Sept 23, 2013 The Search For The One Lost Sheep

Oi Oi Oi todo mundo!

Goodness gracious, I still don't think I can get over the fact that I am in Nebraska. What in the world. Anyways, once again, so much has happened this past week. So I'll just start off with the best of news; I had my first baptism! Wow what an amazing experience. It was JeanAime, the man I told you guys about last week. The craziest part about it was I was the one who was asked to give him the Gift of the Holy Ghost. That was seriously one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life thus far. At the same time, it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life thus far. Pronouncing the words "Receive the Holy Ghost" was such a powerful moment. I have never experienced anything else like it. I felt so connected to the spirit as I was giving him the blessing that followed. I know that everything I said came directly from God. It was a testimony to me of many things, especially about the authority of the priesthood. I know that it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

We even had one of our investigators, Terry, come to see the baptism. It was such a spiritual experience, I'm so grateful that he was able to and wanted to come and see. The change in Jean is so evident that I know that he will want to experience that as well. We even have two of our progressing investigators who want to come and watch General Conference! Wow!

As I've spent the time I have thus far on my mission trying to serve as many people as I can, I have developed a great love for reaching out to less-active and inactive members of the church. President Weston (my mission president) promised us that if we help bring someone back to church and back into the fellowship they once had then the Lord will bless us with new people to share the gospel with. It makes complete sense too. Why would the Lord bless us with the ability to find new people to teach and share the message of the restoration with, if we are not willing to help those who are already in our stewardship? This is expressed so poignantly by the Savior when he said,

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

(Luke 15:4-7)

This principle is one that we often reference, yet we do not go out and reach out to those who are struggling to maintain their activity in the church. We are promised joy that we cannot comprehend when we do all we can to recover the lost sheep of the fold. It is not very easy, but it is so very worth it. And the best part about it is you don't have to be a missionary to do this either! Think about what would happen in the church if every member reached out to someone who was less-active in the Church. Wards and stakes would grow in attendance, more buildings could be built, more temples even, and then they would in turn reach out to their friends and neighbors so we as missionaries could continue to spread the gospel to every nation, kindred tongue and people.

I've also come to see, even though I am not super great at it, the importance of setting goals and planning effectively. Setting goals drives your work and gives you a focus you could otherwise not achieve. I have always hates writing out schedules because I just don't like being super meticulous about things. Not that I like to just wing things but I like to be open and free with my time. But time on a mission is super precious. I've only been given 2 small years to find, teach and bring God's children to the truth, and every minute is valuable time. You have to plan every moment with prayerful consideration and set goals to help you strive to be the missionary God wants you to be. And once again the cool thing mission life has been showing me, is that you don't have to be a missionary to do these things! The only difference is this is what I do on a daily basis because I have been called and set apart to do so. As Elder Holland said, paraphrasing of course since I can't come close to quoting the man, a mission isn't where you leave real life and then come back to it, this is real life! This is the start of a lifetime of service to God, and there is no better place to learn how to best do it than on a mission.

Well, I'll be seeing everyone around! Send me your love and support please, as much as you can. I love getting letters from people (I'm a missionary we fight for the mailbox duh) so keep on sending them my way. All the way to the middle of nowhere in Nebraska :)

Tchau tchau!

Elder Dimmick

Sept. 16, 2013 Open Your Mouth and it Shall be Filled

Oi oi oi!

How has everyone been?!  I hope everyone has been doing well I haven't heard from anyone in a while... just because I'm in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska doesn't mean I've fallen off of the face of the Earth! So.. hop on those emails and letters! They seriously keep me going whenever I get them.

This past week was filled with both challenge and excitement. We had so many lessons to teach this week! this area is exploding with new investigators and less-actives that we have been teaching and inviting to come to church. We even have a baptism set for this Saturday, with two more progressing investigators who are soon to follow in the coming month. Their faith is amazing to me. Well as for our baptism this weekend, that is a crazy story. His name is Jean Aime (pronounced like John) and he is from Congo, and shoot this guy is super cool. He is here in the United States studying political science because he is running for the President of Congo! And the crazy part about it is this is a revolutionary idea for his country. He was telling us that whenever he travels home he has to be protected because people are always trying to kill him for his democratic ideas. He even has a website and all this stuff. And through it all he has amazing faith. He had been meeting with the missionaries for several weeks before I arrived, and unfortunately had his baptism delayed. But when we spoke to him about it, instead of being upset, he said that he knew that there was a reason for it, that God knew what was best, and that even if he had to wait a year, he would wait that year and then be baptized. What faith. He even said hat when he goes to Congo he is going to tell all his friends about the Book of Mormon so he can let other people share in his happiness. He wants people to see the new Jean Aime as he said it.

But things are not always peachy on missions. Times are tough, and the work is hard. It really is "work" there is no doubt about that. Missionaries don't just drive around and then horse around on P-Days. We have to always be spreading the gospel and finding people to teach. It is extremely exhausting work. I go to bed at 10:30 and it seems like 6:30 always comes earlier and earlier. It's strange how 8 hours of sleep can feel less than the 6 or so I would get at school and over the summer. Anyways the part that is so difficult for me, is talking to people I don't know. It just frightens me. Whenever we are walking down the street and you see a person walking the opposite direction or someone sitting in their yard there is this constant battle of should I say something, should I not, and just on and on and on. But the key is to just open your mouth. Be an "open your mouth missionary" as Elder Bellows calls it (he is part of our tri-panionship and is going home on Friday) and constantly invite others to hear the message of the Restoration. You never know who is waiting and searching for the truth. Such an experience recently happened. On Friday my companions, the mini missionary, and I had an appointment scheduled, and then it fell through. Well, just because we have an appointment fall through doesn't mean that we go home and rest, we have to keep finding. So the two experienced missionaries went to go see a less-active, and I was left with this mini missionary, I didn't know the area, I didn't know anyone, and I had to go and find. I started panicking inside. How in the world was I supposed to even do anything when I literally had been in the field for 6 days, and was with a mini missionary who knew less than I did? Well I pulled out the Ward Directory and started looking over the inactive names. One name jumped out to me, and I wanting to act on any inspiration I received said okay lets go for it, now where is it? Well I pulled out the map and it happened to be on the opposite side of the area we were in that day. So we walked all the way over there and knocked on this door, and guess what happened? Nothing. I kept thinking to myself what the world is going on I thought we were supposed to come here? So I looked at the list again, and once again a name jumped out to me that happened to be close by. As we were walking I saw a little old lady by herself in her front yard pulling weeds or something. I kept feeling like I should talk to her, but in the back of my mind I kept saying what the world I don't know her. I have no idea what to say, and so on. But when we walked by, I opened my mouth and just started speaking, and I think I honestly freaked her out a bit, but we ended up having a wonderful conversation. She doesn't want to hear our message, but we offered to do service for her and he face beamed. She was so grateful and she is going to call us and put us to work. We ended up talking about temples and parts of the gospel, something that would never have happened if I had not opened my mouth. That truly is one of the keys to missionary work, just open your mouth! If your don't know what to say, well no one does. That's where relying on the Lord comes in. You have to trust that when you step out of your comfort zone, and try to share a message with a complete stranger that through the Spirit he will put into your mind what to say. and he does, he truly does. I have never before felt so guided by the Spirit then I am right now, and I love this feeling so much. Yes, I may have no clue about anything in this area, or what to say or how to say it, but the Lord does, and by doing all that I can to be worthy of that Spirit of inspiration I can be the missionary that God wants me to be.

Well, that's about it really, well all I really have time for there is so much that goes on and I don't have enough time to say it all! The Lord really has his hand in all things. He knows everything from the beginning to the End and he will give us success is we are wil.ling to be that instrument in his hands. Yes, not everyone will accept the gospel, but they are not who we are searching for. We are searching for those ready to be harvested, those seeking for truth and do not know where to find it. People may mock and ridicule the gospel and Joseph Smith but truth is truth, and I know that the message I share with people about the restoration and reality of the Book of Mormon is pure truth. I have seen it change people's lives already, including my own.

Tchau tchau todo mundo!

Elder Dimmick

Sept 9, 2013 #missionlifeinomaha

Oi todo mundo!

It is crazy to think that I am now sitting in Nebraska, when roughly 48 hours ago I was in Utah. WOW! This is probably the coolest and craziest reassignment ever to happen to a missionary going to Brazil. Seriously, of all places in the United States that could possibly have been the place to go, Nebraska was where the Lord needed me. Aside from how bizarre that seems, this has already turned out to be a major blessing. One being that I just had P-Day on Friday and now I get another one out in the field on Monday. Chea.

So much has happened in the past 3 days I don't know where to begin. Well for starters I had a super cool experience in the airport when I was checking my bags to the airline. On the way to the airport I was kind of bummed because I was never going to be able to speak Portuguese again for who knows how long. I mean, yes in the field as a visa waiter I still get language study, but it is not the same as being fully immersed in the language. So as I'm standing in line, I don't know how but somehow I heard Portuguese behind me. It kind of took me back, and I said to myself, no way I just heard that. I turn around and there were probably 4 or 5 Brazilians. What. Are. The. Odds. I turn to the Sister I was flying with and then shout out, "They're speaking Portuguese!", and then we both turn and I started talking to this older man in the group. I think I kind of freaked him out too by how I just turn around and started speaking Portuguese to him. We had a decently long conversation and we even shared a short message about the gospel. This was so crazy for 2 reasons; I am not good at all with talking to people I don't know, and I thought it was so crazy how the first people I talk to, in the Salt Lake Airport, happened to be Brazilians. After pondering on that experience, I am thoroughly convinced that the Lord placed them in my path to help me realize that I will eventually get to Brazil and that he hasn't forgotten about me and the sacrifices I made to learn, or start to learn, Portuguese.

The mission here is so amazing. I am in Lincoln Nebraska, in an area just south of the University of Nebraska. College football is everything here. Just like soccer for Brazil, Nebraska football shuts down the city and you can hear the stadium for miles. They announced a primary activity, and people went and complained because it was scheduled at the same time as the football game. Super funny. My new companion and trainer is Elder Cortez, and he is the bomb. He is from the bay area in northern California and he is a visa waiter too! What a blessing to be paired with someone who is also trying to keep up the language! The Lord truly looks out for his servants. He is a pretty chill missionary yet still is a super hard worker and has so much knowledge. The crazy part is he has only been out for 2 transfers and is already training. Right now we are in a trio with an Elder Bellows from Mesa Arizona. He has about 2 weeks left on his entire mission. He is so trunky, but when it's time to work and study you could never tell that he was about to go home. He is so hardworking and is not afraid to speak to people which I hope to learn from him. We also have a mini-missionary from Iowa right now (yea the mission covers Nebraska, and parts of Kansas, Iowa, and South Dakota) so our apartment is crowded. 4 people in a 1 room building. It's so crazy but way awesome at the same time.

The first night was no excuse to take it easy. We went out and had a lesson with an amazing man named Terry, my first Investigator. He moved to Nebraska from Kansas at the beginning of the summer and has had it pretty rough since then, more than happens to a lot of people. On Wednesday he just up and walked into the Church, and he said it was the hardest decision of his life because of how crazy his life has been. So, we started teaching him. He is the man. He has been studying the Book of Mormon for 6 years now, and he knows it is true based on the research he has done into Meso-Amarican history and Archaeology. He was investigating ancient civilizations in the Americas, and kept coming up with loose ends and didn't know how or why civilizations separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years would have the same legends unless there was a base culture they came from, something he could find no records of. Then he found the Book of Mormon, and he said all his loose ends tied up and he knows it is true. We are working with him now to gain a spiritual testimony of its truth as well, and I know he will because he is already extremely religious, and believes that God is a real being. He has amazing faith in our Heavenly Father and Christ and I just love him so much. He even came to church and said he wanted to come on Sunday even before we extended the invitation to him. He is so eager to learn and find truth. The coolest part was it seemed like every single talk or lesson was somehow directed to his needs, and these people didn't even know him, his needs, or the things we had talked with him about. I know that the Spirit was there on Sunday and impressed upon their minds the things they needed to say to help Terry and answer his questions.

So much more has happened I can't even express it all. The next amazing thing happened when we went to try and see an inactive member of the Ward. We knocked on the door, and it turned out that the person we were looking for had moved and left no forward address. When at first it seemed like a bum deal and I thought we were going to leave, Elder Bellows the super experienced missionary asked this woman who answered the door if she had ever met with the missionaries before. She said no and he explained our purpose and message, and asked if she would be interested in listening to us. She said yes! Her name is Angelina and she is married and has several kids. Her and her husband invited us over for next Saturday since they are going out of town. What an amazing experience. I learned that when it comes to spreading the gospel, you really do just have to open your mouth and it will be filled. Because of that bold missionary we have a new potential Investigator and someone willing to hear the message of the Restoration and the truth of what we go around trying to share with everyone.

The ward her is super awesome and they work so well with the missionaries. We still have to work to get help finding people, but that should be expected. Why would they give us the names of their dear friends if they do not think we are diligent and effective missionaries? so at our dinner appointments today we are going to share a wonderful spiritual message and see if that will gain their trust. That is also what is crazy. They always want to help us with food. One member bought us groceries on Saturday. Every single night there is someone signed up to feed us, and some nights the members are double booked. I know the Lord blesses those who help his servants, and I am so grateful for their sacrifices. Keep feeding the missionaries! I know when you do you are blessed extremely and in ways you might not even recognize.

I am so grateful to be a missionary. This truly is an amazing time to serve the Lord.

Until next week! Tchau tchau!

Elder Dimmick

Sept 6, 2013 Crazy Reassignment Week!

Minha Familia e queridos amigos!

So I just recieved probably 10 minutes ago my reassignment, and no one will ever guess where.... OMAHA NEBRASKA!! What?! How crazy is that?! The irony of that is my companion, Elder McKinlay, is from Omaha Nebraska! I don't even know what to think right now, my mind is so frazzled right now. Hopefully I can come up with the words to say now that my MTC experience is coming to an end in less than 20 hours. 

The MTC has been a humbling experience. I have learned more about myself in these past few weeks and how the spirit speaks to me than I ever knew in my entire life. I have met some of the most spiritually strong people here that just astonishes me everytime I see them. What a glorious place to be. this Church really is true. I feel it in my very soul everytime I kneel in prayer to my Heavenly Father. I feel it everytime I read from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I just love this gospel so much! There is real truth behind everything that this church says, everything is true principle. There is no way that this Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, could be anything but the true and living Church here on the face of the Earth. On Sunday we watched for film, Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. There were two releases of the movie, and we watched the longer one. What a testimony builder. Thinking back on the life of Joseph Smith, and learning of the experiences that he went through, how could anything he said be anything but the absolute truth?! I mean, if he was just a 14 year old boy pulling a prank on everyone and saying he found gold plates and saw God and Jesus Christ, why on Earth would he have kept up that story in the midst of him being tarred and feathers, driven from his home, and eventually killed? He would never do that, no one would! To think that he would die to defend a Church that would be anything other than the truth is absurd! Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. They are real, and they care for us more than we could ever comprehend. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God, and through that Book we have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior of this World. I have read and prayed to know for myself the truth of this sacred book, and I know without any doubt in my mind that it is the word of a God who loves us and wants us to return to his presence. I know that that is possible by believing on the name of Christ, and obeying the commandments that God has set for us. They will bring us more happiness in our lives and will be a blessing to us. I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet on Earth today. He holds the prophetic mantle on his shoulders and receives revelation for this Church directly from Jesus Christ who stands at the head of it. I bear testimony to all these things, and much much more, in the holy name of Jesus Christ: my Master, my Savior, my King. 

Well for a quick recap of this week, we had David F. Evans of the Seventy come and give an amazing Devotional. He gave us an amazing insight to the alegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5, and what he said came dirctly from President Eyring and President Monson confirmed that what Eyring said was true. I don't have all of the time to explain everything that he said, but holy cow it was crazy. Basically in verse 70 I think where he says that the servant highers more laborers to go out in the vineyard was the historic announcement by the Prophet last year at conference. At that time, there were 58,000 missionaries. Now, as of this past tuesday, there are 76,000 missionaries and it is projected that there will be over 85,000 by the end of the fall. What a historic time to live in, when the lost tribes of Isreal are gathered in. Elder Evans said that the Church is goping to experience more growth than ever before within the next few decades as more people come into the fold of God. How exciting!!

I love this gospel. I love it with all my heart and soul. I don't think I can say it enough, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true Church of Christ. There is no other, and there cannot be. As a called representative of Jesus Christ I bear witness to the truth of these things, and to the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He lives! He overcame the world and the bands of death so we could live again. I know these things to be true. 

I'll send my new mailing address as soon as I get a chance to!

Até mais! The next email will be from NEBRASKA!

Elder Dimmick

Aug 30, 2013 Meeting Brazilians and Well Known Mormons

Oi minha familia!

So I have memorized a few things in Português, well actually more than a few, but here is the First Vision - 

Vi um pilar de luz acima de minha cabeça, mais brilhante que o sol, que descia gradualmente sobre mim... Quando a luz pousou sobre mim, vi dois Personagens cujo esplendor e glória desifiam qualquer descisão, pairando no ar, acima de mim. Um deles falou-me, chamando-me pelo nome, e disse, apotando para o outro, Este e meu Filho Amado. Ouve-O!

Phew what a mouthful. Anyways what is going on everyone?! It is crazy to think that I have a week and a half left before I leave the MTC. WHAT?! Time has flown faster than I can even begin to comprehend. A week from today I'll be getting my reassigment! Basically what has happened is because of how long the visa process has become and because of the masive majority of delays, I am being sent somewhere in the United States to wait for my visa to come in. Right now it is looking like I will get it around as soon as September and as late as Christmas. It is both exciting and upsetting knowing that I will get reassigned into another mission. It is exciting because, for one I have no idea where the Lord needs me and I won't find out until only days before, and secondly because I get to serve in two different missions! How cool is that! It is a tad upsetting because of an experience that I had last week in TRC. Every Friday evening after P-Day time is over, our district has TRC, which is where we go in as companionships, and teach someone we have never met before about the gospel. They are usually members, in fact all the ones that we have had in the Brazilian TRC all attend the Portuguese ward in Orem (that's right, there are like over 200 people who attend it too, and they are all natives of Brazil I think). At first, I was so nervous, because before we started teching them, and I mean like 5 minutes before, we found out that they were all natives of Brazil. They each probably knew about 10 words in english. So picture 2 white gringos with barely enough Portuguese to hold a small conversation trying to teach Brazilians to Gospel of Christ. Scary huh? Plus they talk wicked fast and use conjugations and tenses that I don't know yet. Anyways when we walked into our first appointment, we met a young Brazilian woman who had just barely moved from Rio de Janairo within the last few weeks. She knew zero english. For a few minutes I was like gosh how am I going to understand her, what the world. Then I realized that I needed to be calm and just listen. Just listen with the Spirit so I can know exactly what to say to her what I needed to teach. I said a brief prayer in my mind to allow the spirit to help me,  and exactly at that moment, my mind was clear and I knew what she was saying. Not every word, but I knew what she was aying because the Spirit was there and I was focused on how I could bring her to know Christ and not on what she was saying. I don't think I've ever had an experience like that. Than in second appointment we met an older woman who has been here for a few years. The same thing happened. The spirit was so string and my companions and I testified with the power of the Holy Ghost. Afterwards our teacher came up to us and said that when we left she began to cry because of the influence of the Spirit she had just felt. The Gift of tounges is real. It comes through diligence in keeping the commandments of God. He is real and is mindful of our many needs. I can bear testimony to that.

Because these two lessons were so powerful, our district stayed and talked with them for close to an hour. I LOVE BRAZILIANS! Eu amo os Brazileiros muito!! They are the most amazing people on this planet. Americans could learn a thing or two from these people. They are incredibly humble, and even if they don~t know who you are they love you like family. The whole time I was there standing and talking I was just smiling. I have never been happier in my entire life! They love it when misisonaries try to learn their language, even those who are not members of the Church. I just can't wait to get there!!

Goodness there is so much to talk about! Well the next crazy thing is what happened at our Tuesday night Devotional. we had Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles come and speak to us, AND I GOT TO SHAKE HIS HAND!!!!! I know it's not like a big deal, but in Mormon culture meeting an Apostle is a huge deal. These men are spiritual giants. Elder Anderson is one of the sweetest men ever. He bore a powerful testimony about love and about the divinity of this work and of the Savior. I just know that he is real. How can he not be? Coincidence? No way! Nothing happens by coincidence! Everything is overseen by the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth and his Son Jesus Christ, the Savior of all mankind. Everytime I hear testimonies of the Savior I just know that he exists. 

Then the next day, my companions had to use the restroom. Naturally I had to follow them and I opted to wait outside. Then I see someone who looks super familiar walk past we and down the hall. After a double take I let it pass, but then he turns around and starts walking towards me. Then it hit me. Standing in front of me is the Man who plays the investigator in the movie The Best Two Years!! (which by the way, even though it is a movie is EXACTLY how mission life is, especially when the mail comes) I kind of froze, and was like, uhh are you an actor, or something stupid like that, and then we procedd to have a small conversation, and then oh yea, I shook his hand too. Bam. Not going to lie, two handshakes by well known Mormons within the space of 24 hours was awesome. 

Goodness there is so much more I wish I could share but I am pretty much out of time. I love you all so much, my family, my friends, everyone. Trust me, letters keep a missionary going. Send me your love, it only takes like 5 minutes. The gospel is true. Jesus Christ lives. God is our Father. Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw. I know these things to be true, and nothing anyone says or does can make me doubt this belief or say it is anything but the absolute, complete, entire, and whole truth.

Eu amo vocês!!

Tchau tchau!

Elder Dimmick