The Work Moves On!

This week, a joven in our ward (who`s been less active for the last little bit, the kid who I gave my shoes to) wanted to come out with us like every day. His name is Moisès. He...is huge. Like, super huge. I`m talking like 5 foot 9 inches, maybe 300 pounds. BUT he is so awesome! He`s pretty crazy, really energetic, loves American Football, and por lo tanto, loves running into us :) he`s a pretty crazy, almost annoying, but really loveable kid. Just like me! 

Anways, he texted us like every day this last week, asking when he could come out with us. And so, every day, we went out with Moisès! And in the ocassions where we had another member present, Elder Hair and I split up with the members. I went with Moises, and Elder Hair with the other member. In one of these nights where we were divided, Moises and I went to 2 lessons, in which we shared the Ilumina El Mundo video and then taught our lesson, connecting it to the principles taught in the video. They both went well, and when we finished, is was about 9 o clock. Leaving us one more hour before we were going to meet back up with the other 2 and end the division. 

We went to a few nearby houses, to less actives and investigators, but nobody was home. Lately I`ve had a really strong craving (can I use that word?) to find a new family to teach, and so we went around trying to contact the people who were still in the street, looking especially for any parents who were walking with their kids. NADA. I saw a girl with her baby out on the porch, behind the gate, talking on the phone. 

sidenote: every house in our mission is behind a gate (cage)...not so much for style, rather for protection haha 

I decided we could give her a pass-along card and go by the next day, because maybe that was the family that my comp and I are supposed to find. As I got closer, I realized that this girl was crying as she was talking to whoever it was on the other line. I kinda awkwardly, silently communicated that I wanted to give her a card, which she accepted, and then we left. Moises suggested it was time to buy some ice cream, to end the night. I agreed. So we went. 

There was some kind of issue at the little store where we were buying ice cream, which resulted in us receive two cups of ice cream for free: one was a little cup of vanilla, the other was a ginormous cup of chocolate. Really, you can`t ever go wrong with buying ice cream, not even as a missionary in South America. We both recognized what The Lord was communicating and ran back to the girl on the phone, giving her the little cup of Vanilla. We found her on the porch with her husband (I believe) and her kid, things seemed to have cooled down a little bit. We tried to contact them for reals this time, to which we were rejected and told "We already have a religion."

This week we`re gonna find em again and teach them the gospel! 

The End :) 

quick story number 2: after that, we went to the house of Moisès, and shared the video with his family while we were waiting for Elder Hair and the other member to get there. It was a pretty awesome experience when Moisès told me that he wanted to teach the lesson, and sit back and listen to this family have a real, gospel discussion, being lead by The Spirit, directed by a 15 year old who hasn`t been the most active in the church. The only person who was prouder than his parents was probably me, 

Okay! The work moves on! 

Elder Hixon

Grateful Shoes

I hope all is well, that you find yourselves in Grateful Shoes for this Thanksgiving! Elder Hair and I had a good week, he`s pretty ready to lead the sector, if I leave and he stays this change. On Tuesday (yesterday), I woke up feeling pretty disanimated. I don`t exactly know why, but I was in a pretty crummy mood and the morning went in line with how I was feeling. During District Meeting, we were taught by our Zone Leaders (Elder Martinez and Elder Dowdy) and we had a lesson on Unity and Animo. I guess over and over and over again I have been extremely grateful for my Priesthood Leaders and those who are called to lead me in my life. I have always received help in times of need from my Priesthood Leaders, for as long as I can remember.

Lorenzo and Brandon (brothers of Scarllette) are on date to be baptized on the 10th of December! We also put the date of the 17th with Karmen  (the old lady we used to teach, stopped teaching, and recently started again), but we`ve got a lot of work to do to get to that date.  

This week, Karla, Tamara, Vicente, Amaro, and Lucas came to church! Along with Karmen. At least, that`s what they told me, because Elder Hair and I weren`t in church (haaa). La Hermana Bastidas had asked permission if I could play the piano for a children`s choir in the Stake Conference of San Bernardo, ohhh it was awesome! They sang 3 primary songs, all about the family, and it was awesome hearing this kids sing about eternal truths that so many people in this world are looking for. One of them, called La Familia es De Dios, went verse by verse, talking about how we were part of God`s Family, the responsibilities of the Mother, and The Father, and then the fact that one day we would have our own personal family. If only the world understood those truths that those Primary-Aged kids taught by song on Sunday. The experience was topped with the fact that I got to wear a bowtie :) 

Well, we`re here, still working. We found a family from Puerto Rico this week, a kid who is from Australia and speaks English, a new less active, and a girl named Karla. We`ve only visited each of these people once, but our hopes are high to have some success in teaching these people about the Gospel this week! I have a personal goal of finding a new family of investigators before the changes hit. A friend of mine mentioned to me the importance of praying for specific miracles, having the faith to work for them, and the humility to hope and even expect results. So that`s my little (big) miracle that I`m working for! I know that if I can do The Lord`s will in all things, then He will bless me according to my desires. 

I love you all and am so grateful for you!

Elder Hixon

Here is a quick letter we received from a sister in Chip's area.

Hello, sister Hixon:

I am Fanny, Elder Hixon, serves as a missionary in our neighborhood. A few weeks ago, the elders asked us if we could have a Thanksgiving dinner, this is not a tradition in Chile, so we were very excited to prepare dinner.

Last night we got together and had a thanksgiving dinner. It was very special, we had fun together and enjoyed a pleasant moment. I promised them to send photos to their families, from our dinner.

In the photos are: Elder Hair, my daughters Michelle and Isabella, my mom, my husband and I.

Your son is very special, we know that maybe soon he will have change and we will miss him, we have enjoyed his joy, talents, spirituality, encouragement, simplicity and faith in the Lord.

Have a good week, a big hug !!

Con cariño 

Surprise Decisions

I had a pretty cool experience this week on divisions, I left my sector for a day to go with my District Leader, Elder Brown (from Mesa, graduated from Mountain View). He´s pretty new in the mission, and it was fun to see for a day through his eyes and be lead by him for a day. We went to go visit an old investigator named Marcelo, who has a car-repair shop and lives there. Marcelo used to be investigating the church, with his wife and his 2 kids. Until 5 months ago, when his 19 year old kid got hit by a bus and died. He told us that God let him down, lost his trust, and broke the relationship between them two. How could he take such an innocent boy, when there are so many bad people out there? And why in such a brutal way? He was asking us these questions as we stood in the shop, just listening, not really sure what to say. I think we both felt that he needed more to talk than to listen, and so we just listened. I found myself in an interesting position, however, something that I´ve been thinking about a lot these last few days. 

The way we were positioned, in the shop, we were looking at Marcelo while he talked to us, and a little bit behind him there was a wall with a poster advertising beer, with an inappropriate girl holding her glass. Big picture, a potentially big distraction. I found myself staying focused on this man as the poster was huge and in my face. It took a lot of effort. It was a conscious choice. I knew that if I even looked up and it caught my eye that the Spirit could leave me, leaving me unable to help Marcelo in any way. The choice was pretty clear: Look, lose the Spirit, and lose the opportunity to help this man, OR be strong, maintain focus, and pray for the inspired words to help give this man what he needed in this crucial point of his life. 

Should be an obvious decision, should be an easy decision! But it was a real life, and it was kind of a surprise situation. I haven´t been able to stop thinking about the symbolism in that little 20 minute encounter we had, about the small decision we had to make. I really feel like THAT IS the decision that every young man in the world, especially inside the church, has to make as well. Give in to the desires of the natural man, or be strong and stay focused, qualifying us to have The Spirit and help others to feel the same. Even in surprise situations, we have to be strong and do what´s right, because even a momentary "slip-up" and we lose the opportunity we have in front of us, to bless the lives of others. 

Other than that, it was a great week. Elder Hair is progressing so much. I feel like I was too. A positive week, with positive work being done. We were able to have interviews with President this last week, in which I was able to set goals and re-focus my efforts here as I serve. I set a goal to better serve my companion, and I´m pretty sure he set a similar goal, because he has been serving me more than usual this week (he´s always been good at serving, but this week was like....bonus). Instead of making me breakfast, he tried teaching me to cook. He recognized how poorly I shine shoes (and how often I don´t even try) and so this morning, he told me to put on my church shoes, and he shined my shoes while they were on my feet, teaching my how to shine. Talk about training your trainer! Talk about being trained by your trainee! But The Lord works and teaches us in mysterious ways, and I have been grateful for my companion this week. 

Ready for another! 

Elder Hixon

Shoes!

This week we received a letter from a man in Chile. He expressed that Chip has become like a son to them and that he was very concerned with the shoes Chip wears. He said they were falling apart but that Chip would not give him permission to buy him new shoes. He asked us for permission but because the english was broken I sent the letter to Chip before we responded to him. We did not want to offend him in any way. This was Chip's response. I include it here in lieu of a general letter.


Hello!!

Chilenos....very loving, very kind and good, but sometimes dramatic ;) Hermano Moya is awesome. To explain, well, I kind of have a problem in my mission where I give a lot of things away. To other missionaries, or people in the ward, not always because they NEED what I have, rather because I feel like what I have can bless them maybe more than it blesses me. NOT claiming to be a Saint, trust me, training has showed me the many, many, MANY weaknesses that I have...but I do have a testimony of the "even as I freely receive, so must I freely give". There is a kid in our ward who hasn`t been coming to church, and Elder Mendoza and I wanted to work with him to help him be more active. His Dad is a counselor in the Bishopric, and his Mom is a counselor of the Relief Society, but he never comes. His name is Moisès (Spanish for Moses) and is 15 years old. After meeting with him a lot, and working through a couple things, we found out that one of the reasons he doesn`t like going is because he didn`t have a white shirt or dress shoes. In short, I gave him my black Eccos.

(these are the best shot I have of the black eccos)

I wrote him a note to go with the shoes, explaining the significance of those shoes, the shoes that I wore on the plane, that I wore when I was set apart, that I have worn working hard in the streets every day, hoping that the true sentimental value they have for ME would help give them some value to him. 

So, the other brown Eccos I have are great, they still are comfortable, they just LOOK bad because they are coming apart in the front and, well, yeah they don`t look good. But they still serve me, they`ve still got a good couple of months! However, Hermano Moya has been on my heels because he tells me either I have to buy shoes or he is going to buy me shoes, because he thinks I`m not okay in my shoes. I explained that I need to learn how to live with the money that I have, so I can`t be taking out money from my account without permission, anddd so he wanted to ask you guys if I could have permission to buy shoes. Hahaha. . 

Another quick story about shoes....my running shoes are pretty trashed. Like, I`ll be honest, it`s bad. They've got big holes in them, and they`re just bad! Haha. But I still play with them, they still protect the soles of my feet and do their job, so I don`t need new ones. However, one night, I left my shoes outside the front door, out on our patio. When I woke up in the morning, they were there, but the holes were sown together! I know the only person who would see that and do it without saying anything was Jorge, the Venezuelan who lives  behind us, and it was just a cool experience knowing that the people out here are taking care of me. 

As we do what The Lord asks us to do, I know He takes care of us! Another family bought me some shoes this week, like, dress shoes...while they are NOT comfortable, and a little small and a little tight, and probably won`t last very long at all, it was humbling to see these people NOT caring that I`m a gringo who "should be able to buy himself some shoes" and just serve where they see it necessary, without asking permission to do it, or reward for doing it. In Chile I think I have been better able to come to understand the story of Elijah when he asks the starving woman to make him first a thing of bread, to give HIM her last meal, in place of feeding herself and her child. I have always found it weird that a prophet would do that, and have never understood why...but I now understand what Elijah understood: As we allow others to serve us, we open to them the windows of Heaven through which the blessings of service are received. As I accept food from people who don`t have money for food, or shoes from people who don`t have money to even buy themselves shoes, I KNOW that The Lord will bless them greatly. Likewise, as I give shoes away to others who need shoes, even if I don`t really have shoes to be giving, I know The Lord will bless me greatly. Even as I have freely and greatly received, so must I freely and greatly give. 

 

Okay. I love you!! Have a good week!!

Elder Hixon

A New Friend!

Time sure is flying...things are moving a little too quickly. Man. The thought of ever leaving Chile is a pretty sad thought...like, wow. But mejor que lo dejemos hasta que lleguemos al dìa :) 

For Halloween, La Familia Bastidas (awesome family from Nocedal) called President and asked permission for us to go over on Halloween night and spend time with them, with Elder Fowles and is comp and the other 2 Elders there, and they got it! So we spent the night with them, which was a ton of fun. Afterwards, Elder Fowles, the Elder he`s training, Elder Hair and I shared a combined spiritual thought which was pretty awesome, about the DEATH of Jesus Christ and, more importantly (or of equal importance?), His Resurrection...pretty awesome teaching and testifying with Elder Fowles! Pretty neat. 

I do feel a lot better about my role as a trainer, still a long ways to go but I found a lot of advice in Alma this week as I was reading the war chapters under the order of Captain Moroni. I have found my Book of Mormon hero! Captain Moroni really is the greatest. It was a good week studying about him and getting to know his characteristics and passions, his love and faith in individual freedom, for himself and his pueblo. He recognized freedom to be so important that he was willing to KILL lamanites before giving it up.....kind of like Nephi to Laban for the plates. I need to be willing to kill the natural man in myself for my own spiritual freedom....Christ was willing to kill Himself (or allow himself to be killed) for ours! So, I have taken strength and inspiration from the example of Moroni in my week, I made a "new friend" with Moroni as Mom and Elder Scott would say. Made a new friend and found a new hero! 

The work moves on. We found a less active yesterday who said she has been praying for the missionaries to show up for a while now....we were able to invite her directly to an activity of the Relief Society that was also last night and she came! Which was awesome. A few sister`s recognized her and warmly welcomed her, one older sister really took over the fellowship. After a few minutes, she was so integrated that we just left! But before leaving, we fixed an appointment for Thursday, so we look forward to meeting back up with her!

Another week in Los Olmos and I love it!

Love you,

Elder Hixon 

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