Come Unto Christ

Week #50

"The words 'come unto Christ' are an invitation. It is the most important invitation you could ever offer to another person. It is the most important invitation anyone could accept." President Henry B. Erying

Sometimes it's really difficult to think of something to say.

This week, we had our goal to speak with 220 people. We didn't talk to quite that many, but it was still a lot of people. The problem is that only 17 decided to listen, but that's okay. Our purpose is to invite and we do a lot of that.

I also was invited to speak in Sacrament Meeting at the last minute. That was fun.

I don't know what else there is this week. I think I need to write in my journal more to remember what happened.

Elder Dickson

Montenegro Week 3

Week #49

That is, I'm starting week three in Montenegro. 

Bom dia todos! Hoje é um diamaravilhoso. Vamos relaxar, comprarcomida, e, mais para frente, aprenderfazer churrasco! Que legal!

Alright. Time for happenings and what not. 

Yesterday I spoke with my family with my companion and two members of a Brazilian Priests Quorum. One asked if my sisters are always so excited and my companion, Elder Souza (Souza as in the word "sew" not "sue") has already asked permission to marry one of my sisters. I just responded, "Se ela aceitá-lo." He finishes his mission in about 6 months and is studying English. 

On to other things. We have a goal this week to speak with at least 220 people. It's almost double what is expected. It should be difficult, but should be worth it too. What a surprise for the Zone Leaders. With that many people to talk to, I should have some good experiences this week. 

I've been reading a book called "The Power of Everyday Missionaries." The principles are wonderful for member missionaries and full-time ones too. There are a lot of good things I'm learning that I plan to use here to work with members and in our teaching. 

I recommend studying it and trying the things the author suggests. He cites numerous stories the really are miraculous. Remember that faith precedes the miracle and faith without works is dead. Ou seja, we need to work if we want to see miracles.

We can learn this in the example of the Brother of Jared. In Ether 2:16, The Lord says, "Go to work" and the Brother of Jared, "did go to work, and also his brethren." They followed the commandment of the Lord. When they arrived at the point that they could do no more, (as John Bytheway says, "listen with your spiritual ears" here) they asked the Lord to provide the miracles of touching the stones with His finger. This reflects a phrase that we use a lot in Brazil, "dá umjeito" that translates as "find a way." What it literally translates to is "give a way" or "do everything you can to provide the way". It is this that the Brother of Jared did. The Lord asked him, "what would you have me do?" and the Brother of Jared did some thinking and "did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones." He gave the Lord a way to perform a miracle.

I believe that many times we can make performing a miracle more difficult or easier for the Lord. We are the instruments in His hands. Imagine how difficult it would be to build a house if every time you tried to hit a nail with a hammer, the hammer turned to the side or even jumped out of your hand. We can be a rebellious hammer, or an obedient hammer. 

We can better ourselves even more if we make ourselves more sensitive to His touch. We can be as precise and useful as the surgeon's scalpel in the hands of the Lord, but we need to do the refining and sharpening and we must maintain that blade sharp and clean. The surgeon probably won't use a dull blade in a heart surgery, let alone a rusty one. We must be pure, sensitive, and receptive to the guidance of the Spirit if we want to help the Lord perform miracles.

His work and His glory is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man and he lets us help if we are found worthy. "And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work." Our focus has to be His Glory, and we already know what that glory is. 

The act of sharpening must be unpleasant for the blade. It scrapes the blade. The blade loses parts of itself. The blade is repeatedly dragged against something harder than it is that it may be refined and useful. If we don't let ourselves be sharpened, we are not useful.

Let's all be well sharpened instruments in the Lord's hands.

I love you all.

Elder Dickson

Here's a picture with myself, Elder Cotton (from Texas), Elder Barnes (from Kansas), and Elder Souza.

Montenegro

Week #48

Hello Everybody!

I am now in the the city of Montenegro. I don't really understand the name. There aren't really mountains here, just big hills in the middle of the city. I like it here. It's not hot, it's getting a little bit colder and the rain is incredible. Lots of rain. Tons of rain. Rain and more rain. Winter in the south of Brazil should be fun.

Great, not a whole lot to say this week. I'm lost in another city, but my companion and I have already met. Elder Souza is from Fortaleza and we lived in the same house in Osório a few transfers ago. He's a lot more friendly than I am with members and investigators. 

Montenegro is a little bit more difficult than Osório. The people are a little more closed off and don't really like to accept us. In Osório usually every few houses we could teach somebody. Here, 20 houses might yield 2 lessons and the people don't really want to listen, but we met a young woman yesterday that may be baptized this week. 

It's always wonderful to hear stories of missionary efforts at home. Yesterday we did a split with two priests of the ward here. The Lord is preparing His army. The youth already know how to teach, testify, and invite. They just need opportunity to practice. Seek ye learning, be courageous. 

Until next week. 

Elder Dickson

Transfers

Week #47

Yes, I'm being transfered. 19 weeks in Osório, 9 baptisms, a wonderful experience and two great companions. Time to move on.

This week we baptized for the second time this transfer. Lisiane was incredible. Her husband left her with two children a couple weeks ago and she has been praying for a path to follow. Within a couple days of this we clapped (you don't knock doors) at her gate. She accepted baptism and received a testimony of the church that night. She was baptized yesterday. 

The Lord prepares His children. Many times, we as missionaries think that it's our job to prepare the people, but those who accept the Gospel were prepared by the Lord. He pours out the Spirit to prepare hearts so that when we testify He can cause our words to resonate in the soul of that person. This is the miracle of missionary work. This is the mighty change of heart.

I think I already quoted a great deal of Elder Ballard in the last couple emails, but he stated that true testimony, when received, changes hearts. 

We use a lot of teaching techniques here. Many things that help create a good first impression and first lesson, but the most important tool we have is our testimony. Don't be afraid to bear it. 

I've thought many times that I focused my mission preparation on the wrong things. I thought in shoes and shirts, good ties, durable socks, and a suitcase that holds everything, but the most important thing is a testimony of the principles of the Gospel. This really is the only thing we need. 

I always forget my camera at baptisms so Elder Vieira has the pictures of Lisiane, but he didn't bring his memory card. I've already asked him to email the pictures to me next week.

I have to go pack my suitcase now. 

Elder Dickson

Short On Time

Week #46

Sorry for not sending emails yesterday. Here in Osório everything closes down on the holidays. Monday is not always the best day for P-day. The city almost looked like something from a post-apocalyptic film. Nobody anywhere. Very strange. 

This week was difficult. Actually this transfer was difficult. We have had one baptism, but almost everybody decided they didn't want any type of promise. It's difficult.

Just to give an idea of the way this mission works, the vision of the Mission President is that if people don't commit or don't have interest in baptism, then we don't have a commitment or purpose with them either. It seemed a little bit harsh at first, but it makes sense too. Even our street contacts are geared this way. We speak of baptism from the first moment. We say we prepare people for baptism the first time we meet in the street and it's incredible how many people accept. It's our first filter. Our investigators know our purpose from the beginning and many accept. The Lord is accelerating His work. 

There's a lot of potential this week. We have lots of names and people, but we could use some extra prayers. Especially that people will recognize answers to their prayers and follow those answers, especially Lisiane, Irma, José, Max, Mário, and whoever else we may meet.

That's all for now. Share the Gospel with someboy today and tomorrow and the next day etc.

Elder Dickson


***
Note from Elder Dickson's mom:
On Easter Sunday I woke up to the great surprise of pictures sent from a sweet Sister in Brazil. Because of the blessing of seeing my son's happy face in these pictures I was able to handle the little extra wait for his email this week.

Ainda Não Assisti Conferência! (Still have not watched conference!)

Week #45

I still haven't watched anything of the Saturday Sessions of General Conference I heard that the Priesthood Session was incredible, but I probably won't get to know what was said until next month with The Liahona. It's really weird to think that all you Americans have The Friend, New Era, and The Ensign. Out here in the rest of the world, it's just The Liahona, but it's basically The Ensign with a few activities for children. They're good activities.

Having just typed "their" when I wanted to type "they're", please forgive other errors. Portuguese is so natural now. The rules make so much more sense than those of English.

I spent a lot of time on buses this week and a lot more time in beach cities. I met a lot of members of other branches and saw the difference between members of the Church and Converts to the Gospel. There is a difference.

I've been doing a lot of reading of old Conference Reports. This week was November 2004. The words of the modern prophets are incredible and it's even better to read the words of those that have already ended their earthly missions (President Hinckley, President Faust, and others). I especially like Elder Ballard's talk entitled "Pure Testimony." He called the Church to replace "stories, travelogues, and lectures with pure testimonies."

He related a story from Brigham Young to illustrate this point. 

"Many years ago Brigham Young told of an early missionary in the Church who was asked to share his testimony with a large group of people. According to President Young, this particular elder “never had been able to say that he knew Joseph [Smith] was a Prophet.” He would have preferred to just say a prayer and leave, but the circumstances made that impossible. So he started to speak, and “as soon as he got ‘Joseph’ out, ‘is a Prophet,’ was … next; and from that, his tongue was loosened, and he continued talking until near sun-down.”

After, he stated "the Lord pours out His Spirit upon a man, when he testifies that [which] the Lord gives him to testify of."

I learned this when I was still in Lafeyette. One of the last things I learned there was that if you don't have something to say, testify. We always have something to say. We need not worry about revealing deep doctrines or explaining every point about the organization of the priesthood. We should explain simply the basic truths of the Gospel, testify of them. One of the problems that we have seen many times this week is members of the Church sharing everything or starting with a deeper doctrine. This doesn't work. How can we expect somebody to understand the doctrine of vicarious baptism if they don't understand the necessity nor the correct form of baptism? 

The pattern is simple. The pattern is inspired. Who are we to improve what the Lord established? Alma, seeing the corruption of his people didn't resort to deep doctrines and complicated proofs in the scriptures. He used the greatest tool that he had. As it says in Alma 4:19, he saw nothing more he could do than bear pure testimony. The biggest gun he had was to say, "I know."

To members of the Church, remember that we know. Remember that we are the covenant people of The Lord. We have made promises with Him and He will send His Spirit to carry our words into the hearts of the children of men. 

To the youth (especially young men) do not make the mistake of thinking that the Aaronic Priesthood is just something for boys and the real responsibility comes when you are ordained an Elder. John the Baptist held the Priesthood of Aaron, the same authority with which he baptized The Messiah. When you were ordained Teachers, you received the authority to teach. What a coincidence! You are home teachers, not, as President Faust taught, "a yawning appendage to an Elder making a social call." The responsibility is to help the spiritual strength of your brothers and sisters. What a wonderful responsibility! Deacons, you help renew sacred covenants that cannot be done without your authority. Remember that you hold responsibility and power for the salvation of souls as a Deacon of twelve years than any worldy power or leader of any other religious organization in the world. 

Remember that the Priesthood, which is the power of God given to men to bring about their salvation, was restored and will not be lost. 

Remember that to teach is to testify. 

To others that may not be members, listen to the testimonies of those who bear them. The Holy Ghost testifies to all those who allow him to. We are more than happy to share what we know to be true.

Until next week and Happy Easter. 

Elder Dickson

Lots of Answers and Conference

Week #44

First off, I have only seen the Sunday sessions of General Conference and what I saw I liked. Don't spoil the rest for me. We'll watch it this Saturday. 

Second, this week was a little bit slow, but we started to explore some more remote areas and have met some really good people. 

Third, my mother's questions. 

Tell us about the people you live with. I live with just Elder Vieira. He plays lots of pranks and is from Matogrosso do Sul. 

Are there any Americans in your home this transfer? No.

Do you all sleep in the same room? Depends upon the house. You always sleep in the same room as your companion.

Do you have a washer to wash your clothes? Yes, but it's nowhere near as nice as what Americans are used to.

What is your day like from the time you wake up until you go to bed? Study, walk, walk, eat, walk, teach, walk, walk, teach, teach, walk, walk, teach, walk, plan, sleep.

Does it rain everyday? Is it still hot? No. Yes. Sometimes both at the same time. I don't like those days.

Are your shoes lasting? Do you need new things? Shoes are fine. Not that I think of.

What is Brazil like? I don't know, but Rio Grande do Sul has a lot of beef, black beans, and Gauchos.

Are the people kind? Some yes, some no.

Do dogs chase you? No, they just bark a lot and some come a lot closer than others. There's one in particular that certainly has bitten several people. Most dogs don't really care about you and others think you're their best friend. 

What is the weirdest food you have eaten? The tomato sauce here is horrible. It does not resemble the flavor of tomatoes. Lasagna also isn't made with pasta. It's more of a crepe with chicken or beef and that horrible sauce. Somehow Lasagna is still good. Really, everything is basically the same food with the same name, but with one or two different ingredients.

Are there big bugs down there? I've killed some big cockroaches. It's really weird when one climbs up your leg and by the time your companion has time to tell you, it's already entering your shirt collar. Really weird feeling to have something that big crawling on your neck. Other than that, no. The bugs are about the same. Also, did you know that Chile does not have cockroaches?

Do you play soccer on your p-day? Not yet. 

How many miles do you walk in a day? A normal day is probably between 6 and 8. Some days are a lot more.

Is this your third "transfer" in Osorio? Yes.

How long do missionaries stay in one area? As long as the Lord wants.

I would like to remind people of the challenge we heard yesterday to study Preach My Gospel and share what you learn. It was written for missionaries and every member is exactly that. In short, share the Gospel and learn how the Lord wants it done by studying His manual. 

That's all folks,

Elder Dickson