Hello World!

Another one of those weeks, little eventful, loads of cancelled appointments, But, it gave us time to search a couple less-actives. The truth is, although we don´t have loads of investigators in the moment, we´ve got loads of great less-actives that want to come back to church. And, we´ve got Over and Patricia who are the greatest recent converts in the world.

Last night, Élder Limos made us jugo de papaya [papaya juice]and I think it was out of charity because he never shares his jugo with us, but it was so awful. I think he just put tons and tons of sugar or something because we were like dying just trying to drink it to accept the gift.

Saturday was a Noche Blanca. It wasn´t my idea, Talon. But Naranjos 2 had a baptism there, and there was total 8 from the zone.

So, Mom, you want to hear about my birthday. Well, for some reason, I didn´t want people to say much. I didn´t mention my birthday for the leading days, and in the end just Patricia Patiño and Pte and Hna Calderón called, which is how I liked. I didn´t want any fuss, it felt weird that it should be a special day and not just another day in the mission. I know it sounds boring, but I wanted it that way. Ya my next birthday I´ll do something like grill steaks again.

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Congrats to Lily on her BAPTISM!!!!!!!

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Feliz Día del Padre [Happy Father's Day]

I don´t know when Father´s Day is in the USA, but here it was yesterday. So Feliz Día, papa.

Rough week, not much success. The biggest success was meeting a kid Dylan Garzon that, although he´s got a rough past, wants to change and accepted the doctrinal truths easily.

The fun part of the week is that Pte and Hna Calderon came to visit Pereira and invited the zone leaders and Élder Martinez and I to dinner in their hotel and I kid you not it was the restaurant más pinchado I have been in. A bit expensive, but a great experience. The next day Hna Calderon invited us to a mexican restaurant in a mall food court in Pereira and the atmosphere was all different.

I'm bit on [by] bit learning a lesson of diligence. You RMs know why. The more diligent, the more success we have. If we depend on God for that success, it´s exponential, and not just an inclined slope.

Shout out to Mackenzie aka Sister Macfarlane who goes to the MTC this week and to Lily who gets baptized on Saturday!

In Pereira, all the Stake we are doing a "Noche Blanca" where there are many baptisms. Élder Martinez and I don´t have anyone who gets baptized Saturday, but the other companionship should have two.

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Baptisms!

¡¡Sí!! Patricia and Over were baptized this weekend. It was a great service and we had assigned members to prayers and messages and everything, those members were there, but almost no one more. 

At 6 USA played against Paraguay and at 8:30 Colombia against Costa Rica, so that was a bit tricky. Here, if there´s a futbol [soccer] game, the world stops almost literally. The good part is that USA and Colombia are continuing from the group, with the USA out ahead.

Congrats, Mom on the new calling!

Last Sunday, after problems for not having a Lider Misional [ward mission leader] for a month, the Bishop told me I was the Lider Misional. Luckily, they called a real Lider Misional yesterday, in the picture it´s the tall guy on the left. He´s in white because he baptized Patricia.

Also, the Hna Calderón sent out the pictures of our house as examples to the rest of the mission so we're a bit happy for that. But, I think it´s more because we actually sent all the pictures, not for being so clean....

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Copa America

Hey anyone know that the Copa America started on friday and the final is to be played in the USA? They´ve been talking about it for months here, and I swear I didn´t even know the US had a team before the mission, but they lost against Colombia 2-1 on friday. Either way USA won against Bolivia 4-0 the other week but it was amistoso [friendly].

Patricia Patiño passed her baptismal interview on Friday, and Élder De La Cruz, the LZ (he´s from my CCM group) told me that she had a problem with the interview and I had to tell her that we would talk to the mission presidente so that someone with more experience would continue the interview. I explained her the whole dang thing before they told me it was a joke. So, we waited for Élder Martinez to get there and we did the same prank but he didn´t understand anything -- he's so new, this kid.

I realized this week (with help) that I was being impatient with that -- he´s new -- that I wanted him to ya [already] know the things, but like he didn´t know them yet, it was stressing him out. It made me think in the relation between God and us, thankful for his patience because we are effectuate dunces and he´s got enough patience to help us learn bit by bit.

Of the four that live in the house, Élder Limos is the most prankster. The other day he took out a piece of the shower knob making it so that the shower wouldn´t turn on. Although the knob turned and turned, it was missing the piece to open the tap and let the water out. No matter how much we turned or pressed or tried without the knob, the tap could not be opened. It wasn´t until he finished his prank putting the piece again like nothing had happened that the tap would open.

Much of the world thinks they can praise God, do good things, and other principles along those lines and they´ll get to God. But, until the power of the Priesthood is applied with it´s saving ordenances and the effects of the Atonement, the "tap won´t open". Now that the Priesthood has been restored, the "tap opens" and the eternal blessings or "water" is available, letting us be spiritually or in this case physically clean.

This Saturday is the baptisms of Patricia and Over, hoping to send pictures next week. I´m sure Ëlder Martinez has a couple pictures of me, I´ll see if I can get my digital hands on them.

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Cambiation!

It´s cambios! Either way, I don´t have cambio, Élder Martinez and I stay together, bomb for him, he´s going to have his first two baptisms (or more) this next cambio. In our little District, only Élder Rodo is leaving, going to the coast (jealous I am).

This week was Stake Conference, and Pte Calderón came and could know Patricia Patiño, and also the Familia Uzcátegui which was good. Also, we got the approval to baptize Over Puerta, so he´s getting baptized the 11 of June.

Yesterday, we did a Desembarco in Naranjos. [Naranjos is a region in Colombia] (funny story, one day in Cereté the four of us are walking together leaving lunch and talking about ways to find more people and we suggested a desembarco. Élder Pezo pointed to an upside-down boat and said "¿quieren un desem"barco"? ¡allí está!" and we just about died) We had a couple members (didn´t come many, but they came the good ones) and the two zones of missionaries. We just sent them all out over our area and of Naranjos 2 and gave them an hour. When they came back to the capilla, they had loads of smiles and were like fighting to tell us about their super cool person that they met, and it was great.

We had much work to do this week, and Patricia Patiño`s baptismal interview is this week also. 

And hey Talon, I got your advice on dating after the mission and thanks for the pointers.

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Hello World!

To answer questions from Mom: 

How was your investigator attendance for church yesterday? 

 Patricia could come to church yesterday, and Gloria had to go after the first hour. Only Over came to the three hours yesterday.

Did you have to teach anything?

 We don´t have líder misional [a ward mission leader] now, and we don´t have a teacher for Principios del Evangelio either, so I´m teaching every week now. 

Do you ever lead/accompany the music? 

Here no, there isn´t a piano. They have a CD of the hymns and have than on but no one follows it anyway. 

I imagine they sing about the same as in Cajamarca. 

They do. 

Do they have those pre-programmed pianos with all the church music on it?

They did in Zenú, but here no. 

What are you trying to get done during your P-day today?

 House cleaning, I have enough clothes for two weeks so I only wash every 15 days, so this week no. We are going to buy another pair of shoes for Élder Martinez, and at 3 we are going to play futbol with all the missionaries in the stake. 

Do you always have your laundry done for you by some lady in the ward for a couple of bucks?

 Nope, never done it and never want to. 

What did you have for breakfast?

 Today, Palitos de pan de queso [essentially, cheese sticks] with milk and chocolisto (chocolate milk mix).

 

We often fry eggs and eat it with bread, sometimes yogurt with oreos, I made a jugo de [juice] papaya, manzanas [apples], good stuff. 

How often do you eat with the members? 

All almuerzo [lunch] is with members except pday. In our citas [appointments] in the night, they almost always give food also. 

What do you want to learn to cook that you've had there?

Here, almost everything is fried. So, basically everything I know how to cook is fried. Salchipapas [Latin French Fries], huevos fritos [Fried Eggs], jugos frutales [fruit juices], limonada de coco [coconut lemonade], arroz [rice]. I want to learn arepa [a type of food made of ground maize dough or cooked flour ]. I´ll find out someday to make sancocho [a traditional soup]. It´s not like Peru with all your [list of Peruvian foods:] papas a la huancaina, aji de gallina, milanesa de pollo, lomo saltado, ceviche...the foods are more simple here.

About investigators, Patricia and Over are going well, but everyone else is shaky. We´ve been meeting a lot of people and having success with references, but I hope to give a better update next week.

Story not for the faint of heart. Just kidding -- it´s funny. I'll tell it in Spanish, someone can translate. 

Entonces estamos bajando una loma en el área y un man nos acompaña y nos preguntó si eramos evangelicos, y dijimos que no. Preguntó si eramos cristianos, dijimos que creemos en Cristo pero no creemos lo mismo que muchos cristianos. Dijimos que eramos mormones y él no había escuchado de mormones pero igual no le importaba. Siguió contando que algo de policias, que era el hombre más buscado del barrio, y en fin dijo que en esa esquina mataron a su hermano pero no sé porque nos dijo eso. Después nos dijo que le diéramos nuestros celulares o nos "explotara" poniendo su mano en su chaqueta finjiendo una arma. Por no tener conflicto, dije a Élder Martinez que sacara el celular y dije al man que iba a sacar la tarjeta SIM (para que fuese más fácil conseguir reemplazo) y dijo que sí. Cuando le dimos el celular y cuando vio qué celular era, nos dijo que tranquilo que no lo quería. Casi sentí mal que ni los ladrones quieren nuestro celular sencillo. Siguió pidiendo nuestros tables, portátiles, y otras cosas, que oviamente no teníamos. En fin, nos saludó (con la mano que supestamente tenía la pistola) diciendo que Dios nos bendijiera. Al irnos, se acordó y pidió nuestro dinero. Élder Martinez le dijo que como era Domingo, no cargamos dinero porque no compramos nada. Al inspeccionar nuestros bolos y solo ver libros, nos saludó de nuevo (con la misma mano) y se fue. Nos fuimos riéndonos por la bobada que fue.

[So we were going down a hill in the area and a guy was with us and asked us if we were Evangelicals, and we said no. He asked if we were Christians; we said we believe in Christ but do not believe the same way as many Christians do. We said that we were Mormons and he had not heard of Mormons but it didn't really matter to him. He kept telling us something about cops, that he was the most wanted man in the neighborhood, and finally said that in that particular corner they killed his brother but I don't know why he told us that. Then he told us to give him our phones or he would "blow us up" putting his hand in his jacket pretending it was a handgun. To avoid a conflict, I told Elder Martinez to take out the phone and I told the man we would remove the SIM card (so it would be easier to get a replacement phone) and he said OK. When we gave him the phone and he saw what kind of phone it was, he told us calmly that he did not want it. I almost felt bad that not even thieves want our simple cell phone. He kept on asking for our tablets, laptops, and other things that we obviously did not have. Anyway, he waved goodbye (with the hand that supposedly had the gun) wishing God's blessings on us. When he was leaving, he remembered and asked for our money. Elder Martinez told him that as it was Sunday, we do not carry money because we do not buy anything. Upon inspecting our bags and seeing only books, he waved goodbye again (with the same hand) and left. We left laughing about the nonsense of it all.]

I was reading in 2 Crónicas this week and was thinking about this. When the kings of Judah depended in Jehovah, they prospered and won the wars and all. After a couple years of success, they started following other gods. Doing so, their success ended but refused to return to Jehovah. A probable reason is pride. Often it says that they lifted themselves up and then went after other gods. With all the success, they saw themselves and the powerful ones, the one responsible for the success. With their pride growing, they couldn´t admit that it was God and not them. To make it worse, when they started believing more in themselves, the success ended. We often to the same thing. I´ve seen it in my mission, that the area grows and grows but when I start thinking that I´m so great for having a great area, people start not progressing, people aren´t home, we lose investigators, and we have an empty area again. It´s a danger for everyone, and the only way to avoid it is just always depend and trust in God, and be humble, always giving thanks. 

Always Great,

Élder Hicken

Another Letter

Well, it´s been a week. Joan Ramirez disappeared this week, hasn't answered or been home, and we've been worried. Andrés Ramirez told us this week  that he isn't interested in getting baptized. The family Furque didn't come to church yesterday, Geraldine was sick but we don´t know about the others. We have a cita [an appointment] tonight, so we´ll find out then. Over Puerta is in the same as last week, just waiting for his baptism. Actually, he left early from church yesterday that worries us. Family Uzcátegui goes great, and Martha was set apart as Sec of the SocSoc yesterday. Patricia Patiño is excited to get baptized and came to church yesterday and loved it. She often doesn't get around to reading the Libro de Mormón [Book of Mormon] but committed to read when we visited last night.

We met and started teaching the Family Angarita Rivera this week. Kely (40) is the mom and the kids Yojan (19) and Jasmine (16). Their Dad is member, but many years ago left. They want the gospel and are great, just really shy around new people and so they get real nervous coming to church. Kely asks tons of questions that aren´t always efficient, but at least she´s searching to know.

Also, we are teaching Melissa Gomez (32) and her son Jacobo (11). She wants to get baptized and wants to know if the Church is true but it´s real rough finding time in the day and so often doesn´t read. But, she committed to read every day this week. Then Sundays she´s normally involved in Scouts, and they do service all the Sundays and that´s why she doesn´t come to Church. But, she´s the regional president and has the power to change the schedule to be able to come to church.

It was also great calling to the family Monday!

The President Calderón came to the Eje this week and the pictures are here: https://misioncolombiamedellinsite.wordpress.com/ they changed the mission blog because they forgot the password to the other one. They actually do actualize [actualizar = update] this one.

Always Great,

Élder Hicken