Transfers on Wednesday

Good by Kingman Kansas and Hello Derby Kansas.  Taylor is being transferred Wednesday the 30th for his new assignment.  He is sorry he didn't get to write a letter for his blog they had a short amount of time today. He has loved Kingman and his companion Elder Maki, Bro & Sis Greenlaw, and all those wonderful people who have fed and taken such good care of them. He is grateful for the experiences he has had and is ready for the new. He will be in the same District with his second cousin, Sister Blood.  He is going from a town of around 3,000 to a city of 23,000 people.

Happy Easter (Yesterday)

This week has been pretty good! Yesterday a lady that we do service for at the Museum had us and the Sisters over for dinner and an Easter egg hunt! There were so many little kids running around looking for the eggs. I had a blast showing my favorite kids where the stashes were located! Lol. After that we just sat under a tree chatted about life while we gazed over the mile(s) of rolling green farm land. I was glad they did not have any four wheelers because I would have been out cruising on the farm and on the dirt roads! (Crap, I am sounding like the country folks now.)

A family that is out of our area boundaries always brings us food. (Bro and Sis Balzer) Late last night they said they were going to come over and bring us Easter dinner since we couldn’t go to their house. So he brought over tons of food (again) for us. Four people were carrying in all the food. We loved it. Cereal, M&M’s, bread, roast with potatoes gravy and carrots smothered with Sriracha sauce, pizzas, MONEY, and cheese! Oh my goodness!! Heaven! The Lord is providing!!

Speaking of the Lord providing. The Pitcock family is a part member less active family. She has a goal to attend church once a month. Well she has only been able to come once this year. Her husband did not want anything to do with the church. But the Sister's went over to talk with her the other day and the wife said that her husband wants to get baptized and eventually be sealed in the Temple!! Well at church yesterday the whole family showed up despite his hectic work schedule! Miracle!!! So we talked with the husband and he invited us over for dinner tomorrow night! I so can’t wait for that!! He has a huge farm that he runs so I want to see if he needs help. My goal is to drive a John Deere tractor while I am out here!!!

I hope that life is treating you all well. I love you all so much! I can’t wait to be back with you all again!! Love you all!

That’s right!! Reppin’ the Utah Jazz today!! 

"Because of Him", I am where I am today!!

Happy Easter to all my beloved Family and Friends. We had a Zone Conference this past Tuesday and it was phenomenal! While at the conference we had multiple trainings to enlighten us. But one training that really stuck out to me that I would like to share is this video that has been posted. The spiritual power of sitting in a room watching this video with 44 Elders and Sister along with the Mission President was so powerful! I wish it could share that experience with you all! But since I cant do that I invite each of you to gather around with your friends and family to watch this short video.

Love you all and God Bless!! ~ Elder Dickson

http://easter.mormon.org/

A Beautiful Tan & Today, Frozen Fingers

Hello Everybody,

Things are going well out here in the boonies of America! This week the weather has been so beautiful. 80 degree weather, a beautiful tan I received, and frozen fingers today!! It snowed this morning in Kansas! So messed up!!

But going to the Temple was a great experience! The bus ride to Oklahoma was 3 ½ hours long. Ugh!!! After the session we had a special meeting with the Temple President. I can’t speak of what he said due to certain reasons but one thing I can say. When the missionaries are chosen the council members keep in mind our 20 year future as they choose what place to serve. It was cool to know that our mission will shape the rest of our lives “Plus” the 2 years we are serving will give us an advantage for our next 20 years of our life! Amazing!!

One of our investigators that we have been working with loves having us come over for lessons. So the other night we were teaching the Plan of Salvation to her and her husband. They just seemed so amazed that we believed all of it. So we asked them “if you pray and come to know these things we have taught are true what would you do” she responded “well we would like to be apart of it!” So we gave them a date so they can be accountable for receiving that inspiration. So this week we had an appointment and they cancelled. Ugh. But last week I did have a dream that the wife did get baptized but the husband did not. But eventually the husband did join. I so hope it will come true!!

Love you all!!
Elda T Dickson

3 1/2 hour bus ride to the Oklahoma Temple.

 Oklahoma Temple

We named our dashboard hula girl Dorothy!! 

There were two storms clashing with each other at that time.

Sing us away Dorothy!

Conference Was Good!

Well I hope that everybody had a good Conference the past few days! I know I did! As I was watching conference I started to get Utah sick! I really miss Utah! I actually got to see a few friends that were in the choir! That was really exciting! Conference made me tear up several times, I see why Dad and Grandpa tear up. Just being out here on the mission studying the Gospel has really opened up my testimony for conference. I am actually understanding what they are saying. LOL We were in Pratt, Kansas at the Church to watch Conference. We were able to spend time with the Senior couple that we all love, they are the Greenlaws. They are from Mapleton.

We had a couple of members bring us food, it was awesome. We love the members and how they help us out.

We were invited to a Bonfire last week, it was interesting. When my companion and I arrived a few of the people that were there swore and asked why missionaries got invited. By the time the Bonfire was over we had all become friends and we were invited back to a a birthday party this coming week. So, we hope this will turn into something for us.

I don't have much time to email today because it is a half p-day. We are going to the Temple tomorrow. WAHOO!!! So I will send pictures along with a longer email.  It's a three hour bus ride to Missouri Ugh! but going to the temple will be awesome. Tell Grandpa D thanks for the letters and the $5 bucks, it helps pay to do my laundry. Ha ha 

Love you all!!!

Elder Taylor Dickson

The members are great!

It is really nice outside this morning! Love it! We were inside all day yesterday, I didn't feel well. So we stayed home and rested all day. Plus we had a member come over and give me a blessing. And then he saw that we did not have any food so he and his wife brought us over food. Then another member and his mother texted us saying what kind of food do you like. So they are going to load us up with food this week. The members are great. The one member brought his wife over and she told us not to get discouraged. She has lived here her whole life and pretty much shunned because she is Mormon. But she said out of the 23 years living here we have only had 2 baptisms. So she said get your face out in the community. The president said that we should do service here in town. So we have been looking around for service opportunities. We went to an old folks home last week and it looked like pure torture in there. To get OUT of the building you have to type in a code to open the doors. I will never let anybody go into one of those!! We did get a few new investigators so we are working with them. It is the neighbors downstairs. Happy Birthday Dad. 

Love you all, Elder Dickson

Moving A Family

Hey everybody,

Things have been pretty crazy here in the land of Kingman and Pratt! Last weekend we received a referral from our office saying that some investigators need some help moving from Wichita to Pratt. So on Saturday we helped the man and wife move a large U-haul truck into a small storage unit. (Grandma Taylor would even be in shock! Love ya Grandma!) So after we moved everything they took us out for breakfast. So they took us to a restaurant that was on my "Do Not Eat There" list. It was good food for sure, but when I got home I was dead sick. I laid on the floor with no energy and felt like I was going to get even sicker. So we didn't do anything for the rest of the day. 

But on a brighter note, we went to a members home earlier this week and she fixed us some salmon. After dinner was over it was my turn to give the dinner message. I read from the Book of Mormon Alma 7:11-13:
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

And after I read that I told of a message my Dad had sent me earlier about how he is having issues with his kidneys. And that I told my Dad that if he were to devote his life 100% the Lord would help him. So he received a blessing from my Grandpa Dickson. (I wont say here what it said). So I got on my email a couple days ago and my dad said that he had been going through different tests to see if he had cancer. Well 10 minutes previous to me emailing him he got a call saying that he was clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

To conclude this message I know that if we put the Lord first in everything the Lord will show miracles unto us all. Prayers to you all!!

Love Elder Dickson

P.S. Check out the new hair style:

Happy Pinching Day!!!

Hola amigos. Happy Pinching day!!! I was in bed this morning (not wearing green) and my companion (well over 200 lbs) came running into the run and jumped on me and started pinching me. Lol crazy Poly!!

 But this week has been great! We have been on the hunt for less actives this past week. We came across one man that has not gone to church in awhile. His life has took the one less traveled road. He has turned to alcohol and now is addicted. And he is so addicted that the Branch has been helping him the Branch even had a specialist come out from Headquarters and he even ditched this specialist. So now everybody in the Branch has no faith in him. The Branch President even said that it is a waste of our time to be with him. My comp and I were furious!! I said to my comp “what is on the front cover of The Restoration Pamphlet? A picture of Christ holding a lamb! Yes Christ stopped the heard of sheep to help this ONE sheep back into the fold.” So we now have to find somebody within the Branch to help this man. The Elders can’t help him in the way he needs. He will start to rely on us when he needs to rely on the branch. We can’t help him as much because as missionaries we cannot counsel. All we can do is introduce the ARP program. I feel that I am starting to rant and rave with these letters, which I will try not to do. Not just as members of the church, but everybody deserves a second chance in life. Do not every give up hope on anybody. Our savior did not keep hearding those sheep and look back seeing that one stray leave and continue on with the heard. He stopped!

On Friday I had a phone call from this less active member. He said that he won’t make it to church because he is training at his new job. But he did tell his new boss that he cant work Sundays because he wants to start going back to church. I was smiling at this point. He was even telling me scriptures that he has been reading. He even wanted us to come over for bible study. This was amazing to me. I have not had anybody call and say that he is interested again.

Sorry I can’t write in more detail right now. We are about to go play laser tag with the Zone leaders! Once I get an iPad my letters will be in better detail.

Love,
Elder Dickson

Elder Bednar & A Fire

Hey everybody,

Hope things are going good for you all. Things have been really slow this past week. My new companion has been sick so we have not been out of the apartment much. Elder Bednar came and had a special meeting with the whole mission. It was incredible! He said that this opportunity will most likely not come again in your life. One thing that really stuck out to me is that some members think they are obsolete from missionary work. When somebody gives a prayer most of the time the prayer includes “please bless the people that were not here today that they will be able to make it next time” well why are we leaving it up to the Lord to bless them to come to church? We are the ones that should be at their house making sure they are ok and helping them back to church next week. We as member s need to do the work. It is just like missionary work. If the missionaries sat in the apartment and asked a blessing upon the area for everybody to show up at church NOTHING would be done! That is why we need to get out and be the shepherd to the lost sheep.

Last Saturday we had a man from the Mission Presidency of the Wisconsin mission call us. He grew up in Kingman and was ecstatic to hear that there are missionaries where he grew up. So we met with him and his wife at the library that morning. We had a nice chat about how missionary work is going in the area. (It’s going pretty good) So he has a bunch of friends in the area that are not members. So he gave us 5 different people that he wants us to go talk with. (Wahoo referrals)

When we were leaving we asked if he needed any service. His eyes lit up, yes we do need help! He told us that he has a farm in town that has 11 acres of weeds that he needs to burn and asked if we could help. I said “you need help starting things on fire” he said “yes” we told him “we will so be there.” So we woke up early on P-day and went to the farm. We got out the flame thrower and started the perimeter of the acres on fire. The fire was burning so slow! We got to the other side of the field and I lit a section up and it took off. My comp was on the hose and I was on the flame thrower. That was a bad idea for me! I am a white boy that has not seen the sun for awhile. I WAS GETTING COOKED!! So I took over the hose again. I was trying to contain this roaring fire from going into other fields which I did great at. But all of a sudden the flames intensified. It became really hot! I dropped my camera and squirted myself off with the hose. INTENSE!! So the fire was put out and the other 3 people were just sitting back on the truck while I walked the perimeter. I walked up to them and I said did you know this is on fire? Right behind them was over 50 acres of field that was not theirs. It had started on fire and they did not know. I said this is on fire. We all jumped up and started raking the flames out. We got the fire out just in time. Well its time to go.

Love you all!!!

“You need help starting things on fire?”

11 acres of weeds burned off.

-10 Degrees Outside

The first week has been a little different. My Companion has been sick a bunch and we were snowed in on Sunday. Our car was parked and it was about -10 degrees outside. So we just stayed inside. A lot of the other missionaries went out in the snow and they got frost bite. Elder Maki loves to cook food. He also reminds me to be positive in all things and not to doubt myself.

Tell everybody I can't email them all today. We had a Zone P-day yesterday so we are emailing today. I love my Zone Leaders and the Assistant to the President. They really make me feel welcome especially where I am the 2nd oldest in the mission. I am learning right now that life is great. Everything that comes in your path will work out for the best. I am also learning that the Mission rules are important to follow, but enjoy being a Missionary at the same time and have fun. This Friday we are having David A Bednar come to our mission!! Booyeah!! Cant wait to hear from him.

We went into an investigators house the other day to check on them. The husband had shingles on his face. I was so worried about him so we just dropped by. We talked and had a spiritual message with them. I got an idea to play a game with them that deals with the Book of Mormon. Pick a page then a verse then you have to apply that verse to your life. They pulled up the scripture Alma 22:23.

Love you guys so very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to go my Comp is waiting for me. Share this message with everyone on the blog.
Tell the family Hi.     Love, Elder Dickson