I saw too many wake boarding boats today and reminded me that Bear Lake season is coming up!! Hope the family has a great time!! I need pictures!!
Any ways I hope things are great back home! I know things here are going great! Last week we finished up our last zone conference. Wahoo! Speaking in front of 30+ missionaries for 20 min is so much fun! It is only fun when the spirit runs the show. So to explain I had 20 min to teach missionaries what they are doing good with the cars and what needs to be improved on. So after the talk I gave out 3 different levels of free bonus miles. We give out bonus miles for the missionaries that have the cleanest cars. So I get up there and start reading off my notes for the cars that won and nobody was excited. I was wondering what was going on. So I moved on and nobody was clapping. I was on the wrong notes. I was speaking from a previous conferences notes. Everybody laughed so it made for a great time.
So working in the office you don't get to see the fruit of your labor as much as you would see out in the streets, until today. So a while back I had a set of missionaries ask me for any teaching materials in the language for Uganda. So we only had 4 book of Mormons and a couple bundles of teaching materials. So they took all the material we had. So a few weeks later another set of missionaries called and said we need some materials in Ugandans language. We were out. So I made a note to purchase more material. So as I went back into the material room the spirit said to call the first set of missionaries and get the material back. So I called them and they did not need the books and teaching materials anymore. Something happened with their investigators. So I collected all the material and the second set of missionaries picked up the materials. I never heard what happened. So tonight we had a mission presidents devotional. What it is, the mission president will get up and speak and then their will be some recent converts assigned. Well this child got up and shared his testimony. He said that he just moved from Uruguay with his family. They met with the missionaries and started reading the Book of Mormon, the 3 family members were baptized. As I listened to each of their testimonies the spirit told me "because of you they were able to get the Book of Mormon in their native language." My eyes quickly teared up. It is such a blessing to hear the miracles that happen in the field because of us in the office.
This week is transfer week! Some of the craziest times in the office. We are having 25 missionaries come in tomorrow afternoon. So today we went and picked up 2 Ford Transit 15 passenger vans! We rent these Ford Transit vans each transfer, so we named them the space shuttles! From today until Thursday will be crazy running around Wichita and doing trainings for the new missionaries. Ever since the time Elder Holland came to visit, each week we have had a big event going on each of those weeks. So insane! I love to be so busy lost in the Lords work. One of my best friends that I have served around in the office is leaving this transfer. I am so sad about that but so excited for him to get back out in the field as a district leader and a trainer. Elder Myers has served here as an assistant to the president for 4 transfers now. I have been so lucky to be able to serve around him. He has taught me so much in such little time. The Lords loving hands.
A couple weeks ago Elder Hisler and I were asked to take a handful of missionaries out west to Dodge City. (Dodge city is a 2 and a half hour drive.) Elder Hisler and I planned on staying the night in Dodge City to do some work the next day. As the day approached to take the missionaries home, that morning I woke up and had the day planned in my head to come back that night. That was not the plan at all. We were to stay the night in Dodge. So I went on with the day and things were not going smooth at all. First the wiper blades did not work on the vehicle we were driving out to Dodge, second the tri ball hitch was not a 2" ball, it was smaller so the trailer coupler did not have a good grasp (the trailer was moving around too much). So I just felt that something was wrong. I looked back to see what I was doing was wrong. I realized the spirit told me that morning that we were not to stay the night. So I cancelled the staying the night and we were to just drive home. Ever since that choice to come back everything went smoothly. The spirit told me in a new way how to guide me. I learned that moment that the Lord will teach us in new ways. To continue on, the next day we heard there was severe weather in the area we were to stay in. There was large damaging hail and tornado alarms going off. So I knew the Lord was protecting us from the storm. I know that the Lord knows I am terribly afraid of natural disasters. Mainly tornadoes! Whenever I leave an area there is a tornado that comes through or near. No worries there have never been missionaries injured by Mother Nature.
I love the Lord with all my heart. I know that he is aware of our every intention and shortcoming. I love you all!! Enjoy the pictures!
Elder Dickson
A storm ahead.
The Space Shuttles
Windmill Blades
