Elder Talon Hicken: The Missionary: January 2015

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Saturday, January 3, 2015

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Talon's return date got moved up to the original date of January 14th rather than the extension date of February 24th. That's just 1.5 weeks away!

He will be speaking in church at 9:00amon Sunday, January 18th. All are invited.

Brent.

¡Todo está bien aquí en Perú!

These few weeks have been very eventful. We have been diving back into the normal hectic office life now that the party is over and everyone is back to work. It is nice to be back on track. I am very excited to fast this weekend.

The current circumstances confused me a little with regards to the purpose the Lord has for me in the next two weeks, however I am very grateful for the tender mercies that have led me to feel that He expects me to just keep doing what I have always been doing.

It is suddenly much harder to fall asleep at night, and when I do it is not as high quality sleep as two weeks ago. Sometimes missionaries ask me why I extended my mission, or if I feel ready to go home in a month and a half. It´s a surprise that I´m going home early, so I just keep quiet and tell them that I can´t believe it´s already over.

Despite the fact that our sector will be doubled in, which makes looking for new investigators not much more than tedious, I am finding many people to invite to come unto Christ.

Today we went to breakfast at Chili´s, as a "last time must" for Elder Casanova and I. While waiting for our food, I complained that I needed a haircut, and that I didn´t want to have to wait so long.

While walking home, Elder Martinez (secretary) saw someone inside a barbershop wave hello as we walked past. He called us back and we decided to go verify the cause of the friendly salutation (not common in these parts).

Once we walked in and explained that we were interested in the haircutting service, and not just there to share a lesson, the member who had waved called the owner, her sister, who just happens to be a member of our ward. She responded that for missionaries, haircuts are free! What a blessing, I thought, though the real blessing was that one of the workers was a less active member, and a little too proud of it.

Though I tried my best to follow the Spirit around her vulgar remarks, she was very content with staying just as far away from her Savior as she is. A rather saddening experience, completely different than the experience I had with Elder Castro´s new companion over the phone this morning.

Elder Castro called me about half past 10 to ask for advice with his struggling companion. This surprised me, not only because of the ex-assistant´s humble request for help, but because of who he was asking for! His new companion is a very strong, very positive, muy macho man. However, he too is human. Furthermore, he was much more willing than the less active hairstylist to do whatever it takes to come closer to the Lord.

After a personal conversation which edified both he and I, I thanked the Lord for providing ways to help others come unto Christ in significant ways.

Ok,

So just a plan checkup. Let me know if I'm mistaken in my understanding.

With regards to getting home, Elder Schade, the Visas y Viajes secretary says I'll be landing at about 3pm on the 14th. You should be getting a full itinerary soon. Very soon. If you haven't gotten it by tomorrow night, just send a quick reminder to the mission email and he should get it right to you. We kinda hit him blindsided.

With regards to being home, Brother Kelly is expecting to hire me once I get back. Brother Pebbles has asked me to speak on my first Sunday back about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. Renen is ready to pedal to the metal in the recording studio. Dad needs someone to motivate him to get a new truck. Mom needs the dishes done so she can hang out with cousins before Tauna and Chris close on their house and move in. Sierra wants to practice her singing in spanish, particularly cool Disney soundtracks. Lily needs someone to color with. Am I missing something? If I can save up enough before starting school, I would like to spend a week with Grandpa Steimle doing family history work. After visiting several friends with the missionaries.

With regards to studying, I'll be entering BYU in the spring and therefore don't need to do anything until I get back home. Grandma Gunn has people living with her, so I need to talk around and find some future roommates between now and then, or find out more about the foreign language housing.

To Do: Let the bishop know that I´ll be coming back home, and that I´ll be there for several months, definitely long enough to have a calling. I´ll write Bishop Archer next week, since I don´t know how much I´ll be writing family or friends that day.... Also, I believe I need to schedule an appointment with the stake president. Do you think you could do that?

Thanks for all your help! I love you!

Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel! to the end!

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Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

--Marianne Williamson

How great is my calling!

I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master, and He has chosen me to represent Him, to stand in his place, to say and do what He would say and do if He were ministering to those to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my actions are His actions. My words are His words and my doctrine is His doctrine. My commission is to do what He wants done, to say what He wants said, to be a living witness in word and in deed of His great and marvelous latter-day work.

Where to Send the Good Stuff

Inspiring Words from Elder Hicken

Feb 21, 2013: Anyone who can't decide about serving a mission, start studying the Atonement with all of your energy of soul. You will not be able to resist the desire to share the amazing effects of a knowlege of the Atonement. As for everyone who has already been on a full time mission, congratulations, you're now a part time missionary--you're not done sharing. If you lack an intense desire to share the gospel, you'd best start studying the Atonement right along with everyone else. If you don't fit in either of those categories, you should study the Atonement. In summary, STUDY THE ATONEMENT! It is so wonderful, so happy, so inspiring, so spectacularly amazing! I know it is because as I study it every day, as I share it every day, as I pray about it every day, my happiness has grown exponentially, my energy has increased in duration, my attention has been refocused, and my desires are being tuned! If you seek happiness, seek a testimony of the Atonement, and the happiness will come with a flood of our Savior's love.

Feb 21, 2013: Fear to take advantage of the scriptures. Be afraid of falling into the category of people Nephi spoke to in 2 Nephi 32:7! But even more so, fear to hearken unto the evil spirit which teacheth a man not to pray. Which whispers "you're too tired", "try it first and then pray", "see if you can do it on your own". If you're ever thinking of praying, you should be praying. Ye must pray always! (verse 9) The ability to do things without prayer is a vice, and a weakness. It is harder to rely on the spirit, than to do it yourself.

May 21, 2013: I only want to share a thought that I had during our Stake Conference this last Sunday. We were singing “Praise To The Man” and a thought came to my mind forcefully, that what I am sharing and preaching each day is true. I know without fail, with every fiber of my body and I cannot doubt, because of this I am made. This is the true gospel, and there is no other way, path or salvation. The happiness that I feel grows each day, and my experiences are helping me in each moment. I am extremely grateful for the gifts of knowledge that the Spirit gives me, and I hope with all my heart that you are feeling a new desire to study, search, and pray with more effort often and regularly. There is no other way.

July 1, 2013: I know that God loves me, that He knows me, such that He puts details in my day that He knows only I would recognize. I know that God listens to my thoughts as well as my prayers, and that He is helping me develop a will similar to His. We please God when we help His children come closer to Jesus Christ, but our most important conversion is ourselves. God takes care of me every day, in a way I cannot understand. I know that Jesus Christ thought of my name, our friendship, when He was praying in theGarden of Gethsemane, and that I have his strength as a support when mine is weak. I love my Savior. I love my God. I have His love for you and I want to help you just like my neighbors here to know Christ. Believe in God; believe that He exists, believe that He has all wisdom and all power, believe that man does not understand everything that the Lord can understand. Know that I believe it, I know it, and I want to live it.

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October 14, 2013: Look for the time each day the Lord gives you to rest, and use it. It´s a gift from God, and he gives it to you because he knows you need it, not because he knows you have something else to get done. Read the scriptures for fun sometimes. Forget about any goal or need you have, and just open somewhere and read. The Lord has control, but only if you let him. Sometimes we want to do so much good, that we don´t let our Savior do anything--sometimes we want to help our investigators so much, that we don't let our companions do anything. But not in either situation does it turn out for our good.

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Dec 23, 2013: 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.

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April 7, 2014: This week I have learned the importance of setting goals so that in the future we can measure our progress. I remember the feelings I felt when Sister Borg explained to us that she can see our progress, even though we can´t see it. It´s like my family: they send me pictures, and everyone seems so much older, though they have no idea. Sometimes we need to look ourselves in the mirror spiritually, compare ourselves with a snapshot from the past and see just how much we have grown.

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July 8, 2014: One thing that I¨ve learned to always ask myself is if I am a blessing or a burden. When I call my leaders to ask for help, I ask my self how I can be a blessing for them in this moment. When I call my missionaries to verify their work, I ask myself how I can bless, not burden them. It has been one of the biggest changes in my life, and I believe it all started with something Dad taught me: whenever you go to a meeting or meet with someone important, always make sure that by the time you leave, they are glad that you were there. I always try to make people really, truely glad that I am there to help them, and never feel like life would be easier if I weren´t there to bug them about an assignment, or get after them for not doing something.

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Nov 15, 2014: Many times it hurts to not have materials for those who need. It makes me think of the spiritual application of the same; the feeling of guilt and pain that one encounters when lacking a testimony to share in another´s time of need is a cringing experience. It is not as easy as asking a companion for an extra pamphlet, or looking for the extra you always keep inside the cover of your scriptures. I urge all who are within the reaching of my words to prepare themselves. There is not much time before the Lord will require your testimony. The days are accomplished that the battle front has disappeared. The enemy is within the walls, and we must sleep on our swords. There is no child too young, no soldier too wounded, no scout too lost, and not one too weak to be strengthened by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We all need it.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

WELCOME HOME

Saturday, January 3, 2015

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