Change in Companion

Hey, the last week wasn´t exactly a great one in the ways of progress.  

Friday was the baptismal date of Luz Mary, but for a week and a half before it, she wouldn´t answer our phone calls and didn´t come to church, so she wasn´t baptized. We finally talked to her on Saturday and she gave us like 10 excuses and we´ll visit with her this week. 

Regina didn´t come to church yesterday, and didn´t have time for us all week, and so we couldn´t visit with her until this Thursday. It was rough, really, with them two. 

Also, Thursday Elder Wadell of the area presidency came and we had a conference with him all day. It was great! He spoke of a lot of things, one of them being baptisms. That in the area, many missionaries are baptizing people, not converts. That after being baptized, many of them go inactive and that´s not great. Missionaries are baptizing to baptize, and aren´t taking enough care. He spoke a bit about the purpose of the Priesthood is to create eternal families. Also, he gave the statistic that Medellin has the best statistic of baptizing our nuevos, but that we aren´t getting nearly enough nuevos in the mission. The conference was really motivating and awesome. 

Also, cambios are this week! Hurtado is going to Armenia, all the way south of the mission. He stays as District Leader in his district "Brazilia" and I´m the new District Leader of Envidago. My new companion will be Elder Rios from Chile, and all day everyone has been warning me and giving be advice of him because apparently he´s an awful companion to have. But, they also say that he´s great a getting nuevos which Envigado needs. But, also always goes really bad with the members, and likes to order around his companions a lot. He´s got about 18 months in the mission. But, I´ve learned to be a bit assertive and confrontational (learned how to be confrontational from Scrubs) and so we´ll see how this works out. 

But, statistically I´ll only be in Envigado for 6 weeks more and so I´ve got a cambio [one transfer] to baptize. 

Hey, the snow storm sounds awesome! I could say I´m jealous, it just rained a bit this week. I think I´ve adjusted to the weather as much as I will, the heat doesn´t kill me anymore, and I´m able to wear normal pants and not get heat stroke. Still always hot and I always feel covered in sweat. But, it´s fun, that´s the mission. 

Also, Elder Routson, one of the LZ is leaving to Montería in the coast, where it´s super hot. Also, no one new is coming to the office so, for the first time in forever, there´ll be only 8 missionaries in the ward. Normally, one of the secretaries is training, but now no. Just 4 secretaries, the asisstants, and the missionaries that actually do the work in the ward. 

Oh also, we got given my first really feo [terrible] lunch in Envigado! You should read that without any bit of enthusiasm in the voice or thought. Hey Mom, remember how I´ve never liked your lentil soup? Take out everything but the lentils and water, and then put in liver. Hurtado didn´t know how I managed to eat it all, I just told him I had a bit of practice. He had almost a bit. But then yesterday our lunch was super good and we talked the whole time about superheroes and it was great, so it makes up for it. 

Hey, thanks for the Valentine´s Day package, MN Hickens! Also, I got the letters from the Burgoynes and President Priday, thanks! Sometimes, stuff actually gets here really quick. Like the Christmas package you guys sent didn´t get here until the end of January though you sent it at the end of November, but the Valentine´s package only took two weeks. But, great to hear that I, like, mean something to you guys! But actually, the LZ act like I get a package every other week. Also, the family calendar is awesome! Actually everyone in the zone was looking at it and were super jealous and saying that I´m going to get all trunky looking at pictures of the family all year. 

Always Great,

Élder Hicken