Last Week in Texas

Many More Miracles

This past week has been really good with many more cool miracles, It will be pretty hard to leave baytown, but I know that Heavenly Father is watching over it. We found this spanish lady that thought we were Jehovah witnesses but then she looked at our name tags and saw Jesus Christ. She called after us and we began talking with her. Her father is in jail right know who is not that big of religion person but since he has been in there he wants to get more closer to God and Jesus Christ so her daughter has been writing him and telling him about us and he wants to come to our church when he gets out, she and her husband will be coming to church this week. They are so ready for the gospel.

Michael and the First Vision

We taught michael this past week the one that we found during hower of power his wife was not there because she had to do some things at the school. we taught him a restoration and he loved it. When he heard us recite Joseph Smiths experience he knew that this was true and he wanted to read the whole book of mormon. He told us that when he heard it that he found the last pieces of the puzzle he has found it, his search for the truth is done, but this is only the beginning.

Personal Testimony

Jo was not able to get baptized this past Sunday, we need to continue teaching slowly and simply because here husband was kind of pushing her and was not doing it for the right reason, we are glad they told us that because we want her to get her own personal testimony of the resotred gospel.

Finding the Lost Sheep

We were able to teach other people that we have found who are ready to hear and to accept the gospel. there are so many people that are searching that are lost and confused trying to look for answers, Heavenly Father has been directing us to them. They know that we are his servants and that we have the answers they need. I know that Baytown will grow dramatically.

Last Week
This was Josh's (Elder Hickey) last week in Texas. He returns home Wednesday night to Mapleton, Utah. He will have a homecoming address this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at the copper top church in Mapleton. If you would like directions please email johnhickey22@gmail.com.

Pday fun

This past monday we went to battleship texas. it was fun, I attached some photos. I think it is the only one that survived during the world war one and two. Well that is about it. I will catch you all up this wednesday so y'all soon.

 

Miracle, a prayer is answered!

Update with Investigators

Jo is getting BAPTIZED this Sunday, I am super excited. Her husband the less active member who came back is going to baptize her. We jsut have a few commandments that we still need to teach her but after that she is getting baptized. They are super excited as well.

 

The Garcias are doing better, they are reading a bit and have been praying and Armondo has been thinking a lot about baptism and he really wants to be baptized, so we told him what we need to do and what he has to do before that happens, I am sad that I wont be able to see them getting baptized. I know they will do great.

 

 

                                                              Miracle, a prayer is answered!

 

On Thursday evening for the hower of power that we do every Thursday at 5:50 we get in with a member and share a scripture on faith then we get on out knees and ask the member to pray for us that we will be able to find a family, the whole mission is doing this and the general authorities go the temple on thursdays and prays for all the missionaries. After the member prayed for us he told us we could go see this older lady that he knew who we could try that they knew and did not know if she would accept us or reject us. We tried but she was not home. we started to knock around her and a guy opened his door and let us in, He does not really believe in a God but knows that there is something out there but does not know what it is yet. He was really nice had a three year old boy and he told us that he would talk with his wife if and would give us a call if they were interested. that was pretty good have not gotten a call from them yet. We kept knocking around and met a single mother who has two young kids who goes to the baptist church, very friendly she has heard some things about us but not a whole lot. We talked with her for a bit gave her a pamphlet and said she would visit the website ang got a return appointment for tuesday which is tomorrow. We had a few more minutes so we knocked on one more door. A young dude answered the door and told who we are and that we share a very important message about Jesus Christ. He said that we could come back on Saturdays. After the saturday morning session we went to see michael who was the one that invited us back. He let us right in and began to talk to him. He is another one that believes that there is something out there but does not know what it is. A few minutes after we talked he was calling after his wife to join us in our discussion. A few mimutes went by and she still did not come so he got up to go get her, they both came in and sat down, we got to know them they have three daughters who are all off in colllege, the wife which I can not recall her name but I will call her Cynthia for the time being. She is a baptist, she told us that when they were dating that Michael was going to church reguraly and she thought that he would still continue but fell away, and she has been praying for christlike people or someone that could talk to her husband and build his faith in Christ. She started to cry and began to bear her testimony that her prayer has been answered. That she knew we were the answer to her prayers and she knew then that God does listen and is mindful of us and he does answer prayers in his own time, and she thanked us. We told her how we were led to them. We left them with a restoration pamphlet and a book of mormon. we are going to see them this saturday. I know for my self that God does answer prayers it might not be right away but it will come just like Cynthia that her humbled prayers have been answered and waiting patiently because she knew it would eventually come. I love being a missionary it feels so great that God trusts us to answer one of his childrens prayers and that we followed the voice of the spirit.  

Basking in Baytown's Beams

Easter 

Easter was a nice day, we had a member have us over for a big easter dinner it was really good. then we went to see the coles and it started to poor rain real hard.

 

Jo Coles

we helped a member to cut down her trees and trim back all the bushes with some other missionaries and with the bishop. We are shooting for april 14th for Jo Coles baptism, we are finally getting everything figured out and guess what when we told her about the word of wisdom and said that she could have no more tea, she poured out a whole gallon of it that she just made that morning and she has stopped buying it too. She is so solid. We just have a few more commandments that we still need to teach her than she will be good for the 14th.

 

Garzas and Simple Truths You Just Need to Hear

We also saw the garzas who is a less active family that we have been working with for a while and he had a really cool experience at work. He said that one of the guys that he works with asks him what is going on? knew that something was different. He asked the member if he knew what is true and he said yeah. The worker knew that he has not been to church for awhile and he recognized it and he said well then you better get back to church. Brother Garza its one thing that a missionary tells you that you need to come back to church but when a non member tells you need to get back to church was a whole another level. It really struck him. by those simple and small things that we do has a great effect upon us, family and the people that we around.

 

 

Finding Miracles Everywhere

Sisters' Story

Here is another cool story that happened this past week. The sister missionaries went over to the Shermans a members house and they went through the whole ward list and told them who they knew and what they knew about them and told them to go see this member that has not been there for a while and the sisters found sister Starr. She is about in her 60's and her mom is taying with her and she has a grandson that is living with them two with his two kids. They are actually in our area. they have seen and fed missionaries there whole lives. The grandson Charles is actually really interested to learn more about the church and he wants to raise his children into the church.  HIs great grandmother is not a member either but loves the missionaries so we have been teaching them and going over there today to teach about the plan of salvation.

 

Garcias

we helped the Garcias moved from there apartment to there new house and sister Garcia is about to have her baby.We are still working with the Garcias, Jo, and Gena that would be great if they all could be baptized before I leave. Thats what we are working on. Bonnie one of our investigators that we have been teaching for a while came to church this sunday which was great.

 

Another busy week in Baytown

A Little Harassment 

While we were biking around our area trying to find some people to teach, this lady chewed us out, swearing, and threating us and said that she was a member for a while and that we have the worst morals and all of this other stuff, so we just pedalled away, it was pretty funny.

 

Stopping Fighting

We stopped kids from fighting each other because one kid stepped on this one kids glasses and he was really mad. we told him what would jesus christ do. He said he would not do it and become there friend something like that, then we biked away and came back later and they are best buds.

 

A Little Religious Confusion

This other time we were going to see a potential, Heidi, she has a little daughter and she is about to have another one, real nice lady. She just pulled in and said that her beliefs does not go with ours, and that she did some research, we were like oh no she looked up some anti mormon stuff. we asked her what did you find and she said one of them it says that you guys do not support the military, then we said oh we are not Jehovah Witnesses. then she asked then who are you? we are from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or other known as "Mormons" it is a nickname we get becasue of the book of mormon. She said man you guys are confusing me because there was some other people (the Jdubs) were going over there as well. We left here with a mormon.orgcard because she gets online a lot. We are going to go over there and to check up on how she is doing.

 

A Great Flat Tire

Oh yeah another miracle happened this past week. the baytown first ward elders were on there bikes and one of them got a flat tire, so they walked there bike back to there apartments and they heard this lady call after them saying Elders. She lives in our area so they gave us the referral. She moved from Tennesse nine months ago and has been trying to find elders ever since because in Tennesse She would always feed the missionaries and they would teach her but we found out that they did not teach her much becasue of all her questions she had like so Joseph Smith wrote the book of mormon. right? a bunch of other qustions about the plan of salvation, so we are going to have to teach her from the beginning. We gave her a book of mormon. She has three kids home with her and one or two that has moved out already. We are going to teach her tomorrow and invite her to baptism.

 

Working Towards Baptism

We are still working with Jo kole, she is supposed to get baptized this sunday but something came up that we have to figure it all out but she should still be good but we will see. we are working with the Garcias they have been readign but trying to get them to come to church. They feed us a ton of food, Baytown is doing really good at feeding us because I'm actually gaining weight. Hmm thats weird.

 

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Elder Josh Hickey! We love you! :) ;) :)

Update on Progress in Baytown

Update on the Coles and Garcias

This past week has been pretty good. we are still working with the coles and the garcias. the gracias are awesome they love us when we coem over they cook us a bunch of food. when you do not eat a lot they get affended so you have to make sure you eat a lot and make a lot of compliments, they cooked us ribs, rice and shrimp it was very good. they have been reading the book of mormon which is way nice. They have been struggling with coming to church because armando works a lot but they want to come to church and they definelty want to be baptized. hopefully they will be baptized before I go.

 

the Koles we taught the restoration and they loved it and is understanding it very well. Jo is still loving relief society and church, she loves how welcoming and friendly everyone is. She is very excited to be baptized on the 24th of this month.

 

Smiths

We are teaching the smiths who just moved from ohio and is looking for a church for there 14 year old daughter, we were going to teach the dad but it seems like the mom is more interested and she read the pamphlet we left with them and she had many questions which we answered and helped her to understand. We left her with a book of mormon and she said that she will have it read by next time we come and visit them. we also are going to give them a strength for youth pamphlet and personal progress booklet and tell what programs the church has for young women.