The Bed Bug...Written 8/4/2014

Mom, How to make a missionary mom get completely freaked out in just two words. Bed Bug. Elder G found a (singular) bed bug in the apartment. We had apartment checks on Tuesday and they said nuke the place by Friday and that they'd call an exterminator to come out and check the place. I forgot to tell you but we were supposed to move out of our apartment Friday because it's is time for a new apartment according to the mission office. Anyways, the exterminator did his preliminary check on Wednesday and found no bed bugs just a few bed bug droppings. So we probably found the bed bug of the apartment. However, we aren't allowed to move out of the apartment until next Friday after the exterminator comes this Wednesday to spray the place down. Most of this last Thursday was spent packing up the apartment into boxes and bags until we got a visit from one of the senior missionaries at 5pm telling us the exterminator and apartment news. So our apartment is mostly packed up and will remain so for a week. The mission office wants to be sure that the bed bugs are completely taken care of before the move. That way we don't have to repeat the process of possible bed bugs in a new apartment. Everything is fine and there have been no bites here. They just want to make sure that there isn't one or two bed bugs hanging around.

Last week on Monday we went to do service at a place called A Wider Circle. It is an organization that is trying to end poverty. It completely supplies impoverished people with anything they want: clothing, furniture, toys, beds, supplies, etc. Most of the mission went to the service project. I helped out at first at the kids corner where there were children's toys and other items. We organized the entire section and made it look more like a showroom. (The place wants it to appear like a showroom so he people don't feel less than anyone else.) When that was done I went downstairs in the warehouse organizing and sorting their donations. It was a fun time and I enjoyed being there.

I'm glad Cousin Camp was a hit and it certainly sounds like you had boatloads of fun and had quite the busy week. My week stayed busy as well but it was filled with tons of fun too.

Monday night we visited with one of our less-active members and invited her to come to church. On Tuesday my companion and I taught a new investigator and set up a return appointment with her this week. Her husband is also friends with us so we are hoping that he can become a new investigator as well. We also taught another of our investigators and helped her with her English in the evening.

Wednesday was our temple trip (same as yours for the Cousin Camp). I brought a name and completed his initiatory and endowment. It was a great time at the temple. There is something even more wonderful about bringing a name to the temple. We saw the newest of the three new temple videos which I really enjoyed. It's amazing what you can learn from each visit from the temple. Thank you so much for getting so many of my names done at the temple. You and any of the family are welcome to take any names I find for any temple trip, Cousin Camp, or just because.

We also dropped off a table and chairs along with some other supplies at the mission office that we got donated from members. The mission has to furnish 5 new senior couple apartments and they're busy collecting all that they can. They've finally gotten enough supplies for the new apartments. On Friday, my companion and I taught our progressing investigator the law of tithing and also fasting. She accepted it and is really making some great progress. We also were able to teach one of the families in the ward that night and had a great lesson on the Book of Mormon. In the late evening we did some quick service for one of her sisters in the ward.

Saturday was the Nationals Baseball game. When you said I keep having too much fun this was not the week to disprove that. It was the Washington Nationals versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals crushed the Phillies 11-0. We all arrived in our districts and made our way into the stadium. It was a really fun game to watch and hang out with  hundreds of missionaries and members. It brought back a lot of memories of going and seeing the Angels play in Anaheim or the Padres down in San Diego. At the end of the game one of the Elders found a little store in the Park that was having a sale on some of the official Nats Hats for $10, I picked up two hats that were normally $40. It was a sweet deal first because they were selling them that cheap in the Park and second because the street vendors outside were selling the knockoff hats for more (~$15) that didn't look nearly as nice. Stores here that sell Nats Hats run from about $25-$60 depending on the hat. When the game ended, President Cooke had us leave by districts with the district with the Zone Leaders leaving last after all of the districts in their zone had gotten on the metro.

Sunday, one of the investigators I started teaching in Germantown, got baptized. He is the Dad of the 8-year old that we taught and was baptized. It was great to see him be baptized and see that decision he made actually happen. I'm glad that I was able to go to the service and see him there and watch one of the investigators I taught be baptized.

This coming Wednesday is Transfers (not that I need to tell you). We didn't receive the normal call-out from the Zone Leaders on Saturday night due to the Nationals' Game. Sunday Morning we received a call out from the Assistants for the entire mission on who was leaving or staying in the area. In my current district, over half of us are leaving our areas; Only Elder A, Elder G, and a Sister Missionary will be staying in their areas. My time on the mission will continue in another area as I will be leaving Montgomery Village South. I took a few pictures already with some of the ward members and an investigator. So now you'll have some proof I do some work out here and don't just party all the time.

 

Dad, I hope you are enjoying having everyone back home now and that you're enjoying yourself. It certainly sounds like you got a lot done at the house while they were away. Work sounds like it is about the same as when I left.

Everyone in the ward has been telling me I'm losing a lot of weight. My grey suit looks like it eats me and I'm probably going to find a tailor to get it more manageable. I'm down a few pounds (Mom's note: more than 5). I still have a lot to go and I'm hoping to continue to lower my weight. I'm not starving or anything but being on bike gives me a lot of cardio workouts.

Transfers are this Wednesday and I will be leaving Montgomery Village South. I don't know where yet but we will find out probably on Tuesday night.
Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Thunderstorms Written 7/14/2014

4th of July Group of Washington D.C. North Missionaries!!

Written 7/14/2014

Mom, This week has been a really good one. We were able to meet with our investigators that have a baptismal date a couple of times this week. They are doing well and now are having more desire to learn more and want us to come over more often. They still have a lot to learn and they have lots of questions but they are continuing to progress in the gospel. We also have a new investigator this week. She was a former investigator from a little while back that we saw on the street one day. She invited us to come back again and visit with her. We decided to go over this week and we had an awesome lesson with her.

Now if you believe that my companion had enough bike mishaps last week, think again. This week he broke off 2 of his rear gears with destroyed the entire cassette of gears on his back tire. The gears all moved side to side so his chain would always fall off into a "hole" in between the gears. We took it to a bike shop to get it repaired but they were ball-parking a minimum of $70. We had Elder G in our apartment that ended up helping him for a good two and a half hours putting together an old 5-gear rim from the apartment onto his 8-gear bike. After many ball bearings, a couple of axels, and probably a tube of grease, the bike finally was working properly again. It is nice now that my companion has a bike again and everything is working smoothly. So far my companion’s bike has been working smoothly now and there seems to be no problems. Both of our bikes work pretty well now. My bike is working fine the only think I could even think of that isn't 100% smooth is the breaks squeak and squeal in the rain when I use them but that really isn't any problem and it could just be I'm still wearing in the bike. My gears don't shift as wonderfully as I'd like but they shift pretty smoothly, it just takes a couple pedals for it to decide to switch over. It's not a problem and the nearest bike shop is in Germantown and it would cost at least $20 to have them fix it. Since it is still the best shifting bike I own, I'm ok for now.

Last Wednesday was Zone Training. It was a good meeting and it helped remind me of how to be a more effective missionary. We had a fun role-play where we couldn't talk about the gospel at all even if someone brought it up of had questions. On Sunday my companion and I performed our songs for "Noche de Musica e Inspiración" and they went really well. It was a fun night and some of the members in our area were able to attend. A lot of people ended up going to the event and it was a great spiritual experience. Yes they recorded it plus I'll get a CD in a few weeks of it. They'll probably post it on the FB page or YouTube I'm the next few days.

I knew that room changes were inevitable, honestly, I was shocked it lasted this long. [Mom's Note: I wrote Braden and said, "So it may come as a shock but Dad & I have decided to rearrange the bedroom assignments. Brother #1 gets your room. Brother #2 is staying in his orange room. Brother #4 is staying in his room and Brother #3 is moving into Brother #1's room.] Don't worry about sending me an SD card ASAP, I still have 2 here a 4GB and a 32GB. I knew you would ask what I wanted for my birthday this week...I'm not sure yet. I have a pair of shorts, 4th of July was a bit cooler and I wanted to avoid sunburn legs. I'll get back to you on what I want soon.

Golfing-last zone activity, a couple weeks before transfers.

Of course Braden would be the one to keep score!

Dad, I hope you are doing well and having a good time. Mom was telling me about the things everyone has been doing all week and about the house changes. No surprise and I'm glad the room is getting put to good use.

If I had a dollar for every thunderstorm here I'd be quite happy with the pocket change I'd be making. Thunderstorms seem to be about an every other day occurrence here. Normally they happen in the evening and some make it into the early morning. When they first started occurring this summer it was "wow, cool, a thunderstorm". Now it's more like it's getting kind of late "cue clouds, cue wind, drizzle, lightning, downpour." Let's just say there is a reason no one in Maryland has a sprinkler system (really, people have no idea what that is here). Even in July there is no dry season.

As you may know I've started to read the Quad* again. Recently I've been reading in 2nd Samuel and I have been really liking the early King David. He always stays positive in his situation and tries to follow the lord's way. Despite all that happens to him he puts his trust in The Lord and keeps enduring his trials.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

*Mom’s Note: What is ‘the Quad?’ The quad includes four standard works of scripture for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes to referred to as the "Mormon Church." These are: the Holy Bible (King James Version of the Old Testament & the New Testament), The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.