January 27, 2014
Hi family!
This week was really good! I
continue to learn more and more every week and it's so crazy how fast the time
flies. Sister Gonzales and I both had our 9 month mark and I am so
baffled about how I am at this point already. I am really working to make
every day count because it goes way, way too fast!
The weather has been really cold
this week and we didn't have a car. Every day took a ton of faith and
diligence to get out there and work, but the Lord definitely blesses us!
I have been listening to this talk lately from Elder Holland and it kind of
puts things into perspective:
"We flew to
our destination for a few hours in a modern jet airliner rather than sailing
for weeks, even months, in the steerage of a ship. I did not leave suffering
with chills and fever, cholera, or consumption, although I did have a cold and
one leg of our flight was delayed an hour. I have hoped these hardships would
qualify me to one day face Peter and Paul, Brigham and Wilford."
Sure, there are times when it is
really hard to find new investigators and no one will talk to us because they
don't want cold air in their houses, but we really are so blessed in our
missionary work. Our ward mission leader told us this week about his
insight (I think he quoted Elder Bednar) on Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the
assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is a principle of looking
back and remembering the tender mercies of God, looking forward and choosing to
work and be obedient, and acting in the present to accomplish the work of the
Lord. I really like this...the assurance of things hoped for=looking
forward to the future and having an assurance things will work out. The
evidence of things not seen=the ability to look back and see the hand of the
Lord in your life. I thought about it a ton this week. We have seen
so many tender mercies that it is impossible to NOT have faith in Christ!
We are still struggling to find new people to teach and to have progressing
investigators, but I know with our patience and diligence, we will be blessed.
I got a call this week asking me to
give a talk in church on Sunday. I was really excited for the opportunity
and thought it was especially cool since dad was giving a talk in
Colorado! I was given the talk "The Lord's Way" by Stanley G.
Ellis. Boy oh boy, I LOVED this talk so much. I think the main
reason is that we always hear people say "they are looking for a church
that fits their lifestyle." It drives me nuts, because the purpose
of the church and the gospel are to fit us to live in heaven again. We
should be changing our lifestyles to fit God's standards! I shared my
thoughts and different examples of people in the scriptures who follow the
Lord's way (especially found in 1 Nephi 18:1-4). I also shared the
devastating piano recital experience when I butchered “Moonlight Sonata” and
started crying. I related it to the piano teacher's way of practicing and
memorizing music vs. my way of not practicing and hoping for the best and we
all got to see what happened. I think people liked it. The ward
here is so supportive and they even laughed at my corny jokes, so bless
them. I guess I was really excited to give my talk because my companions
said I started reciting it in my sleep the night before. The funniest
part is that I started off the talk by saying "I would like to thank
Brother Winder (our WML) for being here!" We invited a ton of
investigators and less-actives to come to the talk and then there was a huge
snowstorm on Sunday morning so the sacrament meeting attendance was very
sparse. I was disappointed, as I thought it was a message they could use,
but I know it wasn't anything we could have changed.
Probably the highlight of this week
was teaching Sandy. We know she has been having problems with her
finances and health lately so we told her about priesthood blessings and
she really wanted one. Brother Winder came to the lesson and the
spirit was very strong. She told us of the things she is
struggling with--namely, a crossroads at her faith. She believes
everything we are teaching her, but it is so hard for her to leave the church her
daughter loves and has such a foundation in. The blessing Brother Winder
gave was so beautiful and we all felt so much love for Sandy from our Heavenly
Father. She is progressing, slowly but surely, but I know as she
continues to read the Book of Mormon
and pray, she will know what she needs to do.
Rita wasn't able to meet last week
due to some health issues and her father-in-law’s passing, but we are excited
to meet with her this week and teach her the plan of
salvation!
Jaszzameen has been going through
some hard times recently--she found out she has to have another knee
surgery. That's #11 for her. We love her so much but this recent
health issue has caused her progression to come to a halt so we might have to
wait to continue teaching her. That's a brief update on people in
the area. I love them so very much and I feel so privileged to serve
them!
Sister Dixon
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