Sacrifice Brings Forth the Greatest Blessings

Week #29

Yes, I'm at the beach. It's hot, but it's always windy.

Last week we had transfers. I left the wonderful Guajuviras and came to the city of Osorio. I'll spend the next six weeks here. Yes, the address is the same. In fact, I'll have the same address for my entire mission. 

Osorio is about 20 km away from the beach and is a much wealthier area than Guajuviras. The food is a little bit more varied and they eat beef instead of chicken. Some of the houses here makes me feel poor. In some ways it's not surprising that there is only one branch here. They don't even have a chapel. 

My companion is Elder Angus. He's an American from Berthoud, Colorado which happens to be in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission, and has been on his mission a little bit more than a year. He's awesome to work with and we just about equal each other on the nerd scale. We compare principles of the Gospel to Calculus and talk about the different experiences we've had with computers. Possibly the nerdiest companionship in Brazil right now.

I don't know if I've told anybody this yet, but Rio Grande do Sul is a state in Brazil with some very big religious problems. Here people do voodoo and a lot of other strange things that are intended to harm people with the supernatural. The scary thing is that much of it is real. There are curses and other things of the devil on every street corner and just two days ago we had to command a spirit to leave a man. The comforting thing is that the power of God is greater than the power of the devil and with only a command, they leave immediately. Evidences of the power of God come after faith, but they do happen. Miracles and angels are here to assist the work of saving souls. The Lord does not abandon us. 

Now that I've scared my mother, don't forget to study the scriptures every day. Pray, go to church, pay your tithing. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. The only thing that is truly ours is our ability to choose. All else can be taken. Thus I believe it makes a great deal of sense that the greatest sacrifice brings forth the greatest blessings. Isn't that what Christmas is about? The birth of the one person who submitted His will to that of the Father and paid for us.

I'm excited for Christmas in Brazil. Tchau para voces!

Elder Dickson

Transfers

Week #28

Elder Dickson has been so busy that he hasn't sent a general email for the past two weeks! But here is a portion of a letter he wrote to a family member.

Strengthen the families and we strengthen the world. Strengthen the practices of the family and we strengthen the individuals. The decisions of what we allow at home determine the destinies of those residing therein.

I did just find out that I am leaving my area, but I do not know where I'm going or who my companion will be. Transfers were very different in Colorado. We knew who was going where, with whom they would be and had two days to prepare. Here, they told us today who would be leaving and where to meet in Porto Alegre. Time to pack.

Felipe's Baptism Pictures

Felipe's baptism. He's nine and is one of the coolest kids ever. Very smart. 

From left to right: Joao (the little one) Denis (was baptized the week before) Elder Medeiros, Felipe, Felipe's mother (I still have a hard time hearing names. She's also a non-member) Amanda (will be baptized this week and likes to hide behind people), Elder Dickson (who likes to stand in a different plane than everybody else.)

My favorite picture.

Of Ketchup, Ranch Dressing, and Holidays

Week #26

No Thanksgiving. Such a sad thing. I didn't even realize until the day after. The heat during November and December is ruining my internal calendar. It's December. It's hot. I wear a short-sleeve shirt because a long sleeve one is virtual suicide. Christmas is much smaller here so far. It's December and there are a few advertisements here and there saying "Grande Promocao de Natal" but nothing else. Nobody is talking about it except the missionaries. It's kind of nice though. Christmas in the U.S. starts way too early, especially if you're a musician, even more especially if you're a musician in multiple groups. I like this.

Another baptism this week and I forgot my camera, but I have pictures from the last one and a few from our temple trip yesterday. We also moved to another house. The new one is much better structurally, but the water is yellow and we don't have a sink. Also, the walls are a lovely shade of pinkish purple. Uma casa boa. I don't think I've ever seen any Americans so good at stacking stuff higher than it should be. Throw three Brazilians and one African on the job and they will make it fit. One-trip like a boss!

Life without ketchup is different. I bought a hamburger yesterday and it had no ketchup. They didn't even have it available and the sizes of drinks and fries are sad. Far too small. (Not that I would want to eat many fries without ketchup anyway). There have been a couple families who knew I was an American and provided what they call ketchup, but it's not the same. I don't think they've ever heard of a green salad before either. Salad seems to mean tomatoes with corn, onion and vinegar. 

I don't think I've told the biggest difference yet. I had heard about this from other missionaries that went to South America, but I didn't expect to see it so much. Here, if the baby is hungry, mom feeds it, no matter where she is, what she is or isn't wearing or who is around. This includes trains, Stake Conference, missionary lessons and malls. You get used to it pretty quickly, the the first time was on my first day here on the train to my area. Very surprising. It makes me laugh about mom getting in trouble for nursing her child discretely in a kindergarten class. 

Funny story. When I was in the Atlanta Airport with the 30 other missionaries going to Brazil, one of them asked me if I was going to Porto Alegre North. He then handed me a box of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix and told me it was for Sister Wright (my Mission President's wife). When I handed it to her, she didn't believe it was actually for her and said she might cry. Apparently, she has been missing ranch dressing for a very long time and went around to all the sisters in the mission office telling them if they were good, she might share a little. Most of the sisters are Brazilian and had no idea what it was. One of them even asked, because of how excited Sister Wright was, if it was chocolate. I guess chocolate is important everywhere.

The temple was amazing. The new film is much better and the building much smaller. When I showed one of the Brazilian Elders a picture of the St. George temple, he said it was half Mormon, half Catholic. I'm guessing he was referring to the size. This temple has a baptistry, laundry room, one room for the endowment, one for the veil, a very small Celestial Room, changing rooms, a waiting room and I think I saw three sealing rooms. Don't forget the laundry room. Very small. I kind of miss the big ones.

Anyway, I don't know what else to say right now. Maybe I'll think of something special in the next 30 minutes. For now, I'll send more pictures.

Love you all,

Elder Dickson

Sofia. She's six, she gets in a lot of trouble, her mother feeds us a lot and she really likes anything I happen to have in my bag. Camera, pens, sticky notes, American coins. She also loves to tell me things very slowly because I don't understand.

This is a sister in my mission who knows my MTC teacher. Small world. Also, Brazilians are horrible photographers. Also, temple. 

Temple, suspenders, Brazilian photographer. 

My first fast food receipt. It looks more expensive than it is.

Probably the strongest flavor I've ever had. I like it though. Lime and mint soda.

Bacon flavored Ramen. Another thing that is a brilliant idea, but it was very poorly executed. It tasted nothing like bacon. More like powdered TVP.

Seek Strength

Week #25

Two weeks, two baptisms. I have pictures of the second one. The first was Denis last week and the send, his cousin Felipe, was yesterday. To meet somebody and two weeks later baptize them is something I not expect to see. The people let you in, they let you talk, they do what you ask them to and choose to be baptized. It's exactly what they made it seem like in the MTC. Everybody will at least talk to you for a few minutes and most of them will listen to The Restoration. It's amazing.

I've been doing a lot of thinking these past couple weeks. (I have lots of time for that since I can't really talk to anybody yet). A lot of it is about obedience. In Colorado, there were many missionaries who would justify disobedience to the rules of the white handbook by saying none of that was actually a commandment. Depending upon your definition of commandment, this may be true, but a couple days ago during my studies, I started thinking about Samson and being a Nazarite. He was expected to live a law above that which was given by the Ten Commandments. He wasn't to cut his hair, drink strong drink, obviously harlots are an issue and he wasn't to touch any unclean thing, such as a dead lion. In the few chapters that cover his story, he breaks nearly all of the rules he was expected to live and then, at the hands of the one who enticed him to sin, his strength was lost. Notice, he doesn't break all of them. Unless I missed one, he didn't ever partake of strong drink, but he broke enough that he lost that which the Lord had given him.

The higher rules of the mission are much like those of a Nazarite. For this time we are set apart and are thus corban or given to the Lord. In doing this we promise ourselves to living and doing that which He would have us do. If we willfully fail to perform according to His standards, we are in danger of losing our strength. 

The same goes for members of the church. Though not missionaries and with other things to do, we are given rules to follow and many of them have the promise of strength, spiritual or physical, attached. Seek strength. 

This morning I was reading the first chapter of Abraham. The first verse is funny, (it would be needful to obtain another place of residence if your father is trying to kill you) but the second verse is wonderful. Abraham seeks knowledge, righteousness, happiness, peace, to be a father of many nations, and to keep the commandments of God. These are various forms of strength and obviously it's good to seek them. 

Apparently I can't access a USB device at this computer. How frustrating. User restrictions are wonderful, but when you're running a business of letting people use a computer, you should probably let them use flash drives. No pictures this week. The two Elders in the second picture from last week are Elders Cabral and Frazao, my zone leaders. We live with them. They keep everybody in line pretty well.

Still loving the food. I am getting just a little bit bored of feijao, but it's broken up enough by the other things like stroganoff, Pepsi, sausage, Coca-Cola, cucumbers, Guarana, tomatoes, rice, Pepsi, and Coco-Cola. I don't think I've had this much cola of any type in my life. At every meal, they pull out one or two bottles of at least 2,5 liters (often 3) and it disappears. Guarana is much the same way. It's actually really funny going into some members homes. The soda is cheaper than the milk here (milk comes out to equal about $4 a gallon) and it seems to be a staple of the members food storage. They buy 2 liter bottles the way we buy 12 oz. cans. Some kitchens have a corner devoted to pallets of Guarana, Pepsi, or Coca-Cola. There are probably ten bottles on each pallet. The only other things they drink are water and artificially flavored drink mix. Sugar is a main food group here. 

The only things I haven't liked here are the desserts. I swear all they do is take a bowl of sugar and add just enough food coloring or flavor to make it gooey and serve it under different names. One thing was sugar and egg white mixed together. I miss real fruit. Nobody in Guajuviras actually eats it though. The word for juice is suco, but they use it to describe anything that is a non-carbonated liquid and has sugar added. The only really good fruit drink I've had was last night. They just called it suco, but it's the best thing I've had here so far. It was just pineapple blended with a little bit of sugar and water. It was so nice to be able to taste the fruit more than the sugar. I don't think I'll ever eat sugar again when I get home. 

The woman who made that wonderful drink is hilarious. She's the first ward member I met here and I loved her right off. I have no idea how to spell her name (I can't even say it), but she's like a much shorter Brazilian version of Aunt Blythe. She even says no and shakes her head the same way. She's like the mom of the missionaries here. Even the Mission President and his wife know her. I'll have pictures next week. 

For now, I'm hungry for a hot dog with real ketchup. They have the wrong idea about hot dogs here and ketchup is all wrong. They even spell it wrong. They don't put ketchup or even catsup. Here it's catchup. They also like mayo with a lot of things. They even advertise food and make sure they put the word maionese in big letters on the sign. 

Subway is horrible here too. A 30 cm sandwich cost R$ 15,90 ($8.00) and tasted a little bit better than the paper it came in. The lettuce was sad, the cheese was all processed, the bread was half-baked and the vegetable had no flavor. Never doing that again.

Anyway, time's up. Tchau.

Elder Dickson

A Whole New World

Week #24 

Que?

Estou perdido. 

I don't know what anybody is saying. I don't know what they want me to say. I don't really know what I'm eating, but I like it. It goes with the rice.

That's basically this week. Lots of travel with people I cannot understand, teaching lessons, attending a baptism my first weekend, typing on a Portuguese keyboard. Such fun. 

My companion's name is Elder Medeiros. He's Brazilian, has two transfers left and has had a baptism 13 times in the last 13 weeks. That's more than the monthly average for the whole Fort Collins mission. Talk about a white field already to harvest. 

I'm happy to be here, but I really don't have all that much to say. Maybe when I actually know what's happening I'll have some stories to tell. For now, I've already used thirty minutes and look how much I've written. Portuguese keyboard. 

The members here are amazing. The chapel is small, the ward is smaller, the baptisms are frequent and their food is amazing. I actually only eat one meal each day. Incredibly, I'm not hungry enough to eat another one.

Everybody here drinks four things: Guarana, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and water. There are a few other things like disgusting warm boxed milk and a drink that I can never remember the name of. Whatever it is, it tastes like hot alfalfa water. Somehow I like it. 

Our housing is... different. It's old, falling apart, has three real rooms and kind of half walls that make two more. All the floors here are tile or cement and the walls are usually some sort of brick. To control the temperature, we open the windows and doors to whatever extent we need them and sit somewhere in the breeze. 

The weather is a lot like summer in Vermont. It's about the same temperature and humidity and you always feel dirty. (I forgot to mention that a couple days ago the city had no water. We had no shower, no toilet, nothing to drink and almost had to move the baptism to another city.) I'm told it's going to get ridiculously hot and then ridiculously cold. I'm not really excited about the hot part, but hey, Christmas is Christmas even without snow. (Christmas here is called Natal.)

I just asked Elder Medeiros what our address is. Luckily he speaks English pretty well. Here it is.

Elder Dickson

Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission

Caixa Postal 13008

Porto Alegre-RS

CEP 91010-971

Brazil

I'm not really sure about how that works outside Brazil, but that's all he knew. 

Mother, you should know that I am well taken care of. It turns out that Americans are told to bring much more than anybody else. Everybody else has one suit case and I have three. I'm not sure I'll even use most of the stuff they told us to bring. Hopefully, I'll be able to wear out lots of stuff so I have space to spare in the future. 

Wow, I swear time goes faster here. Bye for now.

Elder Dickson

Elder Cabral and Elder Frazao

Elder Medeiros and Elder Dickson

Out Into the World

Elder Dickson is now in a far away country! He flew into Brazil on Tuesday morning and although we haven't gotten a letter from him yet, we did get his new address and a picture! 

Elder Dickson

Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission

Caixa Postal 13008

Porto Alegre- RS

CEP 91010-971

Brazil

Because Elder Dickson is in a foreign country, there are some strict guidelines for sending packages. If you would like to send him anything, please check with his mother before mailing it off to ensure that these guidelines are met. 

Letters, of course, are always welcome and wanted. 

President and Sister Wright with Elder Dickson

Where In The World?

Week #23

After almost six months in Colorado, Elder Dickson flew into Porto Alegre earlier this morning! He traveled for almost 24 hours after leaving Lafayette, but he is safe and sound in Brazil.

Hoping to get a letter from him soon!

Go Ye Therefore, and Teach All Nations

Week #22

One more crazy week down. One more crazy week left. 

This week was in one word amazing. Two main happenings. 

Number one. Saturday was the celebration of the Boulder Colorado Stake's 40th Anniversary. They had a wonderful idea that they call living pictures.  Basically, they recreate well known works of art, but have real people standing in the positions and situations of those interacting with Christ. In some, a character comes and sings a song, but for most, they had an orchestra and choir performing a piece that described some aspect of the story depicted. Easily the best performance I have ever seen done on a Stake level. The choir was amazing, the orchestra was good (the French Horn ruined some parts), both of the trumpeters played Bach Strads and there were many nonmembers that attended. The cultural hall was filled for three different performances and the sister in charge told us the Mayor of Louisville was expected to attend. From what I've heard, several people saw him. I consider it the greatest thing next to the flood cleanup that has happened to hasten the work. The whole zone was involved in setup and helping guests and many missionaries saw their investigators there. I watched the first performance and by the second song was almost crying. I'm glad I was in Colorado just long enough to see it. 

Number two. Last night Elder Hanks and I had the opportunity to give a recent convert a blessing. 

I believe in one of my last couple emails I mentioned that she almost had more of a testimony of a certain Elder than the Church. Her main reason for that was because at one point he had given her a blessing and she said that was the first and only time she had ever felt such a feeling. She doubted she could feel it without him and didn't seem to believe she could feel it through going to church or reading the scriptures or praying. About an hour after we gave her that blessing, she called us and told us that she had felt it again. It is a wonderful thing to act as the voice of the Lord and then hear somebody tell you they felt something far more than the power of your words or your hands on their head. I pray, and I ask all of you as well, that Michelle's testimony of the truth will grow. She has begun to see miracles around her, but she still isn't unshakable. She can use many prayers for both her temporal and spiritual needs. I think it would be a great help to let her know that there are people all over the world pray for her by name. 

Aside from that, today will be a very busy day as I prepare every needful thing for Brazil. The Mission Office told me that I'll probably be leaving in the early morning of the 11th and I need to have everything done by Saturday. I have a lot to buy today. It is thrilling to know that I am going forth to teach a nation and that men will hear the Gospel in their own tongue. Speaking of tongue, beef tongue is really good.

Go and do something good today. Testify of something, share a principle, be an example. All you Boy Scouts out there, do a good turn and review the Scout Oath. Think about what each part means and how you will live it. The program set up by Robert Baden-Powell is in line with the principles of the Gospel and there is a very good reason the Church is such a huge sponsor. All good things are inspired of God. Do something good. 

Ask for what the Lord would have you do 

Learn at His feet

Act on that which you learned 

Share what you have done

Glory in your God

Amo voces

Elder Dickson

Testimonies and Transitions

Week #21

What a week. The weather is cooling, six of us have decided to start an exercise program run by one of the members in the mornings, recent converts are having severe difficulties with the Church, and I got to play a musical number in another ward yesterday.

Last Wednesday, the Elders in the neighboring Coal Creek Ward told us about an early morning exercise class that Brother Melver taught. It's called Boot Camp and requires us to get up around 5:30 so we can get there on time. It's sort of a mixed cardio/resistance program and the routine changes every day. It's a great way to wake up, but it makes you very sore all day. Basically, it's a pain to get up in the morning, but it starts the day very well. Bonus, I am losing weight. 

A few nights ago, we got a call from a recent convert who expressed several issues she had with teachings of the Church. Her biggest challenge was tithing and told us quite fervently that "Money is evil and God doesn't need it." She then told us that she doesn't believe anybody knows what happens after death and emphasized that every church teaches a different thing. The worst part was that she would believe the words of a previous missionary because she believed he was the thing that was special about her conversion. The only thing Elder Hanks and I could think of was to, as it says in Alma 4:19 (I think of this scripture often), bear down in pure testimony. That's what we did and we have recognized three miracles of that experience. The first is that she changed from severe doubt to praying to her Father in Heaven and asking Him for knowledge. We have yet to hear what experiences she had. The second and third were in Elder Hanks and myself. 

Elder Hanks usually has a way of talking as if he's afraid to say anything and usually just says very simple but repetitive truths from the lessons. That night, there wasn't a single easy or previously know line from him. He was bold, he didn't sound afraid to speak and he testified with something more than the usual conviction.

My experience was very similar. While looking back on the things I said, I realized that many of those things I did not know the purpose of. The conversation had been long and there is no way I could have remembered every concern expressed and addressed them in one response, but everything I bore testimony of dealt with every issue she had. I do not know what she will decide to do (she didn't come to church yesterday), but we were given in the very moment what we should say and have invited her to come to Christ. We have fulfilled our purpose. Now she needs the help of the members and the Lord to fulfill hers. 

In unrelated news, I just got (as in four minutes ago) an email notifying me that my visa has arrived! Still reading to figure out when I leave.

Anyway, last story. (I leave on November 11) Saturday night I received a call asking me if I could play a musical number in the Flatirons Ward sacrament meeting the next morning. The whole zone was  supposed to sing I Need Thee Every Hour, but none of the missionaries were able to be at that meeting. The Elders there told the coordinator, but she asked if Elder Dickson could play piano. They decided to wait a week before asking me if I could play, so I got to arrange a version of I Need Thee Every Hour at 9:00 the night before and didn't even have a piano so I could know if what I was planning to do would work. Long story short, I played a solo with one night to prepare and it was awesome!

Anyway, I'm excited about my visa and need to email more people.

Tchau!

Decisions Determine Destiny

Week #20

Good day all! 

Still lots of Boulder damage to clean up and we have heard from President Brown that there have been some teaching opportunities opening up because of it, but I haven't heard of specific instances. We have had many people thank us for the service we do and have expressed how impressed they are with the quick action of the Church. I'm not sure, but I've heard that FEMA has placed the stake in charge of the relief effort. That was what we heard from a few stake leaders, but I'm not sure to what extent that is true. Either way, people are seeing our help and we're being recognized.

Highlight of the week: Stake Conference

From what I've been told, missionaries aren't usually allowed to attend the adult session, but in this case, the First Presidency specifically mandated that the missionaries attend because the topic of the session was missionary work. 

The Boulder Stake Presidency was reorganized because our last president has been called to be a Russian speaking mission president. He doesn't know where or when, but he has received and accepted the call. We had two Seventies come Elders Schweitzer and Wright. They had some wonderful things to say about making homes an MTC and preparing children to serve. One of the stories told was of an inactive member who had gone on a mission and had the program from her missionary farewell framed and hanging in the stairwell of her home. She never attended church, probably didn't teach the scriptures to her sons, and yet all three of them went on missions. 

Elder Schweitzer asked us why we thought those boys made that decision and then continued to tell a story of a woman whose son joined the Navy and went off to sea, never to return. She wept and wondered why her son decided on such a distant and dangerous career. To distract her from her sorrow, she decided to perform a thorough cleaning of her home. As she slowly progressed through her empty home, she noticed the paintings of ships hanging on the walls of each room and then ceased to wonder why her son had gone to sea. 

The thought I wrote after Elder Schweitzer related this story was this: 

The messages we place upon the bulletin boards or walls of our homes will silently, subtly, and significantly shape the decisions we and our children make. 

That was soon followed by another though that echoes one of my mother's favorite quotes. Let's see if you know what it is.

The decisions regarding what is allowed in a home will determine the destiny of the residents therein. 

I know the wording seems a little bit flowery, but this is how I think when I get ideas in conferences or personal study. I think making them sound quotable makes them easier to remember anyway. That's the important part. 

I've heard many times, (especially in the MTC) that the thoughts we have during talks are so much more important than a word for word record of the talk given. I agree. Everybody can hear or read the words of a talk. We all hear the same ones and there are already many ways to record the words spoken. That's why General Conference is filmed and the talks printed in the Ensign. The aspects of a talk that requires sharing and recording on our part are the inspirations we receive during our reflection of the words everybody else hear. 

(I'll let the reader insert a paragraph that ties the last two together and designs a personal application of them.)

That's all for this week.

Keep Love's banner floating o'er you;

Smite Death's threat'ning wave before you.

God be with you till we meet again. 

Elder Dickson

Week #19

Only a little paragraph this week!

Last night Blaine Yorgason spoke in our stake about the settling of St. George and the development of the endowment. Did you know he lives in St. George? He just wrote a book called "All That Was Promised." The Church asked him to write it. He mentioned a lot of names I know: Stucki, Iverson, Gardiner. It was fun.


Elder Dickson

Exclamation Point!!!

Week #18

Exclamation points are good, right?

New transfer, new companion, same area. After twelve weeks of training from Elder Yarman, he left and Elder Hanks came in to take his place. He's different and not quite as bold as Elder Yarman, but he's still great. He made bread a few days ago and he does a pretty good job. He cares about the work and the people we've met so far and has some wonderful insights about the Gospel. Fun stuff.

Boulder Flood work is slowing down tremendously, but we still haven't much opportunity to teach. The Elders in the neighboring area are supposed to have a car, but because neither of them have a driver's license, we have had custody and use of the car. Usually this means that we drive them just about everywhere they need to go. Their area is much too big to reasonably bike and they still have a lot of administrating to do before they can start ministering. Hopefully one of them, can get a license this week.

The Elders in that area are Elder Dionicio who is training Elder Penaranda from Bolivia. Elder Penaranda is 18 and this is his first experience being away from home. He wants to work hard, but he doesn't really know how to live on his own yet. These next few weeks will be quite an experience for him. I am very glad I spent a year at college first. It's good to learn how to live without Mom first.

Elder Hanks and I have been biking (when we're not a shuttle service), and every night I come home very tired and just a bit hungry. Definitely going to be healthier and all ready for Brazil when my visa comes. (Thanks for the update, Mom.)


I'm excited to see what happens in these weeks right after Conference. Even more excited because in just two weeks we have Stake Conference. With so much emphasis on missionary work lately, I have been a little bit frustrated with the lack of involvement from the members. Feeding missionaries is a great thing, but we would much rather have referrals. We can get our own food just as easily, but the only way we can really find people is knocking and everybody now knows that there is a better way. Share the Conference messages. Share the scriptures. Preach the Gospel and, if necessary, use words to help your work. "The Harvest is great and the laborers are few; but if we're united, we all things can do (exclamation point!)"

Minha alma se alegra por causa do Evangelho de Jesus Cristo, nosso Salvador e Redentor. Ele criou os ceus e a terra. Ele e O Senhor, O Filho Unigenito e ele nos ama.

Eu amo voces.

Elder Dickson.

Here's Elder Hanks.

Here's a new friend of mine. He came in a box with a lot of goodies. (May I add from the best cousin ever.)

*****************************************

As a side note, you may notice that Elder Dickson is not in the picture with his companion. This is because Elder Dickson believes that "Guys shouldn't take selfies." So therefore they can't take a picture together. 

World Traveler

Sam's mom has been checking the Brazil Consulate visa status, and guess what? His visa is finally ready!!!

We're still not sure when Sam will get his visa, but he is one step closer to getting it!

And the Rains Came Tumbling Down

Week #17

Four months already. I'll be home in no time.

Service is slowing down. I'm actually wearing a shirt and tie today which feels kind of normal. 

As of tomorrow, I will have finished training and will get a new companion, Elder Hanks. All I know is that my Zone Leader trained him about a year ago, he bakes bread every Monday, and that November will be a great month to have him as a companion. I'll meet him tomorrow and Elder Yarman will go to the distant land of Greeley. I also don't get a car at all next transfer. I'll still be in Lafayette, but on bike the whole time. I think I could lose 15 pounds.

Things are slowly returning to normal. There's much less trash on the streets in Boulder (though there are still some badly damage areas) and we've been able to teach a few lessons this week. 

I don't know if I've mentioned Paige before, but she has been an investigator for a very long time. When I first got here, she never kept commitments, was impossible to meet with, and was never busy. . . These last couple weeks, she has actually texted us to set up appointments, read passages from the Book of Mormon within a couple days of meeting with her, and been much more engaged in the lessons. If she stays this excited and starts coming to church, she could be baptized by October 26.

Sorry, I don't have more stories. I do have some pictures though!

Elder Dickson

The backyard of one of the houses we helped.

Elder Dionicio and Elder Yarman

Lots of missionaries.

Sister Woessner very cold and an undamaged backyard.

Mountain of carpet and Elder Lund.

My battle-scar. Floorboards can be nasty. 

Big white buffalo.

Elder Greer (owns big white buffalo)

My new favorite flavor. I can't wait to try the normal strength stuff. 

A place called Left Hand Creek. It doesn't usually have this much water.

Left Hand Canyon

This was a paved road. 

The first part of the road. 

I guess this was a bridge. 

Noah's Ark

Week #16

Elder Dickson is just so busy! Here is the email he sent his mom today.

More flood relief this week. Between ripping out drywall, carpet, door frames and other stuff, we've had no other time for anything else. No special stories this week. I don't really have anything to say at all. This was a very exhausting week and it all kind of blends into one day. I've worn a tie twice since the flooding started and my jeans have been washed about five times in just this week. 

Give Said the Little Stream

Week #15

What a week. Hopefully I'll dry out sometime next month.

I did hear Colorado made national headlines, but it obviously wasn't Lafayette. We've had rain here, but only a couple people in our ward had to leave their homes or had any trouble at all. Bishop Poulson's house is on top of a hill so we haven't had any problems at all. We even sleep with the window open.

We have spent most of the week in P-day clothes ripping up carpets, cleaning basements, digging trenches and sandbagging. I never had my camera with me, but Elder Yarman got some pretty great pictures. I'll see if I can get some. 

The worst flooding has been in Boulder, so our whole zone has spent the last three days down there helping whoever we can find. Saturday and Sunday were spent largely in one very large house just moving all of their furniture and carpet out. Twenty-two missionaries wading through a basement with water up to the mid-calf carrying waterlogged couches, bookcases, sounds systems, mattresses and computers is an impressive thing to see. Especially when they're capable of ripping out an entire basement in twenty minutes. I'm pretty sure it was more impressive than Ammon chopping off all those arms. If there's ever a book chronicling the missionary work of the last dispensation, we should be in it.

We also got to make a pretty awesome promise to a recent convert earlier this week. She's been having a lot of financial trouble and we asked her if she had paid any tithing since her baptism and she said no. We taught her that the Lord will bless us when we pay, and even when we have next to nothing, we should pay 10% of next to nothing. One of the things they told us in the MTC is that we have jurisdiction over our areas and that we can receive revelation and even prophecy as directed by the Spirit. I am sure that this was one of those times. Both Elder Yarman and I were impressed to tell her that if she set aside 10% of her next paycheck (which should arrive today), she would be able to take care of herself and her brother, pay her son a debt of $700, and meet all of her other needs if she would pay tithing. It was something I wasn't really sure that I could promise something that specific, but when I started to explain that we could make these kinds of promises, Elder Yarman picked up and continued with the exact same thing I was going to say. Neither of us has ever had an experience like that and we are both very excited to see how it turns out. 

I think those are the stories we really have for this week. Lots of mud, water, service, and soreness, but I'm loving it. Also, two more people from my MTC district got their visas this week and will be going to Brazil on the 30th. I am getting just a little bit excited about mine.

Love you all,

Elder Dickson

The Sorrow for a Soul

Week #14

This last week has been one of trying experiences. Once again, most of our appointments have fallen through and we rarely get more than a "maybe" for rescheduling. We did have one woman whom we were very hopeful about, but that didn't turn out so well.

Leslie had been attending church in Lafayette for quite a while and most of the ward already knew her. We found out she wasn't a member and tried to set up a meeting with her. After a few weeks of a lot of scheduling issues, we finally got a meeting with her last Thursday. We learned that she had been investigating the Church for seven years and knew it was true, she just hadn't [committed to] baptism. That was my first doubt. She said she knew the Church was true, but had put forth no effort of her own to be baptized. We went over the baptismal interview questions just to see where she stood and found [that there were some obstacles]. We said that we would have to meet again to make sure she had been taught everything and set her with a baptismal date.

We met again Sunday morning. Elder Yarman had me address [the issues. After the discussion, it was clear that she was not ready for baptism.] She also accused us [unjustly]. . . and said . . . it felt like we didn't want her. She then decided to leave and didn't stay for Sacrament Meeting. I will admit I cried.

As horribly as the meeting went, I did reaffirm that I do have a testimony. As Alma and Nephi would weep for the people when they rejected the truth, I realized I wasn't crying because she had hurt me. I cried because we had presented her with truth and scripture in the most loving way we knew how and she rejected it. Though my body hasn't been changed like John's and the Three Nephites', it is incredible how the first real sorrow of my mission was for the [soul] of another. (3 Nephi 28:9)

The words of the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants are very much a comfort in this situation.

"If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations (...) and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." D&C 122:6-7

Though I don't exactly have all the problems listed in these verses, I feel the promise still stands. I get the feeling that after having such a difficulty over something so small, I think teaching larger issues such as the Law of Chastity will be easier. I know that seems backwards, but people seem to have a harder time giving up small things and will fight more for them. 

I'm trying to take more pictures. I really am. I just always forget I have my camera in my bag. I did get one of George Miller though. He drives a Harley, is a former drug addict, is a High Priest, Webelos Leader, Family history Consultant, the best cook in the ward and is preparing to [receive] his endowment in the next month or so. Basically, he's a wonderful example of what we should be.

Love you all,

Elder Dickson

Service and Study

Week #13

Yesterday was Labor Day and the libraries were closed. Sorry.

Last week was pretty good. We got a new investigator that we were supposed to teach today, but he just cancelled a little bit ago. The ward is getting more excited about missionary work and just today we met with the Ward Mission Leader to set up a ward mission plan. Make sure you know what your ward mission plan is. 

We are only allowed to write letters on P-day (Monday). I did write Katie and Emma. Hopefully they showed up last week.

Nothing really incredible happened this week. Elder Yarman is the District Leader now and I'm almost done with training. Our days are getting more difficult to fill with appointments and often we only get to teach at dinners. There are a few reasons for that. One is that I still have to do four hours of study and we have service to do. Most of what we do now is in T-shirts and jeans. Today we just trimmed the lawn for an inactive member and actually got a referral from her. Ammon served before preaching. I guess that's what I'm supposed to do. 

If you haven't already visit, biblevideos.org. They are powerful. We've actually started using them for some of our teaching. 

I forgot my camera again, but I do have some pictures to send. Not many, but a few. Maybe I'll take even more.

Bye for now,

Elder Dickson

No Time For The World

Week #12

Elder Dickson is working so hard that he doesn't have time to write emails! Here is part of his email that he wrote to his mother: 
You have a lot of questions and the line for computers here is getting long. To make things short. We've moved and now live in the Bishop's basement. Elder Yarman and I are actually pretty clean, but in the last place we had no closet or shelves, two drawers and one room. There simply weren't other places to put things. Things are much better in our new place. Just time to answer quesotions today.I'm in Lafayette. Loveland is the Mission Office. No, I don't print emails. Too much paper and I would have to carry them around. I don't get a lot of  time to play the piano.The temple attendance policy is not what you would call liberal and it takes most of P-day if you include travel.
Bye,

Sam

Henry B. Eyring

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

Here are a few pictures from when Elder Dickson got to Colorado.

Sam with the Mission President and the Mission President's wife.

 The handsome Elder.

The group that came with him to Colorado.