Merry Christmas in Croatia

We had a wonderful hour of telephone conversation with Elder Dixon yesterday on Christmas day.  It was 7:30pm in Zagreb; 11:30am in Mesa.  Elder Dixon was using an LDS chapel family history center computer.  We established a four-way Skype conference call, connecting Ryan with Heidi and her family in Colorado, David and his family in Mesa, and the rest of us at our home.  What a blessing to have this technology that allowed all our family to be together in this big conversation!

Ryan and his companion, who has been in Croatia about six months, are serving as zone leaders over the one zone in Croatia, which has a total of 32 missionaries, including elders, sisters and senior couples.  They regularly drive to visit seven different cities spread across Croatia where the missionaries are located. Ryan lives in Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, which has one branch of the church and the one free-standing church building in Croatia.

Ryan loves the Croatian people and his missionary work.  He really sounds great.  He said that he has been really blessed to never have a bad companion. We think that might have something to do with him being a great companion himself.

The following photo shows Elder Brady Mason (Ryan’s previous companion) and Elder Dixon with a prop they made for a zone leader training session.

 

I really apologize for not posting to this blog more frequently.  Here are some excerpts from recent emails:

October 17th

Welp, I love being a Zone Leader in the Slovenia-Croatia mission. I have the greatest companion. His name's Elder Mason. The man is so great. I told President it's like a high school basketball player playing along side Michael Jordan. I've always looked up to Elder Mason and now the brother is my companion. I'm loving it.

Zagreb is huge. Pula was pretty small (60 – 70 thousand peeps) and was kind of slow paced. Zagreb has about a million people and is busy and bustling. I love it hear. We drive a car hear. I little Opel hatchback. I don't know how to spell anymore I'm sorry. 

We spent nearly the entire first two days in the car, dealing with transfers and all kinds of red tape. We are so busy. What's great though is that we are in more teaching situations than any other time in my mission. There are so many people in Zagreb so close to baptism. So many potential priesthood holders. We met with somebody last night that is literally GOLDEN. He loves the doctrine that we can be holders of the priesthood and still have a wife and kids. When I familiarize myself with all these people better by next week, I'll fill you in a little better. Zagreb's on fire though. It's going to be such a great transfer.

There are really dedicated missionaries serving in this district. The missionary I trained two transfers ago, Elder Anderson, is training in Zagreb. There's also a set of sisters and a senior couple in our district.

It's cold over here. I'm not looking forward to another winter folks. The cold in Osijek was enough for a lifetime by me. I really think it will be freezing cold in Hades. I will probably be in a car instead of walking, so that's a plus.

The new missionary and I bore our testimonies at church on Sunday.  They asked me to share about myself, specifically to share the names of my brothers and sisters. Families are pretty small here, so it's surprizing for them to hear 5 bros and sisters. I was like ''I have 5 brothers and sisters. There names are Holly, Eric, Angie, David, and Heidi. I realized I had just said quite a few names, so at the end I just threw in a ''i tako dalje'' which means et cetera at the end.

They all laughed cause there's so many of us. There's an elder that just came in who has 12 bros and sisters. I bet Croats flip when they hear that.

Welp, I wish I could say more, but I better bounce. You guys take care. Peace out.

November 2nd

Another extremely busy week has passed. We had Zone Conference and Zone Leader Council last week. The latter meeting is where all the Zone Leaders in the mission, the Assistants, and President and Sister Hill gather and discuss the mission and stuff. It was a great meeting. Elder Wondra, who is an area 70 from Austria was there. I really enjoyed learning from him. Something I was reminded was that faith, when exercized, can make important things happen.

We have been busy traveling between areas, teaching, and different activities. Today, we are going to a coastal city called Zadar -- where Kresimir Cosic was from -- for P-day, and I am staying for an exchange with one of the Elders down there. I'll be there all tuesday. Then, on Wednesday we will be back in Zagreb. On Thursday and Friday, we have another exchange with the Elders in Osijek. Then we come back to Zagreb. Our schedule is way busy. It's really nice, but I'm kind of experiencing the growing pains of coming from Pula, a small town with few responsibilities to Zagreb, the biggest city in Croatia as a Zone Leader with the whole country under our stewardship. But, whether I like it or not, I've been called to this position, and it's where the Lord wants me to be. So, I will work at it.

November 9th

Man, it has been a busy, busy week. Elder Mason and I went on two 24 hour exchanges -- one with the Elders in Zadar and one with the Elders in Osijek. Elder Mason spent at least 26 hours in the car this past week. Haha, it's out of control. That's one thing I love about being a Zone Leader. We are so busy. It's draining, but the diverse schedule is really nice.

We are teaching some great people right now.  One investigator is doing really good. He's started coming to church without our inviting him. He's liking it a lot. We've been talking to him about baptism. He said he will get baptized when he finds out for himself that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but that he needs time. We are also working with a 26 year old girl. She is great. She is an English student. We teach her spiritual thoughts, and while Elder Mason was on an exchange with an Elder from Zadar, she started asking them why they came on missions and what motivated them to do what they do. They bore their testimonies and talked a lot about the peace that comes from the Gospel. She asked if she would be able to feel the same peace, and they obviously said yes and explained more. By the end of the meeting, she decided that she wanted to meet with us everyday to learn about this. So, we do! We do about half English class, half Gospel. Today, she had questions about baptism, so we talked about that. She said she would be willing to be baptized but just needs to learn more, which she does. She's doing really good.

District Conference is coming up, aka Croatian Stake Conference, where president Hill is going to meet. I'm going to be able to see Miro [from Pula] and my buddies from all over Croatia. I can't wait.

I was talking to Elder Babcock on my exchange with him in Osijek. We came out in the same MTC group, so whenever we meet up, we always seem to have kind of a contemplative conversation about the mission. We talked for a long time about how our missions have blessed us. I have been given so much on my mission. I haven't baptized a soul, but I wouldn't miss out on this mission for the world. The mission has just been a medium through which the Lord could bless me more. I'm truly thankful for what I've experienced.

Elder Mason just barely told me that I need to immediately learn how to drive stick. It's an order from the higher-ups in Ljubljana. So next week, I will be able to drive a manual car. Laterrrrrr...

November 16th

Our investigators are doing well. We just had District Conference in Zagreb for all of the Croatians and we had 4 investigators there. We are starting to work with an English student. He's in his twenties and comes to all the church meetings including sacrament meeting. It's really cool. Our investigator -- idk if i've told you about her -- is now in Germany for about 10 days, but she is thinking about baptism right now. She actually has a lot to learn still, but she has a lot of good feelings at the church and when she learns with us. We used to teach mostly english and like 15 minute lessons. Now she prefers that we only teach a few minutes of English and the rest about the Gospel. 

Our African investigator, loves church. He is struggling with the idea of the Godhead but has such a strong desire to understand what is true concerning the nature of the Godhead. He doesn't speak perfect English or Croatian, so we have experienced minor language barriers which make it hard sometimes. He speaks French and reads the scriptures in French. He has a friend in Paris that is going to hook him up with all the French liturature from the chruch there.

District conference was yesterday. I got to see Miro. That was great. He's still doing good. Yesterday, they made huge changes in District Leadership. Actually, They released everybody with district callings. Thats like wiping out everybody with stake callings, including the high counsil, etc. Then they called Elder Thompson, the husband in a senior couple in Zagreb, to be the District President. And they didn't call anybody else for a district calling. I guess they will later on. I think it will be a really positive change. Leadership in this country is just so unexperienced. It will be a fresh start, and President Thompson has his fair share of leadership training. He was a Bishop at 26, a convert at 19! Laterrrrrrr...

November 23rd

The other day, I met an angel! Not really, but... really. I was on an exchange in Zagreb with another Elder who serves in a city about 30 minutes from here. There was a member, who I hadn't remembered meeting before, who needed us to bring her groceries because her elevator is broken in her apartment. Because of her health, she couldn't make it up and down 10 flights of stairs to get to her apartment. So, the relief society president got a hold of us, and arranged for us to drive over there with about a month's worth of groceries.

After driving stick shift through through and getting lost in Hades (aka the center of Zagreb) with and new missionary that knows the city of Zagreb worse than I do as a navigator, we finally made it there. That was one of the most nerve racking experiences of my life. But it was worth all the blood, sweat, tears, and stalls in the road, because we met Gordana, the member, who upon seeing I realized I had met at the church before.

We packed the four garbage bags of groceries up to the last door on the fifth floor, and she was so happy to see us. She let us in. I've never seen such a small apartment in my life. I was probably half the size of the room in our house downstairs. The little bathroom was separate, but any other empty space was filled with a bed, some tiny kitchen appliances, a small table and desk, and just enough space to walk in front of each of those things. But it was so neat and in order. On a shelf mounted on the wall, there were pictures of her daughter, members of the Zagreb branch, and other family.

She had lots of books, many of which were church related books. She had us sit down on her bed, and she asked if she could make us some eggs. We told her we didn't have a lot of time, but we asked if we could share something with her from the scriptures. We shared some scriptures from the Book of Mormon, and said a little bit about them. Then, I asked her if she would share her conversion story with us. Without hesitation she went into it all.

She is from Sarajevo, Bosnia, where she experienced a lot of negative things as a result of the war. I don't really have time to tell her whole story, but it was one of the most touching conversion stories I have ever heard. Her testimony is heavily rooted in the fact that she can be with her loved ones forever. Something that really touched me was she always referred to her missonaries as her "dragi ucitelji", or "dear teachers", and very seldomly as missionaries. She revered those two missionaries as her dearest teachers more than anything else. They were literally the teachers or instructers that helped her understand for herself how to find peace, hope, and salvation. It made it clear what we really are as missionaries.

Another thing that was amazing about her was the things she had in her apartment. Like I said, she had very little, but what she did have taught me a lot. With virtually no space in her home, the few possessions she had showed who she was. On her shelf were the pictures of her family, friends, and all her church books. On the table next to me were her scriptures, marked and worn. On her doors hung her few dresses that she had. One of the dresses was hanging in a protective bag, and that was her temple dress. On the table, there was also a couple large binders that were full of 400 names of ancestors she has planned on doing or has already done temple work for. She is in angel, man. When we left, I was so uplifted and happy. I don't know if I have ever felt the converting Spirit stronger from the words of another person. I felt like I understood what it might have felt like for Joseph Smith to have spoken with the Angel Moroni. So cool... I love the members here. They are so faithful and all because they know it's true.

One of the people with baptismal dates in Zagreb is a 26 year old guy. I hooked him up with one of my suits, because he felt like he needed one if he was going to be a member. He speaks a little English, and he told the Sisters, "All the brethren have suits. I should have one too." Haha, brethren...

Welp, I better go. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Keep it real.

November 30th

Hello mother of Elder Dixon aka Claud hoppers! haha

This is Elder Anderson. Elder Dixon today had written you a wonderful email and as he was about to send it the computer went freaky and shut down or something along those lines. Non the less his letter was not sent and he was not able to send you a letter today. He is very busy as a Zones Leader and I told him i would take some time to write you adn let you know you have an AMAZING son. Not only was he my trainer but now i am lucky enough to have him as a Zone leader. He is amazing and definitely someone who not only me but the whole mission looks up to and a great example for us. He is such a great person in general! Sorry you were not able to hear from him this week and you had to hear from me.. yuck! haha

Hope you are all doing fine adn your son is doing good as far as i can see. I dont think he is having mental breakdowns or anything so.. you will hear from him next week tho :) take care

Elder Anderson

December 7th

It's been a great, busy week. And this week will be even greater and busier. We have two exchanges with missionaries from two of the farthest away cities (aka me driving driving cross-country Croat style), our Christmas Zone Conference, Elder Mason has to pack since he bounces in a week from today, and there's going to be a baptizm on Saturday for Toni, the guy I hooked up with a suit. I was asked this week if I would baptize him. So this Saturday, I will be getting into the water with a convert! I'm excited. I've never taught him or anything, I just see him at church and hear about him a lot. It will be great to be a part of his conversion in that way. I'm stoked!

I got to go to Pula on an exchange this week. Man, I love that place. It was so great to sit and talk with Miro, contact people, teach in the church, see the familiar sights, and smell the familiar smells. I saw a few people on the streets that I knew in the short time we were there. It was great. I was with my last companion, so it seemed just normal. I didn't want to go back to Zagreb! Not that I don't love it here. Pula just has 6 months of love on Zagreb.

Last week we had a Zone Leader workshop -- Elder Mason and I -- that went so well. I wish I had more time to tell you about it. We used that big box with the picture of the missionary on it. While we were introducing the workshop, we asked the missionaries to list attributes of a great missionary, which we wrote on the box. When we said the right words, Elder Brown, who was hidden in there (which almost nobody knew about, including President and the assistants) busted through the box, and said "Thanks guys for all the compliments!"

We pointed out the fact that while all the missionaries had been listing the attributes of a spiritual giant and a great missionary, they were really just saying all those things directly to Elder Brown. Simply because that's the way they saw him. We related that to how God sees us. He sees our full potential, and knows our eternal selves. He doesn't see exactly what we see in ourselves when we look in the mirror.

We shared the quote from Joseph B. Worthlin, "Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us�even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will. We [might] see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. . . . The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.”

We then talked more about our potential and what we need to do to reach it. We ended with that money quote from Nelson Mandella that I shared at Bachalaureate way back. I have no idea how to spell that word, btw. Anyway, it went so well. I'll tell you more about it in 8 months.

December 14th

Welp, it has been a very eventfull week. Elder Mason and my trainer, Elder Giberson, left for the mission home on the way to America this morning... Single tear... They are great men. I'll miss them both a lot.

That makes my two MTC companions and me the oldest missionaries in Croatia for the next 8 months. That's kind of an overwhelming thought for me, but I am getting a great companion, so that helps a lot. His name is Elder Matson from Ogden, Utah. He has been out as long as Elder Anderson, the missionary I trained, aka 6 months. So he's pretty young. That still doesn't beat one of the Elders in Serbia, who was made Zone leader at 2 months in the mission. We have a really young mission!

Elder Matson is a great missionary.That reminds me of something crazy that happened this week. So, we had Zone Conference this week. Since it was the Christmas Zone Conference, the Serbian Elders came over to celebrate with us. There are six of them. And I hadn't met any of them. Anyway, Elder Mason and I went and picked them up at the train station, and I got talking to one of the missionaries, Elder Porter. He asked me where I was from, and I said Mesa, Arizona. He then said that his family had lived there for 8 years at one point, and then he asked me if I knew the Clouses. I thought, "Well, there are a lot of Clouses", but I asked him which ones. Then he said "Curtis". I said of course I know the Clouses! Chelsea cut my hair every month! Then I just explained how well our family knows their family and stuff. Apparantly his family is good friends with the Clouses, and they have Thanksgiving together every year or something. It was the most small world experience. We were standing in front of a train station in Zagreb, Croatia, where we met for the first time, but both were friends with the exact same people. Only on a mission...

I got to baptize a convert on Saturday. That was great. It felt good to step in the water of the baptismal font with somebody dressed in white who was prepared to be baptized. We had to do it twice though... I forgot to say his name before saying the prayer the first time! He was completely emersed, and I was stoked, because I wouldn't have to do it twice. But, I was completely oblivious to the fact that I didn't even say his name. So... we did it again, and it was alright. His testimony afterwards was really great. He talked about how he gained a testimony through quiet peace rather than a magnificent sign. He had it all written out. And he was rocking my JC Penney suit... It was so good. It was a pleasure to be a part of his conversion in that small way.

It's snowing in Zagreb. A lot. So, now that I know how to drive stick, the next step is to learn how to do it in the snow. Elder Matson will be able to show me the ropes.

Well, I will miss my man, Elder Mason. He has been a great companion. Offer up a moment of silence for him and Elder Giberson if you ever get the chance... They have both had a very large impact on my mission and who I am. Remember to ask the Lord to bless them in your prayers for what they've done for me. They are real men.

December 21st

It has been a very busy week. Transfers were nuts since we are the Zone Leaders for the whole country. Most of what goes on in the country is on my head and my companion's head, so it's pretty crazy some times. We've spent a lot time in the car. Driving in the snow is not my favorite pass time. I'm excited to be out working more and doing less of the transfer business.

Our investigators are doing well. A member here whose native language is French is going to be going on lessons with us to teach our African investigator, so that he can understand better. That will help SO much and will really help him progress much faster towards baptism. He's been having a hard time understanding the Plan of Salvation because of the language barrier.

We had Zone Leader Council at the mission home in Ljubljana this last week. There were 6 Zone Leaders 2 Assistants and President Hill. That was a great meeting. I was thinking how rare a chance it was to be in a room with such wonderful men. I really felt I was sitting among greatness. Our conversation was so obviously directed towards the needs of our mission. I really love those meetings. President Hill is so inspired. But the great thing is it's not just him. Each of the Zone Leaders and Assistants have been taught and inspired by the Holy Ghost according to the needs of those they have stewardship over. It was just so evident that that was true as we discussed our mission for those few hours at the mission home.

Well, brothers and sisters, I better get going. I hope you all make it a great day. Take care and have a very merry Christmas. Don't forget to leave water out for my boy, Rudolf.

Love you lots!

S Ljubavlju,

Elder Dixon

Celebrity Ryan

We had a wonderful surprise this month by seeing Ryan as a featured attraction in the January Ensign magazine, page 7. He and another Elder were teaching some Ukranian people. Photographers from the Ensign took their picture. These are real investigators, with real missionaries. What a thrill!



It is wintertime in Croatia, but as far as we can tell, it is similar to Utah or Idaho. For example, the temperature in Osijek is 36 degrees Fahrenheit at 11:00 PM Sunday, one degree warmer than Salt Lake City, Utah, at 3:00 PM Sunday. Cold, but not too bad!

Some excerpts from Ryan's last emails:

January 5th:

Subject: dearest family and friends...

WHAT EP??

Hey fam, how are we? I hope your good! So, there's not much time... Ill try to say all I want to say!!!

But let me give you a little peek into one of the greatest hours slash one of my favorite hours of my life... Elder Giberson and I were tracting, and I had the feeling slash idea slash prompting by the Holy Ghost (so I learned) that I should share with somebody that they were a child of God. So I asked a couple questions to Elder Giberson to figure out how to say what I wanted to say. We rang a doorbell, and when a lady came out she was walking to the gate through her mini yard, I decided to say it to her. Since it was kind of a new approach and I'm a flaming genius, I tripped over my words, but eventually got it all out. She let us in, (whether out of pure sympathy or because of the Spirit, Im not sure. Probably slash hopefully the latter.) and we got to know her. Her name is Ružica (Roo-ž-eetsa) - that ž is like j in jaque. She has a husband and one daught and one son. We got to teach her a full lesson about Christs gospel on the earth today and share simple, sincere testimony. Her husband was there for half of the lesson. Such nice people... We gave them a list of the questions of the soul that can be answered by the Book of Mormon, invited them to pick their favorite, read the verse or chapter related to it -- they were written on the paper, and pray about it -- to pray to know whether or not it was true. She said she wants us to come back in 2 weeks so that she could read the whole book. I hope her husband, Ivan, (eevahn aka john) will read and pray too. Pretty much, I walked out of that house feeling pure joy. I took a picture of my planner, because we accomplished our goals that day for new investigators. In the future, that wont be uncommon, but this week, it was! I cant wait to meet them again! Pray for Ružica and Ivan... Ivan looks like a short version of the dad on Boy Meets World. And their kids name are cory and tapanga. jk... :)

So, transfer rumors are already beginning. The thought crossed my mind of leaving Osijek. I realized then, that over time, I have grown to love this city, and more than that, I love the people. President told me in Ljubljana when he extended this call here that he had to tear people away from their areas -- that they didn't want to leave. Im not going to lie, after my first week or two in Osijek, Im not sure I believed that. It's not the most beautiful place in Croatia, and the branch is mini. But, this place has become a part of me. It feels like home. I love the members of our branch so much. I love the people in Osijek. I may cry a tear or two if I have to bounce. I let president know I would never ask him to keep me in an area, but I would welcome with open arms a call to stay in Osijek. Is that bad?? I wish you could all meet these wonderful people...

So, president taught me something in our interview the other day. He was talking about how missionary work really is the most enjoyable when we want to be like the Savior. When we do that, we wake up happy every day, knowing that we will be doing the Lord's work... because that's what we want to do. I can honestly testify that the happiest times in life are when our wills are aligned with the Lord's, and we follow his commandments and guidance with courage.

Welp, it's cold up in here. I rock a scarf and dugi ivans (long johns... heh!) every day pretty much. It snowed like crazy on New Years day. It was a winter wonderland. When it snows again, were going to make the sweetest croat snowman.

Im going to the Ljub this week to get my work visa finalized. So ill be up there on wednesday and thursday.

Welp, fzam, you guys are the bomb digity. Thanks for all you do for me. Your examples make me want to be better. Jtlyk, I am happier than hades. I pray that you are too.

Cuvajte Se!

Love,

Elder Dixon

---

January 12th:

Subject: Dobar Dan, Dobar Dan!

Hey, what ep?

So, sometimes, I use phrases like what ep, bfe, and puh inadvertantly, and people dont get it. So, its nice when I read my emails and my fam uses them too and I can prove to my district that I don't just make this stuff up and Its used by at least a few other peeps. Haha, I just showed Elder Jensen mom's email w/ bfe and I was like "see??" haha

Osijek is the bomb.com. We are starting english classes again this next week. We had a sign up day on thurs and 50 more people signed up, so we will get to meet some more sweet people tomorrow! Last wk and part of this one we got out 8000 fliers, mostly in mail boxes, so its nice to see some pay off :)

So, on wed night we went to Zagreb to sleep for a night before i went to Slovenia on thurs to pick up my volunteer visa (ive been a tourist here until jan 3rdish). Elder Giberson and I are genious and missed our train to the 'Greb and so we picked up a bus later that left at 9 and arrived in Zagreb @ about 1 oclock a.m. style. Want to here the cool part? There was a stop at a city called Slovonski Brod (Slow-voan-skee Brode) and 3 people came on - 2 men and 1 woman. The woman sat next to me after the 2 men had sat down behind me. I was hesitant to talk to her, because my croatian still isn't quite to that flawless level yet and it was going to be a lengthy bus ride. But I decided to open my mouth and hoped that the Lord would back me up. We actually talked for a long time! THe conversation was in and out about the church, and I got to give her a Book of Mormon. I explained it to her - who wrote it, how we use it, and that it testifies of Christ. I shared a small testimony. When the two men who were with her saw I had given her a BoM, they asked if they could have one. I was like, sure! I only had one other copy, but I gave it to them shared a little about it and invited them to read it. I showed them all the questions of the soul. It was sweet! I hope a planted a seed for them and for Slovonski Brod where there aren't missionionaries right now. I know that if we are promted to talk to somebody and we open our mouths, God will fill them with what needs to be said. He will always help us accomplish his work!

Hey, so have you guys seen me in the January Ensign??!!! There's a picture of me teaching in the first presidency message.... Elder Jensen and I were on exchanges on a day that the Ensign people were scheduled to come to Croatia, and they took pictures of us teaching these Ukranian people! It was sweet!!! Pretty dope, huh???

So, Ive got to bzounce, but I love you!!

Peace out,

Love,

Elder Dixon

Christmas Memories in Osijek

It seems like a long time since we talked with Ryan on Christmas Day, but we still feel the great spirit he exuded as we spoke with him. As a new year dawns in Croatia, we are so delighted with the work he is doing and the good experience he is having.  Ryan's description of the first baptism service he attended in Croatia brought tears to our eyes and warmth to our hearts.

The following photo shows Ryan with Dario, a "friend of the church" who has been attending meetings in Osijek for several years.  We are sure that Ryan and his companion will continue to add to the positive relationship Dario and others like him have with the Church.

Excerpts from Ryan's last email:


Hey fam!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! 2009... crazy... Man, it was so nice to hear your voices.

So, Christmas was dope here in Osijek. Christmas eve, we went to the house of one of the other elders investigators. His name is Ivan (eevahn). We sang christmas Carols, talked, and Elder Jensen played some hymns on the piano. Elder Jenson talked a little with them about the Restoration. They are such awesome, nice people. It was Ivan, his wife, and their two kids who are in their 20s. It was a legit missionary Christmas. Along with that came my first nasty missionary food experience. They had this potatoe salad that was sliced potatoes and this dried fish with some kind of dressing. It wasnt terrible, but definately not great. The bad thing was she kept loading up our plates. I would ration my soda, so I could take a sip after every few bites. We would finish a plate and then she would be all "Eat! If its good eat!" Then, she would proceed to dish it up for us. This happened 3 times or so, and then the bowl was gone. We thought we were good then, but then she brought out another full bowl, and we all had another serving. I thought I was going to die. It took some serious mental strength. But Im alive! And the cool night with them made up for it.

It was a sweet Christmas. We went and visited some members. We went to visit Nikola (the one who gave us fruit that i told you about on the phoner). Hes the guy who gave me an F+ on my first talk out here. That was my favorite Christmas visit, maybe. He has a kind of abrupt personality, and teases people alot and stuff. Hes hilarious and we love him, but you usually dont see his soft / happy side. But you could tell his was grateful we came on Christmas to say hi. He doesnt have any fam here in Osijek, and when we came he had been watching this american movie from the 70s with subtitles on tv. Probably the loneliest Christmas ive ever seen. But he smiled and was happy to see us. We just talked for a while, and I think we did some real good in those few minutes.

Last saturday, we had a baptism here in Osijek!!! It was for a guy named Bernard Vildman. It was such a sweet meeting. It was way low key style. There was probably 12 people there including the 6 missionaries, but it's cool to think that that quite event that not very many people knew about was sealed in the records in heaven... God was aware of Bernard and his willingness to follow Christ by entering into that covenant through baptism by the correct authority - Christ's authority. And the next day, he was given the Gift of the Holy Ghost by that authority and now has the opportunity to have its constant companionship on his journey back home... It's truely amazing. During the prelude music, I looked over at Gordana, - his wife who is already a member - sitting next to him dressed in white, and she was crying. Im sure the throught crossed her mind that someday she and her husband could be married for time AND eternity and be a forever family. Those were some amazing moments that I hope I always remember... I also had the chance to give the talk about baptism. I hope it was ok!

So, Elder Jensen told me that Gordana said something about me... She said she was sure that I had Indian ancestry. I laughed and was all, "why?" Then, he said she could tell I was indian for sure, because of my nose! Haha, pretty random eh? The Dixon nose never ceases to amaze...

Welp, I love you. I hope everything is going great. I pray for you every day!!

Love,

Elder Dixon

Christmas Call from Croatia

We had a big Christmas treat today when we got a call from Ryan in Croatia. No, he didn't call from this big phone, but our hearts were that big as we spoke with him. He sounds great. He said, "I am happier than I have ever been in my life!" Selfless service to the Lord does that to a person.

We endured a bit of technical difficulty with Skype to start out with, but that soon passed. Heidi and her family were patched in from Colorado; Dave and Angie brought their families to our house for the call. We all had a wonderful time.

Elder and Sister Manley, the couple missionaries serving with Ryan in Osijek, allowed the missionaries to come into their home and use their computers to call home. We really appreciate their generosity and all the good they do for Ryan and his companion. When I sent a message to Sister Manley thanking them for their help, she responded, "Elder Dixon was beaming when he finished his call."

Excerpts from Ryan's last email:

Subject: Merry Christmas 2008!

Hey fam!

Whats crackin?????? We are keeping it real in Osijek. Christmas is sweet up here. Croats = catholics mostly = also celebrate Christmas pretty hard core, so it's sweet.

BTW, I got that package. Idk if I told you or not. That was huge.... So we are on day 8 tonight! Haha, I have been digging the gifts... weve got a tree, and tons of gifts under it... we are loved. Weve also gotten presents from like 5 english students. Were pretty much pampered over here :]

This week i got a package from ang and my (thanks!... we are waiting til the 25th, as it were.) and letters from both grandparents and mike baser! Man, I feel so loved. Thanks everyone!!!

Welp, this week was fresh. We had a Christmas party for members slash english students slash investigators that a ton of people came to. Maja was there, pretty much the whole branch, and tons of other english students! It was fun. We played the signs game, and Croats love that...

Elder Giberson and I have been tracting in two areas lately that weve chosen and have felt good about. We havent seen much success, but yesterday we met this rad guy. We showed him a Book of Mormon, shared a bit about it. THen he started to flip through it and basically examine it. He said he had heard some bad talk about this book, but he'd have to read it for himself. We said that we knew for ourselves that this was a good book, and that it was of God. We talked about how he could know for himself through the Holy Ghost. It was such a pleasant conversation. We gave it to him, and we are going to meet with him again. I know God's guidance is in this work. Actually, this work is saturated with God's guidance, as long as we are willing to keep his commandments and submit our will to his. It really is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Well, I know for sure that Maja has been prepared to recieve the gospel. We are going to do all we can do to help her enter into the covenant of baptism with a burning testimony of the Savior and his work. Please keep praying for her.

Hey, so today, Elder Giberson woke up and couldn't hear very well at all out of his left ear... So, we hit up some q tips when we went shopping today, and came home, he cleaned his ears, and now he's good. Moral of the story??... We need some ear candles. It's no emergency, but in your next package, some ear candles would be greatly appreciated :] ...

This week, we went to an Adventist chruch Christmas program. It was so sweet slash erie how similar it was to a Mormon ward. They had like a primary aged group sing and give little memorized comments. They had a solid choir. There were old people, young people, and all in between. Afterwards, we all got friendshipped by like 3 people. It was a sweet program. It was a huge reminder to me that we are all the same, we're all children of God, bro's and sisters. Croats are different from Americans, but we have 50 times more in common than we do differences.

Well folks, i better go, but know that i know this gospel is God's on earth. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be as happy as I am. The gospel brings real peace, joy, comfort, strength, and guidance. Thanks for everything, especially christmas style everything. I love you so much!! I'm so excited to talk to the fam!!

Love,

Elder Dixon

Almost Christmas in Croatia

It's almost Christmas, when we get talk with Ryan for an hour!  We are coordinating with Elder and Sister Manley, the couple missionaries in Osijek, to use Skype to talk with Ryan on Christmas Day.  We are grateful for modern technology!

We are excited to hear about the miracles happening in the lives of the Croatian saints and thrilled to know that Ryan is experiencing those miracles at this special time of year.  As Ryan explains below, "Hvala Nebeskom Ocu" (thanks to Heavenly Father).

Excerpts from Ryan's last email:

Subject: Holler shot callers...

Hey!

WHat is up?? Wow, how is life? I got a couple packages @ zone conference aka pure joy. I walked into the church in Zagreb, and like 3 elders in the first couple minutes were all "Elder Dixon, have you seen your huge package?" That thing was a beast... thanks :)

So, were chattin it up in 10 days! Laterrrrrrrrrr... I cant believe ive been in Croatia for 2.5 months... Its really amazing.

So pops asked what Bok Bok means. Sorry i didnt explain last time... Bok (Boak) means hi or good bye - either one - in Croation. Bok bok is just like happier i guess. You say it fast bok bok! You know what else is cool? For the teenagers to do the slang "whats up? nothing", Croats say "Where are you? I'm here" Its tight! Im bringing it to America...

Osijek is great. We met with Maja again. We ran into her randomly on the street before then and she told us she had been obeying the Word of Wisdom for a week and a half! (We hadnt seen her for a few days due to zone conference slash english and stuff) She said she felt so good. Im so happy to see her living that commandment, b/c we gain testimonies as we live the commandments. We met with her, and we feel she doesnt yet have a very strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. I think what kindof happened was that when she read the Book of Mormon, she found it perfectly matched her beliefs. She never had to really seek out to see if it was true, because she agreed. BUt when she found it didn't exactly - as far as the Godhead and stuff, the seed wasn't very deeply planted and got scorched in the sun, if you will... But, this brings about an opportunity to put the gospel to the test, to experiment on the word and see if it is true. We all have to get to that point just like Joseph Smith - Have a desire to know. Then, when we put forth effort through study, pondering, and prayer, all with faith, we WILL get an answer. That's what we all need -- a witness through the Holy Ghost - the sure witness that Jesus is the Christ and that His Gospel - the one way to true happiness - is here today in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. THat's what I want for Maja. I really don't know all the reasons she wanted to delay baptism, but I do know that this is Christ's perfecting pathway to Heavenly Father, and I know that the Atonement is real, and that Heavenly Father wants each of his children back in his presence, experiencing all of his blessings for eternity. Therefore... it's my/our job to do all I/we can to get his children back! It's the purpose of life in a nutshell... PLEASE PRAY FOR MAJA!

So Zone Conference was the bomb. THe meeting was inspired slash so applicable for our Area. Mission records were matched this last month or two since our last zone conference as far as baptismal dates and new investigators and other things. Miracles are occuring here, folks. The other part of zone conference, we had Christmas skits. Each district made a skit. We kindof decided to dodge the shame and rock a video instead.
Haha, it might be the funniest video Ive ever seen. Hopefully Sister Manley didnt tell you too much, because I want it to be a surprise when it pops up in the mail. Its quality footage... All I can say is my experience from the Euporea Concert and the Nutcracker proved valuable in producing this beast... :]

Word made it to Osijek that David Archeleta put out a cd. Is that true? How is dat?

My language is improving. I understand more, and speak a little better. I heard some spanish the other day, and I have officially lost my spanish. I could hardly pick out words. Its been replaced slavic style.

So, last sunday, the 2nd counselor in the district presidency came to talk to us. His testimony is so strong. He was just such a good man and leader. Its so amazing to see how the fruits of the gospel are the same where-ever you go -- it creates deeply rooted good men and women. I see it alone in our branch here. He gave a wonderful talk and lesson @ church. Then he gave a wonderful setting apart for a member who is the new executive secretary for our branch. People would thank him and compliment him, but i heard him give the same response at least 3 times. He said "Hvala Nebeskom Ocu", which means, "thanks to Heavenly Father". It was so cool to hear how this awesome strong good man gave all the glory and credit to God. He truly knew where his real strength lyed, and gave that source credit. I truly know that anything good that has come from my life has come from God. He is the author of all good.

Welp, I better peace out.  I love you guys more than you can imagine. Take care! Merry Christmas!!

LOVE

Elder Dixon

I Love You, Osijek

The photo below shows Ryan standing in front of graffiti that proclaims, "I Love You, Osijek."  Although we can't imagine Ryan ever painting graffiti in this way, he certainly shares the thought written on the wall.  He loves serving in Osijek and is delighted that he and Elder Giberson will continue there for at least the next transfer.

Excerpts from Ryan's last email include:

So, things are going pretty good here.  We've had some issues with Maja's baptism coming up.  She finally came to church and loved it.  While she was there, though, we could tell she had some problems understanding or accepting the nature of the Godhead, because of some stuff she said.  So we met her in the middle of the week to talk to her about Baptism, but she started talking alot about her beliefs about the Godhead.  She has some false ideas.  Pretty much, we spent almost two hours talking, bearing our testimonies, and trying to relate to her that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are seperate beings united perfectly in purpose, and that they are not the same individual.  Elder Giberson is the man, and explained those things so perfectly.  You should have seen  him... All in all, she said that she wasn't ready to be baptised.  She said she hoped that we werent disappointed.  We had to explain that we were devastated!  But she is no lost cause.  I know that Satan took a step in, and that he doesn't want Maja to enter into this covenant.  She is still meeting with us and keeping smaller commitments, but doesnt have a baptismal date for now.  PLEASE PRAY FOR HER!!  I want to sent a mass email to every person who has ever prayed before to pray for Maja to gain a sure testimony and enter into the waters of baptism by covenant - to really come unto Christ.  I don't know what may come in the future.  But I do know that the Savior has the power to change hearts and that the Book of Mormon with the Holy Ghost has the power to convert souls to the Savior.  I read a quote by President Eyring that I heard this week.  "Faith is not just to know that Christ can do something. Faith is to know that He will do something."  I know Christ will change Maja's heart, and change us for the better if we have faith and do all that we can do to bring that change about. 

I've been impressed lately with the real power of change the Savior brings through living his Gospel or applying his sacrifice for us.  The savior has the power to bring about real change in our hearts.  Real change for the better, real progress towards Heavenly Father's presence in heaven.  The Gospel is true and real, and the Jesus Christ lives today!  I love that the atonement of the Savior is real!

I love Elder Wirthlin.  It is sad that he is gone.  But Dad put it in perspective for us all.  He's simply continuing God's work with other men of God on the other side.

Welp, Peace Out, Cuvajte Se! Važi? Važi...

Late, I love you.

Elder Dixon

Thanksgiving in Croatia

Thanks to Sister Manley, who requested Claudia's pie recipes earlier in the week, the missionaries in Osijek ate home made pie for Thanksgiving! It sounds like the pie made lots of people very happy.

Excerpts from Ryan's email:

Subject: Happy T Giving!

Hey fam!

It was nice to hear from you! Thanksgiving sounded fun with all the fam - the nephews, the neices, the cousins... so tight. Thanksgiving was pretty sweet in Osijek. We couldnt find a Turkey, so we had a Croatian delicasy... Sarma. Its like sour cabbage wrapped around like seasoned beef in soup. It sounds bimm* style, but it was actually pretty good. Plus, we had mom's pies... puhhhhhhhh... It was so good. But not quite as good. They were made by human hands, not clodhopper hands, so they werent as good. But they were close enough and i loved it. I think you got a pick of me with my arm around this guy that looks like steve nash with a mustache and wings and a jacket??? Thats Dario. Hes come to basically every activity since 2002, but has never gotten baptised. But he loved moms pie. He ate every kind and like 5 chocolate pieces. I think you got a pic of Lydia too -- shes got blondish grayish hair, and she made the Sarma. Shes an awesome cook. One of my fave members.

So, I got a call from President Hill this week... and... Im staying in Osijek! With Elder Giberson! Im excited man. Im done adjusting to Croatia and oriented and stuff, so now we can really get some work done. Elder Nelson is going to Pula on the coast, and Elder Jenson, our District leader, is staying as well and is going to train the only elder coming in this transfer. It will be sweet to have the new elder come in. We are such a young district.

So, I will be here for at least 9 more weeks. We have 9 wk transfers. So, if you want to mail something right to our house, send it here:

Elder Dixon
Josipa Hutlera 25
31000 Osijek
Croatia

That would work the best. If you send it to the mission home, we have to wait till we see President again, which can be like a month. So Heidi, that might work best with those BBs that i love :)

Yeah, the Manleys are tight, btw. I see them nearly every day. We are at least in contact with them everyday. She loves mom. And mom's recipies.

Its cold here but the weather is randomish. I dont really need a coat today! And it snowed like a week.5 ago.

Maja came to church this week!!!! We see her at the church 3 times usually, but it was so nice to see her walk through the door at 10 oclock on Sunday morning... She really enjoyed it. Our members liked her. Maybe too much haha. They kind of asked her lots of questions. They like to do like testimony checks to investigators, and can be kind of in their faceish. But Maja is strong ha. It went well. The talks and the lessons were perfect. She still is having trouble with understanding the importance of quitting cappuccino and has some issues with hanging on to her old church's beliefs and stuff. So pray for her!! She needs it!! Pray for us too!! We need it like its nobody's business.

I hope everyone is doing good. Its so good to hear from you all. I know this Gospel is true. That's my greatest joy... that it's real! I love it.

Cuvajte se! aka Take care of yourselves! Love you!

LOVE

Elder Dixon

*Explanation: "bimm" is Ryan's acronym for "barf in my mouth"

Croatian Meat

We don't know much about the hanging meat in the following photo, except that it is obviously a bit different than we are used to here at home! Ryan looks healthy, so eating the local cuisine must be ok!

Excerpt from Ryan's November 24th email:

Subject: FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!

Hellooooo...

What is ep??

THings are going well here. Maja is still doing great. Minus the fact that she hasnt been to church yet... But! Her mom gave her permission, which is big. Maja really wanted her blessing before she came to church. Her mom is a non practicing catholic, but really thought maja should be going to the catholic church, cuz thats their religion. True Croatian style... But shell be here this sunday! Pray for her! She also had a couple issues to over come with the Word of Wisdom, just like social coffey, tea, and wine... Shes not an alchoholic or anything, but were helping her quit for good. Shes awesome though... Just a pleasure to teach.

So, its freezing here. It snowed for a couple mins the other day. I think ill survive, but its cold... THat reminds me... I will be making a purchase tomorrow - a phatty jacket that will be about 300 bones... then i will be warm for winter. Just a heads up for my bank account.

Do you know what's ooc? My first transfer is this weekend... Where did the time go, guys? Idk, but I have a solid feeling that Elder Giberson and I will stay in Osijek, but you never know... Maybe I will open up Bosnia with my MTC companions or something... JK, but I think ill be here. Ill let you know next week!

Mom, as far as food goes here, we have pretty much everything. We dont have sliced bread, just like french bread. We dont have... i really cant think of anything. But we have an hour for dinner slash lunch, so any meals we could make and eat in an hour, I would really appreciate. Could you send pancakes recipe again? I couldnt print that day and the email has gotten deleted since then by the email service...

Dad! I read a talk that you have to read. Actually everyone should read it, but I think dad would love it. Its by Krešimir Cosic... aka my hero. Its a speech that was given @ byu on October 24, 1994, and its just about his time at BYU and how its effected his life. It talks about his conversion, basketball, Croatia, and the war, and I love it. I think youd really like it. He really is my hero. Krešo Cosic has done more for the salvation for a Croat, save the Savior and Joseph Smith only. I hope thats not sac-religious! I think its true, though! He is such a good man... With amazing love for the Lord. I want to send you a documentary about him that we have up here. I think you could find that talk on the internet. If not let me know.

Welp, life is pretty sweet here in O-town. There is black mold appearing on our ceiling... I guess its pretty common in croatia. Its because Croatia has a ...moist...climate. heh. My language is improving slowly. We went to a member's house the other day. Her name is Lidija aka Lydia. We went there my first week here, i think. I remember that time, I couldn't understand squat.... But this time, I actually understood what we were talking about and could add something here and there. So, Im learning. Im not exactly dreaming in pure Croatian yet, but I did dream of Brother Neil Jones saying like two words in Croatian. Haha, pretty funny huh? I dont remember which words exactly, but i remember the case endings (croatian grammar style), so it was definately croatian something. Haha...

Mom asked how the food is... really we dont eat alot of legit croatian food. Most of the Croatian food ive eaten here has been baked goods, like bread and pastries, and that is PUH. There are exactly 1284986387654897646 bakeries in Osijek. Ive heard some horror stories about eating at peoples houses though... Im a little nervous.

Welp, i better go. I love you peeps. Take care. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I pray for you every day! Peace out.

Love

Elder Dixon

Friends in Osijek

It is great to see photos of Ryan and his friends in Croatia. The following shot was taken in the apartment of Elder and Sister Manley during a visit from the District President and his family to Osijek.

Back row: Elder Dixon, Elder Giberson, Elder Manley, Elder Jensen, Nikola (branch financial clerk)

Front row: Sister Sambunjak with two daughters, Sister Manley, President Sambunjak (district president)

Excerpt from Ryan's November 17th email:

Subject: What ep????????

Dear family slash fellow missionaries...

Welp, things are going good in Osijek. Yes, 30 degrees and 90% humidity sounds about right. Its kind of chilly... Elder Giberson and I are both wusses in the cold, but well make it. Hes from Austin Texas. But dont be alarmed... I am fine.

We are still teaching Maja. We had an amazing lesson with her the other day. We were talking about scripture study and prayer, and we read Doctrine and Covenants 59: 7-9 about how you should study it out in your mind and then ask, and if it be right, you will know with burning in the bosom, etc. She was reading it and stopped herself after verse 8 and said, "Thats exactly how i felt! Like about the book of mormon!" We asked her to explain, then she proceeded to perfectly describe how the Spirit feels. It was one of the best explainations ive ever heard. She is so sweet. PLEASE continue to pray for her. I pray that she can have a deep testimony that will grow after baptism and support her. She hasnt been to church yet just cuz theres always something on sunday. But we are meeting alot and we are going to make sure she is there next week. Shes the bomb. She has read all the standard works and pretty much eats up everything we give her. We hooked her up with a Liahonal -the march edition - and she loved it. She just loves God, and this gospel has added so much truth. She loves the scriptures and the words of the prophets.

We are teaching 8 hours of english every week, so we are hoping to see some fruits from those labors... Theres alot of great people coming to those classes, so were hoping to help them be interested and eventually accept the gospel.

Hows Barack doin? Packing up the bags for the white house eh? Cool man. People ask us about the election all the time. Most Croatians know 5 times as much about the US than I do. Were just like, I dont know whats going on over there... Hopefully he can be inspired. Thats a heavy load.

Grandma Dixons painting and related events sounded so cool. Primary kids singing = pure joy. Thats awesome.

Welp, the gospel is amazing. Its done alot for me lately. It really is real. Christ really atoned for our sins, sorrows, and pains. And his true church with his actual authority is on the earth today. What good news...

I hope you are all doing good. God bless.

PIDFY!!

Love,

Elder Dixon

Pictures from Croatia!

Happy Thanksgiving! Here in Mesa, Arizona on Thanksgiving Day, we are really thankful for Ryan and the work he is doing in Croatia. Sorry about the delay in posting his emails.

This week, we received three photos of Ryan from Sister Manley, who serves with her husband in Osijek. She sent and email to Claudia asking for her pie recipes. Apparently Ryan had mentioned that his mother makes great pies.

So, today you will receive three weeks' worth of updates, each with a photo courtesy of Sister Manley.

The following photo of Ryan and his companion, Elder Giberson, was taken in the cemetery at Vukovar, a city that was almost destroyed during the war. The photo was taken after the holiday called "Day of the Dead." It sounds much like our Memorial Day.

Excerpts from Ryan's letter for November 10th:

Hey family! What is up... I hope all is well. The weather sounds quality, and Thanksgiving is coming up.

Angie's letter was pure inspiration to me, btw. Your friends, who have been coming to church, sound like amazing people. Jtlyk, it is definately possible for h-core catholics to enter into the waters of baptism... That happens alot in Croatia. That's so sweet that they just started goingto church on their own. Im sure your testimonies on your blog before and just your example played a real role in their desire to learn more. Example combined with testimony is unmatchable in missionary work, I think. It doesn't matter who you are, how smart you are, how young or old you are. We are who we are for a reason, and if we will just live the gospel, and open our mouths and share whats precious to us with love with others, miracles will occur. I loved your testimony from your blogger. I printed a permanent copy of that beast.

So, we made a nice little phone call to President Hill this week... Maja has set a baptismal date for December 13th, 2008!!! How sweet is that eh?? Man, she's so amazing. And so amazingly prepared. She has read the entire Book of Mormon (minus some war chapters) and the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, and has restarted the Book of Mormon, and is in Alma as of last friday. She loves the Book of Mormon! We watched the Restoration with her the other day, and shared our testimonies, and talked about the importance of always strengthening your testimony. It really is so important to strengthen and fortify our testimonies every day through study, pondering, and prayer. She is preparing for that day... Pray for her to become fully converted and to gain a personal relationship with the Savior. She is so sweet.

Saturday, we went to visit an inactive member, named Zvjezdana (Zvyezdahnah). We went to just meet with her, get to know her, share a lesson, and help her to start coming back to church again. We went over there, and it turns out that part of the reason she hasn't been to church in a while is because her brother was very sick with cancer in the hospital. So after talking for a while we said we would come by the next day to bring the Sacrament. We called on Sunday, and she told us her brother died but said to come over anyway. We did, and we brought the sacrament. It was so sad man. She was so devastated. SHe wasnt able to say goodbye and she had a way hard time dealing with that. We gave her the sacrament and a blessing. She felt better after that and was alot more peaceful by the end of our meeting. She is goig to try to start coming to church again. She still is having a hard time though. Pray for her! She slash that family need all the help they can get.

We are planning to meet with Darko and Silvija tomorrow. Hes the hunter, ya know? We are excited about that. They are such cool people.

Ive been thinking about the importance of being sincere reciently. Sincere in our prayers, sincere in our testimony, and in our desires to do good... Ive found that when we have sincere love people, its not hard to share a sincere testimony, or offer a sincere prayer in their behalf, or to serve them. I want to strive to have more sincere love and charity for the people. Love cancels out fear, and leads to miracles.

Welp, i love you all. You... complete me. Heh. But really thanks for everything - for being the perfect family for me. I pray for you every day. The Savior loves each of us, and is aware of us. Im sure of that! Take care!!!

Love Elder Dixon

New Slovenian Meetinghouse

Although Ryan is serving in Osijek, Croatia, the mission headquarters is in Ljubljiana, Slovenia.  The November 1st issue of the Church News had a nice article about a new chapel recently dedicated in Ljubljiana.  We understand this is the first new church meetinghouse in the mission.   We think that is pronounced "Lube - li - ana" with a silent "j".  Ryan is quite a distance from Ljubljiana, so we doubt he was able to attend the dedication.  What a blessing this chapel will be to the saints in that part of the world.

Excerpts from Ryan's last email:

Subject: 1 Munf in Osijek......

Helloooo!

How's it going fam? 

Welp Osijek is still great.  I told you about Maja I believe...  She is so amazing, guys.  We had the first lesson with her, and she committed to read 3 Nephi 11, and we told her she could read more if she wanted.  So the day before we met again, she called us just to make sure we would be able to meet the next day.  Elder Giberson asked her if she had read from the Book of Mormon.  She told him that she had basically read the entire thing, except she only read the chaper headings for the war chapters!!  She then proceeded to basically bare her testimony, that she knew the Book of Mormon was of God.  She said really liked Alma and Nephi and that she loved the doctrine about the state of the soul between death and the resurrection. She said that the Book of Mormon really clarified what she knew from the Bible...  She went to Bible School in England for 3ish years.  Thats how she knows such amazing english.  Were teaching her in english btw. 

So, then we met the next day to teach the plan of salvation.  We started out with the questions - where did we come from? why are we here? where are we going?...  Then we asked her what her beliefs were.  She then basically told us the entire lesson we had planned, minus a tiny bit of restored truth. She actually taught me alot - made me think of things in a way I never had before.  She covered everything -adam and eve all the way to life after death.  She included a little of what she learned ing the Book of Mormon. Basically, we just recapped and filled in some blanks, and set up another appointment.  We have met with her since, and that was a great meeting to. We had talked to her a little bit about baptism and asked her to pray about it.  We asked her when we met again what she felt about Joseph Smith, and also the Book of Mormon.  She said she had prayed and felt good that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  She said everytime she reads, she feels good about it.  Also, she said she feels like she should be baptised...  I was freaking out inside.  Man, she has been so prepared.  SHe has a ways to go, but she is progressing so well. She is so knowledgable.   We are really trying to help her gain a personal relationship with heavenly father - to feel the gospel in her heart, not just in her mind.  Shes so sweet .  Keep her in her prayers. 

We tracted into a sweet family last night.  We gave a brief first lesson, talked for a long while and left Book of Mormons with them.  We just talkd to Darko and Silvija (Sylvia), the parents, but they have a daughter that lives with them and two other kids.  They seemed touched by the restoration. Darko is kind of large and in charge with a huge beard, and he had buckets and bags of thousands of empty bullets just chillin in his kitchen...  Turns out hes a way nice guy, and he likes to hunt...  We are going to visit with them next week.

We revolutionized Osijek english classes, and distributed 10k fliers last week.  We sacrificed some proselyting time, but we have over 100 people attending english classes twice a week!  Thats pretty much unheard of in a town like Osijek.  Elder Nelson, another elder hear, really went to bat to make sure we got the word out, and its really paid off.  Now over 100 people a week will be meeting with us, learning English in a dedicated church building, and having the opportunity to hear two spiritual thoughts a week...  We already have investigators from English classes that started a week ago, including Maja.  We were passing out flyers when she spotted Elder Giberson. 

Btw, we do do alot of contacting and sometimes tracting.  But contacting we do alot.  We are trying to work out better ways to find.  But the answer is yes, we contact alot and tract too. 

jtlyk, I am very safe here.  It sounds like granhopper may have had a bad dream about me or something...  I feel safer here than some places in M-town.  Were pretty safe. 

So, they dont celebrate Halloween here, but they rock whats called the Day of the Dead.  Its a catholic holiday, and 99.999999% of Croatia is catholic. They go and but bokays (heh...) of big flowers and candles on deceased relatives graves, and it looks sweet.  The gaves here all have giant head stones, so everyones grave is like a monument.  But theres so many candles, its sweet.

I better bounce.  I hope everyone is doing good.  You are in my prayers. Take care.

Love

Elder Dixon

The "Official" Missionary Picture

Ryan's missionary picture is now hanging on the wall of the church, flanked by pictures of his missionary buddies. We walk by and say hello on the way to our meetings each week. Ryan knows how his Mom touched Eric's face each week. Now that is happening to Ryan!

If you look really close, you can see the reflection of Mark in the background, snapping a photo of Ryan's photo!

Some excerpts from Ryan's last email:

Subject: Holler from Osijek..............................

Hey fam!!  How are you??  I just read some quality e-mails. 

Thanks for the comment about what Elder Eyring said, pops.  I've felt that silent prayer you mentioned about the gift of tongues.  I didn't have like a singular, out of control experience, but I feel like I'm getting help with the language beyond what my own work can produce.  We only have 30 minutes to study the language a day, and I feel like its a miracle any time I notice improvement. The gift of tongues is real.  Ive experienced it in miniature ways.  So thanks for the prayers... Thats where it starts!

So things are sweet in O-town.  We experienced a sweet miracle this passed week.  We were passing out fliers for english classes (which ill mention later in the e mail) and this girl named Maja approached Elder Giberson. Shes 25ish.  She told him she was interested in learning more about our church, and she also wanted to go to a church meeting.  So Elder Giberson set up an appointment, so we could share a lesson with her.  We shared a lesson with her about the restoration of Christ's true church.  (She lived in England for 3 years, and speaks almost flawless English, so we were teaching her in English).  She was really accepting of it, and was truely touched.  I know she was.  It was obvious she had a desire to know if what we were sharing was true.  We shared an English and a Croatian copy of the Book of Mormon to read and to Pray about.  She is so tight...  We can't wait to meet with her again.  Remember to keep Maja in your prayers.   When we discussed w/ her her religious background it was obvious she has been prepared to hear and embrace the gospel.  THe Lord is so mindful of all his children, and wants them to come and experience the fulness of life and happiness available through the restored Gospel.  His greatest work and glory really is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

We also met another flawless English speaker the other day.  He is a professional, free-lance interpreter.  We started talking to him @ a cross walk and then found he knew English, and kept talking.  One of the first things he said was that he was an Atheist and there was nothing that we could do to change that.  We talked about random things (he is brilliant and liked to talk) but the conversation always returned to the Gospel.  There was one time where he was talking about all the problems today in society, especially in croatia -- like how young people dont have good role-models and how they all want more now, and other problems that society has.   When he paused, I said, "What do you think the solution is?"  He then proceed to take the Savior's name in vain, and paused for a second in order to think of
an answer.  Before he said anything else, I was all, "I think that's the solution, too".  Haha, it was funny.  But he was such a cool guy, and was actually warming up to us.  We are going to visit soon.  We are buddies. His name is Mirsad (Meer-sahd)...  That literally means, "Peace Now" in croatian.  Hes the man.

So, I have a message for Eddude.  So sometimes, after English Class, we go get coffey with 3 or 4 of our students.  Aka elder Giberson and I get orange juice or something and they get coffey.  But I was showing this lady named rosemary the pics of our family. I keep them in my bag to show to random people.  Its a sweet little friendship builder...  But Rosemary was checkin out the fam, and she was like "Who is this?  Is this your Brother?  Hes a pretty man."  Haha, she loved him so much. After freaking out for a little while about how 'pretty' Eric was, she was all "Send Eric big kiss from baka (grandma) Rosemary!"  hahaha, it was priceless...  So, there you go Ed  :)

Welp, it's time to go, but keep Osijek in your prayers!  You are the best family in the world x 10 ^ 1906373640389.  I pray for you guys everyday.

Take care.

Sa Ljubavi,

Elder Dixon

Miracles in Croatia

This week, we received a nice letter from Ryan's mission president, David Hill, along with a photo of Ryan with President and Sister Hill. Ryan is having a wonderful time in Croatia. He is adapting well to his new environment and feeling the spirit of his wonderful work.  He asks for help from all of us: "Miracles are occurring here, and I cant wait to tell them to you!  Pray your hearts out for Croatia!  I really feel like many people are prepared!  Weve just got to have the faith, the prayers, and the work!  Try to remember Jasminka and Vladimir and Bljubašuc, and our Branch in your prayers."

Here are some more excerpts from Ryan's last email:

Welp.  Osijek is doing great.  That was really cool to hear about Sister Hendrickson!  Im going to have to look up her pic at the church here!  Thats sweet that she was a greenie here too.  She probably knew a couple of my mtc teachers on the mish, aka Sister Cassinat and Sister Harper.  Tell her hello...

Its true what she said in the e-mail about osijek, "it truly does have a lot of potential!"  We had the worlds most inspired zone conference on Thursday, i am convinced.  It was actually a mission tour zone conference.  Elder Wundra, an Eastern European area 70 from Austria was the main speaker.  He talked about how we need to break free of the influence of satan, basically liberate ourselves from the fruits of Satan - doubt, discouragement, fear, sin, low expectations, and complacency just to name a few.....  Along with that message, he said that we must align our expectations and our goals with God's -- to set our goals based on the desires of our hearts and the vision of what we hope to see happening in Croatia -- and not set our goals out of discouragement from past history and other sources.  This mission has had the "eastern european" reputation, and people tend to think like "i hope to bring 1 or two souls unto christ while im here".  Elder Wundra pointed out that that goal does not reflect the desire of our hearts, or the vision of what we can see accomplished. 

It was prophesied in the dedicatory prayer that stakes will dot this land, so God has that vision, and so do we, and we all want that.  What Elder Wundra was saying was that our goals, and also our expectations/hopes need to reflect that.  He added that as we eliminate Satan's influence in our lives through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we can accomplish God's purposes.  When we sanctify ourselves of the adversary, we sanctify ourselves of fear, doubt, discouragement, and we are filled with love, meakness, and the help / power of God. 

As I sat there listening and being taught a little by the Spirit, I really felt as if that is the future of this mission.  With courage, faith, and work, stakes will dot this land...  The Lord can do his work here as we excercise faith like we never have before.  I just hope I can live up to that standard and be humble enough to submit to God's will...  Miracles are occuring here, and I cant wait to tell them to you!  Pray your hearts out for Croatia!  I really feel like many people are prepared!  Weve just got to have the faith, the prayers, and the work!  Try to remember Jasminka and Vladimir and Bljubašuc, and our Branch in your prayers.  These people need the fruits of faith to work on their lives!  They are such amazing peeps! 

Croatia continues to be tight.  We are going to the Osijek zoo today :]

Sounds like things are good at home!  Keep it real!  I love you all...  Thank you for your h-core support. I feel it out here.  When i have little tender mercies, i think its because of my awesome supportive fam and friends back at home.  Thanks for it all... You are in my prayers.

Ryan is in Croatia!

Ryan arrived in Croatia on September 30th.  Sorry it has taken me so long to post the good news to this blog.

He is stationed in the city of Osijek, in eastern Croatia, near the Serbian border.

The Church is really young in Croatia.  Osijek has a tiny branch, with just half a dozen attendees. What a thrill it is to have Ryan out there on the frontiers of the Church.  We are confident that good people will respond to Ryan's Christlike love and desire to learn about the restored gospel.

Here is an excerpt from his last email:



Puna pozdrava iz Osijeka.....

AKA many greetings from Osijek!!

It's Oh-see-yek, jtlyk. Osijek is sweet. Things are going well here. So the other day, Vladimir, one of our investigators, took us to get chestnuts roasted on an open fire!! They actually do that here. Do you know what's funny though?? They are kind of / really nasty. It's like mushrooms... Just a noch worse than having no taste at all. Heh!

I got here, and we had like a mini teaching pool. Elder Giberson had been here for 2 months, and the couple weeks before we got here, he was throughout Croatia doing visa related things i think, idk really. But not much was going down here. So, we don't have many people investigating the church right now, but its all good. We have a couple non-progressing investigators named Jasminka (Yasmeenkah), and also Vladimir (Vlahdeemeer). I don't know either of them really well. But ill let you know about them when i do... We also met a guy named Bljuvašuc (Blyoovashooch, heh! I cant really say it without repeating myself!) on a bench the other day. We decided we wanted to talk to him, so we walked over and elder giberson introduced us. I kinda felt like I should share with him a little bit about our purpose in life. So in H-CORE broken Croatian, I said something like, "our message is that we lived with God before this life. We are his children. We are part of his family. We have a purpose here on earth." Idk if he understood anything, but it was enough to get him listening to us/elder giberson. Elder Giberson talked to him for a while about our church,
and we got his number. He lives like 30 km away or so in a tiny town. We cant get a hold of him so far, but we'll see what we can do. Pray for him! He was such a nice guy.

So, Croatia is pretty crazy. There's so many things that are just randomly different. The door handles are all bar style - no knobbers. No windows slide up and down. Only in or to the side. Showers dont hang, there on a hose. Acura's here have hondas logo slapped on them. The prism would be like. big here. Almost every house is connected somehow. They drink alot of juice. One things not dif her though - our neighbors are american! Haha, and guess what... theyre missionaries too! Just for a dif church! Evangelists, i think. Random, huh?? Our apartment is pretty desent (sp?)! I sleep on this fold out bed thing, and Elder giberson sleeps on like a half of a twin bed. Like as wide as a crib, but long enough for 6'4" Elder Giberson. Theres no dryers, so we hang dry everything. I may be buying a dryer soon........ Jk! but hang drying is an adjustment, as it were.

The branch is tight. There's been like 4 active members that have been coming every week. But, there is a former branch president named Zoran (just Zorahn...) that seriously everybody loves who has been out of town forever. He comes back this week along with another strong member slash pigeon racer, named Irvin. Im excited. Its amazing how much a difference two people can make in a branch. It will be so good for these people to have these two priesthood holders back.

Last sunday, I gave a talk and blessed the sacrament. I talked about life on earth, and the importance of having faith in Christ. I read it off word for word. Afterwards, Nikola (Nickola), a member of the branch, took my talk, corrected the mistakes, and gave it back w/ and F+ written on the bottom! Haha, it was so funny man. If only you knew good old nikola. Hes not a mean guy, just funny. Hes like 65 or something and he schools me in chess every sunday.

We also have this guy in our branch who is just a 'friend of the church'. He is like 65 too, and used to be a normal successful pediatrician and musician from what i hear. But something happened to his family in the war i guess, and something went out in his mind. He sort of lost it mentally. You can talk to him normally and stuff but he will talk to himself sometimes, i guess, and stuff. But thats sort of beside the point. Ever since they extended the responsibility for him to play the piano at church,he has come everyweek. He remixes the hymns, changing tempos and playing the chords one note after another, ya know. Like the trill thing? its tight.

gtg, peace!