Natale's Letter September 26, 2011

Hello Family!

Well dad, as you stated in the beginning of your letter about the time going by SO fast when you are having fun or really in general all I can say is you can say that again. I feel every week that I have just written to you all.

Man, what a week Sora Puckett and I had. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Well, this coming week is going to be FULL too!!! We have Zone Conference on Wednesday and they are combining two zones. So, the Cluj sisters get to come here!! I will see Sora Mullen again! Then Sora Mullen and I get to go back to Cluj together for SISTER EXCHANGES!!!!!! Woo Hoo!! I'm stoked and even better I get to go to Cluj. Then this week we get to watch CONFERENCE!! Yay. I'm not sure yet if we can get all the session, well, I know we can get the sessions, but with the time changes and all that...I'm not sure how it will all go, but I am SUPER EXCITED!!!!!

Well, something cultural that I wanted to talk about this week is Piatas which means square, but they are kinda like farmers markets and SO MUCH MORE!! They have them all over. Some are mostly clothes, others piatas are of food and some are a mixture. It's interesting to see them...you have farmers who come from outside the city and they bring all these great fresh fruits and veggies. Its like Veggie and Fruit haven. They also carry nuts, herbs, seasonings of all sorts and everything...really they have a ton. It's kinda like a HUGE community yard sale with food of course, but they also have little nick knack type things, bikes, clothes, furniture...tons of things. It's really cool. I'll have to take some pictures so you can get a better idea.

Also, we had a great week, Sora Puckett and I. We Met a new lady named Lucreta. She is in a wheel chair and is super depressed. She came to church yesterday, but left half way through sacrament meeting. She is not a religious type person, she said, but she insisted in coming to church and of course we said she was welcome and could come any time. Anyway, she just needs friends. She was in an accident about 10 years ago and that is what put her in a wheel chair. She said she would rather dies than live through life. I felt so bad for her...it's so hard because for us as missionaries, we come across these people who are in need, but I really have NO idea how and more than anything the resources to help them. We have the word of God and yes, I know that a Spiritual stability will help, but sometimes their physical needs, need to be met before the spiritual needs can be addressed.

Well, we went over yesterday afternoon to talk with her with a member Dona...who is a miracle story in her self! She helped so much, she really communicated with Lucreta. It was super awesome and we invited Lucreta to read and to pray...she said that she wouldn't...ha ha, but I have a feeling that she will. We are going back tomorrow, after English, to help her clean her house and help get her house into order. I hope that as we continue to work with her that she will see the light of Christ and feel that she has family here. She really does have people here who are willing to help her.

Well, I want you all to know how much I love you. I love hearing from all of you every week. It is so great to hear how the family is doing and how life is back in the USA!! ha ha I also want you to know that I know that our Savior lives, he loves us, he has felt and taken upon himself more pain, anguish, sorrow and heart aches than is imaginable. MORE than I can ever comprehend, but I know that he did it because he loves each and every one us! I love you, I thank you all for you support and for being so WONDERFUL!!

I can't wait to hear about how hunting goes...Everybody take picutures for me. I hope that Carson gets to go. Oh and p.s. if he does go, be nice to him!! ha ha That is directed to all my brothers. :)

Va iubesc,

Sora Hickman

Natalee's Letter September 5, 2011

Hello Fam bam!

What a week, SO much to tell. First, I just want to say I have the best family ever!! I'm SO glad that I have such a supportive and loving family! You all are so great and wonderful and I love it when I get to hear from you. Also, I want to give a big shout out to Mom and Dad for celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary WOO WOO!!!!!!! Just think for your 45th you will be traveling to Europe to pick up your baby girl!! As they would say in Romania, multi iniete, meaning like more years to come. So, I hope you got to do something fun together!

Well, we got news last week that our mission name was changed to the Romania Moldova Mission. Also, we will have Zone Conference next week here in Arad which will be super fun! I love it when we get to meet together. I always feel a great pump up afterwards. We will be able to view General Conference. I'm so grateful the McFaddens, the senior couple, are here so we can watch it in English. I am SO SO SO excited for General Conference. I always look forward to hearing the talks and to see what the major themes are. Now since we are ahead on time we will watch one Saturday evening and then the next session Sunday morning and I think we will have to look them up and figure it out, but I CAN'T wait!! I hope we can watch the Relief Society broadcast this week, but we'll see.

So, the work is moving on. I think I mentioned in my last email that we are working a lot with those that are less active and trying to get some of these great members reactivated. I feel like we should try to hold on and find the sheep that we already have and not look for more...granted there is a great balance in all. So, we spend parts of the day doing finding and then the other half working with members and less actives. We have seen some success and the members are catching on and noticing how important a friendly note or phone call can be to help those that haven't been to church in a long time and that it is never too late to come back. Also, as we find these people we start to meet family members and receive referrals on other family members. Which is great! We love referrals!

We have been working with some of the Young Single adult and trying to get them to activities and to church every week. One of our recent converts, Dona, who was baptised back in May is SO awesome. She is about finished with the Book of Mormon! A miraculous story is Her husband had a problem with gambling before she was baptised and from the first time that she went to church he NEVER gambled again! Amazing right...So powerful and what a great blessing for them. Plus her husband has been coming to church with her and says that he wants to be baptised!! She has a little son Kristi who is cute as a bug, so friendly and asks me all the time, "Why do I have to wait till I'm 8 to be baptised!" Ha ha, So I am hoping that Ghita, Dona's husband, will continue to progress and that we can help them work together as a family. It would be great to get to see them go through the temple together.

Also we have Melinda, she is 12, so so cute and very mature. She reminds me a lot of Thea from Cluj...kinda the same situation too, her parents won't let her get baptised yet. BUT, we did meet with her mom this last week and told them that we want to work with them as a family. Angi the mom expressed a great interest and has studied with Jehovas Witnesses in the past. So, it will be great to see where it goes. The parents Angi and Petre need to get married before they can get baptised, but it will be great to see them all progress. Her mom said that she wants to get married. Petre wasn't in there at the time, but then she said, "well its NOT my decision". We will have the elders talk to Petre and see if we can get the family to work together, so we can get them baptised. Their grandma, Aunt and Melinda's cousin are already baptized. We have a great base to work from.

I love the people here SO much. That's one thing I don't think I can explain in words... it is just the love that I have for all of them. Today as we were finishing up the cleaning in our apartment I was watching out of our apartment window and there were tons of kids walking to school and it was so cute to see the old grandparents caring their grand kids back packs. I see that all the time. It makes me excited to have a family.

This morning I was watching a few Mormon messages, first was expression on love!! It was SO good I cried, so I encourage you to watch it. I think it was because of Elder Scott. It was a portion from his last General Conference address when he talked about his wife...which I LOVED!! Also, there was one about I am a child of God. It had all of these families and couple of little kids singing "I Am a Child of God". Carson's sister and niece Hannah were on there!! I rewinded it 4 or 5 times just to make sure! So Cars if you haven't seen it yet go check it out! :) I love being a MORMON!! Or more politically correct, a Latter Day Saint. Yesterday Eni one of the YSA's (young single adults) gave a great talk. In it she stated we are different and we have to be! I loved that because we are different, as Christ said "to be in the world but NOT of the world". I love that.

Well, I hope you all have a great week! I love you all SOSOSOS much. I'm so grateful for all of your love, support and prayers. I need all the help I can get. :) I tried to send pictures but I was having technical difficulties...so more next week.

Oh and when is every one going hunting?

Love you,

Sora Hickman

Buna Familia mea!

Well, another amazing and an exciting week, I can't wait to tell you all about it! First, I gotta say welcome home to my BESTIE Brady who just got home this last week from him mission in Peru!!! Don't worry about sending the watch to me here is Romania...we'll worry about that when I get home.ha ha ;)

Well, we had a great picnic on Saturday with the Branch. It was so wonderful, a lot of the members came. We had pizza and people brought salads and drinks. They brought Salata de Vinete (I hope I spelled every thing correct...but I guess if not you won't know, only those who speak Romanian will...ha-ha:). Anyway that salad is one of my FAVORITES out here, they make it with eggplant, it's super yummy. Then Romanian pizza is a little different, it usually has corn on it and tastes great just different than American. We also had sign ups for English which went really well. The best sign ups I've ever had here in Romania. I'm excited to start English classes again. We will start on Tuesday.

Mom, you asked in the last email about the climate change. It's still really hot, but I don't think it's as humid as Cluj, at least that is how I feel. We are really close to Hungary. A lot of the signs and things are printed in Hungarian as well...SUPER cool. When Ben Nealy gets home from His mission I'll be able to say a few things to him. Also, you asked about the missionary work here and how it's going...it's going. We have a lot of work to do, but I guess the work is NEVER done. We have put a special emphasis on working with those that are less active. I feel like if we can't keep the sheep that we already have why bring in more. We need a lot of help and support from the branch because as missionaries we can go visit, but we all change and move around and can not be there as a constant help. SO, it super important to have the branch members working with them. SO, I hope that we can get people back to church. We have such great branch, but so little of the members come EVERY week. Even if we can get a few people to come back it will be worth so much...just like in D&C 18:10, "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God". I'm just so glad that I have the opportunity to take part in this!

We have our wonderful Senior couple the McFaddens from St. George that are working with YSA's here in Arad. They are SO great! Super funny too. We go over to their house for breakfast on P-days and try to help them out. They are such a great add to the branch and the missionary work. Very talented individuals and very strong. I got to translate for them yesterday in church. That was my first time translating and it was tough...I didn't know all that they were talking about...ha-ha especially in Sunday school when we were studying from Romans. Anyway, I'm excited, that I have the opportunity to translate and that I can help out because it helps me too. :)

The language is coming, I understand SO well and I can speak well too. I don't always have the vocab, but I can explain it enough so they understand. Oh I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting yesterday! I talked about choosing the right and following the children's examples. I really like speaking; at times I didn't know how to say what I wanted to in Romanian, but when I was quiet for a second the thoughts and words came. I'm so grateful that this church is built on a foundation of revelation and that we can receive those promptings.

Also, this week the McFaddens held FHE and institute for the youth. It was super fun to go. We are starting the Old Testament for institute. It's so hard for me to read from the Old Testament sometimes, but I've told myself that I really want to study it and learn more about it. SO that will be my next BIG study project. Right now I'm working on the Doctrine and Covenants.

Couple more things...So, Sora Puckett and I both really like to work out and it's AWESOME! We get up at about 6 every morning and we do a nice long runs some days or we will go for a shorter run and then do stairs. I'm just super glad that I have a companion who enjoys working out.

Finally, I'm not sure if I have told you about va pup (pronounced poop...ya know like poop) or te pup. SO when you say good bye to someone a lot of the times they say "te pup!" meaning I kiss you! We do the cheek to cheek greeting. Ha-ha I just think it fun to say, "I get puped" (pooped) many times through out the day!

Well, I hope you all didn't get bored with this one. It was a little longer than usual, but I love you all and I want you to know how grateful I am that I have wonderful, supportive and loving family and friends. I know that this is the true church and the ONLY true Church of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful we have a prophet, Thomas S. Monson who leads and guides our church. Thank you all for your love and your prayers and for all that you do for me.

P.S. Thanks to all the sibs who wrote me this week! I love hearing from all of you and hearing about your lives.

Va iubesc,

Sora Hickman

Natalee's Letter September 5, 2011

Buna Famila Mea!!

Wow, well I have so much to say and not enough time to tell you everything. Sending pictures takes so much of my time.

So, here it goes, I am in Arad! LOVE it! It is smaller than Cluj but really nice. It's more west and there are even more people here who speak Hungarian than in Cluj. We have a small Branch here in Arad. I think there were about 20 people there Sunday. We have a lot of work to do and I am excited to be here.

Sora Puckett is great! She loves to work out, so we get up around 6 or so every morning and go for long runs. I LOVE IT. I don't always like getting up that early, but hey it's all worth it when I start running. She was in the Marines before she came on her mission. She is 24 and from Grand Junction, Colorado. She is great, very laid back, super funny, but quiet at the same time.

Okay, few adventures from the week...We went over to this ladies house, Maria, last night. She lives really close to our house. She had a boil on her leg that popped and now it is an open wound. I won't be able to explain how painful it looks. I was shocked and then I was so grateful for my health and the many blessings that I have. She doesn't have enough money to go to the doctor or to a good doctor in Cluj. I hope that she starts to feel better soon. We are going over tonight with the Elders and have them give her a blessing. She was a former investigator that we went to find. She is really nice and has studied a lot about religion. She told me that I dressed immodestly and that I shouldn't call myself a representative of Jesus Christ. Let's just say I was petty offended. I shed a few tears and we QUICKLY left her house. It was okay though because just a bit later we met a drunk. A very happy drunk to say the least. He told both Sora Puckett and I that we were very beautiful. Ha ha

We have a brand new senior couple from St. George, the McFaddens. They are serving here in Arad with us. They are super cute, super fun and really nice. I'm really excited to be serving with them and to learn and grow with them. They made us breakfast this morning as well.

Jenice thanks for sending pics!! I love seeing everyone having fun horse back riding in Kansas.

Overall, I'm doing well. I love being here and I am very excited to get to know more about this city, the branch and start to get to know the people.

Sorry, this is SO short, but I have run out of time. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

Love Sora Hickman