Week 16 in the Field - Tri-Zone Conference and Quirigua

Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well.

This week we had the pleasure of meeting with our Mission President and his wife, first on Tuesday for a Training Missionaries Seminar and Later in the week for a Tri-Zone Conference. 

One cool thing I learned from the Mission President´s wife was from a self-evaluation exercise that included the question 'Am I converting myself into the person who God wants me to be?' I think this is such an important question for all of us to think about.

Today for P day we also had a chance to go to some ancient Mayan ruins called Quirigua. They have some cool stone monoliths and a big stone plaza. It´s located about an hour east of my zone in an area that´s super green.

One thing that I learned from my personal study this week is from a talk in General Conference October 1993 from Dallin H Oaks. He explains:

All of the myriads of mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it.Many of us also made covenants with the Father concerning what we would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality.

One question I have asked investigators before is : If you were to receive a letter from your pre-mortal self, what would it say?

I´d invite all of you to ask yourselves if you´re living up to your divine potential and becoming the person that your pre-mortal self wanted to be. We are sons and daughters of a living, infinitely loving Father. Show courage in your desire and effort to follow him and continue to fight for him here on earth,

I am doing super well here in Guatemala and I love you all. We have great investigators and we are having a ton of fun. Have a good week everyone!

(Answers to Grandma Jane's questions)

How are you feeling?

I´m feeling really good. Haven´t ever really gotten sick yet which is really cool because that´s one of the promises for my mission in my patriarchal blessing.

Is the weather pretty perfect or are you getting rain?

Pretty warm but there hasn´t been any rain in quite a while. It rains a lot more in the capital.

How many members in your branch, now?

People who live in the area who are actually members probably number over three hundred but this week we had an attendance of 81. A big problem here is that there are evangelical churches here on every street corner and unless somebody really has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration they´ll probably end up just attending the church next door. But we´re working and growing slowly but surely!

Zone in the mission.

Pictures are from Quirigua, ancient Mayan ruins (Pronounced Kee-Ree-WA)

Week 15 in the Field: Baptisms

Hey guys! This week we had a great baptismal service for Lucio and Gloria, a married couple who are humble and love the gospel. It was an excellent experience.

Other than that we´ve been studying a lot and making progress with investigators. This week we have seen some problems and trials but we´re pushing through with smiles on our faces.

Other than that I don´t have much to say unfortunately!

I love these words from Neal A Maxwell and I echo his statement with you guys:

Endless appreciation to my Father in heaven whose blessings depend upon our obedience, but whose ratio of blessings to obedience makes him a generous God!

I know the celestial criteria measure service, not status; the use of our talents, not the relative size of our talent inventories. I know that Church membership is not passive security but continuing opportunity.

Finally I testify that what a wise man wrote is true: “If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.” Having so chosen, may God bless us all to move the kingdom along, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

We´ve been having a lot of fun out here but more than that we´ve been in the service of the Lord. I pray that all of you might dedicate yourselves to His service, and in so doing find the greatest joy of your life.

The first picture I have attached is of Lucio and Gloria and their extended family at their baptism service.The second picture is taken at a burning field at night time. I apologize if I look somewhat Satanic!

Love you all!

Elder Dawson

(Answers from Grandma Jane's email)

How was Fast and testimony meeting yesterday?

It was really good! Yeah we have primarily women in our branch, only one male person bore his testimony yesterday, the rest were women and girls. 

We also got to watch a video from the Central American Area Presidency. They are focusing on Tithing, Family History Work, and Family Prayer and Scripture Study in the area of Central America.

Will you get the chance to go to the temple there sometime?

I went six times in the MTC. If I get changed to an area in the capital I will get to attend the temple once every six weeks.

Did you get to enjoy any part of the Super Bowl?

No but I got the news from friends and stuff. People don´t really understand American Football here haha.

Love you so much Grandma, thanks for the email and thanks for your love! Talk to you next week! I´ll keep Erik in my prayers!

Elder Dawson

(Answers from Mom's email)

Does Elder Torres have to sleep in the Living room? (It looks like it in the picture)

We moved all of our beds into what used to be the kitchen. it´s a rule that we all have to sleep in the same room and we couldn´t fit all the beds in the other room.

How is Lucio and Gloria's Living Room holding up? (Can't believe it!)

It´s good, thats basically how all the houses are over there in that area. They added some more sticks and stuff to make walls,

Where did you buy the "Tourist" shirts?

They have stores here called ¨pacas.¨ When Goodwill can´t sell stuff or when people donate clothes or for any number of other reasons a bunch of clothes go to Central America. Then people load up trucks with clothes and drive them to towns and sell clothes out of their house or place of business. We got the shirts at a random paca we went to.

Tell me when you get your packages.

I got them! Thanks so much. The pants fit great and I loved the pictures. We used the player at our baptism on Saturday and I´m going to give the headlamps to Cristino. Thanks so much!

Love you mom, have a good week! I´ll keep Erik in my prayers!

Elder Dawson

Lucio and Gloria and their extended family at their baptism service.

Elder Dawson at a burning field at night time.

Elder Proby, Elder Dawson, Elder Torres

On divisions with Elder Muñiz our Zone Leader, Elder Dawson and Elder Proby

Week 14 in the Field: Grow your testimonies and move forward. Forget the past and try your best

Hey guys! I hope everything is going well at home.

This week we had 8 investigators at church which is really great. We have two baptisms planned for and they are a husband and wife named Lucio and Gloria, super excited for them.

Unfortunately I don´t think I have any crazy stories to tell this week but I have had a lot of answered prayers. I love all you guys and hope everything is well!

The first picture is of a shack thing we built for Lucio and Gloria. That essentially functions as their living room.

The second picture is of our tourist outfits we wore today. We got a lot of funny looks!

Love you all. Grow your testimonies and move forward. Forget the past and try your best. I love this quote by Elder Neal A Maxwell-

Now may I speak to those buffeted by false insecurity, who, though laboring devotedly in the Kingdom, have recurring feelings of falling forever short. This feeling of inadequacy is normal. There is no way the Church can honestly describe where we must yet go and what we must yet do without creating a sense of immense distance. This is a gospel of grand expectations, but God’s grace is sufficient for each of us. 

Just try your best and you´ll recieve divine help the whole way!
Elder Dawson

Shack thing we built for Lucio and Gloria. That essentially functions as their living room.

Tourist Outfits we wore today. We got a lot of funny looks.

Re-enacting Bible scenes with Elder Proby

How Elder Torres sleeps.

Me and some chicks!

Week 13 In the Field - Trio Fun, Miracles, and Trials

Hey guys, hope everyone is well at home.

This week we had an amazing experience with our recent convert Tona. She went to the hospital several weeks ago and discovered she had a tumor in her womb. She later recieved a prieshood blessing, was baptized, and had a series of dreams that convinced her she would be healed by the Lord. She went in for her operation this week and the tumors were gone! The doctors asked who operated on her and she said The Lord.

This week we also had a very sad experience with Cristino, my recent convert. We discovered one night that he was in a local bar drinking. We helped him stumble a mile to his home. The entire time he was distraught and felt like he had no hope after he had committed this sin. We got to teach him a lot about repentance and God´s love. Tough experience because I really love that guy but a good teaching moment for the both of us.

Other than those two experiences I´m doing great. We have been enjoying our Trio a lot. I´ll attach some neat pictures we took.

I learned a ton from a talk entitled "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father" by Neal A Maxwell. In it he explains the difference between the people who will live in the Celestial Kingdom and the people who will live in the Terrestrial Kingdom. He says:

Whenever Church members speak of consecration, it should be done reverently while acknowledging that each of us “come[s] short of the gloryof God,” some of us far short (Rom. 3:23). Even the conscientious have not arrived, but they sense the shortfall and are genuinely striving. Consolingly, God’s grace flows not only to those “who love [Him] andkeep all [His] commandments,” but likewise to those “that [seek] so to do”(D&C 46:9).

A second group of members are “honorable” but not “valiant.” They are not really aware of the gap nor of the importance of closing it (see D&C76:75, 79). These “honorable” individuals are certainly not miserable nor wicked, nor are they unrighteous and unhappy. It is not what they have done but what they have left undone that is amiss. For example, if valiant,they could touch others deeply instead of merely being remembered pleasantly.

Let us choose to be more valient in our testimonies of Christ by not just avoiding sins but also by being "Anxiously engaged in a good cause".

Love you guys!

Elder Dawson

Elder Proby and Elder Dawson

Week 12 In the Field - I´m in a Trio!

So last week I got news that I was going to be a trainer and I was super excited. However my would-to-be companion had a talk with President Crapo before entering the field and got sent home. Because of this they had to move a bunch of stuff around and I´m now in a Trio!

My companions are Elder Torres and Elder Proby. Elder Torres is from Ecuador and is finishing his mission. Elder Proby is from Provo. He´s a gringo in the sense that he is from the United States and speaks almost exclusively English but he´s actually African American. His Mom is from Micronesia and his dad is from Mississippi.

Before I had changes I couldn´t decide if I would prefer an English speaking companion or a Spanish speaking companion. The Lord obviously figured he´d just send me both :)

Elder Proby has a decent foundation for Spanish but still a ton to learn. Elder Torres is a native speaker and is working on learning English. No joke, Elder Torres is actually a musician in Ecuador and used to be in a boy band called Mota Crew. He raps and sings reggae and actually got payed a bunch of money back in Ecuador and would do concerts and stuff.

Elder Torres is moving to the Provo after his mission to study sound engineering at BYU. Elder Proby is from Provo so that´s sweet that Elder Torres can learn about what Provo will be like.

All in all I really like being in a trio. When Elder Torres leaves in six weeks I will get to be a trainer and finish training Elder Proby here in Gualan.

Our investigator Kendi asked her parents to sign a paper for her so she could get baptized but her parents said no :( Kendi came out and started to cry. It was really tough. She has a super strong testimony of the gospel and she really wants to get baptized. We are going to keep working with her and her parents, hopefully they have a change of heart.

Love you guys!

Elder Dawson

(Answers to Mom's questions)

Do you always have running water? 

If it rains really hard then sometimes we don't have water but usually yes, we have running water. We also just got a water heater for our shower so I´m excited about that.

In one picture you sent us of Hermano Wales (I have it as my screen saver at school) - Dad says it looks like his house is outside on the right.  It looks like it is just fenced off with sticks and there is a make-shift roof.  Is that really a house or is it something else?

Yes that is a house. A guy named Rafael lives there. He does not know how to read and he lives in a shack but he does oddly have a cell phone.

Do you ever see Elder Flygare at any zone conferences or anything?

Yeah I´ve probably seen him like three times since I got out in the field. It´s always cool to catch up.

Is your toe any better?

Yeah its not too bad now.

Thank you so much for the email and for putting the packages together. Love you lots!

Elder Proby, Elder Dawson, Elder Torres

Week 11 In the Field - Baptism Grandpa and I´m a Trainer Now!

This week Cristino was able to baptize Pablo! Cristino was the first person I invited to baptism and I was lucky enough to baptize him myself and also witness him baptize someone else! Samuel Chapter 16 Verse 7 comes to mind

For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

He wasn´t even nervous and he did a great job. Elder Rojas and I teach the Gospel Principles class in our branch and we always start with introductions because we have new investigators come every week. This week the introductions were to say your name and something you liked to do in December. When it was Cristino´s turn he said that his favorite thing to do in December was to meet with us, the missionaries. He said we changed his life and started to cry. Certainly a tender moment.

Yesterday I also received the news that for the next three months I will stay here in Gualan and have the opportunity to train a new missionary! I don´t know who it is or his name, where he´s from, or anything but I´ll let you guys know next week. 

Love you all! I´m doing great here and I hope you guys are doing equally as well!

Elder Dawson

(Answers to Mom's Questions:)

Did you get Grandma's package?

Yes I did, I´ll send her an email right after this. That was really nice of her.

What kind of traditions do they have for New Years?

Get drunk and use fireworks haha. Everything here was closed on New Years Day which I thought was weird. It was like a ghost town. In America a bunch of stuff is still open on New Years Day.

Do you want more beef jerky or any specific sour candy or treat?

If you want you can, people here always like that stuff! What I would really like is if you could send me the little black player thing that I have. You can put a flash drive in the front and play videos on a TV. To work it needs AV cords, not HDMI because nobody has that here, the charger, and the remote is also super important. I have no idea where it is but if you could try to find it and ship it to me that would be great. Ask Jayden, he should know what it is and what it needs to work. I asked my leaders if I could have it and they said it was cool. I just want to use it because we like to watch videos with members or investigators but a lot of times they don't have a dvd player or their dvd player is really old and won't work with a DVD that you can make on the computer. Also if you can send me my purple flash drive with 32 gigabyte that would be sweet. Then we can share conference messages and stuff with our investigators super easily. And it would be even better if you could get Jayden to download a bunch of church videos in Spanish and put it on the drive because the internet here is so slow. If you have time to do that it would be amazing!

Was Cristino able to do the baptism this week?

Yes! We were so happy. I call myself a baptism grandpa now! He memorized all the words and everything, it was so sweet.

Elder Rojas, Cristino, Pablo, Elder Dawson