Just because it was hard doesn't mean that it was bad

well, i am not going to lie.. this week has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission. Actually I take that back, probably one of the hardest weeks of my life.

But just because it was hard doesn't mean that it was bad. 

To start off with I got to go on an exchange with my Sister Training Leader named Sister Danner. She is pretty cool. She goes home in 3 weeks so it was cool getting to learn a lot from her. She had a lot of really good advice that really helped me try to be a better missionary. The area I went to is the Portsmouth area which is BEAUTIFUL! We went tracting in Durham which is where University of New Hampshire is. It is the cutest little college town that I have ever seen. 

I'm sorry I am lame and didn't take pictures.. please don't hate me. I just forget sometimes! But it was really cool. 

On Wednesday we had interviews with the President which was really good. I really am lucky to have such great mission parents. 

GOOD NEWS! We got a new investigator this week! His wife is a recent convert and he is so prepared! We will hopefully get a baptism date for him this week! 

So SCARY STORY! Last Monday night Sister Maxwell and I were in South Berwick trying to contact a less active member. So it is like 7 o'clock and like pitch dark and the GPS takes us down this dirt road down the middle of the woods. Which didn't concern me at first, because a lot of houses here have really long driveways through the woods up to their house. But it was pretty creepy when we pulled up to the house and I felt like I was the stupid girl in horrors movies that still goes up to the creepy house even though everyone in the audience was screaming at her to DON'T GO IN! But, we are missionaries and we must bring these souls to salvation, so we made our way up to the house (aka our ultimate uncertain death). The house was dark except for a light on in the kitchen so we knocked and out of no where these two HUGE dogs (and when I say huge I am not exaggerating, they were practically moose) came running up and howling at us. I felt like all they saw was to big slabs of meat and they were ready to take a chop right into my head. 

So Sister Maxwell and I do what any rational young adults would do and we ran like the wind! Now, most of you know me and know that I am not a runner. If you see me running you better start running too because either something very disastrous is behind me or either something yummy and delicious is in front of me. But man, I don't think I have ever ran so fast before in my life.

So as missionary, we have this rule where one missionary has to stand out and back out the car to avoid wrecks and all that fun stuff. So to make matters worse I am standing out trying to back Sister Maxwell out while these two bears were barking at me in the middle of the woods, in the dark, in the middle of no where. 

Since I am writing this email you can assume that I didn't die. But I sure was convinced that I was going to. 

We found out later that wasn't even the less actives house anyways. #storyofourlives

Other than that we have been doing a lot of tracting and a lot of knocking and a lot of cookie making. We made like seven thousand cookies trying to give them to less actives so they would love us and let us come to church. It didn't work but we tried! 

So you maybe wondering why this week was such a hard week. Well being a missionary is hard in every form, physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.. I don't know if I will ever be able to describe how hard it is because you just won't be able to understand until you've done it for yourself. So while I was sitting in my apartment after a long day of work work work I felt discouraged. I felt like I wasn't doing any good and that there wasn't really a point for me being here. That's when I remembered a quote I heard from Jeffrey R. Holland pop into my head which says, "Don’t give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead. You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”

So here I am, still on my mission. Not giving up and trusting in God that there really are good things to come.

And there is. For you and for me. So I would like to echo Elder Holland's words as well. Don't you give up! there is always happiness and help and comfort and love and grace and mercy ahead. You can do it! Whatever it is!

I love you all and I hope you have a great week! 

Love, Sister Dickson