Outside the CCM

June 5, 2014

Hola familia! 

First off, I will finish up with my miracles!

6) “A POOR WAYFARING MAN OF GRIEF”--Each day, we have an hour to learn Spanish on the computer.  The other week, I discovered my computer has church music!  The first song I listened to was “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” by Jon Schmidt, and it totally reminded me of mom and Linds.  I am so grateful our home has always been full of music!

5) PROSELYTING (FIRST WEEK)--As you know, I´m a person who loves to plan for the future, so being able to proselyte has been a huge MIRACLE.  Our first week of proselyting was amazing.  We went to this beautiful area (it´s about forty minutes away from the CCM and honestly has some Highwoods status houses) and talked to the COOLEST guy ever.  His name is Eric, and we caught him as he was heading to his Catholic church for an activity of some sorts.  He was carrying this huge drum thing, so we asked him if he needed any help in broken Spanish.  I´m pretty sure it didn´t make sense, but it was good because he realized we were English speakers!  Eric is studying linguistics at a nearby university, so he knows English AND Italian in addition to Spanish.  He started talking to us in English, and it was so cool how open he was.  Even though he´s Catholic, he is open to learning about the church and kept saying, "I have nothing to lose by learning more!"  So we got his contact information for the missionaries who are actually serving in Buenos Aires and gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon.  We told him he should read and then pray to know if it is true, and as we left, he said, "I really hope it is true!"  Hermana Simmons and I just had the biggest smiles for the rest of the day because we were so happy! 

4) PROSELYTING (SECOND WEEK)--My second week was a little more . . . rough.  We talked to SO many people, but they were more interested in talking to North Americans than learning about the Church.  Oh yeah, and understanding and communicating with people in Spanish is so hard.  I have this problem where I nod my head and say "si!" even if I don´t understand, and it´s gotten me into a couple of interesting situations.  The word for "better" and "woman" sound REALLY similar in Spanish.  This one guy we talked to apparently kept on talking about how he really needed a woman in his life, but I thought he was talking about becoming better or something.  So I just kept nodding my head and saying "si!"  Anyways, after we talked to him, my companions (we had an extra hermana come along for the day) gave me the lowdown, and I was just a bit embarrassed.  Thank goodness life is all about making mistakes and learning!  But even though my second week was harder, I´m glad it was.  The CCM is a little haven, but I now know what kind of work it´s going to take to be a successful missionary in the field.  So I am just trying to mentally prepare myself a bit every day!

3) TECHNOLOGY--Man oh man!  I just love how I get to see cute pictures of you guys and hear about your lives each and every week.  I love technology and it is a miracle!

2) EL LIBRO DE MORMON--Like Sister Grover mentioned, one of the biggest blessings of being a missionary is being able to study!  President Willis gave a really cool fireside about the Book of Mormon the other Sunday, and talked about how most members of the Church take it for granted.  And unfortunately, my entire life, I think I´ve been one of those people.  Luckily, it was the kick in the pants I needed, so I´ve been trying to focus on the Book of Mormon a little more.  It is an amazing book, and I just barely read the part about Nephi talking about why he was unsure why he needed to make extra plates.  I just think it´s amazing God knew some pages were going to get lost so he created a back-up plan!  So I guess what I´m trying to say is the Book of Mormon is definitely a miracle!

1) JESUS CHRIST--When I write emails and look back on my week, I mostly remember the good things, so that is a huge blessing!  But in all honesty, there definitely have been some hard times.  Learning Spanish is tiring.  Eating lots of meat is way outside of my comfort zone.  Missing you guys is inevitable.  Making good friends but then watching them leave (the North Americans we were with for four weeks just barely left on Tuesday) is really difficult.  And realizing God trusts you to teach ACTUAL people about the gospel in a different language is super intimidating.  I can´t just get by nodding my head and saying "si!" my whole mission.  Luckily, there are pictures of Jesus Christ all around the CCM.  It reminds me Jesus Christ knows exactly what I´m going through and will help me survive and eventually THRIVE out here!  Another cool thing is Jesus Christ doesn´t just support me, but every other single missionary and every other single PERSON.  The ATONEMENT is truly incredible.

Okay, now that I´m done with my seventeen miracles, I´ll tell you a bit more about my week!  I´m still loving it here, but at the same time, I´m starting to itch to go to Uruguay.  I can´t believe I´ve been here for a month already!  I´m already 1/18 of the way through my mission, and honestly, it´s gone by WAY too fast!  But anyway, this week has been super interesting.  Lots of missionaries left on Tuesday and more didn´t come until today, so there were only twelve missionaries in the ENTIRE CCM!  Crazy, no?  We had the whole place to ourselves so that was nice, but I am glad more missionaries are here! 

Oh and another random sidenote, both of my companions are really good at doing handstands!  So when we had a bit of downtime the other day, I put on some sweats underneath my skirt and we practiced our handstands in the hall outside our rooms.  I´m still not a prime handstander, but I´m getting better!  

Anyway, I love you all SO MUCH!  Thank you for your prayers, for writing to me, and for supporting me my entire life.  I´ve got a picture of our fam taped in the front of my scriptures, and every time I look at it, I realize how lucky I am to have you guys.  Have a stellar week!

Love,

Hermana Dixon  

Diecisiete Milagros

Sisters at the CCM

May 29, 2014

Hola familia!

Okay so on Sunday, we finished watching Seventeen Miracles!  I honestly love that movie, and every time I watch it, I get chills thinking of all the sacrifices the pioneers made to establish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They are incredible!  Anyway, I´ve been thinking a lot about miracles this week.  I know my experience as a missionary does not even compare to what the pioneers had to go through, but I thought I´d write about seventeen miracles I´ve seen in my life this week.  Some of them are little and some are big, but they´ve all played a part in making me happy!

17) BANANAS AND DULCE DE LECHE--Okay so if I am remembering correctly, I think one of the last conversations I had with dad before I left involved how much I hoped I´d be able to eat bananas in South America.  Well guess what??  There is an endless supply of bananas at the CCM.  They are out in a bin all day long, and I eat about three or four a day.  You´d think I´d get sick of them but I haven´t gotten to that point yet, so yay!  Also, I am extremely grateful South Americans love dulce de leche because it is incredible.  They put it in every single dessert and it is just great!

16) EXTENSION CHORD--As I was rummaging through my new room, I found an extension chord with tons of outlets on it!  And some of the outlets are American!!!  So now I´ve got power!  I still haven´t really used them, but it´s good to know they´re there!

15) RAINY/FOGGY WEATHER--So last semester, I remember walking around campus on a rainy day and just hoping I'd get called to a rainy place on my mission.  It´s been rainy and foggy this week in Argentina, and I´m pretty sure Uruguay has the same weather!  We had a little break from classes one day, so I just stuck my head out the window and took a huge breath of the rainy air.  It felt amazing!  I´m sure I will have different thoughts about rain when I go out into the field, but for now, I love it!

14) MONDONGO SOUP--So on Tuesday, we had this soup with cow intestines in it.  I tried to avoid the cow intestines as much as I could because I´m not super brave when it comes to that kind of stuff.  The broth tasted pretty funky, but I survived, so it was a miracle indeed!

13) MY TEACHERS--I have two teachers who are so different from each other but so awesome in their own ways.  One teacher, De Oliviera is a little more strict, but we learn tons of Español from him.  The other teacher, Fiorimanti, is honestly the happiest/bubbliest person I´ve ever met.  He has taught us a lot about how we should treat our investigators.  I have been learning so much from them!

Okay time is running out, so my descriptions will be shorter, sorry!

12) THE TEMPLE--I know I´ve mentioned this before, but I love living so close to the Buenos Aires Temple!  We went for the third and last time today (they are closing for cleaning and maintenance) and I LOVED it!

11) MY DISTRICT--It's crazy how much time the eight of us spend together, but we get along so well!  No crazy fist fights like Lindsay´s district yet!  Next week, I´m going to write a bit about each person in my district so you get to know them a little better!

10) MARCH 18--So I had to write a talk for Sunday, and while preparing, I read D&C 90.  This section helped me realize I should still go on a mission even though I was feeling scared and discouraged.  I was looking back in my journal and realized I first found this section on March 18.  I read the heading about the section, and the people mentioned in the section were ordained on March 18.  Crazy, huh?  God is aware of His children!

9) MY COMPANIONS--Honestly, I love them a lot! We are all so different but each has something special to contribute!

8) SPANISH--Although Español is muy dificile, I am learning way more than I could on my own.  I know God is helping me lots and I am grateful!

7) DESPERATION--So on Wednesday, Elder Nelson's wife talked about desperation in the devotional.  She said desperation is a good thing because it helps you grow closer to Jesus Christ.  Cool way to look at trials and hard times, eh?

Okay I´m going to have to cut this short, so just know I´ve got more milagros coming your way next week!  Really fast, I want to let you guys know proselyting went GREAT!  We met this awesome guy named Eric and I will tell you more about him.  Also, I just want to leave you with a quick testimony.  I know God and Jesus Christ love us and bless us to do things that are beyond our own capacities.  I know specific people are in our lives for a reason.  I know families can be together forever and that makes me SO HAPPY!  I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!  Know that I think about you often!

XOXO

Hermana Dixon

May 22, 2014

Hola familia! 

I only have sixteen minutes left to write this letter, so I'll see how far I get.  Last night, I wrote down what I wanted to cover in bullet points in my journal, so this email is going to be a series of bullet points!

·         EMAIL TIME--As you've probably gathered, I'm pretty sure my email time here changes from week to week!  I started emailing everyone in the U.S. at 6:30 this morning, so it's super crazy to think it's in the wee hours of the morning in Colorado! 

·         PROSELYTING--Hopefully I spelled that right.  Anyway, I get to go proselyting this Saturday!  My companionship is being split up temporarily.  Hermana Schaeffer is going with another hermana from Paraguay and Hermana Simmons and I are going by ourselves.  Hermana Schaeffer is an awesome missionary and knows Spanish really well, so she will be missed greatly.  But Hermana Simmons and I are just SO EXCITED to get out there and talk to real people!

·         HAIR--Mom, I realized I never answered your question from last week's email!  Sure enough, the plugs are really different here, so without a converter, I'm not able to use my straightener and curling iron.  But you know what?  It's been a great break and my wavy hair is loving the humidity!  So not having a converter isn't a problem at all, and I'm excited to buy one in Uruguay!

·         EXERCISE--I thought you would appreciate how I´ve been exercising these days.  I met another North American hermana who loves running, and so we just run around and around in circles in the backyard of the CCM.  Each lap takes less than a minute, so it is repetitive, but it feels SO GOOD to get a run in (especially when we're cooped up inside all day).  Sad news is that my running buddy now has a different exercise time than me (but I think we may be getting switched back to the same time) and that they put up caution tape all around the grass so I can´t run laps anymore!  Hopefully the tape will be gone soon!

·         MOVING--New Latino missionaries are arriving today (the others left on Tuesday), so I had to move rooms last night.  We were spoiled in our last room.  It is definitely the biggest, and we just had five girls to two showers and two toilets.  Now, it is going to be five girls to one shower and one toilet, but I am up for the challenge!

·         PEOPLE--I honestly admire so many people here at the CCM!  I´m quickly going to tell you about the cook.  Every day, we ask how he is doing as we´re going through the line, and he always says "siempre bien" (which means ALWAYS well).  I love the "siempre" part because being a cook is hard and probably not the most glamorous job ever, but he has such a good attitude! 

·         TEMPLE--I forgot to tell you, but I went to the temple last Thursday and am going again today!  I am so jealous Linds got headphones...that definitely did not happen with me, and let's just say it was a little rough.  Luckily, God understands!  Oh and funny thing, the lady who helped me at the end totally wiped her brow dramatically once I finished.  My goal for this week is for that not to happen.

·         CRYING--I have only cried one day here!  Yay!  Like you wouldn't believe this, but out of my companionship, I'm the person who cries the least!  On Friday I just felt a bit homesick so I started tearing up a bit right before bed.  I wanted to lift my spirits so I got my folder out with encouraging letters from people, ancestor stories, and my patriarchal blessing.  Tears of homesickness turned into tears of joy because I realized how blessed I am to be where I am right now.  I loved reading Grandpa Browning's story about our ancestors being angels in our lives.  I totally know they're helping me out!

·         GROWTH--I know every missionary says this, but I definitely feel like I am growing here!  I have especially come to love the scriptures WAY more.  One day, I was studying patience, and I came across D&C 6:36.  I'm pretty sure that's the scripture Linds hangs up, so it was a tender mercy to feel connected to my sweet sister.  I just love that we get to be serving at the same time!

·         PICTURES--Okay so as you know, I am not a technological genius whatsoever.  I'm not really sure how to load pictures yet, but just know I am working on it.  So hopefully some pictures will be coming your way before too long!

·         AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, SPANISH--Spanish is so hard!  But for some reason, I think Heavenly Father has blessed me with the ability to not get too down on myself when I feel like I'm moving slowly or making lots of mistakes.  I am learning more and more every day, so I am grateful!  Oh yeah and guess what??  Yesterday we had a substitute in our grammar class.  He only spoke in Spanish, and I understood most of what he was saying!  And then, he showed our class an example of how to get an investigator and then decided to call on just ONE missionary to continue where he left off.  Guess who he called?? Me.  I was freaking out because I didn't even have my companions with me and every one in my district was watching me, but it went surprisingly well.  Being a hand talker has really been a blessing in the CCM because I can usually get my point across with my broken Spanish, hand gestures, and facial expressions.  But after, I realized I did the exercise completely wrong because I started from the beginning again instead of picking up where he left off, but I still felt SO GOOD about my efforts.  I am just doing my best, and I have full faith Heavenly Father and Christ will help me learn this language.

Anyway, I love you all lots, and just know I am doing okay!!  You are the best family I could ask for, and I truly feel your prayers each and every day!

Have a wonderful week,

Hermana Dixon

May 15, 2014

Hola familia!

I loved being able to hear your voices on Mother´s Day!  So much has gone on this past week, so I hope I can fit it all in!  Also, I’m going to be bouncing around a lot, so just bear with me.  Before I get too far into the email, I just want you to know I am doing GREAT!  Life as a missionary has definitely taken some getting used to, but thus far, I have loved my time at the Argentina CCM.  Every time I walk by a window and see the beautiful Buenos Aires Temple, I ask myself, "Is this real life???"  Probably my favorite part of this whole experience has been meeting PEOPLE!  On both airplane rides over here, I sat by men who showed me pictures of their sweet families.  I loved it!!  My companions are awesome.  We laugh, pray, talk, eat, and learn LOTS together.  My teachers are bomb. Both of them are native Argentinians, and they are just so funny.  And the fact they can speak both Spanish and English so well gives me hope for the future. My district is awesome.  We´ve got three elders and five hermanas in our district.  Isn’t that a crazy ratio? And last but not least, I LOVE the Latinos!  Interacting with them makes me so excited to get out and serve the Uruguayans.  I especially love my cute roomies.  Along with my companions, I room with a hermana from Peru and a hermana from Brazil. Communicating with them has been a little rough, but the other night we started chipping away at the language barrier!  We showed each other pictures of our friends and families, asked each other about boys, told each other about our homelands, and just had an all around good time.  The food is pretty good!  My stomach has felt a little funky, but in general, I’ve loved all the meals.  A typical meal at the CCM includes MEAT (usually two or three kinds), orange juice, potatoes or rice, bread, pasta salads, vegetables, fruits, and dessert (usually it contains dulce de leche)!  It is so much food, but the good thing is, you can pick and choose what you want!  I have been learning so much. My understanding of prayer, scripture study, and working hard has increased, and like I mentioned on Sunday, the most important thing I’ve learned is that God loves ALL His children.  Throughout this week, I’ve realized the gospel is not just for me, a random nineteen-year-old from Colorado. As I’ve met amazing people from America, Canada, and South America, I’ve realized God speaks all languages and understands literally everyone’s thoughts, desires, and prayers.  Every night as I’ve been going to bed, I can’t help but think of all of you back at home.  I imagine all of you sitting around our dinner table and praying for me and Linds to be "safe, happy, and healthy," and it brings tears to my eyes.

Thank you for being so supportive, and I LOVE YOU!


Hermana Dixon

I'm in Argentina!

Leaving from the front porch

May 8, 2014

Hi family!

I just have five minutes to write you, so this will be quick!  Anyway, I arrived safely in Argentina and am writing from the CCM!  I met up with four other American missionaries (two elders and two hermanas) in Dallas, and we are all in the same district so it should be fun!  My P-Day will be a week from today (next Thursday).  Anyway, so far things have been great, and I am excited to get settled and learn Spanish! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Hermana Dixon