Elder Dickson at a monastery and the danger of dinner appointments

This is us at a monastery a few weeks ago: Elder Yates, Sister Mayes, Elder Kallon, Elder Diehl, Elder Free kneeling, yours truly, Elder Oblad, Elder Mayo, and Sister Worthington.

Hey, y'all!

Things are good in the glorious land of sun worship and poorly cooked soul food!

Let me explain lol...

So last Tuesday we had dinner with a wonderful sister who makes very terrible food... it takes all the charity I have to go over there and eat with her. I feel terrible for saying that, but not as terrible as the food made me feel; one elder who came on exchange got violently ill after eating there... not only that, but the house is like 100 degrees (she doesn't like the cold...), and this sweet daughter of God eats with her hands (most of the food is not finger foods...), which makes it difficult to look at her when we talk to her... not only that, but we ate with her twice this week! I repent for saying this, but it is certainly a test of patience and charity to go over there and eat with her...

Enough about talking about someone behind their back...

That night we caught a lady whom the bishop asked us to see a while ago at home; she invited us to come back the next day...
Also saw Margret again since it's been a while since we have been over to see her, and introduced her to Elder Moore...

Wednesday we helped our ward mission leader build a deck and stairs for a less-active lady; it was pretty fun! I've never been that handy, but I can certainly hand someone screws like a champion! Then we had lunch and got cleaned up so we could go she Ruby Kay; she had to cancel on us, so we saw Henry and Ashley instead. They are the same... we hope they start making some progress soon...

We had dinner dropped off at the church, then we saw the lady who told us to come back; she and her husband joined the church the time that blacks couldn't have the priesthood. Her husband was upset about that, and made the decision that he and his family wouldn't go to church; even though this woman believed, she followed her husband's decision. Since then they have divorced, and she has been trying to change her work schedule so she could come back to church! It was pretty cool to see that her testimony withstood the years; we will see her again this coming Wednesday...

Thursday we helped Tinoah, a lady we helped move last week, finish moving in and lay down new carpet at her old place (again, I'm pretty good at handing people carpet lol); she agreed to have us over when she got settled so we could teach her! Nice!

We also had a good phone call with Charles, who is in North Dakota looking for work; people always seem to move from the ward, including most of the converts lol...

We had dinner with Sister Hanes at her new place, then we tried to see some referrals we have been given... Those usually take most of the day, since we bike there, and most of those streets are very narrow with no shoulder or sidewalk lol... Like a wise elder once said, "Georgia has the appearance of sidewalks, but they deny the power thereof."

Friday we weekly planned, then went to Zaxby's with Spanish Yellow River for lunch as usual lol; Ruby had to cancel on us again, so we saw Sister Huffman, a less-active older lady who doesn't get visited much by anyone (there is one in every ward...).

In the evening we played volleyball with the ward and with the Spanish branch; I'm still terrible at volleyball, but it's a lot of fun! A good stress reliever lol...
Saturday was very interesting... we were invited to a Seventh-day Adventist church; there was a lot of singing songs that only had one verse we repeated for hours, and some interesting doctrines were taught about the seven plagues in Revelations... We were taught that the plague about the sun scorching the earth symbolizes that those who worship the Sun (or Sunday, as she explained) will be burned, while those who worship on Saturday will escape the Sun's wrath. Not sure if I buy that lol...

We had an early dinner with a very nice Part-member family, then tried to follow up with those referrals we were given... when that was a no go, we went and played soccer with the branch

 (which I am still terrible at, by the way)...

Sunday we had a good meeting; it was my second to last Fast Sunday in the mission... I've had a lot of lasts recently, and despite my best efforts to not think about it, my mission is almost over... It makes me want to go out and testify without fear, since I won't be able to testify as a representative much longer...

It has been so great to be here in Georgia and serve these wonderful Christians; I complain about them sometimes, but these really are great people, and the Lord knows the time is soon when this place will be full of members and temples, as the Vision of the South declares...

I never thought I could know the scriptures like I do now; I still don't know nearly enough, but last night we played a card game involving scriptures; back home that would have bored me to death, but I was really getting into it! The gospel is awesome! I understand now why these things are important, and I wish I knew how to teach the youth about how exciting this all is! I know that when I was young it was hard to see the why and how, but I know that t.v. and video games and sports and such don't really matter, and that family, friends, the gospel, and eternal life do matter! I can't take my Game Boy with me, but I can take the knowledge and testimony I gain! This church is so true; how can it not be? I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He has the only way to be saved. I know the scriptures are the Word of God that in them we think we have eternal life (John 5:39). I know this church is true, and any honest seeker of truth will find it if they ask in faith, with sincerity and real intent (Moroni 10:4-5). In Christ's name, amen.

Have a glorious week! Love y'all! Take luck!

Love, Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

Asleep on the job ...

Hey, guys!

Happy Memorial Day to you too! Ours has been just okay so far; we helped a member move this morning (even though we technically aren't supposed to, just cause if we were on P-day, that takes away proselyting time from the rest of the week...), but Elder Moore's cousins from Tennessee got permission to take us to lunch in a bit, so that'll be fun! Then we have a ward barbecue at Bro Rasmussen's house (where everyone but the elders and old people will be swimming lol)...

I miss having family barbecue's every other Sunday, as well as making cookie dough or brownies with Mom and Shelby, then watching Sunday Night Football after FHE lol... good times. 

It is pretty hot and humid, biking has been terrible lol but every drop of sweat counts! 

Anyway, my week: 

Tuesday we had our district meeting, then we biked a lot to try to see some people as usual, then we had dinner with the Spanish elders with a member of their branch, the Sanchez family! An elder I knew in the mission a year ago or so married one of their daughters, so it was weird to see him not as a missionary lol...

Wednesday we had a sweet lesson with a guy named Kenny, who loved reading out of the Book of Mormon! We were hoping to see him at church, but we'll catch him today probably! 

Then we watched Finding Faith in Christ with Ruby Kay, a sweet old lady who can't read and can barely see or stand. She liked the video and enjoys us coming by, I'm just not sure if she is progressing towards baptism...

We had dinner with the other elders at Zaxby's (which is the best fast food place in town!); I've worked up to the extra hot wings, trying to get to the highest before I go home, only one more to go! 

Lastly, we taught Rachel with Sister Wallace about the Plan of Salvation, and I'm not sure if she totally got the spirit world, so we might have to review that again; she is super nice though, and loves to learn! We just need to get her to church!

Thursday we tried to see some people I taught when I was here last time, and ended up talking (or rather listening to some guy talk lol) for an hour or so to a guy who calls himself "King James"... it was intense lol! Nice, though...

Friday we weekly planned, then taught a recent move-in's son about the Stripling warriors; I wish I was better at teaching children, I never feel like I get through or make it exciting enough for them...

After that we helped a lady move in; she was pretty grateful, so maybe she'll call us...I love doing service! It's a lot easier than talking or teaching someone in a way, and it's a terrific way to lead by example; I've seen so many people's hearts open because we helped them with something. A quote I love, and don't know who said it, is "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." 

We had a good dinner at the Godwin's, then played volleyball with the Spanish branch at the church; super fun! I am not very good (as y'all know lol) but it is a ton of fun to relax a bit and play! 

Saturday we had a sweet lesson with Tony, a super nice guy who is so impressed with us going on missions that he spent the whole appointment telling us about it lol... we'll get a lesson in next time...

Saturday was a party day! We stopped by Spanish's party for some one's graduation; Elder Moore popped his bike tire lol, so while we were waiting for the zone leaders we ate some good Hispanic food! Then our dinner appointment was a birthday party for Brother Mulling's ( a non-member I had taught last time) so we had some good Jamaican food! What a day! I was so full! 

This past P-day we helped the Christensen's move (we don't normally work on P-day, but they asked...); Elder Moore's Aunt and Uncle and cousins from Tennessee stopped by and took us to Chili's; glorious! Then we went to the Lofts, some cool complex with a sweet reservoir; after a brief stop at Baskin Robins we went to the ward Memorial day barbecue, and watched everyone else swim while we waited for people we invited to show up lol...

Today we had district meeting again, which was pretty spiritual; it makes me want to be better about my prayers, and to pray for charity...

That's about it. I got permission to e-mail today because the libraries were closed yesterday...

That's about it. 

Thanks for being the best family ever! 

Love, 

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Another glorious week in the mission field ...

Elder Mayo, Elder Moore, Elder Gentry, and Elder Dickson. I don't know what they are pointing at.

Hey, Everybody!

Good to see ya'll on Skype; these past two years have felt more like two months, and at the same time, a lifetime lol. It doesn't make sense; I feel like no time has past, yet life is moving so rapidly... soon I'll be back and working, Devin will be on a mission, and Shelby will be a senior; how the heck did that happen?! Even amidst all this change, I know we will reunite, and it will be glorious...

I hope my birth certificate gets here soon, because I want to make sure there is enough time to get an I.D... or else y'all will have to drive over and get me lol...

So, my week:

Monday I called y'all, and it was great! I feel bad for using so much of the bishop's time, but he was cool with it; he knows what it's like to have kids away from home...

Tuesday we didn't have a district meeting, because we had a zone conference on Friday, so we actually got to spend a Tuesday working! We saw Henry and Ashley; their progress is very slow, but they always show promise... We also ate at the Mulling's, a Jamaican part-member family (we used to teach the non-member father when I was here last time, Keith, but he doesn't progress, so we haven't since I have been back...); she made super delicious Jamaican food like ox-tail and jerk chicken, and it was stupendous! Then we went over to teach Charles some of the new member lessons; turns out Charles got a job in Kentucky, so he will be gone for 3-4 weeks out of the month, then be off for a week, in which he would come back here with his family. It's sad to see him go, but we trust him to use the gift he received a week ago to make the correct decision for his family...

Wednesday we helped the Christensen's move some boxes to their storage unit, then we saw Ruby Kay with Sister Williams, and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She takes it all well, she just doesn't understand or hear very well, and we can't always understand her... Afterwards Sister Williams took us to her house for a glass of water before we left; while we were there she tripped and sprained her ankle. She has bad knees, so we think one gave out and her ankle twisted. We got her inside and got her medicine and waited until the member she called arrived. Kinda exciting... She is doing OK, though, so that's good. After going to the Nolden's for dinner (which is always a good time) we saw Charles again at the church; we took his kids to all the activities, then watch Finding Faith in Christ with him while we waited. His kids had fun, so maybe we can get them next lol!

Thursday we did yard work at the Knox family's house; it was pretty intense, with a riding lawn mower and everything! My allergies have been so terrible the past week; I sneeze without ceasing and my eyes get swollen and I get a big headache; the mowing didn't help any lol! It didn't do this last year, so I'm not sure why I get it so bad now, weeks after the pollen stopped blowing everywhere... Despite that, we biked until I needed a break, and took a short nap at the apartment, then we got a ride to the Pyne's for dinner. Finally, we went with the Spanish elders to a church seminar thing we were invited to; it was pretty interesting lol. Their focus was on Revelation (a chapter hard for members to understand lol), and it wasn't TOO incorrect. They people there were super nice and seemed desperate for people to come attend...

Friday was our awesome Zone Conference with Elder Ellis of the Seventy; he was so cool! He was very nice and pretty funny, and also a spiritual giant! I learned so much about recognizing the spirit, and what to do when we have it. We talked about enduring to the end, which was cool, because that was what we were going to teach Charles Nana that evening! We taught Brother Nana a lot of what Elder Ellis shared with us to great effect. It was a long day, but a good one; he inspired me to what to end my mission with a bang, so the things I remember about my mission is that I worked hard and felt the spirit... God asked for two years, not 22 months. His wife said something funny, "If you are not having fun, repent!" Amen, Sister Ellis! I plan on doing both; working hard, and make memories! Good ones lol...

Later that night, on the way back from Charles, my companion Elder Moore almost got attacked by a raccoon! That's what he told me, anyway; I was in front of him, so I didn't see it. I heard a shriek, so I stopped and turned around; Elder Moore told me that a raccoon started chasing him on his bike, then disappeared into the woods; pretty sure he is scarred for life lol!

Saturday we spent the whole day doing service for the Christensen's again, then right after them our gator Ruby; we roped Spanish into helping us lol... after dinner, we went to that Revelation seminar again, which was good; they are starting to learn our names now!

Sunday we had Charles and his kids at church, but they had to leave after second hour so Charles could catch the bus to head to Kentucky; we'll miss him...

We weekly planned Sunday because Friday was Zone Conference, then had dinner and taught Rachel, a gator we haven't seen in a while; we taught half the plan of salvation, hitting heavy on the atonement (the subject I love the most to talk about, but one I feel too inadequate to teach...). She liked it, but still doesn't see why she needs to get baptized again, so we'll work on that.

That's about it. We are trying to teach Brother Nana's kids, and try harder to talk to more people on the street. I know this is the work of the Lord, and even though He can do His own work, as he said, he gives us opportunities to rise to the occasion and grow into the men and women He needs us to become. I love my Savior and what He did for us all. In His name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you guys so much! Take luck!

Love,

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Happy Mother's Day!

Casey talking to Dad on Skype for Mother's Day.

Charles Nana, Elder I and Elder Dickson at the baptism.

Charles Nana and Elder Dickson in all white.

Elder Dickson wearing the shirt his brother and sister got him for his birthday.

Hey, y'all! Happy Mother's day two days ago!

Thanks for the glorious phone call yesterday! It was so good to see everyone, even though I'll be seeing all of you soon lol...

I told all the best stuff on Skype, but I thought I'd let everyone else know that we had a baptism! Yay! Charles Nana from Cameroon, Africa passed his interview on Thursday, got baptized on Saturday, and got confirmed Sunday! It was pretty cool; I got to baptize him, and Elder Kallon came back from Covington Ward to give Charles the Holy Ghost. Not too many people were at the baptism (we had more missionaries than members...) but it was still a sweet experience; it was my first time getting wet on my mish, so I was pretty excited! Charles is a man of great faith and few words; he was ready to get baptized the day he found us. He was so happy when we first got out of the water and were changing in the bathroom; he was smiling a mile a minute, and it was infectious. I'm so happy for him, and so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven that orchestrated everything so we could meet him when he was most prepared and we were most worthy and when the timing and spirit was most right. I'm grateful for Christ's atoning sacrifice so Charles could repent and baptized for remission of sins; me as well. I love the truths of this church, and how they are so simple and so true.

Anyway, this week: 

Monday morning, as well as every evening this week, we saw Charles to prep him for the big day, and finished up the lessons; we were fortunate enough to get some members to come with us... Later that night, we went out with the ward mission leader to see some people...

Tuesday was my birthday! Yay me! Thanks for the money and candy and cards and such; I bought myself a tie with it lol it's my birthday gift to me! I'm so happy... (10 points for the one who gets that reference...). We had a stellar Zone Training, and everyone sang Happy Birthday to me! I'm famous! Then we went to Mellow Mushroom, one of my favorite pizza places! Next, I went on exchange with Elder Adams (I stayed in Conyers); we taught Ruby Kay, Tasha's grandmother, then had dinner with Henry and Ashley, our investigators. There are times when they seem ready, and others when we aren't so sure of their intentions... they missed church this past Sunday, no one knows why... that night we went to watch a baptism in Covington, an 88-year-old man who can't hear anything and can barely stand; what a boss! Just goes to show you, that you're never too old to change... Charles came and watched the baptism with us, but missed the actual baptism part... again lol...

Wednesday we exchanged back, and biked a lot before heading to Burlington Coat Factory to help Charles pick out a suit; it's pretty nice, I gotta say lol... it's strange how back home, I had no idea what looked good, especially as far as suits and ties; in the mission field, ties are the only thing we can change up, and it's like a currency for us lol. It's how we get our kicks; I've a part of some pretty mission famous tie trades lol...

That night as well we had dinner with the Christensen's, a very funny older couple, and saw Charles with Sister Nolden, and taught baptism, and reviewed the baptismal interview questions with him...

Thursday us and the Spanish elders, Elder Gentry and Elder Mayo, got in a bash with some born-again christian guy telling us we aren't saved by works (which is true) and all we have to do is confess we accept Jesus as our Savior and we'll be saved (which isn't completely true; see Matt. 7:21-27.) He knew his scriptures (though he did not understand them...) and was very good as telling us what we believe, even if it wasn't true, and then proceeded to tell us how we were wrong, not letting us talk and ignoring our questions, and interrupting us when we testify. No point in wasting our time if he doesn't want to listen; there are a lot of people to teach and not a lot of time to teach them in. 

On the other hand, the lesson we had with Charles and the Bishop just before his interview was great! It's so interesting to come straight from a bash, where the person didn't want to listen or needed proof, to a lesson where the person hangs on to every word and takes everything on faith. Makes you appreciate those who have been prepared by the Lord to listen and learn. After Charles passed the interview, we went with the Spanish elders to Chick-fil-a to celebrate! 

Friday we weekly planned all day; Elder Moore was sick, so we didn't bike much... Some members in Covington invited us to dinner to celebrate Elder Moore's birthday (his was May 5th); it was fantastic! We had steak and potatoes and snicker doodles and mint ice cream; glorious! Then we saw Charles again with Bro. Z, who is the family history guy, so Charles can get his names prepared to go do baptisms for the dead! 

Saturday we had service at the church; they are building a pavilion (finally) and we helped put up the fence posts around the field. I worked the auger (a big hole-drilling tool; it was intense!) with my companion, as well as digging with a regular shovel; we got pretty dirty lol. Then we went straight from that to help Sister Hanes move with the Spanish elders; we were pretty tired at the end of it all lol! lastly, we had Charles baptism that night; not as many as I would have liked were there, but it was still nice; I've never seen a happier man than Charles on that day! After it was all said and done, we went home and baked a DiGiorno pizza in celebration! It was a pretty good day! 

Sunday Charles got confirmed and participated in Elder's Quorum, which was cool to see. After church we went to Sister Nolden's for dinner, as well as my comp Elder Moore getting the chance to Skype his family. It was pretty good; his family lives in Collin's stake! He gets back on Thursday, I heard; how crazy! Say hi to him for me! 

Monday we went to a Catholic Monastery, which was kinda cool; it's certainly different than all the other churches you see around here. They actually have monks living there! And a lot of them have taken a vow of silence! I don't have any pictures because my camera was acting up again, so I'll borrow some from the other elders and send them next week. Finally we went to the Bishop's house and I got to Skype mi familia, which was glorious! Thanks for being the best family anyone could ask for; I love you all and will see y'all soon! Take Luck! 

 

Love, 

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Lots of birthdays this month in the mission

Last district meeting for Elder Kallon.

Hey, howdy, hey!

Things are looking up in the land of birthdays and shrimp tacos! Thanks for the package, everything was great! I loved the shirt especially; in fact, I'm wearing it right now lol! I'll send a picture!

So when is a good time to skype? My companion has to do it after 2pm, and it will probably take place at our dinner appointment (which is probably between 6-7 for us, 4-5 for y'all...), but we can make arrangements...

So my zone leader (Elder Diehl)'s birthday was the 4th, my new comp Elder Moore's was on the 5th, mine is on the 7th, and Elder Chugg (whom y'all saw last time I skyped: the redhead) and Elder Edmunds his comp are also on the 7th! Holy cow, it's a birthday palooza! Sister Nolden got everyone some delicious birthday brownies, so life is good! 

So we have been seeing Charles frequently; he is still good to go on baptism, we are still working on smoking, but he says he'll be good by his baptismal date (next week), and I believe him. He is a cool old guy who has tremendous faith; he doesn't need or want any explanation or proof; he says he already knows it's all true, he just wants to learn how he can use it to come closer to God. He is probably the most prepared person I have met! It's too bad he may be moving at the end of the month back to North Dakota, we got to get him baptized and get him the priesthood before that happens...

Tuesday we had our last district meeting of the transfer (picture is below), and went to a pretty cool burrito place that was expensive lol, then we went to go say goodbye to people for Elder Kallon, and then went to finish his packing. It was one of the smoothest transfers I have ever had; we just waited at the apartment for Covington Outer to drive over Wednesday morning and do the swap. When we were done, Elder Moore and I went out to Moe's, a popular burrito place with an awesome soda machine! We then went to see all of our gators so Elder Moore could get to know them all. Then we had dinner with a very nice lady who can't cook...

Thursday we went to go see some Young Single Adults, and ended up meeting some crazy people who live in a shack behind someone's house... it was kinda crazy...

Friday we weekly planned, then went to Zaxby's with Spanish; I'm not sure what I will do when I leave Georgia, because I'm addicted to Zaxby's lol! Then my companion got a long screw in his tire, so we had to call the zone leaders for help! We got the tube replaced, and got back to work! 

Saturday we got rained out, so we didn't get much done...

Sunday we had some gators come to church, and one of them bore their testimony! It was pretty sweet. Sundays are my favorite days, because we get to be the ones taught for once lol

That's about it. Thanks for being an awesome family, I'll see ya when I skype ya! take luck! 

Love, 

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Transfer Day is a special day ...

Elder Dickson "Tebowing" on the field where "Remember the Titans" was shot.

Elder Dickson at Homer Sharp Field in Covington, Ga.

 

Hey, guys!
So transfer calls were today; I'm staying in Conyers, and my companion, Elder Kallon, is going to Covington with Elder Adams, the next area over; the elder in Covington, Elder Moore, is coming here with me! A pretty smooth transition if you ask me; makes things easy on us. Elder Moore is pretty cool, so I'm excited! 

The work is starting to pick up: we have Charles on date for baptism still, and picked up 3 new 'gators this past week, so things are looking up! The weather has been all over the place; blistering hot and pouring rain. We biked A TON! And I'm still not losing weight lol! 

My week: 

So Monday night we went to go see a less-active family on a whim (or the spirit...); we met their older daughter Rachel and Rachel's little six-year-old. She isn't a member, but had a lot of questions for us, so we came in and taught her. It was pretty sweet; God definitely has a plan for everything! We went there to see a family and found a gator instead! Nice! 

Tuesday we had district meeting, then I went on exchange with Elder Free in Covington Inner; Elder Free was trained by Elder Bowers (one of my favorite companions), so we had a lot to talk about lol! We taught the Fullers, a family they are baptizing May 4th, and a girl that Elder Bridge and I taught when I was in Covington last. Both went well, I think; it's nice to be able to sit down and teach instead of biking all day to see people who aren't home lol...

Wednesday we went to early morning seminary to share a message with the kids, then we played "Fiery Darts"; a person sits in a chair in the middle of a circle of people, and has to find the scripture mastery announced by the teacher. While they are searching their scriptures, everyone else is throwing Nerf darts at them lol! I didn't do too badly on my turn; I never memorized the scripture mastery like I was supposed to, but on my mission I have used a lot of them in teaching. I never thought I would be a scriptorian, and I am not still, but I'm a lot better at scripture chases now. I love reading the scriptures! 

After that we helped at a food pantry at Solid Rock Baptist Church for a few hours; I love doing stuff like this! We get to serve and be helpful while not being overbearing or have people feel like we are pressuring them or something; it's a comfortable way to share what we know and do without getting people angry at us lol... and I've always been a believer that actions speak louder than words! Then a member took us to Pizza Hut, and after that, we took some pictures of downtown Covington; did you know that a lot of movies have been filmed there? Dukes of Hazzard, Sweet Home Alabama, and, most importantly, Remember the Titans! One of the fields they played on in the movie was close by, so I'll be enclosing some pics of that lol; it was awesome! 

After that we tracted until we exchanged back with Conyers; we had another appointment with Rachel that night with Sister Nolden, which went well; we watched the Restoration with her and answered her questions. She was going to be out of town for this weekend, but after that she said she would come to church; sweet! While I was gone, Elder Kallon and Bridge taught Charles twice; he is progressing really fast; the only hold up is the smoking, which we are working on with him. I hope he's still good for the 11th...

Thursday we went to try to see a ton of former investigators; most of them weren't home or moved, but we did get a few return appointments, so we'll see. We taught Charles the word of wisdom that night, and it went well; pray that he can quit...

Friday we weekly planned, and biked A LOT! Most of our appointments fell through, but it's all good; as long as we work hard, I feel accomplished. 

Saturday we also went to try to see formers; most of them weren't home or moved as well, but had a bit more success; we saw alot of J. Dubs that morning lol ;) we waved and smiled at them, and they returned the favor, so it went by without incident...

Sunday was pretty good; Charles came, as well as some of the formers we saw this week, so it was sweet! They also went to the YSA fireside that night, and loved it! Things are going pretty well here now...

That's about it. 

Thanks for being awesome, love ya so much! 

Love, 

Elder Casey Guy Dickson

Bless the rains down in Africa (or in Georgia, or in Nebraska ...)

 

Hey, howdy, hey!  

My week: 

So Tuesday we had District Meeting, then biked A LOT and talked to a former investigator of mine, who enjoys talking, but doesn't really want to come to church... oh well, I'll keep working on 'em! 

Wednesday we did some service for a member; tore up their weedy backyard so they could lay down sod. Then we taught Tasha, a gator of ours who actually reads the assigned scriptures we give her lol, and she enjoys studying with us, but has yet to come to church because of her work. Keep praying! 

We had dinner with the Nolden's that night, who are the all-star members of the ward; Sister Nolden is one of our ward missionaries, and she goes above and beyond the call every time! We are really grateful for her. 

Then we had a meeting with our ward mission leader (Brother Mitchell) to have missionary correlation; there is some big YSA thing in the Southeastern U.S. that Elder Bednar will speak at in August, so we are trying to get all the young single adults to get active and come, as well as non-members between 18-30. 

Thursday we saw Charles, a man from Cameroon, Central Africa, who has been living in the States for 13 years; he is pretty golden. He was living in North Dakota, and a member of our church gave him a car when he really needed one... for free. Because of this Christ-like man, Charles has sought out the church so he could learn more about what would cause someone to do what that man did. He has been to church twice now, and has been taught the first three lessons; he is on track for baptism on May 11th. He's way legit! He really loved the idea that he can get baptized for his deceased father; it truly is amazing the covenants and miracles of the temple. Us and our past and future families can be bound together; I don't know of any church that teaches salvation for the dead. 

Later that day we also taught Danquarius at Tasha's; we talked about the safety and freedom that comes from the Law of Chasity. He said he would think about it. 

The rest of the night we tried to find some formers of mine, and we ended up finding a pretty cool Jamaican family that we are going back this week to see. 

Friday we saw Charles again, and got him prepped for church and the open house, a Meet Your Mormon Neighbors presentation was had Sunday night. Then we got rained on pretty hard lol and spent the rest of the day weekly planning inside and had an appointment with a gator; a member took us there, and we answered their questions and invited them to the open house (they were Muslim, so they were very interested about us...).

Saturday we went to Sister Nolden's son's baseball game, so Sister Nolden could introduce us to her friend who was somewhat interested. Turned out her friend wanted to argue instead... Our team won, anyway! 

Then we biked to Keisha, one of my old gators, and we talked religion for a while; she says church is too long for her...

Then we went to go teach Tasha's grandma, Ruby Kate, with a member. She didn't understand much, but we made sure she knew we loved her, and she was thankful. She had 12 kids, worked 2 jobs, and retired at 79; she is almost 84. She is a trooper, and we are grateful for her example. 

Sunday we panicked for 30 minutes until Charles showed up; turns out he thought we met at 930; that explains why he was late last time lol...

We had an early brunch with the bishop so we could get back early to set up for the open house. It was a great idea... I wish it worked. Charles and his kids were the only ones who came, aside from the members... we invited at least 30 people, we were hoping for at least 10... oh well, we'll try again in a few months...

That's about it; the open house put me down, but Charles lifted me up; it's been a roller coaster kind of week...

I found out that I need to talk to the mission president about where to fly when I go home; since he used to be a stake president, he will probably tell me to go to where my records are; still, doesn't hurt to ask! If I can, I'm flying to Utah. I want to work and get some money before I go to school; I really don't want to get tangled up in loans until I have to. I certainly don't mind suggestions; I really have no idea what I want to do or go. I need to fast and pray as well. I'll also do whatever is easier on y'all.
I have been working too hard to think about home too much, but it happens occasionally... I plan on going out with a bang, not a whimper. God needs three more months out of me: I promised. 

Thanks for all that you guys do and have done! Take Luck! Sorry this is kind of short...

Love, 

Elder Casey Guy Dickson