Week 71 in the Field - Truth or Dare, Young Men, and Obedience=Freedom

Weekly Letter February 29th, 2016

Well, happy leap year. Hope everyone has had a great week.

This week we played truth or dare with the people in the old folks home and had a bonfire with the branch. On Sunday we were able to visit a village called El Oreganal and we found a member there who is willing to use her home as a meeting house on Sunday's for the members that live there. Hopefully this means that we can start forming a little group of members that in the future can become their own branch.

I've been especially happy this week about the relationship we've established with the young men in the branch. This Sunday we left with four of them and they were able to give away over 100 pamphlets. We hope that as these young men participate in missionary work their desire to serve a mission will grow and their capacity for future leadership roles in the church will increase. This week I'd like to share a scripture chain that I really like that is instructive on the relationship of obedience and freedom. In John 7:17 we read "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine." Therefore, obedience leads to knowledge. In D & C 93:24 we read that "truth is knowledge" and in John 8:32 we read that "the truth shall make you free". Logically, therefore, we can see that obedience leads to freedom. But how can this be? Isn't obedience just self-subjugation? The opposite of freedom can somehow be freedom? I love an example given by David A. Bednar. Elder Bednar explains that on Sunday his wife Susan loves to sit down and play the piano for hours. She can play beautiful music and is free to do so. Elder Bednar, however, is not free to do so. Why? Well, Susan's freedom comes from her obedience. By practicing for years and years, obediently putting in time and effort, she has gained knowledge and therefore truth about how to play the piano and that truth has made her free. Elder Bednar is free to sit down at the piano and bang on some keys, but his lack of knowledge in that particular skill comes from a lack of obedience that ultimately results in a lack of freedom. "He that keepeth his commandments recieveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." - D & C 93:28.

May we choose to obey so that we might increase in truth and light continually, waiting for the day when we shall become beings of infinite knowledge, freedom, and joy. 

I love you all, have a great week.

-Elder Dawson

Dog with Shades

Young Men in the Branch

Week 70 in the Field - Bingo, Brian and Edelmira, Will We Finish the Temple Brother Brigham?

Weekly Letter February 22nd 2016

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

This week was pretty enjoyable; on Tuesday we played bingo with old people, on Wednesday we had a scavenger hunt activity in the branch, and on Saturday we had a good meeting with the branch President. We are planning on having a second sacrament meeting every Sunday in a mountain village called El Oreganal so that the 42 members (all but one being currently inactive) that live there can attend church (the village being far from a chapel and the people in the area generally poor). The idea is pretty exciting and will require some work but hopefully we can begin the foundations for a new branch of the church.

This week we put two new baptism dates with Brian and Edelmira, a couple that has been investigating the church for some time now. Their current problem is that they are not married nor do they have their birth certificates and other documents needed to get married (this is super common in Guatemala). Supposedly in March they have a meeting with the mayor to sort out their situation and on March 26th they have a goal to be baptized.

This week I've been pondering a lot upon a story told by Jeffrey R. Holland in an address titled "Will we Finish the Temple Brother Brigham?". In the address, Elder Holland relates the history of temple building at the start of this dispensation. At enormous sacrifice the saints built a temple in Kirtland only to be forced to leave it in the handle of apostates. Eventually the saints make it to Nauvoo, feel like they're finally safe, and build another, bigger temple. In the process their beloved prophet is murdered and again they are forced to leave. At great costs they finally make it to Salt Lake and it is there that Brigham Young holds a meeting and announces that they're going to build a temple. Basically everyone says, "Look, this temple-building stuff doesn't work, we've tried it a couple of times, we gave everything we had, and look where we are now." What they essentially said, spoken or unspoken was "Brigham, maybe you're going to build a temple, but I'm not going to build a temple." In that setting, on the 6th of April 1853, Brigham Young 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 furthermore, I don't care. I have never cared but 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 thought it would never come. I do not know where I shall be tomorrow, and I do not know whether this temple shall be completed. but this I do know: there should be a temple built and I know it is the duty of the people to commence to built it."

This story reminded me of another story told by Stephen E. Robinson who wrote, "I had a friend who used to say frequently, 'well, I figure my life is half over and I'm halfway to the Celestial Kingdom, so I'm right on schedule.' One day I asked her, what happens if you die tomorrow?' It was the first time the thought had occurred to her. "Let's see, halfway to the Celestial Kingdom is...mid terrestrial: That's not good enough!' We need to know that because of the covenant we have made with the Savior, if we should die tomorrow we still have hope of the Celestial Kingdom."

Surely the early saints knew this as they sang "And should we die before our journey's through, Happy day! All is well!"

What God expects of us is that right here, right now, we are doing what he wants us to do. We may not know what tomorrow brings but if tomorrow's coming is also the Second Coming, wouldn't you like to be caught in the act of serving someone, consoling a friend, caring for a child, or teaching an investigator?

Will we finish the temple Brother Brigham? Will I finish my mission? Will I get an education? Will I get married? Well I don't know and I don't care, but I can give it my best shot right here, right now. I can lay the foundation and leave the rest up to God. I hope that this might be our individual and collective resolution.

- Elder Dawson

Random food picture, somewhat typical of a Guatemalan lunch.

Someone brought their dog to church and they went home but the dog stuck around until Branch council was over. Welcome to central America.

Week 69 in the Field - Old People, Carlos, and Macbeth

Tortilla de Harina AKA burrito with cabbage

Final product of coloring project.

Week 68 in the Field - Megapaca, Maria Lobos, and Oscar Gongora

Weekly Letter February 8th

2016

Well, it's been another good week here in Teculutan.

On Monday after emailing we went to a restaurant called Chalip's that's located here in Teculutan. We rented out a private room with a television and watched a church movie while waiters served us steak, pork chops, chorizo, and chicken. The room was nice and air conditioned and the food was great. We payed about 10 bucks a person (around 80 quetzales), which is comparitively expensive to most Guatemalan meals, but it was nice to treat ourselves a little bit. After the meal we went shopping at the Guatemalan version of Goodwill which is called Megapapa where they sell all of the clothes Americans think they are giving away for free to poor people. I found a couple pairs of athletic shorts for like 40 cents a pair and a tie for the same price, among a few other things.

This week I was able to talk a little bit with a member whose name is Maria Lobos. 11 years ago and living in poverty a pregnant Maria Lobos left Teculutan on foot to look for a better life in the United States. After a month of walking, hitchhiking, and train-hopping she crossed the border with a large group of immigrants only to be scattered by the border patrol. She and a few others were able to flee but were soon lost in the Sonoran Desert. After days of trying to find civilization in the United States they were forced, due to hunger and thirst, to return to Mexico. Once again they crossed the border and this time made it to Phoenix. Maria Lobos and her husband lived in Phoenix for about four years. In that span of time they had two children born to them and attended church. However, they were eventually deported and Maria and her husband wait for the day when Jared, their oldest son who lives with them and was born in the United States, turns 18 so that he can move back to Arizona and reclaim his parents so that they can also return. The sad thing is that this story is so common it's almost cliche here in Guatemala. It's amazing that people will go to such great lengths to live in the United States.

Missionary work here is moving steadily and one of our investigators whose name is Carlos came to church on Sunday and he enjoyed it.

In our branch this week a beloved member and former branch President passed away due to complications with cancer. We had been visiting him frequently before his death and he wanted to live long enough to see his son come home from the mission field. His son is scheduled to come home next month and received special permission to call his dad but when he called his father had already passed away.

The day before his death, my companion and I arrived and sang them the hymn "How Firm a Foundation":

In every condition - in sickness, in health,

In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth,

At home or abroad, on the land or the sea...

As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand...

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

This man, Oscar Gongora, was one of the most faithful and courageous latter-day saints I have ever met. I am positive that he, like I, has been "Called to serve Him, heavenly king of glory."

Karen Lynn Davidson expresses my thoughts well in verse:

Each life that touches our for good

Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;

Thou sendest blessing from above

Through words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,

What greater goodness can we know

Than Christ-like friends, whose gentle ways

Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.

When such a friend from us departs,

We hold forever in our hearts

A sweet and hallowed memory,

Bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee.

Love you guys; have a great week.

- Elder Dawson

A fried burrito thing thats called a gringa. The drink is made of ground pumpkin seeds.

Are you still a zone leader after your transfer?

Yes.

Have you had your interview for your Ecclesiastical endorsement yet?

No, I think I should have it in the coming weeks though. I`ll remind President Crapo about it.

What do you need? I was thinking I would send some of Grandma Rainy's toffee or cookies to you, but now that you are further from the Mission home it might take a longer time to get to you.

They now send us mail here every week so if you want to send me some toffee that would be cool.

I wanted to send you some new white shirts or can you easily buy them there? Is the size you have good? Should I go up or down a size? How about your belt? Holding up? 

I can buy them easily and we have a lady in our branch who will sew clothes for missionaries for free. I got her to shrink the waist on some of my pants. I bought a new belt a while ago for like $2 and it`s holding up fine.

Did you get Rich's package yet?

No, still haven`t. Not sure what happened, I don`t know what exactly the office missionaries do to receive packages and stuff.

Week 67 in the Field - February, Gualán, and Pre Mortal Life

Weekly Letter February 1st 2015

Wow, I literally had to consult a dictionary to remind myself how to spell February. I hope everyone has had a great week.

Missionary work is progressing here in Teculutan. This week we were blessed to find 37 new investigators and place two new baptismal dates. We taught 20 lessons and have now successfully explored the main part of our area. Teculutan consists of a central area (with supermarkets, clothing stores, large churches, nicer homes, etc.) and several smaller neighborhoods and villages nearby.  To reach the end of our area, Rio Hondo, we need to travel about 15 minutes in a bus. Normally we tend to work close to our house (we live in the city center) but there have been days this week where we've walked several miles to find old investigators in some outlying villages.

This week I was able to return to my first area in the mission, Gualan, on a division. I was able to talk to two converts and several members from the Gualan branch. Most were relatively shocked to see me and I was happy to see that most remembered my name (which is normally hard for a Guatemalan, my name being an English name) and were happy to reminisce about things we had done together.

All in all I'm loving it here in Teculutan and I'm excited for the future.

This week I was impacted by a quote I read from Orson F. Whitney. He said:

"Why did the Savior  say "My sheep know my voice'? Did a sheep ever know the voice of a shepherd it had never heard before? They who love the truth and to whom it most strongly appeals, were they not acquainted with it in a previous life? I think so. I believe we knew the gospel before we came here and that is what gives it a familiar sound."

Certainly with this notion in mind B.H. Roberts taught that "Faith is simply trusting what the spirit learned eons ago."

The things we learn about, therefore, in the gospel of Jesus Christ are not new, at least to our spirit. The great test of this life is subjecting the natural will of the body, wild and full of passion, to the trained conscience of the spirit. Learning is more like remembering, testimony more like recognition.

We were among the valiant in the pre-earth struggle against Satan and we must continue to be valiant here in the continuation of that battle here on earth. Truman Madsen taught, "There is locked in you, under amnesia, power greater than you can presently imagine." Let us take courage and march onward to victory.

- Elder Dawson

How are the places and shopping there? Better, different, or the same as Lo de Fuentes?

Less places to shop, no Walmart and no mall but we do have La Torre which is a nice grocery store and La Despensa which is a grocery store owned by Walmart I think but it´s small. The cool thing is that we have Mega Paca which is like a Goodwill but with a bunch of nice donated clothes from America. Last monday I bought 3 ties, a BYU t shirt, swim shorts, and two pairs of athletic shorts for less than $10.

How are the people there? Smaller branch, right? Are most people friendly?

People here are supposedly descendants from a Spanish colony or something and there are a lot less native people here. That means that the people here are whiter in skin tone and also probably not of the house of Israel by descendence AKA not very receptive, haha. Smaller branch, 650 members on the ward list but like 70 come to church. People are friendlier than the capital because they kind of have that small town hospitality and help us out with finding people we are looking for. 

What are they saying to you missionaries about the Zika virus? Are you wearing bug spray?

I got an email from the United States Government to all US citizens residing in Guatemala with some info. Supposedly Elder Jepson had Zika a few months ago after he was with me and he went to the hospital for a few days. Zacapa (the department I´m in) has the highest rate of Zika infections in Guatemala but only like 40 people have gone to the hospital and been positively identified. We sleep with a little thing you plug in the wall that has mosquito repellant and I have bug spray.

A place called El Yajal. 

Week 66 in the Field - The Prodigal Son Returns, Elder Garcia, and Happiness

Weekly Letter January 25 2016

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

Well, I got transferred and I am now in Teculutan, Zacapa which is in the Motagua Zone of the Guatemala City East Mission. Perhaps the name sounds familiar because I started my mission in this same zone; which means that despite having almost a year and a half in the mission field I still have only been in two out of the 12 or so zones in the mission. Most of the people who started the mission with me have  about 4 or 5 zones that they've been in but I'm content to have only been in Bosques and Motagua, two of the safest and coolest zones in the entire mission.

This area was also the former home of Elder Flygare so it's cool to tell people that the gringo that was here before is a childhood friend of mine.

Anyways, Elder Flygare and Elder Espinoza were the missionaries that were here previously but they both were transferred. When a missionary is called to come to an area where both missionaries have left they call it "opening" an area. So I'm opening an area with Elder Garcia who has 10 months in the mission and is from Honduras.

Elder Garcia and I are getting along well and are getting to know the places and people here in Teculutan. Together we are two of the four missionaries assigned to the Teculutan branch which has an attendance of about 70 - 80 people.

We had 3 investigators attend church today (Sunday) and have already found some 14 people to teach here. Luckily people here tend to know each other so we've relied heavily on asking random people if they happen to know any Mormons or anyone that the missionaries have visited previously. We've seen that the Lord has helped us to find people who we're looking for and we always seem to be in the right place at the right time.

This week I'd like to share a few things from a talk I enjoyed by Bruce C. Hafen (former member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and former President of Ricks College) that was delivered at Ricks College in 1990.

In his address, Elder Hafen briefly relates something he saw on Sesame Street. The Cookie Monster and his wife had just won a televised Quiz show and the host says "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Monster, you have just won this quiz show and now you get to pick between three fabulous prizes: you can have a $200,000 dream house next month, a $30,000 new car next week, or a cookie right now. You have thirty seconds to decide."

The clock now ticking, Mr. and Mrs. Monster discuss in mumbled voices which price they will chose. When the 30 seconds are up the host says, "Well the time's up, what'll it be: the $200,000 dream home next month, the $30,000 new car next week, or the cookie right now? The camera zooms in and with beads of sweat on his furry brow he greedily says, mouth already watering, "COOKIE".

Elder Hafen goes on to explain, "Now there's nothing wrong with a good cookie. The problem is not that the cookie is bad; but that its satisfaction cannot last. Not that it shouldn't last or might not last but that it cannot last. A cookie is like a piece of cake - you can't eat it ad have it too. But you can live every day in a dream house and have it too. There is an enormous difference between ephemeral 'flash in the pan' temporal pleasures and long term, soul-stirring satisfactions."

Elder Hafen continues by saying, "You can never get enough of what you don't need...It isn't that cheap thrills shouldn't satisfy or might not satisfy- they cannot really satisfy. It isn't that worldly gratifications are too satisfying - we think we're kept from them by the counsel of the scriptures and our leaders and our parents because they don't want us to have these big thrills - that is not it at all, on the contrary...Brothers and Sisters the gospel of Jesus Christ ultimately seeks our self fulfillment, not our self-denial, except as self-denial in the short-run ennables self fulfillment in the long run. In this way, we may channel our deepest instinctive yearnings within the bounds of the Lord has set."

"Happiness is not akin with levity," explains James E. Talmage, "nor is it one with light-minded mirth. It springs from the deeper fountains of the soul". The Lord counsels, guides, and directs us, not with the object that we monastically retire into the caves and reject the world entirely, after all, "there's nothing wrong with a good cookie". The Lord will let us have many temporary pleasures but he does warn us that they are just that - temporary. As Joseph F. Smith said, "If there is no pleasure in the world except that which we ecperience in teh gratification of our physical desires - eating, drinking, gay associations, and the pleasures of the world - then the enjoyments of the world are bubbles, there is nothing in them, there is no lasting benefit or happiness to be derived from them."

Brother and Sisters, I hope that when the Lord presents us with choices that we will pick the dream house. We may have to wait, but we will be making eternal investments.

-Elder Dawson

To Mom:

Tell us about your new living arrangements, new ward, everything!

Included some info in my weekly letter. New area is hot (although it´s been unseasonably cool the past few days), about 3 hours away from Guatemala City. Our house is nice, the shower doesn´t have hot water but that´s alright. Nice sized place, somebody left a ripstick here and we like to skate around the house on it.

Did you ever get Chrissy and Rich's package or the other Christmas package I sent you?

Chrissy and Rich´s package - no. I got another package recently from you that had a bunch of neat pictures, not sure if I already told you that, but that was great, thanks!

Love you lots mom, glad to hear your week went well. Love you!

Saying goodbye to the Fuentes family

New companion, Elder Garcia (from Honduras)

Week 65 in the Field - Transfers, 9 Investigators at Church, Getting Robbed, At-one-ment

Weekly Letter 18 January 2016

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

Well, we got the call about transfers yesterday and I'll be leaving Lo de Fuentes. I won't know until tonight where exactly I'm going but I'm sure I'll be happy wherever I get sent. I love this ward and have met a lot of great people here. Out of the seven converts I've had in this stake I saw four yesterday in church and I believe all seven have come to church in the past month, which is pretty good retention for Guatemala.

Yesterday we had 9 investigators in sacrament meeting which is a great number. I'm happy to be leaving Lo de Fuentes with a nice pool of progressing investigators.

Yesterday we had something kind of scary happen that I guess I'll tell you about. We were walking down a street at about 6:30 PM yesterday; it was already dark but certainly not very late. We walk down this street just about every day. We passed by two guys who were kind of wobbling around (we assumed they were drunk) and one of them comes up and asks for some money. This happens pretty frequently and we always say sorry, we don't have anything and keep walking. This time we said that and then one of the guys grabbed my companion and said, in an angrier tone, "No, give me 10 quetzales (a little bit over a dollar)". The other guy came over and together started to hit my companion. We realized that they were probably on drugs and not drunk because of their coordination but they were still out of it and more waving their arms and legs around rather than actually punching and kicking. In this circumstance the protocol is to offer a small amount of money and to not offer resistance. My companion had a bill of 20 quetzales on him (roughly $2.50) and handed it to guys and after the exchange we began to walk quickly and the two guys stayed back. The street we were on is rather long and there are not any side streets to hide in to. But after a few minutes of walking and calming our nerves we decided to contact a lady in the street. In the process of asking her for her address, my companion says "they're coming" and I look back to see the same two guys walking toward us. My heart beating considerably faster, I tell the lady quickly that those guys that were approaching had just stolen some money from us and that we needed to get out of there. We began to walk quickly and I turn around to see the two running towards us and I tell my companion we need to run. By this time we had made our way to the entrance of the street where there was a side street to dart into and a member close by. We get to the members house in some thirty seconds and luckily several young adults are outside talking. Thinking we've lost our pursuers, we explain the situation when suddenly we see the two guys again. We ducked into the house and the members outside tell the two guys that we went down the street. After a few minutes pass we come out and head directly home which is in the opposite direction of where our followers headed. This is the first time something like this has happened to me. My companion took a couple blows and I got hit in the shoulder in the encounter but overall we're fine, no injuries, and we've been reminded that we live in a kind of dangerous country and we need to always play it safe and watch our surroundings.

I'd like to close with a few things I learned from a series of articles about the atonement by Hugh Nibley that were published in 1990 in four different issues of the Ensign. "The Atonement of Christ," explains Nibley, "is nothing less than the answer to the great and terrible question that life inevitably poses: 'Is this all there is?'" Nibley goes on to explain that "atonement, and accepted theological term, comes from neither a Greek nor a Latin word, but is good old English, and really does mean, when we write it out, 'at-one-ment', denoting both a state of being 'at one'with another and the process by which that end is achieved." Nibley goes on to explain that his "at-one-ment" with the Lord is represented with the motif of the embrace throughout the Book of Mormon. Father Lehi says "I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love", Jacob pleads to his people that they "cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you", and Mormon sorrows over a people who "might have been clasped in the arms of Jesus."

Let us all be embraced by God's love and be made "at-one" with Christ by doing so. Charles Wesley expressed his desire poetically:

Jesus, lover of my soul,

Let me to the bosom fly,

while the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is nigh,

Hide me, O my Savior, hide,

Till the storm of life is past.

Safe into the haven guide;

Oh, receive my soul at last...

All my trust on thee is stayed;

All my help from thee I bring.

Cover my defenseless head

With the shadow of my wing

-Elder Dawson

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