Hmm.. Still thinking. Yeah I can't come up with anything witty or interesting.
Sorry!
My brain feels like mud! There is just so much goodness going around that my little head just can't wrap around the fact that this is actually happening to me. And because there is so much goodness and so many miracles happening satan is not to happy. That little bugger has been just working so hard trying to get Sister Jensen and I down. Trying to make us feel like we aren't good missionaries. But we know that's a lie.
Tuesday was such a blessing. That night we had a Book of Mormon study class that us and the Elders taught. It was really spiritually awesome! After the class we asked the Elders for a Priesthood blessing. We are really so blessed to have such great Elders, who are worthy priesthood holders, to serve with. I have such a strong testimony of the priesthood and how awesome it is! That blessing was exactly what I needed and I was reminded that God is aware of everything that is going on and that everything is going according to His plan. It will all be okay.
Wednesday we didn't have district meeting because there was a special world wide missionary broadcast that we got to watch. It was absolutely spectacular and I learned so much about how to be a better missionary for Heavenly Father. Then we had a lesson with Ashley and Sister Leeman came and brought pizza for us to eat. Guys, Sister Leeman is legit the most kind and Christlike person I have ever met. She knew Ashley was concerned because she didn't have any nice dresses to wear to church so Sister Leeman went and bought her a brand new dress! When Ashley opened it her eyes got so big, "Oh my goodness! It's so pretty!" That was a great lesson! Then later that night we got to witness the coolest thing ever. Paul and Tyler receiving the Aaronic Priesthood. The Spirit was way strong!
Thursday we did our usual service at the food cupboard at a Baptist church. The food cupboard is very similar to the bishops storehouse and I love volunteering there. I have had the opportunity to meet so many cool people! Again, I don't know what I did to deserve such a blessed life but I am so grateful.
Every Friday the Picott's feed us. I LOVE THE PICOTTS. They see the sweetest most sincere couple I have ever met. They have "the missionary bench" that we always sit at and on our bench was a cookbook for each of us. It was so sweet that they took the time to think of us and get us a cookbook. My heart just melted with happiness.
Saturday was the big day that everyone was looking forward to. The big recent convert temple trip. Sister Jensen had a very big spiritual prompting that we should make the HopeSmiths a lunch to take with them. So we woke up at 4:30 in the morning and made them lunches and then went over to their house to deliver them. We got there at around 5:30 and they were all dressed and about to leave when the father, Randy, saw the lunches and told us he was so worried because they didn't have food or money to take with them for lunch and dinner and that God answered his prayers.
The whole day Saturday I was singing in my head "I love to see the temple". 9 recent converts were able to go to the temple that day thanks to all of the wonderful members that made it possible.
The next day when we were talking to Paul and Charlene about the temple they talked about how great it was. The weather was good, they met so many nice friends, and they had the spiritual conformation that the family members they were baptized for had accepted the work that was done for them. Another really cool thing they said was that while they were in the temple all of their aches and pains were gone. Charlene's was really concerned about doing baptisms because it hurts her back, but while she was in the temple her back had no pain.
AHHHH!!! Guys, do you realize how cool that is?!?! God is so awesome!
Ashley was a church again, and was proudly wearing her new dress when sweet Sister Call came up and gave her a picture of Jesus and a picture of the temple. She beamed with excitement! In relief society everyone was just talking about how wonderful the temple is and we showed Ashely some pictures of the inside of the temple. Then Ashely just started crying and told us she wanted to go there so bad. She said she felt so overwhelmed with just the peace and the beauty that came from just looking at the temple.
Which leads right into our spiritual thought.
As we were driving back home to the barn Sunday night I just got the feeling of such overwhelming peace. I thought about all the wonderful people I have been able to meet and it struck me just how important this work is. There is a quote from the October 2015 general conference talk called The Joy of Living a ChristCentered Life. In here Elder Maynes says, "It wasn’t until my full-time mission as a young man that I realized the incredibly positive impact the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ has on those who have never previously experienced its blessings in their lives."
I was so overwhelmed with the eternal significance my mission has. I felt silly for all the times I have never fully appreciated the gospel and the blessing that the knowledge of hope brought to my life. I was reading the January 2016 New Era one day when I came across this story about missionary work that is so true,
"As a young man, I looked forward to the day when I would serve a full-time mission. When I finally entered the mission field, I discovered that missionary service was not what I had expected--it was better. It was harder than I thought, but the satisfaction that came from doing what the Lord asked of me was indescribable.
Never before had I experienced the joy of helping someone attend church. Never before had I felt the thrill of hearing someone say, “Sure, come on in” so that they could hear the restored gospel. Never before had I sensed the reality of the power that came as we declared repentance. Never before had I prayed with such real intent. Never before had an hour of scripture study gone by so fast. Never before had I been brought to tears by the realization of my imperfections. Never before had I experienced the devastation that comes with the words, “Elders, please don’t come by my house anymore.” Never before had I gotten a blister on my foot the size of my thumb. Never before had I felt so protected. Never before had I felt so much responsibility for my actions because I wore the name “Jesus Christ” on my chest.
Never before had I been so close to my Heavenly Father as I came to be during my full-time mission."
That is so true. I am so eternally grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. I have learned and grown in so many ways!
This gospel is so true,
God is so real and He loves all of you so much.
I love you all!
Thanks for all of your love and support!
Sister Dickson
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