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Monday, December 27, 2010

Hola Familia y Amigos! Como estas? I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed your Christmas. Christmas in the field is definitely not as good as spending it with family but it wasn't too bad. We had 2 dinner appointments and went to a families house and hung out with them for a couple hours. It was nice.. we spent it with 2 of my favorite families so far (both American families who speak Spanish). For those who haven't heard yet, I am in the Orem North Area. We are covering 7 stakes with 3 Spanish wards. It is a small area. Roy is in my area.. he lives about 3 minutes away up by one of the English ward buildings that we have correlation in. Every time we drive by his house... I say yep, that's his house. Maybe if I am here in April I can see family :)

Tuesday I left "spirit prison" (MTC). That night it had snowed over a foot and the roads were a mess. Our AP"s were late picking us up and then we got stuck on a hill going to President Pitt's home. It was an adventure all day. After we met President and Sister Pitts we had breakfast and some meetings then meet our trainers and went into our area and right to work. My companion, Hermana Tetelpa is from Veracruz Mexico and lives in Salt Lake now. She speaks her own dialect of Spanish so it's not really like what I learned in the MTC... it's fun sometimes. She is not a compassionate person so it is kind of hard at times but we get along. I have had a lot of rough days this last week between Christmas and not having a clue of what is going on. But I got a blessing yesterday from a stake President. He could tell I was having a hard week. It was so nice to receive a blessing of comfort, peace, and help.

Anyway this week we have taught some investigators and got some new ones.
- Jorge: 7 y.o. and turned 8 today. He is getting baptized on Sunday (domingo). His sister is a member but no one else in his family so we are teaching him. He is hilarious! I am pretty sure he has ADHD. He is so hard to teach sometimes.. he uses his age as an excuse. He is super smart though. But he is excited to be baptized. We teach him in English.
-Monica: she is in her 40's with 2 kids. After being taught for a couple months so told us the other day that she wants to be baptized. She is scheduled for baptism in February (that's when she wants it done).
-Yesenia: 21 y.o. who is getting baptized Wednesday. She is very excited. She is so ready! We teach her in English. She is not in our area but wants sisters to teach her. We are the closest so we can.
-Orbelin: new investigator! We found him on Wednesday and he wants to be baptized. His daughters are members. He came to church with us yesterday and loved it. We are teaching him again tonight. We are hoping he can get baptized Jan 8. We shall see.
-There are few others that we are teaching, well reading the Book of Mormon (el Libro de Mormon) with and are not progressing and there are some others that I have not met yet for various reasons- usually because they aren't home or cancel.

Some of the families I have met and love are the Adamson's. They just had a daughter return from her mission from Independence Missouri. Sister Adamson's parents served a mission in Nauvoo.. they couldn't remember Dave and Vivian but are pretty sure that they have met them. I love this family. Mom and Dad- don't be surprised if you get stuff from her. She is so sweet. Another family I have met and really enjoy are the Baxter's. He is from Seattle area and she is from Honduras I believe. We spent Christmas with both of these families. One of the bishops of one of our wards just had a son return from his mission from Sacramento. I was talking to him on Christmas Eve and he served 9 months in Stockton. He loves it. Ryan- he told me you looked familiar but couldn't remember if he had met you or not. He was spanish speaking on his mission. His last name is Chacon.

How are you all doing? I hope you are all doing well and that you had a wonderful Christmas.Christmas in the field is so different. It is definitely not commercialized. It was weird and kind of nice. I don't think a whole not is new here besides what I have told you. I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you all and am so grateful for you! I am especially grateful that we can be an eternal family. I love the gospel and the chance that I have to invite others to come unto Christ. I am so grateful for our Savior and the Atonement.

Merry late Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Kelcie

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Hola Familia!

Well it's halfway through week 9 anyway. I hope you are all doing well. This last week has been good. Thursday I got my travel plans. I am leaving Tuesday Dec 21 at 6:30 in the morning to get picked up by someone in the mission home along with 10 other missionaries. I think it is funny we are leaving that early in the morning. I am so excited though. I am kinda nervous for the language aspect and that I won't have a trainer who speaks any English at all. Hopefully my fears will not be reality.

This last week has been good. I am still getting over being sick but am feeling a lot better than I was. I got a blessing from a member of the branch presidency Sunday and by Monday night I was feeling a lot better. Let's see what happened this week...

-Both Jose and Daniel committed to baptism! YAY! I am so excited for it. Not like it is a real situation but we still got them to commit. It is our teachers playing as investigators.

-Sunday night Fireside was the BYU Men's Chorus. They sang to us for an hour about the Savior and other Christmas songs. It was fun. This next Sunday we are having another musical fireside. I love music. It invites the spirit, at least for me, easier.

-Tuesday night Devotional was with Elder Pieper of the first quorum of the 70. He spoke on the gift of agency and related it to those we will be teaching as well as the Savior. It was so good. It made me think about things that I hadn't thought of before.

-Since this week is my last week in the MTC we are having our teaching week. Hermana Smith and I made a goal to teach at least 30 lessons. So far so good, we actually have 34 scheduled with extra time for more appointments. The other day we were teaching two elder's in our district, Elder Williams and Elder Boehmer (B-Mer) and Elder Williams told me my spanish is improving a lot. Yay! It was good to hear it from someone other than my teachers and companion. Even though I trust them they are around me all the time when I speak Spanish.

-TRC this last week went well. We taught a RM sister who now has a family of her own. She was pretending to be an investigator who had lost her brother to cancer and starting drinking nightly to drown away her sorrow. It was a good practice situation on teaching the Word of Wisdom (palabra de Sabiduria) along with the Plan of Salvation.

-We have a third companion, kinda. A sister in our zone was supposed to go to Peru MTC with her companions but got delayed for medical reasons so she is our companion in the morning, at night, and on P-Day. I love her to death. She is such a sweet girl. I am hoping that everything gets cleared for her to leave before we leave on Tuesday so she isn't the only sister left in the zone.

-I met the new elders in our zone, well the ones that came in last week and one is from West Jordan. His name is Elder Wilburn. He went to W.J.H.S. and knows Amber and Nick. It was fun to make the connection.

-I can't think of anything else that happened teaching wise. The other day Hermana Smith and I were leaving our bedroom heading to class when all of the sudden she stops. Screams and throws her wallet down the stairs. I looked over at her after jumping and she was pointing to her head. I look really close and a tiny spider was right beside her head. She made me check her hair to see if more were in her hair. I laughed when she retold the story she said the spide was huge... it was tiny. I laughed really hard when it happened.

I can't think of anything else but this last week has been good. I am not sure when my P-Day will be but I am hoping before Christmas so I can have clean clothes. Come next week if you send stuff, send it to the mission home address. If you send it to the MTC it will still get to me but will be easier to send it to the mission home. I am so excited to be leaving the MTC. I am starting to get really sick of it. It has been good for the last 9 weeks, but I don't think I could handle anymore. I love you all and hope you are all doing well and are staying safe and warm. All of our snow has been gone and we just got snow last night. I think I will be having a white Christmas after all. I wish that I could talk to all of you on Christmas and wish you all a Merry Christmas but I know that is not possible. I am sending you my love and hugs. I hope that we can all remember our Savior and be grateful for the things we have. You are all amazing and such an example and strength in my life.

Love,
Kelcie (Hermana Dickson)

(it's wierd to not put Hermana Dickson, didn't think I would get used to it so fast).

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Hola mi familia y amigos!

Week 7 has come and gone! Time is cruising on by. Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, and gifts. My birthday was good. Uncle Phil brought me a cake a few days before and then on my birthday I got sick :( Not because of the cake. I went to the health clinic and found out I am getting a sinus infection so i got to leave the MTC to go get medicine. It was fun to be in my mission for a half hour :) I still don't have travel plans but should be getting them very soon. I found out today that an Elder who is in my district for the last 3 weeks is being temporarily reassigned to my mission for about a month. We are all excited about that. He is such a good elder. Let's see... this week:

-Sunday was mission conference. The main focus was on the birth and life of Our Savior as well as be an extraordinary missionary your whole life.
-We taught one of our progressive investigators and we had 2 elders from our district come in to be the members (bishop and member). I was having a hard time saying what I wanted to in Spanish. So one of the elders, Elder Jacobson, said a silent prayer for me and immediately the words came to me. I didn't know this happened until later when Hermana Smith was telling. It was amazing to see the spirit work with me and to learn the power of prayer.
-This week a lot of talk was said about humility.. i will take that as a hint to become humble. All that was said was amazing and I am grateful for the guidance of the spirit.
-1st Presidency Christmas Devotional = AMAZING! If you haven't watched it or read it do! It has been the best Christmas devotional I have heard in years. I watched it in Spanish and understood about half.. oh man am i going to have a great time in the field. Give me until about March or April and I will be fluent, I hope.
-Spanish is getting a lot better. I don't feel like I am digressing like some in my district. I am so grateful for the gift of tongues! There is no way I would be learning Spanish this fast! The hardest part is the grammar! I think once I fully understand it, espanol will be easier. I am trying out different things to try to pick it up faster, we don't have enough time in the day with everything they want us to do in the MTC. i know it will come as long as i am diligent and trying my best.
- i have a referral for the field- a guy who is working on construction here isn't a member but wants to know more :)
- Devotional this week was from Elder Zwick of the first quorum of the 70. He and his wife talked. She talked out faith and trust in Jesus Christ and shared some interesting experiences about when they were mission presidents, I won't share those with you now.. ask me when i get home. Elder Zwick shared a story about his son who is mentally retarded. They were on their way to St. George for a meeting and took their son with them. His son got quiet and a few minutes later asked: "mom, dad... do you know jesus?" He said it made him think back to his testimony and how he came to know Jesus and how he could answer his son, yes, I know Jesus. When he was telling this story it made me think back to my own life and how well I know Jesus. I am so grateful for Him and for everything He has done for me. Some things that Elder Zwick said that went along with this question were:
- come to know Him as you center your life on Him
- come to know Him in your own way
- In order to help others come unto Christ you personally need to know Him.... (read Mark 10:27)
- Jesus Christ will be your companion when you come to trust Him and know Him.

I just love this talk and the things I am learning here. I am so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ that I have and that I am continually able to learn and grow. I am grateful for the Atonement. I am grateful for the scriptures and that through them we receive answers for our own lives and learn about the Savior. I am so grateful to be on a mission and to help others come unto Christ. I am so grateful for each of you and that as we continue to strive to live the gospel that we can be an eternal family. Each of you mean the world to me and I am so glad that we are in the same family. I know that as we come to know our Savior, Jesus Christ, that our testimonies will be strengthened and we will be happier. I love the gospel and the blessings that I have received from it. I love each of you! Thank you for all of your love and support. I hope that we can all continue to come to know our Savior and appreciate the things we have in life and not become of the world. This week didn't seem like much happened but a lot did, it was all on the same topics and it's hard to put it into words.

Te amo!

Love, Hermana Kelcie Dickson

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Oh my! I have made it through 6 weeks (one transfer). I can't believe I have been gone for 6 weeks! It definitely doesn't feel like it. Let's see my week: Thanksgiving in the MTC was different but good. It doesn't even compare to being at home with family but it is still good. To start the day off we had a Thanksgiving Devotional with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It was really cool. His entire family came. His grandkids sang to us and he wanted us to feel like we were his family. It was so nice. His wife spoke and he spoke as well. Some of the things I remember from the devotional was:
- "Most of what we are grateful for has come from another person." I couldn't help but think of our Savior and his selfless service to each of us. I also couldn't help but think of all of you and those in Provo that i will be serving.
- "The Godhead knows each of us by name, show gratitude to the Lord" I love this. I have gained a testimony of this. I know that They each know us by name and know our needs. I can see it in the lives of those I teach while being testified of the truth of the gospel and what they need to hear. It is amazing to me that they know every single one of us and that we need to show gratitude towards them more often.
- The Atonement is for all
- Cherish your mission and your life.

After the wonderful devotional by Elder Holland we had Thanksgiving "dinner". Dinner consisted of turkey (not the best turkey I have had), mashed potatoes, rolls, and... cookies! No pie! Well some people got pie but I got cookies. When i went through the line there was no pie. I was kinda upset. i really wanted pie, what is thanksgiving dinner without pie. Well, one of the Elder's in my zone found pie and got me and hermana Smith some. it was delicious. I know I complain about the food here but i am just grateful I have edible food and know what it is i am eating.

After "dinner" we started our service project. All of the missionaries were in 2 different rooms cutting out supplies to make school bag kits. Our goal was 20,000 bags. We reached our goal and then some. The end result was 33,400 bags. I am so excited for it, especially being a teacher. It brought so much joy to my heart to know that we are helping 33,400 kids.

Friday Hermana Smith got sick so while she slept I studied like crazy. I studied language for 5 or more hours. It helped a lot knowing what i need to work on more. She felt really bad for having me be bored but I got a lot more done than i would've in class.

Saturday we did our TRC in all spanish. There were no volunteers to come in for us to teach so we taught other missionaries and teachers. Hermana Smith and I taught a teacher. He is known as Zircules because he is big like Hercules. The task and lesson went pretty good. He was very forgiving and helpful while we were teaching. Afterwards we asked him for feedback. It was very helpful. I was just glad it wasn't with a real investigator. As for investigators we taught both Daniel and (y) Jose. For Daniel he told us he was praying to trust us and understand our message. For our lesson with him we talked about the Savior and tied Him back to the Book of Mormon. We ended our lesson by reading The Living Christ with Daniel in espanol. He was very interested and went a lot better than the time before where he was correcting everything we said to proper grammar.... kinda annoying while you were teaching. For Jose I am so confused with him, I have a hard time reading him and figuring out what he needs. Good thing the spirit knows. He accepted to attend a baptismal service and attended church and enjoyed it. Hopefully both will commit to baptism before we leave.

Some other random things that happened this week: Some sister friends of mine taught us the Plan of salvation but related it to missionary work. It was really interesting and it helped me a lot. Sunday it snowed about 6 inches- that must have been the big storm we were supposed to get last week. Monday we finished our week of the Atonement with a testimony meeting. It was really good. The spirit was so strong and it helped our district unite. Tuesday at gym, I was playing volleyball (big shock I know) and went up for a block/attack against an elder and stuffed him. It felt so good and all the other elder's started clapping and hollering. It was pretty funny. I have been reading Jesus the Christ the past couple weeks and have loved it! I am reading about the birth of our Savior and his life growing up. what a perfect time to read about this. I should be getting my travel plans this week. One of my teachers was joking that it was going to say to go out to the street and turn left and then go straight until you get there. I am going to laugh if it is really close.

As for the language. I am feeling a lot better about it. Last night I was having a harder day with it but it all worked out. I am attempting to speak as much of it as i can and know. i am so glad that people are so forgiving. Sunday we had a fireside that helped me with my thoughts/fears of learning Spanish. One thing that stuck out was "fear can't exist if you have faith. You have the gift of the Holy Ghost and the gift of tongues." I keep thinking back to this and how I need to be having more faith in myself and my Savior that I can do this!

Tuesday we had a devotional with Sister Julie B Beck. She talked a lot about missionary work. Some of the things I got out of her talk was:
- Have the trust of your mission president so he doesn't have to worry about you.
- Heavenly Father creates miracles
- when you've done your best, don't be disappointed with yourself, Heavenly Father will be pleased with you
- opposition should drive you to your knees, exercise faith and work hard (I thought of learning spanish at this point)
- The secret is love

I am so grateful for each of you and for your letters. I am so blessed to have you in my family. You all mean the world to me. I am grateful for each of your examples and love of the gospel. I know that we are children of God (hijos de Dios). I know our Father loves us and that He sent his Son to atone for each of us. He knows our pains, our sufferings, and everything. I am so grateful for the Atonement and the opportunity to live and exercise the gospel daily. I love my savior. I love the people in the Provo mission.. even though I don't know many of them yet, I am grateful for them. i am grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary.

I love you all and couldn't ask for a better family. As we approach Christmas I challenge all of us to focus our lives on the savior and not so much of the world. You are all the best!

With lots of love,

Hermana Kelcie Dickon

Sunday, November 28, 2010

SmartZone Communications Center gijoes7@comcast.net
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week 5
From : Kelcie Dickson
Subject : week 5
To : Cara , Chris & Kirk , Gerrit & Ashlee , Greg & Melissa , Jason & Ali , Mom & Dad , Ron & Missy , Ryan , elizabeth sant

Wed Nov 24 2010 4:56:07 PM
Week 5 has come and gone! I am over halfway through with the MTC. I have 4 weeks left! I can't believe it. Here are some things I learned and felt this week:
- Life is possible, no matter where you are. Rely on and ask the Lord for help. He will help you if you have faith and are fully obedient.
- This week in class is the week of the Atonement (de semana de la expiacion). I am so excited about this. I have already learned so much and it has been 2 days of it. On Monday we are ending our week by having a testimony meeting in class. Last night for devotional we had Elder Malm from the 2nd Q. of the 70 speak. He talked about a lot of things but a couple things I got out of it was he told of a story of a truck driver who stopped on a bridge that had collapsed in the middle and saved many lives. As he was relating the story I couldn't help but think of our Savior and how he is like the truck driver. I also thought about how the truck driver is me helping others come unto Christ. I love the gospel! I love how you can always learn and apply things.
- TRC: Satuday we taught a lady from Ecuador who is learning English and speaks almost all Spanish. So needless to say we taught in Spanish. I was not prepared for it but I know it was good. She told us afterwards that we she understood what we were saying. I felt good about it after hearing that. From this week on all of the TRC is in Spanish instead of the task in English and lesson in Spanish. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow. i need to give myself more credit than i do. I have learned a lot more spanish than I am telling myself. I know I still have a lot to go.
- There is such a great power in music. Every lesson we taught we have sung. It has brought such a great spirit to the lesson and has testified not only to me but to our investigators. Every Sunday I have the opportunity to watch music and the spoken word before RS and I love it. This week was on gratitude. It was amazing. I love music and the chance that I have to be taught by the spirit through it and to teach others through it as well. Tuesday night Hma Smith and I sang in the choir. We sung Come Thou Fount. It is such an amazing song. I love it and have taken it and applied it to my life.
- Daniel- we taught him in spanish and he corrected everything we said into the right grammar. It was really annoying and drove the spirit away. We walked away from that lesson frustrated and grateful.
- Yesterday we were supposed to have a big snow storm. They sent all the teachers home at 3, closed half of the MTC down, and BYU closed down. It didn't start snowing until 6:45 and barely snowed. It made me laugh. It is really cold though.
- Some other things i have learned:
- What does Heavenly Father expect of you?
- Some of your hardest moments will be the best education you can get
- be grateful- say a prayer giving only thanks! it is amazing!
- God loves you in spite of your faults/shortcomings
- be 100 % obedient and have faith
- Prayers should be with real intent and a sincere heart- Preach my Gospel is excellent- you should all read it.

Congrats to Amber and Nick!
Happy Birthday Jason, Rachelle and Gerrit! I hope your birthdays were/are amazing.
I have met an elder Dickson, a girl from my old ward, an Elder from Firth and 2 people from Shelley ( cody anderson and a huntsman i believe)

Anyway, this is really short, i had 20 minutes because the internet wasn't working :( But I love you all and am so grateful for each of you. I want you to know that God loves you and wants you to turn to him for help. He will not leave us comfortless because He loves us too much. I am grateful for the gospel and the strenth it brings to me daily. I love the gospel. I love learning more about it daily and in my own life. I am grateful for this time of year to reflect on things we are grateful for. Thank you all for everything you have done for me and will continue to do for me. You are the world to me and more than that.. you mean everything to our Savior, Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.


Love,
Hermana Kelcie Dickson

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

!Hola Familia!

Can you believe it has been a month already?! I can't! Time has flown. It seems like I just got here.

Como estas? I am so grateful for each of you! I love getting your letters and hearing about how everyone is doing. This week has been a good one up until last night. I started feeling sick so I have been taking it easy today. So I am going to answer everyone's questions this instead of writing each of you like I usually do on top of the email. Where do I start?

Saturday: Saturday's I have TRC and this week we were given the task of getting to know our investigator on our way to church (this is in all spanish) and then afterwards we taught them the Plan of Salvation. It was really fun! When Hermana Smith and I walked into the room to pick up our investigator we noticed it was one of the girls we taught last week, Julia, and another girl. They were such fun girls. I love teaching them! At the end of our lesson before we compelely ended we decided to sing them a song. We sang I am a child of God. There is so much power in song. Everytime we sing to our investigators the spirit appears more present and the investigators have a complete change of heart in their faces and appearance. I love it! So almost everytime we teach we sing. It is fun.

Daniel- he is another investigator- I think I talked about him last time. He is a 70 something year old preacher. It is a challenge to teach him but I love it. It helps me learn! He finally has accepted our invitation to come to church. We teach him tonight so we shall see how it goes. So far it's going good. He knows a lot about our church but won't pray to know if the things are true or not. I wish he would quit being stubborn and just do it!

Another investigator: Jose. I love Jose. Last week we invited him to baptism and he said he had to think about it. He is also being taught by Jehovah Witnesses and they are trying to get him to become a member of their church. He is really confused and doesn't want to make God angry so he is being Mr. Slow. We still have no commitment but he said he would come to church with us as well. We teach him tomorrow.

Today 700 missionaries came into the MTC! It's crazy! No one is comng in next week due to Thanksgiving. We had a district leave this week and a new one come in today. I haven't met them yet but we now have 7 girls in the zone! :) The 3 new girls are going to Ecuador. I am excited for Thanksgiving next week. We are doing a service project and my district was asked to help with it and be leaders at it. We are making school bag kits. It will be insanely crazy but a lot of fun. It will be a nice change of 14 hours of class daily.

This last week for devotional we had Elder Kevin Pearson, from the Quorum of the 70 come and speak to us. He talked about the principles of power and being a disciple. Some things that stuck out to me were: your mission is your future and your success in life, There is no need to struggle, do your best, ask Heavenly Father to help lift your burdens, your mission will be what you make of it, and there is no such thing as trying so do your best. It was interesting to hear him. He was a very powerful speaker it was almost as if he were yelling. But it was still good and exactly what I needed to hear. I love that we learn through the Holy Ghost. HEavenly Father knows our needs and speaks to us through the Holy Ghost so we always need to be worthy, obedient, and willing to accept and act upon our promptings.

Today at the temple I had a neat experience. I was doing iniatories and had some hispanic names. At first I was like oh great I am not going to be able to pronounce them but I did it. I said them how they were suppposed to be, well I think I did. Anyway, one of the temple workers told me my Spanish was really good and that I roll my r's really well. It was funny to hear that and good to know that other people, besides those in my district, are giving me encouragement. It made me feel good about Spanish. Speaking of, it is coming along pretty well. I am slowly understand all the grammar rules. It is just a matter of applying all of it now. My teachers (maestros) give me some good advice so i am working on that. I am also reading and disecting el libro de Mormon with words I don't know.

!Hola Familia!

Can you believe it has been a month already?! I can't! Time has flown. It seems like I just got here.

Como estas? I am so grateful for each of you! I love getting your letters and hearing about how everyone is doing. This week has been a good one up until last night. I started feeling sick so I have been taking it easy today. So I am going to answer everyone's questions this instead of writing each of you like I usually do on top of the email. Where do I start?

Saturday: Saturday's I have TRC and this week we were given the task of getting to know our investigator on our way to church (this is in all spanish) and then afterwards we taught them the Plan of Salvation. It was really fun! When Hermana Smith and I walked into the room to pick up our investigator we noticed it was one of the girls we taught last week, Julia, and another girl. They were such fun girls. I love teaching them! At the end of our lesson before we compelely ended we decided to sing them a song. We sang I am a child of God. There is so much power in song. Everytime we sing to our investigators the spirit appears more present and the investigators have a complete change of heart in their faces and appearance. I love it! So almost everytime we teach we sing. It is fun.

Daniel- he is another investigator- I think I talked about him last time. He is a 70 something year old preacher. It is a challenge to teach him but I love it. It helps me learn! He finally has accepted our invitation to come to church. We teach him tonight so we shall see how it goes. So far it's going good. He knows a lot about our church but won't pray to know if the things are true or not. I wish he would quit being stubborn and just do it!

Another investigator: Jose. I love Jose. Last week we invited him to baptism and he said he had to think about it. He is also being taught by Jehovah Witnesses and they are trying to get him to become a member of their church. He is really confused and doesn't want to make God angry so he is being Mr. Slow. We still have no commitment but he said he would come to church with us as well. We teach him tomorrow.

Today 700 missionaries came into the MTC! It's crazy! No one is comng in next week due to Thanksgiving. We had a district leave this week and a new one come in today. I haven't met them yet but we now have 7 girls in the zone! :) The 3 new girls are going to Ecuador. I am excited for Thanksgiving next week. We are doing a service project and my district was asked to help with it and be leaders at it. We are making school bag kits. It will be insanely crazy but a lot of fun. It will be a nice change of 14 hours of class daily.

This last week for devotional we had Elder Kevin Pearson, from the Quorum of the 70 come and speak to us. He talked about the principles of power and being a disciple. Some things that stuck out to me were: your mission is your future and your success in life, There is no need to struggle, do your best, ask Heavenly Father to help lift your burdens, your mission will be what you make of it, and there is no such thing as trying so do your best. It was interesting to hear him. He was a very powerful speaker it was almost as if he were yelling. But it was still good and exactly what I needed to hear. I love that we learn through the Holy Ghost. HEavenly Father knows our needs and speaks to us through the Holy Ghost so we always need to be worthy, obedient, and willing to accept and act upon our promptings.

Today at the temple I had a neat experience. I was doing iniatories and had some hispanic names. At first I was like oh great I am not going to be able to pronounce them but I did it. I said them how they were suppposed to be, well I think I did. Anyway, one of the temple workers told me my Spanish was really good and that I roll my r's really well. It was funny to hear that and good to know that other people, besides those in my district, are giving me encouragement. It made me feel good about Spanish. Speaking of, it is coming along pretty well. I am slowly understand all the grammar rules. It is just a matter of applying all of it now. My teachers (maestros) give me some good advice so i am working on that. I am also reading and disecting el libro de Mormon with words I don't know.

Question: Mom or dad- will you get me Chris Vaughan's pouch mail address. I got a letter from him today but I dont have the pouch address.

Cara- How was time in Berkley with Geniel?
Mom- When I am thinking of words in Spanish, I think of German words before Spanish ones. it makes me laugh. That's fun you saw Aunt Helen and Uncle John at Golden Corral. When we go to the temple we go back and forth between iniatories and endowments, we switch every week what we are doing.
Dad- Sounds like you are busy, it keep you out of trouble:) How are the hearing aids?

For my birthday: money would be nice :) I wouldn't mind having a 3 barrel iron. I will keep thinking of things but those are some that I came up with.

Chris: I met an Elder from Firth who knows TJ. I don't remember his name though and today I saw Elder Cody Anderson> I went and talked to him and he looked really confused. It was funny. He told me Koda is doing really well with baseball.

Anyway, I love you all and am grateful for each of you. You are all great examples to me. I know the gospel is true and that when we are obedient and doing our best we will be blessed. It is one thing I have learned. I love you and will try to write in Spanish next week. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for all that you do. You are the best family anyone could ask for. Until next week!

Love,
Hermana Kelcie Dickson

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hola Familia!

Thank you for all your letters, packages, prayers, and support. It means a lot to me! I still love the MTC and can't believe that I have been here for 2 weeks! The food is getting better and the Espanol is coming along slowly. I still am not getting as fast as I would or as fast as others, but I am getting. I am going to be getting tutored to help with grammar.

Saturday Hermana Smith and I taught two lessons. One was in the TRC, training resource center. Our task was to contact and meet 3 people and teach the last person. The contacting was in Espanol. We did really well with that. The first person went well, the 2nd was another story. As we were talking to him we started laughing because we couldn't think. He laughed right along with us and told us that we were doing great. The 3rd person, most important was the one we ended up teaching. We taught our lesson on the Restoration and did really well. Our teacher was really impressed with how we did. He told us that was the best first TRC he has ever seen. It made us feel good.

Saturday night we taught our other teacher, Hermano Zivic, who was pretending to be a progressing investigator. This lesson was in Spanglish and went pretty well. I felt the spirit there, especially towards the end. Hermana Smith and I sang i am a Child of God to him. Afterwards he wouldn't give us feedback. All he said was muy bien (good job), he was really impressed as well.

Another teaching experience we had was on Monday. Our class and another district split up and we ended teaching in only Espanol. I was scared out of my mind. Satan was definetly trying to not let me teach. I had no idea how I was going to teach the first lesson in only spanish. Somehow I managed to do it. I am so grateful I have the gift of tongues with me and the spirit. The companion I was with was very impressed with the power in my teaching as well as one of the people we were teaching. I am grateful for tender mercies like this! THis experience gave me a good idea of what I am doing well on and what I need to improve on.

This last week, and since I have been here I have run into a few people I know:
1. Kekoa Riggins from Arlington- he is waiting for his visa after 4 months.. poor guy. I hope it comes soon!
2. My old roommates sister, Shannon
3. Stephanie Whittaker- she was in my ward in Salt Lake. She is waiting for her visa but going to a CA mission in the meantime.
4. Uncle Phil
5. Elder Glass- i met him and found out he is in Aunt Georgia's ward
It was so fun to see them.

When I first got here they closed down Sunday temple walks because of trash being left on the grounds. Good news.. it is open :) Sunday we went on our first temple walk. It was beautiful. Today I went to the temple. The grounds are gorgeous and the inside is pretty... outside is pretty, just not one of my favorites.

Tuesday night we has devotional again. This time Elder Ballard came and spoke. His talk was based on becoming a master teacher, asking good questions, Keeping your message simple, Smile, and the person you are talking to should have a good feeling the second they hear your message/ meet them.

Half my zone left this week for their missions and we didn't get a new zone this week. Our branch is going to consist of 3 districts now i believe. I love my district to death and my zone as well. We all get along great and are all so willing to help each other learn and grow. A sister in my zone and I have the same outfit, and we wore it on the same day, it was pretty funny. Then we ended up being companions for the Spanish lesson i told you about earlier. I have amazing teachers and have a good district which helps makes class fun and enjoyable. In my zone there ar 8 sisters, district 4. In my residence hall there are 5 of us.

I want to challenge all of you to memorize the 1st vision! It is so powerful and has more power to it when it is memorized. If i can do it in Spanish and English, you can do it in English. :)

I know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know that we are His children. I know that families are a central part to God's plan for us. I am so grateful for all of you and the love that we have for each other and for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesucristo loves us enough that He died for us. I know he knows our pains and everything that we go through. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he was given the power and authority from God to restore the gospel on earth today. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon (el libro de Mormon) for us to read and to learn from daily. I know that the scriptures are the words of God and that we have a living prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I am grateful for this gospel and for the joy it brings to my life. I hope and pray that each of you will strive to be a better person and pick one thing to work on this week. I love you and am so grateful for you all.

Until next week! Keep writing. I will do my best to answer! Thanks for everything again!

Love,
Hermana Dickson

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Kelcie can also be reached by e-mailing her at dearelder.com as long as you have her MTC info. It is easy to sign up. She cannot check her blog or e-mail friends but will get printed copies tru dearelder. A;so can write and receive mail from friends. Her p-day is on Wednesdays from 10 to six(I will continue to post her e-mails.) She would love to hear from all of you and thank you for supporting her by letting her know how you're doing.
Kelcie's mom

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

week 1

Thanks for the emails everyone! I got one! :) Thanks Ron! and 1 letter- thanks Cara!

Hola! This week has flown by. I am so glad I made the decision to come! This week has been muoy bueno! Day 2 we started learning Spanish. We learned how to ppray (Oracion), bear testimony (el testimonio), some grammar, and are working on the first vision in Espanol. It has been a challenging week as far as learning the language goes. I was beginning to get frustrated. But now I feel a lot better about it. Elder Richard G. Scott came for devotional last night and talked about being led by el Spiritu (the spirit). It was what I needed. He talked about many life experiences and gave each missionary a handout of what he talked about. One thing that struck home with me was that sometimes God lets us struggle so we can build character and increase our faith. It was great and it was what I have been going through. He also invoked blessings on us, especially the Sister missionaries.

I have a great companion. Her name is Melody Smith from So Cal. She went to BYUI before coming on a mission. She is going to Provo with me as well. She is the youngest of 8 kids. I love her to death. We got along from Day 1. I have a great district as well. There are 10 of us in our district. 5 of us are staying in Provo, 2 are going to Spain, 2 are going to Tuscon, and 1 to Wisconsin. One of the Elders is 6'7" and is very talented with music. We are planning on doing a musical number together sometime in the next year and a half.

Cara asked me the other day in her letter how the food in the MTC is. Well, it's not the best food but it works. The eggs are powdered eggs and taste disgusting! Most of the time the food is overcooked. I have found some really good food though. At least 1 a day. The first day in the MTC Hermana Smith and I were walking back to our dorm and got lost trying to find our way. Now we know where we are going if not we just look up at the numbers on the walkways with arrows. The MTC reminds me of college without all the graded homework. I wish I knew what I know now a few years ago so that I would have taken and been more prepared in my school work.

The spirit is SO strong here I love it! I could not ask for a better place to be at this point and time of my life. I have felt the love of my Savior. I am coming closer to Him through prayer and study. We study pretty much all day long. It gets to be a long day come 8pm and still studying. Richard G. Scott said this last night: "Your love of Heavenly Father and His son will increase. It will be a love of reverence, awe, and gratitude of a child to the greatest of all. It will become a love of total willingness to be obedient to Their will. it will result from a pure desire and willing determination to serve Them above all else." I love it! I love how he says that we will grow to Love Them. I know I have grown to love them and will continue to.

A big thing that is being taught here is that as your testimony of the Atonement increases your desire to share your testimony and the gospel will increase. It is so true! I am grateful that I have the Atonement in my life and have been able to use it. I am grateful to be who I am today and have no regrets about life. I know my Savior lives and that He loves you and me. We are His children. He wants us to let Him into our lives. He knows us, each by name, and knows what we desire and what we need. I know that as we come to let the Savior in our life we will be guided by the Spirit and will feel His love become more evident in our lives. I know that the Restoration of the gospel was necessary and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of called to bring the Restoration of the gospel back on this Earth. I am grateful for everything in my life! I know if we pray and listen, the Spirit will guide us and help us.

I am going to try to upload pictures we'll see if it works- okay I will send them next week! I will have it figured out by then and i have a minute left. I only get 30 minutes on the computer :( But I love you all and am grateful for your love and support. You can use dearelder.com to write me. it is free while I am in the MTC. I love you and miss you! keep writing me but if you send stuff, don't send gum it is not allowed. Oh, it has already snowed but has melted away.. it is too cold already. Okay, I love you! Write me please!

week 1

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

just got our first letter from Kelcie. She is doing great and enjoying the MTC so far. I am impressed with her being able to bear her testimony in Spanish already only having been there for 3 days. Way to go. Kelcie asked for us to let you all know to please use the 'dearelder.com' website to e-mail her. Anyone can use it at any time. She will get the mail the same day. She will not be able to answer but love to hear from everyone. So please pass it on. She will be in the MTC until Dec 22. It is really easy to use. You will need her MTC Mailbox # 317 and the UT-PRO 1221 info. I am just using this blog, since we don't have all of you on our blog.

Love
Joe and Gisela

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

I might be crazy but....

I am going to read the entire Standards Works. How long will it take? It should take about a 1 1/2 years to read all of it. Why the sudden craziness? Well at institute on Wednesday we started a new course of study: scripture study. We were talking about what scripture is and why we have the standard works. The question was then posed how many have read the standards work all the way through? The more I thought about it I have when attending seminary but even then I don't think it covers all 1,579 chapters in all the books. So Rachelle and I decided that we wanted to do this challenge: read the Standards Works in 18 months. Perfect timing because of my mission. I will be gone for that long. It seems like a huge task but when you break it down like Elder McConkie did it doesn't seem so bad. In October 1959 in a conference report Elder McConkie said the following:

"Now in our day we have the standard works of the Church. We have the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. There are in these four books a total of 1,579 chapters. I think it would not be too much to say that we could with propriety, day in and day out, consistently, read three chapters in one or the other of these works: and if we pursued such a course, we would read all of the Gospels in less than a month. We would read the entire New Testament in three months. We would read the Old Testament in ten months, and the whole Bible in thirteen months. We would go through the Book of Mormon in two and two-thirds months, the Doctrine and Covenants in a month and a half, and the Pearl of Great Price in five days. Taken altogether, we would read all the standard works in less than eighteen months and be ready to start over again."

I thought this was amazing and am challenging myself to do it. Rachelle is going to join me in this challenge and if anyone else wants to join us you can. I am looking forward to it and to see what all I gain from this experience as well as being on a mission. I leave in 2 weeks and am all mixed of emotions but know that this is what I am supposed to do.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Saturday is a Special Day

It's the day we get ready for... Kelcie to go through the temple! Yesterday I went through the Seattle temple to get my endowments. I wasn't nervous to go through, I was just excited for this day. It has been a day I have been waiting for for a long time. It was a different experience but amazing at the same time. I can't put my thoughts together but I do that the temple is a special place and that it is place where we can stand on holy grounds and a refuge from the "storms" of life. Today at church our stake had a topic of temples. It was pretty cool to have the topic being spoken of the day after and to hear and remember the things that I didn't know and things that I did. I also had the opportunity to teach Sunday School today and it was about Standing in Holy Places and not moving. It was such a great experience. I have learned a lot this last weekend and wouldn't change it for anything. I can't wait to go back to the temple and to learn more and to feel the peace that I feel there whenever I go. I am grateful for everyone that was able to be there with me to celebrate this special day with me as well as those who were thinking of me.

On a side note, about a month left until I leave for my mission :) I am very excited and getting more nervous as the days get closer to my leaving but I know this is what I need to be doing.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Utah Provo Mission

While vacationing I received a letter from my mission president. In the letter was some facts about my mission. A lot of the facts I was astonished by. Here are some facts about the Utah Provo Mission:

~ Geographically the mission stretches from the 'Point of the Mountain' (just south of SLC) and the snow capped mountains of the 'Wasatch Front' to the agricultural land of Spanish Fork and Santaquin. Also, included in the mission boundaries is the North Eastern Utah area including mountain meadows and the high dessert.

~ 149 stakes

~ About 2,011 ward and branches

~ In 2009, over 2,800 convert baptisms

~ 2 universities- BYU and UVU

~ Missionaries serving from 20+ foreign countries speaking up to 10 different languages

~ 3 temples (Vernal, Mt. Timpanogos, and Provo)

Just a few facts about Utah Provo Mission. There is a lot of work to be done and I will be there until May 9, 2012 to help with it!

Utah/Idaho

After our trip to California we came home for a week or so, attended a funeral, and then headed off to Utah to get some of my things and visit friends and family. It was such a good time. While in Utah I got mission clothes and shoes, visited my school (even worked a few days), went to church at my old ward, met up with Kelsey and the Hales, played vball, went on some scooter rides, ate Cafe Rio and Gellato, and most important spent lots of time with family. On Sunday Ron's family, Kodie, Chandler, Mom and Dad, and Kelsey and I went to temple square. It was such a good time. Kels and I got our traditional temple square picture, saw a model of the SL temple, and walked around the temple grounds and Church History museum. There was so much that went on in Utah I won't take the time to write about it, but it was all so much fun. Before we went to Utah we stayed at Gerrit's for a few days then headed to Christine's house. I am amazed at how fast everyone grows up. I am so glad that I was able to visit all my siblings before I leave for my mission. I am so grateful for the examples and love that they have for me. You guys mean the world to me and I am grateful for you support and love that you show to me. You guys are the best!







California

This post is a little overdue. I guess about a month ago I flew down to California to visit Greg's family and Ryan's family. I flew into San Francisco and drove back to Greg's house with Greg and Melissa. They were down in San Fran for a meeting and Mom and Dad were already at their house watching the kiddos. So I met up with them to make sure I saw them before I leave for the mission. Anyway, while down at Greg's we worked on their yard, well Dad, Greg, and Scott worked on it, I played with the kids, Melissa and Mom. Some of the things we did was shopping, In-N-Out, relaxing, playing games, and enjoying each others company. It was so good to see Greg and spend time with his family. I can't believe how much the kids are growing.

After a few days at Greg's we went to Ryan's. While at Ryan's we went to Manteca one day. Ryan, the boys, and Dad wanted to go to some sporting goods store so they went and Mom and I went shopping. Some other things we did was watch Tater's football practice, the boys and I went to the pool, In-N-Out (again), Jelly Belly Factory, played games (Taboo), and enjoyed time together. It was fun to spend time with them. It has been a while since I saw them and the boys are getting big, but I am glad they still love to cuddle with me. Taylor even tried sneaking on the bed to sleep with me a few times- not a shocker there.

I miss both families and am so glad I got to spend time with them before I leave for my mission. Here are a few pictures of the trip. On our way home we drove up Highway 101 along the coast/Redwood Forest and somehow we couldn't find the big tree you drive through but we did see a bunch of cool sites and huge trees and of course the ocean (my favorite).









Friday, August 20, 2010

Drum Roll Please....

My call came today! :) I have been called to serve in the.... get ready for it... the Utah Provo mission speaking Spanish. It is not a joke, I promise. I laughed when I read it too. I am very excited to be going there and to be learning Spanish. I report the MTC in Provo on October 20. So I leave in exactly 2 months from today.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Guesses

So I still don't have my call. I should be getting them today or tomorrow. Well the mail came today so hopefully tomorrow. If you want to guess and haven't feel free to.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Sunday = Big day

I found out last night that I am getting my branch president/bishop interview AND stake president interview Sunday. I am excited! That means my papers will be in Sunday night and then I should be getting my call on the 12 or 19th!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Almost there

Today I got my medical and dental exams done and as far as I know all is good to go! I finished my end of the papers and submitted them. Now I am just waiting for my interviews and then for the call! It is such an amazing feeling to know I am doing what I need to be doing and what Heavenly Father wants me to do. Everything has just fallen into place. Once my papers are officially in the guessing game can begin.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

What do you think it is???

Sunday morning I woke up with this bite on the back of my left thigh. i thought it was mosquito bite but then it started swelling really bad which made me think I got bit by a spider. I have had many bites before but none of them have done this... triple in size and turn different colors. The center is purple, then red, pink and a ring of white around it.




Yesterday at work it was getting worse and worse. By lunch it was the size of my palm. By the time I got home it was as big as my hand. No bueno! I decided I should probably get it checked out since it is not normal at all. So I went to the doctor and she gave me some meds to take. Since then it has gone down in size but still itches really bad and has turned purple. This is what it looks like today...






I hope it keeps going away! On a side note, I just have my medical and dental exams for my papers and then my interviews :) They are coming along and I am hoping it will be in by the end of next week. I will let you know when they are in and when the guessing begins.

Monday, July 12, 2010

One Step at a Time

I started my papers last week and will have them in by the end of the month. I think I finally have everything figured out, just need to finish and get my medical and dental which are in a couple weeks. After that I have my interviews with the branch president and then stake president. I am super excited for everything. Life is just falling into place and I love it!

As far as the rest of life goes, it's great. I am working and really wish I was done, but I need to keep working. I can do it! Only another month and a half. This last weekend I went to a murder mystery dinner party. I ended up being the killer haha. Then Saturday night I went to a benefit concert for Haiti that Rachelle planned. It was really good. The second half was amazing! That is pretty much life. Keeping busy with work, church, friends, and mission stuff.

Monday, July 5, 2010

It's Just the Beginning

After much thought and prayer I have decided and feel SO good about this decision.. I am going to go serve a mission! I am super excited about it and super scared. It is amazing to see a rainbow at the end of your trials. I found the scripture that one of the sister missionaries shared with me it is found in Words of Mormon 1:7. It says:

And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.

After reading this scripture and getting my answer in different ways I know that this is what I need to be doing. I am so grateful that everything is falling into place thus far. I hope that the rest of it will as well.

I have had my pre-mission interview and will be starting my papers this week. I will keep you updated with everything!

P.S. If you know anyone who is looking for a car.. I am selling mine

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I Just Don't Know What to do with...

Myself! This week has been so overwhelming and stressful. Monday night I was sitting at FHE and tears were on the urge of coming out. I tried holding them in as long as I could, since FHE is my calling. I last until 8:30 when my friends starting noticing something was wrong so I took off before I had to really talk to anybody. I was talking with my friend Danielle out by our cars and she said I should go get a blessing when I got home. So I did that. When I got home, I asked my dad if he would give me a blessing. I didn't tell him what was going, but in that blessing I got comfort and guidance. Since then life has been mellowing out a little. Still stressful but getting better.

Some things that are going on in my life right now are:

1. Work. People are work are so dramatic and somehow things involving me get around the warehouse. It is very frustrating when people you don't want to know stuff, know things about you. We have been working like crazy the last 2 days to get our orders done that are supposed to be tomorrow. It is quite insane at work and it will be a miracle if it get all the way done! I hope I get my 3 day weekend they are promising us.

2. Career. I am having the hardest time finding a teaching job. I find openings like crazy but don't get interviews. I had one interview and it went really well. The group was really impressed; however, they picked someone with a master's degree. :( I was kinda upset about that but realized there is something better for me. I still haven't found work. So I am playing with the idea of going on a mission again. I guess it was about 2 years when I had the thought of going on one and now it is back. I am going with the mindset, but I think it is changing, of IF I don't get teaching job then I am going to go on a mission. I was talking with the sister missionaries about it last night. One of them is a lot like me so I figured I would get some help and thoughts from her. I have told her a little bit about what is going on and she gave me this scripture to read. As I was reading it I got the chills and a thought of maybe I should just prepare for a mission now.

I am just confused on what to do with my life. Everything is so up in the air, it's crazy. I hope that I make the right choice and that I will be comforted and blessed with whatever the Lord has in store for me.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day



I am so grateful for my dad. He has always been there for me and I know he always will be. He is such a great example to me. I am so glad to have him as my father. There are so many things I could write about dad and why I am grateful for him, but that will have to wait until I have 2 hands to type with. But I love you Dad and am so grateful for you! Thanks for everything!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Chuckanut Drive/Bellingham

Last night Rachelle and I decided that we are going to make a new tradition. We used to go to Boston's as a tradition but decided to start exploring Saturday nights and would take pictures. So last night we went and did Chuckanut Drive in Bow up to Bellingham and then explored Bellingham a little bit. We saw some gorgeous views and a beautiful sunset! After the sun was down we went to Starbucks! Oh I am starting to love this new tradition.. way better than Boston's! I love you Rachelle! Oh and she took all the pictures! This is just a few of them... there are others I'll post those later.











Thursday, May 20, 2010

Utah Certification

So after a LONG battle with trying to get my Utah teaching certification I finally got a phone call and an answer. Drum roll please...The state of Utah has decided to accept my application! Wohoo! I am so excited. I have been trying to get it since November. Turned in my application after I got everything form BYU-Idaho and everywhere else I things from and sent it in over a month ago. They weren't going to accept my application because I didn't have a test for Idaho completed. It is an Idaho based test and is only good for Idaho. They decided this was a very valid reason and so I am finally getting my certification! I am excited.. now just waiting for the job to go with it.

On a side note, my talk is coming along. I am ready for it to be over with.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Invitational Sunday

Last night after institute the branch president, who is amazing, pulled me into his office. We were chatting about life and how I am battling getting my certification- yes still! After we were talking for a little bit he was like I have two things to ask you. One is about a calling and the other is about invitational Sunday. I believe invitational Sunday is a stake thing that each ward is doing individually. Anyway, on May 23 the singles branch is having their Invitational Sunday where the members are encouraged to bring non-members and less actives to church with them. Missionaries from around the stake will be there I believe and it sounds like a really big deal. Well, he asked me if I would speak at it about the Atonement or Restoration or something along those lines. Good thing I have a week and a half to think about it. President Vaughan told me if I need any help to let him know and he would be glad to help. Besides asking for his help, I am also asking you guys for thoughts/ideas on this topic. I am excited to give a talk about it but have no idea what to talk about, especially with everyone that is supposed to be there. I am kind of intimidated about the whole thing. Oh and it has to be 15-20 minutes too! Please send me your thought and ideas to help with this. He really wanted me to focus on the Atonement or Restoration but I could talk about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, things that go along with either of those two main topics if needed. HELP!!!!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Homeward Bound

So I didn't get the job I interviewed for, really didn't think I would. It was the worst interview I have ever been in. I thought I did well but the guy I was interviewing with kept cutting me off and criticizing me. It was bad. But, since i didn't get the job and I needed one, I came to my last resort and moved back home to work at JanSport. I started this week and am already ready for the summer to be over as far as work goes. I wish I could just enjoy my job at JanSport like I enjoy teaching. Teaching makes the day go by so much faster and I love it. JanSport is just a job for money. But anyway, I am home, working, freezing, and trying to get used to life in Washington again.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Interview tomorrow!

About a week ago I got an email from a principal at Granger Elementary saying this: "Granger Elementary School, Granite School District, would like to interview you for an hourly teaching position. This position would begin as soon as the hiring process is completed. This position would require qualified applicants to work with struggling reading and math students in a small group setting. There is no contractual promise. This position would end at the end of June 2010. Please respond to this email as soon as possible so an appointment can be made. Thanks for your interest." I was quite excited when I checked my email and emailed her back right away saying I was interested. A few days after I got another email saying this: "Congratulations!

You are one of 16 applicants being considered for our 2 hourly teaching positions at Granger Elementary School. We will be conducting interviews on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at the school. We are located at 3700 S. 1950 W, West Valley City, Utah. We are in a beautiful new building located behind the Redwood Drive In.

The position you will be interviewing for is a teaching position working with small groups of students (about 5) on fluency and comprehension skills using the Read Naturally program during the morning hours. Each group runs 30 minutes seat to seat. You’ll be picking up the students from their class, taking them to a teaching station, teaching and then returning them to their class. After a lunch on your time, you’ll be working with small groups of students on math, using the computer program “Study Island” to address number concepts, problem solving, and measurement. You’ll need to be flexible as your teaching space will change throughout the day.

You’ll be working about 6 hours per day, 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday. The pay is on the teacher salary scale and runs about $25/hour with a Bachelor’s degree and no teaching experience. It takes up to 2 weeks for the district to make the decision to hire after we make the recommendation. Once that decision is made, the position starts. We’ll be working through June 24th.

If this job is one you’d like to interview for, we’d love to see you on Tuesday, April 27th at ____11:15____. Come to the office, bringing your resume and any information you’d like us to see. We don’t have your file in front of us, so use this time to let us know all about your skills.

We look for to meeting you."

Yep, I go in for an interview tomorrow! I am quite excited about it but sad to not be subbing at my school anymore if I get the job. I asked my principal to write a letter of recommendation for me and she did. I read it and wanted to cry. I love her! So cross your fingers and pray that I get it. It will be good to have a more permanent job for a few months at least.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Summertime??

The weather has been beautiful! It is so nice to be able to go outside in shorts and flip flops or a skirt and not get cold until night time! Minus the snow I woke up to Tuesday morning this week has been beautiful and warm (around 70). It is supposed to be nice for a few more days.. yay!

Yesterday I went on a field trip again with the fourth graders at Kelsey's school. This time they went to the Hogle Zoo. I was quite excited about going to the zoo. It has been 5 years (last day of high school) that I have been to the zoo. It was such a nice day and I only had 3 kids I was in charge of. It was great! The kids were great until the end. They were getting tired and whiny. Overall the Hogle Zoo was a lot of fun but I decided that Woodland Park is still better. I was very excited to see the baby giraffe, baby elephant, and baby tiger. When we got there I found out that the baby giraffe died. Sad day! The giraffe's are probably my favorite thing to see at the zoo. But I did get to see 4 other giraffes and the other babies. Refer to the pictures for more on what we saw... I took a lot and won't bore with all the pictures. I'll post the pictures later.. this post is long enough.

On another note... I have subbed three days this week after tomorrow. Subbing is still going well for me. I am getting anywhere from 2-3 days a week on average. Some more and some non at all. But I usually work every week. I am still subbing a lot at my school and love it! The kids there are awesome minus all their behavior problems. A lot of the issues are because of family things. It breaks my heart but I have come to a new love for those kids with some of the things they go through daily. After school today I was talking to a few of the teachers and one of the teachers told me they are cutting back at least one teacher next year. I am still hoping they will hire me despite it all. Another teacher told me go check out summer school. So I went to talk to the lady over it and she said they will probably be looking for another teacher but would let me know for sure. If they are then I have the job! Wohoo! It will only be for a month but it is only 4 hours a day, $25ish/hour, 3 hours of teaching with 1 hour prep. What a perfect job! I am crossing my fingers and praying I get it. I am also going to go apply for a reading specialist job. It is not somehting that I really want to do, but it is a job and the district will train me and get me certified, so why not! I just hope that work falls into place and I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Other than that, life is great! I am loving life and trying to learn from it everyday. I am grateful for everything that I have in my life. My thoughts and prayers are with the Cruickshank's at this time. To read more about what is going on there click on their blog from my blog lists. It was quite heart breaking and makes you evaluate your life and appreciate all you have. Get better Scott! Beside's that, I am back on the market and trying to find someone. I guess I should stop with this post before it takes you 3 days to read it. I love you all!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter weekend

What a weekend! I had spring break last week so it was nice except for everyone left me this weekend. Becky's parents were down so she was with them and Kels went home for her dad's funeral and the Hale boys were with Becky or doing their own thing. So I spend time with Ron and his family. The week was pretty good minus all the snow and cold weather! Becky and I went to the temple Thursday. Friday Ryan and I went out to dinner and to a movie. That night my old roommate Rachel came into town and stayed with me. Saturday was general conference. I watched it by myself in front of my computer then Ron picked me up later and we went to Cabella's and out to dinner. It was good to spend some time with him. That night Rachel and I went and had some Gelato's and drove around Salt Lake. She is getting ready for her mission. I am super excited for her. She is going to Ohio Cincinatti Spanish speaking and leaves May 12. It's crazy but I am happy for her. Then Sunday, Ryan, Amber, and I went to General Conference at the conference center. Afterwards, Becky, the Hale's, and I went to Idaho for the funeral on Monday. Monday I went and saw Liz and her family then came back and went to Aunt Helen's birthday. The weekend went by quick but it was tons of fun.

I am so grateful for the talks that were given in conference. It has made me think a lot as well as strengthening my testimony of the gospel, especially my Savior. I am so glad I am a member of the church and have the gospel in my life. It is such a strength to me. I am grateful for our Savior and for the Atonement. I am also grateful for my family and for the examples that each one of you bring to me. There are so many things in my life to be grateful for that I will spare you the details. But I want you to know that I love my Savior and all He has done for us.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Hokanson's

In a previous blog I told you about my friend Kelsey's dad. Things weren't getting any better or any worse. Yesterday Kelsey calls me when she got off work. I thought she was calling to see what I was doing, so I yell in excitement that it's spring break only to not hear a happy answer on the other end. I hear Kels crying. I immediately asked what was wrong. Through the tears, Kels somehow managed to get the words out that her dad passed away that morning. My heart sank! I didn't know what to think. I can't even imagine what Kels is feeling. When Kels got home we shed many tears together and talked about it. After several hours and tears Kelsey went home with her brothers to be with their mom. They are all doing pretty well considering the circumstances. I am amazed at Kelsey's strength! She is such a great friend and I know that I can count on her for anything. Right now they are making funeral plans and spending time together as a family. I think a few of us from Salt Lake are going to go up to the funeral on Monday.

Kels I want you to know I love you and am always here for you! You are amazing! I love you!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Festival of Colors

Today Kelsey, Becky, and I went to this Festival of Colors down in Spanish Fork. It is a Hindu thing to celebrate spring (I believe). At first I wasn't sure what was going on then Kels showed me some pictures before we left this morning and it looked so cool. So we ventured down to Spanish Fork. As we were arriving at the temple there we got really excited. We went and bought our chalk and started throwing it all over us and others, as well as others throwing it on us. I was nailed right in the ear to start off by some random person. Then they went and got Becky in the face. When the actual celebration started it was really cool. The arrangement of colorful chalk went flying in the air. The color was so vibrant and you couldn't breathe when you in the middle of it all. We found out the hard way. But needless to say it was a blast. We are already planning on going next year but going way more prepared with face masks!



Standing in line waiting for the shuttle "school bus"


Who's the genius who wrote this? I think they need to learn their spelling...


Where the party was at


Waiting for the shin-dig to start.. yes we were covered already


Throwin' some chalk


After the big cloud of chalk.. we were in the center and couldn't breathe so we moved



The aftermath....