!!Home of the Brave!!

Hello hello!!

Oh man.. missionary life. It is just the best.

GOOD NEWS!
We got a new investigator on Tuesday. Her name is Vicky and she is
awesome. Her lesson was GREAT. The Spirit was so strong! We are going
to set a baptism date with her when we have our next lesson with her.
She is literally the best!!

We went to Dover's district meeting on Wednesday. I LOVE SISTER HOOPES
AND SISTER LAFEVRE. They are the coolest. We also met a crazy man who
told us he was Jesus...

It has been so so so humid this past week. Really muggy and rainy. My
hair is freaking out! It doesn't know how to handle the humidity at
all. It gets all curly-not cute curly- frizzy and big curly. Like a
rats nest.

Anyways HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!! We are so lucky that we get to
have our pday be a holiday. At the beginning of this transfer they
added a new set of sisters to the stake, so we can't go on exchange
with all of the sisters in the stake. Sister Hallam and I were pretty
sad about that, so we talked about what we could do and Sister Hallam
came up with an awesome idea to have a sisters district pday!! So we
got permission and we all met at Moose State Park in Searsport which
is right on the coastline. It was so beautiful! Everyone brought
potluck and we had grilled chicken and grilled corn. We played silly
games and went walking along the coast picking up sea shells. 4th of
July was a success! I love all of the Sisters we get to serve with! It
is such a blessing!!

Well now it is time for my spiritual thought!!
The other day Sister Hallam were discussing Mosiah 21. So the people
in the chapter have gotten themselves it to a bit of a hissy. They
were in bondage to the Lamanites and they were being so mean! So the
Nephites decided to go to war. They new the Lamanites out numbered
them, but they went anyways relying on their own strength. Well, they
went.. and they lost. Miserably. So what do they decide to do?
The go to war again!! And the lose, again!
But don't be fooled to think that they learned there lesson this time,
because they decided to go to war for a third time, only to lose
miserably and lose hundreds of men.
Then they realized that they would never be able to win this battle on
their own. They needed God's help. We read in verse 14 "And they did
humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry
mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their
God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions."

We are a lot like the Nephites I feel like, we are stubborn and we
always think that we can get through trials on our own. But the truth
is we can't, and not only that but we aren't supposed to go through it
alone. Heavenly Father wants to help us and He has the power to do so,
we just have to let Him. Humility is hard, but (as I am learning over
and over again) our way is not the way that will bring us the most
happiness. His way is.

Have a happy 4th of July everyone! Stay safe and have fun celebrating
the home of the brave and the land of the free

Love you all

xoxo
Sister Dickson

All Manner of Affliction

HAPPY SUMMER!
Oh my, it's crazy how a change in season and a little bit of sun can
make anyone happier. Missionary work is going great. There are a lot
of people out gardening and walking so we have so many wonderful
opportunities to share the gospel.

So cool story about that, we were walking down the street one day and
there was this lady out gardening so we stopped and asked if we could
help her. She said that she was just about done, but that she knew
someone who did need help. She pulled out her phone and called her
right up then and there so we could talk to her and set up a time to
help her. It was awesome!! We did a lot of gardening this week for a
lot of different people, which is awesome. I love being outside and
especially outside in pants!

So cool miracle happened on Saturday. We were out tracting and
everybody was saying no, which isn't out of the ordinary. The time
came for us to head back to the car so we could make it to our dinner
appointment. On our way back to the car a man, named Jesse, who we had
already talked to was out walking to his car. We were surprised when
he stopped us because when we had talked to him before he said that we
was all set with his beliefs. But he stopped us and asked us if we
could actually share our message with him. So, we got to teach him the
restoration and give him a Book of Mormon! And he told us he was going
to read it and that we could come back another time. It was fabulous!

Today is President Stoker's last official day as our mission
president. Oh ouch, stab me in the heart! I am going to miss him and
Sister Stoker so much! They have done so much for me and for the
mission, it's so sad to see them leave. I feel so blessed that I got
to serve with them. I am excited for the new mission president and his
wife to come though. Their names are President and Sister Blair. I
know they are going to be doing wonderful things.. I just wish we
could get the Blair's and keep the Stoker's.

Well let's talk about more positive things now, like my Spiritual thought!
Woo!

Anyways, trials always seem to be a huge topic that is always running
through my head. I have found myself really pondering about trials.
During our companionship study Sister Hallam and I got to talking
about Nephi.

Nephi's big main trial in the Book of Mormon is his family. His
brothers threaten to kill him, attempt to kill him, and abuse him over
and over and over again. Their prosperity even continues to fight with
each other for hundreds and hundreds of years. I am sure that many
prayers were offered by Nephi in an attempt to soften his brothers
hearts and for his brothers to be kind towards him. But over and over
again those prayers seem to go unanswered. He spent his whole life
dealing with this problem, and it never got better.

I feel like that same thing happens to us. We may have the trial of an
addiction, or we are being bullied, or we have some mental or physical
disabilities. I am sure many prayers have been offered to Heavenly
Father for relief of these trials, and I know without a doubt that He
is listening. But yet, we still struggle and we still have to suffer
with all manner of afflictions.

This is where I think Nephi is so awesome. Nephi didn't give up. Every
time one of his brothers tried to kill him he relied on the Lord. He
exercised great faith and we see that he gets stronger each time he
goes through this trial. His brothers never change. His circumstances
never change. But Nephi changes.

I think it's the same for all of us. No matter what trial it is. Most
of the time we will find that our trials won't magically go away.
Consequences will still come, people will still make mistakes and our
weaknesses and disabilities won't magically be take from us.

But we can choose to either become better or bitter. Our whole life is
going to be us going through hard things that are intended to make us
better and stronger. That is why there is the gospel and the church
that we can rely on. As we live the gospel and do the simple church,
prayer, scripture study and keep our covenants we have made then we
will be able to bear our burdens with the Savior by our side every
step of the way.

Life is good everyone, we have a Savior to help us!

I am so grateful for Him.

And for you!

I love you all!!
Have a happy week!

Xoxo
Sister Dickson

God's Favorite Color

Well hello!
I love life! haha well, this week was just so busy and so good!
First things first, Sister Hallam and I both survived transfers! We
are staying together! Woo!! I am so excited!! I love being here and I
love being companions with Sister Hallam.

This week was so fun. We went on a mini mission with the one of the
youth here. Her name is Susan and we had SO much fun!! Susan also gave
us a referral named Theresa and we picked her up as a new
investigator!! It was awesome!!

Volunteering with the Monks is probably my favorite service that I
have done so far!! It is so fun!! They feed us lunch after service and
they make the BEST homemade bread and lemonade!! Mmm.. I love it!

We also picked up a new investigator named Sonya, who is great! We
also set a baptism date with our investigator Marion.

Wednesday night the ward had an ice cream social which was so fun!! I
really love the ward here. They are so awesome! Plus our investigator
Lorriane went to the party too!!

On Saturday we went on exchange with the Brewer Sisters, Sister
Castillo and Sister Johnson. I went with Sister Johnson and I was so
fun. I love getting to go on exchanges with different sisters every
week. I feel so blessed to get to be in a position where I can learn
from and serve closely with all of these wonderful sisters.

On Sunday a less active named Myrt, who we have been working with a
lot, came to church again!!! Woo!!! I so love it when the gospel
changes people's lives for the better! We set a date with her as to
when she will go threw the temple and we are so excited for her!!

This coming week is the Stoker's last week as my mission parents. It
is slightly killing me inside because I love them so much, but I am so
lucky to get to have two mission parents to love and to serve with!!

Well for my spiritual thought I would like to talk a little bit about
how getting answers to prayers works. I always under the impression
that the scripture, "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be
opened unto you" meant that we would get the answer we want right then
and there.

I learned this week that is quite the opposite. It all started when
Sister Hallam told me of this exercise that missionaries do to help
them figure out how they receive answers to their prayers.

Its simple, all you do is ask God what His favorite color is. Sister
Hallam said that everyone who has ever done this has gotten the same
answer. I thought that was so cool! So I decided to ask.

I prayed, and I asked and the color purple came right to my head
immediately. So I rushed over to Sister Hallam,
"It's purple, isn't it?!?" I burst out
"What?" she asked confused.
"Purple. God's favorite color. Its purple, right?"
"uh.. nope not that I have ever heard of."

I was crushed. I went back into the study room and laid on the floor
and had a personal temper tantrum. What the heck?!? I thought to
myself! Why the heck did purple come to my mind, I was so wrong! oh
my, this totally means I have no idea how to listen to the Spirit! I
started to doubt every single decision I have made. Such a minor error
had led me to the point of doubting every single spiritual impression
I have ever gotten. For awhile I was convinced that I had no idea how
to get answers to prayers or how to listen to the Spirit.

If I couldn't even get an answer to such a simple question, then why
would I ever get an answer to an important question or decision.

After awhile of laying on the floor and freaking out in my head, I got
up and started to study the scriptures. But the question kept going
through my mind, why hadn't God just answered my simple question?

It was then that it occurred to me that God was trying to teach me
something. But, what that something was, I had no idea. So I went to
Preach My Gospel and read chapter 4 on how to recognize the Spirit. I
came across a scripture D&C 6:14-16, 22-23 "Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired
of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received
instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have
come to the place where thou art at this time.

Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten
thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that
thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;

Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save
God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast
your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that
you might know concerning the truth of these things.

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What
greater witness can you have than from God?"

It occurred to me that prayers are a form of work. When I asked God my
question I hadn't studied it out or even prayed to confirm my answer.
If it meant something to me, I would need to show Him that it did. I
asked Him with my head, but not with my heart. I listened with my
ears, but not my heart either. I am a firm believer that God talks to
us more through our heart then any other way.

I know for a fact that God does hear and answer every prayer, but most
of the time, the answer is not really what we expected. He even
answers prayers about what His favorite color is.

I love you all!!
Have a happy week!!
xoxo
Sister Dickson

ps, ask God what His favorite color is and shoot me an email when you
get the answer!!
(by the way its not purple.)

True Greatness

I feel like every single email I send home I just rant about how much
I love being a missionary. But it's so true! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!
Ahhhh! I just wish I could transport all of you here to see how
wonderful life it!

This week was.. Odd. Odd but so good. Monday afternoon we had district
p day with our district and we went candlestick bowling. From reading
my letters so far I would assume that most of you have figured out
that Maine is weird, and has weird things, like candlestick bowling.

Candlestick bowling is just like regular bowling except the bowling
balls are like a little bit bigger then a soft ball and the pins are
really thin and light. So we all go in to this little run down ghetto
as heck bowling ally. It was so old that we had to keep score by hand
on a piece of paper and reset the bowling pins ourselves. Hahaha but
it was so fun. I love everyone in the district! We had a party!

Monday night we picked up a new investigator named Megan. She is so
solid. We also met some really great potentials. Then the Ellsworth
sisters came over that night for exchanges. Sister Hallam wakes me up
a little bit earlier the next morning and it took me awhile to
comprehend what she was saying. You know me in the mornings, I'm not
very coherent or even very nice. Haha but anyways after her repeating
the same thing like 3 times I finally understand what she was saying.
She told me that she had been way sick all that night with the flu and
we needed to cancel exchanges.

I felt so sad that we couldn't go out with the sisters. But the
mission nurse forbade us to leave the apartment that whole day! In a
way though it was a slight blessing in disguise. Not saying that
Sister Hallam dying all day was a blessing, that was not that fun. But
my back was killing me from the day before and I could barely move.

So we just had to sit in the apartment all day and fill out 350
mormon.org cards and laugh about how we were falling apart. The Bangor
elders were really nice though and they came and gave us a blessing.

Staying in the apartment all day really is not that great.. Quite the
opposite actually. When Wednesday came we were both so pumped and
ready to get back out and work.
We picked up some new community service that we now do every Thursday
morning. We volunteer at the bake shop called Friars Bakehouse. We
didn't realize that the bake shop was run by a monastery. It is so fun
volunteering with a bunch of monks. We wash dishes and clean and such!
I felt like I was on the movie set for Nacho Libré.

"They give me no eagle powers! They give me no nutrients!"
"I get to sleep alone for the rest of my life, it's fantastic! No go
along, read some books!"
"Have you ever been in love with a nun?"
"Now leave, while sister and I talk of holy things."

None of the quotes will be funny to you if you haven't seen Nacho Libré.

Anyways, on Friday we had zone conference. I LOVE ZONE CONFERENCE. I
didn't know that I could love being rebuked so much! Haha!

It was President and Sister Stoker's last zone conference they will
have before they end their mission in July. It was very emotional. I
have learned so much from them. Even though I will miss them so much,
I am very excited to meet the new President and his wife. There names
are the Blairs. It'll be a fun adventure.

Saturday was great! In the morning we got to go to the University of
Maine and volunteer at the special olympics! Where I got to see the
HopeSmith family and Charlene from my last area! It was so fun. We
helped give out sneakers that a shoe company had donated. Later that
day, we taught one of our new investigators, Portia. Portia is like a
power mom and she has the two cutest boys ever!! And we picked up a
new one and her name in Mary Ann. She is literally the sweetest lady I
have ever met. She is so excited to learn more. Then we had dinner and
a lesson with Lorraine, another investigator and we all sang "I Need
Thee Every Hour" together. It will continue to blow my mind at how
much I can love these people. I hardly know them, but yet it feels
like I have known them forever.

So I guess it is time for a spiritual thought.

In relief society we had a lesson on true greatness. I love this quote
by Joseph F. Smith that says "Those things which we call
extraordinary, remarkable, or unusual may make history, but they do
not make real life. After all, to do well those things which God
ordained to be the common lot of all mankind, is the truest
greatness."

I have reflected a lot on what really makes someone great. I feel like
the world would tell you it's by how successful you are. I think I
would agree with that, but what is success? When I think of how the
world portrays success I think of fame, money, having nice cars and a
nice house, being well recognized and popular. But when we look at
those people the world would classify as "great" and see how they
really live, it's very obvious that they are anything but happy.

So what makes one truly great? It is being settled firmly on a
foundation of truth and light. It is by small unrecognized kind deeds
and words. It is the giving of ones self and the quiet example one
sets. True greatness comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ and
loving all men. It's in the little everyday to day acts, decisions,
and moments that make up eternity and define greatness. That is when
we become truly great and extraordinarily happy.

Alma 37:6 "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but
behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great
things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth
confound the wise."

Have a great week!
I love you!
Xoxo
Sister Dickson

A Merry Heart!

Before I start my email I need to make a correction, last week in my
spiritual thought I typed that commandments are restrictions, which is
so NOT true, I reply need to proof read these emails haha. But FYI
commandments are not restrictions..
Well anyways... On with the goods!

"Sister Hallam, do you know how practically every morning I tell you
that I feel like I got hit by a truck?" I say as I lay in my bed.
"Yeah," she says "except this time you actually do feel like you got
hit by a truck!"

*3 weeks earlier*
"Sister Dickson! I have a wonderful idea! Let's tell the Ellsworth
district to have their district pday at Acadia National Park!" Sister
Hallam says

*Last week sometime*
"Yeah we talked with President and he said we can go to Acadia. We
thought it would be fun to go on a sunrise hike. Meet us at our
apartment at 4 am. You could stay the night at the Sisters." Says the
Ellsworth Elders.

*3:30am this morning*
"Sisters, I am so sorry. I am going to be lame but I just really don't
want to go on that hike this morning. I am just barely getting over
this cold!" One of the Ellsworth Sisters tells us as I look out the
window watching rain flood the streets.

That my dear friends is the story of how Sister Hallam and I went on a
hike at 4 am in the rain with 8 random 18-20 year olds that I hardly
know, otherwise known as Elders. It was so fun though! The only down
fall was that we were basically rock climbing (not really but there
was a bit of climbing involved) and I slipped on a wet rock and fell
flat on my bum, knocking the wind right out of me. Oh man.. Did that
hurt. My back is still a little sore but it was totally the grace of
God that helped me hike 600 feet down back to our cars.

I feel so blessed to be in such a sweet mission, there are FANTASTIC
missionaries here. Especially all those elders we went hiking with who
made sure they were behind me and in front of me to make sure I didn't
fall down hard again. It was such an adventure! Sadly we didn't see
the sunrise because of how foggy and rainy it was, but it looked so
beautiful against the green trees.

Oh my! So much has happened this week! There is so much I need to say!
Well first off last Monday our pday was cut short because we had to
drive down to New Hampshire for MLT ( missionary leader training) and
we were driving with the same elders we were with last time we went to
NH. The ride down was just as entertaining as last time. This time the
elders tried to get every semi truck we passed to honk their horns.

We stopped at the Portland Headlight on our way down. Apparently it's
like the most photographed lighthouse in the world. We were so excited
and when we got there the lighthouse was covered with scaffolding.
That was a bummer, but the ocean was still sooooo pretty!! I love the
east coast. It's beyond beautiful.

MLT was FANTASTIC! President Stoker gave so many great trainings. It
was so fun. On our was home we stopped at the Portland Mall to use the
bathroom and the Elders said we had 15 minutes or else we would be
late getting home.

So Sister Hallam and I went to the bathroom real quick and waited in
the food court for them. And we waited.. And waited.. But no Elders.

We know one of them wanted to get their iPad looked at so we though
maybe they were at the Apple Store. So we went there.. No elders.

So we went out to the car.. Still no elders. So we went back to the
food court and waited for no joke 20 minutes. So we went back out to
the car and stood there. Mind you that our phone was in the locked car
so we had no way of getting ahold of them. 45 minutes later we see the
Elders walking out with Macy's bags. THEY WENT AND BOUGHT TIES! Those
dang Elders. Hahah they also put on some nasty smelling Johnny Depp
cologne. So the whole 3 hours home we spent most the time informing
them which colognes are really ok and not ok to wear. Haha

This week we were on exchanges with the Dover Sisters! It was so fun
seeing sister Hoopes again! We had a party and went up to our creepy
third floor and had a dance party with our black light. Haha exchanges
are so great! I am a firm believer that exchanges brings miracles
because we got 5 new really awesome investigators this week!!

Ah.. Such a great week. Such a great 11 months, I LOVE being a
missionary. All the blisters and sore muscles are worth it.

For my spiritual thought this week, it's all about attitude. I love
the scripture in Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a
medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Attitude is really everything, especially in a world where it is so
easy to get caught up in all the junk. But how is it possible for us
to remain positive and optimistic in such a scary world?

Well the answer is Christ. Christ is the answer to everything but He
will bring that hope and happiness into our lives that we need. He can
turn doubts into optimism. He can turn hopeless into hopeful. He takes
the pain and gives us strength to go on.

Sometimes we may think that they trials we endure are to hard. We may
want to give up.

But when Christ was in the garden suffering for your pains, and your
trials, and your temptations and your fears and heartache He didn't
throw his hands up in the air and exclaimed that this was just "too
hard". He never has and never will give up on you. So don't give up on
yourself. Lift up your head, paint on a smile and enjoy all the good.
There is so much to grateful for and so much to be happy about.

I love you all!
Have a happy week!
Xoxo
Sister Dickson

I need thee every hour

Hello hello!!

Well this week was just lovely because the weather here in Maine is
FINALLY getting so beautiful. My 11 month mark is on Wednesday and the
weather is reminding me of the beginning of my mission with Sister
Bee. Such great memories!! I love being a missionary!

On Tuesday we were teaching one of our investigators about
commandments and how they are a restriction but wise counsel to keep
us safe and happy. Well we start talking about praying to know if
these things are true and teaching her how to pray and her 14 year old
son came right up to the lesson and started to listen. He took a pic
of the how to pray page in the pamphlet we gave and was so interested.
It was so cool! He took a Book of Mormon and wants to keep learning!
MIRACLES!

So as sister training leaders we get to go to other sisters district
meetings whenever we want. There are 5 sets of sister in the zone that
we cover and we try to go to all of their distinct meetings. So last
Wednesday we decided to go to Dover's district meeting!! It's was so
great seeing Sister Hoopes and Sister LaFevre. It was so crazy weird
being back in my last area and in the Dover chapel. Like it kind of
felt like coming home.. But also like I didn't belong. Haha weirdest
feeling ever, but it was so great.

On Saturday we went on exchanges with the Waterville Sisters, Sister
Clegg and Sister Turley. Sister Clegg has been out for 8 months and
Sister Turley has only been out for about a month. I was on exchanges
with Sister Clegg and so many miracles happened! We were able to give
out 3 Book of Mormons and teach a lesson to a potential investigator.
We also got a return appointment. It was a great day only to come back
to the apartment to find Sister Hallam and Sister Turley had given out
2 Book of Mormons, got 3 return appointments and 2 new investigators!
Miracles happen on exchange let me tell you!

Oh and another miracle. We have been working with this less active for
a while trying to help her to get to church again. She hasn't been to
church in at least 10 years and she finally came to church on Sunday!!
It was so great! I was jumping up and down all excited! Best Sunday
ever!!

I love the change the Jesus Christ can bring into our lives. I am so
grateful for Him. Which leads me into my Spiritual thought!
This morning the words to the song,
"I Need Thee Every Hour" have been running through my head over and
over. I've always loved this hymn, but this week it took on a new
meaning for me. We really do need him not just every hour, but every
minute, and every second of our lives. More than that, He is there
every hour, minute, and second of our lives. So, you ask, why don't we
feel like He's always there? Because feeling Him, talking to Him, and
listening to Him takes work and I'm grateful for missions and trials
and situations that teach me how to do that work.

Now pay attention: the song says I need thee every hour. Not Mormons
need thee, sad people need thee, missionaries need thee, etc. You know
why that is? Because it isn't an exclusive statement! We all, in each
and every one of our circumstances, need Him every hour. It's amazing
that to so many this statement applies to everyone else but them.
Also, notice that this is in first person. You, yes you, you do need
him— just admit it! Heavenly Father cannot give anyone the help that they
don't want, we all would do all to get over our pride and ask for it.
Literally, His way is the only way that will bring us true happiness.

I need Him every hour. Christ is the only way.

I hope we all would follow President Monson's counsel to "always
choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong. If we choose
Christ we would have made the correct choice."

I love you all!
Have a happy week!
Xoxox
Sister Dickson

.but these are our days.

Hello my loves!,

This week was just so unbelievably wonderful! So many miracles!!
The beautiful flowers are a blooming and the weather is just amazing!
I remember thinking last winter that for the rest of my life I was
doomed to an eternal bitter cold. I never thought the warmth would
come.

So in honor of the beauty that is all around we have been doing a lot
of missionary work on foot. It is such a blessing to be in an area
where I can actually walk to appointments.

Tuesday I went to my very first exchange as an STL with Sister
Lescarbeau who is serving in Farmington, ME right now. It was so fun!
She is a great Sister! Sister Lescarbeau, Sister Hawes, and Sister
Castleton are all serving together in a trio. So we had 5 Sisters all
staying with us in the apartment, it was a party let me tell you! I
made French toast for everyone and I made the smoke detectors go off.
Three times. Haha but it was so fun.

We got the coolest opportunity this past week end to have a mission
conference down in New Hampshire, where Elder Rasband from the twelve
and Elder Bragg from the seventy came and spoke to us. IT WAS SO
GREAT!!!

So Friday afternoon we meet the Bangor Elders and the Brewer Elders
and we all hop in the famous Brewer mini van and drive the long (so
long) 5 hour drive down to Bedford New Hampshire. I really didn't know
how long 5 hours was until you are locked in a van with 4 elders. For
about an hour they all looked at pictures of themselves and then for
another 4 hours they made up their own definitions to different words.
They would, as awkwardly as possible, wave to every car passing by and
shout out the missionary discussion out the window. Oh, and did I
mention they did all that while speaking with a British accent? For 5
hours down to New Hampshire and for the 5 hours back up to Maine..
Hahah it was pretty funny though.

We got to stay Friday night at the mission home in Bedford and it was
so fun! In the morning President Stoker comes upstairs and announces
that he has made waffles for everyone! Sister Stoker had yummy fruit
salad and home made Carmel syrup. It was so good!! I love the Stoker's
they are so awesome!

So we had to the chapel Saturday morning and all 180 missionaries in
the mission were there. It was so great getting to see everyone from
the MTC and seeing old friends in past districts and seeing Sister
Jensen and Sister Hoopes.

Getting the opportunity to hear from and apostle of the Lord was such
a privilege! Oh my, Elder Rasband is just the coolest! He has a
grandson who is serving here too. I learned so much from him. And that
leads into my spiritual thought.

Helaman 7:8-9
"Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul
have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.
But behold, I am consigned that these are my days..."

Elder Rasband really stressed on the importance of living in the
moment. Right now. And loving every second of it. Aren't we all just a
little like Nephi here? Wishing to go back in time, focusing on what
could have been or what once was.
Well.. If that is ever you (because it is mostly certainly me very
often) then you need to knock it off right now.
Even God doesn't dwell in the past. He isn't fixed on who we used to
be, or what we did, or how our life was. He is focused on us now. Who
we are now and what we are doing now. He sees us as who we are and who
we can become. He see every ounce of good in us.

There is always good in everyone and in everything.

These are our days, my friends, live in them and love them "for the
Lord will do wonders among us".

I love you all!
Have a great week!
Xoxo
Sister Dickson