Greetings friends, ..., I guess that covers everyone :) Greetings friends! I hope this week has been a blast for all.
This week I...
ate
live shrimp, pinchey, pinchey
It was interesting...it was literally reaching out and pinching at the air in front of me as I got ready to eat it! I gave it a good crunch before swallowing it! One was enough to say I'd had the experience!
I have been massacred by mosquitoes with 10 plus bites on my face, 10 plus on my neck, 20 plus on my
arms...etc. One of the zone leaders counted 50 plus on just one of his
arms. So this week I was greeted with "Your face. What is wrong?"
I drank some
peanut butter rice milk that Hyrum would love, was blessed to be able to
give a blessing to one in need, ate at Pine Tree Lake with XuYangKai
(an outstanding recent convert), did "cone melt finding", had a full
stomach as a result of honesty, had some very spicy kimchi from Korea,
sang popcorn popping on the apricot tree from the days of primary,
taught English using a talking shark named Frank and stories from the
scriptures, and
celebrated several birthdays.
I went on exchange with Elder Griffin, befriended and taught some very
humble, incredibly faithful Filipinos, went on a bike ride to rival all
bike rides (up and over the mountains and up and over the mountains and
up and over the mountains...you get the idea), went to my first stake
conference in Taiwan, was part of a meeting with the stake presidency
and 30 missionaries, learned about the differences between sin and
weakness, recognized some areas in which I can improve and some areas in
which I have already improved a great deal for which I am thankful,
experienced Taiwan's "fanging game" more than usual, made great progress
on the language, and found faith in the future!!!
Extra
Smile :) At the close of ward correlation meeting, our faithful, yet
very stern/serious ward mission leader, invited Sister Beutler (a senior
missionary who is basically superwoman but is still working hard to
learn the language) to say the closing prayer. She asked if she could
say it in English to which he responded that "Tianfu hui ting de dong"
(that God would both be understanding and literally understand) with the
trace of a smile and a chuckle. It was pretty funny and gave me a new
perspective.
Nightlife in Taiwan as seen from the window
Taiwan's fanging game: In Taiwan,
they have a different way of saying they are not interested. The people
of Taiwan are incredibly friendly and polite and treat each other as one
big family even to the point of addressing strangers on the street with
familial titles. It's wonderful! I truly love this atmosphere of love
and respect. However, on the other side of the same coin, the people
feel too bad to tell you if they are not interested. So, to be polite,
they will set up an appointment with you and then intentionally not show
up at the time and place you agreed on. This with the hopes that you
will get the message that they aren't interested. And...they will
continue to set up with you until you get that they are not interested.
It's difficult from a missionary work standpoint, but they mean well :)
1st chidaobao I've actually paid for myself (only the 1st course of course) ;)
Honesty
and a Full Stomach: It is not uncommon in Taiwan for them to count your
change wrong in a rush to help the next customer. I've picked up on
this commonality and been able to use it as a good opportunity to
represent the church and the Savior in a good way. I make a point to
always check and return the extra change no matter how small the amount
may be. This week, that habit earned me the added trust of a shop-owner I
call friend. He also may have insisted on giving us some free food on
top of the meal we had ordered :)
Sin vs.
Weakness: To be short and simple, sin distances you from God whereas
weaknesses bring you to God. God gives us weaknesses that me might be
strong--that we might find strength in Him. See Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
Cone
Melt Finding: It was an invite from the zone leaders. They instructed
us to go out and buy two cones from McDonald's. Then, to get at least
one appointment set up before the cone melted or was finished. We didn't
get a set-up, but it was a cool, creative new method of finding that
really got us moving and also made us a little more approachable as we
licked our little cones (not everyone sees us as humans, just
"missionaries" that in the minds of some are simply scary). It was cool.
Literally ;)
Growth/Improvement: Active Learning
I
recognized this week that I am becoming, more and more so, an active
learner. I'm taking an active role in learning new things from my
situations and surroundings. I'm doing so through listening more
intently and processing what is being said at a deeper level--REALLY
listening. In addition, I'm simply being more observant. I take in the
surroundings around me looking for things of interest or that I can
learn from and consciously make mental notes (basically just more
aware). These changes are allowing me to, in turn, improve my
decision-making skills. I didn't realize I was doing these things until I
started noticing significant differences in how much I understood and
knew. As I went back and reflected on these positive changes, I found a
couple of catalysts that I believe led to these changes:
Food provided by a loving recent convert
1.
Humility: I'm very proud of my humility... ;P Kidding, but in all
seriousness the mission has been trying thus far. I've been stretched to
capacity...regularly. I've found my limits, and, with the aid of the
Atonement, pushed past and found new strengths and knowledge. I've been
made much more aware of my weaknesses. As a result, I've naturally
started listening more intently to the advice, words, and counsel of
others: other missionaries, investigators, members, the Spirit,
prophets, etc. (almost out of desperation really, but it's been good and
I'm grateful for it) I've searched their words with the intent to learn
something. I've pondered them and made notes to remember and continue
to think on what I've learned and apply it. I've accepted that they have
experiences and knowledge I, quite simply, don't. I can learn from them. As I've let this reality really sink in to my strong-willed self, I've been taught and learned in abundance.
2.
Love: When you love someone or something, you give it time; it is the
natural response. Time is one of the greatest expressions of love in
this life. That's why missionaries give two years of their life to God.
That's why parents are willing to sacrifice in such abundance for their
children. That's why the Savior gave all for you and I. Love. As I've
come to have greater love for others through prayer and great effort,
I've desired more to hear what they have to say, to learn from their
life experiences, to simply better know and understand them. This kind
of listening and interest in others has had a positive impact on all of
my relationships (missionaries, investigators, members, even God).
3. Do not fear. Many in the world are scared of what tomorrow
brings. The world is suffering in many ways. Things are not easy, but
we need not fear. Only believe. Let me explain. God is all-powerful.
Ultimately, He is in control. This is an eternal truth. What brings us
comfort is another eternal truth: God loves His children. He will always
love us. His love is perfect. Furthermore, our success and happiness is
His goal. It's His work. In Moses 1:39 it says, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." This scripture is God speaking of His role.
God wants what is best for us. Another scripture that has given me hope
is Doctrine and Covenants 29:5 "Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom." Lift up your hearts and
be glad. God's will, His desire, is to give us the kingdom--to bless us
with all He has. We need not fear.
Elder Holland, one of the 12 apostles, gave an excellent talk entitled, "Good things to come." see the link below
He also gave a great talk called:
We do not need to fear. From Elder Holland's talk, "after heavenly moments in our lives, we, of necessity, return to earth,
so to speak, where sometimes less-than-ideal circumstances again face
us." like in the fun picture below ;0!
Transfers is on the horizon. We find out Wednesday if there will be any changes. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I have faith in the future.
All is well,
Elder Dickson
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