BLESSED AS CAN BE!

 Sister Barrus and Lex...are they happy or what?

The happy couple at their baptism--2 hours after they got married.  Congratulations!

Hello!

Happy Thanksgiving week! It's already Thanksgiving? Where is life going? I am so confused...anyways :) Guess what? This week we had a wedding, two baptisms, and two confirmations! I don't know if I have ever been so happy than I have been this week.  So happy.  On Tuesday, Sister Barrus and I committed the couple in the Big Hole to be married and baptized by Friday! They were nervous, but she just says, "ok! I'll do it! I just have to do it!" Haha.  And her boyfriend followed her lead.  Their wedding and baptism were beautiful.  Sister Barrus and I ran around like mad missionaries, mad as in crazy, planning both of them.  They said to plan everything, just let them know what time to be in town.  Wedding planner? Who knew, haha. It was so fun. 

The confirmation was on Sunday in the Big Hole branch.  There are about 9 people in the branch, and it is the greatest thing.  Everyone in the branch was at the baptism and wedding in Dillon, and they all have taken care of my companion and I as we have traveled out to the Big Hole twice a week.  When I got up to the podium to say the prayer, one of them says, "hey, there's a stool that pulls out under there!"  Don't worry, I stood on that stool proud as can be ;) haha. I will miss these people. 

I am all better from the flu! I am alive and kicking! Well, maybe not kicking, but yes, alive. 

We are working with a 15-year old boy who is getting baptized this Saturday! We have been helping his mom since July- she is a member, but she hasn't come in years.  Recently, she has started coming back to church and her son always comes too! We had the impression to ask him to be baptized, as he has been a part of the lessons for a few months now and has seen missionaries for years.  He prayed about it and feels good about it and has already invited like 20 people to his baptism, including his new girlfriend! He is amazing.  He is one of those people who you would never expect to grasp the gospel so much, but he does.  For months he seemed to us like someone who was uninterested.  He would fall asleep in lessons, drop the pamphlets, talk about his cat, hahaha, all this crazy stuff, but now he is praying, coming to church each week, and opening up to us.  He really does have a testimony.  I am so glad we were impressed to invite him to be baptized on November 30.  I have learned from him that I never want to pass someone up, thinking they are not ready or not interested in the gospel, without inviting them.  I am learning to step out of my comfort zone.  I am learning to exercise my faith and to not doubt.  I am loving Dillon with all my heart.  Never want to leave, but I know it will be right when I need to.  

I have a strong testimony of this gospel.  I know that God loves me and all His children.  I know that the fullness of the gospel has been restored. 

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support.  I feel them! 

Thank you Sister Lamp, Mom, Dad, the Lathens, and Andy for your letters this week.

Love,

Sister Hixson 

DILLON IS THE GREATEST PLACE IN THE WORLD!

Hello everyone,

I hope you have had a great week! This week has been great here.  We are working a lot with our iPads (I now have a picture of the San Diego temple as my wallpaper that makes me SO happy).  We can share videos, talks, and the scriptures on them, and our pamphlets are even downloaded onto them too.  Technology.  It's amazing.  

On Monday night, we were invited to this family's house for dinner who are not members of the church, except for the mom, but she has not come for years.  We had dinner with them, and then shared the message of the Restoration and invited the three daughters to be baptized at the end of December.  They said yes and are now preparing for baptism! What a miracle.  The youngest daughter said the most beautiful prayer I have ever heard.  She is soooo sweet and has short blonde hair and just jumps around like the happiest thing on earth.  When we gave her a Book of Mormon, she just held it to her chest.  Another miracle is that, while we were teaching, Dell walks in with her husband! They are long-time friends with this family.  Dell and her husband bore their testimonies to the girls and were a great part of the lesson.  Dell just got baptized last month and has such a strong testimony.  

This week I got a little sick with the flu, and I did get the flu shot, but this flu said no! I am getting better though, which is great! Sister Barrus mothered me back to health and spent Friday planning and studying...while I slept! She is amazing.

I have been learning a lot this week about different things.  Probably the greatest thing is that God loves me.  No matter what I ever do, He will always still love me.  We get trained a lot on how to be better, and we study a lot how to be better, and we are always trying to be better.  So, it is comforting to know and be reminded that God still loves me how I am, even though He knows I can be even more.  I am grateful for the work He has entrusted me and Sister Barrus with right now.  It is keeping us busy, and it's awesome, tiring, and awesome. 

Sister Barrus and I did crafts this week to help with the people we are teaching.  We watched this video from President Uchtdorf about creating and how we are ALL creative because we are the children of the most creative Being in the universe.  He says this at the end of the video: 

"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create."

I know this scriptures are true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet.  I love sharing this with others.  I love you and thank you for everything :)

Love,

Sister Hixson

Dear family and friends,

It's been an awesome week.  We have seen so many miracles!  On Tuesday, we were at an apartment complex and saw this lady moving.  We helped her, and she was so happy! she kept looking at the sky with her arms out, saying thank you! Haha. She had just a couple hours to move all her stuff, and she lived on the second floor.  Sister Barrus and I and her lifted a dryer into the Uhaul...and we filled a whole Uhaul! It was crazy.  At one point, she told us how her dad had died a few weeks ago.  We asked if she felt that he was somewhere else now, and she said she didn't know and she has been pretty bitter.  Then, a little while later, she said, "Do you have a book?"  Do we have a book? We sure do!!! We gave her the Book of Mormon and a pamphlet on the Plan of Salvation.  It was good to feel that we were in the right place at the right time, and she is moving pretty close to us, so we are excited to see her again.

Then Wednesday we met with a couple who committed to be baptized on November 30! It was amazing.  Then, we went over to see this lady who we see every week, and she has started coming back to church.  Her fifteen year old son sits in on the lessons, but he has never showed much interest. But he goes to scouts each week, knows lots of members and has been coming to church with his mom.  As we were getting out, I said....why don't we ask him to be baptized? We thought for a minute, and were like....yeah. Let's do it! And we did! We prayed with him right there and talked about the decision.  He prayed about  it on his own and then we saw him last night and he said, he wants to be baptized! He said he felt encircled with God's love when he prayed.  It's amazing.  He has been there for the lessons and has seen missionaries for years, and I am so excited that he has prayed and received the answer to be baptized.  

The couple out in the Big Hole is another miracle! They have made so many changes in their lives to live the gospel. They are so excited about it and are even sharing it with their family members.  We had an awesome lesson planned, and then we got there and didn't teach any of it.  We ended up teaching Hilary's sister who was visiting and inviting her to hear from the missionaries where she is from.  She accepted a Book of Mormon and said she would read and pray about it.  It's amazing how anyone can find out for themselves if the church is true by reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it.  God will answer anyone if they ask in sincerity.  

Anyways, so much has happened, I can't write about it all.  But it's been an exciting week.  I think I will one day live in Montana.  Yep! I think it will happen.  And it will be on a farm.  I LOVE wide open spaces now.  It is beautiful and refreshing and the families out here are amazing. They work so hard to follow God and do what is right.  I will miss them so much.  We never know what impact we are having on others.  There are families out here who have changed my life already.  

Well, I'd better go.  Have a wonderful week!

Moroni 10:23

Love,

Sister Hixson     

 Lexi's zone...with President and Sister Mecham

 APPARENTLY...Lexi didn't notice the Medium/Tall sizing when buying some thermal underwear.  At least they will keep her nose warm too.

Lexi's new companion, Sister Barrus from American Fork, Utah.

Utah, Candy and Miracles

Dear family and friends,

 

It's been a great week...or two weeks, I should say.  I couldn't write last week because there was a line for the computers.  I have a new companion, Sister Barrus, from American Fork, UT.  We have been companions for four days, and yesterday and the night before were spent in Wisdom! We had another lesson out there and went to church in the Big Hole.  Beautiful place and amazing people.  There were 12 of us, and Sister Barrus and I got to teach a little 7-year old girl about baptism in Primary.  I love that branch and everyone in it.  It is a special place I hope to visit again after I leave.  The land is beautiful, untouched, and the people are so loving.  

 

I am seeing people's lives change through the gospel.  I am seeing people try to make those changes that are difficult.  I know that the Lord wants us to change because that's how we become like Him.  I know that we can speak to Him through prayer- that He is listening.  

 

We had many miracles happen this week.  One this week is that our plans needed to change because of planning or something, and so it was now time for us to head out, and we had to choose where we would go.  We chose to go to a girl's house just close to our house.  We had met her a couple weeks ago and she had welcomed us back, but we hadn't contacted her again.  We knocked on her door, and she was there.  She listened to our message and welcomed us back tonight.  She was having some family issues and was going through some tough things, but she listened to our message about the Plan of Salvation and how God has blessed us with families and a plan.  She is open to learning more.  It was a miracle.  

 

Last night, we shared a message with a man who Sister Barrus thinks her grandpa knows.  I had been telling her about the area and mentioned this man's name who isn't interested but is the kindest man and very Christian and religious.  She felt that we should stop by last night.  We did and he was canning pumpkin.  He tried to remember if he knew her grandpa, and we are still not sure if he does, but then  I had the impression to share this mormon message with him that we had watched recently.  We played it and he watched and listened.  Afterwards, we invited him to read the pamphlet on the restoration of the gospel and left it with him.  He took it and said goodnight.  I don't know if he will read it, but I feel like we were supposed to share that message with him.  He left us with some pumpkin, of course :) and we left him with something that I know will change his life.  He is close with God already.  He has prayed for us before and told us the entire experience of him finding God, and we have shared our testimonies with him.  He is a wonderful man.  And I know that, even for him, who has a close relationship with Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father wants him to have the fullness.  I am so grateful to have the privilege of being His servant!

 

This week we received homemade bread, rolls, candy, macaroni and cheese, candy, cookie mix, candy, pumpkin, squash, and a cake. Hahaha.  If you ever worry that I go hungry, you can rest assured that I am not ;) 

 

Thank you Sister Lamp, Mom, and Dad for your letters. 

 

I know that the gospel is true and that it blesses the lives of everyone, no matter who you are.  I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father.   I know that they love us too, no matter what choices we every make- they still love us. 

 

Have a wonderful week! Keep the faith!

 

Love,

Sister Hixson

 

p.s. I hope this detailed email makes up for the lack of one last week! hehe