This is My Therapy- Coldstone Ice Cream

This week we went to Coldstone twice to get ice cream. How come nobody
told me that there is an ice cream that is called Oreo Creme Filling?
Naturally both times I got Oreo Overload with that kind of ice cream
instead of just regular sweet cream- just about as close to heaven as
you can get.

Last week I told you all about Power Hour, and it has been awesome! We
have talked to a ton of people! And right after we make appointments
we call a member and ask them to come with us to visit these people.
Our members have been on fire and yesterday we were able to add four
new investigators! Woop woop! And eye were all referrals from the
members!

Dad you will be so proud of me because as we were helping a family in
the other ward with some service the lady decided to make us
breakfast, and so while we waited we played a mean game of whiffle
ball with the other elders and the sisters! We ended up getting a
sweet referral from the member too and she doesn't even live in our
area, so that was awesome!

This past week we had a big, regional stake conference or something
like that for the North American West and Northwest areas. Elder
Renlund, one of the members of the twelve apostles, Elders Hamula and
Grow of the Seventy, and Sister Oscarson the Young Women's General
President spoke in a satellite broadcast. It was awesome! How cool is
it that there is a church established by Jesus Christ on the earth
today that has leaders called of God that lead and direct the church
in the Christ's way? Quite cool if I do say so myself! I love this
church and I love being a missionary for Jesus Christ!

A little sad news- Iris, who was in the process of moving to El Centro
from Mexicali, has decided to take the process a little slower and is
no longer moving. The person that was taking care of her house while
she would be here is no longer able to do it and she has to stay
there, but she will still be here a few times a week for a class she
is taking, so we will still get to see her occasionally. She is so
awesome though and she will help build the church and spread the
gospel wherever she goes. Rafael, Armida, and the Sanchez family are
doing fine!

All of the other missionaries are talking about how hot it is getting.
Today it is 88 degrees. I just throw my head back and laugh :)

I love you all! Thanks for the prayers!

Elder Dahl

 All of those years of being a cowboy for Halloween really payed off!

 Elder Reilly got to go to a rodeo in Yuma, but we had some fun

before he left.

 Doesn't it look like the hat was photoshopped onto my head!? I

promise it isn't!

My companion is a natural!

 This is the sign outside of the Coldstone here in the Valley. The
idea for this picture is from a pose that Elder Walter Rodriguez made
during our photo shoot a few months ago.

New Apartment - New Life

The highlight of my week this past week has been that the Sanchez
family moved to a small apartment away from Miguel's parents, which
means that we can go inside to teach their family! Woohoo!!! We are
hoping that this new step in their lives will allow them to start anew
and focus their lives on the Gospel. Keep on praying for them!

This week we were also able to help some less active families come
back to church, so that was cool. We had a meeting in San Diego on
Friday, and some paper work that we had to do for the stake president
on Thursday and Saturday, so we didn't have a super active week this
week.

But this next week is going to be awesome because President has
started a new proselyting technique called Power Hour. Every
companionship in the mission will set aside an hour everyday and take
a nap to recharge and be able to function better! Haha Just
Kidding!!!!! For an hour we get out of our cars and we solely plan on
just talking to every person we see! Now most of you are probably
thinking, "Well don't you do that already?" But no this is different!
Every night we pray and ask the Lord where we need to go for our Power
Hour the next day, and we have had some very spiritual experiences
because of our efforts. It has really increased our faith that the
Savior is really preparing people all around us, and all that we need
to do is listen to the Spirit and follow the guidance we receive.

This last Sunday was one of the best Sundays ever. When I walked into
the Spanish Group Sacrament meeting to play the piano my heart
dropped. There were only three people: the group leader, Hermano
Garcia, Iris Paredes (our recent convert who I just wrote about a few
weeks ago), and me. We have been trying so hard to help this little
group, and as my companion walked back to the English meeting to be
with Miguel I felt like a complete failure. We have tried so hard to
rally the members here and help this little group grow, but as I sat
there playing "Nearer My God To Thee" I felt so far away from
understanding what God wanted me to do here in El Centro. Well our
available speakers for testimony meeting were looking slim, even after
6 more people walked in a little late. The whole meeting I just kept
on thinking about what was I doing wrong and how everything we were
doing just seemed so useless.

Then with 10 minutes left on the clock, Iris, who has only been a
member for a little less than two months, went up and shared how she
gained a testimony of the church. Once again this God-sent daughter of
God bore powerful testimony of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ,
and talked about how her life changed when her sister-in-law invited
her to learn more about her faith and meet with two missionaries that
she considers to be sent from God. You can all only imagine the tears
that streamed down like a waterfall as she looked me in the eye and
thanked me for serving a mission and sharing the Gospel with her. I
will forever be thankful for the opportunity to have taught and known
Iris. I feel like she has taught me more than I ever taught her.

So yeah that was our week for ya! Miracles were everywhere and the
hand of the Lord was very much present. It always is when we have the
eyes to see and the ears to hear. I love you all!

Elder Dahl

P.S. I should also mention that Rafael and Maria Aranda weren't in the
Spanish group because they had a cousin die in Mexicali. They are
still doing great though!

1. This is Elder Hampton! I have lived with him for his whole mission
so far! I love this kid!
2. Speaking of kids I love, look at what Ivan's wearing!? He is going
to be the best missionary ever!

Blind Baptism

Well the news is in and miracles still exist because I am staying in
the Imperial Valley for another transfer!!! Woohoo!!! I am super
excited! This is going to be fun! I love the people here and I'm
excited to stay here. This is my fourth transfer in the Imperial
Valley 2nd Ward and my fifth in the Imperial Valley!

Updates on the baptisms:

1. Rafael Aranda was baptized last week! It was one of the sweetest
baptisms baptisms that I have ever witnessed. He had such a hard week
last week physically and was just not feeling well, but by Wednesday
he had decided that he would be baptized no matter what. It was so
special to see the faith of this blind, 68 year old son of God, and it
was an extra special baptism because we were able to Skype in my very
good friend Walter Rodriguez (my former companion) from BYUI!

2. Ivan Sanchez was baptized too! His baptism was so sweet as well!
His family has a very special place in my heart, and Ivan has really
grown a lot this past week while preparing for his baptism. Most of
the time I feel more like their older brother than their missionary.
Their faith in the Savior is incredible to see! Their father, Miguel,
had a new fire to be baptized after seeing the baptism of his son, so
we will hopefully be able to see him in white soon.

Other than that our week was pretty normal! Now our big job is to find
some more prepared people to be baptized! And we are working for it
too! The sad news for the week is that my trainer, Elder Welch, is
probably landing in his home state of Oklahoma right now after
completing his mission. I'll miss him mucho, but it has been so fun
having him around me for the majority of my mission.

Everything is going hunky-dory here! Keep on working hard everyone! I
love you all!

Elder Dahl

My trainer and me right before he left :( Bye Elder Welch!

Don't ask me what's going on in the second picture.....

Ivan and me before the baptism! He is so awesome!

 The Sanchez family and us! I don't know why Hispanics don't smile

in pictures...I promise they were all really happy!

Ivan is going to be the best missionary one day!

Elder Laws and I rode bikes for two days this transfer.....it
rained both days. And this past Sunday it POURED!!! You can't tell,
but we were SOAKED!!!

Elder Welch came in really late from his departure activities in

San Diego, so his companion stayed with us and he snuck in during the

night once he was brought back to the valley. SLEEPOVER!!!

Elder....I mean Walter Rodriguez was able to Skype into Rafael's baptism!

 Elder Laws, Hermano Garcia (the Spanish group leader), Maria and

Rafael Aranda, and me at Rafael's baptism. So awesome!

 We did some service at a party store! I have more pictures on my

other camera, so I will send more next week! It was way fun and the

store was super fun to be in.