Gymmmm!

Ok so the first miracle this transfer is that Kingston Flat has a gym with it! So awesome to have a real gym! It's been a great first week. My companion Elder Park is from South Korea and we are having so much fun. We found so many people this week and have been working the public contacting like crazy. After our first day we had so many people that the next day we had almost no time to go out planned. But we set a goal and went to follow through with it. So every chance we got we went out and we got 20 numbers that day, it was incredible! Then we had 2 DA's with some super sweet old ladies and they are so funny. They are complete opposites. One is so fiesty and can't move and the other is super sweet and cooks these big meals. We watched some football with the first one. We'll call her Sister J. When we were at Sister J's, two Albanians came in named Zed and Albert. They are also hilarious and nice. They went out and brought sister J chips (which is fries and I completely forgot so when he left I thought he was gonna grab some crisps but it was actually just chips haha!)

This Sunday we had 2 friends come to church but we are going to focus on one. His name is Luke and he's from South Africa. He's super awesome and pretty much golden. He called the family proclamation, "A righteous declaration" and loved church especially with our stake president speaking. ALSO thank you Mom and Dad for all the things you made me memorize including the family proclamation. It is so nice to be able to know what is exactly in it so I can apply it to lessons about modern day revelation. The Living Christ I use in the high street all the time to explain our beliefs of God and Christ, so also a huge shout out to you guys! 

My personal studies have ramped up considerably since President Anderson came to visit.

Right now I read the Book of Mormon for 29 minutes, then Preach my Gospel for 29 minutes then 2 minutes of Psalms and it has completely blessed my days. I'm grateful for the spirit that Apostles of God bring when they speak and teach that gives us revelation and insight. I'm also grateful for siblings that can plant ideas into my mind for the spirit to bring to the front. My brother Simon was the one who told me that I only need to study Preach my Gospel and the Book of Mormon to have an understanding of Jesus Christ's Gospel and it has been an awesome experience. I study psalms at the end because I get a little fired up when I read things that I could use to fight back with people who bash me in the street. But I know I shouldn't feed into that spirit so reading a Psalm has helped me cool off for the day haha! 

I got a chance to talk to Elder Lewis briefly last week when we found out we were in the same flat and we both agreed that this is the transfer for all the gains. Spiritual and physically bulk up to be able to defend our testimonies. 

I'm so happy to be here and grateful for another week!

Love you all

Elder Hixon

P.S. Also! Rodney my friend with cerebral palsy is meeting with President this week! I spent 3 months teaching him and he came to church every week. He is going to be baptized soon and I'm so excited!!! Pray for Beverly and Lewis they are a wonderful family in Newbury as well that just started going to church. Another miracle! Elder Park cooks GOOD food! It's amazing and he cooks lunch and dinner for me!

Kingston

The last week of the transfer came and went just as quickly as the rest. This transfer I got to go to the temple and more recently shake hands with an Apostle of God. Elder Anderson came to the England, London mission for a conference with us and I am so blessed he was there to teach and edify us. One thing he really hammered home on was the doctrine of the immortal soul and the power of the scriptures. I loved everything him and his wife had to say. One of the things I really loved was the admiration they equally shared for each other. It was so awesome to watch as they talked about each other. All in all I loved the whole experience. Then we had stake conference the next day where I was able to hear from a member of the seventy. Elder Aidukaitis. He emphasized God's plan for us and how marvelous he is in preparing for our return to Him. He talked about the goodness of God for organizing a kingdom that passeth all comprehension for those who don't even decide to accept Christ here on this earth. By choosing to follow Him in our first estate we are permitted into the telestial kingdom. But as we take care of our second estate and follow Christ then we can become celestial and live with God again.

But the week is over and my time in Newbury is far spent. There is little remaining, "if I wanted to stop longer I should've come sooner." That has been the saying for everywhere we go. A ward member here loves saying it and I've adopted it. But I received word yesterday that I'm moving to Kingston. We still have friends here that need your prayers! Pray for my friends in Newbury! Three of them are on their way to making a covenant with out Heavenly Father and one of them has been asking for weeks, but due to his handicap it's taking longer to sort out. I love them so please continue to pray for them even while I have to go. I'm going to miss this ward, I truly should've come sooner. They are amazing! But one chapter closed and on to the next. See you there!

Love you all

Elder Hixon

Wear and Tear

Hiya!!

In the beginning of my mission my trainer Elder Lambert always wanted to go to sleep either on time or slightly early. I hated it, I'm not a big fan of sleep because I love being in the awake world. But as the weeks go on here in England I'm beginning to practice the same thing. About 10:30 at night I turn off all the lights and go to bed. (Lights out here is 11.) I don't know why I'm just so tired all the time. As I'm writing this now I'm on a train to Reading for Pday and I would rather be taking a power nap. But too many miracles this week to not write home about 

Miracles:

We got 6 friends to church this week 

We found 2 families that want to learn more about Jesus

The sun was shining all week

I'm so grateful for the power the spirit brings that teaches my friends when I struggle to. Sometimes I have no clue what I'm saying (most of the time) but the spirit just somehow makes it work. We are planning on putting our friend on date for baptism this week and we have 2 others praying about it. We have been super blessed here in Newbury! I'm almost done with my very first 6 weeks transfer in 1 area!! Honestly they feel pretty short haha. I'm praying that I stay here in Newbury but we will see what the Lord has in store for Elder Hixon. The ward members in every area I have served in have been the best. They have all been so ready to help and feed us and it really makes the work so much easier. They truly are examples of Jesus Christ in my life.

Love you all

Elder Hixon

Small and Simple

Another week behind us! This transfer is flying by. We only have two Sundays left. I've officially been serving the Lord for 7 months. That's a long way of saying I still don't know anything hahaha. I really am appreciating everything. I'm learning about relationships and the gospel everyday. I'm always learning about how to treat people the best I can and it has brought me so much joy! It's all about humility! My dad has always emphasized making yourself as small as possible in the work. Applying that has been the game changer. When I became ok with making mistakes because my mistake is microscopic in the plan of God, I started being able to learn from them. I remember two of my favorite books I read back home were "Can't Hurt Me" and "Never Finished" where he says, " there isn't failure, there's only attempts." Each attempt has a new thing to learn. As long as I keep the goal in mind and take different approaches to achieve it I can never truly fail. Those two things have brought me hope.

Gratitude:

Rodney asked us to baptize him!! Just have to get it all planned and finish teaching him. Thank you so much for each of your prayers. This week working with Rodney we saw miracle after miracle thanks to each one of you!

Having Joy. This week has been a perfect mix of growth and comfort! I'm able to learn so much because I'm happy while I'm doing it so thank you again for your prayers for me!!

Missions are hard! So much growth compounded into 2 years. I don't know what I was expecting but I wouldn't haven't any other way!

Love you all,

Elder Hixon

Went to Oxford Today