Fatima and Luzinete were baptized!! February 17, 2014

Hey Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,

 

So yesterday was super great. Fatima was baptized and has still been able to quit smoking! She´s such a rock! Saturday morning when we were walking with her to the baptismal interview she said that she woke up and really wanted to smoke. She said that the temptation was super big. But she said, "No, I´m not going to give in!" She just put a piece of candy in her mouth and kept on going. She´s super awesome! And Luzinete, she´s so great. She has gotten to know the Church for a while because she works with the wife of a bishop in another ward and she just decided that she wanted to be baptized and just stayed strong. Her husband doesn´t support her much but she just keeps on going!

 

Oh, also, we had a mission-wide conference that was sooo great! Elder Fernandes (he was the mission president here before President Hall-the most recent mission president) and his wife spoke to us. It was such a great conference and the best part was that I got to see all my buds! When Sister Stolk and I saw each other we just started to cry! haha, it was so good to see her and catch up. It´s only been a month but it was so fun to see her and talk to her! We´re definitely going to be friends for a while.

 

Hey Mom, David Lewis emailed me saying that he lives with Sister Cameron´s "friend" but I can´t respond back to him because of the new rule. His email address is david.lewis@myldsmail.net. Could you email him for me and say that I got the email and that that´s so cool! Thanks!

 

Also, just a reminder, it´s already transfers! So, I´ll be emailing next Wednesday, not monday.

 

Oh, other super exciting news, Queimadas was officially turned into a ward yesterday! so now it´s the Queimadas ward, not Queimadas branch! I am so happy! Also, Danilo (recent-convert) was called to be the ward executive clerk and he´s going to receive the Melcezidek (spelling is completely off) priesthood really soon!!!

 

Mom:

I´m so proud that you´re still my strong Olympic fan, just know that I´m here cheering on Team USA with pride!

 

Oh and I´m sooooo happy that Jason got his visa! That is sooo exciting! I am so happy for him! Definitely an answer to prayers!

 

haha, sounds like the Valentine´s dance was fun! haha, you go Mom! I wish I could have seen you and Dad during the dance instruction :)

 

Oh, thanks for the Ensign, I finally got it this week! You´re the best! Also, I´m going to write her but I got a package from Sister Holtom, it was Christmas cards from the Cub Scouts, tell her thanks from me!

 

I definitely know the feeling when you see people come back to the church. That´s another rewarding part of missionary work is helping to bring back the lost sheep.

 

I can´t believe the snow storm that you guys had! That´s crazy! The picture of the grill, what?! haha, and I´m not even surprised that Greg still went to work! "He needs to work!"

 

Send all my love to Mrs. Russo, Em, and Chester! I hope that you´re able to meet up with them and tell them all how much I love and miss them!

 

So, I haven´t eaten too many weird foods yet. One thing that I learned yesterday was that it´s bad manners to so eat one helping of food. It´s a sign that you didn´t like the food so you ALWAYS have to do the Greg-style and eat two helpings :) haha, oh something that I had yesterday was passion fruit ice cream! It´s sooo good here! passion fruit is called maracujá here.

 

My bishop is super cool and is sooo willing to help. We had a meeting with him yesterday and he said, you guys are doing a great job it´s us that need to help out more!

 

The language is improving a lot too, it helps to live with two Brazilian sisters!

 

Dad:

First off, thanks for including that talk from Elder Hugh B. Brown. It was exactly what I needed to hear this week. Thanks Dad. You always know exactly what to write.

 

haha, I hope you get back into your Olympics mojo soon! haha, but Mom said you´re doing a great job commentating so keep up the good work! :)

 

That´s heart breaking about Sister Gregory, I hope the doctors are able to help her soon and that she´ll start feeling better quickly. I´ll definitely keep her in my prayers. I don´t remember her, what ward is she from?

 

That´s super exciting about Sister Brown too! Wow!

 

Bryan:

Haha, I´m glad to hear that you didn´t forget your birthday and that you had a nice dinner and cake (with the girls´ help)

 

haha, I laughed when I read that the ward nursery was like a "Ukranian nursery" haha, that was really nice of you guys to buy all of those new toys for them!

 

Lindsey:

I´m so glad to hear that Valentine´s day went so well and that Norah was able to give out valentines, those were the days :)

 

I can´t believe Norah is going to Elementary school next year! That´s so crazy! She´s growing up way too fast!

Sounds great too, all the volunteering that you guys are going to do!

 

Keep enjoying the warm weather! :)

 

 

 

So about a week or so ago, I was reading in the Ensign and I came across a talk that is really great about missionary work. Elder Nielsen, of the Seventy, gave a talk entitled, Accelerating the Lord´s Game Plan (something like this) It´s a super great talk and the part that I liked the most was that he said that as members, we need to pray for the missionaries in our ward and for their investigators by name. So, just a challenge for you all to go up to the missionaries in your ward and ask for the names of their investigators. We´re doing this in our ward now and it seems to be helping a lot!

 

Well, I´ve got to go but thank you so much for all the love and support! I love you and miss you the MOSTIEST!

 

Love,

Sister Hicks

Just Gotta Keep Going :) February 3, 2014

Hey Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,

Hey, so first off, thank you soooo much for the card from everyone! I absolutely loved it! We had interviews with the mission president this past week so we got mail! Thank you so much everyone! It made my day!  I loved it! Also, thanks Mom for the other encouraging card that you send me too! You guys are the best!

Oh Mom, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I know it´s not until Thursday but FELIZ ANIVERSÁRIO!!!

So this week was a little rough, just appointments falling through, people not wanting to talk to us and just the normal mission stuff but if learned anything so far in the mission field it´s that we have to keep on working and keep your head up.

Oh random funny story, so I was looking on the list of less actives and there´s someone whose name is Kevin Costner Silva (or something like this) I feel like it´s a joke from some American elder but I´m sure it must be a real name. hahah, I almost died when I saw it.

Mom: First off thanks for sending more packages! You´re the best! I hope I´ll get them soon because the post office is striking :/

Oh and Mom and Dad, what were you guys thinking? Watching a movie about two missionaries getting kidnapped in Russia! haha, you guys are crazy, but just so that you guys know, I´m just fine :)

haha, aaah, I miss all of Greg´s phrases :) haha, I´m going to have to learn so many of his new ones! Like "oh yeah..."

Oh I totally forgot that the Olympics started this week! Go Team USA!

Hey Mom, parabéns! That´s so cool that you gave a pass along card in the UPS store. You go Mom!

That´s so cool that Austin got his visa!

Oh random story, David Lewis is companions with Sister Cameron´s "friend" in Germany!

Dad: Yes, I definitely know what it feels like to have no one come to church...definitely not the best feeling in the world. But, we just have to keep on going and keep our heads up :)

Hey Dad, congrats on the new job position! Sounds like it will be a great new experience! You´re going to be a great and that´s so interesting how much EADS is changing.

Dad, I loved what you wrote about your ideas for the temple day. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I think you should focus on what you wrote. It´s so true that sometimes we don´t understand how much Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us.

Lindsey:

haha, well I didn´t have anymore dogs peeing on me this week :)

My heart goes out to your friends that are passing through hard times, I will definitely keep them in my prayers. It really is true that our Heavenly Father blesses us when we pass through difficult experiences and we grow so much.

That is so sweet about visiting Lucy. You truly are teaching them what it means to be a disciple of Christ. And, they are just sweet spirits, Norah and Alice, that they would bring joy to anyone and everyone they meet.

So this week was not the best week ever but just means that this coming week can only improve :)

We had a baptism planned, her name is Imanoeli. She was a former investigator and we talked to her and everything was planned and she was feeling more and more ready but starting Thursday she was working a lot and we weren´t able to find her in her house for 4 days. Then Sunday morning, we went again and this woman came to the door and said that she is in Campina Grande visiting her dad and she might stay there for up to 20 days...sometimes it feels like you just have the worst luck in the world, haha but it´s all good!

I´ve been studying the Chrst-like atributes a lot this week. (Chapter 6 in PMG) I love this chapter and I would recommend it to anyone. I was stuyding about diligence. It really is true that we have to keep on trying. I´m learning too that Heavenly Father wants us to work in a different way and we just have to learn what will work best in this area. We´re trying to work a lot more with the members as well. We´ve planned lots of Family Nights and we´re going to work more with less actives.

Well, I hope you guys are all doing well and I love and miss you guys!

Keep on sharing the wonderful Gospel message with everyone!

I love you the MOSTIEST!

Love,

Sister Hicks

So EVERYTHING'S new!! January 20, 2014

Dear Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,

So this week was absolutely CRAZY!! I´ll explain why...

So I arrived here on Wednesday and it was P-day so after we wrote our emails, Sister Moore bought groceries and I organized my clothes. Sister Moore was pretty sick and was coughing a lot! We just worked for 3 hours because it was p-day, 6 pm to 9 pm. 

Then the next day was our district meeting because it was transfer week. So our entire zone was there and then we divided up into districts. It´s so weird to be in a zone with so many elders. I know this sounds weird but my zone in Liberdade has 16 sisters and just 10 elders, so I was really used to having a ton of sisters. 

The Rangel zone just has us 4 sisters and the rest are elders. I think there´s about 16 elders. I know this is how it always used to be before the age change but it´s definitely different. So one of my zone leaders, Elder Herrera was already my LZ (lider de zona) when I was serving in Queimadas and he´s just been in this zone for one more transfer than me. He´s really great and it´s cool to be in the same zone again and the other LZ is Elder Georgianna. I don´t know him really well but he seems good too. He´s from Oregon. 

So anyway, after District Meeting, Sister Moore was still feeling pretty sick and we talked to our LZs and they told her to just stay at home (she´d already been sick for a week) So Thursday, I ended up staying in our house all day (except for one hour when I went on exchanges with another sister that lives with us, Sister Cavalcanti). Let´s just say it´s not the funnest thing to stay in the house all day studying :) But I think probably every missionary has already done this. So. Friday morning she was still sick and we ended up going to the hospital and they said that she just had the flu. But, Friday, I stayed with her in our apartment the whole day too...haha and I just went on exchanges for half an hour. 

Well, it´s Friday night about 10:20 and the AP calls and another sister wanted to talk to me. She said, "Hey Sister Hicks, so you know about the emergency transfer right?" I said, "Huh?! What emergency transfer?" 

So aparently President Nogueira talked to one companionship and said that he was going to do an emergency transfer but he forgot to call us. So I had to wake Sister Moore up to tell her that she was going to be transfered the next morning. I don´t know exactly why but I think it was so that Sister Moore will be closer to a doctor and the hospital. So Saturday morning I received a new companion, Sister Cameron (super cool, she´s from AUSTRALIA! She´s the first every Australian to serve in Brasil!) But anyways, this means that Sister Cameron and I are opening this area. So we don´t know ANYTHING about this area! haha, completely white washed! But, I´m excited for this new experience: new area, new companion, new EVERYTHING! I´ve been asking for advice from everyone! And so I´ll ask advice from you guys too. Did any of you guys ever open an area and what did you do that helped or was effective? But, we´re just talking to EVERYONE in the street and we´re getting to know the members really well. 

I really like my area, it´s definitely different than my other area but I´m trying not to compare. This week was hard because I miss Queimadas A LOT, but this is the mission field and you just have to love every area and more importantly the people. 

So, any advice is welcome and every prayer would be great too :)

So yes, that´s my crazy story of the week. 

Mom:

So yes, we´re definitely way closer to the mission home but it´s still not in our zone but we just have to grab a bus to get to the mission home and the mission office. I think we´ll be going to the mission office on Friday to have interviews with the mission pres. 

I don´t know if I´ll get packages faster because we only get them when our leaders go to the mission office but I think I should get that package with the shorts soon! Thanks so much Mom! You´re the best! 

I can´t think of any Mary Kay stuff that I need, really to be honest, I´m not even using make-up anymore becuase it just sweats off. For a little while I was just using mascara but now I don´t even use any make up at all haha...oh Brasil. 

The only things I can think of would be gold fish, pretzels, Peanut Butter :), oreos, any type of sweet thing! You´re the best Mom! 

That´s so cool that you got to see the Fitzgerald´s! I´m glad to hear they´re doing well. Tell them hi from me :)

Aah, I forgot that Katie was pregnant, that´s so sweet that you made a quilt for her. 

I loved what you said Mom about how we´re here to grow as missionaries, because that is soooo true. 

Umm, so about having a special needs brother, I don´t know. I think having a special needs brother just changes your perspective and your view of others. For me, I feel like it has helped me to be more opening and accepting. And it helps you to remember that truly all of us are sons and daughters of God. I don´t know if I have any suggestion, probably just to laugh at all the crazy things that happen. I feel like our family is so much funnier with Greg :)

Dad: 

I definitely remember the tubing trip that we went on when we were in Aruba. I don´t think I´ve ever laughed so hard and I remember how much my arms hurt afterwards. Haha, it was so fun with Kimball and I think even funnier watching Taylor and Bryan. "Taylor, you have to keep loose, well not THAT loose!" haha, oh Taylor, that was so funny :)

haha, yes Dad! You rock that wheelie briefcase just like your daughter did! No brincadeira! (joke!) haha, but it does help aleviate back problems ;)

Dad, I really liked what you said about D and C 121 and 122. I loved what you said about writing our own D and C 122. I want to do this too. It´s so true, sometimes we focus on all the hard things in life but we forget that our Savior already did everything for us. He truly knows what it feels like to be all alone and suffering. I think this is perfect Dad to talk with missionaries about. 

I´ve already D+C 121 and 122 a lot of times during my mission during the hard moments and the good moments. It´s very conforting especially during a mission. 

Bryan: Haha, that´s so funny about Norah, "you´re ruining her life!" haha, she´s gonna be fun when she grows up :) hahah oh Norah...

Lindsey: That sounds like that was a fun adventure going to the Asian grocery store. Oh and I just remembered, that´s crazy about the water! haha, yep, I definitley know what it´s like to not have water! 

So one thing that´s different here about the climate, it is sooo much hotter! I can´t believe I´m saying this but I don´t know why I thought Queimadas was hot. It is SUPER hot here! haha, The sun is just that much stronger. The other sisters´area actualy has the beach and it has the farthest eastern point in all of the Americas. I want to visit the place one day, I think you guys can probably look it up on line. 

So the apartment isn´t too bad. This morning, we cleaned a lot and I chucked a bunch of just old and dirty stuff in the trash so it´s looking a lot better. The toilet isn´t working so we fill up a bucket and dump the water down to flush it...haha yep, that´s right your germ freak niece is dumping water down the toilet every day to get it to flush but I´m going to call Sister Nogueira to get it fixed. The other sisters have already called and a guy "fixed" it but it still leaks. 

But the important thing is that I´m happy and healthy! I´m very excited to serve here and it´s great to serve in an area that has a chapel! It´s super pretty! 

Well, I hope all of you are doing well and have fun Mom and Dad!

I love you all the MOSTIEST! Love you and you guys are always in my prayers!

Love you!

Sister Hicks

TRANSFERS! Jan. 14, 2014

Hey Mom, Dad, dear family and friends,

Well, I was transfered. I´m now in area called  Prossind which is in João Pessoa. I think  yesterday and today are the two hardest days of my life. It is soooo unbelievably hard to leave all the people I love behind and go to a new area. I cried so much yesterday and today! But I know that this is what the mission is like and I´m so excited too because Sister Stolk is training now. So my "daughter" has a "daughter" now so  it´s Grandma Hicks haha. Her companion´s name is Sister Lopes and she´s from  São Paulo. My companion´s name is Sister Moore and she´s from Colorado. haha Sister Stolk is from Colorado too. 

Oh and also good news, SINARA WAS BAPTIZED!!! So I have to tell you all about a miracle that happened. So Satuday morning Sinara called and said that she needed a little bit more time and that she wasn´t going to be baptized Sunday. She asked us to please not visit her on Saturday because she wanted time to think. So we were on our way to lunch (on a bus because lunch was out in the countryside at Thalisson´s house) and I had no idea what to do. But long story short, when we got back to our house Sister Stolk got down on our knees and just plead with the Lord to be able to know what we should do. As I was praying (and crying)   the cell phone rang but we didn´t recognize the number so I just silenced it, then it rang again but I just silenced it. I ended the prayer and  5 seconds later it rang again and Sinara´s name popped. I answered the phone and she proceeded to tell me that she decided that she was going to be baptized. Coolest moment ever! Heavenly Father literally answered our prayer in the same moment (it had been her calling from her mom´s cell phone) So Saturday afternoon she had an interview but after the interview our District leader said that she still had doubts about Jospeh Smith, President Monson, and the Book of Mormon. So Saturday night we had a family night at  her house with Danilo, Camilla, Tiago, and Julio. It was all about the Book of Mormon and it was really cool.

So, we gave her the Restoration DVD and told her to  pray again and ask if everything we taught her was true. 

So, it´s sunday morning, 5:15 in the morning, Sinara calls, Yes sister, I will be baptized today, such an amazing experience!  She had another interview during church with one of our zone leaders and everything went great. Coolest part, Danilo gave the talk at her baptism. so cool :) 

Another cool thing, yesterday Danilo and Camilla prepared a little activity for us to just thank us for the work we had done in Queimadas. Danilo, Camilla, Sinara, Thalys, Renato (5 baptisms that Siste r Stolk and I had ), Julio, Thalisson, Luiz, and Tiago were there. It was such a sweet get together and everyone shared their testimonies. Danilo gave me a letter that he wrote on the day of his baptism, in the letter he thanked us for our work and all that we had done. The last  part he wrote recently and he said that it took him forever to finish because it was so hard to write. I was crying like a baby when he was reading it and it was so hard to say goodbye to everyone last night. I will never forget the people that touched my life in Queimadas. It will always be like a second home to me. I´m so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve in Queimadas. It will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.

Mom: I´m so excited for you guys to go on your trip! It´s going to be so fun! 

Amanda said that she liked my room too. I think I want it to be a surprise so don´t send photos :)

That´s crazy about the weather, what?! 

 Mom, I loved what you  wrote about treating everyone like Christ would. I really want to improve on this especially as I  enter a new area and I´m living with new sisters. I need to serve more and think of myself less.        

Dad: Thanks so much for what you said about just taking it as a new adventure! I feel like I need to just come into this new area with a fresh perspective and just get to work!      

Sounds like your super busy with all the stuff in the stake and yes, I remember Tori! She´s great! 

I would recommend 2 Nephi 31, it´s a great chapter about baptism and we use it a lot with our investigators!  

Taylor: I´m so glad to hear that you´re doing well and thank you so much for the advice about transfers. It was exactly what I needed  to hear. You´re the best. :)

 Lindsey: Aah, I hope  Alice is feeling better and oh my goodness, Norah is just too funny! haha, especially with the bandaids, oh Norah.... I´m glad to hear that you´re feeling better too! 

 

Kelsey: Aah, I love the name Guy too :) Definitely approve!  I hope that everything gets better with the lady that ran into your car. It´s so true that prayer is something that we sometimes forget to do but is something that always help. I hope  you  are still happy and healthy!      

 Well, thank you so much for your prayers and support. I need a lot of prayers this week as I´m feeling very "homesick"  of Queimadas, my second home. But just have to keep going!

Well, I love you all so much!

I love you the MOSTIEST!!!

Love, 

Sister Hicks                                                                                          

Feliz Ano Novo Jan. 6, 2014

Feliz Ano Novo Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,

So to start off...Mom I got the other package with the twizzlers, MINT M&MS!, pancake mix and syrup (made some this morning), chapstick, trail mix, cute earrings, and all the other goodies! Thank you soooooo much! Also, I got the package from Andy too! Thank you so much and I think it was her that added the red vines (I know you and I are twizzlers people) and peanut butter stuff :) hahah but let her know how grateful I am!

Oh and Kimball and Kelsey, I got your sweet Christmas card! I loved it! What a great photo of you guys and Kelsey you´re just soo cute pregnant :)

Oh and sorry about the whole Skype thing on Christmas day! I would have loved to talk to you guys...but you know how it is, rules are rules

Oh and Dad, thank you so much for your nice letter that your wrote me. I loved it and I´ll always treasure it :)

Also, I received a sweet bunch of notes from Sister Benfell from the Relief Society, Mom I´m going to write a card but could you let her know that I got them and thank you so much :)

Just thank you so much for all the wonderful packages, cards, letters, and never-ending support! It means so much to me! And Mom thanks for sending basketball shorts, saddle soap, and everything else! haha, oh the poor people in the Post Office...it´s the same here, there´s always us 4 mailing letters to the US and to other missionaries...Ukraine, Phillippines, Chile, almost every country haha, it´s always an adventure in the post office here!

Oh and before I forget, transfers are next week so I won´t write until next Wednesday! I really don´t know what´s going to happpen. I still want to stay here in Queimadas but I´m really not sure what will happen! :)

Mom: Hey Mom, I´m sure your lesson was just AMAZING! You don´t need to worry, your lessons are always the best! Wow, and back to 1 o´clock church, woohoo! haha

Oh my gosh, I loved reading Kimball´s 2005 Christmas list, I remember when he made that list, hahah oh Kimball, always a goof ball!

So Sister Stolk just turned to me and said there was a school shooting in Colorado. She said that she knows one of the girls that was killed. The girl swam for her school team and Sister Stolk swam during high school. So sad...

Oh and Mom, that´s so cool that you´ve been visiting the Kerns! I´m sure they just love that! And way to go for going through the house and cleaning! You go mom!

Dad: That´s crazy that there´s so much snow! Wow, I hope you made it home safely!

I loved what you said about Alma and Ammon. It truly was the coolest experience ever when Danilo was baptized. Just how grateful he was that he had made the decision was so cool. It really was such a special day.

Lindsey: I loved seeing all the pictures from Christmas from your blog! Oh my goodness, Norah and Alice are growing up so fast and I can´t even believe it! But they look so great and so happy!

I hope you´re feeling a little bit better! Has the morning sickness worn off a little? And now thanks to Norah, everyone knows that you´re pregnant :)

I think the picture you saw of us with the santa hats was from the branch Christmas party but yes we went caroling too! And Camilla Marques is Danilo´s brother who was baptized a few months ago! hahah, that´s so cool that you´re seeing pictures of me on facebook

It´s pretty humid here too and I think it´s probably the same thing in Dallas. It´s just SUPER hot so everything gets scorched here. And the name of the city is fitting, Queimadas (burned)

hahah, well yesterday was not the best day, I woke up around 4 in the morning and I threw up and then about 2 hours later I threw up again. I don´t know if it was something I ate or what but definitely wasn´t fun. I had a little bit of a fever too and an upset stomach. I ended up staying in our house and the priests, after church, brought the sacrament over. Then I ended up sleeping for almost the entire day. Today I feeling much much better! Just the normal mission stuff :)

So let me tell you about the "Festa de Reis" (Kings party). So Queimadas, every year, has a huge carnival/party called Festa de Reis. It starts on Friday and lasts until Monday. It is INSANE! So in the center of Queimadas they have an amusement park and a huge concert, for four nights straight! And it lasts until 4 in the morning every night! It´s absolutely crazy! It was especially loud Saturday night and I barely slept at all! And people are just drinking and going crazy. Sister Stolk said she woke up this morning around 4 and people were still going crazy in the streets haha!

Oh and New Years seems to be a bigger holiday here than Christmas. I went on exchanges on News Years eve so I was in João Pessoa. The next morning Sister Mitchell and I were on the bus and this guy just threw up on the bus staircase, SOOO GROSS! haha, but anyway, it´s all good, just lots and lots of drinking...

Oh random story, so on Saturday Sister Stolk and I were walking and we heard "I want it that way" by the Backstreet boys. I think that song is probably 12 years old, haha, it was super fun to here just blasting from someone´s house in Queimadas.

So we have a baptism marked for this Sunday. Her name is Sinara and she´s super great! She´s a friend of Tiago and she´s only 19 too! Her family didn´t let her go to church but we went and caroled at her house and her parents said that she could go. The elders had taught her about a year ago but her parents are super religious and didn´t let her go anymore. But their hearts totally softened and we have great lessons with them! So please pray for Sinara! She´s amazing!

Well thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers!

I hope you all had an amazing New Year!

I love you the MOSTIEST!!!!

Love,
Sister Hicks

Danilo FoI Batizado!!! Dec. 30, 2013

Dear Mom, Dad, Family, and Friends,

So like the subject reads, Danilo was baptized! Yesterday was probably the happiest day I´ve ever had! So back story, Christmas eve we went to his house and talked to him and he said he was soooo close to feeling ready. So we talked to him about his doubts and he said he just hadn´t received that answer he was waiting for. Ok fast forward to Christmas day. So we went caroling which was the coolest experience evey (less actives crying in the doorway and just the Spirit was sooo strong) but anyways, after caroling we went to his house with Kaio (he´s a high councilman in our stake but super cool, just 23 years old) and Danilo´s whole family was there. We were talking about how important baptism is and he had watched the Restoration DVD twice (first time in English, he didn´t know how to change the language, haha) and then again in Portuguese. So long story short, I pulled out the baptismal form and he said, "Can we fill out the form now, I´m going to be baptized on sunday!!!!!!!"

Oh my gosh, I can´t explain how happy we were, his whole family was there and everyone was sooo happy. It was the best Christmas present I´ve ever received in my whole life! So we filled out the baptismal form and he had an interview on Saturday, everything went well, and he went to a Christmas party that we had on Friday (the activity went sooo well!!!)

Also, just side note, Danilo has so much swag, haha, we call him Will Smith because he just has this style about him, hahah it´s really funny. (Just to remember Danilo is Camilla´s brother who was baptized about 2 months ago).

So his baptismal service was really special and his whole family was there. His mom even cried (she´s next...) ;)

But the part that was the most special is what he said to us after his baptism. He pulled Sister Stolk and me aside and with tears in his eyes he said that he´d never forget this day and that he´s eternally grateful for the patience that we had with him. He said that when we started teaching him his heart was really hard and he thought he knew God but now he truly knows God and that he´ll never forget the love and the patience that we had  with him. He made me cry and it was truly the most special day in my mission. He said he was going to print the photo of us and his family that we took before his baptism and put it in his scriptures. He said that every day he´s going to thank Heavenly Father for putting us in his life. I wish you guys could have been there yesterday, I´ve never felt so happy in my entire life. I will print photos today and send them to you! Sooooo cool!!!

So a few answers to your questions,
We write emails in a little computer cafe thing, that has about 12 computers.

The language is coming along pretty well, it´s interesting sometimes people say, "Wow, your Portuguese is amazing!" and other times "I didn´t understand a word you just said..." haha but it´s all good.

So about the chicken in the car that one day, he was alive but he was just tied up laying on the floor of the car haha...

I would love some basket ball shorts from Target (the boys section, probably large, or xl) that would be great Mom! Thanks!

Oh and thank you soooo much for all the stuff you sent me mom! The purse (it´s great, I´m going to try it out soon!) loofa, purrell, everything!

Oh, so almost eveyone here (sisters) wears chacos, or something like chacos, and they are soooo comfortable (thanks Bryan and Lindsey)

And what?! UDF and Graeters ice cream!!!!!! So cool!

Dad:

Haha, I´m glad you liked the chaco tan lines, pretty sweet and it´s just after six months, I already have some wicked arm tans and feet tans and it´s just going to get better!

I liked what you said about D and C 84. I need to study that section this week :)

I´m glad you liked the talk and I totally agree, definitely a special bond between a father and daughter :)

I also loved what you said that "You just get one shot at it." at a mission, I definitly don´t want to have any regrets at the end of my mission so we just have to work, work, work, and be EXACTLY obedient!

Bryan: I´m glad Christmas went well at Lindsey´s house and I hope that you guys are all doing well! I´m sure Norah is loving the karoke machine :)

Kimball: haha, so I guess I´m following in my brother´s footsteps (I accidently bought what I thought was sparkling apple cider but let´s just say that it was DEFINITELY not sparkling cider

So the food was pretty much the same here, Christmas eve we ate with the stake president and his family and it was rice (lots of rice), this gravy chicken thing, salad, fruit, and ICE CREAM! haha it was great

We actually work with a lot of recent converts and less actives, Sister Stolk and I were talking that the majority of our baptisms occurred because of working with recent converts and less actives!

Kelsey:

That´s so crazy about your little "alien" haha, I can´t believe he´s punching and kicking so much! So crazy!

Oh and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! Congrats Kimball and Kelsey! Wow, I can´t believe it´s already been 3 years! So cool!

Well, I love you all so much and we´re not doing anything special for New Years but I know it´s going to be CRAZY here, everyone´s buying alcohol and stuff!

Well I love you the MOSTIEST! Happy New Years and thank you for all your love and prayers!

Love you the mostiest,
Sister Hicks

OK Now it's Really Feliz Natal! Dec. 23, 2013

Well, Feliz Natal Mom, Dad, Greg, Bryan, Lindsey, Norah, Alice, Kimball, Kelsey, Taylor, and dear friends!

CONGRATS LINDSEY AND BRYAN!!!! WOOHOO! I´m so excited for you guys!!!

So, we got an hour to email today because Wednesday, which is actually p-day we won´t be able to, but we´ll be able to call! Woohoo! It´s still so weird to think that I´ll hear from you guys!

So, it´s starting to feel like Christmas, even though it´s DEFINITELY not anywhere close to snowing :)

Oh, to start off, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I got the Christmas packages and the article from you mom! I opened the package that you wrote that I could. Thank you so much for the decoration, little toys for the kids, OREOS, and PEANUT BUTTER! haha, it´s the little things in life :) Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mom: Aah, so sorry that your sprinkler was MIA last night. haha, if I was there, I definitely would´ve been your good ol sprinkler :)

haha, that´s really funny about the fortune cookie too. Aah, I remember "Dinner and shoes" It still lives on :) haha

Oh and tell Brother Dixon that I say hi too :)

Dad: Well, I´m emailing you right now but I´m so excited to call you too! It´ll be great! And I´m so happy to hear that the Christmas program went well too!

Kelsey: Aah, so good to hear from you Kels, I´m glad to hear that things are going well and you guys are staying warm in the cold and snow!

I´m not sure if I´ve seen a difference in people being more open during the holiday season but we´ve definitely been saying "Feliz Natal" a lot :) People here are generally very open, for example, a guy yesterday told us his whole life story just during a street contact haha but I´m sure it´s a lot easier in the states during this time

Thanks so much for sending a card, I´m sure I´ll get it soon! Thank you!!! I can´t believe you´re almost 6 months along! That´s crazy! Woohoo! I´m so excited for you! Stay warm and keep healthy :)

Kimball: That´s so exciting that Kelsey´s starting to show and everyone´s mentioning that! Aah, sooo excited!

So one thing about Christmas here is they don´t have the whole go to bed early thing. No, Christmas is midnight between Christmas eve and Christmas, so tomorrow night. Everyone stays up and has a HUGE party with food and fireworks and stuff tomorrow night. haha, I think it´ll be pretty interesting. We tried to explain to people that no, you have to go to bed early or Santa won´t come but they said no, you have to have a party and eat! haha, so there´s one tradition a little different but everyone has twinkle lights in front of the houses and people have fake Christmas trees and stuff :)

About transfers, I´ve heard that our miss president, President Nogueira wants to keep missionaries in their areas for about 6 months, as kind of a standard rule, I´m not sure exactly why but I´m super happy! I love my area!

Lindsey and Bryan: So CONGRATS again! I´m so excited for you guys! I can´t wait to hear if it´s going to be a boy or girl!

Oh, and yah, I´ve heard about the Elf on the Shelf. haha, that´s so awesome that Norah totally believes in it, love that girl! hhaha, tell Norah and Alice Merry Christmas from me!

Taylor: CONGRATS! Congratulations on getting the job at the National Archives! That´s so exciting! Way to go and $13 an hour, woohoo! I hope the weather stays pretty nice there and FELIZ NATAL! I hope you have a very, merry Christmas!

So, yesterday we had a BAPTISM! Woohoo! So last week, Thalyss, Luiz´s cousin, almost got baptized but his mom wouldn´t let him. So we just kind of let things simmer and did a lot of praying. And we went to his house on Monday I think, and we talked to his mom, and she said "Ok, he can be baptized." It was such a miracle from the Lord! It was so great! Luiz baptized him yesterday and he was so excited. It was funny, after the baptismal interview, our District leader said that he asked him, if Jesus Christ visited the Americas why are there so many people that live here that don´t believe in Christ?

He is such a cool and I´m so excited that his mom let him be baptized, very cool!

Like I wrote last week, we´re working with Danilo, Camilla´s cousin. So he went to Church yesterday and we had a great lesson with him with Kaio (he´s a high councilman that is over our branch) We talked with Danilo and he said that he knows that he needs to be baptized he´s just waiting for that answer he wants. But today we´re going to fast with him and he still has a baptismal date for this Sunday. Also Kaio explained, well if God created the world in seven days don´t you believe that he can help you feel ready to be baptized in seven days and Danilo said, well of course. Super cool! So keep Danilo in your prayers!

Funny story from the week, after we walked out of church yesterday, a drunk guy was dancing with his shirt off on top of some speakers, definitely a change in atmosphere from coming out of church, haha!

Well, that´s about all for this week and of course I´ll have lots to say on Wednesday!

But for now, Feliz Natal!

I love you the MOSTIEST!

Lots of love, hugs and kisses!
Sister Hicks