August 13 & 20

August 13

Hey mom and dad, so this has been a little bit of a crazy week. We are here now with the assistants and are getting g ready for p-day. So cool thing is that I am actually typing this letter on my smart phone so pretty cool. This week has been a challenging week. We have been laying it all down on the line, pushing ourselves so hard yet with little results. They will come though.

So last week in Darwin. It feels weird with that reality sinking in. I love this place and I love the people. This will always have a special place in my heart. The people are so loving and kind. They really have taken care of me and treated me as their son.

The Darwin branch has taught me many things. I think the first thing that it truly taught me is that no matter who you are, you can serve. I have seen countless people who are maybe not the most qualified but continue to serve faithfully and bring miracles about.

The second thing that Darwin has taught me is that our Heavenly Father is mindful of all of us. It’s hot here and it has been a real struggle for me in the heat. I’m not accustomed to the heat. #canadaboy. But I have seen God work miracles as I have worked through that struggle.

It’s a humbling experience coming to the end. I look back on the last two years and I don’t regret a thing. This mission has changed me. The Lord has changed me. I think you will surprised to see the Tommy Dickson that will come off the plane. I have come to gain a love for the Lord and a knowledge that He is truly there.

 

Anywho crazy week!

Love,

Elder Dickson

Krista – Hooray my phone might die but we will email as long as we can. Dad and I were just at the beach…. a very strange sensation. What do you have planned special for the last week?

T-lots of meal appointments, members are scrambling to feed me before i go

K-That’s really kind…. it will be more than you have had your whole mission…. and for the last. Darwin PDay?

T-head to the city and take some photos

K-Awesome…. take photos of people too. Especially at your dinner appointments. You have had lots of success and it will be interesting to see how you have laid a foundation for the missionaries who follow. I can’t quite believe this. Do you know yet what will happen that eeek in Adelaide

T-no i dont

K-Are you going through all your stuff… are some things staying in Darwin? Phone about to die…. if I stop emailing know that is why

T-yeah im soorting it out

Brent- Hey it’s dad. I’m having a great time with mom. I am in beach nirvana.  We snorkeled and saw a 3 foot long sea turtle. I touched its shell and then mom told me it is illegal. Oops

T-haha only illegal if yu get caught

B-I am addicted to ocean waves. Can listen to them all day. This trip is good for us. It has been a tough haul with Jake.

T-i ggotta go love ya heaps!

B-Finish strong. You are in our thoughts and prayers all the time.

August 20

Hey mom and dad, so I am writing this email to you while I am flying down from Darwin. Sad day. So it has been a great time in Darwin. I love those members. So I did hear mom that you have been talking to sister chick! They had elder Syme and I over for dinner last night as a final hoorah.

Something that sister chick said to me really stuck out. She looked at me and said “well done thou good and faithful servant. You have truly brought sunshine to this branch”. I have to say i almost broke down. It has been a hard go in Darwin. The heat has taken its toll on my body and I am exhausted but I can truly say I have laid it all on the alter of sacrifice.

Over this last week in Darwin we have had a lot of members inviting us over for dinner. A lot of wise counsel was given to me and don’t worry mom photos were taken. Darwin will always have a special place in my heart.

So as for some lessons that I have learned this week.

This week I was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting on any topic that I would like. I decided to base my talk on Helaman 5:12. I think it is a scripture that we all know but I’m not sure it is one we truly understand. At least I didn’t.

In the verse we see Helaman giving his final counsel to his sons. He teaches
“12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation”. Now what is a foundation? A foundation is a stone or solid object set into the ground. It is immovable and will last through any situation or storm if the foundation is strong. Now to tie it back to us. The foundation of Christ is immovable it will be there whether or not we build on it. Our quest is to mount ourselves to the foundation of Christ.

Now the question how do we do that? We do this by coming to know the Saviour. It is our life quest to understand, come to know and love God. “3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” As we truly come to know and understand who the Saviour is we are slowly yet surely building upon His rock.

Now to the second part of the scripture. “That WHEN the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, WHEN all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” Once again this scripture is instructive. Helaman teaches us here that it is when not if the hail and the storms come. That is something that I learned from cyclone Marcus. The city of Darwin has been through many cyclones and because the houses in Darwin were prepared for the winds that were sure to come and attached firmly to their foundations they did not fear.

“34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail”.

I know that as we build upon the rock of our saviour that no matter the winds, no matter the hail or the mighty storms that will come our way we will not fear but move forward with faith. As we build on him increased peace and joy come into our life. Remember Christ descended below all things so that he can lift you above all things.

Love,

Elder Dickson

K-Oh… you made your old mother cry! That is a brilliant testimony and talk topic. I think Sister Chick got it just right, you did bring sunshine to the branch and you have had a very unique experience that not many missionaries get to be in one place for that long and build relationships. I cant wait to see the pictures!

B-Nicely done son!  Can’t wait to hear more of these stories. Two of your longest letters these last two weeks. I think you will do fine in English class.

K-Awesome! I hope you write your feelings about your mission and about Darwin when you have some time this week. It will be a treasure for you later in life and for your future family. What is on the schedule for Adelaide?

T_so im back in evandale with elder huot and elder siaw!

B-So you flew earlier today?

T-yeah i left darwin at 7 am

B-Nice, so do you work with them the rest of the week?  Is it a lot cooler in Adelaide?

K-Oh I think I love Elder Siaw ! Every picture I have ever seen of him he seems like such a kind and happy missionary. I’m sure Elder Huot is great too. Do you go to the temple this week?

T-yeah its 20 degrees colder and yeah ill be with them the rest of the week – yeah ill go this week – first time in a year

B-It averages 33C in Hawaii and is only 18C here today. I’m freezing. I’m thinking it may be a lot tougher for you. 🙂

T-so yeah darwin averages 33 as well and its 11 here

K-Do you even own a coat anymore? Getting you ready for Canada! Sister Chick sent me the picture of you with her family. I LOVE it. What a treasure. I know Darwin has been hard work but I can’t get over the relationships you built there and the good that you have done !

B-So do you spend your whole time with them or will there be some different stuff you do besides the Temple?

T-yeah i had one at the mission office that i am wearing now -so i will have a couple trainings this week but other than that normal proselyting

K-Do you also have those paintings from earlier in your mission stored at the office?

T-yes

B-Are you in an area in Adelaide or is it further out?

T-in adelaide

K- I saw Elder Ivory is going home on the 24^th. Will you get to see him this week?

T-i will see them tonight and i dont think so, will find that all out this week though – oh by the way how do you wear cufflinks?

K-Ok… now I saw your email with the VERY Important information. I will read and let you know… Cuff links… use a special shirt… we will buy one when you get home. A gift?

T-the hasletts bought me a really fancy pen and cufflinks as a goodbye gift

K-Awesome… we will shop here and you will look AMAZING!

B-Fancy Schmancy

T-haha thanks mom

K-I just read your leavers letters…. I’m really glad you get to do those activities with Elder Ivory… that feels like full circle after sharing a room in the MTC. Is Elder Ward with you too?

T-yes

K-Oh I’m glad… when you said they were going home earlier I was worried that you would be doing those activities alone… once a worrying mom… always a worrying mom! We’re getting the banner ready! I can’t wait…. HOORAY!

T-haha dont go too overboard mom

K-OH… I am trying… but you have to know that there is NO way I am not having at least one poster at the airport… and yes I WILL be that geeky mom and Drew will mock me but I claim first hug!

T-haha sounds about right

K-I am not the only one… Elder Ivory’s mom was posting stuff too! And Elder Kuru… who comes home in about a month. Now for the not fun part… cleaning the house and getting ready for school!

B-When it comes to mission stuff overboard is Moms middle name.

T-haha krista overboard dickson

K-Alright, alright… I think I have been quite restrained…. at least I have done my best. Enjoy the FHE tonight. Do you have any sisters with your group?

T-yeah sister starling and sister harrison – i gotta go love ya heaps!

K-HEAPS>>>HEAPS…HEAPS!

August 6 – 22 days until Tommy is home but who is counting?

hey mom and dad,

so this has been a crazy week. not much happening with the work so i figured i would make this email more of a lesson i learned this week. so to give a little bit of backstory to this. our neighbour has a really big bird cage that sits outside on the back porch with a bunch of finches. as we were leaving the flat we saw a hawk attacking the cage. it brought to both my companion and my own mind the doctrine of safety in the gospel. Sometimes we see the commandments as a cage that holds us back from seeing the world. I imagine the finch could be thinking “what the heck i see this wonderful rainforest just outside the cage but i am trapped in here”. sometimes i think we all fall guilty of that. we see the commadments as things we must do and suffer through so that we can be happy later. As the hawk attacked the cage o get the birds for a snack al of the sudden the cage became a blessing. Still though some of the birds panicked when the hawk attacked the cage while others didn’t. the question came to mind, “how much do i trust the cage”. how firmly are we built on the rock so that “when the devil sends forth his winds” or hawks we cant be moved. i wager to think that the finches that panicked didnt trust the cage, or even worse knew that there was holes and weaknesses in it. we continue to fix and fortify the cage through the small and simple things. “Keep the commandments; keep the commandments! In this there is safety; in this there is peace. He will send blessings; He will send blessings. Words of a prophet: Keep the commandments. In this there is safety and peace.”

love

Elder Dickson

Krista- That is a great lesson. I like how you took something that you saw in your life and applied it.

Benny says hi! We were all looking at your room and everyone was teasing Benny because I got all this stuff ready for you and everyone says Benny is like the poor tenant living in the corner.

This is Isabelle

Benny no longer has a room. Your mom has been referring to it as Tommy’s room. All of his decorations have been removed and set on a minuscule bed in the corner. You have displaced him!

T-haha woo hoo

K-Back to mom now… I was assuming you wouldn’t think I was calling you an evil cockroach. . We are chilling in Waterton today…. not doing too much . It is quite enjoyable. What else do we need to do to prepare for you?

T-nothing i think

what do you want me to bring hme clothes wise?

K-Whatever you want. You’re going to need to go shopping anyway. Only bring stuff that you still want to keep. I assume you have some things that are pretty worn out. If you are not bringing your ties, take some pictures. It would be cool to give some of your favorites to special people and then take a picture with them.  I’m sure that all of your white shirts are pretty wrecked and sweaty…😜 I trust you to decide. Do you think you have anything you need to ship?

Bronwyn asks…. ready to come home yet?

T-no i dont think i will need to ship anything, should have plenty of room

K-Any activities going on in the Darwin Branch before you go?

T-no thats all of them. had a pretty cool experience though. the first councilor in the branch pres. came up and told me that i am one of the best missionaries he has ever had

K-That is awesome! I’m sure you are going to miss that branch. You will have to make sure on your last Sunday that you visit with and thank the people you have grown close to.  I would assume the 19th might be your last Sunday as you will probably be going down to Adelaide that week.

T-yeah i fly down to adelaide on the 20th

K-Wow I didn’t know you had the date. That is a long time to be in Adelaide? Will you just stay with a companionship there? Do you fly home with Elder Ivory?

T-no so elder ivory and ward went home early for school – so ill be on my own -not sure what i will be doing in adelaide

K-Oh that’s interesting. Does school start that much earlier in the States? Maybe I should have lied and said school started earlier here to get you home earlier😜. I suppose not the best plan. – Well I know that the Parkers had leaving missionaries do a temple session and a meal. Not sure if the new mission president will be the same???? So with Elder Ivory and Ward gone, are there others who leave at the same time as you?

T-elder kuru leaves 3 weeks after me

K-Well I guess you will get all of the attention!!!! Just as it should be. We are getting so excited for you! You will love the YSA scene and University

T-

yeah

K-Thanks for putting the pictures on the Google drive. Are they from the Clydes?

You have been an excellent missionary . You have worked so hard and influenced so many people. You should be very proud

Brent -I just got to Jakes house. He of course has pulled all his books etc into the main room. He seemed interested in me for a minute but now is more interested in TV. He is enjoying some quality antique roadshow on PBS

T-haha

K-I’m going to hand over to dad now I need to go… love you heaps

Mom

B-I see your team Canada rugby shirt is still around. Will that coming home with you? I wonder what Waterton issues are pulling Mom away. Falls theatre or Big Scoop. 🙂

T-yeah its coming

B-Drew got one for Grad. He will be representing somewhere in the world.

T-awesome!

B-Uncle Dave has a shaved ice machine he brought to Waterton. So we were enjoying various flavours of snow cones. I liked Pina Colada. It will probably be kind of weird being back in Adelaide after being away so long.

T-yeah i gotta go love ya heaps

B-Have an excellent week. Love you

July 8

hey mom and dad,

so first question what happened to the truck? i might have been told but don’t remember. some of the tings i appreciated the most were canadian things like all dressed chips! as for this week it ha been great! still the same amount of chaos but i don’t break just bend! 🙂 haha so it has been an awesome week. we have been teaching an aboriginal family and they are progressing really well just need to get married so we have that underway! as for the new mission president, he is very different from the parkers but awesome as well. very buisness style

Love

Elder Dickson

K-Interesting!…. business style? What does that mean in the missionary context? The truck is long gone…gave up the ghost. Dad has been driving Grandpa Dickson’s old van…AKA the “man van”

T-yeah so he runs everything like a buisness, more articulate.

K-Well that will shake some things up. With you at only 7 weeks or so I guess you will just get a taste of the new focus. Is the family you are teaching related to the mob that was baptized and being taught in Malak?

T-yes they are cousins

K-Had you seen the article I sent you?  What did you learn at Zone Conference this week? I’m sure the new mission president was a bit nervous and feeling like there was a lot to learn and do.

T-yeah i helped them put it together! we didn’t have a zone conference just a meet and greet

K-That’s awesome. I will have to save it. Does your new mission president have a blog or Facebook page like the Parkers?

B-June 2017 Grandpa Dickson offered us their Ford Freestar van because they wanted something smaller. I think you drove Grandpa from Edmonton to uncle Shane’s in that van. In honour of the original man va we called it man van 2.0. A few days later I took the truck in for some repairs and it would cost way too much to keep it running. So we donated it to the kidney foundation. Feb of 2017 we bought a black minivan at an auction for $750. The Jakevan. I am afraid it is ready to die so I jumped on the opportunity to buy the new car. Will probably try to sell the Jake van. See if we can get something for it. Haven’t even talked with mom about it yet. All dressed chips …. excellent.

Jakes dinner at the hospital was chicken, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. Also ice cream. I suggested he start with the ice cream and he did. I had some Licorice. Something wrong with this picture. Benny was usher and did the count for the first time in church today. He took it very seriously. I watched from the stand. I was proud of him. God knows what he is doing with the Aaronic Priesthood. Boys learn and are given responsibility step by step.

T-haha sounds about right-yeah i remeber getting a talking to by coy for not getting the count right

K-Speaking of national foods like all dressed chips. What Australian foods are you going to miss the most?

T-do you have my schedule for uni yet? – do you have the times i want to look into enrolling in institute

B-Drew volunteered you to walk to work or take the bus since he feels he will need a car to get to work.

K-Yes I was just looking at it tonight. First term you only have 4 classes. English, Math, Human Kinetics ( like the science of gym with activity) and psychology.
You  start classes at 8:30  and the Latest you go until is 2:15

The next term you have a full load – 5 classes. English, history, another Kinetics course and Astronomy and Biology.

Those courses should give you a basic first year base so you can go any direction you want

T-ok sweet so i want to be taking institue as well, im looking at the
website but not sure which to register for -of course drew did

B-Pretty sure they run a couple institute classes at the seminary building at night. That way you don’t have to go all the way to UofC

K-Can you access the institute schedule from there? If not I can find one for you so you can look. There are some chunks of time in the day too like MWF first term  you have a break between classes. I will put your schedule into a chart and send it next week so you can see.

T-yeah i can access from here

K-What is the website?I will look here and tell you which courses work or once you get the chart it should help

K-Any of the night classes in Sundance will work. I will quickly look at the U of C classes

T-all good no rush

B-So then go take a class at uofc at night. Might be cool to meet different people. You can drive or take the train if necessary. We will make it work.

T-ok sweet i think that would be a great opprotunity to meet people at well

B-How about mom and I look at the schedule this week, give you our two cents next week, and then you choose what you want to take and where.

T-sweet

K-Ok I looked. It seems like the classes that would work for you first term would be:
1)  Evening Classes at the Sundance building
2) Friday classes after 10:30 at the University
3) Evening classes at the University.

B-Might be cool to have Drew come with you to a class. His plan is to regularly attend the YSA Ward with you when you come back. There was talk of him going today but I thinks his friends bailed. Might be kind of nervous going the first time. I really want him there with you rather than hanging in Sundance Ward teaching primary.

K-ok awesome thanks mom you’re the best!

B-Hello, who found you a cool man van 2.0 or PT cruiser. The coolest in used vehicles

T-haha yeah i’ll bring him along, get him super involved

K-No, ignore your dad…. you were most correct  to praise your mom…nothing like buttering me up😀. Do you have any PDay plans?

T-haha clean the flat, and shop

B-Hopefully it doesn’t take the 3 hours Benny and I took to clean the basement yesterday.

T-i remember going to the ysa ward for the first time, i was like ” no
way, im out of here”

K-What are you going to do about shipping things like your paintings? Do we need to put some extra money in your account so you can start sending things home?

T-haha no we divide and conquer-nah i can fit them in my suitcase

K-Just wait till Benny gets to clean out that room for your stuff… he is going to be SO happy!

B-Bring a Koala home for Benny. It can stay in the basement.

K-Ok…has the new mission president announced a new focus or theme for the mission?

T-haha i don’t really have much stuff other than souvenirs and stuff i
have picked up and been given -no he hasn’t announced anything

K-Well with next week being the last transfers it should be exciting. Will you stay in Darwin and then just fly to Adelaide a couple of days before you go home ?-Oh… did you get your package?

T-yeah i will fly to adelaide with like 5 days left – gotta go love you heaps!

K-Wow…that is starting to feel real. Finish strong.

B-Have a great week. I’ll eat some all dressed chips for you and you eat some amazing mangoes for me.

 

July 2

hey mom and dad,
so this has been a full on week. we have been running around getting
everything together for the switch over of mission presidents. so as
well a crazy miracle happened this week. elder dudfield (area 70) was
in darwin on sunday. he came for a family vacation but had heard the
story about a family that had been baptized here. he is going to put
their story on lds.org! so you’ll see about darwin online! as for the
work this week we are teaching a new family. their names are
sylvester, oletta and sylvestina. they are cousins of a family
previously baptized. they are doing awesome! crazy week. stressful
week. right now is probably the most tired and worn out i have ever
been in my life but the lord is defintly blessing me with renewed
strength.
Love
Elder Dickson

Brent- Good to hear you are exhausted!  You are supposed to be cause you are doing good stuff. Is Elder Dudfield a General Authority?  I just arrived at the hospital and mom and I did the switch so she may not see these right away.
Drew has no work tomorrow because with Canada Day on a Sunday Monday becomes a stat holiday. He is going to see the fireworks tonight.

T-yes he is, we had an hour long interview with him, elyssa and irene.
he loved it.

B-Nice. So do you know the cousins of your investigators?  When does your new president arrive?  What are your plans for him. The new Calgary president is from New Zealand. I guess the sisters in our ward met them yesterday and the mission presidents wife went on Splits with them. That is a strong start! Cutting edge news boy. 7 minutes ago LeBron James announced he is signing a 4 year deal with the Lakers. We shall see who else goes there. Chris Paul signed an extension with the rockets and Paul George signed an extension with Thunder. I love LeBron but very glad he is in the west away from the Raptors.

T-yeah we know the cousins really well. so he is already in adelaide and
flies up to darwin tomorrow.

B-What will he be doing with you on Darwin?

T-dang lebron

B-Not sure what to do. Really like LeBron but have always hated the Lakers. First world problems

T-who else do you think will go to the lakers?

B-Kwahi Leonard wants to be traded from the spurs. They aren’t getting along. But I wouldn’t trade him in the same conference and have to play him a ton. He is a feee agent in a year and says he wants to go to the Lakers. There isn’t really any big names left.

T-so why would lebron go to the lakers? money?

B-The Cavs aren’t good enough and won’t get better. Some people think he is hoping to attract other players. Others think it is to be close to Hollywood. He is starting to get involved in movies and other such stuff

T-dang crazy #spacejamround2

B-Changes the balance of power a bit. The Raptors will have to deal with Philly and Boston. They need to get tougher. LeBron was in their head and they kept losing to him. So what is the plan when the mission president arrives. Mom is going to be in tough with no Sis. Parker blog to follow.

T-still not sure. gotta take it as it comes
when he gets here.

B-So today Bishop Steed and I had to do tithing on our own. No clerk to help us. But we were big boys and made no mistakes we know of. Taylor went down to Waterton this weekend for a last hurrah!  He flies Thursday. Billy went to the temple this week. He was in Raymond today and leaves Thursday too. Bishop Steed said he looked and sounded great!

T-awesome!

B-So tell me something that you love about Darwin, something you will really miss.

T-i love the people, particuarly the members

B-The nice thing with social media is you will be able to keep up those contacts. So did you take a moment and sing O Canada yesterday?

K- Ok my mom nature is now taking over … take care of yourself my tired and stressed boy…. delegate some responsibility, eat well, excercise. You can do this! I hope when the mission president arrives it will be joyful, not stressful. Can you isolate what is causing the stress?

B-Maybe Tommy is a missionary with two months left and wearing down a bit :). Thank goodness for moms who worry more than dads.

T-i gotta go love you heaps!

B-Take a nap today and then get at er!
Love u proud of u

K-Love you heaps… take care of yourself!

June 24

hey mom and dad,

so i guess since ou went on a more spoiritual note i will do the same.

one scripture i have been pondering this week is the book of moses and king bejamins sermon. so as a little bit of a back story to this experience. this week a member family from adelaide was in darwn and i had worked wth them a lot. i had been over to their house for dinner.

the father is less active and from our chat ii found out that the mom is now as well. i shared with them this:

 

“4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.”

 

now they looked at me a little weird thinking “what the heck has darwin done to elder dickson”. but i explained it as such. moses has had a pretty rough life. he has been subject to the decree of pharoh to kill the children. he was adopted by pharoah’s daughter. as well moses has grown up in the palaces of egypt (the most powerful and wealthy nation at the time). God shows moses here an all expansing vision similar to that of many prophets. after this account moses says

 

“Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed”

 

this brings up an interesting point. moses having seen all that the world has to offer is shown what god has created and see’s that man is nothing. the paradox as we all know is that we are nothing compared to god, his glory, his divinity, but we are everything to him. the advesary will do everything to challenge that. we know that is his purpose is to bring misery to us just like he has.

 

11 But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.

 

12 And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me.

 

i find it interesting that the very first thing that satan does to disuade or to destroy moses is challenges his divine identity. “moses, son of man, worship me”. Within our own lives we will have many times when satan comes knocking challenging our divine identity. that can come at many times, when we are distraught and feel that god has left us, it can also happen when we are doing fantastic and feel as though we don’t need god. the important part is to respond as moses.

 

13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?

 

Throughout my time as a missionary that is something that i have come to truly know and cherish. I am a child of god. he loves me and will help me today. He will help you today and everyday because he knows you and the struggles that you face. It is the most important thing for an investigator to know that he/she is a child of god. it is no coincedence that the first principles in both the plan of salvation and the restoration is “God is your loving heavenly father”. I know that to be true. i love what you said dad about the prophet joseph smith. my favorite scripture from that encounter happens in the next section though.

 

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

 

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

 

9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

 

I know that the Saviour lives. He walks with us everyday and when we can’t walk any farther he carries us. I know that as we turn to him our trials don’t nessecarily get easier but they become lessons for us. He loves us and wants us to succeed.

 

Love,

Elder Dickson

Krista -That is a very powerful testimony Tommy. I am so grateful that you have served a mission and are able to help yourself and others with the lessons from the scriptures. I think most people in the world today don’t see themselves as Children of God and that is a critical truth

Brent –

That is one of my favourite scriptures from the book of Moses. I remember my MTC president teaching it to us. The three big concepts:

1. I Am God
2. You are my son
3. I have a work for you to do

 

It is a prototype of all our relationships with God. It stuck with me from when I was 19. It becomes more profound the more I think about it.

T-

kinda figured that is better than a weekly update

K-

Absolutely! It is great t see your maturity and growth…. don’t think though that you are getting away with not telling me a couple of details of your life😁

B-

So funny Benny party story. They said no presents but Candy would be welcome. His friends went to town. This was a better haul than Halloween. Jake benefited with some shared Skittles.

Sad rugby moment. Wallabies lost to Ireland in game 3 of their test series by 1 point. I’m sure Chambers will have something to say about that tomorrow. Stupid Chambers with his Irish heritage!:)

K-

Yep…definitely a mom fail on that one, I should have said a chocolate bar…. instead giant Costco bags of gummies….he’s going to have lots of cavities with his sketchy brushing habits

T-

haha thats hilarious!

B-

Benny was worried I would steal candy. I promised I would only take it right in front of his face.

President Miles and his wife spoke in Stake Conference today. They are released on Saturday. Bore powerful testimonies. Made me think of Parkers. It would be a powerful experience to be a mission president.

K-

Did the family respond to the lesson? Do they have family in Darwin?

T-

oh is he our mission president?-

they responded well and promised they would go to church when the get back to adelaide

B-

The Calgary mission president. Released Saturday. Heard the new one is from New Zealand. Don’t know the name.

The new mission president of Vietnam is Ross Chile’s and we hung out together at UofA before I went to Sweden. Kinda cool

T-

oh wow thats cool!

K-When do you meet your new mission president?

B- His mission was New Orleans Vietnam speaking. I remember him taking us for Vietnamese food and everyone in the restaurant having to meet the blond kid that spoke Vietnamese.

T-

so he gets to the mission on the 30th has a 4 hour interview with the parkers and then the parkers leave. president marquis gets to darwin on the 4th

K-

Wow that is a tight turnover…they will probably be a little Jet lagged. Hopefully you will get your Canada Day package and you can just celebrate a week late

T-

hopefully 😛

B-

I love that. 4 hour interview and then good luck for the next three years. You will have to show the new president the ropes in Darwin.

K-

One last bit of Canadian pride! You don’t have any Canadian missionaries left in Darwin so you will have to represent

T-

yeah so i get to take him around and show him darwin

K-

That will be a great opportunity for you. You are the king of Darwin!

B-

Hope he takes notes. Right now probably no one in the mission knows Darwin better than you.

T-

woohoo!-

so apparently president parker has already told him about me

K-

Don’t break any traffic rules! How long are they In Darwin?

B-

I assume he bragged appropriately about you. I am Dad biased!

T-

two days

haha, its just having been here for almost a year, i know my way around

K-

It’s a big position of trust to be a zone leader over 3000 km from your mission president. He believes in you.

Nope…way more than that

T-

thats a good thing 🙂

K-

Of course it is but you have had to work with a new to zone leader, greenie, new senior couple and new mission president…that takes skills

B-

Mad Skillz friend!

So I am multitasking. While emailing you At the hospital i have also been texting people to speak in church. Just nailed down a couple of youth. I am soooo popular in the ward.

T-

haha im sure people love to hear from you

i gotta go love you heaps

B-

Since April 2016 – everyone’s favourite.

Have an amazing week. Enjoy that new president

K-

Love you heaps…I think I am going to say that forever….thanks Australia!

June 17

hey mom and dad,

how are you? so nothing too crazy this week. we found a couple new investigators and are still moving the work forward. nothing too crazy. i’m super excited for taylor and billy! thats so good that he will be able to keep serving!  i dont have his email from home. as well everybody is getting married before i get home haha

Love Elder Dickson

Krista –

So lots of talk at the dinner tonight about your flights and when you get home. I think people just think about missionaries when they are sending another one off. Is your greenie still doing well. Has he adjusted to the heat or has it cooled down a bit?

T-

yeah he is awesome! –

do you already have my flights?

K-

Yes, I though get you might have heard. We got an email on Tuesday. You fly out at 6 am on August 28th from Adelaide. First to Sydney… then LA then home. The layovers are not too bad a couple of hours or 3 hours or so. Because of the time change even with tons of time in the air you actually arrive in Calgary the same day at 5:00 pm. I think you r something like 19 hours on the plane plus layovers. you are going to be one tired boy!

T-

dang, i haven’t heard anything yet

K-

So I assume you will fly to Adelaide from Darwin sometime before the 28th. You will probably hear those details when your new mission president comes up to Darwin. Tell me about your new investigators

T-

so we are teaching two aborignal brothers from tiwi and one guy from liberia

K-

Where is Tiwi? Are all your investigators young? How are your other baptisms from Darwin doing. John and Peter and Jun?

T-

so tiwi is an island north of darwin, and yeah they are doing good

Brent-

Got your flights and it kind of freaked me out. Got a little excited. Taylor did awesome. 404 people in Sacrament meeting today

K-

I didn’t even know there were islands there. Are they mainly aboriginal? I loved some of the pictures you shared last week. Especially the one of you and Serina with her art. That will be very special

T-

holy, must have been his good looks

B-

Posted the picture of you with the joey and got lots of response.

T-

she said she wants to do one more for me

B-

We are now sharing Ron Swanson advice from Parks and Rec. a high level of dude conversation.

T-

haha always listen to ron

K-

That is very kind of her. She is really talented. Does she do it as a business?

T-

no she just does it for fun, since i am the longest serving missionary in nightcliff she sees me as her son so she wanted to paint for me

K-

It has been a cool thing that you have been able to develop relationships with the members in Darwin. One of the advantages of serving in a small branch.  Have you seen the Farrer’s while they have been there?

Taylor – How are things going so far! I just had my talk and we are hanging out around my house. What is new with you?

From Taylor.

T-

man was your talk good? –

yeah i have seen them but only for a short time

K-

What is the plan for PDay this week?

Taylor-

Well my opening line was “my family has problems “

T-

haha sounds about right and probably clean our flat

K-

The other day Drew was going to have some friends over so he totally cleaned the house… it was because the girls were coming over too. He said he wouldn’t have cleaned for just the guys. I totally want the girls to come over all of the time. My house would look GREAT

T-

i otta go love you heaps

B-

Have a sweet week. Love you

K-

Love you heaps… we are so proud of you. Work hard and care for that greenie!

June 11

hey mom and dad,

so it has been an emotional week. this week the parkers as you know were in darwin. we got our “final counsel” from them and it was amazing. as well we saw them off at the airport and i totally broke down. told myself not to cry but didn’t go so well :p. any ways things have been going really well here. nothing to crazy happened this week, except i got our new companion! his name is elder nelson (not related t the prophet) he is from texas and is a gun! super awesome! so other than that nothing too crazy. heaps of blessings and miracles as always but normal week.

Love

Elder Dickson

Krista-

What does it mean he is a gun? I’m getting emotional thinking about the Parkers too😢 Is Elder Nelson a brand new missionary?

Make sure you write down their counsel so you don’t forget. Did you get a picture with them?

Brent

Nothing wrong with feeling emotional about the Parkers. Working hard in a righteous cause brings you together.

T-

gun means he is sooo ready to work hard. we got a zone picture together

K-

Awesome… tell me a little more about him. You are back to two Americans…. building those North American bonds!

B-

Drew played well in the selects game. A UofC coach came up to him and asked if he would be interested in playing for the Dinos next year. Drew was thrilled.

T-

thats awesome for drew!

i didn’t even know they had a team

K-

He’s our second rugby star… not sure Benny is going to follow in both of your footsteps though. When I suggested bringing out Spike Ball for him and his friends for his birthday he said…. well mom these people are not exactly athletic, they are geeks like me! Not sure I classified Spike Ball as athletic.🙄

B-

I gotta go. I’m off to get a computer tablet for Jake. Surprise. He broke his. So glad you are doing great. Take care of that Texan. I’ll leave you to Mom.

K-How many missionaries do you have in the zone now? – What is up for this week? Any investigators?

T-

nah nothing too crazy this week. just finding, finding and finding

K-

Have you seen the Farrer’s yet? Jake is now expressing his displeasure that there is no Domino’s pizza at the hospital. Me too!!

T-

yeah we have just for a short time though

K-

Did you get your package?

T-

no not yet

K-

Oh well… you will have to pretend that Canada Day is not July 1st….. what were some of the pieces of advice the Parkers gave you?

T-

they talked about regular FHE, temple attendance, ongoing conversion, don’t delay marriage –

i gotta go love you!

K-

Love you heaps…. this is the best part of my day today!

June 3

hey mom and dad,

so crazy day in darwin! so midway through the week elder mcdonald and elder fiu got emergency transfered to adelaide and mildura to help with some problems down there. so as for transfers my new companion is elder syme! he is from mississippi and is a long distance runner. elder biesemeyer got transfered to malak. sister ili got transfered to adelaide along with elder hawkins. coming up is elder turctte from arizona (chinese speaking), elder wu and elder lu both from china. so it has been a crazy week! as well elder syme and i are training. so crazy. oh as well elder mcdonald is the new assistant. anywho thats exciting to hear about finding a place for jake, so will that be his permanent house?

Love

Elder Dickson

Krista-

Wow that is quite the week…. is Elder Syme there yet? That is crazy the Elder McDonlad is an assistant and that there were emergency transfers. Do you k ow why you are training g?

T-

yeah he came from malak, and no we dont

Brent –

Hey my boy, sounds like the zone got blown up. I can’t keep track of all those missionaries but your mom will know who they all are. The best plan is for Jake to live in that group home permanently but to spend time with us too. Not sure how it will all work just now. His aggressive behaviour has to be under control before spending time with us.

K-

Right, I forgot he was already there. So you get to train another new ZL ? So with Sister IIlli and Elder McDonald gone you really are the king of Darwin! Any pictures this week?

B-

So I am sitting in the hospital with Jake, watching Pres. Nelson’s devotional to youth, and emailing my missionary in Darwin. Never would have predicted all that a while ago.

K-

So with Elder Biesemeyer going to Malak does that mean Elder Miague is finishing his training…..? You are a grandpa!

T-

no so elder davison will finish his training

K-

So Elder Syme… could be your last companion….finish strong! Do the new missionaries come today?

T-probably will be and yeah we pick them up tonight

B-So a long distance runner from the south. Does this mean some training other than karate in the mornings now. A Canadian Aussie accent and a southern US Aussie accent. You will be quite the pair.

K-

So Elder Syme is a distance runner. What else is great about him?

T-

he doesn’t have a draw, he actually sounds pretty aussie.

B-

So you can both blend as natural citizens. But the shirt, tie, and black tags may raise some suspicion, even though lots of your missionaries are Aussies.

K-

So do you have another Mandarin Elder in Darwin already or will the Elder be in an English companionship?

T-

the will be in an english companionship but using their chinese to teach and find

K-

That is awesome! Where will he be based? So still trying to figure out a good missionary gift. Taylor’s farewell is in two weeks because of Stake Conference and the long weekend. It has come really fast

B-

So will you watch Pres. Nelson’s youth devotional some time soon?  I enjoyed it. Simple and to the point. Two thumbs up from me 🙂

Just put Connor McCue on the Taylor Farewell program. Might as well throw a Steed cousin in there. Dani Carter gives her farewell too. This will be the third double farewell in the ward since April.

K-

Ok I guess I will just have to use my mom brain. So with all of the changes who does that put in your flat with you and Elder Syme?

T-

so it will be elder syme, elder nayusan, elder turcotte, elder wu, our trainee and myslef

K-

So who is the newby in the other trio. That will be crazy having 6 elders. Good thing the flat is so big. Anything else up for PDay other than airport pickups?

T-

so don’t know yet and nah just sleep

K-

Oh I know what I forgot to ask? Did you get your Canada Day package? I planned it for only one companion, so yo7 will have to share around

T-

no i aven’t gotten anything yet

B-

So turns out Jake loves tuna sandwiches and egg salad sandwiches. They always have some in the fridge here and he crushes them.

K-

Ok, hopefully it  will come with the Parkers when they come for their last visit.

T-

did you send it to adelaide?

K-

Plus he got a slurpee from Sis Banfield and some Dr. Pepper from us. It stinks being in the hospital but he is eating all right.

T-

haha probably gaining heaps of weight

K-

Yep… but with the way the mail works I had to send it a long time ago so I wasn’t sure where you would be . Drew goes for his mission medical tomorrow….. time flies!

B-

When he gets better we will send you on some power hikes with him.

T-

when does he want to go on the mish?

B-

Right after our family Mexico trip. Around Jan 1 will be his available date

K-

I don’t think he really knows. I either think he is going to Texas or somewhere like  Vietnam or the Philippines where his 6ft 3 self will not exactly blend in.

T-

awesome!

K-

I should have read closer… I thought yo7 said where

T-

probably philipines

B-

I was trying to convince him he should put November 3 as his date and then let God decide if he should go to Mexico on holiday or mission right away and make that sacrifice. I almost had him convinced and then said, are you kidding me! Come to Mexico and then hit the mission. 🙂

T-

hahaha

K-

I better start planning that Mexico trip…. you know my crazy planning self😁

T-

haha im sure evryday will be planned

B-

It will be cool to see where he goes. We have made some joking predictions but who knows what will happen.

K-

Well let’s just say… sitting all day at the beach is just a little hard for me but I’m sure Dad will help balance us out

B-

Some beach wave watching, some ancient ruins, and some market shopping all sounds pretty good to me.

T-

haha

B-

We need to stop. This could make you a bit trunky. Focus on the work and hopefully some mangoes. 🙂

K-

Benny’s birthday is coming up soon. He says he wants to be the Dickson brother who gets his drivers license the fastest. I can’t quite bring myself to imagine Benny behind the wheel…. just too scary

B-

Centennial parking lot here we come. Two boys down, one to go.

K-

Have you had any luck finding this week?

T-

holy benny

B-

Jake just made things exciting and ran for the far washroom. That kid is a rebel.

K-

Poor kid has been stuck in the same room for a while… I guess you have to have some interest in your life

T-

haha i guess so –

gotta go love ya heaps

K-

Love you heaps… hope you enjoy your new companionship and flat

 

April 22

hey mom and dad,

so exciting news, the mission is getting smart phones! so eery companionship will be using a smart phone instead of the brick we have now. other than that the exciting news is that i am still in darwin! so i think i will probably stay for the rest of the mission. as well nobody else got transfered from the zone but malak elders, palmerston elders and us are training. so its been a good week. our investigator jun is progressing really well and he is on track to be baptized on the 12th of may. pretty normal week. oh as well the clydes are going to be the new darwin couple when the lea’s leave

Love,

Elder Dickson

Krista – I am surprised you are still in Darwin… are you excited for that? Do you know who you are training yet?

T- yeah i am super excited!!!! and no we will find outt on wednesday

K- That is great…I’m glad you are happy there. Who are the Clyde’s? I don’t think I know them? Where are they from? Dad is probably still on a plane on the way to Winnipeg so I’m not sure you will hear from him tonight

T- i have no clue who the clydes are just heard that they are coming to darwin

K- Ok then…. when do you get your phones? That must make communicating with members and investigators so much easier. It’s kind of funny they had a dinner for Jackson and Garrett after church today and we were having that exact conversation with Jesse and Layton about phones and missions. It’s great how the church can monitor them and how useful they are for the work

T- so we aren’t sure when the phones will come but it will be soon. did layton have one in his mission?

K- Yes he did and I think Garrett and Taylor will  have them too.  Garrett and Jackson did a great job of their talks today. They have both grown up so much. They leave on Tuesday. Has it started to cool off at all in Darwin?  I can’t tell you how excited dad has been to shovel off the deck and seeing the snow melt. Now he is going to be in Winnipeg while it might be 20 on Tuesday ..

I know that sounds crazy cold to you but to us it sounds tropical

T- haha yeah so it has turned to dry season so all 30’s but little humidity

K- I am now fighting with Drew about getting off fortnight…. this new online game…. oh how I love electronics!  And of course Jacob is adding his two cents to the discussion. So with the new trainees does that mean there will be 17 in your zone?

T- yeah everybody over here in aus is talking about fortnight  yeah 17 missionaries

K- Ahhhhh not there too… I am definitely ANTI Fortnight!

T- haha yeah is it bad?

K- The game itself is not that bad … it’s the obsession that is driving me a little crazy! Lots of people were asking after you today … the general response is …l I can’t believe it has gone that fast. Owen is getting his papers ready and they should be in in the next little while

Brent – Hey Tommy!  The Darwin man!  Glad you are excited to stay. You would probably freeze if you went south. I just landed in Winnipeg and have to go meet Andy Thibodeau. Have an amazing week.

Dad

T- tell andy i say hi

K- Tell me a little about Jun…. Is he your Korean investigator? What does he do?

T- yeah jun is korean and he is your typical korean animated man :p he is really funny and is super sarcastic but is really keen to learn

K- How old is he? Does he have a family?

T- he is 22

K- You must enjoy teaching people that are your age. And it’s pretty awesome how diverse Darwin is. Sister Lea posted some pictures of some people from the branch and some friends and it was cool

T- yeah darwin is a big melting pot

K- What is your favourite discussion to teach and why?

T- i love teaching the plan of salvation because without fail they always say “this makes sense”

K- Do you have a special way to teach it?

T- yeah we do a lot of drawing

K- I hope you have better drawing skills than your mother or you would be in big trouble.  What is new in the branch?

T- no i suck at drawing so usually the investigators laugh

T- ok i gotta go, love you heaps!!

K- Love you heaps

Feb 25

Hey mom and dad!

so this has been a crazy week. very bus doing a lot of finding! it has been a great experience being able to go finding in the darwin city. This week they had the chinese new year festival in the city so it was a great experience to talk to a lot of foreigners. So other news is that my visa will not allow me to extend. president has looked into it and i won’t be able to. But on the positive side, mohamed is progressing so well! he is the man annd is soo keen for baptism. I’m pumped to hear where taylor will be going! when did he put his availability date? Great week, Awesome mission, Perfect Church and  Wonderful Saviour. (Bold added by Dad – what more do you want to hear from your missionary than those statements!!!)

Love you heaps

Elder Dickson

Krista – I love your last sentence…. I am so proud of your focus and hard work! That is too bad about extending but I have to admit my mom heart will be happy to see you a month earlier.

I’m happy about Mohammed… is he on date yet?

That is also really cool about finding in the city. Do you have any Mandarin speaking missionaries in Darwin?

T- yes so mohamed is on date for the 10th of march. elder siaw is mandarin speaking and most missionaries know a couple phrases

K- Is March 10th before transfers? Do you find most Chinese students English is good enough to teach, or do you need Mandarin support?

T- yes it is the day before. their english tends to be pretty good but it helps when we know gospel words in chinese

K- That’s interesting. I think Taylor put his availability as immediate  but I am not sure. It seems like most of the calls right now are a few months out so it looks like it is likely that you may miss each other for 4 years… for the best reason … oh well!

Did we tell you… we have planned a family vacation for Christmas coming up in Mexico. It will be great and by that time you will probably be freezing in Canada so it will be a break.

Did you find any other interesting prospects this week in the city?  Tell me about them

T- so no really interesting prospects in the city, just a lot of potentials

K- I’m leaving for a fireside …. Dad is taking over

B- Just got back from home teaching Stevens – he was at the Olympics in Korea.  Calgary is thinking of putting in a bid.

T- will that be the winters?

B- I haven’t had a chance to read all the emails but I heard no go on the extension. I am sorry to hear that but selfishly a little glad to see you sooner.

Yes Winter Olympics. He says we already have the facilities at Olympic standard to host 11 of the events. The key is to make sure not too much debt. We shall see.  I say yes as long as we don’t take on debt.

T- yeah so no go apparently my visa won’t allow it even though president wants to – is it pretty well supported throughout calgary?

B- That is too bad. But the most important thing is that you were willing to do it. It says a lot about how you feel about your mission. Blessings come from intent too. Too early to say about calgary support. People think it would be cool but don’t have enough info yet. Will be interesting.

T- yeah do you think it will go through?

so the family is going to mexico for christmas?

B- Yes Mexico is booked   Wanna come?  We will be there a week right after Christmas. Condo etc books. Now mom is watching for cheap flights. We want a vacation with all of us before Drew is gone. We will leave Jake for the week.

T- that sounds really cool! where in mexico?

B- Near Cancun I think. 20 min from the beach. Nice pools and access to other resorts. Close to two amazing Aztec ruins we can tour. Mom is the hero on this. She has done all the work to make it happen. She is a keeper. I think it will be so great to be there all together.

T- that sounds awesome, right back to the heat!

B- We will probably all think it is so hot and you will be laughing at us sad Canadians.

T- haha that sounds great, i gotta go love you heaps,