#ACT

Hello!! Elder Araujo is awesome, we are having a good time here in the sector.  I will send pics of the apartment this week. It is pretty pathetic....I wouldn`t want you to suffer seeing the space in which 6 are expected to live ;) man. living is rough. it does have advantages, like family nights, house jokes, house meals, and other things....but honestly, after living 2 missionaries for 4 and a half months....I miss my own world :) Sharing the ward isn`t as fun, it`s like, limited work. I can`t go over to help that less active and teach her because she doesn`t live on my side of the ward, etc. But it`s all inspired, so I support and follow it. More of a concentrated focus on our sides of the streets! 

This was a week of miracles for Elder Araujo and I! We were able to be out working in the heat, and even though the heat is a great struggle for my companion, he was valiant to push through and keep working in the sun. We were blessed for his efforts. On Saturday morning, around 12ish, we were headed back to the house to eat lunch. On the way back, we greeted a pareja who smiled and greeted us back, and we started to contact them. We quickly found out that they were less actives, and learned that they had stopped going to church because they weren`t married. We were able to set up a cita with them, and invite them to church the next day. Sunday morning, 9am, the pareja and their 5 kids were there in the chapel! We were able to go by later that night and teach, were able to put baptismal dates for all the kids and another uncle present, and today the boyfriend went to take out the license to get married. Super awesome!

Monday, we contacted a pretty long street from 4 to 5, and were rejected door after door. We were both feeling the heat, and we didn`t really have a lot to say to eachother...but we kept contacting, hoping to find at least 1. And sure enough, last door of the street, a man named Carlos opened the door and let us in, with who we had a great lesson about the Restoration. We fixed another cita with him for today, and he committed to come to church on Sunday and also be baptized. 

5 baptismal dates! Wow! February is normally the month of struggle and adversity (according to the Chile Santiago South Legends)...but we`re having a little bit of a harvest over here. We feel like we`re in the District, being filmed haha. Everything is going well. Hard work, hot sun, lots of contacts,. lots of door slams, BUT some people are answering the call :) (#ACT, California Trip, Teachers and Priests, Logo Cred to John Johnson)

I feel grateful for those who are answering the Savior`s Call to follow Him here in Los Robles...it inspires me to recognize and answer the call He extends to me, to come and follow Him as well. I guess a lot of my mission I have been inspired by those choosing to NOT follow the Lord, and have been able to learn a little bit by watching what doesn`t work. But wow! It`s a lot more fun to be inspired by people who are choosing to follow the Lord, to observe the GOOD that people are doing and be inspired by that! One can justify looking through both lenses, cause I guess you DO learn from both, but I have enojoyed the miracles this week and the opportunity to recognize the good in these people. 

I guess it`s a principle I have been able to start to realize out here in Chile. If I immediately open up to other people, they generally immediately open up to me, too. If I tell them my story, I have found that they normally tell me their`s, too. If I listen to them, they listen to me, too. If I get frustrated with them, and judge, and attack without knowing the details, nor caring to investigate, I can expect the same thing coming my way. If I see the good in others, they others see the good in me, too. If I give freely, I receive freely. If I love uncondicionally, I can generally expect an unconditional love towards me, too. 

Cachài?!

Love you! Time is flying...

-Elder Hixon

Changes

 (saw Jorje and Elder hair this week)

Hello!

Changes happened this week....

Staying in Los Robles! Training again, an Elder from Peru named Elder Araujo. He seems like a nice guy, I´m excited to get to know him a little bit better through these next 3 months. We had a lot of people come to church on Sunday! Lots. On our part, we brought 9 people. 6 less actives, and 3 investigators. Pretty sweeeeet. Elder Barfuss was super great, a bit like Elder Jenks. We were both able to work hard and try to do our best here in the ward. The change was a surprise for both of us...but we rolled with the punches and here we are now. Lots of future progress here,super excited. 

I suppose my only thoughts are these: 

1) in contacts yesterday, I was giving my companion some suggestions for things to include in the contact (questions about their name, family, religious beliefs). After a few door door-shuts, I explained something found in Preach My Gospel. Jeffery R Holland says that we have to teach right away, that if we ask "do you have 5 minutes in which we can share with you?" nobody will ever hear the Gospel. I tried by best to set the example at the next door, and nothing really fruited. The next door was my companion´s turn. The contact went something like this:

"Hello, we´re the missionaries. My name is Elder Araujo. As missionaries, we believe that God sent to earth our first parents: Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, which gave us all the opportunity to come to earth...but also, as a result, we are all going to die. For this reason, God sent us another person: His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ came and died for our sins, giving us all the opportunity to come unto Him and repent, which allows us the opportunity to be made clean again and someday live with our Heavenly Father once again. I have repented, I am clean, and I am here sharing and teaching others how they can do the same."

The old man looked at us for a second, and asked, "Where is your church? and when do you guys meet?"

The contact ended in a man named Manuel promising to come to church and a future appointment on Sunday. Once again, in an attempt to teach my companion something new, he taught me way more in return. 

Maybe that´s one of the reasons why we are commanded to love and help and care for our neighbors....not to be the good people, rather to open up opportunities for our own selves to learn more the Gospel of Jesus Christ and, as a result, become more like Him. 

Other quick thought. Reading in 3rd Nephi, 8-12 this week. I find it cool that EVERYONE experienced the earthquakes, storms, thunder, fire, everything. There were no exceptions. Everybody "went through hell", both the faithful and unfaithful. The difference between them was that the faithful survived, and afterwards had a personal and intimate experience with the Savior. The wicked, well, they just died. Their story ending in suffering and darkness....no personal experience, or at least, not that specific experience with the Savior. 

Trials come to all,good and bad. The faithful receive personal experiences with the Savior as they endure and wait upon Him.

Okay! Love you!

-Elder Hixon 
…

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad!

small tribute- One of the valuable lessons I have learned from you is the importance to respect and sustain Priesthood Leaders, whether or not I think the same way. It seems all too common for missionaries to hate on the District and Zone Leaders, or to say that they don´t actually know what they´re doing. Your example of humility, and submissivines to Priesthood Leaders, has helped me to understand that, honestly, to bash a leader is apostasy. Joseph Smith even said it was the first fruit of apostasy. 

By that lesson, I have learned to hear the voice of The Lord through my Priesthood Leaders, and learned how I can find His will for me. While this has been an obvious blessing in my missionary life, I know that it will continue to bless and guide me for all the eternities. 

Thank you for your example of humility and submissiveness, meekness, and really for the perfect example you have given me of what it means to be a Saint, as described by King Benajmin. 

I love you!

Thank you for everything. 

I carry around with me, still, a yellow piece of paper you placed in my lunch sack, one day before I went to Rowley White RV. It reads "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -Dale Carnegie

That quote has impacted me forever. 

Okay-

My tennis shoes are falling apart again but I think I´m gonna milk them for 9 more months. They really do their job pretty well, the sewing just started coming apart this week, I´ll just re-sew them and make them keep working. It makes me feel more "in tune" with my sector, the more rugged I look haha. These people....are a rugged people. Rugged is a good word to describe them. Even the dogs are different here. Dirtier, if that´s possible. But the people are great. I really really really love my Bishop´s wife, Soledad, which might sound weird but she is such a great lady. One of the reasons I came to Los Robles was to come to know her, and learn from her example. Really. She was sharing her testimony with us the other day at lunch, and man. She is such an incredible woman. 

I was able to baptisms for the dead today! We have a convert, named Yohana, whose brother died like 20 years ago. Out drunk and partying, and drowned in a canal. She´s a super awesome lady, and was baptized last April. We´ve been helping her with Family History, and we were able to do the baptism and confirmation of her brother! We got permission from President, way awesome experience. I baptized Elder Barfuss on behalf of Robbinson, her brother, and then I was confirmed on behalf of him. That´s what we were able to do today for P Day, it was a pretty special experience. 

That's all for today!

Love you all,

Elder Hixon

(Remember that family who we found, Patricio and Romina? We had a SWEEEEET lesson with them this week! Super awesome!)

(Felipe and I)

No More Trash!

no more trash.....hahaha don´t know what the hope was with this poster, but that makes 2 of us here who are fed up with garbage on the ground!

I´ve been thinking a lot about New Years Resolutions this week. Elder Barfuss and I have been doing short visits with all the members in the ward, active or inactive, under the instruction of President Gwilliam, visiting EVERYONE and sharing with them a message of 5 minutes. At the end of the message, we leave the members with a prayer, asking if there is anyone who might be having a rough time whom we could include in the prayer. (genius way of getting references, haha). In the prayer, we declare the authority of the Melchizedek priesthood, and bless the family whom we visited and the people that we have included in the prayer. It´s a great way to retain members, find investigators, and get to know less actives. All President Gwilliam´s idea, really working here in Los Robles. It´s like, Missionary Home Teaching. 

Anyway, in these visits we have been sharing a Mormon Message called "Look Not Behind Thee" that was put out by the church, not sure if it´s new or not. But it´s wayyy good! And a clone of Arthur Adams is in the video. What does this have to do with New Years Resolutions? Let me tell you. 

First off, it must be understood the love I have for my Bishop and his wife. (seems to be a tender mercy of the Lord in my mission, I have been blessed with great bishops and even greater Bishop´s Wives.) My Bishop´s name is Cesar, his wife is Soledad. They were married 8 years ago, and 6 years ago Soledad was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It´s like an arthritis that is in all her bones, so she always aches and is in serious pain. Some days worse than others, but a lot of days it´s pretty hard. She still works in a kindergarten class, as a teacher´s assistant, when she can. She really is positive and an incredible lady. Apart from the disease, she can´t have children. Something separate from the disease. Can you imagine? 

In a visit, I asked her what her New Year´s Resolution was, and she responded that she has had a good year, but with a lot of struggles and a lot of trials. Her goal is that this next year can be a little bit easier on her, physically and emotionally. After the visit, I felt pretty disanimated. I cannot imagine what the Savior must suffer as He beholds our suffering. In any case, I was thinking about any words of comfort I could offer in the future, to not feel so helpless as I get to know others and their personal sufferings. I was reminded AGAIN of my new favorite scripture, a scripture that occupies my mind a majority of the time. I will be forever grateful to Elder Martínez who shared with me this scripture in a time of serious desanimo. Paul´s words to the Corinthians rings loud to me, and comforts me in my own weaknesses. 

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 

My New Year´s Resolution, entonces, would be this. Not that my trials, nor my weaknesses, nor my personal struggles be taken away, rather that I might be sufficiently humble, and, por lo tanto, made strong in my weakness. Helaman 6 speaks of a people who were taught the word of God, and were brought to a recognition of their sins. The author writes: 

5 Yea, and many did preach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.

In Spanish, the word discípulo is used instead of the word seguidor. That I might more closely resemble a humble disciple of Christ is my New Years Resolution,

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen!

(can I end a letter like that?)

-Elder Hixon

weekly lunch date at a place called DJ pollo

sweet guitar I found in the trash, selfie taken in the back of a radio taxi

Isabel and Javier!! less active and investigator who came to church, 2 of the 18 who made it! 

As givers we cannot selectively give, or give only to those who deserve it. As we give to all, whether we have anything to give or not, we really do change lives. Of that I am sure, because my life has been changed by the constant giving of the Haitian people to us.