July 8, 2013

Hello!

Week two in Dillon has come and gone! There's been a lot that has happened, and we are getting more familiar with the area.  Fourth of July was awesome.  We were allowed to stay out til 11,so we went to a barbecue at a member's house earlier, and then went back and planned and then walked across the road behind our house to where all these trucks were parking and people were setting off fireworks.  It's crazy.  People can just set off any fireworks anywhere, like even the huge ones! A family let us sit on their truck with them and we got to know them a bit.  When we came back, Brother and Sister Park (who we live with) had set up chairs on the back porch so we could keep watching the fireworks as it got dark.  It was so nice to just sit out there in our pajamas and watch them.  I love the Fourth of July.  One of the greatest holidays :)

It's been a good week.  It is absolutely beautiful out here in the evenings.  We ride our bikes down this one part of town and there are just fields and farms, and this past week, they were baling hay, so the huge bales of hay were out in the fields which was cool.  I'm learning more about the lives of farmers.  The people here, parents and children, know how to work.  A lot of them work on farms and just are used to working hard.  It's really cool.  The skies here are AWESOME.  And it rains often...and suddenly, haha.  We are always watching behind us at the sky to see when we think we might need to duck into a member's home to get cover.

We had an experience with that this week.  So we were riding right past a member's house (the Lund's) when it started raining huge drops, so we quickly pulled over and they invited us to stay for dinner.  It was really fun and we had a good discussion about the gospel and missionary work.  They are a super hilarious and fun family.  We were a little worried at first because the rain had stopped and we aren't supposed to be in member's homes past six because they want us out meeting people, because most people are home in the evenings, but we had dinner with them and left soon after.  We rode our bikes to this lady's house who we had met in the driveway the night before, and she said come back tomorrow.  We went there, and a son let us in and told us to walk upstairs. We did, and everyone just looked at us.  We knew we weren't wanted there, but we talked to them for a minute, just getting to know them, and then we asked if we could share a message.  An older lady said no, but this isn't my house, so ask him.  We asked "him" (Jimmy) and he said yes you may, and even turned off the TV.  We shared John 15 with them and shared our testimonies of Christ being our friend.  We talked about who Christ is to us and how He can be a friend to all of us.  The older lady was not happy with us.  She told us we were wrong and had some questions and things to argue about.  But, we were able to share what we knew and then head out.  Jimmy walked us down stairs and out the door and, even though he didn't say much, he was so kind to us.  We left that place a little shaken up, but the Spirit was powerful there, and we hope Jimmy or someone else could feel that.  It was sad to hear this lady just tell us we were wrong, but I left that house feeling greater conviction of this gospel than I had before.  I just know that it's true, and we were able to just ride away feeling good and ready to go.  

Right after this, an awesome thing happened.  We decided to go to this house down the road, the Coleman's.  This was awesome. We hadn't met them yet, but we knew one of them was a member of the church, but was not active in going.  It was this man and his wife.  The wife led us to the backyard where Fred was trying to figure out the sprinklers, haha.  My companion and I "helped" him work the sprinklers and had an awesome time with him and his wife.  He says he doesn't need church and told us some funny stories about his past, but him and his wife were so kind and loving to us.  As we were outside trying to fix his sprinklers, the sky was like it is in paintings- where the clouds are light blue with a bright outline from the sun behind them, and the rays were literally spreading out across the sky.  To me, this was a gentle reminder of heaven and God.  I know there is a heaven and God is watching over us.  The Coleman's moved to Wyoming the next day, but spending that hour with them was a blessing for us, and I hope for them too.

Wow, this is an essay.  Well, I just am grateful for little miracles each week.  The people here are really happy with their lives and don't want to change, but I know there are some people who will accept us. 

Thank you Mom, Dad, Paige, Starlee, Kenzie, Grandma and Grandpa, Andy and Melissa for your letters.  They are the best! :)

Something funny: This week I acquired a new bruise....on my face...Sister Newell whipped the bike lock out of her backpack and it wacked me on the nose.  Hahahaa.  It was so funny, especially realizing that it gave me this new beautiful bruise on my nose.  Umbrellas and bike locks,,,who knew.

I love you all.  Have a happy week!

Love,

Sister Hixson