Be good. Do what is right. Be courageous.

Week #95 

Elder Dickson needed his email time today for things other than email. He's working hard and will be home soon. 

           I might not be able to send much of an email today.

           Here's a picture of our baptism this week: 

And here is some great advice he gave to his sister for her birthday:

            Be good. Do what is right. Be courageous. 

Seis Semanas Restantes

(Title translation: Six Weeks Remaining)

Week #94

Rute was confirmed and we brought a lot of people to church yesterday. The Branch President even asked President Wright if Elder Andrade and I could stay here for one more transfer. The transfer email hasn't arrived yet, so I don't know if it will actually happen that way.

We worked a lot this week. We met a lot of new people and the Sacrament Meeting Attendance is slowly increasing. Ivoti seemed such a difficult area when we got here, but neither one of us has a problem with staying here. Still waiting on that transfer email. 

There it is.

The whole district has changed. Of the four sisters that were here this transfer, one is going home and two were transferred. The rest of the zone changed a lot as well. The Zone Leaders were both transferred and many other missionaries are going home. It looks like half of our zone changed.

We're staying here. Ivoti is now officially my last area.

That means I have more time to buy cool stuff and I'm going to leave a lot of not-so-cool, but useful stuff with Elder Andrade.

Until next week.

Elder Dickson

Baptism

Week #93

This was a good week. Baptisms are always wonderful.

I don't really remember all that much that happened. I do need to be a lot better about keeping my journal.

This week, I interviewed one of the Sisters' investigators and we spent the whole week making everything work for Rute's (Ruth) baptism. We're also going to start the process of helping her sister get married. If we get everything done tomorrow, Esdra and Edemir should be baptized on my last Sunday in Brazil. I won't talk about dates anymore. I don't like to think that I have to stop speaking Portuguese for people to understand me.

Here's the picture. 

The Branch Mission Leader was called as Branch President yesterday. I've already seen so many changes in the branch since I got here that I'm really excited to see what the Lord has in mind for Ivoti. I feel like Ivoti is just waiting to explode into a strong ward. We just need more people.

We have to go to Novo Hamburgo today so I can buy some cool shoes. I'll take pictures, but I'll probably only use them when I come home. The shoes I brought with me still have a few more kilometers before they need to be thrown out. Sadly, they will not make it home. Missionary shoes really do take a beating.

The other picture is my district. 

From left to right: Sou eu! Sister Warrik (Cedar City), Sister Filiagi (São Paulo), Sister Oliveira Souza (Ceará), Sister Ribeiro (Portugal), Elder Andrade (Paraíba). Todos batizadores!

Until next week.

Elder Dickson

"Fear Departs When Faith Endures"

Week #92

It's hard to believe that four weeks have already passed in Ivoti. Time really does fly when you're working. This week almost feels like it didn't happen.

This week I didn't get to spend a lot of time working in my own area. We spent most of Tuesday planning for the week and in a service project. We only had enough time at the end of the day to talk to a few people before returning home. Thursday we had a conference in Porto Alegre and used a large part of the afternoon coming back to our area. (the story includes getting the wrong bus, train schedules, stopping to eat ice cream, and a few other difficulties.) Friday and Saturday I spent in the Zone Leaders' area on a companionship exchange during which Elder Andrade and the other Zone Leader met a lot of people and visited almost all of our contacts from the previous week. I came back Saturday night with only Sunday to finish up the week and visit a few more people.

I also spoke in Church on Sunday. It was one of those great moments when you didn't even have a day to do a good personal study session and prepare, so you just pull something you already had prepared (it really is important to "always be prepared") and, when what you had prepared doesn't fill up the time, you just keep talking about what you think needs to be said. I received many compliments afterwards, so I guess it must have gone well. I don't know. I don't remember very well.

It was an unusual experience. When I was still in Canoas, I prepared a talk about members in missionary work. I was only able to give about half of it. (This is the talk where the Bishop kicked me). I wondered why I had felt that I should prepare the other half if I wasn't even going to be able to say it. The funny thing is that what I had written in Canoas was exactly what I was assigned in Ivoti and I had a lot more time to speak.

The story gets better. The closing hymn was #128 "When Faith Endures." It's a hymn I had never heard before, but the lyrics combined perfectly with everything I had spoken about not 30 seconds before we started singing. The lyrics are strikingly similar in Portuguese and English. Very few hymns translate so well. I said many of the same words that were in the hymn. The Spirit really does inspire speakers, music directors and bishops that prepare, in the spirit of prayer, church meetings.

Just a thought that I had during the Priesthood meeting. It sounds a little better in Portuguese, so I'll write in both languages.

"Fazer o que é certo faz muito mais que falar o que está errado."

"Doing what is right does much more than saying what is wrong."

Elder Dickson

". . . If ye have faith, ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

Alma 32:21

Week #91

This week we spoke with many people and almost had a baptism. Unfortunately, nobody came to church and our potential baptism is on the verge of giving up. I would like to say we have lots of people to teach, but German descent is something to be proud of here.

I have heard many people deny the opportunity to follow the Gospel in many different ways, but only a few say "I understand what you're saying. I just haven't let God into my heart yet. I know I have all the responsibility for my salvation or condemnation, but I'm going to stay how I am." We heard those exact words this week. Another that's a little more common is, "We're (insert religion) and maybe we're wrong, but I was born (religion), I was baptized (religion), married (religion) and will die (religion). We might be wrong, but we won't change."

Pride is something so simple and common, but can impede so much.

A woman proudly told us this week that she didn't have enough faith to follow the true Church of Christ. She then proceeded to tell us that the Apostles that left their nets did so because they didn't believe (in something already) and didn't have a structured faith. They followed because they just wanted somebody to follow.

Many times I have felt the strong desire to say "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures." Sufficeth to say that I was more than a little frustrated this week, but we still did a great deal of work and had a wonderful meeting with the Branch Council. We are planning many things that should help a great deal here. If searching out the people doesn't work, we will have to discover what will bring them to us. 

It really is a war and we need to plan and develop strategies. I never thought about a mission like this before I came to Ivoti.

Yesterday was also my birthday. I got a package of bombom, and Guaraná Antartica, and Doritos and I got another cuia! The Sisters in my district even sang over the phone last night. If other people hadn't remembered, I might have forgotten. Thank you all.

Mission Conference this week. They're always great.

Until next week.

Elder Dickson