Elder Dillon Hancock: I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!

So a minor detail I missed from last weeks letter was we got attacked by a pack of dogs quite comical actually.... now! So we were going down this road to visit a less active family that only has one entrance and exit. It was a dead end the other way. So we knew this road was the sketchy part with dogs but didn’t know it was this bad. This dog comes flying at my companion and my companion hits its face with a Book of Mormon as it went to bite his leg. Then the dog turned to me, well you all know I don’t put up with that junk! I was wearing my boots- so I gave him a swift kick right under his bottom jaw. I think he broke teeth but oh well. After I kicked him he kept at it. Then 4 other dogs start at us. I gave him another kick to the ear, ha, he backed off on that one! Needless to say we went to our backup plan that day we just backed out; neither of us got bite thank goodness!

This was by far my favorite week! We had so much success and help from the Lord. The spirit has definitely had an effect on the people of Dichato this past week! It started out in a mini cambio, so splits. My companion didn’t really know what was going on so I went to my splits without a change of clothes or anything it was really funny! Good thing I’m a pretty easy going person. Most people would have freaked. So I was on splits with one of my Zone leaders Elder Sutterfield- a great guy. He didn’t know that we were splitting either because the elders that were supposed to split, one of them got sick. We didn’t have plans for the whole day. We jumped on it and just jotted down a little somethin’ and just went on faith that the Lord was going to guide us where we needed to go. I’m telling you He did just that. We were in one of the wierdest places in Tome but we ended up at this lady’s house named Alejandra. She let us in and said I’m Catholic and I’m going to stay Catholic even though I know some people that are members of your church. We started going in the lesson and she really had a hard heart. I didn’t really talk the entire lesson but then at the end she asked me directly how did you receive an answer that this is true and how has this helped you. I bore my testimony bold and firm that it took me a while to really know it was true but that it has helped with really big trials in my life. That was the gist of it. After that we ended the lesson and she asked Elder Sutterfield if he could come back to teach her more. I didn’t really catch that until we were walking down the road and he told me”the only reason she is letting the missionaries come back is because of your testimony. It brought the spirit to testify to her that these things are true.” I learned that day that no matter how green the missionary the spirit works through them.

Back in Dichato we were doing great talking to everyone. We changed a lot this week in our companionship to better ourselves as servants and representatives of Jesus Christ. We stopped at this house a lady in her 30s named Paula. I told “Elder Aguirre hey she turned us away 2 weeks ago”, she told us “I’m Catholic and I won’t listen to you missionaries.” He said lets just try it again so we yelled to the house and out came Paula ´´please come in!´´ You got to be kidding me! She accepted baptism as did her niece and one daughter. The other daughter wants to but she is only 6. I testify that the Lord will soften the people’s hearts if you are obedient and diligent in His work. We found 14 new investigators this week that all of which have accepted baptism, awesome, two of which are the sisters of Ricardo and her husband Katy and Sebastian. They are a little difficult but they are going to be good.

Friday we went to Tome for the marriage of Ricardo and Yudith, Really a different experience, everyone was taking pictures and stuff during the service it was all really different. So I jumped in on the paparazzi action to- muy chistoso! Then we rode back to Dicahto with Katy and Sebastian and that is when they found out us missionaries are just normal people too and they started to trust us. They love our presence now.

Saturday we had the baptism of Ricardo and Yudith. I baptized Yudith and confirmed Ricardo, Elder Aguirre did the opposite. It was really funny though…our stop (plug) for the baptismal font was a plunger that I stuck on it and well the water after two hours was only about a foot and a half deep so I got the FIRE HOSE and filled up the font, sure it was cold but it worked like a champ!!!!

Sunday we had a new record, 49 attended church with one investigator Manuel (GOLDEN) and then many less actives were there. It was a very happy Sunday! I confirmed Ricardo at church and I was super nervous but afterwards I really didn’t remember anything. President Soto and Brother Moreno said that was VACAN! Amazing-great! I know that all the words that came through my mouth-none of them were mine. It was a very humbling experience for me.

Well I mentioned Manuel, he is our golden investigator. We have had three lessons with him and his baptism is next Sunday after church. Last night we visited him and asked Manuel do you want to get baptized next Sunday on your birthday? ´´YES I REALLY WANT TO GET BAPTIZED ´´ ´´ I WANT TO BE WITH MY FAMILY FOREVER´´ I was choked up all night with him. His whole family is members, his wife Ingrid and 17 year old daughter Solange. He told us I always wanted to listen to the missionaries they just never asked me. When we told him he can baptize his son Rodolfo in April when he turns 8 he was so excited. After the lesson we asked him to pray and he said I can’t in front of people. We encouraged and helped him and after he said “amen” he looked at his wife with the biggest smile and started crying. If only all investigators wanted it as much as Manuel everyone would be baptized.

We got to help tear down a house for the Placencia family! He is a 75-80 year old blind man that walks everywhere through the middle of the street wacking everything in his path. These houses remind me of 5th graders science projects ´´which insulations work best? Paper OR Plastic?” Ha, Ha! I love that movie!! But seriously they are hilarious with their plastic bag windows and all the goods inside?! Ah yeah they got it going? Well we were lowering one wall that actually did have a window in it that was right in front of me, naturally it did not have a latch so when it got lowered far enough it flung open right on my nose. It felt like when dad would clear your sinuses, but with a metal finger- yeah my eyes watered on that one! Then they dropped the same wall on my foot! Luckily the walls are not strong and it broke around my foot. It hurt but it was really funny to me.

You all are probably wanting to know all the good stuff…Well the milk is in boxes, the ketchup, jelly mayonnaise are in bags. I swear they have an isle in every store with just mayonnaise-Nasty! I still prefer not to eat it, but sometimes I have to eat it any ways. Everything is just great here. I love every minute of it! Yeah I may not know the scriptures very well but I do not regret leaving early at all-this is such a blessing in my life.

Mom share with the ward Alma 34:31 “now is the time for your salvation´´ I love them all and ask them to share the gospel with everyone. Don’t be afraid, you never know who might accept it! Everyone needs the gospel as a blessing in their lives. This life gives us challenges and hard things only to make us better. This life is all about change. Change yourselves everyday.... for the better!

Family and friends I love you all so much. Thank you for all your prayers for me. Mom please tell Tyler, Zach, and Jared that I love them and am so proud of them and thank them for serving in this great work that they are about to start. Thank you for fulfilling your calls and serving by my side in this work. Give them my love and my contact information please.

Love you all. Stay close to the Lord, serve Him and He will bless you!
Love,
Elder Dillon Denzlo Hancock