Halloweeeeeeeen!

HALLOWEEN

There will be a Halloween Party

At the Dixon's home in West Point

A light supper will be served at 5 pm

Trick or Treating starts about 5:30-ish.

Hope you can come!

Sarah's October 24th Email

Hey all!

Hooray about Katie! Prayers will not cease!

This week has been busy! We have helped people move and organize their houses. It has been quite a task! The people of New England are inherent Hoarders! some of them have birdhouses that are falling apart they don't want to get rid of! We were helping our investigator Linda clean her house and she is obsessed with Elvis, so we were finding moldy Elvis paraphernalia from the 60s she wasn't going to get rid of. It was so much fun! However, not so much fun, I think I caught something from one of the houses we've been in recently, because I haven't been feeling well. Last night We didn't have anyone for Dinner and I told my companion I was going to lie down during dinner hour and then we could get up and go out. When I woke up, it was 7am this morning. She said she didn't have the heart to wake me up. It just surprises me because I don't feel too bad today.

Anyway, that's about all about me...now I'll give you the next installment with Jacob and Mary...

So we were at a members home, helping out because the father has a problem with his leg and can't stand on it right now (It looks all nasty, like his leg is rotting off) and we get a call from Jacob. He would call us every so often just to tell us about his progress with smoking. So I cheerfully answer the phone,

"Hey Jacob, how is it going?"

"Is there anyone in the ward who could put me up for the night?"

"Erm...why?"

"I can't stay here I'm leaving."

"What happened?"

"My wife is the devil!"

At which point, There is yelling in the background and the phone is wrestled away from Jacob and I hear Mary,

"I just can't handle him! He keeps asking for a cigarette over and over and over! I'm done! I'm not giving it to him!"

"Good Mary! Don't!"

"Yeah, but he's yelling at me and shoving me around!"

"Are you hurt?"

At this point there is more yelling and scuffling.

"Mary, let me talk to Jacob!"

"He says he doesn't want to talk to you. He locked himself in the room. I don't know what to do! He's a monster."

"It's just the addiction talking. It's okay, he'll come to himself soon. Don't worry."

"I know, it's just...hard to handle."

"Give us a call if he is unmanageable and we will be right over."

So I hang up the phone and tell Sister Allen what's going on. Jacob likes to overreact to things so we weren't too worried, in fact, we kind of laughed about it (we are so callow) but about twenty minutes later, Mary calls us back up, crying.

"Sisters, He's threatening to leave me! he's packing his things!"

Sister Allen and I look at each other.

"Where is he going to go? He is so dependent on you! He has no money, no drivers license and no friends around."

Mary paused. "That's true."

Then we started laughing. "Betcha he will be back in fifteen minutes. Let him go. We will be right over.

So we drove over there and just as we came up to their porch, Mary came out crying.

"I can't handle it anymore!"

"How long did he last?" We asked, after handing her a tissue.

She gave a little smile. "Ten minutes."

"He's back now?"

"Yes. he's pouting in his room."

"Well, lets go in and do something about this."

So we went in, and to make a very long story short, We left them laughing and cuddling and watching home videos. The spirit is amazing!

So that was the most exciting thing that has happened this week. Sorry for the blow by blow, but I thought it was hilarious! They are doing well. Jacob had to stand up in Gospel principals and give a short speech about how God helped him through the trial, but how he was on his third day without cigarettes and he was done with them. He also listed all the good reasons for quitting smoking and gave a demonstration of how his breathing has improved in just three days! We love Jacob and Mary so much! they are tons of fun.

Well, I love you all! I hope this week is awesome for you. I won't be e-mailing until next Wednesday because it's transfer time again! Anyway, I love you all!

Sister Dixon

What happens when small kids discover a hole in the drywall.

Sarah's October 17th Email

Hello wonderful families and friends!

It sounds like things are going slightly better for Katie! God is amazing. I will be constantly praying for you! My heart goes out to you. I love you tons!

This week was pretty good. We went over to teach Jacob and Mary and we found out that they caved in to temptation again. So we had a very spiritual lesson about why they wanted to give it up and at the end of it, Jacob pulls out his pack of cigarettes and looks at them thoughtfully,

"It's salvation or a cigarette." I say, thinking I'm all clever.

He looks over and hucks the cigarettes at me. Then he goes through the whole house and gives us all his cigarettes, his coffee, his energy drinks, energy shots, coffee creamers, and then, as a final last touch, he unplugs the coffee maker and hands it to me.

"Get it out. I never want to see it again." He says.

We were so excited at the end of the lesson, that Sister Allen had to get out of the car and run about half a mile before she could sit still. I drove behind her singing the rocky theme at the top of my lungs. We threw it all away except for the creamers. They are perfectly good and we put it in our hot chocolate :)

So we just had a super fun P-day. A member drove us down to Newport, RI. If there was anywhere I wanted to live, it is down there. It is the epitome of cute New England seaside village. As we started to drive around, We were passing these beautiful big homes

"Oh, what beautiful mansions" I say.

"Oh,"says our member, "Those are just the servants quarters..." then we turn the corner, and SHAZAAM!!! It was the biggest mansion I had ever seen! It looked like Pemberly off of Pride and Prejudice. Naked statues included!! We went to four giant mansions, each bigger than the next. Apparently, when the railroad was being built, the giant tycoons all built their hugeo mansions within five miles of each other. Probably to show off. Anyway, we also went on a cliff-walk and sat at the beach for a while. It was a lot of fun. I found a dead crab and the members 4 year old son and I poked at it for a good ten minutes. fun fun. It is so beautiful down there!

I am, however, upset with New England. Because of the hurricane and all the rain we've been having, we have gotten a very drab fall. Everyone is upset about it. I'M upset about it. I only have so much time here, people! I want to see the best fall New England has to offer! harrumph. Oh well, what do you do. No amazing pictures, sorry. Anyway, I hope this week goes well for all of you!

I love you all!
Sister Dixon

2011 Medals

I feel great! And to prove it, Robert and I ran the Layton Half-Marathon. We also got some good news today. The biopsy results show that the tumor is Grade I or low grade which means that if it hasn't spread it is only a stage I cancer. They are doing another CT scan and doctor appointment to make sure it hasn't spread. The tumor is also mobile which means that it may not be stuck to too many organs (I may keep my kidney after all). Next will be radiation therapy for 5 weeks or so and then surgery. With all the prayers and my absolute awesomeness, this cancer hasn't got a chance!!!

Sarah's October 11th email

This has been a slow week. On Sunday, Jacob and his wife, Mary got blessings to quit smoking, and it was a amazingly spiritual experience. the next day, Jacob called us and told us it was too hard, and that he had to have a cigarette.

"Do you remember that feeling when you got your blessing?" I yelled at him.

"yes, but--"

"That was GOD telling you that this is true."

"Yes I know, but--"

"Gods Not Going To Give You Anything You Can't Handle!!!"

"But you don't understand--"

"DO YOU BELIEVE IN CHRIST OR NOT?!? YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!!!!"

...I think I was a little hard on him. Our investigators have been really flaky lately, so I was trying out my Jeffery R Holland mode. no one says no to him.

We are going over to teach him tonight and hopefully he's not angry with us. I don't think he will be. He likes us too much:) And he ended up giving in, so he'll probably be very sheepish.

So I put on Sister Allen's birthday surprise. She really loved it, so yay! It was still a surprise, although she knew something was coming. But whatev.

Nothing else to report.
I Love you all!

Sister Dixon

Day of Fast and Proyer for Katie

Tomorrow (Sunday). All invited to participate.

Love,

Dad

Sarah's October 3rd Email

Heya all!

WOW!! Wasn't conference awesome!?! I loved the very first talk about the scriptures. I loved when he called them friends. What a sweetheart! He obviously loves the Book of Mormon so much!

I've decided that I'm going to memorize a scripture a day until the end of my mission. This morning I memorized Alma 47:6-7 "Now you may think that this is foolishness in me, but behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass, and small means, in many instances doth confound the wise, And the Lord God doth work by means to bring to pass his great and eternal purposes, and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

See? I did that without even looking! I though it was a fitting scripture, since memorizing a scripture a day is a small and simple thing.

Anyway, Emily, you are so stinkin' cute! Even if you didn't get royalty at school, you are royalty in my heart. awwwwww!

So things this week have been really good. I got your package, Mom. Thank you so much. I am currently looking styling because of you! The ward here is awesome, they have been taking good care of us. A little too good. They like their desserts here in New England.

The work is going well! We are working hard. Jacob and his wife, Mary will be baptized in November if they can quit smoking! Hooray!

Sister Allens birthday is this week, and I've been trying to get together some sort of surprise for her, but it SO HARD because she is always with me. I've already gotten into a couple tangles that I had to do some quick thinking to get out of. But I think I have it all together and she will have a good birthday.

Well, that is all from the front this week. Hope you are all well! I love you! Thank you so much for your prayers, they help so much.

Sister Dixon

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

This is the recipe for the chocolate ginger cookies Jim and I brought today. A few people asked, so here it is! Enjoy.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tbls. all-purpose Flour

1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 Tbl. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Tbl. freshly grated peeled ginger (the bottled ginger works also. Note that this is different than the dried ground ginger)

1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar

1/2 c. unsulfered molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. boiling water

7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks (the better the quality of the chocolate, the better these taste. I recommend Guittard or Ghirardelli. Also, you can add more or less than this, depending on your preference)

1/4 c. granulated sugar

In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa.

Beat butter and fresh ginger on medium speed until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

Dissolve baking soda in boiling water in a small bowl (hot water from the tap works fine). 

Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate.

Turn dough onto a long sheet of plastic wrap. Pat out to 1-in thickness and seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll dough into 1 1/2 in. balls, rolling the balls in granulated sugar; place 2 inches apart. Chill 20 min. (we skip this step). Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, about 10 to 12 min., rotating halfway through (we also skip the rotating step). Let cool 5 min., then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Warning: Your house will smell like Christmas.