B1 WE ARE THE BRAVE HEARTS!

What an incredible week we've had here in Maine!
Monday we had an awesome FHE with the Branch President and his family. We have been focusing a lot on getting members involved in Preach My Gospel. We did a neat activity with them on sincere prayers. It was a ton of fun for their family and for us and the spirit was so strong.
Tuesday we did some service for Eddie and Susie, two of our investigators. It was really neat because after we were done they agreed to take the discussions. We visited the West family later that evening. They are less active, but you would never know it. They study the scriptures, live and talk like active church members, but they don't go to church. We talked to them about using Preach My Gospel and Brother West stood up walked in the other room and grabbed his copy. He already had one, so we committed him and his wife to start studying from it. Another neat experience that happened from that visit was that they agreed to participate in the forty day fast that our branch has just started.
Wednesday we had district meeting and although it's already week three of the transfer it was our first one with our new district. It was probably one of the best district meetings we've ever had. We talked about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and how it is because of the Resurrection that we can repent. We were encouraged to get a picture of Christ and put it where we could easily find it or see it and whenever we get distracted or discouraged think of Him. We had dinner with Sister Gosselin, our Relief Society President. She is expecting a baby girl in August so we helped with some household chores and she fed us. Pretty awesome trade if you ask me.
Thursday was the day that started off the incredible experiences that resulted from Youth Conference. Ten sets of missionaries were selected to attend the Bangor and Augusta stakes youth conference. Sister Burton and I were one of the lucky companionship's that got to go. The theme of the conference was Mission Possible: Agents of Action. The missionaries were the team leaders and we were assigned a group of about 15 youth. Our group was B1, which was soon added upon by the youth to be the B1 Brave Hearts. As we first met with our group we were a little nervous about a few of the youth who didn't seem too enthused to be there. We got started by making a flag and a chant. Not long after that they had an opening devotional. During this time Sister Burton and I prepared our class. We were assigned to teach a class on bringing the scriptures to life. It was actually a pretty neat experience on how we decided what we were going to teach. We only received our assignment to teach the week previous so we didn't have much time to think or prepare. As we prayed about what we needed to teach, the revelation just began to flow! It was such a neat experience. In about an hours time we had a pretty solid outline for what we needed to share. Our class was about Lehi's vision of the tree of life (found in 1 Nephi 8). We decided that we were going to make this story come to life and apply it the the youth's lives right now. Sister Burton and I played the parts of Sariah and Lehi. We started our class in the Primary room and then told our "children" that we needed to leave Jerusalem because it was going to be destroyed, and then they followed us into the wilderness. The next room over we had made a huge fort/tent that we had the rest of our class in. We talked about the different groups of people that are mentioned in Lehi's dream. We taught how we can leave behind our own personal Jerusalems, and that we all need to be a part of the group that continuously holds fast to the rod of iron, not the one that clings. I learned so many insights about the tree of life that I had never before understood. The scriptures are incredible things, and they are truly written for our day.
Friday was another incredible day. There is so much that I want to share, but I don't quite have the time. One huge miracle that happened was with our former investigator Matthew Dorr. When Sister Burton and I got here, we were told that he had a baptismal date set. It took us a really long time to get in contact with him and when we finally were able to meet him he was swamped with school and work and didn't have the commitment to stick to his baptismal date or the lessons. One of the activities that the youth did in the conference was called a missionary track where some of the youth could go out and teach someone as if they were missionaries. A few weeks prior when they mentioned that they were going to be doing this as part of the conference they asked if we had any referrals of people that we were teaching within a 30 min. distance from the Bangor church. Matthew Dorr immediately came to mind. The day of the missionary track we still had not heard from Matthew. We talked to one of the leaders, Bro. Smith, and told him the situation. We had a meeting with the rest of the missionaries and Bro. Smith told the missionaries that of the 25 people they had set up to teach nearly half of them had fallen through. We had a few hours to do our weekly planning while the youth were playing games so he asked us to pray for miracles that we would be able to build our teaching pool back up so the youth could experience teaching. As Sister Burton and I prayed we had a new idea come to our minds. We thought of a recent convert who is a girlfriend of one of the boys in our branch. We called Sister Bissel and she informed us that Devin (her sons girlfriend) was up visiting. We asked if she'd be ok with two young women coming to practice teaching the Plan of Salvation. She agreed! Not much longer after that we received a text message from Matthew Dorr. He asked if today was the only day that they were doing it. We used our brains on this one and said yes and no. That day was the only day that they were doing it as part of youth conference, but we told him that we have youth in our branch that were preparing to serve missions that want more practice teaching. He was totally up for having them come a different day. Two big miracles in such a short amount of time. That night Sister Burton and I went on splits so that we could each go with a set of youth to teach. I went with the youth to the Bissels. When we got there, Devin and Justin were not home yet. We waited a few minutes and I prayed and prayed and prayed that they'd show up. Sister Bissel felt so bad that they weren't home yet, so she played the part of an investigator so these young women could practice teaching. Sister Bissel and I sat there in awe as these girls taught and shared their testimonies. I continued to pray that Devin would show up before we had to leave. Just as we were finishing up Devin and Justin pulled in. The girls were able to share one of their favorite scriptures with Devin before we left. As we drove back to the church these two young women were beaming! They were on cloud nine. This was their first experience being able to teach and share their testimonies in this type of a setting, and it was truly incredible.
Saturday, the last day of youth conference, we did a service project and cleaned up one of the streams in Bangor. It was a blast being with so many energetic, happy youth. When we got home from the stream clean up we were completely exhausted from all that had happened at youth conference. I am used to being able to just go home and crash after activities like that, but missionary work, well, I should say fun, never ends, so Sister Burton and I prayed for energy and carried on!
Sunday was also equally incredible. It was one of the most spirit filled fast and testimony meetings I have ever attended. The youth all bore their testimonies and shared their experiences from youth conference.
I know this email is extremely long, but it is basically my journal for the week because I haven't had time to write down what I've experienced. This week was truly life changing. I am extremely excited for what is in store this week!
I think it's only appropriate that I invite you all to do what we asked our youth to do this past week and that is to leave behind your Jerusalem. As Lehi left Jerusalem and took his family to the wilderness, they left behind everything. All their wealth, all their property, every worldly comfort. But they took with them what was truly important, which was each other. There are many things in our own personal lives that keep us from seeing what is truly important. When it comes down to it, the only things we take with us out of this life are our families and our knowledge. I want to ask all of you to think about what your personal Jerusalem is that holds you back from seeing what is truly important in life, and then set goals to change that. My testimony has been strengthened a great deal this past week and I have felt the spirit so strong. I love love love being a missionary and I love this gospel! I hope you all have a great week and stay strong!


Much love,
Sister Dixon