Casey's letter from Georgia, 9-12-11

What is this, a Cheetos mustache?

Things are going good here; the only new thing is that we are preparing to change our standard of excellence. The standard is sort of a guideline to help us plan and set goals for how many people we teach and meet and are progressing and such; of course, they are not just numbers, they are people, but with this standard we have a goal to shoot for. Our mission president has been praying and counseling with others, and has decided we need to alter the standards, so we can focus on the really important things, especially the ones that lead to baptisms. The goal in every mission is to double the baptisms; that means increasing from one baptism a month per companionship to two. We can do it!

Sounds like a busy week you've had; I heard about the BYU game, and I was a little distraught, but not as much as was most of Georgia (they had lost too). They love their football here too; we can't even get into people's homes on Saturday evenings lol.

Dad, I'm so happy you put up a Mormon.org profile; I had sent an e-mail to everyone, and have been trying to help the people here see the importance of Mormon.org:

Is your Mormon.org profile up? The church realizes people know us as Mormons, and they know people surf the web for information. The church put two and two together, and Mormon.org was born!

Seriously, check out this site! There are these videos of people bearing their testimony of how Christ has been in their lives; including the Highland Rugby coach: Larry Gelwix and Rob Morris (who played on the Colts, for anyone who is not Devin, and knows everything about sports) have videos on there!
Members put up their profiles, to prove to non-members we are not Amish or weird horned people; we are regular people, like non-members, and how our religion has made our lives better! We are asked to have profiles on this site, so people can browse through and find people with similar interests. It is not a social networking site (MOM!); you don't talk to anyone or give them any information. You just share your testimony. I promise it can change lives!
This site changes lives; I've heard so many stories about people joining the church because of it. Just the other day, we got a referral of someone requesting a free Bible from Mormon.org, so we went to her house and gave it to her. We talked to her, taught a lesson, and gave her a Book of Mormon as well! All because she got on the site and was curious about us. Most stuff about Mormons online is not good, so it's good that this website comes up now in the search. The only pass-along cards we have our for Mormon.org; the church wants to see how this will work. I testify that it will and is working!
Their is a huge campaign for Mormon.org happening in New York, and it's coming to Atlanta! Most of you have heard about the Mormon play they are doing; it is not sponsored by us, but it's putting our name out there; people are curious about us. The church is taking advantage of that by putting a ton of money into advertising; taxis and billboards will advertise Mormon.org on them. In Times Square, there will be a t.v. that continuously displays the videos from the site! Amazing!
I bear my testimony that this site is the next step to getting our name and word around the world, and it will increase investigators and baptisms ten-fold! I ask that everyone put up a profile, and let it change someone's life! Amen.

http://mormon.org/create/

Please post this on my blog; everyone needs to see the importance of this mission tool.

 

All of our dinners save a few have been with members; usually part members, or members we can get excited about missionary work. Working with the members is EXTREMELY important, especially when it comes to getting referrals and getting recent converts to stay active. I agree that the best proselyting time is in the afternoon and evening, so we try to make sure that is when are appointments and team-ups are. 

Speaking of the Omaha Nebraska Mission, that is where half my district went. If you ever meet the following missionaries: Elder Brown, Elder Boddy, Elder Widmer, Elder Chelsey, or Sister Coats, let them know Elder Dickson says hello, and feed them, gosh darn it! lol I don't know if they are ever in Lincoln for their mission but look out for them. I'm not sure if I have their mission address, so if you can get that as well, that would be superb.
 I have gotten plenty of letters from Collin, and have sent him plenty; he is doing great! He is doing mostly "Bounty Hunter Work" (see previous letter) and has a companion taller and bigger than him (not that that is hard lol jk). He is also training after only three months! What a pro! I haven't heard from Richie, but I need his address as well as Tragen's and Jeff's, so I can send them letters. Ask someone from home to send it to you, because they never check their e-mails lol.

While I have had some fun and interesting adventures (including an argument with a drunk man; needless to say, we confounded him, but he hearth them not, nor will he probably remember our conversation. It was hysterical!), I have also had some incredible spiritual experiences, one of which I will share:

We met someone while he was washing his car (who will remain unnamed); he claimed he had a dream that God would send someone to help him. He had a rough life, and got tangled up in every illegal thing you can think of. He has just recently started working an honest living to provide for his family, and has an immense desire to change; he just does not know how.

We have met with him a couple times, but he has missed most of his appointments. He claims he knows he needs to sit down and have a real lesson/discussion with us, but things keep getting in his way. We explained to him that is the Adversary, trying so hard to keep him from coming to the truth, since he is getting so close. My companion gave a fantastic analogy using Georgia and Georgia Tech football; which team do you want to be on/are cheering for? He said the Bulldogs; we asked if you were a true fan, you would support your team by put up your flags and defending your team. The point of this was to make him see that when he drinks, or smokes, etc. he is inviting the devil into his body; he is showing support for the other team while he claimed to be on the Lord's team. If he truly wanted to be on the Lord's team (which is the winning team), then he had to commit himself to that team. If he really wanted to come closer unto Christ, he needs to stop giving excuses for missing appointments and let us in. He sheepishly agreed, and said he really understood that. I felt inspired to give him a picture of Jesus Christ; he took it so lovingly and tenderly, as if not wanting to break it. I told him that whenever those temptations or desire come, look at that picture, and feel the spirit overcome him, and feel the devil flee from his home.

He also loved it when we talked about families being together forever; his daughters, who were playing around his home, came over to listen. Elder Nielsen (who is a master at following the spirit in how to say things) drew in their minds the most beautiful picture of Heaven, with their families forever; the girls loved that, and agreed to be baptized along with their father. It was so amazing; I was almost in tears, the spirit was so strong. Can I just tell you that the Gospel is true? Never, ever forget that. I feel as Ammon did in Alma ch. 26; the joy I got while showing them how to achieve that same joy in indescribable. I boast not in myself, but of my God, and His Plan for Happiness. I'm so excited to help others come unto Christ and be baptized, not for my glory, but for His.

 

P.S. Is it possible you can send a picture of me pre-mission? I need a picture of me not in my pros for Mormon.org; that is the only thing stopping me from having mine up.

 

P.S. I'll send letters home, but let them know that they can e-mail me anytime, since it is quicker. Love and miss ya'll!

Casey's latest letter from Georgia!

9-5-11

Hey, Dad!

It's good to hear from ya, hope the weather is better in Nebraska than here at the moment lol.

I'm in the Conyers Inner area, which is the central part of Rockdale County; it is mostly suburban (like Orem), with a few more rural parts. It's a nice place; my only qualm is the lack of sidewalks and bike trails; more often then not we are biking on the side of the road.

At the moment, we are doing a lot of what Elder Collin Jensen (in his letter to me just the other day) refers to as "Bounty Hunting," which is the tracking down of former investigators, less-active members, and recent converts. More often than not they have vanished off the face of the earth; something our mission president said to do when an appointment falls through or we can't find the person is to turn around and talk to the next person we see, which as worked amazingly well. We have gone tracting a lot, but less so now that we have a few potentials; everyone else is never home anyway. The one couple we had a baptismal date have sort of disappeared on us, so we're looking high and low for them lol.

The hours of the day are filled by biking from one end of town to the other; we usually have a 20-25 mile day! I feel my legs getting stronger everyday!

My apartment is nice; it is now mandatory that every missionary apartment has a washer and a dryer (Yea!); times have changed lol. I think some pictures of the apartment were sent with the rest; if not, I'll send the SD card once I get another one.

I actually have not put the bike together yet; I haven't had too much down time, even on P-day. I just keep using the other Elder's bike, and he is fine with me using it. My companion and I are getting along swimmingly; we have a similar sense of humor! He is pretty car crazy; he knows them inside and out (it's all Greek to me). Elder Nielsen is from Sandy, Utah, and he has been out six months; that's pretty young for a trainer. But he has a contagious enthusiasm and a lot of energy; I've learned a lot from him. We are both new to the area, so we got a lot of work to do; but I'm way excited and can't wait! Part of the 12-week program I mentioned last time is that I have to do door approaches one week, then lead the lesson the next, etc. I'm not too good at it yet, but I'm learning!
I have meet so many interesting people from so many diverse backgrounds and stories, and I'm excited to meet more!

The Elders in the area next to us had a baptism, and we were there to help with the program and set up and such; it was such a cool thing, and the spirit was so sweet. I'm really happy for them; they are now numbered among the people of God, and are the newest members of the ward. It almost didn't happen; the husband is a trucker, and was delivering loads around the southern-east U.S. We were not sure if he would get home on Saturday; but he did. The Lord hears and answers our prayers.

Oh, another highlight this week was that I got invited by a potential to attend an African Methodist Episcopal Friday Revival; we always ask people to come attend a service with us, so it's only fair we come if they ask. To say it was interesting would be not only a massive understatement but also does not correctly define it; if I could use a word for it, it would be LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They had drums and pianos playing and the choir was singing and the Reverend was bouncing up and down and yelling and the congregation was yelling "Amen" and "Praise Jesus!" They sure were having a ton of fun! While amusing, I didn't find much anything edifying about it; the Reverend guy has going crazy! He reminded me of Dave Chappell; he was running around and yelling and saying funny things and always saying "Can I get a witness here?!", to which the congregation would respond with more amens and hallelujahs; they hardly used scripture at all, and not any doctrine. His theme was we needed to grow up and out of childish things; it was just a big show to me. I know now more than ever our church is true; revelation comes through reverence, not volume.

I heard about BYU winning from a member; AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If we couldn't beat Ole Miss we couldn't compete with the rest of the teams on our schedule. Everyone here is sorely disappointed that Georgia lost to Boise State, so the wars was pretty grumpy on Sunday lol. Keep me posted on BYU and Nebraska!

People here use "God bless" all the time, so I'm getting used to it.

Today (Labor Day) we have a good ol' fashioned southern BBQ provided by some awesome members, and I'm way excited!

I've been here almost 3 weeks, and I miss everyone A LOT. But anytime I dwell on that, I remember why I'm here: to assist in to bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. As long as I keep that in mind, I can continue to go forth in faith, for the work I forth to do is great in the sight of God.

Love,
Elder Casey Dickson

Letter from Casey in Georgia 8-29-11

Things here are going great! I'm meeting so many wonderful people who want to know more, so I'm excited! We have our first baptism date set for a family we met the other day; it was the first lesson too! We just gotta teach the rest of the lessons and get them to church; they are already reading and praying, so I am excited for them!

Training is done pretty different now; they have just barely started this new 12-week program; it's a kind of study guide that assigns me particular gospel principles to focus on, things to read, things to watch (we get portable DVD players with special missionary DVDs to view), and things to focus on. Also with assignments like 'the first week, the junior companion, if occasion permits, to invite to baptism' or 'the second week, the junior coma Their goal is to get us trainer-ready by the end of it (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). It's a pretty scary thought to have to train someone after only 3 months, but this was written by men far wiser than me, with revelation from God this is what we should be learning in our first few months, and it's the best way to prepare us for this work.

The ward is great; I have met a lot of them over the past few weeks because we have a dinner with one of them every single day; sometimes lunch as well. They feed us well, and are always glad to have us over. The other day I had ox-tail, which was delicious! It's a good thing I am biking, or else I couldn't possibly work off all this food! The big thing they are trying to teach missionaries nowadays is to involve the members as much as possible; we need to get them excited about missionary work, and for us to prove to them they can trust us with the salvation of their non-member friends.

I just barely heard about the earthquakes and hurricanes happening on the east coast (we don't watch the news or read newspapers); we haven't gotten anything here, so no worries, but I pray for all those with relatives up there (which is most of the people here in the ward).

People sure do know their Bible down here; accepting the Book of Mormon is a hard thing to ask them, but I know that they can gain a witness of it's truth if they pray with sincerity for God to tell them if it is true or not.

I am in a biking mission; what a blessing! Sure, it's pretty darn hot to be biking in church clothes (not that I am complaining or anything lol), but because of it, we get the chance to talk to so many people who are just walking around. I know that is the reason why we were put in the biking mission; to be there at that time to talk to that person, and I see the evidence of it every single day!

Things are going very well, and I'm still so excited to spread the gospel to everyone willing to hear it. I want to bear my testimony, that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and we are His children; that He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and Redeemer. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it testifies of Jesus Christ along with the Bible. And since the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet; and if he was a prophet, then Christ's true church is restored to the earth; and if the church is restored, then it was lost after Christ's apostles death as foretold by the prophets, and the authority to act in God's name has returned to the earth. I testify that this church is true, and no flattering words or clever speakings and reasoning of men can ever shake my faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Amen.

Love and miss ya!

Elder Casey Dickson

Casey's first letter from Georgia!

!Hola Familia!

Wow, where do I start? It's been incredible being here; I'm loving every minute of it!
I guess I'll start from the beginning: I awoke at 4 a.m. on Tuesday the 16th so I could shower and be ready to be at the travel office by 5; at 5:30 we left for the airport. We ended up driving past University Mall, Utah Valley University and the baseball stadium, Coney's in Orem and AF, and all the places I recognized from my former life lol; it was a little weird for me to see all those things after weeks secluded in the MTC, but it didn't bother me that much. I was bound for an even greater adventure, and I was dang excited!

The airplane ride wasn't so bad; in fact, I slept through most of it. When we landed we found President Wolfert and his wife waiting for us, along with the two assistants. They took us on the MARTA, which is a train that goes across most of Atlanta, and goes pretty dang fast! We got to President Wolfert's home, got situated, then had a delicious southern meal of BBQ pork sandwiches, cream of corn, baked beans, and peach cobbler! It was great! The next day we arose to another great meal (cinnamon fresh toast, bacon, and eggs), then left to attend new missionary orientation, then transfer meeting.
I was assigned to Elder Nielson (that's him in the picture); he has been out 6 months, loves fixing cars, snowmobiling, wake boarding, boating, and sharing the gospel! It's his first time as a trainer, but I won't hold that against him lol. We were assigned to the Conyers Inner Area, which is an hour and a half from Atlanta. It is kind of a mixture of small town and what Orem is like; there is all the Wendy's and Arby's and such, but there are also places in our area away from the busy road. We were assigned to bike; mine hasn't arrived here yet, so I've been using someone else's. We were taken to our apartment to unpack, then went tracting. We will be doing alot of finding here; the missionaries before us have some incomplete records, and a lot of the formers we are tracking down are dead ends. It's up to us to find some new investigators, and revive the less-active members. It's been a lot of work, but I'm enjoying it so much! I've met so many interesting people!
There was this one lady the other day who was a Catholic, then a Jehovah's Witness, and now she's not sure what to believe, but knows that the Catholics and Witnesses are not right. Another guy is a from Jamaica originally, and is a master of the Bible; his wife is a member, but he wants to make sure all the stuff we believe he agrees with. He does have a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but won't commit to baptism just yet. So many people from so many different backgrounds and so diverse in their stories, but they all need the same thing; to come closer unto Christ by receiving His restored gospel! I'm so excited to begin teaching!
Most people here are originally from Alabama, and there are alot of black people here (culture shock!). The accent is pretty strong in my area; no doubt I will pick it up in a few days. The people are wonderful; southern hospitality is a true thing! But they are also pretty reluctant to accept anything but the Bible (working on that!).

Thanks for all the extra shirts and clothes, Mom, I certainly needed them! It's so hot and humid I need to change my shirt twice a day, sometimes shower twice a day! According to the locals, this is cool weather compared to how it was a week ago; Geez Louise! We did get rained on the other day; good thing I was already soaked! Thunderstorms are cooler here than in Utah; lightning lights up the whole sky, and the thunder is a lot louder! I'm loving the weather lol!

There are so many cool people in the ward; I can't wait to work with them! We do have dinner with members or part-members almost every day, so I haven't had to cook anything yet (haven't been shopping yet, so we have nothing to make anyway). I had Ox-tail the other day, at the Jamaicans home the other day; it was delicious! I'm sure it is the start of many interesting foods to come!

I am way excited, but also way tired; the weather and the work is fairly draining! But I'm happy at the same time; it's kind of weird. I have been doing work, and while I'm nowhere near satisfied (nor ever will I be), but I am grateful to serve and looking forward to it all!

Love and miss ya'll! E-mail me back when you get the chance!

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Pictures of Casey in the MTC!

Casey's dad: Casey left the Missionary Training Center on Tuesday (August 16) for Atlanta. He is currently in the field and we look forward to his first letter/e-mail from his new area. In the meantime, here are some photos from the MTC. I'm sure the people with him have names but Casey didn't send them to us. Suffice to say they are his district and companions in the MTC.

Another Casey letter from the MTC

!Hola, Familia!

Thanks for all the care packages, I've enjoyed them all immensely! The Twix and Peachios were awesome, but I'm actually not allowed to chew gum in class or when I'm teaching or when I'm proselyting, so I can really only chew it in my room. So while I love gum, and love that you sent me some, I'm not really allowed to have any. Thanks, though!

Mom and Shelby - I have no idea where my phone is. I thought I gave it to dad that Tuesday night. Ask him, or else search my room, but be careful. Braver and the wiser than you have lost their lives in the horrible depths of my domain. I'm good on clothes (thanks, by the way), but I always would love more sweets lol. But you guys don't have to get my anything. Thanks again, and ask dad if he has the phone. Love and miss you!

Dad - Do you have my phone? I don't remember if I gave it to you or not. Thanks for the e-mail, sounds like all is good in the land of Nebraska. Want to hear something cool? The other 4 Elders and a sister in my District are going to Omaha, Nebraska for their missions! Maybe they will see you or the rest of the fam, when they get there. They are Elders Boddy, Chesley, Brown, Widmer (who I went to high school with), and Sister Coats. If they end up in your boundaries sometime, feed them!

I am fed pretty well here (it's slightly better than school food), but I don't feel like I'm getting enough exercise to burn it all off, so I've been trying to do extra push-ups and sit-ups in my downtime (happy, Mom?). Glad you're doing so well in Nebraska, let me know how football goes and such. Miss you!

Devin - Thanks for all the Psych updates; all my roommates are fans of the show, so we all enjoy hearing about it. Sounds like an eventful last episode, let me know when the new one comes out. Also, check out darthater.com or swtor.com and let me know the TOR updates, OK? How's basketball going? Keep me updated on all family stuff too.

Thanks to all of you for your support. I do miss you guys, but I keep myself busy so I can focus on my purpose: to help others come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I know that if the early missionaries didn't teach my ancestors, I wouldn't be here, and I never would have grown up knowing the truth. How can I deny other families that enormous blessing? I bear my testimony, I know this church is true, I love my family, and I know that Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, and through him we can return to our Heavenly Father to live in eternal happiness and peace. Amen.

P.S I will send some photos I have taken in a hand-written letter, since I can't send them by e-mail. Feel free to put them on the blog, but not on Facebook yet.

Casey's first letter from the MTC!

Hello Family!
They finally got my e-mail to work; it turns out that in my LDS.org account, the Bishop (or possibly me) forgot to mark me as a missionary on the site, so that's why it wouldn't let me access the missionary mail site. Go figure.
So how is everybody? Thanks for all the packages by the way, everyone in my dorm is jealous. I enjoyed the Peachios immensely (don't worry, I shared), and thanks for the shirts and other clothes, I almost ran out; since we have Gym every day but P-day and Sunday, I went through all my clothes, so your last package really helped.

Dad - It is definitely different here at the MTC; I didn't know quite what to expect, but I'm loving every moment of it! So tell me how work is going, how you are doing, etc. I sent some letters to mom that I hand wrote, but I don't have your address (I know I wrote it down, but now I can't find it) so maybe Devin could scan them and send them to you (I'm not sure if he knows how to scan, though), or maybe just physically mail it to you. Love and miss you! Show those Nebraskans how sports is done! P.S. My MTC companion is elder Andreason from Apple Valley, California; he is the district leader now, and I'm his assistant. He is smart and fun and cool... just like me!

Mom - Thanks for the notes and the packages and the check; they will all come in handy. How's volleyball going? Shelby and the girls looking ready yet? Tell me what you guys have been up to. I think I'm good on shirts so far, but I'll write if I need more. Love you and miss you!

Devin - Thanks for the notes and the updates, keep them coming! How's basketball prep going? What's TOR up to? It is pretty awesome here, but i can't wait to get out there! Miss you, love you, may the force be with you!

Shelby- thanks so much for your notes; it makes me miss poking you and bugging you and teasing you to death. I bug my companions instead, but it isn't the same. How's volleyball going? Piano? Getting ready for High School? let me know what ya'll are up to!

The MTC is both challenging and rewarding; I am learning so much, I think my head might explode! And I'm having fun with my roomates (Elder Andreason, Elder Robinson from Spokane Washington, and Elder Brimacombe from Alberta, Canada (who gets kind-heartedly teased for it), but not too much fun! I'm here to work.

While I do miss ya'll, I know that I made the right choice by going on a mission, and I'm so excited to serve the people of the Georgia Atlanta North Mission. I bear my testimony about missionary work; I know that if we can bring but one soul unto God, how great will His joy be, and if we bring many souls to Him, how much greater will be His joy! I know that great blessings come from serving a mission, for both me and you guys, and I want to help others receive the blessings and joy I have had in my life, and will have in my life to come!

Love,
Elder Casey Guy Dickson