Batismo!

Week #38

Baptism is such a good word.

Baptism this week. Yesterday in fact. And what a crazy day it was. Setting up interviews, bringing people to church, my companion going to another area to prepare another baptism, Getting three baptisms from two cities to happen at the same lake (it's more of a huge puddle. Kind of like Utah Lake.) I slept well last night. 

Just a little bit about Brazil. Nobody listens to Brazilian music. Almost all the music you hear in stores or public places is American. Anyway, back to baptism.

Everybody looks good in white. 

Photo left to right: Elder Vieira, Elder Dickson, Maria Gorete, Amanda, Regina, Gabriel, Tamara, Elder Lagos, Elder Day, Jeferson (Branch Mission Leader)

I have seen several missionaries go home early. It is hard work. The scripture stories don't talk very much about the time Ammon spent guarding sheep, walking the hot sun, cleaning clothes and missing home. A lot of people think that, because missionary work is the Lord's work, He will do everything. It doesn't work that way. We are instruments in his hands. We are tools, but imagine how difficult it would be to build a house if your hammer decided it didn't want to be a hammer. 

We are called to labor. Think of the three places we hear the word labor. Working outside, giving birth, and missionary work. Labor means hard. Labor means hot sun. Labor means you are tired. Labor hurts. Sometimes it means you will bleed. Labor means we are stronger after. 

If we endure well, God will exalt us on high. That's the promise. Endure means things will be difficult.

I wasn't ready to labor. I am almost 20 years old and have spent almost 9 months on a mission and still don't feel like I've worked hard enough. Many are called but few are chosen. Many are called on a mission, but few fulfill their assignment. It is difficult and worth the labor. How great is our joy in bringing just one soul to repentence? Greater than all the labor of two years. 

The strength comes from the Lord. We cannot serve missions alone. The people who try don't succeed. If you want to serve a mission, seek strength from the Lord.

Time for my birthday wish. Please please please please remember that missionaries are called specifically to preach the gospel of Christ. We are not called to be home teachers, to retain members we've never met, or to meet every request of the Elders Quorum President. One of the things they said in the MTC is that we should not fulfill the responsibilities of members. Home teachers, we will not make visits for you. 

President Hinckley taught that three things are necessary if somebody is to remain firm in the Church. A friend, a calling, and nourishment of the good word of God. Missionaries cannot provide two of these three things. Members, please, welcome the new members. Be their friends. Allow them to have some part in the Kingdom.

That's what I've got this week. 

Tchau

Elder Dickson

P.S. My companion has only been a member for three years and is one of the best missionaries I know.

Life in the Trenches

Week #37

Last week I had something I wanted to talk about. Today I have no idea. How about what happened this week?

We've met a lot of wonderful people these last two weeks. People who accepted invitations to church and to read and pray. I do have a favorite family though.

I met this family a few weeks ago with Elder Lagos on a companion exchange. The entire family is women, so we've had to teach some lessons from the door, but we are almost certain that they will be baptized.

The first is Maria. She's about 55 and has very simple desires and a very simple understanding. She's also a stereotypical short, Latina grandmother. She loves to feed people and says things in the funniest ways.

Second, Ingrid. She's about 26, short, round, always happy and is just like her mother. They talk about the same things in the same way and understand the principle of faith more than anything else. They also call us padres.

Third, Jocelia. She's the miracle of the family. She's about 20, short, dark, attractive and intelligent. (One of the members in the branch is already thinking how she would look in a white dress.) She is also the one who understands why the Gospel needed to be restored. When we invited M--- to be baptized, she responded that she had already been baptized and didn't think she could be again. Before we could say anything, Jocelia, very loudly, " Mas Mãe, precisaser feito com autoridade." ( But Mother, it needs to be done with authority. )

The three want to be baptized and we marked a date for the first of March. One of my favorite days. What birthday present could be better than three baptisms? I'm excited.

I don't know what else there is to say this week. I spent a lot of time working in other areas this week, so I didn't do all that much in my own area. Good week though. Something that one of the missionaries in the Fort Collins mission said is that missionaries should be learning something every time they teach a lesson. We only have four lessons and we always teach the same one, but somehow we learn something. You can learn something too. Remember, seek ye learning.

It's getting colder! This is probably the best news. These last few weeks were horrible. I don't think we had a day below 35° and the humidity just made things worse. Most days were closer to 40°(for all you Americans, that's about 104°.) This week, it looks like rain and nothing above 30°. Que bênção. I might even use a jacket or long-sleeve shirt. We're even using blankets at night now. 

Now we just need hot water. Yeah, the water is the same temperature as the pipes and our shower head is broken. If you want hot water, you buy a shower head that heats up the water. Ours doesn't work anymore. The morning showers could stand improvement.

Here's a photo from our balcony yesterday morning. 

Love you all.

Elder Dickson

Seek Ye Learning

Week #36

Great, I wrote everything after this first paragraph first. Sorry if it feels a little scattered. It is just a little bit stream of consciousness, but I ended saying what I wanted. Hopefully it makes sense.

First, my sister finally had an out of Utah experience. (She went to Washington DC for a youth leadership convention. Her first real experience outside of our Utah “bubble”.) Parents already know about the dangers of the world and the difficulty of raising children. I don't know that second part, but the first is obvious. The problem is we cannot be protected our entire lives. We must pass through the refiner's fire.

The walled garden is nice. It is a very safe environment and if we stay in it, we will see a lot of beautiful flowers, just as Cosette in Les Miserables spent her teenage life in the well-tended and protected home of Jean Valjean. Readers will notice however, that she was almost completely unaware of the pains of her guardian, the struggles of  Marius and the other students and far from the hard life of Eponine. From what I remember, Cosette didn't change much. She dreamed of a castle on a cloud and never really saw anything else. This is not our purpose.

The bubble is wonderful for raising children, but, after guiding by the hand and teaching in every moment, Christ sent His disciples and apostles into the world as sheep among wolves. We must leave the bubble. We left the safe castle on a cloud and the presence of our Heavenly Father to come to this dangerous Earth with the purpose to learn and progress. If we are to become eternal parents we must know how to choose. I believe that agency is much more than a gift from God. I believe that the proper use of agency is requisite to become as he is. 

Why is agency so important in the Plan of Salvation? We learn that we come here to be tested. That we will receive our reward according to our use of agency. Those who use this agency to follow the Gospel of Christ and complete the Ordinances of Salvation will receive all that the Father hath. Stay with me just a little longer.

Our purpose is to become Gods. We must understand choice and the influences it has. We, as eternal parents, will make many choices that will heavily influence the potential of our children. We must understand agency. One who never made a choice is not prepared to make choices for others. I believe this is why we had to leave the presence of our Father. We must understand eternal consequences before we can be eternal beings.

The plan of the devil was to deny us our agency. Now, he strives to prevent our success in the Plan of the Father. What tools does he use? Attacks on our ability to choose. Addictions, oppressors, lies to misdirect the use of this gift and sometimes even whispers that we no longer have a choice. His very motive is to prevent our eternal progression. The motives of the Father are immortality and eternal life. Why is this important?

The Father did not send us alone into this world. He gave us His Son. He gave us a guide, The Holy Ghost. He gave us a second chance in the Spirit world. He gave us repentance, the Gospel, the Church, and the scriptures. He gave us His power to exercise upon the Earth. This same power by which He cast Lucifer from Heaven is held by the worthy men of His kingdom. With so many testimonies, who can doubt that God is our Loving Heavenly Father?

So why did I spend so much time on just one subject? I think it's important. This is the message that missionaries carry. This is what was restored. The Plan of Salvation to teach us why we exist and where we go. The Commandments to teach us what we need to do. The Gospel of Jesus Christ to teach us how. The Restoration of the Priesthood, the power of God to make it possible. 

These are the missionary lessons: The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, The Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Commandments. This is Preach My Gospel. We are commissioned of Jesus Christ. We teach as one having authority. We do not teach as the Scribes or the Pharisees, nor do we teach as the Catholics, Evangelicals, or Philosophers. We teach as representatives of Christ. We teach with authority and we will not be confounded by false doctrines and strivings of men.

Third Nephi is filled with the words of Christ and if we were to count which words are said most, I would not be surprised if the phrases Repent, Come unto Christ, and be baptized were the most stated. This is what we say as missionaries. We stand in the place of Christ and speak His words. 

Wow, one hour and ten minutes and I haven't even finished one email. I'll wrap it up now. 

Fellow missionaries (that means members too) we have taken upon ourselves the name of Christ. Let us do good works. Let us glorify our Father in Heaven. The Father glorified His name in Christ. We, in His place, can also glorify the Father. 

I know that my Redeemer lives. He lives, my prophet, priest, and king. 

I love you all. 

Elder Dickson

P.S. My new companion is Elder Vieira. He’s Brazilian and works very hard.

Transfer #2

Week #35

Transfers. Always an interesting time. All I know is that I'm staying and Elder Angus is leaving. I'll meet somebody new tomorrow. Such suspense. 

Also, I have very little time, so I'll just say this week was very hot and I have a picture of the zone.

I'll be staying near the beach. This branch is amazing. They are all very excited about the work and are trying very hard to have sufficient numbers for a stake. In the next couple weeks, there should be a new  branch opening up in the next city. It's awesome to see the work grow. 

Other than that, just stuff I don't know. I'll find out tomorrow.

Here's a picture. 

Back: Elder Andrade, eu mesmo, Elder Angus, Elder Lagos, Elder Torres da Silva, Elder Day, Elder Thomazinho
Front: Elder Smithson, Sister Cardoso, Sister Gamez, Elder Boehme, Elder Ryberg

Yes, lots of Americans. It's unusual. 

Tchau.

A Bit Repetitious and a Bit Excited

Week #34

Good morning Vietnam or wherever else you might be!

I just found these two articles in LDS Newsroom. First, I love it when the Church keeps stressing one thing. It means the Lord thinks it's important. Second, I love it when the prophets are proven right. http://www.lds.org/church/news/hastening-the-work-of-salvation-is-more-than-a-catchphrase?lang=eng&cid=HPFR012414385&im=true

http://www.lds.org/church/news/research-supports-lds-dating-guidelines?lang=eng&cid=HPWE012214378

I do love that last line about this hastening of the work ranking with the First Vision and The Book of Mormon. This ranks with the appearance of The Father and The Son after 1400 years of silent heavens. Couple that with Doctrine and Covenants 60:2-3, which is speaking to missionaries specifically, and every member is called as a missionary. If we don't open our mouths the wrath of the Lord is kindled against us and what we have will be taken- our opportunities, our covenants, chances of Celestial Glory. What we have. Let's take part in this wonderful "Work of Salvation" and take care of ourselves while we're at it.

Just to make things fair. I haven't exactly had the easiest time opening my mouth here. Let's make this a collective goal. Here in the Porto Alegre North Mission, missionaries are expected to give at least 60 complete strangers the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Actually, that's what M. Russell Ballard said was a commandment of God. Sorry, that's 60 strangers per missionary per week. 120 new people every week and just two people. Imagine what a family of four can do already knowing the people they interact with. The work would truly hasten.

Happenings of the week. Lots of difficulty with lessons and even more getting people to keep appointments. It really is incredible (and incredibly sad) how many times an appointment is forgotten or canceled because of a family problem. They cancel the opportunity to hear the very Gospel that has saved countless families and souls. That's what happened this week, but we did find some interesting people because of it. Very promising. 

I've finally decided to spend the money to embrace a little Brazilian culture. I love chimarrão (mate for those of you who know it from Argentina or other Spanish speaking countries.)  I'm going to buy a cuia and bomba. That stuff is so good although the customs of how you drink it will probably make my medically minded mother and friends cringe. We kind of stop worrying about germs here. There's really no point. 

Oh yeah, we also climbed a large hill/small mountain today. That was fun. I didn't take my camera, but I'll try to get some pictures from the other elders and send them next week. It was very muddy, had lots of moderately sized spiders and felt like a jungle. Vines and everything. I kept thinking about Jurassic Park and knew that if a seemingly harmless dinosaur showed up, I was that guy you always know is going to die. It was fun and everybody survived.

Osorio from the top of the hill.

Jurassic Park

The missionaries +1

Time is almost up, as always. Time has a way of running out or running faster than you expected. For example, in two days I'll have spent 8 months on my mission. On February 12, I'll have spent three months in Brazil. In just a couple more months it will be winter here. 

Don't miss me too much and remember who you are. Just imagine that scene from Lion King when Mufasa appears in the sky. We are children of a King. If we forget who we are, we forget about our Father. That's not really healthy for the soul.

Love you all. Até mais.

Elder Dickson

Chimarrão

Baptism Week!

Week #33

Batismo Bom Dia/Tarde/Noite todo o mundo! 

Very good week. We had two baptisms!

Saturday Irma Rosa was baptized in a beautiful lake and yesterday so was Joao Batista. Yes that means John the Baptist. We taught and baptized John the Baptist. Foi muito legal. Pictures to come. The Japanese guy is the Branch President and the grumpy looking one is Joao. He was actually really happy that day, but I guess he just doesn't like pictures. I know that feeling. 

Ta bom entao. Que mais posso dizer? 

Suffice it to say that this week was crazy. Preparing the baptisms, working a lot with the Zone Leaders, and the members just to make everything happen. Very busy week.

Also, there have been a lot of fights with flip flops (thongs, sandals, whatever you call them). Here they're called chinelos and they almost count as a weapon. If you just bend down to take it off your foot, angry dogs leave very quickly. Children tend to behave a lot better too. You do not want Mom to take off her chinelo. Anyway, these last couple nights have turned into chinelo wars in the missionary apartment. Last night somebody even drew blood. Chinelos are dangerous. 

First photo in this email: Elder Day and Elder Lagos. American and Chilean. Both are trouble-makers. They're the ones that fight with the chinelos. Nobody ends up sleeping until about 11:00. It's funny, but I like to sleep too.

Now I don't know what else I have to say. Here are the pictures from Rosa's baptism. Elder Angus' camera has something weird with the lens. It doesn't like to open all the way. Let's just pretend the dark border is artistic. 

All right, time for my request. What's happening in your lives? It's weird, but I have no idea what anybody is doing. Who's getting married, going to college, moving states, doing really cool stuff. How the new Doctor is . . . 

Short one this week, but hey, four pictures. That's worth 4,000 words right?

Choose the right. Sing Primary Songs too. I love Primary Songs. They actually get better when you get older. Also, I'm learning guitar. I already learned four chords! Before long I'll be learning Brazilian music (it's a little different) and singing campfire songs around the churrascaria (it's basically a barbeque pit). 

Anyway, time is a little bit short today. Everything closes at lunchtime and we got here a little late today.

Tchau para voces. 

Elder Dickson

A Testimony From One of God's Faithful Servants

Week #32 

Amados Irmaos e Irmas,

I'm sure I would have had some wonderful message about following the commandments, but I just read in the LDS Newsroom that Utah just legalized same-sex marriage. First, I encourage everybody to heed the counsel of the Brethren on this. Their instructions are very clear and their counsel is the same as it has always been. The Lord's laws do not change with those of man. We respect and obey the laws of man, but we are not justified before God by them.

Now that I think about it, I suppose it is possible, though not likely, that there are people who do not share all of our beliefs and will see some part of what I write home. To those of you who fall into this category, first, welcome. Second, I am nobody special and my words frankly don't matter. I'm only delivering a message from God. As a missionary, this is what I am called and set-apart by Apostolic Keys to do. If I sound preachy, good, that is my calling. Please don't be offended for bold speech. I invite you to learn. There are many like myself all over the world and at least two have responsibility for the area in which you live. Seek them out.

To my family, friends, and other members of the Church whom I may not know, we are enjoying the fruits of and participating in a great and marvelous work, a work that the devil will do everything in his power to impede. The Gospel will go forth, but we are commanded to help. In fact, Preach My Gospel has a page full of quotes from every modern-day prophet up to President Hinckley emphasizing the importance of missionary work. 

Member missionary work did not start with the phrase "every member a missionary". The responsibility of those who have received the complete Gospel to share this pearl of great price began to be restored when the Prophet Joseph first saw our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The Prophet states that even with just that first moment, before understanding the organization, without receiving authority of any kind, and with nothing more than a testimony of God the Father, that He felt as Paul when he testified before Herod Agrippa. From that time on, he was a witness to the world of the truth he had received. We are no different.

Just a little over a year ago,  President Monson called every member of the Church to work. Yes, the missionary age was lowered, yes Elder Perry announced the use of computers in missionary work and yes, there are now over 80,000 full-time missionaries already in the field. All of these things have happened. It would seem so easy to say, "Look how much the Lord is spreading His word," and sit back to enjoy the show. We cannot do this. Yes, there are now 30,000 more full-time missionaries than there have ever been, but in reality there are over 15,000,000. If there are only 80,000 people preaching the Gospel of Salvation in a world of approximately 7 billion, that 14,920,000 people who are not fulfilling their calling.

I am happy that this is not the case, but I believe the general mindset of the members of the Church is still skewed. In the royal army of The Lord, the missionaries are not the infantry. All we are really needed for is teaching, interviewing, and recording. We are assigned to help wards and members fulfill their responsibility. Please, make it easier.

This week was great. We had a lot of investigators at Church and we've met a lot of really wonderful people. People I really do love and want to see enter the Kingdom of God. It's amazing how sad we get when somebody doesn't come to church. Mom, I never knew loving somebody could make you so frustrated at them. Sorry.

I'll finish with my testimony. Please do not just read it as words on a page, but with all the energy you would hear in an address from Elder Holland. Testimonies are born from the energy of the soul and carried by the Spirit.

First, I know that God has given power to act in His name and perform the ordinances of salvation. I know that His Son organized only one Church that reflects the same organization of the eternities. I know that The Lord guides His true and living church through our beloved Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith received the keys of the Kingdom of God.

I know the field is white for the harvest. I know that this field means the entire world and not only portions of it. I know I have been called to thrust in with my might and testify that Jesus is Christ. I know He lives and is not silent. The heavens are not sealed. 

I urge you all to seek revelation you need for your daily lives. The Gospel is not part of our lives. It permeates every aspect. We are more than Sunday worshippers. We are the Lord's Elect. We are His servants. We are His children with the potential to receive all that He hath. 

Remember, in the onslaught of the world, we must stand in holy places. They are our refuges, our fortresses and, quite literally, our salvation. 

I cannot simply sign this with my name and so I leave this with you as my witness, very possibly before the world, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Elder Dickson