"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

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

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

This weeks edition

Holy cow this week was amazing!!

 

There was so much that happened, but I'm only going to have time to tell you 3 stories about this week.

 

The first happened this last Friday.  Every Friday we have a service project, and this week it was cleaning the temple grounds.  Well, to get down to the basement we have to go down the elevator from the 5th floor, and we like to cram elders into the elevator so we don't have to take as many trips.

 

Well, I was one of the last ones in, and as I got in, I felt something fall out of my shirt, and I looked down and saw the magnetic back of my name tag lying on the floor.... and I realized immediately that my name tag wasn't attached to my shirt anymore.

 

I looked down to see where it went and I saw it fall off of my shirt down, down, down, and straight down the gap in the elevator door….you know… the gap that is really the elevator shaft....the one that you can't get anything out of.....ya....actually I did get it back though… yesterday.  But it's all dented from the 6 story flight.  It's actually kinda cool cause my name tag now has battle scars :)  That's the first story.
 

My second story is a tad longer, and a lot more spiritual.

 

As you know I get to go to Retiro Park every Saturday and get references.  (The same park my dad has been to!)  Well, I have forgotten to tell you a little story that happened to me the first week I went. 

 

My companion and I found an old lady sitting on a bench reading the Bible and as we went up to her and started talking, she pulled out a church pamphlet and started asking questions.  (Now keep in mind this is after only 3 days of Spanish) Well, from what we could understand, she goes to the park every week and when the missionaries come up to her she tries to ask them questions, but obviously, since all the missionaries are still at the MTC and don't know Spanish, we can't answer them, which is super frustrating.  She also told us we don't speak Spanish very well, and we needed to come back when we new Spanish better. 

 

So, that's what we did.  The second week, after 9 days of Spanish, we went back and tried again, but again she told us to learn Spanish better.  Well, after every time of going to the park, we have a testimony meeting, and I told this story.  Afterward, Elder Sullivan, the first councilor in the MTC Presidency, said that the next week I could meet with one of the missionaries in the area and visit her again.  

 

So I had the opportunity to be able to this Saturday!  It was so cool because the elder just talked to her for a while, and I couldn't understand it at all -  but the Spirit was so strong.  It was way cool -  but that wasn't the coolest part. 

 

While Elder Pentell (the missionary I was with) and I were on our way to where the lady was, we got stopped by a man who spoke English.  He wanted to know more about why we were everywhere in the world, because apparently he is a world traveler, and has seen missionaries everywhere.  In fact, he was talking about the temple in Salt Lake.   He's been there apparently, and missionaries took him around Temple Square.  So when we mentioned there was a temple in Madrid, he got way excited, and said he would love to come visit, and asked if I could get out of my training for a bit to help show him around.  I don't know if it will happen or not, but if it does, it would be so cool!!!  Elder Pentell said he would contact me and tell me when - if it does, so hopefully next time I e-mail it will have happened.  

 

Here is my third, and final story, and it possibly is the coolest. 

 

So, we had a little fireside Sunday, and one of the local stake presidents, President Gomez, came to speak to us.  He was talking about his mission that was 24 years ago in Madrid.  Then he started talking about how he switched mission presidents in the middle of his mission.  I figured out, hey - he might know my dad - because dad was on his mission in the same place, same time!!

 

Guess what?!   The next picture he pulled up was one of his district - and right in the center of it was my dad!!  It was so  cool!  I talked to him afterward  and he said he remembered an Elder Dixon from his mission!!! It was insane!!!

 

Other than that, not much happened this week.

 

We got to tour the Real Madrid Stadium, which was cool, and my companion and I are getting along really well.  

 

The Spirit is so strong here.  I love this gospel and I love teaching people about it.  The church is true, and I know that without a shadow of a doubt.

 

I love you all,

Elder Dixon

Real Madrid Stadium

He Made His Momma Cry

I just found this link.... Made his momma cry....... like a baby!! 

http://missionarycoupleinmadridspain.blogspot.com/

 

What a treat!

 

Laura Dixon

Or here is the direct youtube link.

http://youtu.be/NjtedqZUsmQ

First P day in Spain

Here is a rundown of my week

The plane ride to Madrid was insane, it took so long.   It was an 8 hour flight from Atlanta.  Then when we got to Madrid it was only 8 in the morning, so we weren't allowed to sleep till 10:30 pm, but they put us through about 6 hours of meetings, so we were all falling asleep anyway.  It was way bad.   

My companion is Elder Roberts, and he is super cool.  Since then I have gotten to know my district...all 8 of us.   There are actually only 38 missionaries here in the MTC.  My schedule has been pretty much wake up, eat, learn Spanish, teach an investigator, played by our teacher and based on a real person, then learn more Spanish, eat again, learn more, maybe some gospel study, then eat and sleep.  Some changes however include going to Retiro Park on Saturday and contacting as many people as we could....after only 3 days of Spanish.  It was so cool though.  I could actually understand a lot of what people were saying, and I have never really had any Spanish training before!  Other than that, we also get to do a session in the Madrid temple every Thursday.   We also get to go to some soccer fields and basketball courts, actually they are one and the same... the soccer fields are cement here.  It's still a ton of fun though.  

I have really been having an awesome time.  The food is good and I have made lots of friends.  

Here's some cool stuff about the MTC.  It's on temple square, all I have to do is look out my window and I can see it.  We are in a 6 floor building, but we only have access to the top three...because the temple workers and presidency live downstairs, and the stake center is right next to us.  The 4th floor is where classes are, the 5th is our rooms, and the 6th is the cafeteria.  The three kingdoms of glory, actually...that's what President Sitterud said (he is the MTC president).

The soccer field we go to is due east of the temple in a little park, and it's an arena of sorts, it's really cool.  One side note - there is graffiti everywhere, except on the temple gates.  That's the only place I haven't seen it.  Also, there are elders from 9 different countries here.  Some of my favorites to be with are the ones from Russia, Kazakhstan, and the Tahitian French ones.  They are hilarious!.... oh ya, and pranks are very prevalent here.....and considering my rooms door is the only one that doesn't lock....ya....it's been interesting :) it's ok though, I've been able to retaliate just fine :)

K, last thing cause I'm almost out of time.   We got 11 new elders today, just barely, and now my district has 10 people, including two sisters, and I have a new companion.  His name is Elder Love.  I still haven't met him though, so I can't tell you anything yet.  O well.

 Until next week!!

I love you all,

Elder Dixon