Elder Hicken's new assignment

Hicken Family,

As you may know by now, your son has been assigned to serve as an Assistant in the Peru Lima Central Mission.  Your son has shown a high level of dedication and maturity to be given this responsibility.  He is an outstanding missionary and we are so grateful to have him as our new Assistant.

This assignment comes to only a few of the most outstanding missionaries.  Elder Hicken has distinguished himself as an excellent teacher, diligent worker and a well-organized leader.  He is a great example to his fellow missionaries and has gained their love and respect.  His worthiness and leadership abilities are a tribute to himself and to his entire family.

His dedication to the Lord and willingness to serve will provide him with experiences that will assist him in the future and in leadership callings in the Church.  Sister Borg and I work very closely with the Assistants, and we grow to love them as our very own.

We appreciate your continuing support of Elder Hicken as he continues to serve our Father in Heaven with all of his “heart, might, mind and strength.” (D&C 4:2)

Warmest regards,

Alan M Borg                                                                      Presidente                                                                             Misión Perú Lima Central

Life: Letters to and from Kai

To: Talon

From: Kai

July 8, 2014

Well, I guess I learned that not doing homework over July 4th weekend is a bad idea. But, I had fun anyway. We were up late on the 3rd and I then worked the Stadium of Fire which was great. I was on the field for half of it and checking tickets for the other half. Then, that night we (roommates and FHE sisters and some friends) went to Kiwanis until 3 and then Alex (roommate) and I watched some Doctor Who and then I wrote a paper when he went to bed, then I ran 8.25 miles (around the Stadium and then up the Y and back) and ate breakfast then went to bed at 9. Then I woke up at 2 and we went up Bridal Veil falls and that was super fun then we went to a BBQ and had more fireworks and then watched the LEGO Movie. So, despite my lack of labor over the weekend I really had fun. But now, I’ve got stuff due all over the place. I’m learning that the dynamic with grades is very different than High School. But, be assured it’s a great time and we have pretty girls at our apartment all the time which is important.
I’m also now late on my visa for Colombia, and that needs to be done soon. I need my blood type.


Love,
Kai

To: Kai

From: Talon

July 14, 2014

haha, you´re just like I was when I was at BYU. IT was a blast, and I did everything I could to have fun. But I know that I´m never going to go back to where I was then. I don´t want to go all spiritual, but I´ve learned to like joy even more than I used to, even more than I like happiness. I´m glad you´re gaining experience, because it will help you on your mission. Speaking from the other side of the canyon, everything I did while in college that I regret, I did because I was too tired to make a good decision. Have fun, but never let yourself get so tired that your frontal lobe goes to sleep. I don´t know if you remember from psych or biology, but the frontal lobe is the last part of your brain to develop, and it develops between the ages of 8-23 years. When we are 18 years old, I think that (just like a baby) our frontal lobe takes naps while the rest of our brain keeps working normally. President Uchtdorf says we shouldn´t sleep through the restoration, but don´t think that means we don´t need to sleep! haha

In the mission I have learned how to make goals and achieve them every week! It´s super fun to look back and see how many steps you´ve taken to get to where you are! Make a goal with a date to get your visa for Colombia, and then plan out each thing you need to do in order to acheive the goal. I have sticky notes all over my desk where I study in the morning reminding me to acheive my goals, and outlining how I¨m going to do so.

I love you! I¨m super excited to see you grow like I have! The mission is incredible. It´s like one of those math problems (I don´t know if you remember studying math in Walker) that says that there´s a machine and when 6 goes in, 12 comes out, 3 to 6, 5 to 10, and you have to figure out the function (x2) for each machine. I´ve figured out the function for the mission, and it´s exponential. If you come in without a testimony, you´re going to gain it. If you come in without knowing the scriptures left to right, you´ll get to know them. But if you come in with a powerful testimony, gained not only through obedience, intense study of Preach my Gospel, and personal experience, but through each step of the very gospel you will be preaching, from the seed of faith, to the balm of gillead, you will leave the mission as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. Endowed with power from on high to bring to pass the inmortality and eternal life of each and every sheep the Lord places in your fold. This is the mission. This is the battle field. We are fighting tooth and nail with the very enimy of God-and we are winning. The work is within us, and we will never fail. Because we will never falter. We are Maranga.

I love you!

Be strong!

Love, Elder Hicken

Hola de la semana más rápida de mi vida [fastest week of my life]

Todo está bien aquí en Precursores!

It´s short this week, sorry!

Elder Burgos is like trying to work with my other half. It´s like nothing Ive ever done before. I´m actually really happy, and really grateful for him, and what he does for our sector. I´m doing my best to help him be the best zone leader, or at least help him know how to become so.

Just a quick favor, I´d love to buy a new suit. The one that I bought in Mr. Mac started to fray in the MTC...along with the shoes. Here in Lima there´s a John Holden factory and sells suits fresh off the line for 100-200 soles. I´d also love to buy a painting from my ward mission leader, who is going to move to California in September, and is selling all of his work to raise money for the trip. I´m thinking about asking him to paint something especially for me. Any ideas? He said that he was selling them to his clients for about 100 soles.

On a more spiritual help plea, Dad, I need help with regards to missionary correlation. Nobody knows a good way to organize it, and much less when there are 4 or 6 missionaries present, each with 15 families to save. We´re doing our best, but I was struck by the lightning of revelation that you´re a ward mission leader and I can ask you for help! Any suggestions? Maybe an agenda that you´ve used?

I love the work in family history! It´s incredibly motivating, and I´ve finally found the feeling of ´apresurar´ [hastening] that I´ve been looking for since we split the mission more than a year ago!

I´m still yet to receive any stories about how Christ has made light your burdens! Don´t tell me you're all heavy laden and weary! If you can´t think of an occasion when your burden was made light, say a quick prayer and tell Heavenly Father that you need one quick so you can write me this coming Monday! Ask him to help you see opportunities for you to let Christ ease your burden. I promise that he is willing, and that he is waiting. Don´t be late!

Favorite video of the week:

The work is incredible, and even though Peru isn´t as outright about it, the church is exploding! We split the ward in half last month, and we´re alredy talking about asking for more missionaries. 4 missionaries just isn´t enough. We need so much help from the members. It´s hard to find time to talk with my companion sometimes because we are always on splits with members from the ward!

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de la mitad

Hola Presidente!

Todo está bien aquí en Precursores!

This week we trained the zone in everything we were taught on Tuesday in the Mission Leader´s Conference! Sister Belt and Sister Anderson (our Sister Training Leaders) helped us by talking about how the work of salvation is a work of love, with regards to our companions, the members, our investigators, and our ancestors. The zone has a goal to finish with their 2nd generation in the ´My Family´ pamphlet by this Sunday so that they will be prepared for the HC´s when they come to teach us the 18th. Elder Viñoles (our senior district leader) taught us about how to set goals, and how to achieve them. The zone gave us great feedback, and they seem to be very excited, even though many of them are going through hard trials.

This week we caught a dove!

And this picture is from the Isasi family, Piarella. She´s 11.

As I gain experience, it gets easier to see the future, but it never seems easier to do anything about it.

One thing I have learned while being in the mission is about the character of Christ. I want to be like him. It´s incredible how wonderful life is when one really focuses their entire life on becoming like him. 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, truly 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.

I hope you like my english I´ve started to use google translate to be able to speak better. 

Our zone has high goals. Actually we´ve been the zone with the highest goals for more than 4 months, and it´s not going to be easy to help our missionaries reach them, but we have the same faith as Nephi when he boldly proclaimed: I will go, I will do.  

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de la Ultima Semana

It`s the week of transfers, and things are crazy here! 

I`m finishing up Elder Burgos`s training, and he is spectacular. We had interviews last week and the President and Sister Borg both commented individualmente [individually] to me that our zone has a powerful spirit, and that they are very impressed with their behavior. Elder Castro and Elder Thorsen, the APs, told us that they were very impressed with their comprehension of missionary work and how to bring it to pass. 

I`m super excited for changes, although I don`t know if I`m ready! I think I`ll have a little bit more time to write next week! 

Just know I love you! Each and every one! It is so important to love, and to serve! 

Love, Elder Hicken

Hola de la Selva [the jungle]

Todo està bien aquì en Precursores!

We went to the zoo today!

 Here`s a picture of a picture made to look like another picture! I love you Sierra!

Happy Birthday Kai! I realized after signing off that it was more prudent to have told you last monday, but better late than never! I hope you had a pie of a time!

Everyone who reads my letters, send me next week stories about how the Lord has eased a burden in your life! I would love to know!

I`m looking for a talk by Elder Holland that says that as members, we should pray for the missionaries in our ward by name. Have you heard of it? Could you send me the link?

This week has been wonderfully hard. The only way to explain it is that after falling a long ways, the climb back up is maybe just as difficult, but much more satisfying looking backwards. Elder Burgos is amazing, and helping me remember what I once learned from Elder Castro. It hasn`t been an easy first two weeks, but I`m excited for the third. We are united, and we love each other, and the zone knows it. They want to be like us, just as they did when Elder Castro was my companion. I am grateful for his help, and hope to help him realize just how important he is to me, and to the Lord here in Maranga.

I know I am in the Lords hands, and not only am I there, but he is using me all over the place! I love it, but I`ve got a crazy schedule! I love the Lord!

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola con Elder Burgos!

Todo está bien aquí en Precursores!

The work is picking up the pace here as we look to start doing things that just weren´t possible this past change.

I´ve learned these past two weeks that the number one priority for a leader is to make sure his sheep have their basic needs taken care of: water, electricity, food, etc.

Well, I´ve got a new companion! Elder Burgos! You might remember him, he was in my district in Las Flores and you met him when you went to visit. We get a long super well, and it´s a relief to have someone to help me 24*7 at my side. He just got bumped up from being DL. It´s a handful training a new zone leader, but I love it. Elder Burgosis so motivated and wants to do what´s right. He is sensitive to the spirit, and wants to be a good example.

So yesterday we split our ward! We now have a new ward in our stake, and two new missionaries! 

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

 Fathers day party!

putting together furniture for the new sister´s new apartment!

 the plan of salvation drawn on a dirty car...that counts as a lesson in calle...

Hola de Cambios!

Todo está bien aqui en precursores! And I´ll be here for another month and a half! Elder Vazquez won´t though! He´s only been here one change, but he´s off to another zone.

It´s great to watch the work progress, even when it´s a slightly stressful process. We´re doing our best to accomodate all of the changes the Lord sees fit in these weeks! We´re super excited for a new ward in our stake: Escardó. Our ward is going to be a father! But it means we´ll loose Sister Heiner and Sister Agüero. We´ll be getting two more missionaries in our zone as well! 

We´re writing today because we spent all morning yesterday moving in the new room for Escardó and distributing materials to the zone in the truck.

This past change with Elder Vazquez has been incredible. It helped me remember many of the things that I had learned in the first six months of my mission. I have learned of the importance of working with families, taking care of your companion as #1, and we´ve begun a relationship with the stake that had disappeared. I am excited to learn even more from my new companion, and begin to put in practice the sum of my experience to have more success to match the desires of my heart!

Testifico que la familia es ordenada por Dios. Los ultimos dias son los dias para trabajar con la familia, y ahi esta trabajando Dios. La Restauracion es real, y esta pasando rapido. José Smith fue un profeta lleno del espiritu de Dios, y dio a luz el Libro de Mormon, que us un fruto de ese espiritu. Al leerlo, seremos llenos con lo mismo, y lo transmitiremos a nuestros projimos en el orden verdadero de caridad. Les amo mucho! Gracias por todo!

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de la ultima semana de...

This week has been crazy, sorry, but I don`t have a whole lot of time!

This week we did an exchange with Elder Chatwin and Elder Bobadilla. While with Elder Bobadilla, we talked about how Elder Chatwin treats him as an equal, and even asks him for help with his responsibilities as district leader. Something that has helped E`Bobadilla immensely. We also spent a great time working with families, contacting them in the street. We decided that we are `protectores de la familia' [family protectors] and that the families need to know it. As we finished the day, I told him: ¨Antes de ir al cuarto, necesitamos contactar una familia mas!¨ [Before we return back home, we need to contact one more family.] We turned around to start walking home, and right in front of us there was a family, who we talked to and gave a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment. Amazing how the Lord prepares us the way.

The work is hard, but salvation isn`t cheap. I`m willing to pay the price!

I love you!

Hurrah for Israel!

Hola de una semana BLANCA

This week was well worth the hard work! We served with all our heart, might, mind, and strength to baptize the Isasi Family. On Friday they were married at 12:30, and six hours later they were baptized. 

We had a huge baptism this week! And a marriage! I was the testigo. Here´s a few photos! The first one is of the 6 of us in our ward and the two assistents, and Rodrigo. Elder Castro was my companion last transfer before being called as assistent--looks like we are still united, based on the pose.

Sunday we had 4 confirmations, 3 children or baby blessings of investigators or converts, one ordination to priest of an investigator, a new Elders Q President, and we´re super excited to be working in the work of the Lord!

Sé que al procurar hablar con todos, cumplimos con el propósito de nuestro llamamiento, aun con los desafíos de la vida misional. La fe es la confianza en cosas que no se ven, pero que son VERDADERAS. Una ley de los cielos es la ley de relatividad. Uno siega lo que coseche. Sin estar preparado, no podremos cumplir. La obra misional involucra a todos, no solo los investigadores. Este obra de salvación es posible gracias al amor de Cristo. Sé que el señor prueba a sus elegidos para prepararles para lo que el tiene reservado mas adelante. La familia es ordenada por dios y el matrimonio entre un hombre y una mujer es esencial para su plan eterno. Al ayudarla y trabajar con familias, estaremos trabajando al lado del señor. Sea con menos activos, investigadores, parte familias, o no-miembros.

[I know that by talking with everyone, we will fulfill our calling, even with the challenges of missionary life.  Faith is trust in things which are not seen, which are TRUE.  A heavenly law is a real law.  You reap what you sow.  Without being prepared, we can not magnify our calling.  Missionary work involves everyone, not just the investigators.  This work of salvation is posible thanks to the love of Jesus Christ.  I know that the Lord tries his chosen ones in order to prepare them for what lies ahead.  The family is ordained of God and marriage between a man and a woman is essential to his eternal plan.  To help and work for families, we are working aside the Lord.  Even with less-actives, investigators, part-member families, and non-members alike.]

Love, Elder Hicken

Hurrah for Israel!