"Good thing I have a really good companion..."

January 26, 2015 

This week was really good. In my prayers I hardly have time to ask for anything because I just give thanks for letting me be here now, with Elder Noovao. It really has been an incredible week. I’ve never felt the Spirit as much as I have this past week. It was truly incredible.

We’ve been working a lot with part member families, and recent converts, and we have been so blessed in our work. On Friday, for example, we went to an eating visit with some members, and while we were there, we asked for references, and they asked us about a menos activo in our ward they haven’t seen for a while. Well, since we didn’t know them, we pulled out the ward list, and as the sister was going down the list, looking for the name, she kept stopping and asking about a bunch of other people, and telling us to go visit them. We ended up with a bunch of references, and instructions to ask bishop about a few more people. It was really great. I’ve never had anyone give me so many references at a time. The only bad part about that visit was that we asked for the references at the end then they took another 45 minutes giving them to us, so we were there for almost two hours...but I’m not really complaining. It was really neat though. It’s just been a ton of fun here so far, even though I’m still completely lost. Good thing I have a really good companion who knows where we are!

Oh another neat thing about Pamplona is the castles. They’re everywhere! It’s really neat. Still haven’t gone to one, but it’s in the plans for next week. Yay!

It also snows here, and was the first time my companion has ever seen snow fall. He loved it:)

Thank you all for your support!

Love,
Elder Dixon

 Ricky and Elder Noovao

 

I just got transferred to...PAMPLONA!!

January 21, 2015

Well, just so you all know......I just got transferred to...PAMPLONA!! I’m now companions with Elder Noovao, from New Zealand, and so far we have been having a blast. he’s only been in the mission a little while, but he is a spiritual beast, and, turns out, was one of the elders in Cornellá right before Elder Frederich and I, so that’s pretty neat...we stayed up late last night talking about all the people there and his converts and everything....I didn’t even ask him about himself ‘til this morning. He’s really great though, and rearing to work.

So ya. Oh, btw, Sorry this is late, my train got in last night to Pamplona a little late, so we didn’t have time to e-mail until now. But I made it safe and sound, and got two references while I was on the train, so all is well:) It was kinda hard to leave Cornellá, after working so much there, and getting to know so many people, but I am really excited to work with Elder Noovao. He is really great, and in the short time we’ve been together, I’ve been able to see that he is a really hard worker, and we are going to see a lot of blessings here for sure. I’m really looking forward to working with the people here. It’s a lot different from where I’ve been before, but so far, I like it.

I want to share with you a little of what Elder Frederich and I were able to do in Cornellá. Together, we made over 150 changes to the ward list, updating it. We found quite a few part-member families, and were working with them, and we also have been working really hard to try and make San Boi (a pueblo we worked in a lot) be a good place to put a branch in someday. While I was with Elder Frederich, I learned so much, and grew a ton. He is a really good missionary, and a really good friend of mine as well. It’s a good thing he is going to BYU after the mission, so we can hang out afterwards. It’s really weird to think that this is his last transfer.

It’s kinda weird to think, but 6 of the 10 companions I have had, are already home, and my trainer is about to get married... I still can’t wrap my brain around how fast the time has gone. The mission really is the best.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week.

Love,

Elder Dixon

Wow, the Lord really does only give us what we can deal with

January 12, 2015

So, this week was really great, starting it off with a huge parade for the King’s festival. It was super neat, and they threw so much candy!! It was kinda weird though...some person in the parade came up to me and just gave me a huge handful instead of me having to catch it. I have no idea who it was, but I figure they just saw my name tag and figured "he’s a poor missionary, let’s give him some candy". Well, I’m not complaining!! 

Also, this week we got a knock on our door from our downstairs neighbor. Apparently, our toilet leaks, and so she had water falling from her ceiling.  Yup...and the plumber was supposed to come today, and didn’t show... so that’s fun. Other than that though, we have been seeing a ton of miracles and blessings here in Cornellá.

One neat thing that happened was with yesterday, where we learned that the Lord only gives us what we can deal with. We went to go get an investigator to show him the way to get to the church, and we made sure to be there about a half hour before church started so we could be on time. Well, we got to the park where we were going to meet, and sat and waited for 15 minutes. Then, once we were finally on our way, one metro stop away the train broke down, and so we waited for another large chunk of time, and in the end we got to church just as they were singing the sacrament hymn. So, we took the sacrament, and then the meeting started, which happened to be ward conference.

Well, the first speaker started talking about family history work, and the temple, and then the next one talked a lot about tithing and fast offerings. I was kind of worried, because some of the things said were really fuerte, (strong) and we have only taught him one time. Well, it was fortunate, because he fell asleep, and so missed most of the talks that he wouldn’t have understood yet. Then, in the next class, as we started talking about the church welfare program, and the brother in the back who is a also really fuerte started to talk, our investigator got a phone call that lasted exactly as long as the discussion about the welfare program lasted, which avoided even more topics that would have left him really confused. Then, just as priesthood was about to start, he had to leave. Well, turns out the whole class in priesthood was about how we as priesthood holders have certain responsibilities, which also would have left him really confused.

It was really neat to afterward think about church and realize, wow, the Lord really does only give us what we can deal with. 

Well, I hope you all have a good week!!

Love Elder Dixon

Happy New Year!!!

January 5, 2015

We have been having a ton of fun here, and it’s been really great in Cornellá. We do so much, and we have so much success, and the blessings just never stop. One neat thing that happened this week was that on Saturday, we had a visit with a menos activo we have been working with for a while, and he was sick, and so asked us to give him a blessing.  As soon as we finished, he felt better, and so we had an impromptu noche de hogar with him and his two kids, and then he and his wife were in church Sunday for the first time in over a year. They only stayed for sacrament meeting, but the fact that they were there was amazing.

 

This week we also had zone enfoque, (where I got a huge package), Interviews with president (my companions last one until his release interview the day he goes home) and Intercambios (I finally learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube). Then, to top it all off, NEW YEARS!! It was a crazy week.

 

To end, here is another little thing happened while we were on intercambios. I was with Elder Jacobsen in my area, and we had a visit in San Boi, a little pueblo about 20 minutes away.  Well, we went out there, and the visit fired, and so we went to go try some passby’s, which weren’t really fruitful, until we went by a recent convert’s house. We couldn’t go in, but we stood in the door, and talked for a bit. At one point, I was ready to go, but Elder Jacobsen kept talking...and talking...and talking, but eventually we left, and just barely missed the bus. So we sat down and waited for another 10 minutes, and caught the next one. Well, as we got on, somebody behind us said, in English, “hello elders.” So we of course started talking to them, and turns out it’s a family from Honduras who are members. The dad has been here for six years, and looked for the church when he first got here, but gave up real quick because his wife isn’t a member.  However, his daughter came only a year ago, and she really wants to come to church. So we got their address and number and everything else, and we’re going over there this week. It was really neat, and we thought about how many things had to of happen for that to work out. The visit had to fire, our passby’s couldn’t have been, and Elder Jacobsen had to keep talking, even though he didn’t know why he did either. It was a really neat experience. The Lord really is in charge of everything.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week.

Happy New Year,

 

Love, Elder Dixon