4/28- We got to leave the apartment for a service project!

So Transfer calls were last Tuesday and I'm staying here with my two wonderful companions! I have had opportunities to get a lot more creative this week. I have made many Facebook videos to enlighten and uplift, and it has been super fun planning those out. At first it was just plain awkward but now it's, well, still awkward but fun. 

I have also been staying busy with crafting. A member let us borrow her sewing machine and a Sister donated some cloth to us, so I have been making face masks to donate. So far I have made twelve, and this week I hope to make more! It only took about five completely failed masks to get it figured out, but now I only make a mistake every three masks, so that's improvement. The place we are donating them to requested we leave a little pocket opening at the top for them to put filters into the mask, so I left little encouraging notes in there for the nurses. 

Also, since our building is confusing and our apartment is on the third floor, people have trouble finding us when they come to drop stuff off. Now, to try and make it easier for them, we have them call us when they get here and then open our garage for them. They leave the stuff in there, we close it, then go and get it after they leave. Another thing we are starting to do to thank them, since we don't go to church and can't give them thank cards, is drop them. I used old easter eggs, string, and tissues to make little parachutes. We put little thank you notes in them and drop them down, and it seems to have worked pretty well so far! 

Another thing we are starting to do, if people are bringing smaller stuff like craft supplies or snacks, we lower a little basket down to them to put the stuff in, that way we don't have to keep going back and forth between the garage and go back up the three flights of stairs with what they brought. The things you do to not have to climb multiple flights of stairs several times a day is amazing.

My mom sent another box of meal kits, and they have turned out pretty well. I learned how to make Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Zucchini & Garlic Thyme Potatoes and French Onion Chicken with Roasted Carrots & Mashed Potatoes, and yes, I did share with my companions. Tomorrow I am excited to try the last meal kit of the week, Thai Steak Tacos with Pickled Cucumber & Garlic Sriracha Mayo! By the end of this quarantine, I predict  I will be a much better chef and be able to join my brothers and mother in making delicious meals.

On Saturday, we had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with a food drive held at one of our church buildings. We wore masks and gloves and maintained a six foot distance from one another, and it was our job to wipe down every food container that was donated with bleach and organize them to make it easier to separate for the multiple trucks that would be coming to deliver the food. It was so nice being able to go out and serve so many with this food drive, and we hope opportunities like this will arrive in the future.

So yeah, my week has been full of fun and opportunities to create, think outside the box, and serve, three of my favorite things! It has been a really good week. God is leading this work and I am honored to be a part of it.

I am grateful everyday that I chose to serve a mission at this time.

4/20- Feeling a bit like Noah!

Today we hit 40 days of quarantine. We have been here for as long as Noah was stuck on his ark, except we don't have any animals... We do have plants, just no animals. Today is also my 5 month mark of being on my mission. Earlier this week, Sister Harvey hit her 6 month. To celebrate, I made her pizza for lunch and, per her request, made German Pancakes.

This week, we were able to invite a friend to be baptized, and they excepted! We are so excited for them. 

Mom sent us some meal kits and I learned how to make Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon with Apple Hash, Goat Cheese-Crusted Chicken, and (one of my personal favorites) Caprese Steak Strip Mini Flatbreads. It really brightened my day and given me things to look forward to everyday. I love learning new skills, and it turns out I love learning new recipes as well. I was also able to find a recipe for deviled eggs. This is the first time I've ever attempted to to make deviled eggs in my life and I think they turned out pretty well.

One major perk of not being stuck in an ark for 40 days is we have a lot better food, haha.

I am reminded over and over again that we are truly pioneers in this mission. When else have missionaries world wide been quarantined this long with so many being sent home? When else have missionaries used Facebook so often to do missionary work? When else has a mission had a Sister Dickson in it such as I? In the wise words of my mother, "Sister Dickson went on her mission and the entire world flipped upside down."

I am grateful everyday that I chose to serve my mission

One month in quarantine

It has officially been one month of being quarantined in the apartment. This is a badge I get to wear for the rest of my life, that I was on my mission during Covid-19 and that I SURVIVED! I have learned many skills while here, such as how to properly use a mask, how to make egg rolls, how to do Zoom calls, how to felt, and more. It's been quite the adventure so far, and I can't wait to see what next week holds!

We have been talking to so many amazing families this week over zoom and phone calls. Since we are new in the Littleton area, we had a lot of lessons with friends from Littleton to get to know them. I am blown away almost everyday by the members of the church in this mission. They are so faithful, dedicated, creative, giving, kind, thoughtful, fun, and just overall amazing. A Sister reached out to us and asked if we had any plans for Easter dinner, and when we said no she offered to bring us some food. When she dropped it off, she also dropped off a huge Easter basket full of treats and notebooks and pens, and many other gifts. The card said that it was from multiple families. During this chaotic time, these families thought of us and put this basket together for us, and it was the sweetest thing. We feel so loved and supported by them, it is truly inspiring. 

One scripture I've really enjoyed this week is 1 Nephi 11:17, which says

"17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."

I don't know why He allows certain things to happen, but one fact that I know is that God loves His children. I have seen this over and over again and I have felt it and I KNOW He loves His children. 

I ended up making a big pug, a medium pug, and a tiny pug with the materials that came with the kit.

 I felted a tiny pug. While making it, I only stabbed myself twice with the felting needles!

I was having somewhat of a hard day earlier this week, and I had to rest for a little bit because of it in the bedroom. After, I found these notes on the mirror from my companions. I am truly blessed to be quarantined with two angels.

My mom sent a box of Easter gifts, such as a bunch of little chicks. Since they were in the box, they were a little smooshed and flat. We fell in love with each and every chick, no matter how strange they looked.

We have been really enjoying our little walks. Two days ago, it was super sunny outside with a nice cool breeze. Then, on Easter, it began to dump snow. I am now looking outside our window and it is still snowing. With weather as random as this, it really is starting to feel like home.

One major plus of quarantine is more time to cook! The other day, we made smashed potatoes together.

We began a braid train. Another skill I am attempting to learn is how to do hair. It isn't going too well yet, but I have plenty of time to practice.

26 days in quarantine

This is day 26 of quarantine. At the beginning of the week, it came out that we need to wear face masks or scarves when going outside on our walks, while continuing to maintain a six foot distance from one another. Did we look suspicious? Yes. Were we being exactly obedient. Definitely!

Also, funny story, so last week we were able to go to the dollar store! While we were there, I grabbed some shredded cheese  to make pizza. For some reason, the cheese never melted, and while eating it all the toppings kept falling off. When looking at the ingredients, it had a whole lot of yeast, a few other things, and it said "may contain dairy." Main word, MAY. We were laughing about this while having a lesson with a friend, and she ended up bringing us some cheese and a shredder to make another pizza. Our friends here are AWESOME. So, I was able to make pizza. REAL pizza. It turned out a lot better than the first. 

My mom mentioned how people do "Heart Hunting" while going on walks, and invited me to join in. I could think of nothing that is more filled with love then the temple. Here in the temple, we are able to make covenants that make it possible not only to be with our family till death do us part, but for all eternity! The silhouette is of the Denver temple, which is about a forty minute drive from here.

I received a wonderful gift in the mail this week! I got a package from my Young Women's leader from home, Sister Henry. Inside she had this amazing wooden silhouette of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It was the sweetest thing, and brightened my day so much. I hope to be able to keep it throughout the mission and long after. I love art so much, and everyday my love for the Savior grows as I learn and study about Him everyday, and the silhouette is so simple yet full of love. I love how in it the Savior has a staff and is looking into the distance, because He is always watching over his flock, even now. He truly is the good Shepard. 

General Conference this year was truly memorable and I know that it will be unforgettable as well. Sister Harvey, Sister Kotyk and I were talking about conference traditions we do at home, and Sister Kotyk mentioned her family would always eat German Pancakes. The morning of conference, while Sister Kotyk was in the shower, I made German Pancakes for the first time. They turned out pretty well, but even more rewarding then whether or not they tasted good was the smile on Sister Kotyk's face when I took it out of the oven. It is truly a delight to be able to serve my wonderful companions. 

Also, some good news. Our mission President didn't want us all to crowd around a little phone screen to watch General Conference, and so we were able to borrow a monitor from a member to connect to our phones! It was so nice. Also, we decided to learn from the people who listened to King Benjamin, so we decided to make a tent (fort). Luckily, I have had PLENTY of business in fort building. 

Having the opportunity to listen to the Lord's living Prophet was spectacular. Every talk given was so full of power and love. We were given reassurance for what is happening in the world right now, advice and what we can do to become even closer to the Savior, and heard of miraculous experiences. There were many inspired words given, but one quote that really stuck out to me was "We didn't come this far to come this far." I am reminded over and over again that conversion is an eternal process. We are always growing, and our knowledge should grow with us as well. I have a deep love of learning, and I seek for opportunities to grow in knowledge and experience. I laughingly say I am a collector of hobbies, because every time I hear about a new hobby my curiosity grows and I want to learn all I can about it, then try it out for myself. One example of this happened earlier this week. Since we are quarantined, we usually stop doing lessons by 8:30, then we "cool down" by watching videos, playing instruments (if we have any), do family history, journal, clean, etc. One night I was watching some gospel videos, and I was inspired to try learning a new language. Here's the thing, I have a hard enough time speaking English, much less trying to speak another. I downloaded Duolingo, one of the few approved apps, and went looking through the languages. I knew the Lord wanted me to try learning a new language, I just didn't know which. I prayed and pondered and went through all the languages offered, but non seemed to stick out. After a few minutes of not receiving an answer, I finally picked on at random. I began to practice Hindu, and after twenty minutes I left the app to get ready for bed. As I left the app, as clear as day I heard the word Swahili. It continued to echo in my head, and I finally went back to the app and, sure enough, there was a class on Swahili offered. For the past week I have continued to practice every night. I know I do not have the ability to learn a new language, but I know God asked me to try learning this language and that He is blessing me for it. It is difficult, but it's becoming easier to understand. One night I was practicing, and it was going very well, I was understanding more and more, then all of a sudden I couldn't understand a single thing. I couldn't remember the difference between "Sisi" and "Wao", and I couldn't figure out how to say "he" or "my", and I just felt so confused. I had known and practiced those words less then a minute before, but I couldn't anymore. I tried to push through it, but I couldn't. I finally looked at the clock, and it was 10:31. Lights out is 10:30, and I had lost track of time. The moment it was past lights out, all knowledge of the language left me. It felt like reassurance from God, that I am not learning the language, but that God is teaching me what I need. He will continue to teach me and make it possible for me to learn this language, as long as I am being exactly obedient. When I am not obedient, when I do not follow the rules and the mission schedule, I am turning from Him and He no longer blesses me. These experiences on my mission are truly miraculous. I have a deep love of learning, and I am so excited for an opportunity to learn something new, and even more exciting is that I am not learning it alone but I am learning it by the Lord.

These experiences of being on a mission at such a time as this is truly unforgettable and miraculous. 

I am grateful everyday that I chose to serve a mission.

 

1) This was a picture of us on a walk BEFORE the mask rule was sent out.

 2) Sister Harvey's scarf was so large and stuck out from her face so far. It looked so strange, and she was such a great sport and would wear it to be exactly obedient.

3) It is such an honor to be able to wear the name of Jesus Christ and represent Him and His church every single day.

4) A few friends of ours sent us some masks! We were able to wear them today when we went shopping. We are hoping to be able to borrow a sewing machine soon so we can sew masks to donate. Another friend dropped off some cloth for us to use, and we are so excited to start sewing hopefully this week!