Navidad

So  Navidad was good, really just a focus change. We focused a lot more on Jesus Christ and although we passed it very normally, I never felt that I was missing out on anything because we were focusing on the birth of Jesus Christ and sharing that a good bit.

Also, it was great talking with the party on Wednesday, and Lily makes me laugh still. It's great to see you're all alright, and now I can sing that song "I'll be home for Christmas." I don't think I'll actually sing it much, but it's now legal.

This season of New Year's is interesting. As people welcome 2016 with parties and drunkeness, their bad decisions the half of which they won't remember clearly, and looking back at the things they wanted to do but for lack of something they never achieved, they'll be making goals for the coming year. Honestly, it's a hard-skulled bobada [silliness] and it repeats itself on a yearly basis, without failing for an award-winning streak. How about at least a couple of us do something different with our goals and instead of making a goal without a plan, figure out the reason for failing in 2015 and make our goal to fix that specific thing and therefore not fail in 2016. A definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result." The insanity of the human race is that we do the same thing year to year and expect that "this time it'll be different" and when it isn't, say it the next time and expecting that we have reason [Editor's note: tenemos razón is translated literally as "we have reason" but colloquially it is "we are right"]. Friends, it'll only be different if you actually do something different. How about let's not fail in 2016, sino [rather] acheive the things we've been waiting for for years. If we do it with a diligent or constant effort, trusting in the supporting arm of Him of whom we celebrate his birthday, this time it'll be different.

As Talon said, and as I say to missionaries and leaders in the mission, "Find out what doesn't work and don't do it."

Prospero 2016,

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Cambios!

So like 4 months ago the mission closed a zone in Chocó for a couple reasons unrelated with the missionaries and so there aren´t missionaries there. It´s super far and super poor and really underdeveloped. Hermana Calderón called me on Saturday to tell me that I would be going with Élder Peña (another LZ in Pereira) to open Chocó again. She passed me to Élder Allen the Sec Ejecutivo to give me all the details and stuff. I was like "what?! oh well, Élder Peña is good" and then like half an hour later Hna Calderón called to say it was a joke. Cool story.

But this week is cambios and I´m still going to be in Armenia, but Élder Velázquez se va a [is leaving to] Montería. My new comp is Élder Canavese who is currently LD in Armenia, but starting tomorrow I´m training him as a new LZ in propia [our own] Armenia. Also, big news is that the area of Álamos 2 is opening, and so now I´m in Álamos 1; they split our area in two. Also, Élder Pezo who I trained in Cereté is coming to the zone. So last cambio came 5 new kids to the zone from the CCM, this time 2, so we have a total of 7 trainers in the zone, but there´s only 10 companionships.

This week Élder Velázquez and I fasted a couple times. We´re trying to focus on how we can better deserve God´s hand in the zone and the area. We´re praying more, fasting more, and esforzando a [trying to] listen to the Spirit more. We knew ahead of time that the new missionaries would be coming to Álamos, so we took a bit of time contacting in Álamos 2 to make sure they had work when they get on Wednesday. Also, we´ve been looking for a new home, and we found one this week. We did the whole process relying a lot in the Spirit, and we found an apartment that is of a less active, and there´s a couple advantages addicionales [additional] that make stuff better. 

Made me laugh that y´all finally got to go to Amahl and the Night Visitors and I can totally see Dad quoting stuff like "licorice...try some!" I think the reading gene must run in the family with Lily now reading a bunch and I remember Sierra reading a bunch and I remember reading a bunch...also I´m impressed with Lily´s handstand! Also, Lily is starting to look way like Sierra which I don´t remember from before. Also, cool new Stake Presidency.

Pte Calderón came and everyone (including us) was thinking he was going to call a new District Presidency and ended up only calling a new counselor. The Pte, Pte Londoño has a real long time as District Pte and Pte Calderón said only "Presidente Londoño se queda hasta 2049" [will remain until 2049] and everyone thought it was funny but he might have been serious. 

Hey I found out last week that Hna Calderón really likes Doctor Who...fun fact. 

¿chao?

Élder Hicken

Cosas

This week wasn´t so crazy sino tough. I´m starting to understand why. The good side is that to maybe soften the blow of an unproductive week Élder Velázquez and I have recieved an amount of praises from different sources. It came as a surprise, with local leaders saying that they´ve never seen such a great group of missioneros en Armenia, that the APs and Pte never have to worry about Armenia, that they feel great amounts of trust in us, even to the point that another zone called us yesterday for pointers because the APs had told them to call us because we are doing well.

It's been teaching me alot how people don´t see many details until they get close. I guess I´ve learned the lesson a long time ago, that if I don´t have glasses I don´t see ningun detail until I get real close. We can be doing well, but only we know the locuras that are happening and even the missionaries in our zone don´t know what´s happening in the background. That´s something that happens on every side of the spectrum. Maybe we say that someone failed for their fault, but it was for external force. It´d be like saying a wall painted itself. Remembering right now, I´ve been realizing more and more over the last couple weeks how much sense the Gospel has. Many of us think that gaining the Celestial Kingdom will be much easier than it is in reality. There´s something much bigger happening than we all think.

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

 Oil Spill

 Coca Colas forPte y Hna "papi" y "mami"