Dear Everyone,
This week was something special. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to meet Juan A. Uceda from the Seventy, who's president of the Northwest South american area! Not quite as cool as what cousin John Boekweg got to experience with Elder Christofferson, but still pretty cool in it's own sphere!
He talked to us about a lot of things that will help me be a better missionary. One thing he talked to us about is "Faith Vs. Fear". Sometimes as missionaries (and members), we don't do things because we're often scared that we might mess up, or that someone would correct us, or that it would be a waste of time. He taught us that when we know what's right, and it's the opportune moment, JUST DO IT! "If you're scared to do it, do it being scared!" (my favorite quote). Fear is just a phantom that doesn't exist.
One thing I learned from the spirit of that lesson was that fear, too, can be a form of pride, which is the great stumbling block. I made the connection when I realized that there are so many things that don't get done because of fear, when we're scared of putting something that's ours at risk, whether it be our reputation, our good feeling, or whatever. Both fear and pride are great stumbling blocks, and they're almost the exact same thing.
Another thing he taught us is how we can better study the scriptures. He gave us an example and drew a 8x8 grid on the board, telling us to find all the squares. Some people immediately said 64. In reality, there were 204 squares, and most were hidden. Some were larger than others, some were in places we didn't even think.
Studying the scriptures is like that. Sometimes, when we read the scripture just to get farther in, we're only learning 64 of the 204 that's there. That's less than a third of what we can be learning. So he gave us an example of what we can do better. We went through a passage of scripture, going phrase by phrase, looking up definitions and footnotes along the way. It was slow, but very, VERY sure. Along the way, we also began asking ourselves questions such as, "How can I be more like Abinadi?" or "Am I filled with 'soberness' like the Stripling Warriors?"
It was a very amazing experience. I want to invite all of you guys to do it too. You'll learn more from 10 minutes of one verse than you have reading it 10 times normally.
This week, as some might have noticed, I've done something a bit different. This email was one I wanted to share with everyone, so I sent it to more people than just the family. I sent it to some friends too, especially the ones who are out on missions. I hope what I've learned from Uceda can help bless your life too.
Love,
Elder Dixon
P.S. Happy Birthday, Todd!
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