Tuesday, October 22, 2013

"We have been finding a lot of people to teach, and the blessing is all of them are from references"



Hello from Zaragoza Spain!!
 
This week has been absolutely crazy, hectic, wonderful, and miracle filled!!
 
To start off, Monday was packing day to leave the MTC, and say goodbye to everybody, and generally be really nervous for whatever came next.
 
So, Tuesday morning we woke up and got to the train station, and then we had an adventure trying to fit all our luggage (think airplane, with no overhead bins or room under the seats, nothing checked, and about 20 missionaries with 3 suitcases each....ya….). Then it was a two and a half hour train ride to Barcelona, going a constant 187.5 miles per hour!
 
Then we got to Barcelona, had interviews with the President and got assigned temporary companions to go stay with at their pisos (apartments) in the heart of Barcelona. Then we got to go contacting:) it was kind of a blur after that.  All I really can remember is I had a blast!!   And I got to sleep on a hard wood floor too :)  it was quite the experience.
 
Wednesday we woke up and went to an old fort where we could see all of Barcelona.  It was really cool....oh oops...I forgot I'm not supposed to say cool, or awesome as a missionary anymore.... anyway, it was super amazing and I loved it.
 
Then, I got to find out my companion and first area!!  Whoo!!  Elder Wiscombe is awesome!!  He has been out for about a year, and he is from Morgan Utah. (We call Utah "la fabrica" or, the factory, because so many missionaries are from there) We live in a piso with Elder Russel from Spanish Fork, and he is training Elder Roberts, who was my old companion in the MTC, so it's been a blast!!
 
Zaragoza is so pretty, and the people here are awesome.  Quick note - the missionaries NEED the members help. Having members at lessons is so important, and it is kind of hard to get people to come with us.  Please, ask the missionaries if you can go with them sometime.
 
Anyway, the rest of this week has been just full of meetings with members, our district, etc. It's been crazy, and we have had so many miracles. The coolest one though, is defiantly the fact that my first real day out in the field we had a lesson with a lady from Columbia.  I kind of told about her before.  I got to extend the invitation to be baptized, and she accepted!! Since then we have had two lessons with her, and she came to church yesterday too!!   It's so cool!!   
 
We have been finding a lot of people to teach, and the blessing is all of them are from references.  This week has truly been a blessing. 
I hope you all have an awesome week!!
 
Love,
 
Elder Dixon

Friday, October 18, 2013

"..Made it safe and sound to Barcelona.."


I made it safe and sound to Barcelona on Monday!!!   Although, that night I did sleep on a hardwood floor...that was fun.  Also, I got to go contacting and had a really fast lesson with a less active member.  It was soooo cool!!  Then yesterday we got to go to a fortress in Barcelona up on a hill, and on one side I could see all of Barcelona and on the other I could see the Mediterranean. It was so beautiful!! I will send some pictures next Monday (which is my new preparation day).


After that we had a meeting where I found out where my first area is and who my new companero is as well!!!


So...drumroll please.........I get to serve in Zaragoza (dead center of my mission) with Elder Wiscome!!  It's so cool!


Yesterday I got to go for another 2 hour train ride, and then when we got to our piso (apartment) it was time for us to be in our houses. (Oh, quick note, the missionary schedule here in Spain is an hour later because of the culture, so I get to wake up at 7:30 and go to bed at 11:30 instead of 6:30 to 10:30.  Yay :)


Anyway, I only have time to tell you that today I have taught four people, and in our second lesson I committed Magally to baptism on November 9!!!   And, no, I can't pronounce her name cause it's not Spanish pronunciation.  Anyway, it was so cool because that was the second visit she has ever had with the missionaries.    Also, she brought a friend who is really interested too!!! Jackpot!   Well, I have to go now, I'll tell you more about my adventures on Monday


Love you all!!


Elder Dixon

Thursday, October 10, 2013

"My time here at the MTC has been super fun, but I am so ready to get out into the field."

Well, this week was really fun, but rather uneventful, except for conference, which was absolutely amazing!!!  I loved it so much!!  Especially the talk in priesthood from President Eyring.  I would really encourage everyone to go watch them all again and again, because there was so much in there!!  Also, when Elder Ballard talked about visiting the missionaries in Europe, I was one of those!! Wahoo!!!
 
Other than that, this week was all pretty much the same as the last ones, just more classes and language and study, but the Spirit is so strong.  One experience from the park last week though.  I was on a split with Elder Roberts (my first companion) and we met a guy who said he was Catholic, but then started explaining that God was in the trees and grass, but really wasn't there at all....it was way confusing, but it was a good conversation, during which I was offered a sandwich and wine. (I didn't know what it was at first so I just said no.. good thing I did!)
 
Anyway, he then started telling us about how he was a mercenary in Brazil and got hit by a bomb, at which point he opened his shirt and started showing us his crazy scars, which were huge!!  So, that was the park experience.
 
Other than that not much has happened.  Today is the last p-day in the CCM though, which is scary.   Tuesday at six I get on a bullet train for 2 hours and I get to go to Barcelona!!! Ahhhhh!!!!
 
Today was also the last time I get to go to the temple for 23 months.  It's kinda sad, and I spent a ton of time in the Celestial room, just feeling the Spirit and thinking of my mission.   My time here at the MTC has been super fun, but I am so ready to get out into the field.  I don't know yet where I will be for my first area, but please pray for me to have a good trainer and an awesome experience for the first few days out in the field.  Next time you hear from me I will officially be in the Barcelona Spain mission!!
 
I love each one of you a lot, and I hope you all are keeping your testimonies strong.
 
Love,
Elder Dixon

Monday, October 7, 2013

Amulek District


Dear Friends and Family,
It's been a month!! Ahhhhh!!! I really can't believe I have been wearing a name tag and white shirt for that long!!  It's insane!!  Well, this past week a bunch happened, and wouldn't you know it but the biggest thing happened last p-day...after I sent the last email... oh well.  I just get to tell you now instead. 
So, we were in our fireside meeting we have every Thursday night and the MTC president had some business before we began, and he just casually let us know that the district leaderships were being reorganized, and that the leader of the Amulek District would be….Elder Dixon.... I didn't even know beforehand, but we were informed that we didn't need to be set apart ever for any calling during our mission because we already are set apart as missionaries, so everything beyond that becomes an assignment. The president also dropped another bomb on us when he  said we may be assigned to be branch presidents in about 4 weeks.  Ya, I'm kinda nervous to go out into the field, but I am so excited!!! 
Another exciting thing I found out on p-day was that ties here in Spain are really cheap.....I got three really nice ties (skinny ties, actually) for 50 cents apiece, which is about 80 cents in US dollars.  Crazy right?  But they are really cool. 
Saturday was another day in the park, and this time I was able to place one copy of the Book of Mormon, which was way cool.  However, the coolest thing was that I made the goal to not speak English at all Saturday, and I learned so much Spanish!!  It was insane!  Then, to top it off, Sunday was fast Sunday and fasting for the don de language (gift of tongues) was amazing!!! 
Just to exemplify exactly what fasting did for me, during one of my practice investigator lessons, the questions was posed to us "Why doesn't God physically come and help us?"  My companion and I were then able to answer her question with the perfect analogy, all in Spanish.  We compared the world to a company, with Heavenly Father being represented as the boss.  Just like the boss hires managers to tell the employees what to do, so God calls prophets who tell us what to do.   In a company of any considerable size, the boss doesn't usually communicate directly with the employees, but rather through the managers, because the bosses job is different.   
During the lesson, once we had explained this, she explained that companies usually run really smoothly, but the world doesn't.  So, we explained that if one of the employees doesn't listen to the manager, that part of the company usually doesn't work, just how parts of the world don't really  "work" when we don't listen to the prophets.  It was such an amazing Spirit in the room, and it was so cool that we were able to say all of this in Spanish.
This gospel is really amazing, and it is very important for all of us to listen to the prophets, which we have the opportunity to this weekend.  I am so excited to watch conference!  I actually will be able to watch two of the sessions live, because the timing works out perfectly.  I would encourage you to watch it as well, and really listen to what is being told you.
I love you all and hope you all can feel the Spirit every second of your day.
Elder Dixon

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Pictures from Last week

Hey,
 Here is a picture of us singing the first week. my companion Elder Roberts is to my left *the tan guy* Elder Bennet is on the other side. Elder Love isn't in this picture, he wasn't here yet.


Elder Dixon proselyting in the park.
He is a fine missionary.
President Sitterud