the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  He knows me, and he is focused in preparing me for my future.]

Les amo mucho!

[I Love you all very much]

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola del Navideno

Todo está bien aquí en Jorge Chavez!

This week has been a rough start back up, but still we´re starting back up. We´ve been really focused on less actives, and it´s showing progress with some, but also not so much with others. We met with the Bishop yesterday and it looks like we´re going to start working more efficiently together.

We realized this week that our investigator on date is the son of a less active, so he doesn´t count, but the bishop says to teach him anyway and activate the family while we´re at it. So that´s what we´re going to do. Meanwhile, we are going to focus more this week on finding new investigators. Probably by way of looking for less active kids that the sisters before us have baptized. There´s quite a long list of less active recently baptized kids in our ward, who´s parents aren´t members.

  

With all the heat (I know it really isn´t that hot, but I´m cold blooded) it´s been a rough past few days, but I´m just going to stick it out and work hard, because I know the Lord will bless me, just as he has promised time and time again.

This Sunday the ward asked us to pass the sacrament. It was a great experience, but I think it must be time to look for more Deacons...

Thanks for all your prayers! 

I love you!

Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de Jorge Chavez

Todo esta bien aqui en Jorge Chavez!

 Yep, still district leader, and finishing E' Pinedo's training from E' Garzon. An elder that I knew who finished his mission.

 This week has been great, but a little rough at the same time. My companion has been sick since Thursday, so I've been spending a lot of time not getting to know my new sector. I also wasn't able to attend church this Sunday, so I don't know very many of the members. But Sunday afternoon I met several who came to check on us, because the bishop announced that my companion was sick. We did divisions so that I could accompany the Elders Quorum president to visit several members of the quorum. Bit by bit I'm getting to know my way around.

 Other than that, my companion is awesome. He makes me forget he is new. I've been doing my best to teach him, and he tries his best to learn. I know he is going to work hard when I leave him to his next companion, and I know I can trust him to carry on the work.

 We haven't been able to get out and work with investigators since Wednesday, so we're not doing so well with that half of the work. We've got one 8 year old who's the grandson of a member, and he just needs his permission actually signed to be counted as on date. Other than that, we've got to find new people to teach! I don't know where the missionaries spent their time, because there really wasn't anything happening in this sector, but I'm excited to turn things around, and add to the 'giro eterno' que es la obra del Señor.

 Here's the plan with captions. I don't ever have time on P-day to do them, So during the week, when I have a little moment to delete the pictures on my camera, I'll write the captions down on a paper before deleting them. Then on pday, I can take a picture of the paper, and there you'll have 'em!

 Real quick, can you send me where our ancestry comes from? And what is the meaning of the word telestial? What roots does it come from? Thanks a ton! I Love you! Elder Hicken Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de Callao!

Todo está bien aquí en Jorge Chavez! I got transferred to Callao! I was praying to be transfered here because it was getting waaaaay to hot in Las Flores. Here is a lot better, but still too hot.

First off, the mission sent us a link to a mandatory missionary survey, and I had to take it before writing, so it's going to be a little short today.

So right now the ground is trembling. Everyone in the internet café here is a little spooked. It´s amazing how satisfied the people are to dwell in their sins, up until the ground starts shaking, and then they run into the streets and pray. However, it is wonderful that that is their first instinct. They say it was 5.6! Wow. It just felt like a big truck drove by for a really long time.

I love Jorge Chavez, and Elder Pinedo is awesome. We get along really well. He strives to be obedient and is willing to learn and progress. Our Bishop shared with us that there has been a lot of problems with disobedient missionaries in the past, and that has damaged the relationship that the members have with missionary work. If I had to choose one goal for my transfer here, it would be to reestablish that confidence in us, and help the members to have spiritually uplifting experiences in the work of salvation.

Right now we don´t have anyone on date. We also only had one investigator when I got here. We´re up to 4 now, but we need to find more, and invite more to baptism. More than anything else, I´ve found that the most common weakness between missionaries is knowing how and when to invite to baptism, and how to prepare our investigators to accept the invitation.

I´m getting to know my area and the Elders in my zone. We played soccer this morning for a little too long, but it feels good to be tired like this. 

My trauma of the week has been a lost box from the transfers meeting. I´m pretty sure I left it in the taxi, but just in case you find a grey shoebox, full of the most beautiful ties you have ever seen, it probably belongs to me. 

Next week I´ll talk to you about our investigators on date!

Yo sé que Cristo vive! Lo siento cada vez que comparto mi testimonio, y mi amor por él y el amor que me tiene crece cada día más. Sé que el tiempo es corto, pero es mucho la mies. I LOVE THE LORD!

[I know that Christ lives!  I feel it every time I share my testimony, and my love for Him grows daily.  I know that the time is short, but the harvest is great!]

I love you!

Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de mi cambio

Well the time has come! I´m finally getting changed! So I´m spending a lot of time today getting the pictures off other Elder´s camera cards, because I lost about 150 pictures when my USB got a virus.

Anyway, todo está bien aqui en San Silvestre!

Well after many fervent prayers on my behalf, asking for the Lord´s will to be done, I´m leaving my hometown Las Flores to start fresh in a new ward. I´m very excited to finish training another missionary, and I hope to be able to adjust to the new program rapidly.

This week has been pretty hard, but pretty good. We had a family referred to us by the other Elders in our ward, and they are awesome. The Rosales family. Raquel is a single mother with 5 kids, all above the age of 8. 4 of them are planning to be baptized on the 14th of December, one more should be joining them shortly, but wastn´t present when we invited the rest, and the last one works a lot, and we have yet to teach her. Due to canceled meetings this weekend because of voting here in Lima, it will be crucial that they attend church in two weeks in order to be baptized.

Elder Walstrohm seems confident in taking over SSII and helping his new companion get to know the Ward Council, especially the Bishop. They have an appointment to introduce his new companion Wednesday. 

Thanks for all the music and pictures! I´ll tell you all about my new sector next week! I´m working on the captioning pictures!

Love, 

Elder Hicken

Trip to Pucusana

Pucusana:  place.  Small fishing town on coast of Peru, an hour south of Lima. 

 In Pucusana...A Picture to use for a piece of digital art that I thought of at the beginning of my mission

Is the water supposed to be up on the street? Is it supposed to be this cold?

Boat in Hand!

"Its coastal location makes it home to several unique species of birds, dolphins, and other marine animals." -- Wikipedia.

Duh...check out these pictures!