It has been a wonderful week here in Agoo! I feel so blessed to be here as a missionary, to see people's lives being enlightened and improved by the gospel, and to see myself learning and developing as well. Though missionary work and my own efforts are certainly imperfect, I know the Lord is tutoring me and preparing me for a brighter, more wonderful future to follow. :)
This past Saturday and Sunday, Elder Garcia and I were able to attend the meetings in which the Agoo District became the Agoo Stake! For any who are unfamiliar with these terms, a district is an area of the church where the mission president for that area is the presiding authority. This typically means a district is a younger, smaller unit of the church membership. Once a district grows enough, it can become a stake- more self reliant, and independent of the mission. This is a great accomplishment for the church in our mission, and I hope that the church members in Agoo will continue to strengthen their testimonies and conversion daily so the Agoo Stake can continue to grow and bless the lives of all who would come unto Christ. Elder John Teh of the Seventy presided at the conference and shared a great message about how the new instructions from the Apostles can help us receive beautiful blessings if we commit fully to following the revelation.
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to again baptize one of the people being taught by the Sisters in our district. The brother I baptized had gone through a lot of difficult things in his life up to this point, and I loved getting to see his smile and hear his testimony after the actual baptism. The Lord is helping him to change and find happiness, and I hope with all my heart that he will continue down the path that leads to his ongoing peace and happiness.
The SUPER BAGYO 2.0 turned out to be a fair amount weaker than version 1.0. There was definitely wind and rain, but the flooding and wind-damage were not nearly as bad. Thank you so much for any/all prayers on behalf of the people here. By the hand of the Lord, the damage was pretty minimal.
Our "solid" people are thankfully progressing very well. Sister Mariane may be among the most devoted people learning about the church I've ever hear of. We taught her on Friday, then she came to Stake Conference both Saturday and Sunday, and told us to come back again and teach on Tuesday. Holy Smokes! The Spirit has truly touched her heart, and she wants to learn and come closer to the Lord with haste! Sister Shiena, the younger person we are teaching, came to church for the first time yesterday, and stayed through the whole meeting, despite the fact that she was crammed at the end of a bench due to a seating deficiency. Seeing people willing to sacrifice for a gospel and church that is so new to them testifies so powerfully to me that the message I am working sharing is absolutely true. Hopefully, in the coming week we will be able to find even more people who are prepared to hear the restored gospel!
Thank you so much for all good wishes sent this way and for all prayers! Please know that I am praying for you daily! Take care of yourselves, and may the Lord bless you in all the good you do!
Love, Elder Dickison
Pictures:
1) I found piglets! It only took me over two months!
2) A selfie from the baptism. I think my selfie skills have improved...at least slightly...
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