Where did 2014 go?

If somebody were to ask me what I did in the year 2014 I would literally have no idea. I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone for the whole year. That's why missionaries have their agendas.....except I lost mine this week and I literally feel like my identity has been stolen. haha

My district went caroling on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and it was the best thing ever. Caroling in San Diego in Spanish is super fun! I highly recommend it. We also opened our presents as a district on Christmas, and yes my family sent me a spatula and an electric skillet. It was perfect. And those 1/2 lbs. Reeses Cups!!!!!!!!!!! I also highly recommend eating those with an apple for a healthy (......), well-balanced breakfast. 

But the best part by FAR was Skyping my family on Christmas day! I love them so much! Best Christmas present ever! I never understood why people got so excited when they could Skype their families.....I've been enlightened. We also went over to Medina family's house for breakfast, and let me just say that American-Mexicans make the best Christmas breakfasts ever. French toast, eggs, tamales, posole, peppermint chocolate-covered Oreos, cheesecake.......I love that family :)

Also, last P-day we went to Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset and....well you can see the picture. It was gorgeous. I'm not going to lie- San Diego is really quite wonderful. I am super blessed! Now if we only had some solid people to teach! AHHHHH!!!!! It is so frustrating when we send texts, call, send reminders....and still get no results and no responses. Craziness, but we are still moving forward and looking for those people that are ready to hear our message! 

I love you all! I hope you had a very merry Christmas! Take some time to make some goals for 2015! I'll be making mine too! Now go have a great day because there is a loving Heavenly Father that loves you perfectly, and that makes all the difference :)

Elder Dahl

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

First off, Merry Christmas everyone! Christmas is the best, but for missionaries it feels like the same. Every day is Christmas when you're a missionary! All you do is talk about Christ and how He is the Gift (check outchristmas.mormon.org if you haven't yet!)!

I do have some tragic news.....my two-year streak of never being sick has finally come to a sad end. I had a nasty cough last week.....more like a nasty sneeze. I never want to sneeze again. It didn't keep me from working, but I did sleep in through three mornings of exercise (which was really bad because my family sent me goat fudge.....oh heavens) and my Spanish sounded REALLY weird. haha Spanish report- I can basically comprehend everything I read more or less in Spanish and my love for talking has carried over into this new language, so that's been awesome! The gift of tongues is real and the Lord definitely helps his missionaries!

Update on investigators and my people- Cecilia is seriously gone. Saddest thing ever. Pray for her because she has vanished and we have no idea why. And just about every investigator has decided to stop texting and calling us back.....it's kind of driving me crazy. I'm really feeling for poor parents like mine when their kids aren't answering their phones. It's horrible! So we're still in a little rough patch right now, but we are working SO hard, so the blessings will come :)

Elder Welch and I are having a fabulous time though. We have almost no Christmas music, which translates to Elder Dahl singing at the very top of his lungs at all times and in all languages. It's pretty great....at least I think so :)

I love you all so much! If you want to do something for me for Christmas, then here it is- 

Write Sister Emily Sommers a card and send it to her! Missions are a roller coaster of extreme happiness, and then extreme craziness, and then sadness, and everything inbetween. I know it helped me a lot in the beginning to get packages from my family, emails, and letters from my friends. I'm pretty sure she can't email outside of her immediate family, so send that awesome Sister a letter for Christmas!

And then keep on being awesome yourself! The Lord lives! He loves you! I'm obnoxious and talk to everyone I meet about how the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth, but I'm not really obnoxious at all because I love these people so much! And I love you! So smile and be happy, and spread some Christmas cheer to every person you see!

Elder Dahl

1. The package my family sent me....you all have no idea how excited I was....and still am :)

2. My district in Oldtown, California. Basically we belong in a movie or TV show or something because...well I mean just look at us!

3. I found my future home!

IT RAINED!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it!? In the past two weeks it has rained TWO whole times! It's been crazy! They weren't super intense or anything, but I (being official because I'm from the land of rain, clouds, and wind) qualify it as a good rain. I got to use my rain jacket, which blew my mind! Also we got to do service where we were shoveling wood chips around this field, and I asked if I could use their snow shovel because that's what I used back on my farm...........I'm an idiot. A snow shovel in San Diego Elder Dahl? hahaha

This week was great because Elder Welch and I are becoming really great friends, which has caused our unity to go through the roof! The bad thing is we have been smacked in the face with canceled appointments. This seriously should never happen in this area, but here we are. So that's been a struggle. But then Elder Welch and I just look at each other and say, "We're missionaries and God loves us." What more is there to say? There's no reason to be sad or upset when you remember God's love!

Speaking of which, check out this video! He is the Gift- christmas.mormon.org

I have seen this video change people, which is so cool. Street contacts are the best. You start talking to this grumpy, punk teenager, you show him this video on his phone, and about 3 minutes later you have a return appointment for the English elders in your area to come teach him about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! Awesome? Yes, yes it is.

Update on our work: Las familias Tafolla AND Tezo came to church on Sunday and both loved it. We had three other people lined up to go with rides and everything, and within the hour before church started they all canceled. Please pray for Janet, Miguel, and Juan. And me too please! Now go do something absolutely amazing, like opening a door for someone or baking cookies for a friend. Extra points if you do them for missionaries of course :) I love you all so much!

Elder Dahl

Here are two pictures that I don't know if I sent or not! The first one is us lawn bowling on Coronado and the second one is me and a member of the branch named Jesse (he's the best!). It was during Halloween, and I don't know why I'm so red!

Go To Gethsemane

This week has been......special. La familia Tafolla came to church on Sunday!!!!!! OH MY HEART IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!! We went over to their house last night and they are excited to come back to church, and now that they have started they are never going to stop again! We also found another less-active family, la familia Tezo, that was baptized a few years ago, moved away, and are now back. They are so sweet and we are going to be working with them and teaching them the lessons again, but they are super committed to come to church and we are super excited to help them! Being a missionary is the best!

And then sometimes you just want to die. HAHA Elder Welch and I hit a low point last week. There were some miscommunications (probably because of my Spanish) and we were both expecting the other to change because we both felt as though the other was wrong. It was HARD! There was no reason why the two of us shouldn't have been along, but I justed wanted to scream! 

Which leads me to my thought of this week. The theme for the month of December for our mission is the Atonement, and we have heard the phrase "Go to Gethsemane" a lot. At first I was kind of puzzled; moreover, I was absolutely perplexed. How can we go to Gethsemane? What does that even mean? Thus, my journey had begun!

We were asked to read two talks by Elder David A. Bednar: "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease" and "The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality". Elder Bednar focuses on the enabling power of the Atonement- how we can change our lives and grow through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. So I decided to put these words to the test- I would go to Gethsemane.

And what a journey it was. It took a lot of humility, which I have never been good at, a lot of patience, and a lot of talking with my companion. And that took me just to the outskirts of the Garden, I hadn't even gotten in yet. I needed to find Christ, and I needed some divine help for that, so I prayed. And oh what a prayer it was.

A lot of things happened for me during that prayer. Prayer really is a two-way communication, and anybody that tells you otherwise sure is missing out. I went to Gethsemane that day. I have felt the enabling power of the Atonement- it's real. I know Christ is there for us, but we are the ones that need to make that journey to Him. But you know what? He's already there right beside you, and that, my friends, is awesome.

Elder Welch and I are doing great :) which is good because we just found out that neither of us are leaving for the next transfer! Woop woop party in San Diego! Thanks for reading this really long post! You are all amazing. Go to Gethsemane- make it part of your life. Check out this video called "He is the Gift" at christmas.mormon.org too! I love you all!

Elder Dahl

P.S. Please pray for Cecilia. She was supposed to be baptized this Saturday, but she has fallen off the face of the planet and we haven't been able to find her since last Monday.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Mine was really awesome! We ended up having two thanksgiving dinners, which probably wasn't our smartest idea, but somehow we managed. haha I am so thankful for my wonderful family, my opportunity to serve as a missionary for Jesus Christ, and my obsession with goats!

The Lord sure does work in mysterious ways! I want to share two highlights of this past week for me!

1. We took Janet, one of our investigators, to the Mormon Battalion on Wednesday. We were so excited because it was going to be a fantastic lesson with her, but also super fun for us too. The Mormon Battalion Museum is amazing. If you ever come to San Diego and you don't check it out, then you're missing out because it's great. So we left with PLENTY of time to make our appointment- we got on the bus, took it to the trolley, and got about a third of the way when I asked Elder Welch to send her a text saying when we would be there. He just looked at me and said, "I don't have the phone, you have it"........but I didn't have it....that is I didn't have it since I set it down on the bench at the bus stop back at our apartment!!!! That was a 25 minutes ago at a busy bus stop, and we had no way to find Janet once we got to our last trolley stop! So we had to go back for what was surely going to be the worst nightmare of my life. The whole 30 minutes of traveling back I was just praying. Praying that the phone would be there, praying that Janet would be able to go and feel the Spirit, praying to help me stop being an idiot.....you get the idea. So about an hour after we left the bench we were coming back. and we looked out the window of the bus as we passed.....and there it was. That stupid little black box that is so central to us doing the work here....still sitting on that bench. That phone should have been gone in a heart beat. Oh the power of prayer is really quite ridiculous. God surely does watch out for his missionaries, but let's just say I haven't been holding on to the phone for the past week or so.....

2. We didn't have a single investigator come to church today.....and we were supposed to have at least 4. That kills a missionary on the inside...and for me on the outside too. I was so upset. We also had some AMAZING lessons planned for later that night because we were having an activity to go see the lights at the San Diego temple, but now we couldn't go because everyone had bailed, and we had no idea why! So we made our way back and just said a prayer along the lines of, "Heavenly Father, our plans are ruined. We have no idea what to do, and we need to be guided by the Holy ghost more now than ever.....please help us." And you know what? We had AN AMAZING DAY! We were able to add 4 new investigators, visit with a lot of potentials, and set up a lot of appointments for the rest of the week! The Lord's hand is in our lives in all that we do! I am so sure of it!

I'm so grateful to be a missionary. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is real, and it is here in its fullness on the earth once again, which is pretty cool. Please take advantage of that. Also check out this video that the Church just put out: christmas.mormon.org      I'll talk about it more next week! Love you all so much! Go do something awesome today!

Elder Dahl

Look at that Thanksgiving table! I couldn't get over it! 

Mexican turkey! haha It was delicious! (that's Hermano Medina in the picture!)

La familia Medina has a pet turtle......that's the coolest thing ever. It was huge. 

Rough Patch

This week has definitely been a rough patch for Elder Welch and me. It seemed like everything we had planned fell through! Every lesson, dinner, activity, EVERYTHING! Our lives turned to mush and I was really struggling to keep going! But the Lord has this awesome way of being there for you, even when you aren't there for yourself.....does that make sense?

For example, as I've said in the past, we talk with every person we meet. Sometimes it's super easy and we have a great contact, but other times (and other weeks in this case) it seems like you can't find a single person that wants to talk with you. All day I had just been a little down on myself, but while we were out walking there was this lady kind of far ahead of us about to cross the street, and I just yelled out, "Hey, is it ok if we give you a card?" Long story short, it was a little awkward at first, but then we started explaining about mormon.org and what we believe. The situation totally shifted to a fantastic experience, and she invited us over for this week! Her name is Sarah (pray for her), and she was super great and wants to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The part of the story that really made it amazing for me, was when she pointed to which house was hers', it was actually one that we had crossed last week, and I had felt this feeling like, "There is someone there that is ready for you" but I didn't act upon it because there was a gate and this crazy German shepherd. The Lord put Sarah in our path so that she can hear about is restored Gospel, and it definitely strengthened me this week, and gave me a lot of hope.

Also, we were able to attend a fireside by Alex Boye and it was amazing. He is absolutely hilarious, and powerful! His testimony of the Book of Mormon is so strong, and I know that if we read the Book of Mormon everyday, and really try to apply it into every aspect of our lives, then we will see the windows of heaven open. I love this gospel, and I am so excited for what the Lord has in store for me this week!

I love you all! Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! I'm so grateful that you are reading this and that you are a part of my life!

Elder Dahl

P.S. Right now we have 4 investigators with a baptismal date! Keep on praying for Cecilia, Marlene, Janet, and Juan! I'll try to talk more about them next time! Also the family with the girl with tomato on her face wanted to go to church in English, so we had to send them to the English elders.

Elder Welch and I have Breakfast adventures after night planning :)

I'm in a picture with Alex Boye!

Thanks Primary!

A HUGE THANK YOU to my primary back home! They sent me a package full of cards, which were about the cutest thing ever, and other goodies and such. It made my week! I can't thank you kids enough! I love and miss you!

This week has been FILLED with miracles! First off I want to start with Cecilia. Oh my heart she is the definition of a golden investigator. She loves to read the Book of Mormon and already knows that it is true, she loves to have us over, she wants to share the message with her family (her 23 year-old son Alberto wants to come to church too), and when she found out we wouldn't accept money, but we will accept food...well let's just say we haven't left her house with an empty stomach ever since! She is the sweetest lady, and I am SO GLAD that I am here so I can help her find even greater happiness in her life through the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

This week we had a special exchange, where each companionship received a coach (another missionary with more experience usually) that went with you throughout your day. Well Elder Welch was called to be a coach for someone else, so it was just me and my coach, Elder Dudley. This guy is the definition of pure awesomeness- a fantastic missionary that has a passion for people and passion for helping those people. Another companionship of missionaries asked us to cover an appointment (it was actually a referral that I had contacted the week before) because they were both being sent out of their area to be coaches, so Elder Dudley and I went on over to have a first lesson with this family. Long story short, Anna and her daughter, Stephanie (not their real names, but you'll find out why I changed them later) did not seem like they would be super interested in our message, but we pressed forward. As we 1) Invited them to act 2) Testified that what we were saying was true and 3) Promised them the blessing that would come with their actions, they literally changed right before our eyes. I almost forgot that the best part of this story is that Stephanie had made some tomato and lemon juice concoction in the blender, and throughout the lesson she was applying the concoction quite liberally on her face.....we taught someone the Gospel of Jesus Christ with tomato peels stuck to her face! hahaha During the lesson I hardly noticed, but then after we thought it was the best/funniest thing ever! Oh wait I lied, the best part of the story is that in that very first lesson we had with them, we invited them to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized...and guess what....they both said YES! All of this happened with a tomato on her face! Miracles haven't ceased!

Oh there is so much more, but I always run out of time! Thank you for your prayers! You are all amazing and I know that God has a plan- a very specific plan- for every one of you! Love you!

Elder Dahl

 Elder Dudley pretending to teach Dominik (Cecilia's grandson). It was just about the cutest thing ever. 

 La familia Tafolla gave us a banana and cookies, and it was divine

Oh my Spanish

This week has been so great! We've been teaching more, working more, and eating more! I think I mentioned last time that Elder Welch and I agreed to only speak in Spanish to each other, which has been really hard sometimes, but really awesome too. It has definitely helped with developing my relationships with the people here, especially the members. Elder Welch speaks with a Portuguese accent according to the members (he has no idea why, but since I listen to him all day long, it's way easier to understand everyone else's Spanish, haha) and people are giving us more food, which is every missionaries dream.

We talk to everyone. No matter how crazy or scary looking we talk to them all! But this week my favorite contact was with this lady who was definitely not all there mentally, and she started taking stuff from us like Elder Welch's highlighter, a page from my agenda, some of our cards, and a Book of Mormon (that one was actually ok). When we introduced ourselves as Elder Welch and Elder Dahl she told us to call her Elder Diana. She was crazy, but super funny. Elder Welch and I decided at the end that she had mugged us, haha! Talking to strangers is the best!

The highlight of my week was definitely our investigator, Cecilia! We gave her a church tour on Saturday with a member and it was amazing! She loved the church, and at one point she even said, "Yes I know I'm going to be baptized. I just need to learn more first.".......I was smiling from ear to ear! She then came to church the next day (our sacrament meeting was the primary program.....picture about 30 or so Mexican children dressed in all white with teal scarves and ties singing at the top of their lungs....it was perfect) and she loved it! She is definitely progressing and I am so excited for her! Please pray for her! Also pray for la familia Tafolla because Hermano Tafolla had to work on Sunday and couldn't come, which was really sad. But the Lord has a plan for each one of us, and when they realize that the best place they can be on Sunday is sitting in the pews of the church building, well let's just say there will probably be angels singing, and Elder Dahl will be dancing a little jig as they walk into the chapel. 

I'm out of time as always. I'm going to plan a super awesome spiritual thought for next week. I love you all! Thank you for all of your support and prayers!

Elder Dahl

1. Elder Welch and me! It's a pretty bad picture, so I'll try to get another one soon!

2. This is my attempt at trying to take a scenic shot at the top of the small mountain we had to climb. You can see part of downtown and a little bit of the bay!

2

Three months?

My three month mark is in two days......I'm already 1/8 done with my mission........where did that time go!? Time flies by when you are working like crazy, and that's exactly what we've done this week- WORK!

My new companion is seriously awesome. Elder Welch is from Oklahoma (one of my favorite people in the world was born there!.....ok you caught me, it's my mom), loves rugby, speaks Spanish like crazy, and loves working! He is one of the most selfless people I've met, and it has been a blast of a first week! We made a goal to only speak in Spanish to each other (until after 9:30), and it has already helped me improve a lot. One of the coolest things about him is that he is younger than me! He turned 19 this past September! We help each other out a lot- he helps me with my Spanish and I show him how to eat food that isn't Ramen noodles.

Also, since my other trainer was transferred, I had to take over the area, and I was supposed to know everything! It's been crazy, but I'm proud to say we have only gotten a little lost once and it was because our map had a road that does not exist in real life.

Yesterday we had a lesson with a less-active family in our branch, la familia Tafolla. They have been inactive for quite some time, but they know that the Gospel is true, and I think they are finally ready to come back! I love this family so much, and yesterday we had some really pure, tender, and spiritual experiences with them. Please pray for them that they will be able to come to church this Sunday. I know that families are a gift from God, and I am so happy that I have my family. It is the best feeling when I can testify, "I know that the Gospel blesses families because I have seen it in my own family!" The power that comes with these words blows my mind every time! I know that we can live with our families forever, and that we find the MOST BESTEST joys in our lives within our own homes. I KNOW that this is true! 

I'm doing really well and I am SO HAPPY! I am working hard (evidence of that can be found on my feet- blisters are the best) and loving being a missionary. I'm praying for you everyday! Thank you to everyone who sends me emails and letters! I don't have a lot of time to write back, but know that I am working on my long list of letters to write, and that you MAKE MY WEEK! I love you all! Choose to be happy, and shine your light to all that you see!

Elder Dahl

Transfer One - Check!

TRANSFER ONE IS DONE! How crazy is that!? I feel like I've been here my whole life/for three days. We just found out that I will be staying, but Elder Dietrich will be leaving....NOOOO!!!!! haha We were hoping for one more together, but alas, the Lord is in charge of this work and He knows what's best for us. Never forget that! Keep on praying for Elder Dietrich and start praying for my next companion!

Ohio shoutout! First, if you haven't heard one of my best friends in the entire world, Emily Sommers, has been called to the California, Redlands mission!!!! WOOOHOOO! I am so happy that she is choosing to serve, and I'm SUPER happy that she'll be moving the work forward in the awesome state of California. However, someone needs to look out for our moms because they're crazy and are probably already planning a road trip together.. HAHA Second, congrats to the Cloverleaf Marching Band! That's 33 years in a row that they will be competing at the State level of competition! I'm so happy for them!

This week for me has been frustrating, but still awesome. All three of our investigators with dates (Judith, Janet, and Cecilia) have been busy or just not there for our appointments. I've never had a second lesson with someone! At times that can really weigh on you as a missionary, but I know he Lord answers prayers, and I've been praying my little heart out for those three, so I'm sure the miracles are on their way.

I've also had a lot of Mexican food this week! Carne asada, posole, and lots of other things that I can't spell or pronounce. One of our families in the ward cheered me on to eat a chile....I have to stop falling for that. Between that and eating the boiling posole before letting it cool down.....well let's just say I think I lost a layer of my mouth. 

Quick spiritual thought: This week all of the missionaries gave talks in church during sacrament meeting. I talked about the priesthood and how everyone in the church that has a calling has been set apart by someone holding the proper priesthood authority. As missionaries, we have been set apart to preach this gospel. This is MY calling right now, and I'm fulfilling it with all of my heart. So I ask everyone reading this email- What's your calling? Set apart by the priesthood or not, what is your calling in this life? For those that are members of the church I invite you to work a little bit harder on your calling this week because the Lord will bless you WAY MORE than you will think you deserve. For those that are not members of the church I invite you to do something awesome this week. Brighten someone's day and make someone smile. This spiritual thought was really random and crazy, but basically just know that I love you and you're awesome!

Elder Dahl

 One of the most awesomest missionaries went home today. She was awesome! MISSIONARY WORK IS AWESOME! Do I say awesome too much!?

 Shout out to Jacob Dunbar, one of my bestest friends ever for sending me some awesome Spider gear! You're the best!

These are two pictures of me when I totally zonked out at a member's house......my bad :)

Rely on the Lord

First, I just want to bear testimonies of parents. Parents know all things. I told my parents that our apartment had some cockroaches in it, nothing big, just these small little guys. The next P-Day i got a package with cockroach spray, and my first reaction was, "Oh my parents, they are so funny sending me this huge can of bug spray for such a little problem." But almost everyday this past week I have seen these nasty, giant roaches in our apartment, and I now get to whip out my can of roach spray and take them out all ninjalike. So the moral of the story is: parents are the best (especially mine!).

We have another investigator with a baptismal date! Her name is Cecilia and she is really interested in coming closer to Christ, which is our specialty. Please pray for her. I love teaching this gospel so much!

Spanish Update: If we rely on the Lord, he can work miracles through us. This past week has been amazing for my Spanish. I had an hour long conversation with a woman in my branch TOTALLY IN SPANISH! Elder Dietrich was talking to her son, so I was totally on my own, and it was AWESOME! I was definitely freaking out at points because I realized that I was thinking in English, but Spanish was coming out of my mouth. We can do all things through the Lord! Rely on him and watch the miracles flow!

My companion and I are getting along really well! I can honestly say that we work really well together, and the Lord put us together because we need each other. You'll never find a pair of missionaries like us that's for sure.

I'm out of time, but here is what I've been thinking about this week. 

1 Nephi 17:13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments

Christ is our example. As we draw closer to Him, He will work miracles in our life that we did not think would be possible. So what do we need to do? KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS! As we obey the commandments He will prepare the BEST path for us. I don't know about all of you, but I love my life. And I love you too for reading this. I'm praying for ya!

Elder Dahl

My agendas! I like to decorate them with awesome pictures and quotes. If you come across either of the two and you think I would like it, then email it to me!

The second after this sugar fast is over I'm going to go CRAZY!

CALIFORNIA!!!

California has some nice hills! I get to walk those everyday (I'm in a car because we had just finished shopping on P-Day and the Sisters give us their car for that)

I LOVE MY LIFE

This week has been a real winner for me. How do I even start?

I had In&Out for the first time last week. My advice for all things In&Out: never get the fries. However, the burger made up for it because it was DELICIOUS! I don't think it beats Five Guys, but it's still really really good (and their pink lemonade is awesome too).

We have been cooped up in our apartment all week because Elder Dietrich had a procedure done on his ingrown toenail (I got to help the doctor at one point, which was so cool) on Wednesday. He didn't fully recover until about Sunday, so we spent a lot of time studying in our apartment.

But when we did go out we WORKED! We had so many miracles this week- from members giving us rides or giving us bags of food. I feel like our fridge has been blessed by a prophet or something because no matter how much we eat it always seems to fill itself! The Lord certainly does take care of his servants!

Elder Hulet (one of our zone leaders that went out with me since Elder Dietrich couldn't) and I went to visit a remarkable family on Wednesday night. Judith is a single mother of 4- Janet, a young man who we haven't met, Emily, and Charlie. They had been taught by some missionaries a few months ago, but then they said the missionaries stopped coming, and they haven't heard from them until Elder Dietrich and I stopped by to make an appointment with them. This family is just AWESOME! There is so much love in this family, and we could not stop laughing and smiling! We invited Judith and Janet to be baptized and they said yes! We set the date for November 22, so please pray for them, and I'll give you an update on them next week! That night was literally the greatest night of my mission so far. THIS IS WHY I AM HERE! Elder Dahl is inviting others to come unto Christ by receiving the restored gospel and he LOVES BEING A MISSIONARY!

My Spanish has also gotten a lot better. We had coordination meeting (a meeting with the ward mission leader and other members of the auxiliary presidencies where we coordinate our missionary efforts as a branch), and when we stood up Elder Dietrich just looked at me and said, "You got this!" I did ALL the talking, including responding to questions that members asked me, which was a huge milestone for me because I'm pretty sure that the members actually speak to me in Swahili just to throw me off. But it's ok because SPANISH IS AWESOME!

Prayer has been on my mind all week. As a missionary you pray all them time- to open and close your studies, before you leave the apartment, before a lesson, when you eat. It's easy for our prayers to become repetitive- we go through the motions because we have to. BUT this week I have just been loving James 1:5 and the beginning of verse 6.

 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.

However, if you read verse 6 in Spanish it says, "Pero pida con fe, no dudando nada"

The direct translation is "But ask with faith, doubting nothing"

I have had a lot of doubts recently. I remember one day just pleading with God in my prayer saying, "Why am I not a more consecrated missionary? Why can I not seem to be a better companion for Elder Dietrich? Why can I not seem to speak Spanish and remember what I already know let alone learn more at the same time?"

But when I prayed my answer came as clear as a bell; I just received a prompting that made me think, "It's because you haven't asked."

How true, how true! In all of these prayers that I say everyday, the Holy Ghost helped me realize that there was another step I needed to take before my righteous desires would be fulfilled. Doubt nothing, trust in God, come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and watch the miracles flow. this week there has been a waterfall of miracles, and I know that this same thing can happen in YOUR LIFE! So try it! I love this Gospel so much, and I love being here in San Diego! There is no place I'd rather be! Love you all so much!

Elder Dahl

Just Keep Swimming (but not really because missionaries can't swim)

What a week it has been! some of these highlights may not seem like a lot, but they make my week awesome.

First, lunch at Hermana Villa's. Hermana Villa is this super nice lady in our branch who we get to eat with sometimes. She made us HUGE sandwiches and then gave us three little orange peppers. She said they were a little spicy. So she went back inside (we have to eat outside because she feeds us during the day, and we can't enter into a home unless there is a man at least 18 year old), and we started to eat. I took a bite out of the pepper..........oh my hot boiling volcano of a mouth. It was terrible. I've never eaten ANYTHING that hot before. It was like a fire because the more you breathed, the more you fueled the flame. I never want to eat anything that hot again. However, the best part was when Elder Dietrich tried it. I've never seen anyone get so red so fast! He was swelling up, crying, wanting to throw it back up, and just quietly screaming at me! We have been cracking up about it all week! haha Hermana Villa later told us that they were habaneros......yeah buddy!

Second, I got to really teach some people! I taught in both English AND Spanish! It was super great, and some of the people we talked to seemed really interested, so we are excited for what the future has in store for us!

Third, CONFERENCE! This past weekend was General Conference weekend, and I loved it! We watch it at our church building for all sessions. they view conference in the chapel in English and in the relief society room in Spanish. We watched it in English because conference is a time to receive personal revelation, and it really helps to not only hear the words of the prophet, but the voice of the prophet. I loved it all SO MUCH!

I'm already out of time. Basically you should also know that I love the other missionaries in our district and zone, and I get really inspired to do my best whenever I'm with them. I got to go to the San Diego temple today, and it was just the best thing ever. I'll talk about it more next week! I love you all so much! I love my life and what I am doing right now! You guys are all amazing, and my challenge for you this week is to seek out an opportunity to serve and help someone out! You will be SO HAPPY that you did!

Elder Dahl

P.S. My dad asked me where I did laundry, so I figured I would put it in here. I do laundry at a laundry mat that is about a 2 minute drive from our house with some English Elders that live in the same apartment complex. It's a little sketchy, but so far the scariest thing has been putting my quarters in the machines and wandering if I'm pressing the right buttons. My clothes smell clean so I think I'm doing it right.

Out of Time.........Again.

I'm kind of out of time.....as usual. But the Cloverleaf Seminary Class gave me a list of 12 questions to answer, so that will be my prompt for this week! Here are the questions!

1.What do you do on p-days?

2. What day of the week is your busiest day?

3. How often do you knock on doors?

4. What are studying about in your personal study right now?

5. What is the weirdest thing that has happened to you so far?

6. What you favorite thing to eat at the mtc.

7. What is your companion like?

8. What is the most spiritual experience you have had so far?

9. What is the hardest thing you have had to deal with so far?

10. Is your apartment gross?

11. What is the weirdest thing you have been asked to eat/served

12. Can you share you testimony with us?

And here are my answers:

1. P-days are like Christmas. Reading emails from you family and friends is like opening presents. We first do laundry, then e-mail, then go shopping (I have $147 each month to spend on laundry, food, and whatever else I need), and then our zone (my zone has 14 missionaries) has an activity. Last week we went to a park and played a game, and today we are playing volleyball. But P-day is over at 6:00 pm an you go out and start working again!

2. So far Thursdays are the busiest. We have studies in the morning, then lunch and weekly planning. By that time it is 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. Then we get to work for about an hour and try to visit people. Then we have to go to the church for a meeting that takes up the rest of our day! It's crazy!

3. Never. We never go door to door because we don't want to be overbearing on others. The Lord is preparing people here to hear our message, and we will be more effective by finding them through other means.

4. My personal study is CRAZY AWESOME! Right now I am going through each of the lessons in Chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel. Throughout each lesson there are scriptures to study for different points of the lesson. I read the scripture, and write a few words about it beside it summarizing the scripture. It has helped me to know the scriptures, and I can now easily find a specific scripture that may emphasize a concept better than another scripture in the same section! I highly recommend it.

5. The weirdest thing so far was when that old, drunk, Black guy popped out of nowhere on the street, kissed my cheek and said, "They need you in Christiantown!".........that was weird.

6. So in the Mexico MTC you can almost guarantee that everyday you will be fed what we liked to call "Pile of meat on a plate." The meats varied, but it was a pile of meet nonetheless. So I would throw some beans, rice, lettuce, and if they had salsa or tomatoes I would put that on too, and I would make a mountain of a taco salad. Take some corn tortillas and eat that with you taco salad mountain ~ delicious!

7. Picture me.....and then picture the opposite of me, and that's my companion, haha! He loves guns, hunting, crazy music, motorcycles, and the like. Not that I don't like that stuff, I've just never looked into them. But since we are both on missions we get along pretty well, and it's been an interesting, but rewarding challenge working with him (he told me he doesn't like Disney.....awkward.), but he's great!

8. That's a tough one. I think one of them was when I was in the MTC, and my teacher, Hermana Arno, taught us about how we need to teach like the Savior. In John 3, the Savior is teaching Nicodemus; we would read one verse at a time, and then talk about it. The Spirit was SO STRONG in that room! We talked about how Nicodemus is supposed to be a learned man concerning the teachings of the Gospel, but he just didn't understand the Savior's teachings. Christ tries to explain to Nicodemus the truth about the Gospel, and how we must be born again (through baptism), but Nicodemus just doesn't understand. Now as a missionary, wouldn't that be extremely difficult? You think you explain something with perfect clarity, and your investigator just looks at you like you're some crazy white boy that can't speak Spanish at all. How FRUSTRATING would that be!? It makes me just want to quit, pack up my bags, and say, "some other missionary can handle this one because there is just something wrong with the investigator and with me." But what does the Savior do when Nicodemus doesn't understand? I can imagine the Savior PATIENTLY and with LOVE looking at Nicodemus and saying, "I have taught you what you need to know, but you don't seem to understand quite yet. Let me teach you one more time." This hit me HARD, and I joined the rest of my district as we all cried together in that room because the Spirit touched us in a beautiful way. We didn't have any real investigators at that point, but this lesson applied to me personally because I was Nicodemus in this scenario. Over and over again in my life I have made mistakes, I don't make the best choices, and I feel doubtful and disappointed in myself. I have felt like I will never speak Spanish, and I will never have the knowledge of the Gospel that I need in order to help the people here in San Diego. But every time these thoughts and feelings come, I can turn to the Savior, and he teaches me once again. Elder Dahl is a son of GOD! Elder Dahl knows the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Dahl believes in Jesus Christ, and with this he is able to perform MIRACLES. Sorry, I hope that wasn't too long.

9. The hardest thing that happens on the mission is definitely when you have an appointment with someone, and you are SUPER excited to teach them, and when you knock on the door.....nobody answers. I haven't taught a real, sit-down lesson yet to an investigator because they bale out on us every time.......that's hard. But I need to have faith that the Lord will lead me (or lead others to me) on His time, so I press on with faith in Him.

10. HAHA Uhm to be honest.....a little. I don't think it has been cleaned for a LONG TIME! But luckily I have an amazing mother that made sure I knew how to clean, so little by little our apartment is getting better. We have little cockroaches, so that's been nasty.

11. On Mexican Independence Day we were given a little terracotta pot, filled with the red jelly thing, but there were also fruit pits, seeds, and it definitely looked like twigs and leaves in there two........yeah we didn't eat it. That was weird.

12. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He loves me personally, and he loves each one of us personally. The Atonement is REAL! He didn't only suffer for our sins, but for all of our worries, struggles, and pains. I know that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, and he sent us here to have SUCCESS! We are not sent here to fail, but to grow and improve! Heavenly Father has a plan of happiness for each one of us, and it is centered around the family. I love my family, and I thank God each day for them. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God, and although it is not made up of perfect people, it is still true. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true. It is another testament of Jesus Christ, and a person will draw nearer to Christ by reading the Book of Mormon than by any other book! I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and restored the true Gospel of Jesus Christ through him. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. We are given challenges that will help us grow! We can overcome ANYTHING with Christ by our side. NEVER FORGET THAT! This Gospel is true, and I KNOW that to be true.

Other highlights of the week included:

*Understanding a lot more Spanish!

*Having about half of our appointments fall through.......not quite a highlight but whatever

*I'm a pro at the trolley-riding life

*We had zone conference yesterday and our mission president asked me to recite Our Purpose (Preach My Gospel page 1 I believe) in English.....I only memorized it in Spanish.....that was embarrassing.

*A really nice guy named Tommy (he really likes the missionaries, but forbids us from speaking about religion) served us a buffet of food for breakfast. He gave us leftovers, which is basically a missionaries dream

I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Elder Dahl