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

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

...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