Letter 05/11/2012

hey friends and fam!

I don't have much time but I just wanted to tell you all HI and that I'm doing fantastic! hope you all are enjoying this amazing spring weather! I wish I had time to haha :) So guess who's a zone leader as of this sunday? this guy! woohoo... hahah there goes all my free time :) But anyway, I'm doing great. Being a missionary is awesome and has soo many perks! we're finishing up "week 4" right now. isn't that CRAZY? only 100 more to go... hahaha :) well I hope you all have a fantistic week

hasta luego

Elder Hicken

The following is some clips from the letter he wrote to our family:

  so big news... I hadn't even been here a full 20 days before I get my first major responsibility... but as of next sunday, Elder Barnes and I will be our zone's new Zone Leaders... crazy huh? not even here a full 3 weeks, they usually don't put Elders in as zone leaders until their 6th week or so. so we'll be zone leaders for a good 5 weeks! AH! I don't know all my responsibilities yet but it is going to be a hand full. We're going to be losing a lot of our personal time, study time, and class time but our branch president, Pres Stewert (sp? spanish is ruining my english! haha), said that the blessings of serving as a leader will make up for the time lost for study, etc. I'm really excited. It pretty much blew my mind. Well here's a spiritual moment for you, mom get your kleenex's ready. I was sitting in the computer lab sunday just kinda stressed out and wondering if I have what it takes to be out here and if I'm doing the right thing. and I was watching Mormon messages. I don't even know which one I was watching but man out of no where I got this huge feeling in my chest and almost an audible voice inside my head, which confirmed to me that I've got great things in store for my mission and my life, and that Heavenly Father does love me and has a lot planned for me. man. I'm still not as strong as I'd like to be but whenever I get down I just try to think of that moment and I'm pretty much good to go. This church is true without a doubt and I can't wait to share the love I've shared with my family and friends my whole life with the people in Chile. but anyways literally right after I kinda had that moment, Elder Barnes walked in from a meeting (he's been district leader) and said President Stewert wanted to meet with us, and I knew exactly what was going to happen before it did. Man who knows maybe I'll never want to come home. I don't know if I could ever live with out this level of the Spirit and the blessings of being a Missionary. But I'm not perfect. I do get home sick a lot. I miss my girls, my mom and dad, the freedom of jumping on a motorcycling and just flying up the canyon. and I miss my courtney as well. But every night I tell Heavenly Father I'm out here doing his work, and any blessings he'd want to give to me, to give them to you guys instead. Last sunday, there was a Devotional, I can't remember the speaker's name but he told a story of a missionary who came out on his mission with both parents. and both passed away before he got home. I honestly don't know how I could deal with that. But he stayed out on his mission. anyway.