What a week! I hope you all had a great week! I am back to writing on mondays now so you can all expect my letters on mondays! This week I finished my last little time in the Maximo Jerez! My comp left to her area on monday so I stayed behind to finsh some things up in the office and in my area! It turned a little crazy though! The sister I trained a little while back, Hermana Nicholls, went home today because of some issues she was having with her back and her knee. She has to have surgery on her knee soon so she couldn't stay here for that! She stayed with me in our house last night and then at 4am this morning we said goodbye! That was a little tough for me because I got to see her grow so much in the 12 weeks that we were together and now she is leaving before I do! It still is a little tough to think about just because we are super close...but she said she would write me so no worries!

As of the rest of my week...because Hermana Nicholls could not do much this week I went with her companion Hermana Hatt to work with her in her area...which her area happens to be Los Laureles, my old area...so it was fun to be there for the week and to visit my converts. The tough thing about that was I had an hermano here in the maximo preparing for baptism that was this weekend, so I was balancing two areas in one week to make sure he was ready to go...that was probably the most stressed I have ever been, BUT, Ivan got baptized on saturday and confirmed on sunday so it was all worth it! I am finally headed to my assigned area in Chinandega tomorrow so I am super excited for that! M new comps name is Hermana Gabriel and she is SUPER cute! We are going to have lots of fun together and work really hard! I hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Dickey

Hello Everyone!!

First off I hope you all had an amazing week! Mine was probably one of the best ones yet...but I feel like I say that every week though so really it doesn't matter! Anyways to start off...yes I am now 20 years old. I woke up on wednesday morning at 6:30 not to an alarm but to 3 sisters beating me with pillows and jumping on me..they gave me chocolate afterwards so I forgave them Haha! Then the sisters in puerto cabezas all called me in a conference call and sang Happy Birthday to me in Miskito. I continued with my studies as usual and opened my package right before we left the house to go work because...lets be honest people...that box had been sitting in my closet for 3 weeks..collecting dust and I couldn't wait any longer so I opened in the morning instead of at night! CLOTHES!!! My mom knows me so well! Haha! At lunch our lunch cita surprised me with a little cake and I got sung to again and then in a meeting that night with the ward mission leader I got sang to again and also yesterday in a meeting with President. I would also just like to add that not once was I sung to in English! That's pretty awesome if you ask me! So that night we got home around 9:45...we planned and did all the things we do at night to get ready for the next day...I made my funfetti cake that my fam bam sent me...because for anyone that knows me, I NEVER eat cake on my birthday. It has always been pumpkin pie...but since I am pretty sure that doesn't exist here the fun fetti cake was a great second! We sang happy birthday again and then Hermana Meza shoved cake in my face...because it's not a real 20th birthday unless cake is shoved in your face! All in all it was probably the best birthday I have ever had! Now I am one year older and maybe just a little bit wiser too...we are gonna have to test that when I get home I think! Haha!

So this week was a crazy one...not a surprise though! Changes are tomorrow and a lot of people have changes so we are gonna be busy tomorrow trying to get everyone with their new companions and back to their areas for p day. My companion Hermana Reyes has changes for her last transfer to Telica Leon. I have been there a couple times on divisions and it is super pretty and a very blessed area! President opened one change ago so it is just getting going! There attendance at church is 18 right now...including the missionaries! A lot of work to be done there but she can do it! As for me...well good news and bad news...I have changes too! I am a little sad that I only had one change here in my area because I have quite a few people who have baptism dates for the end of this month and december...but the elders will take care of them. Our mission is getting a little smaller as far as the amount of missionaries goes. Between november and december 35 missionaries are leaving and only 10 are coming...and 8 of them are elders. So there are less hermanas and thats why we have been taken out of the office because we are not really needed now! SO where is Hermana Dickey going now and what will she do next!! I'M GOING TO PUERTO TO SPEAK MISKITO!!!!! WHOOHOOO! No i'm just kidding! Haha GOTCHA! I'm going to be the sister training leader in Chinandega...which a little info on chinandega...it happens to be the hottest area in all of Nicaragua...so I am basically going to melt...but just think how many people are waiting to hear the gospel there!! The heat is just a small thing compared to that! So even though changes are tomorrow I won't be headed to my new area until next tuesday because I have to show the AP's my area so they can keep working with my investigators and welcome all the new sisters in and see the ones that are going home off! I am happy but sad at the same time right now just because I love being in the Maximo Jerez...but there is a reason for everything right!

So what did I learn this week? What is the salsa celestial that I can take form this week? Love everyone and see them as our father in heaven would see them. I tried to focus on that the most this week with every person I came in contact with...and boy did it make a difference! I truly understood a little more how our father in heaven feels when we do the things that are right, when we keep His commandments and how he must feel when he sees us move a little bit further away from the straight and narrow path. I felt a love that I have never felt before for all the people I talked to this week. I just wanted all of them to be baptized so badly so that I can chill with them later in the celestial kingdom...but unfortunately God doesn't prepare everyone at once...but he helps prepeare them by the seeds we plant! I love this Gospel so much and our Father in Heaven AND my savior Jesus Christ! Time is flying by way to fast but I don't think about it. I want my final interview to be a surprise when it comes up! President: "Hermana Dickey I scheduled your departing interview for this week" Me: "WOW WHAT!!! is it time already"!...That's how it will go! I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! Remeber to always be like samuel the lamanite and be on the wall...and stay there! There is no shame in the true message that we have to share!

Hermana Dickey

The MTC of Life ~

Hey Everyone!!!

First off all thank you to all of those who sent me Happy Birthday wishes and to those who are always keeping me in your thoughts and prayers! I really appreciate it and it truly means the world to me! I am not really sure how I feel about being 20...but it doesn't matter because time keeps moving right?

This week was an AMAZING week!!! I think I have learned more this week than I have in my entire time in the mission. First of all I truly learned that as missionaries we are instruments in the hands of Christ. I always knew that but never really KNEW until a few days ago. We were teaching one of our investigators who is pregnant with twin girls and is literally going to have her cute little babies any day now! I am so excited!!! But anyways...we were teaching her about eternal families and my companion and I were teaching so well together and things just seemed to be flowing way smoother than normal! We finished the lesson with a prayer and as she walked us out she just hugged us both as tight as she could and just started crying! She told us that every single response piece of advice we gave her and helped her with were all answers to questions she had in her mind...but was embarassed to say. She was amazed at how we knew exactly what she needed without really opening up to us! It was a true testimony to me because not only were we able to help hermana Hazel, but my companion and I were both on the same page...It was truly a blessing from God and a testimony that it is the spirit that converts! She is now one of our strongest investigators. I think we just have to hold out on her baptism for a few more weeks because she is going to have her babies soon!

Another food for thought moment I had this week...We were in a meeting with President and he said something that I never really had thought about before. He said that the mission is the MTC for life. That could not be more true! I just remember being in the MTC training for the mission...and I made mistakes, and I learned from my mistakes. The same goes in the mission. I am making mistakes, but I am learning from them aswell so that later in my life I can reflect back on what I learned in the mission and apply the good principles and change the not so good ones up a little bit...so that I can truly be happy and set my foundation firm in the Gospel. I am not going to lie people...my mission President is probably one of the coolest people you will EVER meet. He is so humble and so willing to help with whatever cause you may have! I really admire my mission President and his wife and truly hope that I can be half as great as they are someday.

I hope you all have an amazing week and keep working hard! Oh and don't get to cold!!! If you do just think about me in Nicaragua and maybe it will help! Haha! I love you all!

Hermana Dickey

Soy Nica...

1. Who needs a lawn mower when you have a machete! Ummm...my back hurts just watching them!