First Observe, Then Serve

Cari Famiglia e Amici!

Well we are back in our apartment. Everything is going great! We actually loved living in Opera and being able to get to know the office elders, the assistants, the Roses, and President and Sister Dibb. They are all wonderful people. We got the blessing to get a ride with the assistants one night and hear about their work and the miracles they've seen. I know they are truly inspired and are great leaders in our mission. We also got to spend almost a whole day with the Rose's (the senior couple in the office) because they had to come to our apartment to meet with the landlord and talk about how to fix things. Our apartment is pretty much fixed now. They are just putting in electronic tapereli just for extra safety. 

Some miracles from the week- we were still able to have lessons with pretty much no problem! Even between travel, meeting with our landlord, moving back, etc. All the times worked out.
-We were also kept safe. There was some pretty crazy stuff happening around the time the EXPO started. But we didn't see or were part of any of it. Only heard about it.

-We were able to talk to a lot of people on the metro and busses and were able to give referalls to the missionaries who work in that area.

Saturday I got to go to a wedding! It was beautiful! It was a civil marriage in the church and then they went to the temple yesterday. It was actually pretty much like weddings in America. The service, a little lunch, and then the reception. It was so great because there were a lot of nonmembers there that we got to talk to. One girl we talked to has been to Utah 3 or 4 times and actually has a Book of Mormon she got the last time she was there. She said she has just started reading it and wants to meet with us. So hopefully that works out!

Last week for weekly planning we had to really plan for finding. We're having a hard time finding and keeping progressing investigators. We have investigators, but they aren't really progressing. We decided to plan for a different area each day this week. We had the map and just chose different parks we wanted to go to. Well planning works because Monday we had a park planned that neither of us has been to, so we went there and saw a lady on a bench we wanted to talk to. We started talking to her and she was great! She loved talking to us and asked great questions. Her name is Keila and she's from Venezuela but lived in Miami for 3 years. She's only been here for about a month. So we spoke English with her. We talked about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. We know we were supposed to go to that park for her. When we plan, God truly puts people in our path we can teach. 

Also on Monday, for district meeting Anziano Orso, our District Leader, asked Sorella Nedelkov and I to do a training about Mezzi finding (or finding on buses, metros, trams, etc.) We decided to kind of do what Anziano Bednar did and start out by saying "This is not about Mezzi finding". We still talked about it, but the underlying theme was faith. Because without faith, finding is pretty much impossible. I was able to think about a lot of different experiences I've had talking and teaching people on public transportation. Even in 9 weeks I can see how much I've grown and learned. At first it was just about handing out cards and trying to get people's numbers, but it's truly about recognizing other's needs and really helping them come closer to Christ. Yesterday I was on the bus and started talking to a girl who didn't really know if she believed in Christ or God. I got to talk to her about faith and hope and invited her to watch the Perche Egli Vive video. I still asked if we could exchange numbers and if I could pray with her, but she refused both. Even though I probably won't see her again, I know that was just the beginning of her journey to come closer to Christ. I love asking people questions that they probably haven't really thought about and get them thinking about faith and God. 

I also recently read a talk from the Oct. 2014 conference which had the quote "first observe, then serve." I love it. Really observing first and trying to recognize other's needs is so important. I saw a girl on the bus who looked like she was kind of crying so I asked if everything was ok. She said yes and didn't really continue to talk. But then she said thanks. And then a little bit later she said she was just a little sad that day. She was grateful I just showed concern and was smiling when she got off the bus. Even though we didn't really get to talk more, I know just showing a little love uplifted her. The littlest acts of service are sometimes the most powerful.

Tuesday we went to the hospital to visit a lady. She is actually Marlene's daughter! The lady who went to Venezuela. Somehow she was able to call us... which is against mission rules, but we had no idea it was her. Sorella Nedelkov answered the phone and was like Marlene! What?! Anyway she told us she has met with the missionaries there in Venezuela, and that her daughter here got in a car accident and was in the hospital. She actually got hit by a car while walking across the street and broke her hip and leg. So we got to visit her. It's amazing how God has a plan for everyone. When Marlene was meeting with the missionaries, her daughter didn't approve and would get in arguments with her Mom about it. But now, she wanted us there and was so happy that we came. So we plan on visiting her more. :)

We are also visiting a lot of less active members. There are a lot in this ward, so we are trying to get them to come back. We talked about agency in our conference with Anziano Bednar and about being an agent who acts and is not acted upon. Even though we may not have very many investigators we can still help the ward. We were able to have some great lessons with quite a few less actives last week. I just love these people and being in their homes and getting to know them!

Well, the work here is great! I'm getting to know the ward here and I just love the members! It's nice to feel like I'm home here :) I hope you all have a great week! Just thinking about Skype on Sunday makes me so happy and excited! Love you all!

Vi Voglio un MONDO di bene!
Love, Sorella Dixon

There were no new photos this week!! Maybe it's because we get to see and hear this sweet Sorella this coming Sunday!!! What a blessing is technology, and what a bigger blessing is being a Mom :)!!