ON TO NEW ADVENTURES

Hello!

This week was another wonderful week! We kept busy, rode our bikes, talked to a lot of people, and even went to the temple! What a blessing that was, right in the middle of the week.  I'll send some pictures. 

We taught the lady who came to church last Sunday, and she is excited to be baptized.  When we invited her, she said, "Can I?!" Haha.  She is  excited.

We interviewed Brother Dalton by asking him some questions that Preach My Gospel has for recent converts.  It was amazing to hear his testimony of so many things.  He was truly prepared to receive the gospel. 

We went to the temple again! This time with the Christenot's.  They are so loving- they prepared the car for us with water bottles with our names on them, cookies, string cheese, blankets for the drive, and even gave me a stool to get out of the car in! Hahaha.  It was the best.  The Temple was wonderful.  I love going there and feeling the love of the Lord.  It truly is a house like none other.  It is the house of the Lord.  I know that because of the Spirit I feel when I am there. 

Sister Frost and I are leaving Great Falls.  She is going to the wonderful Dillon, MT and I will be heading to Worland, WY.  We are excited and excited for the new sisters who will be here :) It's been a wonderful time. 

Don't send anything to my Great Falls address.  I'll let you know my new address next week :)

Something I read this week: Alma 13:3- It talks about how those who hold the priesthood were called "on account of their exceeding faith and good works."  The chapter continues to talk about faith, and I was reminded that the Lord can use us as instruments in His hands when we have faith and good works.  As we increase our faith and try to be good people, the Lord will make more of us, not for our own glory, but for His- so that His work may go forth as He needs and desires it to.  I hope I can always be a reliable and loyal follower for Him.  I know that the Lord will strengthen me and all of us as we exercise our faith and do hard things.


Love you all!! Thanks for your love, friendship, and prayers.  Sending my love and hugs your way...

Love, Sister Hixson :)

 A little boy gave Sister Hixson some flowers.

 Goodbye to Winter, Hello to Spring...finally.

A special stool for little Sister Hixson to step out of the car on--from a very thoughtful ward member.

MONDAY MAY MIRACLES MADNESS

Hello!

It's me again.  Here in Great Falls, MT, and loving it! This week was crazy with exchanges and living out of our suitcases at another members' home while our host family was out of town.  It's always an adventure to go on exchanges, and this week was no exception.  Also, President Mecham has been interviewing the whole mission this transfer, and so I had my interview! It was great to talk with him.  The mission is so big that it doesn't happen often, so I was so happy to meet with him. He is amazing.  He is so inspired and loving, but he is also so real.  I don't feel intimidated by him because I can feel his love for me and everyone. 

This week I was with Sister Crooks for two days, Sister Frost for one, and Sister Hicks for another two days.  I learned a ton.  I was grateful to be together again with Sister Frost.  We work together really well. 

We had some miracles this week! One of them is that yesterday this lady came to church with her little boy.  She was in Relief Society and Sister Frost and I went up to meet her.  We find out she is not a member but she wants to be! She looked us up in the phone book and talked to someone on the phone who told her where to come and at what time, and here she was! She said she would love to take the lessons and prepare to be baptized! That was awesome. 

Earlier in the week when I was with Sister Crooks, we decided to go tracting after dinner.  We said a prayer and asked where we should go?  Some streets came to mind and then a quick image of a blue flower came to my mind.  I thought that was really weird, but after the prayer, I told Sister Crooks that as we were driving around, if there was any house with blue flowers outside, we should go there.  We didn't see any blue flowers, so we parked the car where we felt like we should go, and started tracting.  On about the fifth house, we met Justin.  He was a young dad, and he was willing to listen to us, so we talked to him for a little bit, and then his five year old son ran out.  He is the friendliest, kindest, sweetest little boy ever! So we started talking to him....more, he started talking to us, for about thirty minutes! We talked to him about Jesus and the Book of Mormon a little bit, and then he ran off, and Justin's wife came out! So we started talking to her too! We were talking with her for a little while, and it was about time to go.  I was getting pretty anxious because we had been there for so long and it wasn't really going anywhere, when Christian, the little boy, comes up to all of us with a handful of blue flower petals. Sister Crooks and I looked at each other, and Christian ran off.  Then he comes up to me with a blue flower, the same one I had pictured in my mind earlier, and hands it to me.  I knew right then that God knows me and loves me.  I was stressed and exhausted that day, and God was there.  He sent me that little experience to remind me that it's ok.  The hardest part about missionary work is recognizing what you can and cannot control....and that may just go for life in general.  But as difficult as things may become sometimes, there is one who always knows what you are going through because He has already gone through it.  I know God loves each one of us and will help us through our different and unique challenges.  As we try our best, He will teach us and prepare us, which brings me to Alma 38:5-

"I would that ye should remember that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  

I love you all!! Have a happy week :D

Love,
Sister Hixson

Check out this sweet video Lexi sent.

http://motherhood.mormon.org/?cid=HPTH050814094 

Hello!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's! I hope Mother's Day was a special day for all of you :)

I had the best Mother's Day ever because I got to talk to my Mom! I love her.  If you don't know her, I invite you all to meet her and become her best friend.  I can promise you blessings.  Haha.  But really :)

Well this week I feel impressed to talk about enduring to the end.  As a missionary, it brings SO much joy to see people act in faith, repent, and then be baptized and confirmed.  It's awesome! But what has brought even greater joy to me is seeing those people then endure to the end.  What does it mean to endure to the end?  Is it like a race? You are sweating and tired and getting leg cramps, squinting your eyes for the finish line?  Maybe sometimes.  Of course we have times that might be like this, but while we are struggling, there are family and friends by our side.  There are the scriptures and prayer to bring us a moment of peace.  There are Prophets we can listen to online or at General Conference.  There are Mormon Messages to watch anytime and basically anywhere.  And most importantly there is our Savior who, when no one else knows and can know what we are going through, He already has. 

But during the other times when we aren't sweating and yearning for the finish line, what do we do? How do we live? One of my favorite scriptures is Mosiah 2:41

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of neverending happiness..."

So we are to enjoy the blessings of God in this life, not just wait for them to come after this life. God has given us so much.  I am just so grateful that he has given me the opportunity to serve a mission.  I couldn't imagine life without these people.

This week Luis got baptized by Brother Willard! It was the best.  If you ever wonder why I just say,  it was awesome, or, it was the best, or i loved it.....it's because I don't know how to put it into words., so I just write a sentence to let you know it was good. Haha.

Sister Frost and I are loving it here.  We even love each other too! Haha.  It's been six months together, almost.  She hasn't killed me yet, so I think we're good ;) We have fun talking to the squirrels, talking in high pitched voices, and writing poems and songs for Penny. 

The Church is true, and I know the Lord wants us to be happy while we live it!

Love always,
Sister Hixson

MIRACLES

This post is from last week...May 5, 2014

Hello!

This week has been an amazing week with lots of little miracles.  I just wanted to tell you about one.

We have been teaching Ben this week, and he is preparing to be baptized May 17th.  Trying to get in with him is always difficult, and it always ends up being spur of the moment.  Thanks to the awesome members we have, they are always available to be there.  Anyways, we had a lesson with him planned for Saturday night at 8:30.  We went over to the members' place it was supposed to be at, and Ben wasn't there and ended up never showing.  Sister Frost and I were bummed, but Brother Bailey(the member) happened to have his daughter and his daughter's friends in town.  His daughter is seventeen and lives in another city and is not active in the church. Her friends who were with her aren't members of the church.  We ended up having a discussion of happiness and joy and what things bring us joy. We bore testimony and everyone shared how much family brings us joy.  The Spirit was so strong. 

The next day, Brother Bailey told us that his daughter had talked to him for a while that night about the church, asking him questions and things.  Then the next day she said that because she felt the Spirit and was reminded about things, she was going to church! Brother Bailey was in tears when he told us this.  It was amazing to see how the Spirit touched her and she had a desire again to go to church! I am so grateful to be able to be a missionary, and not just for eighteen months but for my whole life!

Sometimes things don't work out how you want them to, but if we are doing all we can, the Lord has a better plan.  We needed to be there that night for Brother Bailey's daughter and friends, and it all worked out to see Ben the very next day.  I know that the Lord has bigger plans than we can imagine sometimes, even with small things. 

In Alma 37: 6 it reads:

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."

Have the faith to trust in the Lord!

I love you guys! Have a great week! Be missionaries!

Love,
Sister Hixson <3

 Lexi has been a full-time missionary for one year now.  A wonderful man in her ward made this dutch oven brownie for her.

Sisters Frost and Hixson riding bikes on a beautiful day.