Lexi in Dairy Queen heaven!

Lexi studying her lessons.  Her companion thinks it's really funny that her feet don't touch the ground so she snapped this picture.

Letter from Monday August 19, 2013

Hi Everyone...

It's Monday again! And I get to write you all.  And hear from you D: If you ever wonder if I love your letters, the answer is YES. 

This week, we read the scriptures with Peggy Clark again and then invited her to take the lessons.  She said she would! I am really excited.  She is sooo funny.  When we got there, her husband calls for her to stop playing her video games in the other room...and she was like, stop bossing me around! Hahaha, She is like 55 or something and likes video games.  It's awesome.

Also, we taught this guy Clark Christensen.  He is a less-active and he has questions about grace v. works and we went over and spent a really long time with him and some members we brought, but hopefully he got some things cleared up a bit. When we asked if we could come back, his daughter Paige said, YES! Haha, so he said yes.  ("Thank you Paaiiige!") :) And Paige really wants to come to church, but her parents aren't sure yet if they want her to, so fingers crossed! Paige is 11, has spina bifida, and is so nice and cute.  But, don't tell her she's nice because she won't believe it.  She says she likes being mean, haha.  She doesn't want to be nice.  I told her being nice is fun.

Guess what? Even missionaries can have sleepovers! Sister Parr from Helena has been with us this weekend, and it's been a party.  She is our Sister Training Leader, so she travels to different sisters and stays with them and helps them out.  She has helped us out so much.  We read a talk by Elder Holland titled "Times of Trouble."  In it, he says, be of a good cheer is a commandment.
It is! Obviously there are times when we need to grieve and be sad, but when it is not those times, we should be of good cheer.  That was a cool thing for me to realize and change the way I think. 

Next week is going to be so awesome. We are going to the temple a week from Thursday, so we are going to Helena on Monday to hike Mt. Helena and then Tuesday we are having zone training there, and then Wednesday we will come home and have our preparation day and deep-clean our apartments, and then Thursday ride to Billings to go to the temple.  We are deep-cleaning our apartments so that when we come home from the temple, our apartment will be clean just like the temple is.  The past few months, we have been preparing for this temple trip, and we have been studying our covenants. It has been really cool to learn more and to see that we will never stop learning, even when we get to heaven.  That's pretty cool.

So, I might not write next week because we will be in Helena.  But, I love you for two whole weeks!!! That's a lot of love right now, I hope you know, haha, but it's true! I miss you all the time.  I am happy to be a missionary.  I know God loves us and that He knows us personally.  He always answers prayers, even when it seems like He is being silent.  That's why he tells the missionaries in Doctrine & Covenants 61:36 that He will not forsake them.  He must know that there are times when we need to be reminded of that.

Thank you Mom and Brooke for the package and Dad, Mom, Gisselle, Leticia, Kenzie, Asher, Starlee, Grandma and Grandpa and Rachel for your letters.  They helped me so much this week and reminded me how lucky I am to have such great people in my life!

Love,
Sister Hixson 

Hello family and friends!

Another week has come and gone.  Sister Spencer is my new companion.  She is from Yuma, Arizona and is brand new in the mission field! Transfer weeks are crazy if you are being transferred or receiving a new companion.  I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Helena and spent the night Wednesday night with the Sister Training leaders and another missionary in Helena.  We had fun together, and I went tracting with one of the sisters.  I haven't tracted much on my mission, but I actually really like it, and it was fun. On Thursday Sister Spencer arrived and we headed back to Dillon! I think we will have a lot of fun together.  Some blessings I have seen this week:

1) We taught Brother Clark's wife- he is a less-active member and his wife is really sweet and not a member.  We finally met her and she said she stopped reading the Book of Mormon when she got to 2 Nephi because the Elders told her it gets confusing after that, haha, oh Elders ;) So, we came and read 2 Nephi 2 with her and applied it to her life.  The Spirit was there and she said that the way we explained it was really helpful for her.  Yay!

2) My companion likes to laugh! She laughs a lot to herself about something she remembers that is funny.  Haha, I love it.  

3) Kara and her parents came to church this Sunday! Kara is 11 and preparing to be baptized in October.  Her Mom came with her last week, and this week her dad came too! Blessings. 

It's been a week of changes, which is always hard, but good things are All around. Thanks for your love and support.  Thank you Star, Brooke, Paige, Gma and Gpa, Grandma and Grandpa for your letters.  I laugh at my screen multiple times every Preparation Day, haha.  Til next week! :) Keep the faith and remember that through faith all things are possible. 

Love always,
Sister Hixson  

	12:07 PM (21 minutes ago)

Hello family and friends!

This week is transfer week, and what's happening?? I am staying here in Dillon and Sister Newell is off to Billings! They just split the wards there, and she is in a new ward (I think, because I have never heard of it from when I was there).  She is going to be with another missionary who came out with her six weeks ago and who she loves! I am excited for her because Billings is so awesome.  It's crazy that it has been six weeks.  Also, I am training again! So, this week I will be getting a new companion to welcome into the field.  She is going to be a lucky one because we have the best area! Haha, and she will get great practice teaching because we have four people who are preparing for baptism....whoa.  I am excited for her to be here and I am excited for Sister Newell to be in Billings.

The hardest part so far with the people we are working with is getting them to church.  And, all the less-active members too.  Many people live far out of town so we can only visit them every so often, and they have farms that they work on til about 10 at night sometimes so they don't feel like they have the time to come to church.  The members help so much though, calling them, inviting them, and being their friends.  Everyone here, nonmembers and members, are really nice.  They are humble and really down-to-earth.  I think they are that way because they just are used to working so much.  It's just what they do.  Most families have gardens, which is really cool, and this week some members let us come and pick some fresh raspberries from their yard. 

Yesterday we fasted for the people we are teaching because they are progressing pretty well, and we want to do everything we can to help them.  Wendy and Jeremy Alvarez are a couple who we are teaching, but they don't yet know that it is true, but they are trying to have open minds and hearts about it.  They are reading the Book of Mormon and praying, but they haven't yet come to church.  They are amazing and so kind and would do anything for anyone.  We are really hoping great things for them and everyone else. 

I am learning a lot- how to love people who seem very different from you, how to teach, how to follow the Spirit in all things, and how to do my very best,  The Lord is with us in this work.  We were planning the other day and looked at our goals for the week and were in shock at the fact that we could possibly have 8 lessons this week! The Lord is giving us many miracles.  Even yesterday, we were riding our bikes and it was really hot and Sister Newell said, "All I want is lemonade." And earlier that day I had said, "Man, I want some avocados."  Then we got to dinner last night and what do you know, Avocado burgers and ice cold lemonade! Seems that the Lord answers me a lot with food, hahaha, hmmmmm well anyways, life is good here.  This week, I was talking with someone about hunting, and yes, I said huntin'.  "ING" just doesn't exist here.  This email is so incredibly long.  I just have so much good news to tell you all!!! ;)

Well, thank you so much Mom, Dad, Paige, Asher, Kenzie, Grandma and Grandpa, Gma, Kenny, and Brooke for your letters/emails.  I am able to do this work with a little more motivation after your words of support.  You are all amazing!

I know this gospel is true and that God shows forth His miracles after our faith is tested.  Keep the faith! :)

Love,
Sister Hixson