I can’t go to church because of Dragonball Z...

December 29, 2014

THIS WEEK WAS AMAZING!! Why? Well....CHRISTMAS!!! Yay. And because I can’t stop laughing at everything that happened this week. It was crazy.... to quote my companion, "We’ve had to cancel on 2 visits this past week, but it’s because somebody was either dying...or dead". You already know about us having to go sing at the funeral, well, as part of it we missed singing in the ward choir, and they weren’t really happy, since we make up half of the men who sing. The other time. Well,  ya...we were in the hospital again. We were having a white elephant activity with the youth, and one of the young women in our area lost all feeling and control of her hand, so we went with her to the hospital, and we missed a visit because of it..oh well. Emergency’s just go hand in hand with the mission. It was kinda funny though, because before we took her to the hospital the other youth were having fun asking her "does this hurt? How about this? And this?" We made them stop once they started poking her hand with a fork...no blood was drawn though!! Apparently the doctor played the same game though, and did draw blood.....fun stuff!! Then on top of that, people were giving us the craziest excuses as to why they couldn’t meet with us, or come to church. My favorite? I can’t go to church because of Dragonball Z". Waait....what? Ya, I still don’t understand.

It was just a great week, and of course the best part was talking to my family. We went to a guy in the ward who is an IT and his set up was sweet!!! The first time everything worked perfectly from my end. Now if my parents could just figure out my dad’s new computer, we’ll be fine:)

Over all this week was really great, and I hope that all of you have a great week this time around!! 

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Elder Dixon

 Elder Frederich and Ricky

Christmas Skype calls are the BEST!

Merry Christmas!

December 22, 2014

Ok, so this week was crazy.....really. Tuesday we had zone Christmas conference, and got the flu shot....ya, fun, I know....we walked in and Sister Pace was like “Merry Christmas! We got you all a gift! A shot!! Yay!!" and I was like.....are you kidding? grr....oh well:) it didn’t hurt too bad, and only one of the zone leaders fainted and had to go to the hospital...for real though, he did. anyway, then after that we have been working on piso repairs, still, so that’s some of our Christmas gift:) and oh, ya, we went to help a member move some stuff...and turns out he’s a dj, so he showed us all his sound stuff...I died for a bit, cuz you know I love that kind of sound light tech stuff. It was sweet. Then, of course, Saturday we went to a David Archuleta fireside / concert. He’s really really good…. and his Spanish is ok...he lacks the theta, but other than that, he’s really good!! 

So, this week was really really good, but really, what made it really special was Sunday. We have been practicing for the ward choir for the past month-ish, and we were really excited to sing in Church on Sunday. However, we didn’t get the chance to. On Friday, the mother of one of the members who we are really close to passed away, and so he asked us to go sing at her funeral, which would be at a Catholic funeral home. So, we figured it out with our bishop so we could go and get the sacrament at a different ward, and then we went, and sang, and it was a beautiful ceremony, even though it was a catholic thing, the Spirit was still there, testifying of the truthfulness of some of the things that were said, and especially during the song.  We sang Mas Cerca Dios de Ti, and it was powerful. When we are called to be disciples of Christ, it’s not just to preach, but we are also to "mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those in need in comfort" even if it is at our own expense. So, even though I was super scared to sing, and even though we missed the chance at church to set up Christmas visits and will probably end up contacting in the streets, I learned more about being a disciple of Christ than I ever have before. It truly was a blessed experience that I will never forget.

I love to be a missionary, especially during this special time of the year, when we are supposed to remember Him even more. The Christmas Spirit is in more than just food and gifts, but really, in becoming a true disciple of Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Love,

Elder Dixon

David Archuleta is going to do a private concert !!

December 15, 2014

 

We had a lot of stuff going on this week, and taught a bunch of lessons to less actives. It was a pretty good week. With Christmas right around the corner too, we have been preparing a bunch of stuff, like activities and visits, so were pretty busy.

This past week was also the birthday of one of the less active JAS , and so we prepared a surprise birthday for him with a bunch of the youth from the ward, kind of to show him that he had friends in the ward. He got offended a while ago, only the people who offended him didn’t know, so it was kind of awkward when one of them showed up. However, by the end, they were talking like old times, and they worked stuff out, apparently, so it turned out to be a little blessing. We were stressed out of our minds though. Just goes to show that when you do all you can, God does the rest, even if He does it in a way that may freak you out a bit at the beginning.

This next week is going to be crazy too, because we have the mission Christmas program, like we did last year, so that will be fun, but then on top of that, we’re in the ward, and stake choirs, so there’s more stuff to do....and then on Saturday David Archuleta is going to do a private concert for the missionaries and investigators, and some of the youth from the Barcelona, Hospitalet, and Badolona stakes. It’s gonna be crazy! Each companionship has 3 tickets to give out, and then each ward has 20. Fun stuff!!!

So to end, I want to share a sweet experience that happened to us Saturday. We got a call from a member early in the morning, about 8 o’clock, asking us to go give a blessing to his mother in the hospital. She had gotten home from a two month trip to Bolivia literally 5 hours before, and all of sudden she couldn’t breath, and she went into cardiac arrest, and so we went to give her a blessing. It was a very sweet experience, because her son is the only member of his family, but his 3 siblings were all super glad to see us. We had to wait outside for a while because the doctors were working. She was in the intensive care, critical unit, and so we were only allowed in for about 2 minutes, and only two at a time. However, the nurse was really nice and let the three of us go in. There were machines beeping and tubes everywhere, and his mother was shaking, and there was a nurse checking everything. So, while all this was going on, we gave the blessing, and as soon as we started, it all went calm, and we could feel the Spirit really strong. It was a sweet experience. After we left the room, we stayed around talking, trying to console the family for a little while, and then we left, humbled. I am so grateful for the priesthood power, and that I am worthy to exercise it. It truly is one of the greatest blessings.

I hope you all have a great week.

Love,

Elder Dixon

"He is the gift", or in Spanish " El es la Dádiva"

December 9, 2014

This week so much happened, and yet, looking at my planner, it seems like we didn’t do anything. We were running everywhere, doing so many things, a ton of visits fired, and it was just a crazy week, but, we saw a lot of blessings too. One really neat thing this week was that we had zone enfoque, which was amazing. The whole thing was about the new church video, "He is the gift", or in Spanish " El es la Dádiva". The whole idea behind it is to get people to think more of Christ during this season, and to help with missionary work. Do you remember the video "Because of Him"? ya, that was just a test for this one. It wasn’t very advertised or anything, and yet, it was a huge success. So, now for the "He is the gift" video, 80000 some odd missionaries have 250 pass along cards per companionship to share it, and we have to give a weekly report of how many people start investigating the church because of it. It was also the huge advertisement on you tube Sunday, so everybody could see it. During the month of December, Times Square in New York is covered in banners and other methods of advertisement, and here in Spain we have been working a ton with it. I love the new church video. It really is super great, and when it is combined with a lesson afterwards, it is really powerful. One really neat story with it is that the day after we talked about it, we went to a part member family for a visit. The parents are starting to come back to church, and want their 10 year old daughter to get baptized, but she has been kinda reluctant. Well, we watched the video, and then we asked her specifically if she would be baptized on the 27 of December to start the New Year, and to give a gift back. The spirit was really strong, and she agreed. She has been reading every day since then, and came to church and everything. We had a family home evening with them yesterday, and she sounds really excited. It going to be a white Christmas after all! It was a really neat experience.

I love the church. Really, it’s super neat how organized it all is, and how Heavenly Father just makes everything work out somehow.

I hope you all have a good week, and share the video with some of your friends.

Love,

Elder Dixon

We were forced to duck into a doorway

November 23, 2015 

Today is my comps 21st birthday, so we had a ton of fun.  Haha, one of the funny parts about being here in Spain, is that coke is cheaper than beer, which is cheaper than water, and so it being the 21st birthday, of course my comp bought some of the alcohol free stuff, just to say he did:) 0.0 percent alcohol, just the taste. (nasty) so, he and Elder Jacobson went to the office, and me and Elder Olaso stayed and decorated the piso, and made a cake and everything, and so when they got back it was a huge surprise. We had a ton of fun. (Thanks mom for sending all the stuff.  Turned out better late:)

 

Other than that, this week was really good, we had a lot of fun and had a bunch of little blessings. We've been working with the menos activos a lot, and it's really been great because they have a lot of family. For example, the mother of one of the JAS (young single adults) isn't a member, and so last week we had a really great visit with her. She is trying to find a religion, and is studying with the Testigos (Jehovah Witnesses), and so in our visit she was asking us and her daughter about the questions she has, and because her daughter was there, she was able to connect more with her mom, and pull from personal experience to help her understand. At the end, we were talking, and Elder Frederich pointed out how interesting it was, that she was looking for a religion, and yet she hadn't even tried to read the Book of Mormon or anything and find out about the church her daughter is a part of.  It was a really powerful lesson, and we're going back this Wednesday to see how it goes.

 

Another neat little blessing happened last night. It was raining buckets, and since we didn't have a visit we were walking the streets doing a pass by plan. Well, as we were walking down the street, the rain picked up, and was going through our umbrellas, and so we were forced to duck into a doorway, and since we were stuck, we figured why not? lets knock the building. So we went in, started going up to the top floor, and my companion made the comment that we had been forced by divine power to stop at this building, and so we should expect a miracle. Well, we were knocking the doors, and about half way through, the man who answered was really excited, and told us about 6 months ago he had been contacted on the streets and given his phone number to the elders, but they had never called. He didn't have time right then, but he gave us his number and told us to come back next Saturday when he doesn't have work, and we could talk. It was a neat experience.

 

The mission is a ton of fun.  It's crazy, and difficult, but overall, it's a ton of fun.

 

Thank for all your support,

Love you,

Elder Dixon

...wait, What?

November 22, 2014

This week was amazing!!!!  Ok, I guess I better start off with Wednesday, when we had a zone conference, where we talked about a bunch of stuff, like faith, and then also about how we needed to shine our shoes and get our hair cut before that Saturday, because every missionary from our mission would be going to a very special conference at 10:30 am Saturday morning, where Elder Cook, of the Quorum of the 12, would be coming to speak to us......wait, What? So ya:) this week was really good. He came for a stake conference, and wanted to see the missionaries. So, it ended up being a question answer thing, and his wife also talked a lot about music and stuff, and overall, I learned a ton about faith, and I wanna share just a few things.

 

Elder Cook mentioned, that we don't know how much power faith has, it was by faith mountains were moved. So, we need more faith! But what happens if we don't? He then explained that "the desire to have faith is precious" and that nobody should feel less worthy or spiritual or anything, for only having the desire, instead of the faith itself. I wish I could describe better how he said it, because it was so powerful, especially when he described it as being something precious, and of value, rather than ¨less¨.  He then mentioned, that when we have more faith, we see more success.  It was a really neat meeting, and I got to see a ton of friends, like Elder LeSueur, and Elder and Sister Clark. It was really great. 

Well, we kinda got back from our hike late, so I don't have much time. I hope you all have a good week!

 

Love,

Elder Dixon

...the next thing I knew I was asking him if he believed in God...

November 17, 2014

This week was really great. We got a lot done, and had a bunch of fun, and we are getting to know the members a lot better, and so this week has been a little easier. One neat thing, is that we have found a neat way of teaching the restoration, and that is by going through the little points in the 30 to 40 minute lesson in preach my gospel, and so it is helping us be able to teach more effectively. I've never taught like this before in my mission, and I really want to learn it better, and do the same for all the lessons.  I've learned a ton just studying as a companionship the basic doctrines, and I realized that I skip a lot of the plain and precious truths preach my gospel has in it. It's really been a great week of study. My companion is amazing.   It's been really great to learn and work with him.

 

Some other stuff this week was a bunch of ward activities, just as a single adults activity where there were six missionaries, and we all had a little part to testify about, but it all got confused somehow...and then ended really awkwardly with a weird kind of dance thing....the food was good though, so I'm not complaining!  We also went to another activity that was supposed to be a family talent type thing, that we were asked to go to, but it turned into just a dance...only there wasn't an age limit. So we left early....after grabbing food, of course:) and then Sunday was the primary program, which was really fun to see.   The songs are weird in Spanish though...I couldn't sing along.  Oh well:)

 

Oh, I forgot to write about a little blessing we had.  We were in a pueblo that is part of our area, and as we were walking, my companion had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped at a bar so he could go. Well, we walked in and nobody was there, except for the bartender at a table, who asked us what we needed and then went back to reading.  Well, I was just kinda standing there all awkwardly, when the bartender asked me from what company we were from, in broken Spanish, and the next thing I knew I was asking him if he believed in God, and sitting down at the table talking with him. He's from China, and has been here for ten years, and he really doesn't know all that much about religion, but he said he would love to read the Book of Mormon, but he can't because he can't read Spanish very well.  So when we told him we had one in Chinese, he was super excited.  We set up a visit for us to go back, and when we went back he was really excited to be able to read it and understand.   He's a great guy, and so now we'll just see what happens.  It was a pretty neat little experience though.  And I got to give out a Book of Mormon in Chinese, so that's pretty great too.

 

Well, that was basically my week.   It was a blast.

Thanks for all you do!

Love,

Elder Dixon

...just a lot of me being lost out of my mind...

November 10, 2014

So, this week was kinda  just a lot of me being lost out of my mind....it's so weird being in a big city again, and my area is actually 1 city, Cornella, and 3 little towns, San Boi, Gava, and Vildecans, and there are a bunch of mini towns in between. Probably the weirdest was finding out that one of the "little" towns (San Boi) has about 80,000 people. On a GOOD day, the ISLAND of Menorca had about 45,000... so ya...that's a lot of people...and church was 125....yikes...names are gonna be rough for a bit.  It's really neat though, because there are people to talk to here…. like, actual people walking in the streets that I have never met before. So we are having a blast!!! It's a bit of an adjustment, but hey, it's the mission.

The only other thing that happened was we had a zone activity, but that was about it :) just work work work!! So, here's a neat little quote from the gospel principles manual.

“When a man has the manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but the impressions of the Holy Ghost sinks deeper into the soul and are more difficult to erase”  (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66],2:151).

President Smith also said, “Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten”(Doctrines of  Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56],1:48).

We taught a lesson on the Spirit, and we used this. It was so powerful, and a lot of fun. The Spirit is so important, especially in the mission.

Well, that was basically my week.  Just a lot of map work and asking where I am:)

Love you all!! 

Elder Dixon

He gave us a little Mexican treat to try....

November 3, 2014

This week was pretty crazy, trying to figure out where we are and what we are doing. Not gonna lie, it's been a bit stressful, but it's starting to calm down a bit. We had stake conference, and that helped us learn some of the members, so we're learning the members and the area little by little, rather than all at once and being overwhelmed. It was pretty crazy to see so many members in one spot though. There were so many! It was interesting too, because the stake choir has been practicing for the past month to sing for it, and they expected us as missionaries to be a part...so really, I just tried to follow the guy next to me because we sang some weird arrangements. But it worked out. Oh, and it was in the Barcelona stake center, which is the building I went to when I was serving in Barcelona, so I got so see a few of the members from there, so that was pretty fun too.

But to learn all the people in our ward is going to be interesting, until we have church next week with just our ward.  The ward list we have is huge too, so it´ll be different for us both trying to figure out what do with so many members. It's pretty exciting though.

Cornella is a very different place, even though it is right next to my old area in Barce.  And actually, my area is Cornella and a couple other small towns too, so we do a bit of traveling. One thing that was pretty neat though, is that during our first visit here, it was with a man from Mexico, and he gave us a little Mexican treat to try. Turns out, they were crickets!! Or grasshoppers - we´re not sure which. They weren't bad though, they tasted and had a texture kinda like bacon bits. So that was fun. Other than that, we have been talking to a ton of people and so we have been having pretty full days. It's been great, and I love working with Elder Frederich. He has been in Huesca before this, which is a group - the smallest organization of the church- and a small city, so kinda like Menorca, only without tourists, and it's a very Spanish city.  He's super humble, and really knows why he is here, and since he came from Huesca, we both understand what it's like working in a small area without very many people, and so it makes working here so much easier. It really is a blessing.

Well, to end, I want to let you know that I believe in Christ. He is my Savior, and He died and atoned for me, and He rose from the grave so that I may as well. I know that He loves me, and that thanks to Him, God's plan works for me, and for everybody. I know that we all have the chance to be saved, because of Him, simply by following Him and doing what He has asked of us. I love my savior, Jesus Christ, and it's as simple as that.

I love you all, and thank you for everything.

Elder Dixon

I got Transfered!!!

October 28, 2014

 

Well, hello there from Cornella!. (pronounced cor-nay-ya). It's really just a part of Barcelona....it's just that Barce is so huge they have split it up into a bunch of little cities..but ya:) I got transferred!!!

Wow, six months on the island, and here I am back in Barce! And the crazy part is, I'm only about 6 or 7 subway stops away from my old area...maybe 8, I'm not sure, but close!  And...I'm whitewashing which means we know nothing about our new area….I'm so lost. I hope I can get back to piso... (my apartment…)   Anyway… my new companion is Elder Frederich, and he is awesome. He's coming from Huesca, which is about the same size as Menorca, so we've been in basically the same situation, which is pretty neat.  But ya...I really don't have all that much to say today....the last week was just goodbyes, nothing really crazy. It was hard to leave the island.  But I'll go back some time soon, I'm sure.  

The mission is crazy though! I've gotten so many curveballs. I love it. That's perhaps the biggest thing I learned on the island. Just make the best with what you've got, and the Lord will do the rest. Simple. But yup, that's the week. I'll have more next week, I promise.

Love you all,

Elder Dixon

It was the best day so far on my mission

October 20, 2014

So, this week was probably one of the best on my mission..it was great. To start, I got a haircut, finally.  Then,  I got to go into Barcelona again to do my residency stuff, since I'm illegal. Basically what I had to do was go to the government office and say I live in Barcelona, then in a couple of weeks I have to apply for a new DNI card. Well...turns out I didn't have to go since I served there before, so they thought I still lived there, so...that was fun. But then afterwards, I was able to take Elder Lesueur around Barce and see some stuff, and we went to the subway by the Sagrada Famila where some of the people I taught work, so we got free food, and also, Oscar was there, so I got to see him, and it was a really big blessing. I had a blast, and I think my companion did too, even though I was kinda dragging him everywhere. But he's super great and was able to deal with it.

 

The other thing I want to share with you was a very tender experience.  After we got home from Barce we went to a recent converts house who has been having a really hard time, and when we went in we asked where she was reading in the Book of Mormon.  Well, she then gave a very detailed, in depth analysis of Alma 48-50, that was amazing.  She explained that she was like the Nephites, and that she had had a bad part in her, like Ammoniha, that had been destroyed, but now it was up to her to find it and fortify it so that when the devils armies came again, they would be afraid and go to the next place, and that she would have to make that even stronger. So she started a notebook with her weak places, and was now trying to fortify them, and the first one, was come to church. (she came:) but then, the most spiritual part was when Elder Lesueur had her read in D &C 122:6-7 which talks about when all the trials are coming, and when the very gates of hell gape wide after us, it is all for our good.  And when she read the words  the Spirit HIT so hard, literally, physically hit, all of us.  We went home on a spiritual high.  It was the best day so far on my mission. The scriptures are amazing!!  They change lives so much and for me to be able to see that is a huge blessing.

I love being on a mission.

Love you all,

Elder Dixon

Neither of them had told us anything was going on...

 October 13, 2014

Well, this week was....interesting...good, but, well, different. We had a really great family home evening Monday night, it was really good, but then Tuesday, we were supposed to go to the church because the plumber was gonna come fix some stuff.   Well, he showed up a half hour late, then took 15 minutes, and left saying he'd be back in about 10 minutes... 20 later he came back saying he'd be back in another 15.....we then waited for 1 hour and a half, before he came, at which point we had been there 3 hours, and he took another hour and a half before he was done....it was a long day.  Then for the rest of the week, time was just wired.  But, Friday we had intercambios, that was fun, and then Saturday night we had a really neat experience. 

We went to go visit some members we haven't seen for a while, and when we asked how one of them was, she said she wasn't too good, but she'd been in the hospital for the past week, and could we give her a blessing.   Then, right as we were about to, another member walked in, one of her friends, and we found out she had just barely had a surgery....and so we gave her a blessing too!   But neither of them had told us anything was going on, so it was crazy, but that we were able to give them blessings was really good.  It was really spiritual, and it made me realize again how blessed I am to be here to work with such wonderful people.  I love serving a mission.  It is the best!!

Have a great week!! Thanks for everything!

Elder Dixon

...she's almost ready to go to the temple

October 6, 2014

So this week was good. Ok, amazing.  A spiritual feast, actually, because something amazing happened Monday (I'll tell that last) then, Wednesday we went to Palma for a zone enfoque, which was amazing..Elder Russel is my zone leader now (I was with him in Zaragoza) along with Elder Singerman, an old office elder.  It's kinda weird actually...I'm old, technically.....wow...anyway, then after the zone enfoque, we had interviews with president, and I learned a ton!  Then to top it all off, CONFERENCE!!  It was amazing! I only fell asleep once! And we had a ton of people in church too. A whole less active family came, who I have been trying to get there since I came! It was super neat, and Margarita stayed for every session, except priesthood, of course. But it was great.

We also had a blessing that a couple from England came, and they took us out to eat twice! It was super nice, and so this week I didn't need to buy as much food. Yay for tourists....or as they call them here, giris.

So, now for the best part of the week. Last Monday, after getting home from e-mailing, I looked at one of the Liahona's for this month, and in the middle, they staple in a section specifically about Spain, and this month it had a article about service, and donating blood, and had a little article about Zaragoza...with a picture of Maria Angeles with one of the members. It was a huge blessing. She was baptized 10 months ago...she's almost ready to go to the temple, and even though I haven't heard anything from her during those ten months, the picture showed me that she is still there. It was a huge blessing.

I know the Lords work is hastening, and I love being a part of it.

Thank you for your support.

Love, Elder Dixon 

Just livin' the life on a desert island in a white shirt and tie.

September 29, 2014

So...this week was crazy!! We had some great activities, like a sports day, and we did a karaoke activity that Manuel (the recent convert who just got ordained an elder) was in charge of, and a ton of people came.  It was a blast!  And then Sunday Manuel blessed the sacrament for the first time, because he couldn't walk very well before, but since he came back from Palma, he has changed so much! He passed the sacrament too, because he didn't understand he was just supposed to hand it to the person who would pass it, but it was really sweet to see him pass to everybody., and he looked so good in a white shirt and tie.  I think he forgot to take the bread too, but hey, it's his first time, so I'm sure the Lord understands.  Oh ya, and when he came back from Palma, he brought us shaving cream....he's a great guy, and I love visiting with him. He's so neat!  

 

We also visited every member during the week, that I have met, so that was a really neat thing, cuz usually they are working or too busy or something, but not this week!  We either saw them in the streets and stopped to talk or we went to their house.  It was a pretty good week.  A ton happened, but the problem is that it was all small little things that just are a part of missionary life, so I don't really know how to write it all in an email....oh well.  Anyway, things are doing great.  Just livin' the life on a desert island in a white shirt and tie.

 

Love ya!

Elder Dixon

Highlights!

September 22, 2014

This week was awesome we had so much happen, and I have no time to write it all....so highlights!

 

1. A recent convert just got ordained to be a Elder yesterday!!! booyah!!

 

2.   We have a new investigator, and he's great, and even though he doesn't read very well, he has been reading every day in the Book of Mormon, and he has prayed and knows it's true, even though he has only been able to read to page 8.

 

3. We had district conference, which made church crazy cause they had it on the big island and couldn't broadcast it to Menorca, so the president and half the members were gone, so we had a super small meeting yesterday, but it was still great:)

 

4. the Nunez car only needs one more coat of paint:) then it's done:)

 

5. The Book of Mormon is the best!!

 

So yup! that was the week!!

 

Love you all!  Have a great week!!

Elder Dixon

Can you believe I've been on this island for almost 4 and a half months?!

September 17, 2014

So...this week was "una locura" (crazy)  so much happened!  The fiestas were all done and stuff, so that was good, they have cleaned up everything, and stuff.   So, Tuesday, we had a meeting for all the sisters in Europe, that we were in charge of setting up. It was broadcasted from Germany, and we weren't allowed to watch...but we couldn't leave either, and since they were using the computer we couldn't work that way...and oh, ya, there's no cell service in the church, and so we just sat and talked and played chess for two hours. Yup. Then we also went to the Nuñezes again to work on the truck, that was fun, and we found out later that night that one of our investigators was moving to England the next day...we got her new address, so more missionaries will be knocking on her door:) Then Friday we also taught institute, so that was fun, and I have learned a ton already from the manual we're using.  Then we also got to go teach a private English class to a members boyfriend, and so that was super fun, and then the crazy stuff really began.  So, Saturday was transfers, and Elder Jonson is now in Sabadell, by Barcelona.

 

Well, since there isn't anybody I could stay with on the island while he was traveling, I got to go to Barce again for a day!!! I got to see a ton of people and missionaries I know, and then I played guide for all the people who had no idea how to use the metros or get to the airport.  It was a blast!!  So, my new companion is Elder Lesueur, I don't know how to say it really it's like le sweer or something...idk.  Anyway, he's great.  He's from Arizona, and we get along well so far:) I'm super excited.  We are going to see so many miracles here!!!  Can you believe I've been on this island for almost 4 and a half months? Crazy!!  Also, we set a branch goal to have 30 people in church regularly by the end of October, so we're going to have to work super hard!!  It's gonna be a blast!!

 

Anyway, I hope you all had as good a week as I did!!

 

Love you!

Elder Dixon

Palma, zone conference, miracles...and PICTURES!!

September 8, 2014

This week was amazing!  So much crazy stuff happened, from going to Palma and the Zone Conference, to seeing miracles, and having the fiestas de Maó, it's been a really good week.  One of the miracles we saw here in Menorca was that Maca and her mother, Uriana came to church this week, for the first time since I have been here, and that was absolutely amazing!!  We had people to participate and everything!  They are both really less active and we have been visiting them a ton, and finally they came, and both gave beautiful testimonies as well.   The only bummer is the Clark's are in Barcelona to do piso inspections so they didn't get to hear them.  

 

Anyway, the miracle I really want to tell you about though is one that happened when I was working with Elder Dailey (my district leader) in Levante(Palma, Mallorca) while we were there for the conference  (we stayed two days, so we went on splits and worked the first night) anyway, we passed by an investigators house, but she didn't let us in, and wouldn't even talk to us through the timbre, so we left and passed by more people.  Well, later, we had to walk by again, and so we decided to try and find out if she wanted us to come by at a different time.  Well, Elder Dailey did a really good job of talking to her through the timbre (I was on the phone, so I missed his conversation) and we got in, and the following lesson we had was one of the most powerful I have ever been in.  As soon as we entered, she began to cry, because so much had been going on.  She has a handicapped daughter, and she and her husband are about to go through a divorce, and countless other things are going on, so she feels like she can't talk to anyone about anything, not even to Heavenly Father through prayer.  So we read a little bit of the Book of Mormon when the people of Alma are enslaved, and how they weren't allowed to pray, and then the Spirit just took over, and we  both felt impressed to promise her that if she were to read the Book of Mormon with the district, 2 chapters every day, then her whole situation would work out.  It was absolutely amazing, and at the end she was laughing and smiling, then crying from happiness and everything.  I really gained a huge testimony of both the power of the Book of Mormon, and of the promises we as missionaries can make.  And all this happened the day before the zone conference, where we talked about the exact same principle.  It was absolutely amazing to me to see and be a part of it.

 

That really was the highlight of the week.  We're also trying to avoid all the drunk people here because it's the biggest party of the year, with dancing horses and everything.  It's pretty crazy.

 

Thank you all so much!!

Love,

Elder Dixon

 

Photos are of Menorca and Elder Jonson is the comp.

 

 

 

We will finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year!

September 1, 2014

So here in Spain a cool thing is happening, that for all the Barcelona mission, every missionary, and hopefully every member is going to read the Book of Mormon every day, about 2 chapters a day, and we will all finish by the end of the year.  The whole thing is to study the testimonies, attributes, and teachings of Christ, and then share that with everyone we can.   We are starting today, the 1st of September, and it hopefully will become a focus point throughout the mission.  I would venture to guess that it may be through Spain even, but I'm not sure.   Still, it's really cool, and even though we only started today, I learned something really neat.  Every time that Nephi or Lehi talk about the Lord, and his commandments, or his words, it is a testimony that He lives.  It's really neat to see that.

 

Aside from that, life here in Menorca is going well.  Things are starting to slow down for the tourists, which means that the work is picking up for us. This week we have been able to get a lot done, and we have seen miracles.  A miracle that happened this week was that one of the investigators we lost contact with for a while came to church yesterday, and so we had a great opportunity to talk a little more with her and try to help her out, and she said that she would read the Book of Mormon with us to be done by the end of the year.  Apparently, she has known the missionaries for at least 4 years, and she still hasn't ever read, but she said that now she has a schedule to follow, she will, so we will see what happens.  I'm really glad to have the schedule for me personally as well, because one of the problems I have with studying is that I want to cover so many topics, I pick up one and then drop others before I get done, so to have a set schedule is really helpful.  I'm really excited to be able to focus on Christ a little more as well.

 

We also went to a less actives house yesterday, to be able to teach her non member boyfriend.  It was really interesting, because he has no religious background at all, so things like praying, or thinking that there is a God, are completely foreign to him.   He's never really thought about it before, and so to teach him is really different.  But he loves to read, so we'll see how it goes.  Hopefully he will read the Book of Mormon with us too.

 

So, it was a good week.

Thanks for all your support.

Love,

Elder Dixon

He said "so and so" in English....

August 25, 2014

This week was pretty good here in Menorca.   We are having a pretty great time, and seeing miracles.  One that was pretty neat happened Tuesday actually. We were going to go visit a lady named Maria, who really hasn't been progressing.  She wouldn't ever read the Book of Mormon, and she really likes all the saints that she has, so this visit was planned as a possible last, if she wasn't reading the Book of Mormon. Well, we went, and to start with, we were just talking, and I noticed that all of her saint statues, which are usually on the top shelf in a corner, had all been moved to the bottom shelf, which was surprising.  So, it was even more surprising when she let us know that she had been reading, every night, and was in chapter 4 of first Nephi. She told us that she had had the book for so long, at least for 3 years, maybe more, and she hadn't ever taken the time to even open it, until one day last week, she decided to just try a bit, and she got hooked. So, she started at the title page, and read through the whole introduction, all the testimonies, and everything.  It's really great, and so we have a visit with her set up tomorrow.  Then on top of that story, we went to another investigators house, and it was planned to be the same kind of lesson, and we again were surprised that she has read a bit.  Not very much, but she committed to read every single day, at least one verse, so we will see how it goes. We are finally coming out of summer, and people seem to have a bit more time.

Also, we have now started to restore another car....apparently word got out that we know how or something, so here we go!  I'm still not sure what I'm doing, but hey, it looks ok so far!  Maybe I should start a business when I get home.

So, to end here is a fun story.  We were in a lesson, and explaining to some tiny kids why we call each other brother or sister in the church, since we're all children of God, and so on.  Well..Elder Jonson was trying to give an example of who we call people "hermano so and so, or hermana so and so" only problem? he said "so and so" in English, and we were teaching Bolivians, where apparently, that's what they say to mean dumb, or stupid. We had a pretty good laugh over that one once he saw the confused looks on all our faces:)

Thanks for all your support, and if you need something to study this week, read alma 5 or D&C 98, they are amazing.

Love

Elder Dixon

God really is in control of everything

August 18, 2014

This week was a good week. We had a ton of tourists in church, we had a bunch of visits, and overall it was a good week. We also had a pretty neat miracle. We were going to go do service for a menos activo family in a pueblo that in bus takes about 30 minutes to get to.  However, if we go in car, it's only about 15 minutes, and so we were debating if we should ask the Clark's if they wanted to come help.  (We've been restoring a car, which Elder Clark is really good at) Well, we decided it would probably be better if we just went by bus, and so we planned on being in the bus station by 10:45 to get the bus at 11.  We got on, no problem, and we headed to the pueblo. There are three stops there, one by the beach, another just up the hill, and the last one is right next to their house, and so that's the one we always get off on.  However, this time, the bus driver took a different route after the first, and so he blew past the last two, and we were still on the bus, headed back home.  So, our only options were to go back, and then wait another hour for the next bus and go, or call the Clark's and see if they wanted to come help out. So we did, and that they were there was perhaps one of the biggest miracles I have seen. Elder Clark was able to talk to the family, and we were able to figure out some of the reasons why they aren't coming to church, and overall it was a super spiritual experience, that we wouldn't have had if the bus driver hadn't skipped those stops. There is no such thing as a coincidence.  God really is in control of everything.

 

We also got to give out a Book of Mormon in Arabic this week to a Muslim man, who is actually really open.  He is super nice, and I'm learning a ton about the Muslim religion I didn't know before.  It's a completely different way of teaching, because we really are just sharing and learning about each other's religions, and we have to really focus on the points we have in common. It was pretty neat too, because to start one of the lessons, Elder Jonson said the prayer, like normal, and to end, he said the prayer, which was a neat little chant/song thing that he had memorized from the Koran. It's really interesting, so we´ll see where it goes.

 

This week, one thing I really noticed about my companion is how good he is at improvising and following the Spirit.  For example, yesterday in church there was a family from England, and so I volunteered to translate.....well, that meant that he then taught the lesson solo, and he did a great job, and I only had to help out by asking some questions.  He is really good at just rolling with whatever comes his way and dealing with it.

 

Oh, another thing too…yesterday, as we were up on the stand to bless the sacrament, right after president gave the announcements, he leaned over to us and asked if we could give the talks....yup...we had the time of the sacrament to prepare our talks. It was pretty fun, with translating and everything else. Crazy Sunday.  There were so many people there I didn't know what to do!

 

So, basically that was my week. just one last thing.   I would encourage all of you to read Alma 5.  I've been studying it for the past week, and it's incredible!!  Go read it:)

 

Love you all,

Elder Dixon

I love old crazy Spanish people :)

August 11, 2014

This week was super crazy. So much happened, it was insane!! We did a bunch of service again, and went to Palma, met with a ton of members, and had 21 people in church! All in all a good week. This Saturday was pretty neat too, because one of the high councilors from Palma and another brother came to help us out with some stuff and go on visits with us, and so we had some amazing miracles. The biggest one was that we went to visit one of the YSA named Eddy, who has been having a rough time recently, and doesn't really enjoy talking to us. But apparently he is really good friends with Hermano Waldir, the high counselor, and so we had a super great lesson. It was really spiritual, and I think it really helped Eddy out a bunch. We also went to lunch with them, so that was a fun little treat.

 

One thing I want to say about my companion, is that he is really good at seeing what needs to be done, and doing it, even if he doesn't want to. For example, we were talking to a menos activo, but his kids just kept getting in the way and interrupting because they were bored, or because they had just spilled a cup full of Fanta into my lap (ya, that was fun...) and stuff like that, and so Elder Jonson just got up and started playing a game with them, and I was able to have a really good conversation with the menos activo that I wouldn't have been able to if he hadn't. And to make it even better, since we were in a busy park, about 20 other kids joined in the game and it turned into a great time, with both of us having to shower once we got home (me cause of the Fanta, him because he was running around like crazy with the kids) Even though he would have preferred to stay and talk, he was able to help out a ton by playing with the kids. He is a great example to me.

 

Ok, so one funny little story. Hermano Waldir is a guy from Colombia, who is really dark.  So, we were standing with him talking to somebody on the street and a really old lady walks past, and as usual, I say hi, and go back to taking to the person I was talking to...when all of a sudden this lady grabs my hand, drags me over to a bench cause she wants to sit down, and starts telling me about how she knows me from Granada, which I've never been to, since that's the south of Spain...so I'm thinking, "oh boy, another Andalucían" (remember, Elder Ferrer is from Granada, and the people from there are crazy, and when they really are off their rocker, even more so...) so, she just keeps talking, and won't let go of my hand...then she asks where I'm from, and when she found out I was from the country with the black president, she looked over at Hermano Waldir, and well....I guess she made the connection that he was President Obama.....so she drags me over to him and grabs his had as well, and starts screaming a prayer at "President" to stop the war, or something......it was fun:) I love old crazy Spanish people:)

 

Anyway, that was my week.

Love you all!!

Elder Dixon

Right in the height of tourist season and everything!

August 5, 2014

This week was absolutely amazing. The best part? We had probably the biggest miracle ever, which is that we had a baptism, in the middle of summer, in Menorca! Right in the height of tourist season and everything!

 

However, the story doesn't start just this last week, but rather on the 12th of June, before I came into the area. They had intercambios with our zone leader, and while they were working in the area, he contacted a lady named Dolores, and then she started to listen to our message. She has a sister named Margarita, who would usually just go into her room and wouldn't listen to the lesson. Well, a month later, on the 18th of July, my companion and I had intercambios with our district leader, and we went to visit Dolores, and this time, Margarita listened. By the end of the lesson, she had a baptismal date, and a Book of Mormon, and she promised to read and pray, and come to church the next week. Well, she kept her promises, and came to church, and then the next week she came again. We kept meeting her, and one time we asked her how she felt about the Book of Mormon, and she said that she could feel herself changing as she read it, and she wanted to follow the precepts that it teaches. Then the best part is that this Friday, she was baptized, and Sunday she was confirmed. It was really neat too, because after her baptism she shared her feelings, and said that she hadn't felt this way before, except for when she started reading the Book of Mormon two weeks ago. It was super powerful and really neat to see her progress and change. There were so many little miracles along the way as well, such as the fact that she had grown up living the word of wisdom her whole life. All of it, because her mother had always taught them to stay away from drugs as well as coffee and tea, so that was a little miracle. When we were explaining the word of wisdom she told us that when she was in school she had tried some alcohol, and then said she felt super bad about it so she never drank again. I am so grateful that I was able to see the change and be a part of it. I love serving a mission, especially here in Spain. .

 

Love,

Elder Dixon

A fairly interesting week

July 28, 2014

This week was fairly interesting, and we made some breakthroughs in the work. We saw a couple neat miracles as well. Probably the biggest one was that 1/5th of the people in church were investigators!!! And were going to have a baptism this week!! Ya!!! It was pretty neat how it worked out actually. We went to go pick up one of our investigators, and she was waiting for us outside her piso, and then we went to church and we had that small miracle. The Lord blessed us a ton this week. Also, we visited a couple members and had a couple really great lessons, and saw more miracles from that too.  Other than that, this week wasn't all that interesting.  We had the biggest cruise ship that has ever come to Menorca dock in the port though...that was neat.  There were so many tourists...it was crazy!!!  Oh, and we went and ate with the Clarks and they made us real hamburgers. It was soooo good. The burgers here just aren't the same usually.  But that was basically it. It's been a pretty laid back week.  Next week though....oh boy.  We have a baptism Friday...and we are going to Palma Wednesday, and transfers are next week. WHOO!   The mission is crazy, and I love it!!

 

Thanks for all you do!!

 

Love,

 Elder Dixon