Peter Pan

"The secret is not in doing what you love but in loving what you do, that is the secret to happiness."

A little different start to this week and new chapter. This week I can say I am good! I do miss home but I am happy to experience both the gospel and England for the next 17 months.

This week was super interesting. Nothing outstanding happened but I kept thinking of home and all of the experiences I've had and it turned from longing to gratitude. I'm so grateful for everything my mom made me memorize! The spirit could not prompt my mind without the words being there in the first place. I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude this week and I'm happy to be here in Newbury!

Friends!

I can't go into detail about who we are teaching but we have a really sweet group of people longing for the joy of the gospel. So if you could just pray for my mission efforts I know the Lord will understand.

Updates:

Not too much to speak of it's just another week in Newbury. Today we went to reading and played basketball and American football with the other elders. Way way fun!

Elder Altinişik sent me a voice-mail this week!! Oh how I miss him, he always makes me laugh!

Happy birthday to Elder Lambert!!! NDBM's best and brightest. 

Gratitude!

The wonderful members in Newbury always make me feel loved!

We are teaching a new friend named Kudzi who is just amazing!

Wonderful parents who raised me!

My siblings!!! 

My companion, Elder turner! It's super fun going tracting with him. Everyone in Newbury is super nice so knocking doors is pretty fun!

Love you all,

Elder Hixon

I Can Go the Distance!

Another week. This week wasn't too bad. I had lots of fun today. We went sightseeing with some ward members so that was fun. Not too much on my mind this week. One of the things I've thought a lot about was why did I feel the need to go on my mission in October of 2023. It doesn't really make much sense. I'm grateful for the people I met in the mtc. But when I look back I missed my senior year of high school and forfeited the opportunity to run track again. I find myself at a loss for words. I've asked some of the older people in the ward who did sports if they ever wished they had more time. The answer I've gotten is that they didn't so much miss the sports but more so the extra time and ability to choose what to do. So now I'm sitting in a barber shop where Elder Turner gets his hair cut, left wondering why I long so much to train and run track again. I figure it's because of the finality of never running competitively again, where as with the boxing and other things I have plans to continue after the mission. 

The lesson I'm learning as I type this out is the importance of seeing something to the end. No matter the difficulty, it's important for me to see that I completed what's in front of me, and if I don't it lingers with me longer with questions. So I'm grateful for that experience, of not being able to finish high-school and track because it allows me while I'm here on the mission to see how would I feel if I gave up. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father who sees the beginning from the end. I'm grateful for parents who allowed me to make decisions. Finally and grateful for you guys for letting me put my thoughts to paper and who give me your thoughts in return!! 

Now the weekly. 

Monday- Dinner with Aferdita!! So good once again

Tuesday- Lunch with Yvonne and Jeremy, and FHE with Rodney. We had a blast!

Wednesday- Dinner with Bishop and we went to an old monastery. An old friend named Les checked up on me and my training.

Thursday- District council and we had a lesson with Diallo!! Afterwards we taught our friend Pannalak, we can keep teaching her but she's going to attend her old church. Afradita also brought us a Costco pizza!

Friday- Lunch with Joff! Helped take a frame down that me and Elder A put up haha. And then we went to love lane for weekly planning!

Saturday- Found our friend Kudzi in the high street and we were able to teach him that evening! We are going to his house tonight!

Sunday- Two new friends came to church  Pray for Nuzhat and Fawad!! Rodney came again as always!

Today- We went to James E Talmage's birth home, baptismal place, and memorial. Afterwards we went to see a Roman mosiac and then an old English manor!! Super fun!

Love you all!

Elder Hixon

My Fa Fa Father ?!

Alright another week down, I have no clue what week it is but I made it. Maybe you have seen some pattern in my letters but I still haven't. I sorta just type what I'm thinking and then once it seems long enough I realize I need to tell you about the actual week haha. 

I've been pondering a lot this week and I realized something. Missions are hard and sometimes I don't want to be out here. It's can be so hard, I'm so tired, and it's only been 6 months and I just want to rest. Now, I'm not saying all that to complain but to just give you the real feelings going on in Elder Hixon's heart sometimes. I know the feeling comes and goes but it's here a little bit now. 

But you know what I can tell you. I can tell you what is making me stay out on my mission and what keeps me taking it one day at a time. It is because I'm tired, I want to rest, and I don't want to be out here. That's why I stay. I know there is no better formula for growth than a mission. At least that's how I see it. There are most likely people out there who feel like the mission is a breeze, but so far that's not me. But I know by looking at the pattern my life has followed. Looking at decisions I'm grateful for and decision I'm not. Looking at the example of people I admire, that staying out here is the best thing that I can do.

My dad is someone who doesn't just do hard things. He is someone who does what needs to be done whether or not they are hard or easy. There is no task beneath him and no job he will quit. I learned that the summer my mom asked for all the rock on the side of our house to be removed. I think about how he did it, one step at a time and one rock at a time. If the only thing I were to develop by the end of my mission is that mindset that my dad has, I think it will be a success (even though I know it's not the only thing I am learning on my mission). Sometimes just sticking in there is the commitment needed to grow a relationship with my Heavenly Father and be the man He wants me to be.

Now that my 'wander through my mind speech' is over it's time for the weekly. Have I mentioned that I absolutely love the people here in London. They really are the best people!

Monday: Dinner at Afraditas (she's a saint). She gave us leftovers for tomorrow. 

Tuesday: Said goodbye to my dear Turkish companion Eelder Altinişik . But I got Elder Turner here now! He is from Gilbert Arizona, for safety reason I won't drop his crossroads but he lives a street away from me.

Wednesday: Went tracting and high street finding. Surprised Elder Turner by doing a role play with one of the families who pretended to be a heavy drinker!

Thursday: First district council of the transfer. We got a good one! We also had dinner with a lady who did makeup for Elder Uchtdorf! 

Friday: We had a DA with Sister Bills. She is a saint! I'm going to leave it at that but she truly is the greatest lady in all of England.

Saturday: Went out to dinner with Sister Zoe and it was fabulous. Got to council together about how to help the youth!

Sunday: NEW FRIEND    A lady came to church for the first time! Pannalak is wonderful! She loved church and we are going to meet with her this week.

Love you all!

Elder Hixon

The Thread Won't Cut

Hi everyone!

So this week was crazy so good! It's the last week of the transfer and so much has happened. I'm seeing a bunch of blessings. It starts with Liam. He's really growing closer to the Savior and I'm so happy for him. We are having calls once a week and we're just having great discussion and talking. I just cried because I know it's the gospel and I think he's starting to believe the truth of the gospel.

So the reason for the title is because I am stitching on backpack straps to my heavy bag when I have a minute of down time or any free time really. I just keep stitching and stitching and sometimes the blood won't cut, you know. That was just a little joke. 

The biggest blessing of this transfer though probably just happened. So back in North Dakota there's a man, he wasn't in my area, but in the nearby area. And I was able to teach him once during an exchange and then see him again on his baptism interview with my companion and then saw him at some YSA events. I didn't think I played any real role in his life, however, this morning he shot me a text and we called for a while. It was so spiritually edifying and just fantastic. The likelihood of me ever meeting this person was slim. Had I started on my mission in October 2023 I wouldn't have met him or been assigned to Minot. So for him to reach out to me and talk about growing closer to his Savior has blessed me completely.

So, transfer news came and I am staying in Newbury and Elder Turner is coming to be my companion. I am super super excited. Let's do a week review.

Monday- Dinner at Afradita!!! Reuben came and it was super fun!

Tuesday - We had interviews! I love my mission president! It was a blessing to get to see him. I also saw the Hayes elders who I loved seeing!

Wednesday - We moved van full of wood into Brother Roy's backyard. It was insane and took 2 hours!

Thursday- We washed Brother Peter's car and had dinner with them! So so good!

Friday- We had dinner with Ashley, he's a non active member but the best person in Newbury! Gordon Ramsey's teacher taught him how to cook and his food was so good!

Saturday- We played football in the morning with Joff and then helped build a frame in his backyard! The Kings are the best!

Sunday- We got transfer news and both Rodney and Diallo came to church! We helped sister Rue move and then the Kings had us over for dinner! After that Roy and Darren had us over and I had beans and toast for the first time!

(Dinner with the Ketcher's who translated the Book of Mormon into Turkish)

Love you all!!

Elder Hixon