Just wanted to let you know that life is still going great here in the Quezon City Mission!
We had a wonderful time at zone interviews last Thursday and it was fun
to see our Mission President and his wife there. My love for the two
of them grows every time I see them. I'm so grateful to have them here
in our mission and for their sacrifice for us and for the Lord.
I'm doing just peachy :) So I just read your
letter (Mom) a few minutes ago and almost started crying, which, you know,
never happens... :) I understand what you're saying about looking at my
pictures and feeling like it was all a dream or you just imagined me or
something... sometimes it feels like that for me too. That's why this
morning, I pulled out some old letters you guys had sent me and started
reading them. Hand-written letters really do the trick :) I wish I had
known before that I would never stop missing home so I could have
better prepared myself. But I guess if I had known that, I may not have
come.
The longer I'm out here, the more I realize how symbolic being a
missionary can be... in this case, to God's Plan of Happiness. We lived
as Spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father before this life. There
He loved and knew each one of us personally and we were happy... but we
couldn't obtain a fullness of happiness by just living there with Him
for forever. He knew that they only way for us to truly be happy would
be to let us go.... to send us somewhere where wouldn't be able to
communicate face-to-face. I think He knew it would be hard...
infinitely harder for Him as so many of His children wouldn't even know
He existed or would lose all contact with them.... but He also knew this
would be the only way for us to learn and grow in order to become like
Him. He knew that for us... it would feel like a dream in some ways...
and even then only for those of us who have the gospel in our lives.
How difficult and sad He must feel for those of His children who don't
have the gospel... who have completely forgotten who they are and who He
is and what the plan was.
So... despite the fact that I long for home and to be reunited like
none other, I know that God needs me here to help His children who have
forgotten to remember.... to remember that we do have a loving Heavenly
Father, that we had a life before this one and that our experience here
is all part of the plan. How blessed I feel to be able to help my
brothers and sisters. This time really is insanely short in the whole
grand scheme of things... a small sacrifice to pay for the blessings
I've received.
I'm still here, just out of sight for a
little while.
My greenie is doing just great :) She and I really do get along very
well and I'm so grateful for her!! I'm not doing a perfect job, but I'm continuing to learn and
grow each day and hopefully my trainee will look back on these days with
fondness :) Actually... I'm pretty sure she will.... we have a lot of
fun :)
Dad, thanks for the reminder in taking things one day at a time... not
just in terms of handling stress, but also in remembering to enjoy each
day. :) It's easy as a missionary to keep moving forward by counting
down time... until the next district meeting, the next p-day, the next
zone conf., the next time to skype with family, and so on and so forth
:) I'm trying to remember to enjoy every day... even those days when
it's insanely hot, we are getting punted at our appointments, and when
I'm struggling with the language. Gee... in some ways that sounds like a
lot of days here. :) We have some golden investigators who are all
struggling with big issues... kind
of stressful, but I'm learning patience. :) Thank
you for sharing your testimony as well :) So true... there is no
greater blessing or joy than having a sure witness of the truth and
being able to share that with others. :) I love being a missionary!!
it's hard, but so wonderful!!
Training.... I'm really loving
it in spite of the stress. My companion is so awesome and we have so
much fun together! I'm discovering that I'm learning so much at the
same time she is. In some ways, I feel like this is my training and not
hers. :)
Love you all!
Sister Dickison
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