Hi All!

Guess what this last Friday was....

HUMP DAAAAAY!

It was my nine month mark.  The exact amount of time it takes to make a baby!  So in honor of my half way mark I took the sister missionary picture...

enjoy

​

please no "gained weight" comments

We have been really busy this week which is always good. 

We had our Christmas Conference this week and we are all really busy sharing the #lighttheworld campaign from the Church (which I encourage all of you to do). It is really a great way to bring the meaning of Christmas

Last P-day we went to the castle again. But this time I didn't want to pay the 6 euro fee so I tried to find another way in...

​

... needless to say I payed the 6 euro...

Anyway... I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week.

Zuster Dixon

P.S.  I don't have Christmas packages yet. I should have gotten them at zone conference but the senior couple are holding them hostage.  Long story short, I should be getting them on tuesday.

​another castle photo

​my love here on the mission... waffles 

Christmas and Lilli's Email

Dear Family, 

Just an update on the family activities during the holidays!

Christmas Caroling

On Monday the 19th of December 

at 7 pm 

We will be holding a

Dixon Family Christmas Caroling Activity

in memory of Katie!

We are hoping to make this an annual Christmas memory in honor of Katie who loves Christmas and music!

*****************

Christmas Party

December 24th

at

2:00 pm

A light lunch at Mom and Dad's!

then

A Christmas play at the 

Thompsons!

then

The gift exchange at Mom and Dad's!

THEN

home to get ready for Christmas day!

Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!

If you have any questions give me a call or comment on the blog!

Hey Everyone,

It sounds like the Christmas spirit is really swinging over there.  We have been really really really busy this week. We have been getting everything ready for our baptism. It happened!  She got baptised! And she came to church the next day and brought us cookies.  It was a really great day.

We had an appointment with a potential this week and halfway through our meeting her Turkish mother-in-law (sort-of) came in.  She was really muslim and our potential kinda closed off after she came in. But the mother-in-law was soooo nice, she plastered us with sweets and cookies and took pictures with us.  One thing I have learned here on my mission is how great the middle-eastern culture is.  They are so hospitable and friendly, it is so sad that they are having such problems in their countries and they have to leave.

Sorry this is such a short email this week, I'll try and write more next week

Love you all

Zuster Dixon

​The very thoughtful zr leman

​Ludwine

​​

Turkish mother-in-law

​Chicken contacting

Lilli's Email

We wanted to thank everyone for all they did to help with Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for each person in this family!

Hello Lovelies!

This week has been highly successful!  For one thing, It was Thanksgiving, any holiday where you can stuff your face and nobody will judge you for it (because they are also stuffing their faces) is a winner in my book 

In honor of Thanksgiving I would like to list off just a few things I am thankful for.

1- I am thankful that I was not called to Russia (I heard that missionaries lose fingers there because It is so cold)

2- I am grateful that (as of yet) I have not had spiders thrown at me from unhappy people at the door (we just want to share salvation with you, is that too much?)

3- I am grateful for my mom, Shout out to you mom!

Anyway, Our investigator is doing great! She is so excited for her baptism and texts us everyday telling us so.  She had her interview on Saturday and passed the test!  Now the ball is in our court and we have to put the program together... I've never done that before...

So when the Gent Elders left we got all their investigators and have been kept pretty busy with all of them.  Randomly two of them showed up to church yesterday.  One of them looked like he might have been high but the other was very positive and says he wants to get baptized.

Well, that's my week.  Today we have a zone p-day where we will all come together and play a rousing game of American Football  There's a p-day wasted.  Who knows, maybe it will be fun... or maybe I will become violently ill or break my leg and won't have to go.  

Here's for hoping

until next week

Zuster Dixon

​TURKEY DAY!!!!!!!!!

​That time I became a Disney princess on my mission.

Lilli's Email and Christmas Update!

Dear Family,

After getting the feedback from everyone about what is going to work for Christmas Sunday it looks like what will work the best is having our Dixon get together on Christmas Eve. Because it seems that everyone goes to bed 'uncharacteristically' early that day! Will 4 pm work for everyone?

Of course you are all invited to come on Christmas Day also if you would like. We would love to hear if Santa made it to your house! 

Can't wait, Can't wait, Can't wait!
Mom and Dad

Hallo,

It sounds like the holiday season is in full gear over there, everyone is busy!  In answer to all of your questions... they do not have thanksgiving over here.  For some reason they don't want to celebrate the founding of America... weird.   Although they DO celebrate TWO Christmases.  I think I know what traditions I'll be bringing back from my mission Luckily we have a dinner appointment with an American family on Thursday!  We are so excited that we will be having an american thanksgiving... even if it won't be anywhere as good as Mom's.

It has been very stormy over here. Lots of rain, lots of wind. I ask people if this is normal weather for Belgium, they nod and get this look on their faces as if to say "girl! you can't even imagine!" (every Belgian speaks as a black woman in their heads).  I am very grateful that I am down here in Belgium for the wintertime and not up north, I hear that Groningen is brutal in the winter.

This week was transfer week, both Sister Leman and I are staying but the Elders te Gent both left, and nobody replaced them.  When they announced that to the members there was a collective gasp from the congregation. I guess there have ALWAYS been Elders in Gent, It's a large city so I can imagine why.  But now the city is ours, ours, ALL OURS BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Elders will come back to find this city improved 

Well, That's about it for this week.  Please keep sending me pictures of Shrek.  The ones I got this week were SOOOO cute!

I love you all

Zuster Dixon

​Baby it's cold outside

​We played D&D for our last P-day together.  I was a Halfling Ranger and totally rocked it!

​Belgian food is so delicious!  

Introducing...

Introducing the First Annual Great Dixon Bake Off!

When I come visit for Christmas we are going to do our own version of The Great British Bake Off. If you have watched this show then I know you will be excited. If you haven't watched this show then you are dead to me.

It's pretty great. I have all the cookbooks. I'm a little obsessed.

I need to know who would like to participate. Since we don't have a tent full of ovens (it's on my christmas list), teams are welcome. Oma, Heather, Mary, and Robert have graciously offered their kitchens so we have 5 kitchens(Thompsons have an extra oven in their basement). So there are 5 openings for individuals or teams to participate in the bake off (maybe more if you know you can share an oven). If you don't want to participate in baking, then you can be one of our judges!

Here are the details so far:

When:  Friday, Dec 23rd (Thursday is also an option if too many people can't do Friday)
Time: TBD, but we will probably start in the late morning.

We will have two challenges. A technical challenge where no one knows before hand what they are baking, and a showstopper challenge. The showstopper challenge can be anything the baker wants to make, but the flavors have to have something to do with Christmas or the winter season (hot chocolate, peppermint, orange, gingerbread, etc). Be creative. You don't have to create your own recipe, but it would be pretty cool if you did.

After the challenges are complete, everyone is invited to sample the tasty goodness and be a judge.

It will be a blast and hopefully something we will want to do again.

Can't wait to see everybody!!!

Missy

Christmas Day question Thanksgiving and Lilli's November 14th Email

Dear Family,

As you are all aware Christmas this year falls on a Sunday. This makes it much more difficult to get together on Christmas morning as some people have to come all the way from the other side of the Salt Lake Valley.

Last night as we were talking about it some thought doing it the night before would work for this year. Others said that we could still do it early and get done before church.  Glenn and I are good with either way. What works the best for you? 

( I still think it would be cool to all live in the same ward so we could all have the same time schedule on Sunday!)

Also, Tom and Kristy are bringing rolls on Thanksgiving and
Peter and Faunice are bringing Faunice's famous stuffing!

Love you tons,
Mom and Dad


Hey all

This has been a super week!  Wednesday was our temple conference and we were able to do a session in the Den Haag Temple.  This is my 3rd time in that temple and every time, whether in dutch or in english,  I feel the same sweet spirit. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

We had another lesson with Nicky this week and we got her on baptismal date!  We have her set for Dec 3rd, She is really excited and has basically planned it all out already.  In our lesson she basically told us her life story (which I can't tell because it's top secret (I'm not even joking about that)) that hand of the Lord is so present in her life it's so amazing to see that and to recognize that.  She told us that since she started meeting with the missionaries again she can feel her mother leading her from the other side, leading her to this church.  She got so excited when we told her that she would be able to do the work for her mother after she was baptized.  She is so great! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Last night we had dinner with a really cool family in the ward.  They let me ride their hoverboard (it was really scary and really cool (I felt like R2D2)) and they told us about their conversion story.  I'll give you the watered down version...

A long long time ago in a galaxy far away... (jk)

They had investigated the church a long time ago and the husband knew it was true and wanted the join but the wife got a little scared and backed out.  A year later they were invited to a Halloween party that the Elders were at and they dressed up as the devil and a witch.  The husband sees the missionaries there and walks up to them (dressed as the devil) and says "can you baptize me?"  That went down in the mission as the time missionaries baptized the devil 

After dinner he drove us home in his Tesla.  I now understand why guys go all wobbly-knees over cars.  That was the coolest car I had ever been in, let me just say that the seat warmers were NOT the coolest part (if you can even imagine that...) THE CHURCH IS TRUE!

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic week

remember Jesus loves you, Satan hates you (not the baptized one)

loves

Zuster Dixon

​These advertisements are everywhere... sad.

​`Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' 

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,'

It's a wonderful life Velda Kunzler Boekweg Chipman

Here are some of Grandma Chipman's life memories. They are precious! 

This family has a wonderful heritage!

Thanksgiving Dinner!!!

One of my favorite times of the year because we get to have this wonderful family come to our home and we rejoice at how blessed we are for each and every member of this family! 

This year it's on November 24th (that's a Thursday, in case you were wondering!) and we will start the meal at 11:00 am. 

Assignments

first come---first serve,

so if you have a favorite thing you'd like to  bring this year....

(Faunice, several people have asked if you are going to be doing your famous

stuffing this year?)

So far all that has been spoken for is

Thompson's----mashed potatoes

Heather----Decorations 

Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!

Hey Everyone

I LOVED seeing all the costumes, there were some really good ones!  Mine was not quite as impressive as some of yours, but I think you all will still appreciate it...

YES! That is a wookie onesie. And yes, I do wear it to bed every night 

This has been a pretty good week, not much has happened except our investigator, nikki, is AWESOME!  She just loves church.  She used to be a part of Islam and can't stop telling us how much better this religion is and how much more it makes sense.  She told us yesterday that she was excited for us to come over to her house today because her husband would be home and he could listen to our lesson too! Every time she tells me about her life before the missionaries I know that Heavenly Father was preparing her to be open to our message.

We also met a wonderful old couple who kept forcing candy on us and when they found out I studied voice before the mission they made me sing part of an aria... that was fun.  I haven't been able to practice for about 8 months so you can imagine how good it was, but they were nice about it   They told us they weren't interested in converting but we could come over whenever we were in the neighborhood and they would force more snoepjes on us.

Other than that our week has been kinda boring.

I love you all

Be wise, what can I say more...

loves

Zuster Dixon

​The backside of St Jacob's church.

Great Halloween Pics!

I love this crazy very scary family!

2016 Christmas List

Dear Family,
Here is the 2016 Christmas List. SO EXCITED!!! 
Let me know if you have any questions. 
I also have some great pictures from Halloween that will be coming soon!

 Love,

Oma

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I can't believe that it has been another week! This week has felt so jam packed.

Last P-day I went and got myself a little halloween costume... but I don't have any pictures in it yet, so that will just have to wait until next week... But. It. Is. Awesome! I will be going Lazer Taging in it today and I am super excited.

Our crazy investigator lady kinda dropped us, she won't answer any of our calls, we will be "dropping by" this week to corner her and find out what happened.  All I can think of is that youtube song, 'hide yo kids, hide yo wives, cause WE GONNA FIND YOU!'

Although on a brighter note we have a new investigator... not really new because she was taught by the missionaries before but then got really sick for a while and stopped. BUT WE FOUND HER AGAIN! and she is still super interested, she came to church yesterday and loved it.  She keeps talking really bad about her last religion and I don't feel very comfortable trash talking other religions, so we always try to change the subject with how cool our religion is.  I'm really frustrated though because the sisters before us when through and "cleaned out" the area book and got rid of the teaching record that they thought were too old or no hope and now we don't have her old teaching record. I am so annoyed, I could breath fire.  If ANY of you ever go on a mission, take this small piece of advice to preserve your lives from missionaries who take over your city... DON'T EVER THROW AWAY TEACHING RECORDS!!! 

rant over

Also, another useful tip. Do not talk about politics at a dinner party.  We helped a less active decorate for her halloween party and then joined that party.  We weren't part of what happened but we were witnesses. Basically one guy tried to start a political conversation with another lady and they didn't agree on something and they fought, they offended, and they left... mind you, this was five minutes into the party.  It was the most awkward thing that has happened to me on my mission... I loved it because I was not directly part of the awkwardness.

Yesterday we had dinner with a member and his wife made us Fufu. It is a traditional African dish and you eat it with your hands.  It was delicious and I will be making it for the family when I get home 

​That white stuff is like potato play-dough and you grab a ball and dip it in the soupy stuff... so good!

Until next week

loves

Zuster Dixon

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(Just when I thought there was only one......)

Hi Mom

I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE you! I love you more than bunnies 

A few days ago I found a kindred spirit of dad's

​

This person also has a homemade radio antenna... several of them actually

Love you!

Lilli