Hello family and friends!
First things first... MOM HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I know it is not untill Friday, but I want you to know that I thought of you and I love you and I really appreciate all that you do for me; especially here on a mission. I finally got my Valentines card, I got 3 awesome packages and mail on Tuesday! Thank you Tiffany, Kari and Ed and Mom and Dad!!! I got LOADED!!! I love packages. I really can't tell you how much they make my WHOLE transfer. I have gotten to the point now where America has become this dream to me. ha ha Really it is like this whole other world...so when I get peanut butter, marshmellows and cereal from our beautiful country called the good 'ol USA, I get super excited. So THANK YOU all so much. I loved them all and I am again very grateful that I have such a wonderful family and friends who care and support me out here! I really am so lucky! THANK YOU!!
Man, I cant believe that, one it is April and two I am starting my 9th transfer! I am liking Ploiesti so far. I am trying to get use to every thing and get into my groove. It always takes me about a week to get settled and get back into the swing of things. Sora Stark is wonderful! A California girl, but has lived in Alpine for the past 6 years or so. She is super fun and funny I might add...I continually find myself laughing at her and having a good time. She is 26 and was in the same MTC group as Sora Cottam, Schuld and Hall.
Well, what a week! I can't believe that time really does go by so SUPER fast here. We had a great last district meeting last week. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. I will really miss my last district, they were FABULOUS! I got along with them so well, but as missionary life goes you learn to love and appreciate every area, every district and zone so just give me a week or so and I will adjust.
Sora Hall and I had a train ride down to Buc on Tuesday night...it was fun. When we got to Buc we went to get cleaned up and ready to go, then Sora Stark and I went back to Ploiesti it is about a 40 minute train ride from Buc to Ploiesti. So super short and way different compared to all my really really long train rides, I've had in the past. Ploiesti is small, but the branch is BOOMING! Really this is the envy branch of all the ones in the mission because the members just get the missionary work; the importance that it has with the missionaries and how we really need to work together. It is wonderful. I haven't met a lot of the members because I watched conference yesterday. That is another great benefit of having a chapel...an actual chapel here not a villa. ( like a rented out home) We got all the sessions except for Sunday afternoon.
I LOVE CONFERENCE. I have been praying and thinking all week of questions that I could ask and how I could get the most out of conference. I had my questions answered and was very spiritually uplifted. I really enjoyed Elder Scott's talk. I just love him. I got a lot of impressions and thought about my life after my mission. I am very excited to take the things that I am learning now and apply them to my life. I am very excited to raise a family in this great gospel. I really can't imagine my life with out the gospel and definitely not raising my family with out it. Mom and Dad, I want to say thank you so much for helping me. Thank you for being a wonderful example for me and for raising me in this church. I really am so blessed to be a part of this great and growing church.
Well, I talked with Tibi about what temple. He said that financially it would probably be better to go to Germany. I really wanted to go to Ukraine. I will talk to him more in detail. I am thinking that it will take a week to 9 days to get through the mission and get to the temple. Tibi did write me today and said that his fiances are tight and that he is hoping that all will work out for him to go. Now that I am back in Romania it will be easier for me communicate with him. I feel like one to two days in each city would be good and then I am sure that we will want to travel to Dracula's caste (Brasov another city in Romania) and do some fun stuff along the way. Of course, for one Sunday I would like to spend it in one of my branches. If we started Wednesday or technically I think we could start Tuesday because Tuesday is like a free day for the missionaries who are going home. You get to do just about what ever you want. If you came in on Tuesday then maybe we could start in Bucharest and then move on to Ploiesti since they are so close. Arad and Cluj are close and then we have Chisinau which is NO where near to anything. It is really hard for me to know how much time it will take and all the details because I really don't have the resources here. Anyway, it will all work out! We will celebrate Easter here is two weeks, I think? I am very excited because Here Easter is HUGE!
Well, I have to go, but I want you all to know that I love you! Have a great week!
Sora Hickman
