What a Week! Written 6/9/2014

I'm so glad you and the family are enjoying Nauvoo. It certainly looks like you all are having a ton of fun.

I don't even know where to begin with this letter. Last Monday night my companion (Elder C) and I taught the last of the Family Home Evenings lessons for the single adults in our ward (it was for 5 weeks on the missionary lessons). They had a little dinner/party afterwards that we stayed for and it was really fun hanging out with them (don't worry they're much older single adults-older than singles ward age).

On Tuesday my companion (Elder C) and I went with our roommates, Elder L and Elder J to help give service to one of their members cleaning up a lot of dust and dirt from inside their house that they are remodeling. We also talked to D. A. more about her mission call that she received. I forgot to tell you last week but D, a member in our area received her mission call to the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission! The missionaries here are all really good friends with her and we are all excited for her call. She leaves in September and she says I should go down there after my mission and say hi. 

We also had dinner with a fairly recently reactivated family and taught them about Family History and they are excited to begin the work for their family. I am excited that this ward is really getting into Family History. In fact, the Relief Society is now having classes for Family History at the Family History Center on Wednesday in Germantown. Later that night another member took us to Bruster's Ice Cream, a really popular ice cream store here where all of the ice cream is made right there. I had Graham Central Station and Mint Chocolate Chip, they were excellent.

Wednesday was Zone Training and I learned a lot. Sister Cooke gave a short workshop on staying healthy because of (as dubbed by the other zones) The Great Seneca Strepedemic. There has been quite a few cases of strep throat lately, my roommate Elder J had it, my zone leader, Elder M got it twice (he finished his antibiotics the first time and still got it again). There have been a few other missionaries that have caught it. Everyone is trying to avoid catching it as much as possible but it can take symptoms up to 5 days before appearing. The rush of people with strep throat is over. The last person I know that caught Strep Throat was on Sunday the 1st. However, everyone is still tying to be cautious. The Zone Leaders let us know in their workshop about finding people that the mission plans to significantly cut back on miles in the car areas to encourage biking and public transportation so that the missionaries can meet and teach more people. After the workshop the Zone Leaders also mentioned to a small group of us that if this change happens eventually we could receive more money each month for public transportation on money that normally would be spent on gas for the cars. I wasn't overly enthusiastic about this coming change (nothing is changing for June, they just want you to start practicing so you can get used to it before the change actually happens). Germantown's a big area and doesn't have many bus lines, but I was willing to give it a try. My thoughts were I'm going to try this out and hopefully it will work out and be successful.

However, none of that matters anymore because I got transferred! Now you're probably thinking, what!? Long story short, Wednesday night after English Class around 8:30pm my companion (Elder C) and I got a call from the APs. They told us that there was going to be an emergency transfer and that I would be leaving my first area and going to Montgomery Village South first thing in the morning with my new companion Elder A. My companion (Elder C) would receive Elder C from Montgomery Village South into Germantown. I don't know the details of what was happening but I know that one of the elders was struggling in particular. Wednesday night I rapidly packed everything up and finished the last few things (bedding, shampoo,etc) in the morning. Thursday morning, Elder C and I drove down to the Montgomery Village Elders' apartment and did the transfer. I'm a bike Elder now with Elder A and I am serving in the Montgomery Village South area which covers parts of Gaithersburg and Washington Grove. I am still in the same ward and district as before which is nice but confusing for everyone else. My companion, (Elder A) is from Tampico, Mexico and speaks English better than some native speakers. He has been out for just over a year. We've been getting along well and are doing well in the area. Our roommates are our zone leaders and fellow district members, Elder H and M. I don't remember if I've told you or not but Elder H is from Auburn, California so we did some of the same things such as Camp Winton, Sacramento Temple, etc. Elder M was born in Russia and moved to Utah when he was around 8 (I think). He speaks Russian, English, and Spanish.

Being on bike is good expect going up some of the steep hills. My bike is doing fine but I am having problems with my front derailer, it is having trouble switching gears. Elder H and I have been messing with the adjustments but we usually can only get 2 of the 3 gears to work. However it's not really a problem because I just keep in in 2nd gear and rarely would I even consider any gear higher than 2-8 and any gear lower than 2-1. The I usually ride in 2-5 or 2-6. Down some hills I've gone up to 2-8 but I normally just coast down. The lowest gear I've gone into has been 2-3. I've been locking my bike and my area is by far the least dangerous and fewest theft bike area in the mission. I'm starting to get used just being sweaty and smelly all the time.

In the new area I'm trying to learn who are the members, less-actives, investigators, and potentials. I'm also trying to get a mental map of the area down as well. It's a little hard coming in the middle of the transfer but I'm catching on quick enough.

Dear Brother #4,That's so cool that you caught fireflies in Nauvoo. The fireflies here are just barely starting to come out, so you don't see too many. That's cool that you got Minecraft for the computer. I hope you are enjoying playing on it but don't become too addicted to it. I hope that you are enjoying your time in Nauvoo with the family and Grandma & Grandpa.

Dear Brother #3 (aka Mr. Rich Man),I'm having a lot of fun on my mission. Yesterday I taught the 10 and 11 year olds in Primary. They're lots of fun and we taught them the 10 Commandments and some cool hand signals to memorize them. I also went to the "Night of Music and Inspiration" yesterday and heard some really good music. Today was my zone activity and we all went mini golfing which was really fun. I'm sure Minecraft has been really fun and I hope you are having even more fun in Nauvoo right now. There are some really cool things out there and I hope you are learning a ton.

Dear Brother #2,Congratulation on your finals. Come on, you think you did you're best when you got 100%? That's awesome. I can't wait to see your success in all your other math classes in the coming years.That's awesome that you got to do baptisms at the temple. I have over 100 ordinances reserved on Family Search from distant cousins that are ready to go to the temple. I have some work for you and the family to do this summer. Tell mom I have a lot of women that need their ordinances done. Elder A and I are planning on going to a special mission approved baptism for the dead session at the temple on the 11th and I'm planning on doing 5 of the names I have reserved.

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

A Really Good Week 6-2-2014

Mom,

Thanks for all the letters from the boys and thank you for your letter as well. This week has been really good. My companion and I met with C, our recent convert this week and had a really good lesson with him on Family History. He really wants to get into it and wants to get his membership number so that he can get on as a member on FamilySearch. We also met with R, our investigator this week and he is doing really well and is accepting the gospel really easily.

Last Thursday a big thunderstorm came through in the evening and it down poured and there was a ton of lightning. All the Elders in our district were going to go to a taco truck for dinner with Hno D but the rain stopped us, so then we were going to go to Roy Rodger's but the power all went out in that area. So we ended up going to Old Country Buffet in Gaithersburg.







On the way we saw a huge tree that had fallen over onto some power lines, the tree took up two full lanes and was causing some traffic. When we got home the power was out but it came back on about 10 minutes later.

Multiple lightning exposures over the Jefferson Memorial combined into a single image
from May 27, 2014 (Photo Credit: Kevin Ambrose)

On Friday I had exchanges and went to Montgomery Village South on bike. It was a beautiful day and it wasn't bad bike riding weather. They had a lot of appointments and we visited with some of the areas investigators and less-actives. That night, one of the Gaithersburg 1st ward members, who is moving to Mexico for work, invited us to Five Guys and Krispy Kreme so we had a nice big dinner. I was with Elder C, who is in his 2nd transfer. It was fun to work with him and different being the person to take the lead in lessons for a day. It was good and I enjoyed it.

Saturday the Elders in our District moved one of our members in Germantown to Dickerson (still in my area). It's far out there and according to a resident of that area there are more horses and more cows than people there; I believe him. I'd never been out there but it was nice to see on the drive out. 

On Sunday we went to the Mission President's home for Spanish FHE and it was really fun and a lot of people came out for it. The lesson was very spiritual and everyone there enjoyed it. Today my companion and I, along with our roommates, and the DC French elders went to Smithsonian Zoo for a while and hung out. It was fun to go see again. 

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

"Living the Dream...in the Best Mission in the History of Life" - 5/27/2014

Mom,

This last week was really good one. My companion and I have been keeping busy and working hard. Last Wednesday we taught our investigator (R) the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he really enjoyed that lesson. He is doing well and we are meeting with him again this week and he has a baptismal date for next month. (Yes he is Dad to the recently baptized 8-year old we taught.)

On Saturday we had a ward activity and it had a great turn out. There was dinner and dessert, then a show. There were some little skits and dances performed. The missionaries did a funny little sketch at a doctor's office about removing the bad things and putting in good things instead. It was a fun performance. The Young Women and Primary also did fun little performances. Some people also did some traditional dances (machete fights included). Yes there was a dance where it is supposed to be a sword fight. It was fun to see, yes they were real and yes you could occasional se sparks fly from them. It was a great ward activity and everyone really liked it. 

Sunday was C's confirmation and I did the confirmation (en español). I was so happy for him and it was a great moment for C. It was a great day. 

My companion and I also went to the Stake Coordination meeting on Sunday and the meeting went really well with how to improve the ward's efforts and reach the stake goals. It also had a big push and built excitement over missionary work in the area. I was glad that we were invited to attend.

We did go mountain biking Monday morning and the trail wasn't super hard or technical. It was fun and you still had to be careful of all the tree roots (tree roots go out, not down here because of all the rain). It was nice to ride down by the creek and it helped me figure out what I need to work on for my bike to get it fine-tuned. I'm still living the dream out here in the best mission in the history of life. 

 

Dad,

I hope that you had a fun time down in Orange County this last week. I hope that it was really fun and you enjoyed it. It's been a good week for me. On Sunday I confirmed my recent convert, C a member of the Church during Sacrament Meeting. Monday our roommates and my companionship all bought Maryland Socks that we saw at a store. It's the exciting thing of the apartment right now. It was a great experience and it wasn't too nerve racking to do the confirmation in Spanish. I hope that you have a good coming week.

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

My 1st Convert Baptism-Letter 5-19-2014

5-19-2014

Dear Mom,

It has been a great week out here. Monday and Tuesday were basically my former companion packing all the time. We met with C. (our investigator with a baptismal date) on Monday and Tuesday and had a great lesson with him and we finished all the lessons that he needed.

Wednesday my former companion did some frantic, last minute packing and then we dropped off his things at a member's home where he and his parents were staying. His parents saw him and they briefly did their welcome reunion and then we went off to the Visitor’s Center. We got there a little early and I visited with some of the other Elders there. Then I met my new companion who is from Layton, UT and only has two transfers left on his mission. He also was in this same area about a year ago, so some members remember him. It's different dynamics now here, but it's still good. They say you learn a ton from your "greenie-breaker" because they open up what the rest of the mission looks like.

Thursday we visited some less-active members throughout the day and they got to know my new companion. Then we went to the Chapel with C. so he could have his baptismal interview. President L. (First Counselor in the Mission Presidency) gave the interview but came late because he had to take his grandson to the hospital because the grandson broke his arm. The interview went great and C. passed!

It was a rainy most of the week but Friday was the worst of it.  Apparently there was flooding in some areas so missionaries couldn't leave the apartment until 11:00 am. My new companion and another Elder (my new roommate) went to their leadership training meeting while I went with my other roommate (Elder J.) visiting some of my less-actives, and some of his less-actives. We tried to stop at a few potential investigator's homes but they weren't there. When our companions came back we had dinner and then visited some more less-active members.

Saturday my companion and I had breakfast at C's home and we reviewed over everything and then briefly taught the fifth lesson in Preach My Gospel. The lesson went really well and it was great to see all the changes in C's life since I first met him. We also had a mission training with Elder Ballard. Sunday was C's baptism. It was a great week and super fun. C is the one that was in California for a while.  My former companion left early this morning  to go home with his parents so he might be back in Utah by now or at least on the way.

P.S. I was going to get Zyrtec but I really haven't had any allergies since Tuesday so I've been alright.

Dear Dad,

My new companion is from Layton, Utah and only has two transfers left on his mission. He is the youngest of three (he has a brother and a sister). He served in Spanish Germantown about a year ago so some people still remember him. He's more laid back and very big into sports. He really likes soccer and mountain biking and wants to go mountain biking next week. He is definitely different than my last companion and he does things differently just like every person does. It is taking some getting used to but it is opening my eyes more to what the mission is like for the companionship.

We seem to be getting along well and we haven't had any issues so far. He a pretty chill guy and a lot of Elders really like him. I like him and am trying to get to know him better. I don't have any complaints and the more I get to know him the more I like him. It's just getting used to a new companion, especially when you are in the same area and nothing else has changed. It's a good change though. I am learning a lot from him.

This week has been really amazing. I received my new companion on Wednesday and we've had a busy week since then.

On Saturday we had a Mission Training meeting with all of our mission plus the Maryland Baltimore and Washington DC South missions as well.  We had Elder Gerrard, I believe an Area Seventy speak to us briefly and conduct the meeting. He spoke on the importance of members and missionaries working together and the importance of being sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong of the First Quorum of the Seventy then spoke also on the importance of members and missionaries working together in unity and perfect harmony to help bring others to Christ and to be touched by the Holy Ghost. He also spoke of catching the wave of missionary work. He said that missionaries are the wave and members are the surfers waiting for the wave. Missionaries need to teach members how to catch and ride a wave so it is an enjoyable experience and not an unpleasant wipe out. Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy then addressed us.  Elder Clayton spoke about "hearing Him" and the things we need to do so we can hear Christ. He pointed out that others can "hear Him" when they listen to the missionaries but missionaries also need to be doing things such as keeping the commandments, having no contention, edifying one another, and the list went on. The last speaker was Elder Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He talked about getting more baptisms and what we need to do to have that happen. He made sure that we knew that "to the rescue" of less-active members was very important and we need to continue in that, but he said that shouldn't lower or effect the number of baptisms. It was a very powerful talk and then he allowed about ten missionaries to come up and ask specific questions about how to get more baptisms or help the less-actives. 

After Elder Ballard spoke he changed the plans and had all three missions break off so the mission presidents could talk to all their missionaries at once because that very rarely happens. (I almost forgot that other missions don't all meet every six weeks at a transfer meeting like I am blessed to do.) We broke off and our Mission President just reiterated the key things that we said and bore his testimony. We then broke up and went back to our areas to get back to work.

On Sunday it was C's baptism. We confirmed everything at Sacrament Meeting. We ate lunch at the "A" home with the A's, my former companion and his parents, Hno D, and Sister O.  My (new/current) companion and I left early to go fill the font and get the baptism all ready. We had everything ready and everyone coming and we took a few photos before the baptism. The program was great and Hno F. A. and Hno J. G. gave wonderful talks where the Holy Spirit was extremely powerful. My previous companion baptized C.  My current companion and I were the witnesses to the baptism.

A member wrote down the exact time C. was baptized and showed it to me. He wrote May 18th, 2014 at 5:49 pm (my time-EST). After the baptism was almost a dinner party for C's baptism and my former companion’s goodbye.  My (current) companion and I stayed for a bit but we had to go to the Visitor’s Center for a "Why I Believe."

It was so amazing to have my first official baptism in the mission. I was so excited and happy for C. I can't wait for our other progressing investigator to be baptized hopefully this next month. It was a little stressful this week but it all worked out and was amazing.

P.S. Tell Brother #2 happy belated birthday and tell Brother #3 Happy Birthday.  I hope they got my cards, if not they'll arrive shortly.

Dear Brother #1,

I'm glad to hear that you went to the temple this week. I'm sure it was a great experience. Just keep hanging in there with school.  You are almost done with the school year and you've got finals coming up.

That's really cool that M.H. wants to go to church. Invite him to every activity as well. Make sure that you introduce him to the missionaries as well. Be a good friend to him because that's what makes things more comfortable. Don't shove the gospel down his throat but do share with him what the church has to offer. You never know who is ready for the gospel. There were two do-not-contacts in the ward when I first came that are now trying to reactivate and are coming to church and church activities as often as possible. In fact, the baptism I had yesterday, was a man who I was told was the ride to church for a recent convert and he'll come to church so he can bring the recent convert home but he doesn't want to be taught or become a member.  He was happy the way he was. Now he is baptized and going to be confirmed next week a member of the church. I'm not saying anything will happen but anything is possible.

I'm glad you got to go and see another choral performance. It sounded fun. I'm glad NHS has been going well for you but I have no idea who any of those people are who are the new officers. I hope you have a great week and everything goes well for you.

Love,  Elder Braden Dahl