July 1, 2013

Hello!

This week I arrived in Dillon and experienced the full "transfer week" experience.  It has been a week of learning, change, and work, and it's been a good one.  Sister Newell is a new missionary from West Virginia, and she is passionate and committed to missionary work, so it's great! We have a lot of work to do, but the ward mission leader is seriously awesome from what we have seen-he and his wife took us for a drive out in the country and laid down the mission plan which is entirely member-work.  We aren't quite sure when it will all start, but each day we try to fill our time with effective work, meeting members and learning the area. 

Dillon is smaaaalll :) In Billings I was praying to learn the area because I was always always confused where we were, haha, so the Lord answered that prayer by sending me to a town with one high school, two wards, and a bike so I could pay attention to street names up-close, haha.  The people here are even friendlier than in Billings.  They all wave back when they pass in their trucks and people on the streets talk to us and are really nice.  We went to dinner with an older couple in the ward on Friday, and they took us to a restaurant called Papa T's.  The High School football team pictures are all on the walls, and the food was delicious.  Dillon is small, and little Sister Hixson might be getting a litttttle bigger with all this food...haha. People feed us quite a lot, if I haven't mentioned that earlier..

I met a man named ElfBoy.  Yes, it's true.  Even though he didn't want to read the Book of Mormon, he was nice and his name was Elfboy, and he took a mormon.org card. I just have met people with the most interesting names here, huh?

I feel like being a trainer here with a new missionary in a new area is going to be pretty hard.  It has been difficult to plan these past few days as we waited for bikes and supplies, but the first day when Sister Newell and I went walking in the heat to figure out the area and meet people, I thought about Dad serving his mission in Guatemala and how he was in a tent for 6 months.  I was wearing nice clothes, was not alone, and had the gospel!! The next day, a big storm hit, and we happened to meet a member right before that who let us in, so when the storm hit, we were inside and could stay there for a little while.  Then, the next day we were able to set up three appointments with people we either met on the street or at the door! Those were great blessings, and I know the Lord is helping Sister Newell and me.  I read John 15 this morning, and verse 2 says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit."  In the footnotes, it says that purgeth means purifies, tests, tries, and proves.  So, when we try to do good, the Lord then purifies us to bring forth more fruit..so we can do more good! The Lord is always trying to make more of us through our tests and trials in life. 

I am happy to know that whatever the Lord puts me and my loved ones through, as we try to be the best we can, it is to make us even better.  And with those experiences, we will experience even greater joy in life than we now do.  I know that this gospel is true.  God loves us and has restored His true gospel to the earth now! How awesome that we are here when that has happened :)

Thank you Gisselle for the package! And Gma and Gpa, Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, and Dad for the letters.  Letterd and packages will be delayed a few days now that I am in Dillon.

Oh, and happy Fourth of July!! Ah, one of the greatest holidays there is!!

Love always,
Sister Hixson