Stuck, Stuck, Stuuuuuuccckkkk!!

Hola!

This week was awesome, a little chillier, and pretty funny!

Thursday we had the baptism of Alex, an 8 year old in our ward. This  baptism was a party. There were balloons, party favors, a HUGE cake bigger than any I'd seen at any wedding, and party favors. It was insane! We had basically half the ward show up, which was awesome. Alex is an awesome kid, but he has more sass than any child I've ever met.  Yes, more sass than me and Emmy. Combined. Hard to imagine, I know. Haha. But it was amazing to see the change in him after his baptism. I talked to him on Sunday, and he was a new kid. He told me how excited he was to get the Holy Ghost, and was extremely calm and awesome. It was crazy. Baptism really can change people if they let it. It is an ordinance of a God--a new birth. The chance to start over new. And I was blessed to see that change take place even in an 8 year old.

A baby shower for a ward member

On Friday was the mission Christmas party! It was outstanding! I loved every minute of it! We had all 261 missionaries in the mission there. Everyone made sure to arrive at least 1 1/2 hours early so we could have time to talk to everybody... Haha. But guess who I saw!? Sister Syd Jensen!! She is so cute, and it was awesome to see such a good friend from home. She keeps telling me to get transferred up to her area. Haha. We had a very spiritual musical program (my mission is so talented-- I think half my mission wants to study theater and/or music when they get back, go figure.), and then talks from both President and Sister Morgan. The spirit was strong, and testified of the real reason for the season: our Savior Jesus Christ. I am so thrilled to be able to spend this holiday giving Him the best gift I can think of: devoted service. He has given the greatest of all the gifts of God--eternal life with my family, and I couldn't be more happy to be spending all my time paying Him back.

Sunday we had an awesome lesson in Sunday school about exaltation-our ultimate goal of living with God. I heard a quote earlier in the week from Elder Russell M. Nelson, who said that, "While salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a FAMILY matter". It was awesome to testify to new converts and investigators that the only way we CAN live with God is by completing the ordinances that He has instigated: baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, receiving the Priesthood for men, receiving your endowment in the temple, and being sealed to your family in the temple for eternity. I know that these things are special, and they are truly the only way to return. I feel so blessed to have been able to feel of the importance and receive of these events in my life. Now all I have to do is keep on trudging and making sure that every day I am worthy enough to be comfortable with God. It's like I have received the keys to open the door to the house.  But, I need to make sure I can feel like I belong, or like it is MY house.  I will be able to be with the ones I love there.

On Monday, along with Dad's birthday, it was Elder Gamble's, my super awesome district leader's birthday! To celebrate we threw him a surprise party at a member's house (Susy). Even preparing for the surprise party was eventful, so the night was bound to be a little dramatic. Normally Elder Gamble, Elder Geisel, Sister Lancaster, and I head to Susy's house to eat on Mondays, so we decided we would invite all the elders  and our ward mission leader to her house early to surprise him when he showed up. Two problems arose with this plan: we run on Dominican time, and Elders Gamble and Geisel ended up going on a split with Elders Stephens and Duvall.  (Luckily for us, Elder Gamble was planning on staying in his area, so he was still planning on coming to dinner.) On Sunday Elder Duvall showed Elder Gamble his and Stephen's schedule to prove that they actually had things planned for the day. Included in that plan was an event on Monday at 7 pm, conveniently named "Gamble surprise".  Haha, gotta love those elders... So after that Elder Gamble had a few suspicions.

Elder Gamble's "surprise" birthday party

On Monday, Hermana Lancaster and I were heading to Susy's after an appointment in our area when we get a text from Elders Wilkins and Hurtado telling us that Gamble is now under the impression that we were not going to make it to Susy's tonight and instead they were going to go, and that we should just "play along". Apparently earlier in the afternoon Elders Hurtado, Wilkins, Gamble, and Geisel all found themselves together in their apartment. As is missionary tradition, they decided to pray before they headed out the door. When Elder Wilkins said the prayer, he blessed that they would get to Sister Susy's house safely. This of course confused Elder Gamble, since Elder Wilkins was not supposed to be going to Susy's that night.  So Elder Wilkins threw in a quick cover up, saying that the sisters had called and they were trading places. These boys do not know how to keep a secret.  It ended up that Hermana Lancaster and I were the last ones at Susy's house since Dominican time means we're always running late. So when we walked in the door we yelled a huge "surprise!!", and then watched as Elder Gamble gave us a really lame reaction. Either way, it was still a fun party and we had a delicious dinner.

After the party was over, we all left the apartment at the same time then waited for the elevator to show up--8 missionaries plus one ward mission leader.  Diosfer was the last one to step in the elevator when it arrived, and like the boys that they are, a couple elders hockey shoved him into the door. Next thing I know, we're stuck in a tiny stinky elevator with a trash bag, a fly the size of a ring, eight missionaries, and one ward mission leader.  This elevator was not moving anywhere.  The first thing we do, freak out a little. Do some jumping and yelling, and then quickly push all the buttons as if they were about to diffuse bombs or something. With no luck there, we had Diosfer call Susy.  He calls, but the Spanish he grew up speaking in the DR has left his brain, and instead of saying we're stuck in the elevator, he tells her that the elevator touched us. She must have thought it was a prank call, because she hung up immediately after that. After a few minutes of laughing at the fact that us gringos have to correct a Dominican's Spanish, we decide to take the next step and press the emergency call button. It rings a couple time, them says "Hello, this is the elevator service..." Diosfer yells out, "yeah we're stuck in an elevator!" The response, "we're sorry, please call back during normal business hours, 9-5..." With our few logical ideas busted, we decide to do the thing we should have done in the first place: PRAY.  I know prayers are answered on my own, so with a group of 7 other stellar missionaries and a ward mission leader, our prayer was bound to be pretty loud up in Heaven. Elder Duvall said a really sweet prayer, using the correct Spanish word for stuck. After the prayer, the giant fly came and attacked Sister lancaster and I and the elders pushed the emergency call button again. "Hello this is the elevator service." We were all silent. The voice spoke again. "Hello? This is the elevator device? Hello?" SOMEONE ANSWERED!!!  We told him our location, then he hung up. After that we tried Susy. Guess who answered her phone, and guess who spoke correct Spanish?! Susy told us she would get the super.  PRAYER half-way ANSWERED! BOOYA! So now it was a waiting game.  Usually it takes the fire department about 3 hours to respond to elevator calls, and while Susy is awesome, who knows what her super could actually do. In the process of all of this, we thought we felt the elevator move, but even then, the door never opened.  So after about 10 minutes of taking pictures, and telling Elder Gamble he had the best birthday story ever, someone thought to push the door open button. Next thing we know, the door swings open on the fifth floor! (We started at the basement... Hahaha). We all rushed out, more willing than ever to take the stairs! Sister lancaster passed out against the wall (from laughing too hard) for about 2 minutes, and then we headed home! But I know that prayers are answered! God hears every one and is just waiting for us.

GORGEOUS New York skyline

Love you all tons!! The Church is true, and I am blessed to be a part of this great work!

Love,

Hermana Dodson

For those of you that haven't seen the chalk art mural pictures at reachmygospel.blogspot.com, here are some Sadie took:

Stake Conference in the Bronx!

Hola mi familia!

Due to popular demand, I am now writing a weekly family email.  This week was super fast.  It was also pretty crazy.  We had stake conference and it was MIND BLOWINGLY good.  The theme was the temple, which was the perfect kick off for me to post my picture of the temple!  Conference was truly inspiring.  Our stake president talked about ridding yourself of all corrupting influences.  We focused on Moroni 10:32 (my mission scripture!!) and how it says to rid yourself of ALL ungodliness.  It was amazing.  He called everybody to repentance about getting to the temple as often as possible.  Not only is that the place that will lift us up above the world for the rest of our week, but it is also the place where we become partners with the Savior in saving souls.  How amazing is that?!  We are truly fulfilling our purposes as members of the Church and God's children as we make an effort to go to the temple.  

Sadie's newest piece: "The Spirit of God"

He also talked about keeping the sacred things of the temple sacred.  He also told us that modesty goes FAR BEYOND clothing.  It is about being careful and highly upholding the sacredness of the body.  The best quote from conference: "Many of you have heard it said that 'Modest is hottest.' NO.  Modest is Godliness."  I LOVE THAT!  Modesty is how we show that we are godly- that we want to be gods.  Do you think that in the eternities when we have earned the right to become gods and goddesses and our own worlds that we will be sitting there in hot shorts and bikini tops?  The last quote I loved from conference: "It is okay to be sad, depressed, ridiculed, stressed, etc.  But it is NEVER okay to be UNGODLY."  

Sunday night we had a fireside from Elder Nielsen, who was the one at General Conference who spoke about exclamation points.  He talked to us about how important it is to focus on the basics.  he told us about when he was called as a stake president, and had no idea what to do.  He went to the temple and oddly enough instead of feeling inspired to direct his stake members about going to the temple or focusing on missionary work, etc. He felt inspired to learn himself the Articles of Faith, and then to apply them.  He found that during his time as Stake President he was asked sooo many questions and put in so many situations where the Articles of Faith were relevant.  Such as the time President Hinckley was on 60 minutes, etc.  He had a friend grill him about the gospel, and he was able to answer every single accusation with an Article of Faith.  It reminded me of how I was prompted in the MTC to memorize the Articles of Faith in spanish.  I have yet to have huge opportunities to use them, but I am ready for when the happen!  I have felt the power of the Articles of Faith though.  They were inspired by our prophet, Joseph Smith, in a time where people had no idea what the gospel was about.  Even now, people don't know that much about the gospel, and the Articles of Faith still stand pure and true.  I love that.

Anyway conference was awesome. I loved it. It was a huge blessing to hear from a general authority, from a fantastic stake presidency, and also from President and Sister Morgan.

Also we received iPads this week! Currently I am typing on my iPad! It is awesome! We are doing The Lord work so differently now and I love that. It is an incredible blessing.  We are the ninth mission in the world to be receiving them, so we are definitely the guinea pigs. So it will be exciting to see how they progress!

This week we will be doing (hopefully) a chalk finding activity!  The zone leaders asked for us to think of ideas, and then two days ago were like, "oh, Sister Dodson, what are you going to draw for us?" So apparently it is kind of my project. I am sooo excited. We will be doing it on Saturday so expect pictures on Facebook soon.  I am thrilled to be able to use my talent to spread the gospel. I have been learning that that is the real reason I have it.  God gives us talents only for the use of the building up of his kingdom. I am so grateful for my gift, and for the support of people! My temple drawing has gone viral on Facebook. TONS of missionaries shared it, as well as many people from home! It is a blessing from God.  I am just grateful to be an instrument in His hands.

So a couple funny stories from this week: first I have learned that it is always better to stretch at home after working out at the gym... New York is scary. Luckily because we have been wearing big puffy coats and glasses we don't get cat called as much! The other day we were walking past a man with an electric wheelchair. When he drove past he almost ran over Sister Lancaster, and they had an awkward moment of yelling sorry at each other. Afterwords, as he's driving away he says, "Don't worry, I'll give you a ride next time!" I was laughing so hard.

Also this week I may have had a Marilyn Monroe moment! It has been super windy. We wear big coats, jackets, tights, glasses, etc. the glasses are awesome. The wind chill is terrible here and I don't like it when my eyes just water and water, so we got glasses to lock the cold wind! They have helped tons. Also we need them to protect your eyes from the poop, trash, and Dirt that gets blown into your eyes. Anyways we had dinner at a members house with a couple elders. I was wearing my orange skirt, my green coat, boots, but no tights (it was 68 degrees that day. November 18, and 68 degrees,). Anyways right when we walk outside,  a huge gust of wind comes up and blows my skirt up in the air! I am standing right next to an elder, with sister Lancaster and the other elder barely in front of me! Luckily I don't think the elders saw anything! Hahaha.

We have been focusing on members this week, and so far have four dinner appointments lined up this week! That is pretty exciting. Member missionary work is what creates lasting and strong conversions. Members are the key! So I would encourage you to continue looking for people to help convert. Everybody needs a good friend in the Church.

Love you guys so much! Thank you for all!

Love you!!!

Sister Dodson