Week 88 in the Field - 7, Raw Milk, and Glasses

Weekly Letter June 20, 2016

Hey guys; I hope everyone has had a great week.

This week has treated us pretty well. We have about 7 investigators who we thing can really progress and be baptized and we continue to see fruits of our reactivation efforts.

This week I  found out that there's a guy who drives around Teculutan selling fresh cow milk. I bought some from him and since it's unpasteurized I had to boil it but it is super tasty. All stores in Guatemala exclusively sell ultra pasteurized milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated and costs like $1.50 a liter. But his guy sells the real stuff for like $0.70 a liter. How didn't I know about this earlier?

This week we had branch conference and the district president told a neat story that I'd like to share. The district president uses glasses and he had a pair that just wouldn't fit on his head. The glasses always looked lop-sided in the mirror and one day he bent and twisted the glasses so much with the intent to get them to fit right that the glasses broke. He went to the optometrist and they told him that the glasses weren't the cause of the problem, it was his face! He has facial asymmetry and one eye is a tiny bit higher on his face than the other. He wasn't trying to adjust a bad pair of glasses to his symmetrical face; he was trying to adjust a good pair of glasses to his asymmetrical face. 

The district president went on to explain that this is what many people do with the gospel. Instead of molding themselves to the gospel they want to mold the gospel to themselves and it doesn't work. The problem lies not in the gospel; but in ourselves. When we try to bend a commandment or twist a principle the gospel ceases to bring us blessings because when we almost keep a commandment God almost blesses us. 

I know this to be true and I hope that each of us will strive to be obedient so that we might receive the blessings God has in store for us.

I love you all; have a great week!

-Elder Dawson

Grass Selfie

Divisions with the Elders from Guastatoya

Week 87 in the Field - Graves, Unexpected Find, and Every Gift and Blessing

Weekly Letter June 13, 2016

Week 86 in the Field - Leaders´ Meeting, Elder Jackson, and Emulation

Weekly Letter June 6th 2016

Hey guys; I hope you've all had a great week.

This week we had a leaders' meeting in the capital and we stayed the night at the assistants' house. The meeting was good; we talked about focusing on families, having effective planning sessions and developing leadership qualities.

Someone this week called me Elder Jackson. Felt like I'd been struck by a smooth criminal.

Other than that this week has been pretty normal. I'm getting along well with my companion and generally enjoying life.

My spiritual thought for this week has its root in a quote by Neal A. Maxwell who said: "We simply can't get most mortal things by celestial customs. Only the eternal things are portable."

Jeffrey R. Holland has taught that the only two things we really retain after this life are our personal character (character being the sum of our testimony, intelligence, Christ-like attributes, etc.) and the family relationships we have which have been sealed by priesthood power found in the Holy Temples of God.

How important it is, therefore, that we refine our personal character and strengthen our family relationships. Joseph F. Smith sums up this principle very well:

"Our affections and our desires are found fitted and prepared to endure not only throughout the temporal or mortal life, but through all eternity...We are living for eternity and not merely for the moment. We are immortal beings, and we are looking forward to the growth that is to be attained in an exalted life after we have proved ourselves faithful and true to the convenants that we have entered into here, and then we will receive a fulness of joy. A man and woman...should be able by their power, example and influence to cause their children to emulate them in lives of virtue, honor, and in integrity to the kingdom of God which will redound to their own interest and salvation We are, therefore, to develop our personal character to such a degree that our children, by emulating us, might receive their exaltation along with us. By having this as our goal, we focus on the two things that we really can take through celestial customs.

I love you all; have a great week!

-Elder Dawson

Nuestro tres amigos! The Arizona Missionaries. Elder Dawson, Elder Flygare, Elder Aubrey

Really good ceviche I ate this week.

Week 85 in the Field - Staying, Gringo Rejection, and Brother Brigham

Weekly Letter May 30th 2016

Hey guys I hope everyone has had a great week.

Well, we got news about transfers yesterday and I'll be staying here in Teculutan. As a matter of fact, no one is being transferred from the entire zone. I'm content to stay here with Elder Ruiz and to keep working with our investigators.

This week we went on splits with the assistants which was neat. I went with Elder Savage who is from Genola, Utah. He's a cool guy and a hard worker. On splits we found a house where a bunch of volunteers from the United States were living. None of them wanted to talk to us which was really sad and reminded us how people feel about Mormons back in the states.

We also went on splits with the elders from Gualan and I went with Elder Gutierrez from Huehuetenango, Guatemala. He's new in the mission and still kind of timid but he's a neat guy and we got to know each other pretty well.

This week I gave a talk in sacrament meeting and I shared a story about the prophet Brigham Young. As a little bit of background, let's remember that in the early years of this dispensation the saints built a temple in Kirtland but were soon forced to leave the temple in the hands of apostates. They fled to Missouri, their New Jerusalem and were again forced to leave. Finally they got to Nauvoo and thought it would be a place of permanent residence but then their prophet was murdered during the building of the temple and again they fled. When they got to the Salt Lake Valley Brigham Young announced that they would build a temple. Basically the common response was "Look Brother Brigham; we've tried this temple building stuff and it doesn't work. Maybe you're going to build a temple; but I'm not." In a general conference address Brigham Young replied and said: "some will inquire: 'Do you suppose we'll finish the temple Brother Brigham?' Well I've had such questions put to me already. My answer is: I don't know. And further more, I don't care. I have never cared but for one thing: and that is simply to know that I am now, this day, right before my Father in Heaven. If I am this moment, this day, doing the things God requires of my hands, and precisely where my Father in Heaven wants me to be, I care no more about tomorrow  than though it would never come. I do not know where I will be tomorrow, and I do not know whether this temple shall be completed. But his I do know: there should be a temple built. And I know it is the duty of this people to commence to build it."

I hope that this attitude of diligent faith will be our collective mindset.

Have a great week!

-Elder Dawson

Week 84 in the Field - Christian, Youth in the Presidency, and a Fountain of Joy

Weekly Letter May 23rd 2016

Hey guys; I hope you've all had a great week.

This week we were contacting with some Book of Mormon passalong cards and found a cool guy named Christian. We asked him if he had ever wondered why people called us "The Mormons" and he replied that he had asked that question but that he didn't know the answer. We explained to him briefly about the Book of Mormon and he was really intrigued and wanted to know where he could purchase a copy of  the book. We responded that the book had no cost and that although we didn't have a copy on hand (we had given some out already that day) we would be happy to pass by his house the following day and give him a free copy. He agreed and the next day we passed by to talk with him and his wife. The wife expressed that she had always wanted to go to church with us and Christian had a lot of good questions about the Book of Mormon. They seem like great new investigators and we're excited to begin sharing the gospel with them.

On Sunday we had district conference and our district president finally got released after serving in that capacity for 14 years and I swear that the new district presidency must be one of the youngest in the entire church because all three are in their twenties. Two are newly-weds and one isn't married yet. Hopefully this will lead the Motagua district in an exciting new direction.

My spiritual thought this week is based on a quote by President Joseph F. Smith who said:

"All who have tasted of the influence of the Spirit of God, and have had awakened within them a hope of eternal life, cannot be happy unless they continue to drink of that fountain until they are satisfied, and it is the only fountain at which they can drink and be satisfied."

I testify that the restored gospel espouses the living water of which Jesus spoke. The words of eternal life are sweet to the taste and are the only substance which will quench our spiritual thirst in a parched world. If we continue to drink we will have this promise, expressed in verse by Isaac Watts:

Then I shall see and hear and know

All I desired and wished below,

And every pow'r find sweet employ

In that eternal world of joy.

May that celestial realm be our individual and collective goal.

I love you all; have a great week.

-Elder Dawson

Foto - Pásenla a su zona

Week 83 in the Field - Friendly Competition, Unexpected Acceptance, And Morianton

Weekly Letter May 16th 2016

Hey guys; I hope everyone has had a great week.

This week our branch celebrated "Family Week" which meant that we spent a lot of time planning and having some fun activities. Saturday's activity was probably the best friendly competition mixed with a three-legged race, trivia, tug-of-war, and balloon popping made for a really fun night.

I'm always surprised at the varied reactions we get when we talk to people. The other day we were knocking doors and pretty much everyone was giving us the same lame excuses (I'm busy, I already go to a church, I'm about to leave, etc.) Finally we knocked on one lady's door and when she saw us she gasped and said "come on in" before we even introduced ourselves or actually said anything. She basically just let us in because although she'd never really spoken to missionaries before, she recognized us as servants of Christ and wanted a spiritual message. She told us that her father had recently had a stroke and that she has been tirelessly caring for him. We taught her that faith and hope centered in Jesus Christ provide an anchor to our souls so that the winds and waves of life cannot move us. All in all, it was a neat lesson.

I almost forgot to mention that on Monday we finally got to see the statue of the miraculous Black Jesus in Esquipulas. The deal is that every year there is a pilgrimage to visit a statue of Christ that according to local superstition mixed with religious tradition and tourism hype can work miracles. Traditionally the trek is to be finished crawling on your knees and thousands come, bloodied and bruised, to ask a favor from the statue which is housed in a large baroque-style Catholic basilica. Although, our visit was not quite as dramatic, it was neat to see something of another religion. Because it was a Monday afternoon there were not many visitors but there were a few devouts knelt and drying at the foot of the statue. Part of the superstition is that you can't have your backed turned to the statue. Not being superstitious but just a little stitious (and for respect) we walked backwards out of the basilica as to not run our backs to black Jesus. Afterwards we took pictures and ate Taco Bell so all in all it was a successful P-Day.

This week my spiritual message will center on a man named Morianton whose story is found in chapter 10 of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Morianton lived in a turbulent time of Jaredite history. Such was the succession from one king to another that that's exactly what the chapter heading in Ether 10 says to sum up this period in four words, "One king succeeds another". We read that "Morianton...gathered together an army of outcasts, and went forth and gave battle unto the people; and he gained power over many cities; and the war became exceedingly sore, and did last for the space of many years; and he did gain power over all the land, and did establish himself king over all the land. And after that he had established himself king he did ease the burden of the people, by which he did gain favor in the eyes of the people, and they did anoint him to be their king." Well, at least so far this Morianton guy seems to be pretty cool. Kind of like a Moroni-King Benjamin hybrid who is a great military leader but also a public servant. Let's see how the story continues: "And he did do justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he was cut off from the presence of the Lord." And it's over, seconds later, "But wait!" cried the world, "What happened? Sure this guy had his weaknesses; but to deserve to be 'cut off from the presence of the Lord?'"

Neal A Maxwell explains:

"Why do some think that adultery and similar sins are permissible as long as anything else they do is commendable? The Lord's focus is not on 'the one thing thous doest which is good' but instead on what one or more things we still lack in order to have eternal life. To compose a symphony, to win a battle, or to save a company, each can be commendable and a worthy entry into the book of life but these do not compensate for breaking the seventh commandment (thou shalt not commit adultery). In the arithmetic of heaven several commendables do not cancel out one inexcusable."

Let us, then deny ourselves of all ungodliness so that we might appear spotless at judgment day.

-Elder Dawson

Video of the market in Esquipulas