Happy (Late) Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!!

I'm sorry but I guess I didn't realize a couple of weeks ago that I should have wished you all a merry christmas! My bad folks! But better late than never right? I hope everyone had a great holiday surrounded with family and freinds and that santa was able to make it to all of your homes! If he made it here to me in Nicaragua, I am sure he managed to make it to you!
     So I will just give you a quick run down of how my holiday went because I have lots of great things to share this week in my letter. So the 24th was a great day! It was a normal missionary type day except for at night we ate the traditional gallina rellena with the second counselor of our stake presidency and his family. That was really fun. Then the 25th I got to talk to my family!!!!! That was the greatest hour of my whole day and it was by far my favorite Christmas!
       Now to share what happened after Christmas. Number 1: My companion and I were walking to visit an investigator we have named Jose and on the way we were debating on what exactly to share with him because we both had been kinda feeling that we were going to stop visiting him. We were both feeling that he either didn't like us visiting him or he just didn't really care about anything we had to say. We came up with a couple of scriptures just in time as we arrived at his house. We walked up to the fence and yelled " Buenas"!!! A few minutes later Jose comes walking out of his house wearing a shirt that said (in english) "Here's a hint...I don't care"! My companion didn't understand because she doesn't speak english but I just thought to myself..."The Lord really does work in mysterious ways" Haha! Needless to say that is one more jose that I know we are no longer teaching. 
Number 2: Late one night at around 7:30 my companion and I once again were walking to visit a less active family. The dad/grandpa of the family has a drinking problem and every night tries to sneak out without his wife noticing so he can go to the bar. Well this particular night our 7:30 appt had fallen through so we went to see if we could catch the dad before he left...but when we got to their house we realized that his wife had already caught him...and when I say "caught" I mean it literally. We walk into their house only to find Arnaldo sitting on his bed with his foot chained with a lock to the post of his bed. I asked his wife why he was chained to the bed post and she said it was the only way to get her husband to not drink that night. I literally could not hold my laugh in. I walked up to arnaldo and shook his hand and asked him what happened. All he did was look at me, look down at his foot chained to the bed post, and back at me and says "My wife says she loves me"!!!! I serioiusly could not hold my laughter in! It was the funniest thing I had ever seen!!! The good thing was that he was laughing too! I mean seriously people you can't make these things up! I am just so grateful that heavenly father puts these types of experiences in my path as well as spiritual ones. But in reality most of my days I pass by laughing. People here are just so friendly and so stinkin funny that it is so hard not too...and I am that kind of person so it is innevitable.
          From these experiences I have learned a very valuable lesson. No matter where you are, what you are doing or who you are with, there is always time to laugh. In 2 nephi of the Book of Mormon (also known by some as the BOM because it is the Bomb) chapter 2 verse 25 it says "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy". Our lives here on this earth, compared to the eternities is but a simple moment and we don't have time to be sad and focus on the negative difficulties of life. We are here to have Joy because that is how God intended it. Laugh everyone!! Enjoy every moment we have been given here on this earth! It's like those Snickers commercials when someone is super angry and turns into a monster and then their freind just says "Dude eat a snickers" and they calm themselves down. I say, Dude laugh a little! Face the challenges head on with faith in christ and I promise you that you will see the difference! LEARN IT! LIVE IT! LOVE IT!!! Have a great and happy week everyone and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Love, Hermana Dickey

Hey Everyone! I hope it was yet again another successfull week for all! It was a GREAT one for me...but I am becoming to realize more and more as I progress in my mission that...I CAN NOT SPEAK ENGLISH!!!! Haha! Everytime I talk to an American sister or Elder its just a struggle to say things the way you are supposed to. Like for example...I was talking to a sister in my zone the other day on the phone who is from Georgia and I wanted to know how long she had been in the mission so I said " Sister how much time do you carry in the mision"!! HAHA! She just responded by saying "Ummm...what sister Dickey". In spanish it makes sense " Hermana cuanto tiempo lleva en la mision" but in english it sounds so dumb...I am going to be so messed up when I can home so don`t make fun of me people.

Besides the fact I can`t speak english...I had changes today! I fortunately got to stay in my area but my best friend from Guate got changed to Esteli! I was so sad when we found out and we both just gave eachother a big hug and started crying! I know...Girls right! But you come to be such good friends with your companions..They are like sisters to me, everyone of them so it is hard to say goodbye. But I now have a new comp named Hermana Landaverde from El Salvador. She is so amazing and works really hard! I know we are going to see MANY miracles together. This chane will be for 8 weeks instead of 6 because of what happebed in the MTC so I will be with her until February 2. I am SUPER excited to start getting to work!

This past saturday we had a baptism of a 16 year old joven se llama Janixia and it was such and great service. Almost all of the YW from the ward were there and my comp and I had made her invitations to hand out to her friends and a little book that all of the YW wrote in, sharing their experiences and testimonios of the Gospel. It was a really special day for her. It was also her birthday so of course we ate cake afterwards. I can`t explain to you how much I love this Gospel. I always KNEW that it was the only true Gospel here on the earth, but never have I FELT it like I do being a missionary. I have learned so many things and grown so much not only spiritually but mentally and Physically (Physically because gallo pinto does not burn off quickly! Haha) and there is NO WAY that I will ever deny it. The Lord has called a prophet and 12 Apostles to lead and guide this church. He died and suffered for each and everyone of us so that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven. It is only through and because of Him that we can be saved and I KNOW this to be true. He is the light and life of the world and the Lord NEVER works in the dark. As long as we follow His light that he brought into the World, when the Son of God was Born, we will always have His hand extended towards us. I know this is the True Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the way. He is the light.

Have an AMAZING week and don`t get to cold...I`ll just be here getting tan;)

Hermana Dickey