Week 10 In the Field: I am certainly blessed to be a missionary.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas this week! I certainly enjoyed speaking with my family through Skype and enjoyed the Christmas celebrations and food here in Gualan.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas day my companion and I got fed an obscene amount of food. Most of it was good, mainly tamales and punch, and a dessert called molletes (a very moist cake essentially).

This week we were able to baptize our investigators Tona and her daughter Helen. Tona is very poor and has a lot of challenges in her life. At the age of 49 she is already a great grandmother. She has a tumor in her womb and is in very poor health.

I was fortunate enough to baptize her on Friday of this week. The night after her baptism she had a dream where I appeared, gave her a blessing, and gave her some pills to take. At the conclusion of the dream she woke up. It was in the middle of the night and her pain that results from her tumor was nonexistent. She kneeled and thanked the Lord and told me of the experience the following day.

This Sunday we saw Cristino and José go on a temple trip and receive the priesthood. This week we will have another baptism and hope that Cristino will be able able to perform the ordinance.

I am certainly blessed to be a missionary. You guys are always in my prayers. Remember the Lord and his mercy and love.

2 Nephi 4 20-24

 20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

 21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

 22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.

 23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.

 24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and administered unto me.

Elder Dawson

Elder Rojas, Helen, Tona, Elder Dawson

Christmas Day Skype 2014!

Grandma Jane, Poppa, and Uncle Rich's family came over to Skype with me

Tatum and Elder Dawson

Elder Dawson and Elder Rojas

Week 9 in the Field: Tasting the Rainbow!

Hey everybody! This week I get to call for Christmas which I am super excited about!

This week I had an interview with my Mission President and another day we went to Zacapa to have a Christmas party with great (American!) food and we got to watch a Disney movie called Iron Will.

This week we have been helping recent converts prepare to do baptisms for the dead and have helped prepare a few names to take to the temple.

We had a great experience watching the Restoration video and Kendi from the Lopez Guerra Family felt the Spirit really strongly.

In Gualan there are a lot of fireworks for Christmas and there's also a lot of tamales and other regional foods. We have been invited to eat with a few different members so that should be really great.

Thanks everyone for your emails. Love you lots! Merry Christmas!

Elder Dawson

I will be Skyping you from a member´s computer, the Cuyan family. The parents are both return missionaries and they also have a daughter on a mission. They are really cool and offered us 4 missionaries in Gualan their computer. I am thinking of calling around 11 in the morning local time which is 10 AM there. Let me know if that´s okay.

Myself and a member´s pitbull whose name is also Tyson.

Tasting the rainbow!

Picture of a place in my area.

A kid who was walking around with us one day.

Week 8 In the Field: I want you all to know I´m doing well and having fun here. I feel the Lord guiding my hand and my steps and my thoughts every day.

This week has gone by well. We are seeing progress in our investigators and our recent converts.

This week I´d like to share with you about a man named Virgilio Guales.

Brother Wales is in his sixties and has had polio since a young age. Yet, every Sunday, he carefully bends down on his wooden crutches, closes his eyes which can no longer read, and recites the sacrament prayer from memory. 

What a blessing it is to see examples of faith and sacrifice all around me.

I want you all to know I´m doing well and having fun here. I feel the Lord guiding my hand and my steps and my thoughts every day. 

It is a great experience to be a missionary, certainly a challenge but also a blessing beyond all others which I have experienced.

I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Dawson

Answers to Mom's questions:

Do you bless and pass the Sacrament in your branch?

Sometimes I pass but I never bless.

What kind of traditions do the Guatemalan's have for Christmas?

They eat Tamales and drink this delicious punch and have fireworks. Beyond that I don´t really know. They have all the normal lights and christmas trees and stuff here though.

What is the most interesting thing you have eaten?

Ayote, basically just roasted pumpkin in a bowl. Not very good. haha

Have you tried making any other recipes?

Yes I made peanut butter cookies the other day. Today we are going to make funeral potatoes.

I'm going to send you some cocoa powder so you can make real "Erik's Black Cookies."  I'm not suppose to send anything liquid in the mail, so I can't send vanilla. But, what else can I send you?

Thank you! No, I don´t think there´s anything else.

Have you gone anywhere or done anything else different on a P-Day yet?

No, we mostly just play soccer and eat.

Have you seen the Church's Christmas video "He is The Gift" yet?

Yes, we have a goal as missionaries to distribute 10 passalong cards a day about that video. We watch it all the time.

Is it cool at night in Gualan?

Nope, coolest it ever gets is like mid 70s.

Thanks for the email! I think I might be able to Skype on Christmas, what time would work well for the family? Love you!

Week 7 In the Field: I bear my witness that miracles exist and that everything is possible through Jesus Christ.

Hey guys, hope things are going well for all of you.

This week we had our 14 year investigator Helen have a dream about being baptized. Previous to this, she was uninterested in baptism but after her dream she decided to get baptized. This Sunday was her first week at church. On Saturday night we were afraid that she wouldn´t be able to go because she had the mosquito illness Chickngunya and hadn´t eaten in three days and was unable to get out of bed. We gave her a priesthood blessing and the following day she walked a mile to get to church. Truly we are witnessing miracles.

This week I also received a call from our investigator Amilkar. He moved temporarily to the capital to work but he is still reading the Book of Mormon. We had a 15 minute phone call about the spiritual witness he received reading the Book of Mormon. He knows that it is the word of God and he has been witnessing miracles in his own life. There is no doubt in my mind that he will quickly be baptized.

This week I also saw Cristino, literally the poorest man I´ve ever met, asking our Ward Secretary to help him read and fill out a tithing slip so that he could obey the commandment of the Lord. What a sweet moment to see.

We are teaching two people how to read, José and his neighbor Pablo. The progress is coming and it´s so much easier to teach people to read in Spanish. Soon they will be able to read the scriptures with their families who are unable to read.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I bear my witness that miracles exist and that everything is possible through Jesus Christ. Love you all!

Elder Dawson

(Answers to Mom's questions)

So, what is wrong with your toe?  Do you have an ingrown toenail? (Put some cotton under the nail bed so it grows up and over)

Not sure but that could be it. It sometimes hurts to walk and its a little swollen. I´ll try that advice, thank you.

How do you find most of the people you teach? Are they referrals or people you just meet on the street?

A lot of them are referrals, a ton of people we are talking to right now are friends or relatives of Cristino and José. Other people we just knock on their door or if they don't have a door you just yell ¨Buenas!¨and somebody comes. The good and bad thing about people here is that they will all listen to you, but a lot of people wont progress. You have to find the people that will not only listen but will act.

So, do you think we will be able to Skype you on Christmas or talk to you on the phone that day?  Has your Mission President said anything?

I am pretty sure it will be a phone call. I do not know of a place that has a webcam. If I can find a member with a webcam then I can Skype but I don´t know any members in our area with a computer haha.

How is it communicating with Elder Rojas?

It´s fine, not super easy but its possible. Just takes some patience. I´m pretty good at Spanish now so most everything is fine.

Where was the restaurant you sent us a picture of the food last week?  It looked good!

It´s called La Via and it´s a nice restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It has nice decor and food but the food is still cheap, that plate with a soda in a glass bottle is about $5. The dish is called Churrasco.

How are the Saturday English classes going?

Good, we have a handful of people come. People struggle with speaking and pronunciation but we´re helping everyone.

Dad thinks it sounds like you will stay in Gualan for a while? When Elder Rojas leaves they probably won't want two new to the area missionaries there, so they will still keep you and give you another companion there maybe?

That´s what I would guess. I´m far away from the change meetings so I´ll probably stay here for a while. I like it here though so that´s fine with me. My companion was in his last area for 9 months.

Thanks for the email. Love you!

Hammock I bought as an early Christmas present to myself.  The paper tree in the back was from home.  It had lights on it and names of Christ in Spanish.

Week 6 In the Field - Our Heavenly Father Loves You!

Hey Guys, hope everything is going well with you!

We have done a lot of work this week in our area, we have 10 baptism dates and we´re working on helping a lot of people progress.

On Tuesday we are going to begin teaching our new member José how to read. I´m thrilled for the opportunity to teach and help him progress spiritually and temporally.

I did not realize it was Thanksgiving until a member told me when we were at her house. She gave us hot chocolate and some bread. We don't really ever eat dinner so unfortunately I don't have a story for my Thanksgiving dinner haha.

Hope everything is well with each one of you. Our Heavenly Father loves you!

(Answers to Mom)

How long has Elder Rojas been out?

Almost two years. I will be his last companion.

Is he a convert?

No. But he´s 23 so he waited awhile before he left. His dad was a Stake President in Peru. He has 8 brothers and sisters.

It sounds like you only received 1 Christmas package.  Is that right?  I sent two packages - and the other package was pretty much a duplicate of yours to give to your companion.  I hope you receive that soon.  

I got both! Sorry, I guess I didn't mention everything. But yeah I got the shirts and both stockings and the Christmas lights and the tree and everything! Thank you!

So, did you get your packages when you went to Teculutan?

We got them when we went to a District Conference (Like Stake Conference for branches) in Guastatoya.

Can you buy (cows) milk at the grocery store?

Yes. Most people buy ultra pasteurized milk but you can buy actual milk if you want, just a little expensive.

Do you ever see any police?

Yes. They like never pull people over or anything I don't think. They look a lot more like military here because they carry rifles. Being Central America there´s some trafficking and stuff that goes on, thats why they're here.

What is their legal system like?

Not sure. Never had to deal with anything legally. Sorry, I honestly don't know. Lawyers are pretty rich though.

How much money do they give you to spend each week/month?

$250 a month more or less. Plus if you buy certain things you can get refunds that get added to your next month´s check.

Can you see the pictures we attach in our emails?

Yes. We found a place where internet is fast enough.

Is your camera still fine? 

Yeah its great.

How are your feet? Did you get the new orthotics I sent?

Ehh they´re not perfect. Yes I got the orthotics and they´re really good and that's helping a lot. I have something crazy going on with my toe but I'm taking care of it.

How is your leg?

Fine.

What can I send you?

I´m good with everything, thanks!

What can you do to prevent getting Chickungunya?

Use bug spray. I bought some more. And we have a little thing we plug into our wall at night that smells continuously.

Thanks for you email, love you!

This is from La Via and it´s a nice restaurant in the middle of nowhere. It has nice decor and food but the food is still cheap, this plate with a soda in a glass bottle is about $5. The dish is called Churrasco.

Week five in the Field -- Chickungunya, First Baptsims, and a New Comp

Hey guys, this week we baptized Cristino and José! It was a great experience, especially because it was my first time in the font!

Unfortunately this week my companion had Chikungunya, the crazy mosquito borne illness that´s going around here. He was in bed for 7 days!

Fortunately I was able to leave with a member, Brother Guales. Brother Guales is a great member with a powerful testimony but because he can´t read he knows very little about the gospel. Essentially I had to go out by myself to teach lessons but with the Lord´s help everything worked out and we had some great lessons and I never struggled with finding an answer or knowing what to say, the Lord always filled my mouth with words to say.

Yesterday I got a new companion, Elder Rojas from Peru. He seems pretty cool but he knows basically 0 English. Elder Rivera knew quite a bit but Elder Rojas is exclusively Spanish. It will be a little bit of a struggle but I´ll get through it.

People sometimes complain about wealth inequality in the United States but here in Guatemala it is quite extreme. We have investigators who live in a house that is literally just a bed with a roof on it and we have investigators who live in 7000 sq ft houses with water fountains in their house and drink out of gold rimmed glasses. No joke. There´s basically no middle class here.

Remember how safe we are in the United States, Elder Rivera got word just before he left that his cousin and friend had been killed in a gunfight in Honduras. We are blessed to live in a country where gun and drug violence are pretty limited.

Love you all, hope you have a great week!

Elder Dawson, Christino, Jose

(Email to Mom)

I recieved my Halloween and Christmas packages this week! I haven´t opened the stockings yet in the Christmas one nor have I opened the Twas the Night Before Christmas book (Im gonna wait until Christmas day for those) but I got out the BFJ book and the music and recipe book and stuff.

My investigators loved the candy corn especially. Hermano Guales is especially fond of it and is upset it is only available in the United States.

Thank you so much for everything! I really appreciate it and it always means a lot to get something from home. Love you so much!

Elder Dawson

(Email to Mom and Dad)

I wanted to let you know that I withdrew 50 dollars or so this week becuase our church cards weren´t working and I needed to pay for my companion to go to the Hospital and get some medicine from the pharmacy. Things are cheap here so $50 covered it. I will be recieving a refund for that money that I spent shortly. Thanks!

Answers to Mom's Questions

Tell us how it works with Elder Rivera leaving? Do you get a new companion the day he leaves? I'm assuming you are staying there - right?

I will stay with the Zone Leaders on Tuesday in Teculutan which is an hour and a half away by bus. I will wait for my new companion in Teculutan, he will arrive by bus in the evening. I do not know who my companion is yet.

Are the members feeding you at all? Have you gotten sick from anything you've eaten yet?

Yes, we had a lot of food this week because people had us over to say goodbye to Elder Rivera. We´ve had fish, tamales, chicken, rice and vegetables, stuff like that. We also went to a wedding this week and got fed their. Haven't gotten sick yet!

Have you been able to bake anymore cookies or anything else fun? You have a stove to cook on right? (Try Rice Krispie Treats or "Erik's Black Cookies" - you don't need an oven for those)

I made peanut butter popcorn and Erik's black cookies this week. Couldn't find cocoa powder or vanilla though so i substituted stuff. They both actually turned out really well. We served the black cookies at our baptism but I think some of the Latinos didn't like them. Oh well haha, my district liked them.

Are you having a Christmas get together with your Zone or anything coming up?

Don't think so.

How are you liking President Crapo?

He´s really cool. Haven't really had one on one time with him but he's a great speaker and he's really nice.

Are there any other books or church DVD's/CD you can listen to or watch on your personal device that we can send you?

From what I understand, we can watch anything thats available at the distribution center. We watch doctrine and covenant videos or the Testaments, movies like that. We have most of the DVDs I think.

Can I send you some more bug spray or is that something you can easily get there?

I can get it.

Do you need any toiletries from home? Stuff you can't get or don't like there - toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, etc?

No its all available here.

Were you able to do anything else when you went to Guatemala City for your immigration paperwork? Could you go out to eat or anything?

Yeah theres a mall where the buses are to take you throughout Guatemala. The mall is pretty much just like a mall at home in terms of quality and size, with different stores but some of the same restuarants. We ate some Chinese food there.

Week Four in the Field: I don't really need anything but my investigators like sour candy and beef jerky.

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing wonderfully. Here´s what happened this week to me:

We had three baptisms planned for Saturday but José got a mosquito virus called Chikungunya and was very ill and unable to make it to the baptismal service. His father Cristino stayed to take care of him and he missed the service as well. Fortunately we still baptized Yoly and Cristino and José are getting baptized on Wednesday.

This week I had to travel twice. On Tuesday I traveled to Guatemala City to do immigration paperwork and on Wednesday I traveled to Zacapa to get an influenza immunization. Due to these two visits, we didn´t get as much work done as we wanted to but we´re still making progress.

This week we also had a talent show as a missionary activity and that went really well. 

Gotta go, love you all!

(Questions answered from Grandma Jane:)

Thanks for the email! I don´t have a ton of time but I will answer your questions:

Is it the only branch in Gualan?

Yes. Gualan is a town of 50,000 or so I think and we have about 80 active members.

How many missionaries are there or in close-by towns?

We have four missionaries here in Gualan. The closest missionaries to our companionship besides the other companionship are about 40 minutes away by bus.

How often are your regional meetings and do you have to travel to Guatemala City?

We have Zone meetings in Teculutan every week which is a little over an hour away. I had to travel to Guatemala City this week for immigration stuff but usually that`s abnormal to travel there for meetings. It takes anywhere from 2 to 5 hours to get to the capital depending on how fast your bus driver is willing to drive haha.

How much longer before you get a new companion?

One week and I get a new companion.

It`s cooling down here and the weather is pretty nice. I don`t really need anything but my investigators like sour candy and beef jerky haha.

Week Three in the Field: Blessings come when you don´t fight and always treat people with love.

Hell´s foundations quiver at the shout of praise
Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise
Like a mighty army moves the Church of God
Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.

Another great week here in Gualan, Guatemala. We have three baptisms
for this upcoming Saturday, Cristino and Jose Garcia and Yoly Ramos.
Our branch is small and we have our challenges but the Lord is helping
us work through the challenges.

We had a neat experience this week with a man named Fransisco. When we
first met him we were beginning our lesson and were about to pray when
a wild Jehovahs Witness appeared and started bashing us. He couldn´t
get very far before the Lord sent us some rain so we had an excuse to
leave. We had nothing but kind words for him but we felt bad for
Fransisco who really seemed interested in our message.

We met Fransisco in the street again and he apologized for the
Jehovahs Witness and said that by the way we carried ourselves he knew
that we were true disciples of Jesus Christ. He told us that his door
is always open for us and that he´s excited to hear more about our
message. Blessings come when you don´t fight and always treat people
with love.

This week Ive been thinking a lot about the role of Jesus Christ as
our Intercessor between mankind and the Father. I wrote a poem and
thought I´d share it with you guys:

Lord and Savior, Intercessor
With the Father my Heavnly Friend
He who trod through the winepress for
Glory and Joy to have no end

At the trial he bears witness
That I, his servant, had no shame
And, although I was not sinless
I took upon myself his name

He is the way, he is the light
The Father´s justice none can flee
But with the Christ we need not fight
Just trust in his endless mercy

Contrite heart and broken spirit,
Lord I am knocking at thy door
At the veil, thy voice I hear it
I´ll take thy hand, please show me more

We have an investigator family whose last name is Lopez Guerra. The
mother and her 5 children are currently having discussions with us.
The oldest son, Amilcar, is like 22 years old. He came to church this
Sunday and we had the Children´s program. One of the scriptures that
was shared was about how Jesus Christ is the the only way back to the
Father. He had heard that scripture a lot but never knew what it meant
and we were able to answer his questions. Their whole family is
reading the Book of Mormon. They are learning a lot and will likely be
baptized soon.

Love you guys! Stay safe, the Church is true!

Answers from Mom's email:

Do you want me to send anything to help teach your English class?

No, we have resources here to teach English. We´re gonna start making copies and distributing them to class members.

What "American" ingredients can I send you?

We were able to find everything for cookies last week so I don´t think I need anything.  

Do you have an oven, microwave and refrigerator?

Microwave and refrigerator yes. Oven, no. But the church has an oven and some of our members have ovens.

Do any of the homes have carpets?

Not that I've ever seen. 

Is Jose able to go to school?

No. He has to work every day. We are going to teach him how to read at his home in the night I think.

Does your companion have a leave date yet?

Yes he is leaving on the 24 of November so two more weeks.

Are you sleeping OK?

Yeah my bed is comfortable and by the end of the day I´m tired enough that I fall asleep in about 10 seconds and don´t wake up until we have to at 6:30.

How are your Dr. Marten's? Comfortable enough?

Yeah they´re good! And if they ever wear out or I want a new pair then church shoes here are literally 5 dollars for a pair. I also bought a backpack for like 10 dollars here.

Love you!