Fall Happenings at the Dahl Apartment in DC...Written 11-17-2014

Written 11-17-2014 

I hope things are going well for you. It's been fun seeing some of your photos on Facebook from your trip to Tahoe and hanging out with the family this last week. I'm glad to hear that everyone is having lots of fun. It was fun seeing some of the photos that you guys had on Facebook. Brother #2, I saw a few pictures of choir tour and it certainly looked like you had a lot of fun. I'm glad to hear you are doing well and keep up all the good things that you are doing.

Today is pretty rainy and still pretty cold. My companion and I walked around Georgetown in the rain and saw the Old Stone House which is the oldest standing building in DC. We also walked and enjoyed the view and saw some cool shops and a very old cemetery. Afterwards, we headed over to the Botanic Gardens. They has some natural carved models of some of the building, museums, and monuments around the National Mall. It was fun going through there again because it's been a while. My companion enjoyed the cacti the most inside the giant greenhouse. I enjoyed seeing all the weird fruits and flowers from some of the plants inside. Plus it was great to go into a greenhouse with desert and jungle ecosystems when it's 40 degrees outside and rainy.

Elder Larry S Kacher

A lot of trees have lost most of their leaves here but still many trees have their leaves in their fall colors. The weather out here is getting colder. Our highs are in the 40s now with lows in the 20s. No snow here yet but they keep sawing it will snow any day now. I'll have to wait and see but it's not too bad right now. I have had to dawn a bit of my winter gear while riding around in DC but so far so good.

Wednesday Elder Larry S Kacher (Second Quorum of the Seventy) came and visited our Mission. We had something similar to a Zone Conference with him almost all day. He spoke to us for the majority of the meeting and it went very well. Those who spoke gave some great talks and it was a wonderful day. In the evening my companion and I went over to the 11-year old's home and visited with him for a bit. He is doing great right now and excited that he was baptized.

Thursday as well we had a meeting with Elder Kacher and all the Branch, Ward, and Stake Councils in our mission. It was another great meeting and it really helped all of us get a better idea of how each council is supposed to function at its maximum.

Friday we had a surprise exchange with the Assistants to the President (APs) and one of them came out with my companion and I. We went and did a lot of GQs [General Questions] at Columbia Heights. Afterwards, we went and had 2 lessons with 2 of our less-active members and we invited them to church. They APs had to leave in the early afternoon but my companion and I continued to visit some of the people in our area.

Saturday one of our roommates was with us for the majority of the day. We all went to the Visitors' Center so I could have a short practice of "Nearer My God to Thee" that we would be performing on Sunday at the Visitors' Center for "Why I Believe" as the special musical number. We had an English class with one of our investigators and it went really well and we invited him to come to church this Sunday.

Sunday was the recently baptized 11 year old's confirmation. I confirmed him in Sacrament Meeting and he is now a member of the Church. He was super excited and it was so great to see him so happy. Two of the other Elders in our branch had a baptism yesterday as well and we stayed for the baptismal service. In the evening, we went to "Why I Believe" where the had Dennis Pitta, one of the football players for the Baltimore Ravens come and speak to us. He gave an excellent talk and the theater was overflowing. It was a great and very spiritual night. I was part of the special musical number and we sang "Nearer My God to Thee" again.

Dennis and Mataya Pitta. Dennis, played football for Brigham Young University and took two years off to serve a mission in the Dominican Republic. He currently plays for the Baltimore Ravens.
He and his wife, Mataya, a dancer, were married in 2008.

Nearer My God to Thee - Performed 11-9-20104 & 11-16-2014 at the 

Washington D.C. Visitors' Center

I hope that you have a great week and that all continues to go well. Have a lot of fun and I love you tons.

Dear Youngest Brother, It sounds like you had a really fun week. You're so lucky to be doing so many fun things. I'm glad to hear Nathaniel, that you likes garlic fries. My favorite fries out here are from Z-Burger. Their seasoned fries then dipped in Z-Sauce (fry sauce and seasoning) are super good. Mom would die though from the burger I get there. I like sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, grilled onions, green peppers, A-1 Sauce, and sometimes pickles on the burger. I've changed a little bit in my tastes now.

I hope you have a fun time with the cousins, grandma, and grandpa. Have a great week.

[Mom wrote him right back...Grandma W says, "He never even ate a burger at home!....Let alone all that stuff on it! I can't believe that kid! I hope he doesn't change when he gets home..." I say "ditto!" As far as changing when you get home, she means that you actually eat all these foods still. ;) Love, Mom]

[Braden's response:] If you think that's a big deal you missed me a ton of turkey this week with stuffing. Also the Ham and Cheese sandwiches with mayo, mustard, pickles, ketchup, tomatoes, pickles; Or the Chicken Salad Sandwiches I have every week. Let alone the pastas. Fried yuca with mild sauce and a little bit of the spicy is SUPER good.

Haha, he's [youngest brother] probably dying. I eat a lot out of things out here now.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

Busy, Busy, Busy!...Written 11/10/2014

Written 11/10/2014
This week was really great and really busy. Monday we were packed before, during, and after P-Day. I had a practice at the Visitors' Center, we had to give a blessing, teach an English Class, visit the Elder's Quorum President, and visit a less active. Plus we had one of our roommates with us until the evening. It was a little stressful but a rather successful day.

Practicing our song at the Washington D.C. Visitors' Center

This last Tuesday, my companion and I met a less-active member that we had not previously known. We shared a short message with her and we hope that we will be able to visit with her more in the future. We also were able to meet with another less-active in the evening along with an investigator.

Wednesday we had our Zone Training Meeting which took up our morning. It was a really good meeting and I learned a lot of things and we had a ton of announcements as we are approaching Festival of Lights here which will be at the Washington D.C. Temple and Visitors' Center. We met with the 11-year old boy we've been teaching in the afternoon and worked on the final touches of the baptism with him. We invited his mother to attend the service and explained to the boy what was going to happen.

On Thursday we had another English Class we taught to one of our investigators and it went really well. He is from Peru but has lived in Spain for many years now.

Friday we had lunch as a district from some food a member gave us. After we had lunch together, my companion and I went out to go visit some of the people in our area. We visited a couple members and less-active members and then we had a lesson with one of our progressing investigators.

Saturday we went out 'finding' to try and find some more investigators. We found a few potentials and we hope that they will make the decision to progress in the gospel. We also had a lesson with a progressing investigator about the Book of Mormon. The lesson went really well and we helped them understand more about the Book of Mormon but now it is up to them to ask if the book is true.

Sunday was the Baptism.
As a baptism always is, it was a little stressful. But by the time the service started everything was in order. We had the program put together and most of the members branch attended the baptismal service. My companion baptized him and I will be confirming him next week. It was super great and a wonderful service. We were so excited that he made the decision to be baptized and is trying to live a good life. We are excited to see and hear about his further progress in the church. It is super awesome to have a baptism here and we are hoping that we can have a few more baptisms coming soon. Right after the baptismal service however, we had to bolt to the Visitors' Center so I could perform in the Night of Music and Inspiration. That also was a fun event with many wonderful performances. It was hard singing because they forgot to turn on the feedback mic, so we couldn't hear each other. We only sound good if we can hear each other but 'es la vida.' I think we're performing that song again next Sunday again at the Why I Believe Fireside, but I'm not sure. I'll send the music home in a send stuff home package I'm planning on getting out some time this month. [Mom asked how much we practiced before that night...] We practiced every Friday for a month and once on a Monday. We kinda practice on our own during our free time throughout the week. We also had a member bring his friend to church yesterday and we were able to meet with him and he was able to attend the baptism!

"Nearer My God to Thee" Night of Music & Inspiration Nov. 9, 2014 

Elders Ortega, Dahl, Rushforth, Hansen, Peterson, Fuller, Jamias,Sorensen, Fisher

I'm glad to hear that you had a good week. It seems like you've been really busy lately. I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention to you but last week during our transfer meeting we had the opportunity to watch Meet the Mormons at the Visitors' Center. It was a really good movie and I really liked it.

Today we went downtown. Our roommates and us biked around Jefferson Island (where the Jefferson Memorial is) and saw the nice fall colors along with the Potomac River. We also passed by the George Mason Memorial on the island. Then we went over to the Holocaust museum again. Afterwards, we went over to the Air and Space Museum. It was a nice day and fun to go see some of the fall sights.

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

Capture the Vision

We are all in this together. With fellow ward members and missionaries, we plan and pray and help one another. Please keep the full-time missionaries in your thoughts and prayers. Trust them with your family and friends. The Lord trusts them and has called them to teach and bless those who seek Him.

Elder Neil L. Andersen

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance…

John 14:26

The Lord invites us to discover, ponder, search, and evaluate, and thereby come to a personal knowledge of the truth.

Musical Number-I Believe in Christ (Creo en Cristo; ¡El es mi Rey!)

Written 10/13/2014

This week has been really nice. As always, my companion and I are trying to stay busy and work hard in our area. 

We spent a lot of time in the Stake Center in Kensington this week for music practice for me. Yesterday was "Night of Music and Inspiration" in Spanish at the Visitors' Center. I was in a group singing a 6-part, a cappella version of "I Believe in Christ" (of course in Spanish). All of us performing were from all over the mission and it was a hard time for us practicing together on a rather difficult piece of music. Of course, you have already heard the piece and hopefully it was ok. We had one investigator and four members go to the performance so we were excited for the attendance we brought out.


Wednesday we had the privilege of watching some of the lunar eclipse that happened here at 7am. We all went up on our roof at 6am and played some sports watching as the moon became a vivid red. The sun starting coming up so by peak eclipse time at 7 the moon was nigh impossible to see. It was still a fun morning for us.

Photo Credit: Kevin Ambrose

Photo Credit: Randy Taylor

Wednesday my companion and I also had exchanges and I was with Elder A for the day still in my area. We had a few appointments cancel on us but we still had a good number of lessons from going around finding people. We also were able to take a member out with us for a couple hours of the day; which really helped us have the spirit and teach powerfully.

We also had interviews with President Cooke on Saturday at the Stake Center. The interviews went well and were enjoyable.

Autumn Fields at Capitol Arboretum by Nichole Pretty 

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos that I took. It covers a wider timetable but they were certainly fun to take. Don't worry though because I'm still taking pictures and still enjoying seeing what the area has to offer. We are now approaching fall. Some trees are beginning to loose their vivid green color and start the changing of color. It also is starting to get colder again. I've had to put on a windbreaker a few times this week. It's also starting to rain more but not as hard as the summer thunderstorms.

Nature's Beauty with Sculpture by Patricia Vesey

The area we live in is North West. I'm not sure what area we are exactly in. Mount Pleasant's a little west of us and Columbia Height's is a little south of us. 

We still are teaching a lot and working hard. We are hoping to have another great week. I hope that you have a great week. I love you lots.

Love,Elder Braden Dahl

P.S. I think Dad asked me when transfers are; they're the 29th of October.

Dad,

I'm glad to hear that everything is going well overall. I hope everything continues to go well and that nothing is too crazy.

Our area is going well. We have a few good investigators that are progressing. We are trying to find some more people to teach right now. The city is just a lot of hard work trying to keep members active and to get less-active members to come to church. There never seems to be a dull moment.

This Sunday was the Primary Program which was really nice. The primary here is nothing size wise compared to Roseville 2nd, they fit in about two rows on the side. It was still a really nice program and it was fun hearing them all sing. Our investigator actually was in the program and gave a short one minute talk. It was a good time and the classes afterwards were also great.

I guess you already know and have heard "Creo en Cristo", the song I sang last night at the Visitors' Center. The number was really fun to do but ridiculously difficult. It was the Eclipse version of the song and we translated it out. It wasn't great but it was the first time all of us singing together and we had 2 weeks to put it together. Of course during mike checks they balanced it all out and then during the performance the mike I was on was blaring and turned way up. It was still fun to perform and I enjoyed performing.

One thing I forgot to mention was today we went over to the ghetto Chinese shops on the east side of DC. It's not somewhere I'd ever even think of taking Mom but they have little shops packed with all kinds of stuff from knives to shoes, watches to toys. Everything is straight from China and the shop owners barely speak English. It's all super cheap things but cash only. It's pretty close to a metro stop. Around the metro is pretty nice but suddenly about a block and a half away it's pretty ghetto. I might bring you and maybe my oldest brother over there; just don't have too much on you. It was cool to go and check out. It's always cool seeing all the great diversity around here and seeing some of the interesting things around.

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.

Happy Independence Day! Written July 4, 2014

Dad, Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had a great birthday with tons of fun. I also hope you got to do some fun stuff. Also Happy Independence Day! I hope you guys have lots of fun today and enjoy some fireworks.

This is going to be a super quick email today and I promise that you'll get a longer one on this coming Monday. Today is going to be a full and busy day. Today is the 4th of July and my companion and I are heading down to D.C. The plan is that we are going to a BBQ at the D.C. Elder's apartment and then heading down to the National Mall and hopefully staying for the fireworks. Tonight's curfew is extended to 10:30 so we can enjoy some of the fireworks.

A quick update on me, last month I decided to reread the Standard Works along with the Bible Dictionary, and the Guide to the Study of the Scriptures with the goal of finishing in less than 18 months (with at least 2 reads of the BOM). I'm going at a pretty good pace, not as fast as last time however. I'm already in Deuteronomy (OT) and Alma (BOM).

Yesterday I received the letters the you guys all sent me (Gorman's and Dahl's). It was nice hearing from all of you. I wanted to say thanks for all the letters. I also sent a envelope to you and Dad, you should be receiving it very shortly. It has a Birthday card for Dad in it. The black Duct-Taped rectangle is one of my SD cards with the videos you wanted on it. If you could shoot me a quick email or message when you get it that would be great.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

P.S. Could you send me some more stamps? I've worn my supply through and I only have 4 left and I have to still write Grandma and the Gorman's back.

P.S.S since you have the "Excellence," [Washington D.C. Newsletter and Calendar] we have a 100% chance of mail being delivered to us at Zone Conference, Zone Training, Departing Temple trip, and Transfers. (I'm currently in the Seneca Zone).

Mom, I have a huge favor to ask. So for this coming Night of Music and Inspiration I've been asked to be in a small group to sing, "Consider the Lilies of the Field." It's coming up on the 13th [of July] and we've yet to practice all together. I've had one opportunity to go to the church and plunk muy part out (poorly) on the piano. I was wondering if you could play the tenor part and then the accompaniment and send me a recording of the file. It would be greatly appreciated if you can. If you can't or it's not working please don't worry about it. I can manage. [Mom's Note: Done! Sent it late after fireworks on 7/4!]
Thank you so much. I love you!

Signs of Spring...4/14/2014

Mom,

I hope you enjoyed your crazy busy and hectic week. Hopefully things will calm down a bit during spring break. I still recognize everyone in the photos you sent. Lucy looks a lot different but everyone else looks relatively the same. The little boys have a lot longer hair and they look a little bit older now but not by too much.

This week has been busy. My companion and I went to the Visitors' Center 4 times this last week for song practice, 2 for my companion's song, 1 for the choral number we were in, and 1 performance for "Night of Music and Inspiration". It was a good performance and I was glad to see and perform in another "Night of Music and Inspiration." I feel so blessed to have a mission with a temple in its boundaries and on top of that having a Visitors' Center as well for people to come and see. My companion has an interview on Wednesday, so we will both be at the Visitors' Center again this week.

My companion and I were also we able to meet with a lot of our less-active members this week. Most of whom we rarely see, and some of them I had yet to meet since arriving in this area. It was nice being able to visit with them and share a message with them. Our investigator with a baptismal date was in California this week and he should be back today, so we are excited to meet with him again.

I did get your Facebook message and I do hope to receive your package before Easter. It really depends on if the Zone Leaders need to go down to the Mission Office this week or the Assistants come up to a district meeting. If not, I'll get it a little late at Zone Conference. Don't stress out about it, I'll get it and I'm sure it will be great.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

Dad,

I hope that you have a great week that's not too stressful. I also hope that you are still doing well. 

I'm still taking lots of pictures here. My companion and I are planning on going to see the Cherry Blossoms today and hopefully I'll be able to take some more good pictures. The Cherry Blossoms hit peak bloom on Thursday so we're hoping that they still are in great condition today.  I've taken 840 pictures as of yesterday. Hopefully Mom isn't having too much photo envy.  I'm trying to appease you guys with a couple photos on p-day or on my temple album on Facebook.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

Mom,

I hope you enjoyed your crazy busy and hectic week. Hopefully things will calm down a bit during spring break. I still recognize everyone in the photos you sent. Lucy looks a lot different but everyone else looks relatively the same. The little boys have a lot longer hair and they look a little bit older now but not by too much.

This week has been busy. My companion and I went to the Visitors' Center 4 times this last week for song practice, 2 for my companion's song, 1 for the choral number we were in, and 1 performance for "Night of Music and Inspiration". It was a good performance and I was glad to see and perform in another "Night of Music and Inspiration." I feel so blessed to have a mission with a temple in its boundaries and on top of that having a Visitors' Center as well for people to come and see. My companion has an interview on Wednesday, so we will both be at the Visitors' Center again this week.

My companion and I were also we able to meet with a lot of our less-active members this week. Most of whom we rarely see, and some of them I had yet to meet since arriving in this area. It was nice being able to visit with them and share a message with them. Our investigator with a baptismal date was in California this week and he should be back today, so we are excited to meet with him again.

I did get your Facebook message and I do hope to receive your package before Easter. It really depends on if the Zone Leaders need to go down to the Mission Office this week or the Assistants come up to a district meeting. If not, I'll get it a little late at Zone Conference. Don't stress out about it, I'll get it and I'm sure it will be great.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

Dad,

I hope that you have a great week that's not too stressful. I also hope that you are still doing well. 

I'm still taking lots of pictures here. My companion and I are planning on going to see the Cherry Blossoms today and hopefully I'll be able to take some more good pictures. The Cherry Blossoms hit peak bloom on Thursday so we're hoping that they still are in great condition today.  I've taken 840 pictures as of yesterday. Hopefully Mom isn't having too much photo envy.  I'm trying to appease you guys with a couple photos on p-day or on my temple album on Facebook.

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

No longer a Trainee 4-7-2014

Dad,

It's nice to no longer be a trainee but now I am trying to lose my greenie title (at the end of 6 months). The extra hour is relieving since it's less desk-sitting time. Now that I'm out here for my third transfer I can drive. It's nice being able to drive again, but Maryland drivers drive very differently than California drivers. I've become more accustomed to it from my previous two transfers, but it still is hard driving in it. The I-270 and the I-495 are awful. The speed limit is 55mph and I was going 80mph and was getting passed by every car on the road, I'm not joking either. Basically you just go full throttle on those freeways unless there is traffic. I can't even tell you how many times I was passed. I guess since it's the only road in Maryland without a "photo-cop" everyone just feels the need to speed.

Last Monday after I emailed you, my companion and I went out to the Potomac River in our area at White's Ferry. It was very pretty scenery and fun to take pictures all around. 

The Connecticut and Ohio Historic Canal is also right next to it there and we took some pictures by that as well. It isn't very much a canal anymore but you can see a little water flowing and the old banks of the canal. 

It was fun and we hung out there for a little while. It was nice and relaxing and just fun to see all the beauty over there. If you got out there with a camera, I'm not so sure how long it would take me to convince you to leave.

General Conference was great. I loved the sessions and the conference just seemed to fly by. I loved all the talks and each message was wonderful and very insightful. I can't pin down a favorite session or a favorite speaker because there were so many great talks in each session. I hope everyone follows President Monson's challenge to continue to study the conference talks this April General Conference and find and receive more inspiration and guidance. It was Elder Ballard's talk you were talking about with studying Preach My Gospel (PMG). I did really enjoy his talk and how he used some of his skills he learned on his mission helping him throughout his life.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

Mom,

This week has been very busy but very good. Elder Alca finished his mission last Wednesday so there were a few goodbye parties that we went to at member's homes on Monday and Tuesday. They were all fun and Elder Alca really appreciated all that the members were doing for him.

Tuesday's call-outs happened and we found out that we were getting 2 fresh out of the MTC missionaries in our district and who our new zone leader would be. They are all nice people but my companion and I haven't had very much time to visit or see them because of the busy-ness of this week.

Wednesday was the Transfer Meeting and it was a nice to hear all the testimonies of the departing missionaries. Afterwards, my companion and I stayed for a choir practice for a musical number for this month's "Night of Music and Inspiration." We will be singing, "Christ The Lord is Risen Today." For lunch, my companion and I went to the nearby mall, the Westfield Wheaton Mall. It is gigantic; it has a Costco in it along with a few other grocery stores and the normal mall stores. Although I was only in the food court it looked strikingly familiar. It's nice to know there's a Westfield mall out here too.

My companion and I finally were able to visit with one of the less-active families in the ward and we had a nice conversation with them and invited them to watch General Conference. We also started teaching one of the children of a recent convert to prepare him for baptism at the request of the Bishop. It is fun teaching little kids. We are currently teaching two kids who are children of record in preparation for baptism. They are really fun to be with and they always keep the conversation lively. Our investigator with the baptismal date is still doing well and he is still very excited to be baptized. It has been harder to keep in contact with him this week because of our busy schedule but we have stopped by a few times this week just to check up on him.

I am excited to keep working and I am loving this mission, the members and the people (aka future members). Tell Nathaniel to keep up the picture taking; he'll need the skill in the future.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl

P.S. Don't worry about my picture taking, I'm up to 775 pictures on my camera.

Mom,

At the transfers meeting the mission office announced that they will no longer be forwarding mail to our addresses. This means if I get mail sent to the mission office I will get it when they distribute it out on days they bring the mail to our zone/area. They gave us two options for mail; wait for the days they give out mail or give the apartment address we have.

The more definite dates for this transfer to receive mail would be Zone Training on 4/9, Zone Conference 4/30, Departing Temple Trip 5/7, and Transfers 5/14. But there could technically be others; it's just less likely. For example the zone leaders went to the mission office on Thursday and I got a letter from the cousins in Roseville that day.

[Note: Stacie (Mom) has his apartment address if anyone wants it.]

Just remember this address might only last until May 14th. Though probably it will last 6 weeks after that because my companion is leaving after this transfer, but it's not a 100% fact. Also, if the mail arrives after that date of the transfer and I leave, it is extremely unlikely that I will ever see it (some missionaries aren't very good at forwarding or returning to sender). Of the two letters I have received, one of them took 8 days before it arrived in the mission office (not counting any of the 'Mission Office to me' time), the other took 6 days to get to the mission office. Just remember it can take longer than that, for example Grandma's most recent letter (from CA) took 7 days to travel from the North Potomac Post office to my apartment. Grandma sent her letter out on the 19th of March (I can see the postal stamp/marking with the date). The Mission Office sent it out to me on the 25th (or at least the post office processed it on that day, I can see their postal stamp/marking as well) and I got it on the 1st of April. Normally, I've heard it takes about a day or two from the mission office to the missionary's apartments. In this case it took 7 days, not 1-2 days.

I would recommend that if you were to send anything directly to my apartment to not send anything to the apartment address two weeks before transfers (for this transfer that date would be 4/29). And if you want to send anything after that date, send it to the normal Mission Office address. If it arrives later at the mission office I can always get it later. Plus the temple trip is just over a week from that day so it would arrive just on time for the temple trip and if it didn't make it in time it's only a few more days until the transfer meeting. For most people my address can stay the mission office one, 11700 Falls Rd. because it is less confusing than trying to remember a new address every six weeks and there are several times each transfer mail and packages are distributed (the dates I wrote earlier). Just use your discretion on who else gets my apartment address.

Packages should also go to the mission office because I'm not at the apartment very often or for very long. No one would be there to get the package if one were to come.

Love, Elder Braden Dahl