I GOT THE PACKAGE!!! Sept. 11, 2013

Hey Mom, Dad, family, and friends,

First off...the big news: I got the package! Mom, you have no idea how excited I was to get the package! Sister Marschall and I got a call from our Zone Leader (LZ) while we were out working and I was literally jumping up and down in the middle of the street!Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you the mostiest Mom! And it got there so fast and no problem with customs!

And now for the other huge news... I am already training. Yep, I found out on Monday night that I had to pack an overnight bag because I was going to João Pessoa and was going to get "minha filha" my daughter. I am so overwhelmed and the craziest part...she´s American too. I don´t really feel like I have a handle on the language and now I have to train an American that also doesn´t know. Her name is Sister Stolk and she´s so cute. Do you remember me saying that in my BoM class at BYU there was a girl that was going to João Pessoa but I never talked to her, yeah well it´s her. The same girl that was in my BoM class and she knows Emma and Carly that lived on the same floor as me at BYU. Such a small world. But yah, I´m training and Sister Marschall is training too in a different area. So now in our house we have Sister Fernandes, Sister Johnson, and a new sister, Sister Shirts. And they´re a trio, and me and Sister Stolk. It´s going to be pretty interesting and I will definitely need a lot of prayers. But it´s really cool, I can already tell that the Lord is blessing me because I feel like my Portuguese has gotten a lot better these last two weeks. I definitely believe in the gift of tongues. But, I am pretty nervous but I know that President Nogueira was called by God and so he receives revelation and I´m supposed to be training now, after six weeks...

Mom, I´m so glad that your knees are doing so much better! What a blessing! That´s funky too with the whole electrodes thing!

So happy that Cailey got her visa. We got 7 American sisters this transfer and they all came from Sao Paulo which is cool. My companion was in Provo for a week then got her visa to the Sao Paulo CTM.

Those standard nights quotes were pretty funny, haha :)  That´s so cool that it was mission themed and the map of all of us. haha, good for you for following the rules :) That´s so cool. And it´s so true that it´s all of us from the 4th year hike. I hope Sister Francis gets her visa soon!

So, I think it would be easier if I bought a mosquito net here but thanks for offering to send it with Cailey. I´m going to do some asking around but for now we just use bug spray and it works really well.

That´s so cool that you guys might go to conference. I was just thinking a few days ago about how conference is coming up.

I´m glad to hear that Peter is in good hands. I´m sure that Kimball will take good care of him. :)

Sounds like Dad is sure busy, just know Dad that I pray every day for you that you will have the strength and energy to get all the many things done that you need to. :)

Sundays are a little bit crazy in the mornings. We go and get the people that we really want to go to church and we definitely work up a sweat going around but it´s all good. Then after that we have church which is great, lunch, work for a few hours, have correlation meeting and then work some more. We´re really working hard to get our branch to grow into a ward.

So exciting about Sister Tedesci´s husband! And FOMO in the dictionary :)

It´s weird to think that today is 9/11. I am proudly wearing my red, white, and blue. So strange to think that it was 12 years ago. Sister Johnson is wearing red, white, and blue also. Her dad is in the military.

What was a meal that you cooked this week? Umm, this week we didn´t have any lunches which was hard so we cook chicken, saute meat, beans, rice, eggs, stuff like that.  Any strange foods at members houses? I actually haven´t eaten anything stranget yet. Just noodles, rice, beans, the usual. What is the most unusual thing you have seen on the street? This isn´t unusual but there are dogs everywhere! Just like in Mexico, just lots of stray dogs. I can´t think of anything particularly unusual. Umm, people riding horses and carts pulled by donkeys is pretty normal to see. 

Also, what a cute note from Heather! Wow, I had no idea those pointe shoes were so special!

Dad: I am sure the ward conferences are going great and I´m glad to hear that Standards night went well too! I love you and am always thinking of you!

Lindsey: How exciting for Norah! I´m sure she´ll be great! Keep me updated and I hope that that dad comes back to church too! Actually, you´ll be glad to hear that President Nogueira changed the rule and now we just need 10 new investigators. The only rule about men is we just have to have at least 1 man baptized per month.I have really seen a change for the better because now we feel like we can really talk to everyone!

So our investigators are progressing really well. Zefina, Paulo´s sister in-law, came to church this week and I really think she could get baptized this week. She already heard all the lessons with Paulo but I feel like now she might be more inclined to get baptized. Also, during church, she cried when we sang I Stand all Amazed.

Well, I don´t have much time but just know that I love you all and I pray for you each and every day. Please pray for me. Being a trainer is such a sacred responsiblity because you really affect generations of missionaries. I hope that I will be a good influence for her and that after me she´ll be an even better trainer than I was.

Lots of love,

I love you the mostiest,
Sister Hicks