Déjà vu 2.0...Written 8-25-2015

I hope that you are doing well and that your week went well too. I'm sure there has been lots of stress around as of late with Mom taking my brother off to college. I'm sure they'll both be fine but everything in the moment just seems too hot to handle.

I cc'd you in my email to Mom since I know she's probably got a lot of other things on her mind right now and will be off in Utah today. I'm back in the Gaithersburg 2nd Ward and it's been a lot of fun. It's a different area than before but I really am enjoying it.

I'm glad everyone is finally getting off and starting school. I'm sure it will be a really different, new chapter with the next oldest brother out of the house now too. Don't stress out about it too much and I'm sure everything will work out fine. At least you can call him all the time still. Plus he'll be just fine at BYU. Tell the G family that I send my condolences and love to them. I'm sure it's crazy hard having their dog pass away.

This week has been a pretty good one. On Monday and Tuesday my companion, Elder H and I went out and visited some of the members and investigators in Mount Pleasant. I said a couple goodbyes but we were pretty busy. I finished packing up and got all ready for the transfer meeting.

Wednesday we had some elders with a car pick us up in DC and drive us over to the transfer meeting. So the big news is that I've been transferred. I'm sure you're dying to know everything. So my new companion is Elder P from Mesa, Arizona. We are serving in the Montgomery Village North area in the Gaithersburg 2nd Ward. So I'm back in the same Ward I started my mission in just in a different area (again). My first two areas in the ward were Germantown and Montgomery Village South. So I'm back in G2 and back in a car. It's weird being back here since its been over a year since I left. It's another big déjà vu moment for me. I'm seeing people like O, Hermano D, J, etc again in church (not my area though). We went and saw a few members in the area and I was introduced to a few people I didn't previously get the chance to meet. Just so you are aware my roommates are Elder C born in Erechim (Erexim), Brazil (in the Porto Alegre North Mission) but lived the majority of his life around Salt Lake City but briefly in Sorocaba, Brazil (by São Palo). Also Elder T again born in Sacramento, CA but lived for a bit in Tonga and then moved to Washington State. I'm sure you're happy to know I've been safe and sound this whole time. No problems here only hard work and fun. My new address is in Gaithersburg, MD.

Thursday my companion and I had a really great lesson with a referral that we received. It is a Mexican family and we were able to catch them at home and teach them the restoration. It was a lesson with a good spirit and then they invited us to come by again. We then stopped by an active member's home to see how she was doing. It turns out she was pretty sick and feeling very under the weather. We were able to offer her a blessing and give her some comfort. It was a small miracle that Heavenly Father gave to us. On our way out, we contacted a man that was really interested in the church. He took us talking to him as a message of God and he really wanted to go to the Visitors' Center and see what it was like. I was excited to have such another amazing experience.

Friday and Saturday we were able to contact a few people and see an investigator or two. It is nice getting to know all the people we are working with here and begin to watch their progression. We have this awesome investigator that is in a part-member family. He used to be uninterested but has really sparked desires as of late. He's learning little by little but he's doing almost everything that we ask him to do. I am glad I get the chance to know him now and help him come unto Christ.

On Sunday we went to church and it was fun seeing so many familiar faces again. We had a bunch of meetings after church so I couldn't really talk to anyone after church but I did get some hellos in before church. Elder Perkins of the [First Quorum of the] Seventy came after church for a stake missionary correlation that the missionaries, ward mission leaders, and bishops were invited to. We talked about missionary work in the stake and learned a lot of new things. 

My companion and I then went with the Germantown Elders to Hermana O's house for dinner. It was a fun night and we had a great lesson as well.

The reason we didn't have P-Day on Monday was because we had Elder Perkins of the Seventy come and have a mission tour. Seneca and DC Zones had their "revelatory experience" (meeting) on Monday for the larger portion of the day. It was really a great day. I was selected as one of the six interviewees for the 2 zones. It was cool be interviewed by a general authority and it was mostly concerning the mission and how I feel about it. It was really great. Elder Perkins gave wonderful workshops and we had some great practicing for missionary work. He talked a lot about being diligent, finding, and inviting. Afterwords, we went to a member's home and had dinner and a lesson.

So I guess both my birthday's have fallen on a P-Day this year. I just started using my new iPad case from one set of grandparents which is really nice and I received a lovely card from the other grandparents. The Zone Leaders usually end up going to the Mission Office on Saturday to pick up mail and supplies for the week in Seneca. I don't really have any plans today nor do I really know what to do. It's been nice to relax today. Hermana O and Sister Cooke already sent me birthday texts. My roommates made me waffles this morning which was really nice especially since it's my favorite breakfast.

I hope you and my brother drive safe and have a great trip. I don't have wifi in my new apartment but you should be leaving in 5 minutes if all goes well. Take care and be safe.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Happy 19th Birthday Elder Dahl...Written 8-25-2014

Happy 19th Birthday!
Notice the lovely shape of the cake.
And boy, what a birthday candle! (Made by his companion)

These guys are all living in Washington D.C. as
roommates while serving in the Mt. Pleasant Ward

Monday evening Elder H, Elder C, and I went to a less-active member's home and taught her about enduring to the end. She is going through some difficult times and we were trying to lift her spirit. We also went and dropped off some things for a member that needed help.

On Tuesday, we went to a member's home for breakfast and learned how to make flour tortillas. This week we were kind of addicted to making them all the time. We used up all of the special flour mix we had to make them this week. They are fun and delicious to make. Elder H is the best at making them circular and I'm the best at getting them the right thickness (or rather thinness). Anyways, I'm not sure I haven't mentioned this yet but Elder H is leaving this Friday. He is finishing his mission and going home early for school in the middle of this transfer. Tuesday he went over with the East Elders to have some goodbyes with those members while Elder C and I worked in our area. We went all the way to the Potomac River to try and find a lost member but she no longer lives there now. On the way there we went down some great roads through several parks. I also got to pass by the Swedish Embassy on the way.

This is the scenery for one of the trails to the DC Parks.
Much more green and lush than dried out California right now.

Wednesday we had a great lesson with one of our investigators in the morning about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also had some lessons with some members in the evening.

Thursday we had our district meeting and afterwards we went to a really good burger place down the street called Z-Burger. We then went to the Hospital to go check on one of our members that was admitted there. She was doing alright when we were there and she was healthy enough to come to church on Sunday.

In front of the Potomac River

Riding under a Fun Bridge

On Friday in the afternoon we went to South West (south and west of the capital) again to a different (and lower) part of the Potomac River to try and find another of the area's lost members. He also no longer lives there and we found out that he now lives in Virginia. We have been trying to locate all of our areas lost members (we have 25 more we are trying to find). We don't have any more lost members that far south in our area so we shouldn't be down there any time too soon. In the evening we had a little goodbye dinner for one of the investigators moving to New Jersey that grew pretty close to the missionaries. We had some food we made and the others brought some desserts. It was a fun time and great to be together. After the dinner we all went to the Branch Correlation meeting.

Saturday we taught an English Class in the morning which went really well. We spent some time in the early afternoon updating our records and doing some office work. In the afternoon we had an awesome lesson on baptism with the progressing investigator of the area. We are very close to having a baptism date with her again. We then had a lesson with another woman on repentance and she really felt the spirit there.

Sunday was a nice day. It was Elder H's last Sunday in the branch so there were several goodbyes said to him. We also had a lot of member lessons in the evening. This week was really successful and I am very happy to be here.

Today has been great so far. I opened Aunt D's packages she sent me and have been enjoying some of the Birthday Oreo Cookies and Bertie Bot's Every Flavour Beans this morning. Tell her thank you for all the great gifts. I also got a few cards I opened today from some family members. Tell them thank you too.

Thank you for the Birthday wishes. I hope Dad is feeling better and that everything will continue to go well for you and the family.

Today has been really good so far. For breakfast, Elder H made everyone German Pancakes and Turkey Bacon. During morning studies the other Elders distracted me and made me a cake. It was a two layer yellow cake with chocolate frosting and we then put some of the Birthday Oreo Cookies on top to add to it.

I hope you have a great day and a great coming week.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Birthday Month in our Apartment...Written 8-18-2014

Monday night all of our appointments cancelled so we ended up going to Meridian Park to go GQ [General Question] people. We were invited to play soccer in the dirt with a bunch of guys (mainly Hispanics). It started to rain as well but we ended up playing in the mud and dust for an hour.

Meridian Park with Elder C

Meridian Park with Elder H

Tuesday I met one of the area's more solid investigators and we taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a great lesson and it was fun being able to teach in a trio. [3 Elders as companions]

Tuesday it rained a ton. There were some flood warnings going out due to all the rain we received. So naturally like any other missionaries, we bike through it to our morning appointments. Needless
to say we were pretty drenched, more like soaked through, to be realistic. It was really fun trying to make our way through the rain. Elder C popped both of his bike tubes hitting a pothole in the gutter so we had to walk to an appointment and back to our house to repair it. In the afternoon the rain let up and it was more of a light drizzle but we walked to our appointments because they were very close to our apartment and one another. It was a very fun day being out there. We also had a member come out with us Tuesday Night, so Elder C and I went out to GQ around Meridian Park. We found and taught 2 new investigators and got return appointments with both of them.

Wednesday we reviewed the Restoration with this awesome kid that I met. He wants to get baptized. He's only 12 and his mother says he can't get baptized until he turns 13 because in her eyes he will be old enough to really make that decision and will have proved his commitment to want to be baptized. We are still working on it but we know he'll be a great member.

Thursday was Zone Training for the Washington DC Zone. It was a really good meeting with some great workshops on the Plan of Salvation and studying the Scriptures. Afterwards, we had our weekly planning session.

Friday was one of our roommate's birthday. His mom sent him some cake mix and candles so Elder H, Elder C, and I made him 20 cupcakes for his 20th birthday while they were out for an appointment during our lunch hour.

Saturday morning we all headed over to the Holmead Chapel to clean it with several more missionaries and some English and Spanish members. The Holmead Chapel is one of the church's abandoned chapels and has been so for a little over 2 years after the completion of the 16th St Chapel.

Holmead Chapel

The Holmead Chapel is super tiny building less than a block away from Columbia Heights. The place has been pretty ransacked by the homeless and the missionaries. We ended up throwing away about a dumpster's size of trash and made it look like a usable chapel again. It's a nice little building. The stake here is looking to sell it but until then it is being used for occasional activities put on by various wards or branches as well as district meetings for the missionaries. In the evening we met a Hispanic family at the park and we had a great lesson with them about the Restoration and they really liked what they heard. We also taught another of our solid investigators who is pretty close to baptism. We had a great discussion on faith with her.

Sunday we were in the chapel for 7 hours. We had two meetings to attend before Sacrament Meeting followed by the normal three hours of church which was then followed by a branch farewell dinner for a missionary they are sending off this Wednesday.

The Elders that are serving in the Mt. Pleasant Branch in Washington D.C.

After we got back to the apartment we bussed up to the Visitors' Center for a "Why I Believe". We had an investigator ride up with a member and we met up with them there. We then managed to hitch a ride back to our apartment.

I hope you have a great day and that Dad feels better soon. It stinks feeling vertigo all the time but I hope it goes away soon. I also hope you have a good week coming up.

Today we biked down to Chinatown and the National Mall with our roommates. It was really fun walking around Chinatown and going down to the Air and Space Museum today and seeing some of the displays there. The Mission Executive Secretary J.S. bought me a Baskin Robin's ice cream cake as an early birthday present which was super nice of him.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl