Podgorica 2.0

CHILEEEE!!!!!! Gawl what a stud. That's going to be so wild. He would. So Chip to go to a place that will return him with a lady winning language that is so useful in the rest of his life, you know like Serbian hahaha. I'm so proud of him. My heart was pounding when I opened my email.  It fits, it feels right. I'm excited for him and proud. We get one month together, just enough time for me to prep him in that our missions will be nothing alike ;)

Well I told President I just wanted my last transfer to be like it was with Bent's?  I told him that I just wanted it to be the hardest thing possible and for somebody to come and go to war with me.

He took that way too seriously.

Transfers calls.

I had actually just finished reading "The Will of the Father in All Things" by Holland, so obviously I was at a disadvantage when President called 2 days before transfer calls.  

He says, "Elder Hixon, I need to know if you are willing to go back to Podgorica."

What. My stomach turned and I started breathing heavy and thought I was going to puke.

He said that Srdjan is having a rough go, and the work is struggling down there.  He says we'll lose the building we meet in if we don't show the church that there's a reason to stay there, and I quote, "I need you to go save a nation." He stripped me of all responsibilities that could distract from straight in the streets bleeding.  He's sending me down there to whitewash again with Elder Uhlig (German, Wyatt served in his parents' ward, served as AP til now, with Wilson before coming with me now).    

And then President says (he knew he had to talk me up), "I need you on this one. I'm adjusting your purpose. Your purpose this last transfer is no longer to 'invite others....and help them'..., rather your only purpose now is to baptize with a capital B. I'm putting the most experience the mission has down there (which is true. Uhlig and Bennett go home 1 transfer after me, and Trotter goes home with me), a real dream team. So, are you in?"

Even though my stomach and head said that there was no way, I told him yes. So, Bolan leaves for Osijek tomorrow, I get two new guys, teach them in Novi Sad for a week, then fly down to Podgorica on April 7th.  

And so we go.  It's going to be wild, I was scared at first, but I went and prayed one of those prayers that I'll never forget about, and now I'm just stoked to work every second to the end down there. The fear is 100% gone. There's nothing holding us back now!!

Speaking of fear though. The end feels so real that it scares me. I'm alright with these last 9 weeks moving as slowly as possible. I don't want this to end.  It is comforting knowing that the "mission" will never end, I can promise it won't. But this phase, this experience among the people of the Balkans...I know I've heard other missionaries talk nostalgically of their missions, but none of them loved theirs and their people as much as I love mine.  I can't imagine life not here, doing this.  So while this will undoubtedly be the hardest transfer of the mission, I wouldn't have it any other way, among any other people.  Time to go love the Montenegrins one more time. It's fitting. Elder Wilson and I are among a few who've ended there, and I wouldn't end my mission like anybody else other than him.  

Also, sidenote, but I am the first missionary that we know of since the foundation of the world (k, that's a stretch but it may be true), or at least in this dispensation, who's ever served in Podgorica twice.  Haha nobody goes back.

So, just be ready for the best part of the mission yet. I'm excited, and again I'm humbled and to my knees in gratitude that I get to spend my last 9 weeks like this. There's nothing I'd trade for this.

I love you!!

Elder Hixon

A few pics from this week.

A goodbye yesterday with investigators and members--from bottom to top, left to right: Emina, Sister Peterson, Jovana, Sister Powell, Dragana, Mihael, Bolan, Josef, and me)

My Favorite Yogurt

P-Day (he gave no info on this pic)

Me and Josef Chumming it up!

Brucey and Leopard Pants!

Some Chinese place On top of the world.

Bipolarity

Transfer calls come in Thursday morning and then we have the official travel the following Mon/Tues. It'll be my last mission companion. Crazy.

As for the week, though, it was an awesome one!! We had a few good lessons with Joseph, and let me tell you, he may be one of my favorite old men I've ever met. He's just so...awesome. Everyone needs a Joseph in the Celestial Kingdom, I think.  Also. We were teaching Konstantin this week (on his birthday, St. Patrick's Day), and as we spoke about the Spirit more, I told him that I wanted him to be baptized, for him, because of what the Spirit's constant companionship has been in my life. I told him some of my conversion story, and he lit up. Something sparked in him, and he got really excited and accepted to be baptized. He's on for May 30th, but we're flexibly maybe going to move it sooner if he's ready. He came to church this week and afterwards spoke more about his excitement to be baptized and his need to "clean myself and align my life with God's."  He's such a stud, and our friendship is growing. I am so grateful that I'm still on my mission to see these miracles and be of use, and that I'm in Novi Sad.  I'm grateful for those I've met and been blessed to love and be loved by them.  

Also, some of my reading was in Enoch this week. I really learned a lot from Enoch. How he is a fearful lad, but has his eyes anointed and becomes a seer, and "so great was the power of the language" that the Lord gave him, that he spoke the Language of Faith, and commanded the elements, and none could disbelieve his words, and it was, as with Nephi late in the BoM, done unto him "according to his words". Then, he sees all of creation, and sees the flood. He sees the heavens weep, and he asks God how He can weep, seeing that He is eternal and from eternity to eternity. And then we get a glimpse of the Atonement and it's effects on the One who performed it, the meaning of "the bowels being filled with mercy", that penetrating awareness He has still now with us, the depths he sunk to in order to reach our very core. God answers, in effect, "How can I not weep? I asked them to love each other, yet they kill each other and hate their own blood." How could this God who created them, and wrought a sacrifice for them in order to pay for them and make Himself full of that mercy, to reach us and suffer with us in all things as we suffer them, how could such a God not weep with them?

So we, alongside Enoch, see and taste firsthand of this Atonement, of this sacrifice and see the Great One ache and tremble and weep because of the hatred of those He loves. What a sight that must be, to see One as great as He, weeping.  Enoch is moved by this and a partial change is wrought on his body.  "His heart swelled as wide as eternity, and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook." He was yoked to the Savior in that moment, and labored alongside Him in that suffering.  Then he sees Noah's day and the earth's suffering and the floods. He petitions the Lord to spare the Earth, and also to spare Noah's seed. In the next chapter it is stated that the Lord spares Noah because of Enoch. That's gotta have some Elijah ties to it.

Well that's my rambling about my studies. Enough of that. It's been an awesome week. AND  I received loads of pics from Elder Bailey and McAllister of Bentley's (Elder Wilson) wedding. 

Wasn't Bentley just such an ugly mug and Alexia just an angel? How does that work? haha. I love those two, though. Gawl. Made my heartstrings tug. I don't have the right words to describe the emotions. I miss those guys so much. Look at that beard!

Gid gets home Wednesday. That blows my mind. Wyatt is so excited. We're almost all going to be together again and I'm just going to cry. That being said, I also don't want my mission to be over yet. It's a bipolar battle I'm having haha. I love it here. We're having a great time.

Love you all,

Elder Hixon

Day of Cabbage

I told Nan, but one of the #1 things I'm looking forward to when this is over is to not write emails haha. It's exhausting. I appreciate the prophets of the Book of Mormon much more now, knowing their "emails" were carved on plates, and I've barely got time for computers. Though the joy of reading emails will also be removed, I'm ready to just live among you and talk all together :) but not just yet.

(This next paragraph is in reference to Chip's mini mission that he served last week. It was spanish speaking)

Chip's audio as well as what he wrote me made my eyes brim, that was so awesome. Especially his Spanish testimony. Man, I just can't wait for him to be out here. I kind of haven't consciously recognized the joy and (insert all my existence here) that is different completely because of this mission. And my heart is racing knowing that my brother and best friend is about to experience it. I can't wait. He's such a stud. I can't wait for the mission to crush him and to see what comes out.

Konstantin came to church this week, as well as Joseph and 4 Less Active members, an entire family!! Kind of. A dad, his son (30's), and niece (sameish), and then another less active younger girl. It was a full house!! Konstantin told me he would get baptized when he finishes the Book of Mormon, so we're hauling on that with him. Joseph is slow, but still moving! We found some other cool people this week, but they all fell through. Finding a new convert in the streets is about due...

Zone Conference was really powerful. I took notes but left them at home.The Spirit was strong, and Elder Fausnaught gave his concluding testimony. I got to have some one on one with him, and then we saw David and Ljljana, just us 4, and it was a good time. I love that guy, and that's likely the last time I will see him for a bit. He's definitely one of my favorite companions. I love him.  

We also had a Branch Party, "Day of Cabbage" in lieu of St. Patrick's Day. It was hilarious, I learned how to make Sarma (my favorite thing ever on this planet) from Eržebet.

and even made a fool of myself in some sketch Bolan and I had to do, in which I had to speak Serbian with a French accent. Quite a feat. It is probably on FB somewhere by now.

All in all, this week was great.

President Grant is such a stud. I just love him, and I even finally figured out how to overpower his monster hands and control the handshake. I blew his mind when I did it at ZC. He just says, "Wow. That was the handshake." Nailed it.  

I also got the best package ever from the Steck's this week. Gosh, we have the best relatives that exist. For real though?? I love our family. The rest of the world has it rough.They sent me the comfiest shirt on this planet and it says "Brucey" on it, and they wrote me a letter. I just love the heck out of them. 

I forgot to tell you we are having much success through Spanish Class. Tell Caesar so when you see him again.  We are going to start teaching them the Gospel this week, there's one girl in particular who came to our Branch Activity this week and said "I just love being in this church" and has expressed interest in learning more.

So yeah. Roll tide.

Also, I just read this in my email from President Grant this week.

"Thank you for everything. I feel a good spirit around you and I am delighted that you are
 fulfilling the measure of your mission. You are also a gifted writer. Writing skills can be very helpful in life. Keep developing them...."

It humbled and touched me, mainly the part about "fulfilling the measure of your mission". I'm chewing on that one, and doing all I can to. The writing part just gave me a bigger head ;)

Love you all.

Elder Hixon

Hope Becometh An Anchor

The work. We had some great experiences this week. Joseph has come to church 5 weeks in a row, and loves coming. We're reading the Book or Mormon together and alone, he keeps all his commitments and asks real questions. This week I had a talk assigned to me, and I felt a need to speak about the sacrament. I'll send you a copy of it in English. The member who spoke with me felt strongly to speak about the Atonement. The Sisters' lesson in Sunday School was about baptism. And they had a musical number of "Come Thou Fount" in Croatian. It was a Spirit filled Sunday, and it was exactly what Joseph needed. He told us how special it was, and that he loved it. We're going to try and commit him to baptism this week. 

The second success is that Konstantin (investigator, 22, talked about him before, good guy) showed up for church. We haven't been able to meet up with him in a couple weeks, he got real sick and then busy. So he shows up, and enjoys the meeting, and then afterwards pulls us aside and wants to talk to us about some things. As he gets started, Elder Bolan has an interview, so I have a one on one with Konstantin. For some reason this felt right to me for this moment, not because I have so much confidence in my teaching skills, but because it just felt like we could just talk like normal human beings and invite the Spirit to speak with us.  We talk, he expresses that he's been battling depression and thoughts of pointlessness and that he's afraid of how the world around us is becoming and he actually broke down in tears as he expressed how he feels so hopeless. I just listened with him and hurt with him a while, then I told him some things about how I've found hope and happiness in my life when depression surrounded. We read Ether 12:4 and talked about hope, how it isn't a whimsical wishful thing, rather it "becometh an anchor", so we talked about anchors and ships and the sea. I told him that faith in Christ brings us hope, and with repentance and baptism we are given the Spirit, and then we have joy and nothing can depress us. I testified boldly of these things to him, and by the end he was more cheerful and hopeful and even said "I am excited for this baptism, then." We'll set a date with him this week. It was a really, really humbling experience. All of yesterday was. I love being here. I love struggling and translating and leading and feeling through all of that how insignificant and unqualified I am to do so, but then watching the Lord qualify my weakness and making it work out. 

Wilson's shoes are worn down to nothing now, and I have moved into Elder Fausnaught's old pair. It's funny, how these "extra" months have had me in the shoes of 2 of my favorite companions.  I try to be like them and work as they would. They're some of the greats.

And OH! I forgot to tell you. Last week we revamped and started up our Spanish Class. Hahaha yep, you heard me. Sister Peterson and I teach a beginning Spanish class, and we got 23 new students this week, and 6 of them want to learn more about the Gospel. Pretty sweet? Talents. Sister Powell got some pics of us teaching haha.

Love you all,

Elder Hixon