We have an office and we wont be teaching in the mall food court anymore!...sort of the office is useable, no more paint falling off the walls! We just have a few things to do to spruce it up but it is works. So lessons in the food court will be a lot less frequent, only with men when it isn't during the normal work day. 

This week has been crazy, I don't even know where to start or what to say about it. So last week Sister Schoens wallet disappeared. It took us until Monday night to admit it was really lost. So we began tracing back in our minds and discovered many places it wasn't. After many prayers and much thought a miracle happened. Wednesday night we stopped by the bus station and asked if they had her wallet, we had traced it back to a certain bus that we thought it might be on. The lady asked for our information and then said she would call us tomorrow if they found it. Thursday morning at 8 on the dot we got a phone call telling us the bus driver had the wallet and we could pick it up from him. So at the appointed time and bus stop we went and got it. Miraculously everything was in it, the money, the passport, the stamps the cards, EVERYTHING! 

That same Thursday as we were waiting to meet the bus driver, we saw Stanislav at the bus station. So we went and talked with him. He was so excited to see us and tell us how he was headed to go and see his son and go get a suit for the baptism. It was so great to see him as the bus pulled away with the biggest grin on his face waving wildly goodbye to us. To make a long crazy story short, we haven't been able to get in contact with him since. His phone has been off and he wasn't able to make it to his baptism. (This is unheard of in our mission, and so out of character for Stanislav. Sister McConkie said it happened a good 50% of the time in her mission in Argentina but President McConkie could think of a time that it has happened here) So instead of a baptism we had an amazing meeting. President asked Sestra Schoen and I to bear our testimonies (probably one of the harder things I have had to do on my mission), our ward mission leader Martin bore his and then President McConkie ended it with a solid testimony and then played a song on the violin and we sang the closing song. We still don't have contact with him or know what is going on but we pray that he is safe and we will be able to get in touch with him soon. While this is not at all what we wanted or any of us expected, just like all trials in life, they are huge learning experiences and we are able to come closer to our Heavenly Father. It is so amazing the strength and love you are given, supported with as trails try to knock you down. You just have to be open to recognizing the help and strength and not get lost in yourself. A hard thing but doable! :) 

Church on Sunday was wonderful, it is so refreshing to go to church and be surrounded by people that know and believe the same things as you. To worship the Lord and to strengthen those around you as well as yourself. We had six of our less active members come to church! And relief society was amazing! We learned all about the talk from conference from Elder Maynes of the 70 so I studied it a little more today, it is an amazing talk. It truly is so important to have a strong testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. The longer I have been out and the more I study, the more I realize that everything truly does lead back to having faith in Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, your Savior and Redeemer. I know that He loves each and everyone of us and that when trials come, He is there at our side, He is helping us through and He will never let us down. There is so much strength in prayer, talk to your Heavenly Father, He loves you and desires to help you, to talk to you. If you haven't prayed in a while, try it, what have you got to lose? I can promise you there is more to gain than there is to lose. I have come to realize how much power a simple prayer can have. I love this gospel and I am so glad to be out sharing it with those around me. It isn't the easiest job, in fact it isn't easy, but it is easily the most rewarding job I have ever had. Take the time today to figure out what you can do to serve someone around you, to help their lives to be a little easier. Serving others brings us the greatest joys. 

I love you, the Lord loves you, keep your testimony strong and your chin high! 

 S Laskou, 

Sestra Hicken