Hola Familia!

So this week has turned out to be really awesome. At first it was a little slow becuase a lot of our appointments were falling through. This week is the Semana Santa in Nicargua and its a huge deal. Because its easter all of the kids have been out of school and families have left to go to the beach or visit family in other places or whatever so a lot of the people we teach were out of town...which means lots and lots of contacting! I know contacting is important but I am so bad at it right now! Its hard to just start talking to people about the Gospel...in a different language sometimes, but it's cool! Never be afraid to share the Gospel with everyone! You never know what can happen. The Semana Santa in Nicaragua also happens to be the hottest week and in Matagalpa that's not good because the water shuts off when it gets really hot. So this whole week I have been showering with a bucket of water that I fill up every morning across the street in the Poso publico and I have had to boil a lot of water so that we have something to drink. I WILL NOT drink water that isn't filtered or boiled...Its not worth it man! All I have to say is that you never really know what you have and how lucky you are with the small and simple things until it's gone. It's ok though because My comp and I had a really awesome experience yeterday that made this whole week worth it! Yesterday we woke up at 6 like always to go running and then by 8 we left to go start passing by all of our investigators to try and get them to church. We started with the people we are teaching that live close to us because then we were going to take the Bus up to Lucidia and Sur Maria to visit our families at the top of the mountain. Originally my comp and I weren't going to take the bus, we were just gonna walk up to the top of the mountain becuase we didn't have much money left and we needed it to take a taxi to the church and on sundays the buses only run every hour instead of every 15 minutes and so we were gonna have to wait for about 20 minutes for the bus which doesn't seem like much time but for a missionary trying to pass by everyone before 2 pm...that's a lot. I really felt impressed that we should just take the bus though...I didn't know why but I felt like we might miss an opportunity at the bus stop or something like that. As we walk up to the bus stop there is only one women there sitting on a concrete block by herself waiting for the bus. I said Hello to her and asked her how she was doing and shook her hand. She didn't even look at me but answered and said "Good". I then continued to explain to her that we were missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints and I told her that we are here to help her, to help her feel Gods love for her and for her family. She looked up at me from the concrete block she was sitting on and just started sobbing. I felt bad becuase I thought maybe I said something bad in spanish or something like that. She stood up and gave me a huge hug and explained to me that her Husband has been in jail for a year because he stole money trying to buy their family food. He had gotten really sick while he was in jail because they don't take care of the people who are put in jail here...on saturday night her husband had passed away and the woman didn't know from what or how. She has a 6 year old daughter and a 9 year old son...and now they don't have a father and she is without her husband. She was at the bus stop going back to her house in Lucedia (where we were headed on foot) to get her skirt for the funeral because she had forgotten it. I am telling you right now...there is a reason why that woman forgot her skirt and there is a reason why I felt impressed to take the bus to Lucedia instead of walk. We road the bus with her and aksed her if we could come by sometime and share a message with her. Without hestitation she said yes and showed us where she lived. We are planning on going to her house tomorrow to teach her and her family and I can't wait! This experience was such a testimony builder for me because it really makes me realize even more how aware God is of His children and of His Missionaries. This is why I am here. Yes I am showering with a bucket everyday, getting eaten alive by misquitoes and getting aweful tan lines...but it's all worth it for moments like these. I know without a doubt in my mind that the Lord is mindful of us...all of us.

In other knews...I am doing really well. I am understanding the language more and more everyday and just trying to speak it as much as possible...even if it's wrong...that's the best way to progress is practice. I hope everyone is doing great and had a great spring break. I really miss being home for times like these and doiung fun things with my family, but I need to be here! I hope you all have a great week and enjoy conference! 

Hermana Dickey

Holy HOT!!

Hey Everyone!

So this week has been really great but I'm seriouse, the temperature here got super hot super fasst. It's been in the high 90's all wee. When you are walking up and down the mountain all day everyday it's really not that fun. That's when I am grateful for the cold showers. I also have some really awesome 'missionary' tan lines. It looks really funny actually! My wrist looks like i'm wearing a watch even when I'm not! In 16 months don't make fun of me when I get home people! So we were really hoping to have a baptism this week for Monica but she is really struggling with her problem with her boyfriend. He won't let her get baptized but the problem is is that he is the reason why her and her family have a house and food on the table. He is like super rich and she is nervouse to leave him because she can't work because her son has autism and has to have someone with him all the time. This week we are going to fast with her over her decision of leaving the guy or trying to marry him. He wants marriage but he just isn't ok with her getting baptized because of the law of chastity. I really know that she is going to make the right decision though, I am hoping and praying she will get baptized this weekend. 

                In other news on thursday we got a call from a man named Santos and it was super random. His voice sounded really urgent on the phone and he said 'Hermans I am here at my sisters house right now and I am ready to be baptized in your church! Come teach me RIGHT NOW! Ummmmm...OK! Santos was the brother of Monica and apparently Monica has been talking to him about the Gospel ever since we started teaching her! This women isn't even baptized but through her we have contacted so many people! We have been teaching Santos since thursday and he has a baptism date set for April 4. If Monica doesn't get baptized this week we are hoping she will the next weekend because then Monica snd Santos can be baptized together! We will see! I am really feeling good about this family though! They are awesome! On wednesday we had a reunion in managua. It was with Bishop Davies the general Bishop with the North and South mission. It was cool having all the missionaries in Nicaragua in the same place at the same time! The reunion was really great and he talked a lot about how we are not only converting people here, but people for generations.

                 I am doing really well and trying to work as hard as I can. Every night after planning at 10:30 I literally just dive onto my bed and stay right where I land...who needs covers right! The people here are super nice! Now that I have been here a while the people have started calling me Hermana Gatita A.K,A Sister cat, because apparently to them I have cat shaped eyes...ok that's cool I guess! Saturday was my comps 22 birthday (I woke up and immediately started singing Taylor swifts 22 song) and it was my 2 month mark on the mission. To celebrate we bought this super good cake at a panaderia super close top our house and we took to our almuerz-citas house and ate it with her and her family! It was fun! I am doing really good and I am just trying to work as hard as I can to be the best I can be. In all my life I have 18 moths as a set apart missionary...that's like nothing so I intend to utillize this time to the best of my ability. Talk to everyone and share the Gospel. Thank you all for your love and support! I know this Gospel is the true restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! He is our Savior and Reedemer and through him we can do anything with true and convicted faith! Let your lights shine always!

Hermana Dickey

           FIRST BAPTISM!!

You guys!!! I had my first baptism yesterday and it was so amazing! The spirit was so strong you could cut it with a knife! We found 9 year old Dixon my first day here and we baptized him and confirmed him yesterday before church! His family are members but were super menos activo before we found them. The parents weren't planning on letting Dixon get baptized because they didn't really have the desire to have a religion anymore. it was seriously a miracle that the baptism went through. It was such a great example for the Garcia family and now they are super involved in church activities. I'm so excited!! He is the cutest little boy in the world and the family is amazing! Yesterday morning Hermana Drollinger and I went up by the families house in Sur Maria to make sure they were ready to go for the baptism.On our way up we passed the mom Catalina coming down the mountain. She looked really worried and really stressed. We stopped to talk to her and ask her what was going on. She explained to us she was super stressed because she hadn't had time to wash some clothes for the family to wear to the baptism and to church. She was on her way to the river at the bottom of the mountain to wash them...but she still had a lot to get done before the servive at 12:30. My comp and I followed her down the mountain to the river and helped her wash all the clothes she had in the buckets and let me know tell you...I know how to wash clothes very quickly in a river now! It's awesome!The bpatism was scheduled for 12:30 because our branch starts at 2. The service didn't actually start till 1:15 and the Elders here in our area were baptizing two people too! It worked out though! The service was great and what a blessing this littlw boy is to his family! His example brought an entire family of 6 all with kids younger than 9 back to the church! This is why i am here!

 Its so hard to explain the conditions I see on a daily basis but seriously you guys... I have never seen poverty this bad! I mean there are families that don’t even have clothes because they have to have money for food!I find myself thinking a lot if I can actually do this because it is soooo hard! I don't know what anyone is saying most of the time so that is tough...but I am getting better! I learned how to make tortillas and gallo pinto already so i can make it for you when I get home! I am doing good though I promise! I am so happy to be here! This is where I need to be. This is where the Lord needs me! I promised him I would do this before I even came to this earth and so that is what I'm gonna do! Kara Dickey doesn't give up! Especially when I have the Lord on my side!

Nicaragua so far is awesome! I'm not gonna lie...it's pretty hard adjusting to this life and trying to learn to speak this language...but there are so many people here with so much potential and I'm not gonna give up on them! The cold showers at 6:30 in the morning sure do wake you up...and so do the 4 roosters next door! There are seriously a ton of roosters, chickens, stray dogs, pigs, cows, donkies, horses EVERYWHERE! oh and bugs...SO MANY BUGS!!! It's all good though! Last night my comp and I killed a cockraoch about the size of my hand last night! It was so gross! The weather here is weird because one minute it´s super hot and sunny, and the next it's cloudy and pouring rain...wierd! The food here is good but it all tastes the same! They sell these things though in the Poperias that taste almost exactly like reeses so that's not good cuz i'm gonna get so fat off of those things! I will do my best to refrain! This week we are hoping to baptize Monica but she has to either get married or dump her boyfriend...we will see! Ergenio decided he wants to be baptized in the Evangelico church soooo ya...that happened! It made me really sad! Nicaragua is great and so is Matagalpa! President Thomas S. Monson once said 'Triumph usaully comes from putting a little more "umph" in your "try". It is so easy to get discouraged when serving a mission but you just have to remember your purpose and why you are here! The Lord will help you! Buenos Suerte con su proximo semena!

Love, Hermana Dickey

Wow! I am so white!!

Hola Familia! This has been a very interesting week! I am learning a lot about the people and about the mission and it´s a little overwhelming but it´s fun! It is true, I live in a home with a tin roof that is the loudest thing in the world when it´s raining, windy, you name it! The people here are so nice though and super welcoming! My Spanish has gotten so much better since I have been here which I am so grateful for because I would be so lost if I didn´t at least understand a little bit! The food is good but people weren´t lying when they say you have gallo pinto for every meal! Literally rice and beans all day every day and usually coke or juice to drink. It gets re4ally cold at night up here on the mountain so that I kinda stinks and it rains a lot so by the time i get back to my house at night I am totally drenched...its awesome though! We have a member who lives about 2 min away from us who cooks lunch for us every day. Her name is Blancita and she is super nice. She does our laundry for us too! It´s really nice. We cook our own breakfast and dinner so I usually have like cereal for breakfast and dinner because by the time I get home at night I am way to tired to cook anything! ¨Part of my area is way up in the mountains and it´s called Sur Maria. It is seriously like hiking all day every day! We spend most of our time up there so It gets tiring but I love it! You do not wanna get stuck up there at night though because it is really dangerous. We always catch the bus back down before sunset because people specifically men get drunk and then bad things happen.Over all it´s pretty safe here. The men are not very respectful of women here though so I get called things throughout the day that I wish I didn´t understand, but unfortunately I do. The members here are really great but it is a little hard to get any of them to come with us to teach because most of them only got baptized to receive the welfare that the church provides. They are basically all less active! We walk so much and I have blisters so bad already. Mole skin is the best invention in the world! We get water delivered to us every day from Managua so we can take showers and have something to cook with, but you definitely don´t wanna drink it! Unfortunately that cold I got in the MTC turned into a sinus infection so I had to get some medication and I feel a lot better now!

             I love this place but I have never seen poverty this bad before. These people literally have nothing and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. The little kids run around naked and they are all super skinny. The other day we were up in Sur Maria during the day teaching a family and both of their little babies were crawling around through the trash on the dirt and just eating garbage because the family didn´t have food. I left that lesson the other day and I just started crying because it broke my heart to see that people have to live like this. The parents to all they can to feed their families and get them through...but it is so hard for them! I just want to do all I can to help these people by sharing the gospel with them. Yesterday we brought 2 families to church and they are really progressing. We have a baptism for a man named Ergenio this Saturday and the next Saturday we have one planned for a women named Monica! I am so excited because these people are ready! They have such strong spirits! I am doing my best at learning the language and learning how to be a good missionary! It is so hard here for me both physically and spiritually, but I can do it because I know I am not alone!

             I email at an internet cafe about 2 blocks from my house. It is next to a proparia( proparias are little shacks with snacks and drinks that you can buy). It is so crazy here how personal space does not exist. That is something I am going to have to get used to! On the buses sometimes if there aren´t seats you just have to stand and it is awful because people just climb over you and it´s so hard! It is not to hot up here in Matagalpa but it is so unbelievably hot in Managua! I was there today for a choir practice because we are having a general authority come in a couple weeks so we are singing! That is why I am emailing so late because I have been traveling all day! I love being here but man is it hard! I will get used to it but it´s hard adjusting to the fact the i live under a tin roof and have to water delivered to me everyday because there is nothing up here! It is so great though and I love seeing how the Gospel blessed peoples lives here! I love you all so much! I am so grateful for Bryce and the wonderful example that you are B! Always follow those promptings you get from the spirit. i love you guys with all my heart. I miss you a lot and I keep you in my prayers and in my thoughts all day long! Stay safe! I love you so much!

Love, Hermana Dickey

I am FINALLY here!!

Hola familia y amigos!

I am finally in Nicaragua!! I arrived on monday night around 930 and didn't get to the place we were staying till about 11 because President and Hermana Collado took us to dinner. It was really good! We stayed just one night in the transfer house and then on tuesday morning we had our orientation and assignments at the mission home! I got my new comp and my very first area assignment! I am serving is Matagalpa which is about a 3 hour bus ride outside of Managua...so we are literally living in the jungle! It's great! I'm not gonna lie though...this is DEFINITELY out of my comfort zone! Our ''home'' is one room with 2 beds and then another room with a sink to wash dishes a toilet and a shower. It is pretty small so my comp and I are already getting to know eachother really well! Haha! The roof of our casa is a piece of tin so it gets pretty loud when the wind is blowing or when it's raining! I love it though! Matagalpa is up in the mountains so it is a little cooler than the city especially at night and in the mornings. There is no such thing as hot showers here so...be fast!! My comp Hermana Drollinger is an STL and she is super sweet! she is helping me A LOT with my Spanish and just helping me learn how to be a good missionary in general! Last night we went contacting before dinner and we got a couple to let us come by and teach them. The tricky thing about Matagalpa is that there are no addresses so people just describe where they live by landmarks like gas stations or markets. Like my casas address is poso publico uno norte because we live right across from a big water tank where the people come to wash thier clothes or dishes and we are the first house from the north. That's how we find houses. By memorizing the landmarks they use to describe where they live and then just hoping we find the right house. Even though we are up in the mountains it is still VERY hot during the day! It's actually really nice at night! We have a member here who cooks us lunch everyday. She is called Nuestro Almuerzita. Her food is really good. She made me my very first gallo pinto! I love it! Today we have lots of lesons to teach so hopefully they will go well! My comp says all of our investigators right now are progressing very well! I seriously love it here! It is so poor and a little dirty but the people are so nice and so humble! They would literally give you the clothes off our back if they had to! Matagalpa is awesome and I can't wait to see what amazing miracles happen here! I am doing great and just trying to stay calm and not be to hard on myself. I know a minimal amount of Spanish but thats ok because Heavenly Father will help me! I love this work and I love these people! I can't wait to hear from you and I will write more on monday during my P day! I love you all so much and I miss you! Buenos Suerte!!

Love, Hermana Dickey

What a week!!! I officially had my last full week in the MTC and it was so crazy! There were so many things we had to finish up and so much more to learn! Yesterday we had In-field Orientation which lasted all day, but it was really great! It was just a basic summary of what we have learned in the MTC about how to be effective Missionaries and preach the Gospel effectively! My next few days will consist of packing and possibly stressing haha! It seemed like it was just yesterday that I was dropped off at the curb of the MTC and now I'm leaving to go to a foreign place speaking a language I don't completely understand yet! Ahhhhhh! I can't wait to leave though because I have such a strong testimony of this Gospel now more than I ever have before and I want, so badly, to share such a wonderful message with others who need to know the truth! Thank you all for your Love and Support! I feel your love and I am blessed because of your prays! The next time I send an email it will be from the mission field! I am so excited! I did get the opportunity to sing last Sunday and we were supposed to have a General Authority come but the plans fell through. Instead I got to sing in Relief Society for all of the Sisters in the MTC including missionaries, staff and Branch presidency wives! It was so much fun and It was a great blessing for me to share the Gospel and help people feel the spirit through music! I had a really cool experience after relief society meeting was over and it made me so happy! Lunch is always after Relief Society on sundays so after the meeting I walked with my district to got get some lunch. As I was walking I noticed this sister sitting at a table by herself just crying and she was just staring me down as I walked by, so I decided to stop and say hi and talk to her! I sat down and gave her a big hug and asked her if she was ok. She proceeded to tell me that I just saved her! I was a little confused by that so I asked her why she said that! She said..." I literally have all of my things packed and ready to go home tomorrow (monday) morning." She said " I have been here for 6 weeks and I am supposed to be leaving to go to Cambodia on Tuesday, but I feel inadequate to be a missionary and I didn't feel like I had any purpose to be here!" She kept crying and told me that She had been praying so hard to know if she should stay or if she was making the right decision in leaving and going home! She told me that the words to the song I sang and the way I brought the spirit with my song changed her whole perspective on her purpose here and that she knew this is where she needed to be! How amazing is that!! I had prayed before I got up to sing that I would touch at least one person with the message that my song had and I prayed that I would help people feel the spirit! I am so grateful for moments like these because it is the small and simple things that can help your testimonies grow so much! It is the tender mercies of the Lord and through His spirit that help us grow more significantly! I am so grateful and so honored to be a missionary! There is no greater work than this and I hope and pray for all those who are trying to decide whether or not to serve a mission because my advice to those people is...GO!!! I was once of those people who was on the fence about serving or not serving and I am SO GLAD I am here! This is where I need to be and there is no greater priviledge than serving the Lord! I hope you all have a wonderful week! I pray for all you and always remember that the Lord is on your side in all things...you just have to pay attention!

Hermana Dickey

Hola Familia!

This has been one of the busiest weeks so far and one of the slowest! On Sunday last week I had to sing and speak in Sacrament meeting which was actually not as bad as I thought, but still hard. At the MTC the Branch President doesn't assign speakers until he announces your name at the pulpit on sunday morning after the sacrament is passed...so if you don't have a talk prepared whether you are speaking or not...goodluck! My talk was on how we can have faith in Christ and I basically just shared one big testimony on how having faith in Christ has blessed my life because I know how to bear my testimony in Spanish REALLY well! Haha! Only 11 days left in the MTC and I'm so....well...Scared and Excited! At some moments in the day I am super excited and can't wait to start teaching others in Nicaragua...and then other moments I remember how bad my Spanish is! Haha! All-in-all I am very excited! 6 weeks is going by very fast but almost to fast! It seems like just yesterday Lynette and Tyler and Jenn and the girls dropped me off! Now in less than two weeks I will be bustin' out of here! Bring it On!!! Yesterday was my last lesson with Maria in TRC and I am sorry to say, but Maria just WAS NOT going to listen to us! Yesterday in our lesson we taught her the importance of the Book of Mormon and the importance of prayer and at the end I bore my testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I told her what I felt she needed to hear through my testimony. That Maria has a Father in Heaven who loves her so much and wants her to receive his Gospel. I explained to her how much the Gospel blesses the lives of the people who choose to follow him and his example through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. I finished and she got super mad and told me I was just trying to corrupt her and persuade her into feeling guilty for not wanting the gospel in her life! She told me it was stupid for me to even believe that God loves us and she told me how stupid I was for believing that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that...wait for it...THE ATONEMENT OF JESUS CHRIST DOES NOT EXIST!!! I left that lesson feeling so defeated and shot down! Every lesson we have had with Maria we bring up Christs atoning sacrifice not only for all of us...but for Maria personally! I was so upset because she lead us to believe that she knew the Book of Mormon was true and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ was real! I don't know what will happen with Maria in the future...but what I do know is that there will be people like this in the field, who will mock me for what I believe, but you wanna know something, I DO NOT CARE! My focus as a missionary is to teach people through the spirit of God to help them come unto Christ. I can not make people have an open heart. I can not make Maria believe what i'm teaching her is true. Some people just are not ready to receive such a gift as the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives yet and I think Maria is one of those people! She was not going to let the spirit we brought and felt in our lessons effect her and it was obvious, even more so now! I will continue to pray for Maria because I know she wants to know the truth, why else would she be so defensive to change in her life! I can't wait to get to Nicaragua after that though! I learned so much from Maria's chastisement! Not everyone we teach is going to be inviting to the message we share! Often times when we teach other people in the MTC every one is always super welcoming to missionaries. They are very inviting and always understand what we teach them and ask them to do, but in reality, I think there are going to be many times when we come upon people like Maria who just don't want anything to do with it! I am so grateful for Maria! She gave me a whole new perspective on the life of a missionary! Yes there will be investigators who are ready to receive the Gospel, but there will also be many who will break your heart because they are not! This is why missions are not for the weak of heart...especially if your'e a girl...*cough, cough*! I hope all is well for everyone wherever you are! This Gospel is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am so lucky to have the re confirmed to me every day! Thank you all for your love and support and for your prayers! I am blessed and protected through them! Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador y Redentor y por medio nosotros podemos saber la verdad de todas cosas! Buenos suerte mis amigos!

Love, Hermana Dickey