Con amor, Elder Dahl...Happy New Year (early)...Written 12-29-2014

Hola youngest brother,
I'm glad you got to have so much fun while you were visiting all the cousins. It sounds like you had a really great time. It was fun to see you on Skype. You've gotten a lot bigger and you're getting older now. Don't worry about the Spanish; you still have got some time to learn it all and maybe the oldest brother at home can help you a little bit. I know ice-skating is a little hard and I've fallen down a lot. I'm glad you still liked it though. I hope you have a really fun week and a happy new year.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Tuesday for lunch, one of our members took the entire district out to a pizza buffet and we were able to spend some time with him. It was really fun and we had a great time. Afterwards, my companion and I shared a Christmas message with him. We checked up on an investigator in the afternoon and then were able to visit with a few less-active members during he rest of the evening.

Wednesday we had no proselyting after 4pm unless we already had an appointment. We went and had lunch at a member's home and were able to visit our recent converts and a less-active. In the evening we went to another less-active's home and had dinner and then had fun for some of the evening. We listened to a lot of fun Christmas music and cha-cha. We played the bongos and the maracas. It was a lot of fun.

Christmas on Thursday and we had our Christmas Conference. We had to be at the Visitor’s Center by 9am. Santa was going to be there at 8am. I got there around 8:30am and took the picture, which got sent to you before. Then I hurried and opened everything and took some photos of the things I got. At 9am we had a devotional by the Cooke's and their family. We then watched “How to Train your Dragon 2.” After the movie we had lunch at the Stake Center and had the talent show, which was really fun. They had a bunch of different performances from tap dancing to improved rap. The Cooke's got us all a T-Shirt that says Charley-Mike and a Nalgene Bottle that says likewise. It was a fun day. After the conference, we ran over to the chapel to talk to you guys.  

Friday my companion and I were able to visit and check on a couple members during the day and see how they were doing and how they enjoyed their Christmas. We also were able to visit with one of our investigators and have a nice lesson with her.

Saturday my companion, my roommates, and I went to one of our less-active member's home for breakfast. The food was super good and we enjoyed being there and were able to share a short message with her. Afterwards, my companion and I went to an investigator’s home and made pupusas with her. It was fun and we ate some afterwards. It was a lot of food but definitely enjoyable. In the evening we took our investigator to the Festival of Lights (and I did snap a few pictures). We watched the concert where a brother and sister (classically trained) sang Christmas songs and their mother accompanied some of the pieces on piano. It was really nice and we were sitting center stage in the first row. 

Yesterday we had a nice Sacrament meeting and classes. We had a couple less-active members attend. This was the last time we're meeting at noon and we're changing to 10:00 church (this will be the first time the branch has changed timed since moving to this Chapel). My companion and I were also able to take an investigator to the Visitor’s Center that night and watch the Olney Big Band play at the Festival of Lights. I really enjoyed the performance. They played some big band Christmas' Songs and some classical songs. It was a really fun night.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Christmas Phone Call via Skype...12-25-2014

more coming soon...

This is a video we took while Skyping Elder Braden Dahl on Christmas day 2014 to get a sampling of what his Spanish sounds like.

¡Feliz Navidad!...Written 12-23-2014

Last Monday was a nice day. We went and visited an investigator and were able to do a small service for her and share a short lesson with her. We also went to the home of a less-active family and visited with them and invited them to the branch activity we were having in Saturday.

On Tuesday we were super busy. We had 9 lessons in one day. It was crazy, everyone we wanted to see was home and it was lesson after lesson with our less-active members and some investigators. It was one of the coolest days I've had here so far. It was one of those days that makes you super happy to be a missionary.

Wednesday, my companion and I had exchanges with the Zone leaders. My companion and I had an appointment in the morning with a less-active member that went well. We then came back and began the exchange with the zone leaders. I stayed in my area with one of the Zone Leaders and we went over to lunch at one of our member's home. We taught her less-active daughter and invited her to the branch activity and to church. She said she'd think about it and was more receptive than normal. We then taught our recent baptism the Gospel of Jesus Christ again and had a lot of fun. At 6pm and through the night we had a member come out with us. It went really well. We had 2 lessons with investigators that night that went really well. We also were able to go and visit a less-active member that we normally don't see too often. It was a really good night.

Thursday I went with the east elders to the Visitors' Center to practice for a song we are singing for the Christmas Talent show. It's "Fruitcake", the one I sang in choir a couple years back. I'm still a tenor, most of it's spoken but I already know the few sections we sing. It should be fun to perform again but we're not throwing any ingredients this time. In the evening we were able to visit a less-active man and see how he is doing. He is really hard to visit with because he works a ton and is only available some evenings, not all. It was nice seeing him again and sharing a short message about Christmas with him.

On Friday my companion and I met with one of our investigators and invited them to the branch activity we were having he following day. We also met with a couple less-active members in the afternoon. We were inviting everyone in our area to this activity and really trying to get everyone to come. We also have been finding and inviting all the young single adults in our area to the new young single adult center. We got a list of 24 names of young single adults in our area and we knew less than 10 of them. We've been looking for them, visiting them, and inviting them. It's been an adventure doing his but it's helped us a lot and should be helping the center. In the evening we went to the chapel and helped set up for the Branch Christmas Activity. There were a good amount of members as well and the set up went relatively quickly. 

Saturday we went and checked up on a few other people before the branch activity and do some last minute inviting. The branch activity started at 6 in the evening and the Primary had some activities earlier in the afternoon. The branch activity began and we had 4 investigators and 4 less-active families there. It was super awesome to see them all there. It was a really fun night. The Primary put on a little nativity program for us and we had a really good dinner. 

Sunday there was no Christmas Program it was just a normal Sacrament Meeting for us. It was good and we had an investigator attend church. After church, the Elder's Quorum President made calzones for the missionaries that were super delicious. We had a couple lessons in the evening for a grand total of 32 lessons for the week. It was crazy! It was awesome to be blessed with so much success this week. 

I'm glad that most of the stress of the Holiday Season is already passed. I'm sure it will be super fun to be down with the family for Christmas. I'm sure it will be energetic as always but it should be really enjoyable. I know you'll figure out all the details of calling me. Just plan on at 2pm your time, 5pm my time. I'll let you know if something crazy happens and the time needs to change but we're pretty solid on this end. Just don't let the anticipation kill you.

My companion and I are still trying to enjoy the city. The hard thing now is to find what's left (that's free). Obviously there is a lot to do in D.C.; we just have to keep finding stuff to do.

JS hasn't passed by again since Sunday. I'll keep a look out for the 3 packages. I know the Mission Office is running a really tight shift making sure that no presents get misplaced so sometimes it's harder to get packages quicker. The mission office usually has the postman there 3 times a day dropping things off. I'm sure it's crazy, plus they have to deal with Festival of Lights as well.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat! Please put a penny in the old man's hat. Written 12-15-2014

Tuesday was super busy with 7 lessons. We taught an awesome discussion on the Plan of Salvation with one of our investigators. We also went and saw a lot of our less-active members that day. One of them in particular was going through a really hard time and we were able to give him some comfort and give him a blessing as well.

Wednesday was Transfers. Two elders in our district left. We have a new roommate now. When the meeting ended we hurried over to our new baptism’s house to have lunch and teach him some of the new member lessons again. He is still doing really well and it's fun seeing him.

Thursday we went and saw a less-active member that we haven't seen in a while. We shared a nice Christmas message and invited her to come to Festival of Lights. She really wants to go and used to go a lot. She has a daughter that lives in Silver Springs, which is pretty close to the temple. So she thought she could go with her this coming week. We visited a few other less actives throughout the afternoon and had an enjoyable time with them. In the evening we went over to a potential investigator's home that we General Questioned (GQ’d) the week before. She is really interested and super nice. We briefly taught her and have a return appointment this week.

Friday we went and saw a less-active member and had a nice, short visit with her and her son. In the evening, my companion and I taught mutual about seminary attendance. I don't even know why they have a problem because they only have seminary on Wednesday at 7pm. Sorry, I should have more sympathy. Afterward, we played soccer and had a fun time.

Sunday we had a nice sacrament meeting. After sacrament meeting there was a baptism of a kid in the branch and we had a lunch afterwards. We went and visited two less-active families in the evening.

In regards to the call home for Christmas, We have a meeting/party at the Visitors’ Center we are at from around 9am-1pm (6am-10am pacific time). The earliest we will probably call is 2pm your time. Just plan on some time after 2pm, probably around 2pm-5pm. We haven't been given much on the subject of the call yet and my companion needs some details from his family. I'll let you know next week a more precise time. I'll still Skype on my iPad probably at the church building. My Skype name is *** just let me know what user/computer you'll be Skyping off of. 

I normally shop at Safeway (and use dad's phone number for the Safeway card), sometimes we shop at Walmart but it's 21 blocks away. I normally get breakfast stuff and a little bit of lunch and dinner stuff. Normally members give us a good amount of food so we don't have to buy a ton. We normally walk less than a block to Safeway and go in get the few things we want. It is set up almost the same as the one in Roseville. I get my 1-5 things and I pay usually at the self-checkout. Besides groceries, we don't go shopping a ton. Sometimes if we want a specific thing from a store we'll go to Target, Five Below, CVS or wherever but it's now on any regular basis. 

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl

¡Hola!...Written 12-8-2014

Tuesday was fun. My companion and I went over to a less-active's home and shared with them a Christmas message. She was glad we came over and invited us to come back that day and have dinner with her and her family. We went back for dinner and shared another message with them and ate burritos for dinner. They were really good and it was nice visiting them. In between the appointments we went and checked up on a few of our members and investigators but no one was home or opened the door to us.

Wednesday my companion and I had exchanges. I stayed in my area and my former companion came to me. We were able to GQ a lot of people on the street and have a good amount of lessons. We visited a less-active woman that is in a wheelchair and we able to see her for the first time in a while. She said she'd come to church on Sunday but ended up canceling on us. We home to continue to work with her and help her out. We saw another older lady that is from Chile. She made us a little snack and we were able to share a nice Christmas message with her. She really wants to go to Festival of Lights with one of her non-member friends and said that she'll set up a date we can all visit there. We saw another member that has been going through a rough time and he was completely different. He said that he had paid his tithing this last week even though it was hard and he has had nothing but miracle after miracle since then. It was awesome! We also visited some other people.

Thursday I went with some other elders in my district to music practice at the VC. When we got home our companions were in an appointment so we did some Facebook. In the evening, my companion and I had weekly planning and then we went out. We picked up a new investigator that was a referral from one of our members. We then went and taught another investigator later on.

Friday, We went and visited two less active families and shared the Christmas video the church just released on Christmas.mormon.org Go watch it. We went to mutual and helped with a small lesson and then played soccer with the youth.

Saturday, my companion and I taught a member how to make tres leches, a milky cake and it was super fun. We also visited our recent baptism boy and his family and are retaking the restoration to him. His mom also said she wants to come to church with us. She is a very less active member but more interested now. 

Sunday we went to church and it was great. In the afternoon we checked up on a less-active family. We also went and taught two of our investigators and did a small service for one of them.

I'm shipping a package to the family, some of it is Christmas stuff but most is not. It should be getting there on Thursday. So, it's too late I've already sent you something. I've had your Christmas present for months and Dad's for even longer.

You have got to get the Peruvian lady in your ward to cook for you. Peruvian food is one of my favorites!

Love,

Elder Braden Dahl

PS-I'm shipping a package to the family, some of it is Christmas stuff but most is not. It should be getting there on Thursday. So, it's too late I've already sent you something. I've had your Christmas present for months and Dad's for even longer. Don't worry about money, I have more money on my mission card here than on my home card, I know how to budget and have been doing well. Thanks for letting me know, if I ever need anything I'll let you know or use my card. Hopefully, (knock on wood) I won't need to though.

Why yes, you can. I guess 'tis better to tell me BEFORE...Written 12/1/2014

Today my companion and I went to the National Arboretum. Your first thought is probably, "What's an Arboretum?" The answer is, a botanical garden devoted to trees. It was really nice and a lot cooler than I thought it would be. The grounds are really beautiful and spacious. You'd love to take photos for hours in there. I can't imagine what the place looks like in spring. Their are a lot of grounds and my companion and I walked a ton of it but probably only saw half at best. My companion and I both want to go back there. I think you'd all like it. Also, for whatever reason, the National Arboretum has the original sandstone columns from the Capitol Building before one of the big expansions. They were also cool to go see there. We had to walk a long way to get there and a long way to get back (we walked to the metros but they are rather far from there). DC never ceases to amaze me. 

I do use Facebook still, not everyday but it's mostly messaging people. I don't really post anything. With Christmas coming up you might see me post a few things.

I'm pretty sure that the Eyring's leave in January but I'm not sure. I don't think that there will be any shift in the amount of music. Sister Cooke is also an avid music lover and the Visitors' Center has always been known for its musical performances.

There currently is no snow on the ground. It melted pretty fast on Wednesday and very little stuck. It's pretty cold but you bundle up and get used to it. Today is super nice with the high in the 60s. Which is a nice break since the high for the last week hasn't been above the lower 40s. Winter is starting to get into swing here but we'll see how long it takes.

We are 100% allowed to use public transportation but, unless it's a long distance, it's normally faster on bike. We do use public transportation to get to the Visitor's Center or sometimes downtown. We can walk or bike, but in the city, bike is usually the most effective. We'll see what we do if we get a lot of snow. 

On Monday my companion and I went with 2 other missionaries in our district to the American Portrait/American Art Museum and walked around there for a while. It was a nice museum and it had a lot of cool art there. In the evening we went and visited 4 families in our area after an appointment cancelled.

Tuesday we had a service project at the DC Convention Center by Mount Vernon Square. We helped prepare some of the food for the feed the hungry Thanksgiving dinner there. My companion and I were in the bakery group. We cut all the pies for the event, unpacked and organized danishes, and emptied mashed potatoes boxes into giant containers.  We also helped put some of the serving materials in the giant hall for the event. It was a really nice service that took up most of the day. In the evening, most of our district went to a member's home for a giant dinner. We had the English Elders in our district with us and it was very entertaining having them with us and seeing their reactions to all the food. It was a great night and it was fun visiting with the less-active member.  

Wednesday was the Temple Trip for our mission. It was a great time and I enjoyed the temple. As we came out we saw that it was snowing and the snow had accumulated a little on the ground. It was the first snow of the season here. We visited a few homes in the late afternoon when we got back to our area. We taught our recently baptized 11-year old the Restoration again for his new member lesson. He is doing really well.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and it was a non-proselyting day here. We were only allowed to go out to our Thanksgiving meals at a member's home. Our appointment we had was a 6pm; so we had most of the day to ourselves. The weather was really nice and we went out to Georgetown to walk around the Connecticut and Ohio Canal there. It was really pretty and close to the Potomac River. I really enjoyed our walk we had for a little bit. We ate our Thanksgiving dinner at a les-active/part-member family's home. it was a great night and very fun. I was glad they invited us (we didn't have to schedule it) and it was fun being with them. We had Turkey, Puerto Rican potato salad (with apples in it), Puerto Rican rice (Orange with turkey, steak, and egg in it with vegetables). I was first offered some coca-cola and then offered wine to drink but opted for a ginger ale instead.

Friday it snowed again a little but nothing stuck. You wouldn't even know it snowed this last week because their is nothing on the ground. In the evening, we went to mutual and had a short lesson for them and then we played soccer for a while followed by volleyball.

Saturday we went and visited three less-active members and invited them all to church. It was nice seeing them again because it had been a while. 

Sunday was a nice day. The missionaries sang in the Branch (2-The Spirit of God) and it was uhh...well, we tried. For lunch we went over to the Branch Mission Leader's home (Hermano Chaico, not Zapata). And in the evening we went over to the VC and taught 3 members. We also caught a glimpse of the Lights for Festival of Lights and it looks awesome.

Yes I'm doing well. I don't have any issues or complaints. The blow by blow, (still probably not up to your standards) White House Tour. 

On the mourn of Friday, the twenty-first day of the eleventh in the two thousandth and fourteenth year of our Lord and Savior the missionaries of the Washington DC North Mission woke with energy and vigor as a visit to the White House nigh had arrived. Our story begins in a fancy apartment where the Spanish Elders live whom cover Mount Pleasant. The West Elders readied and buttoned their suit coats as the District arrived to make forward their journey. A hop on the Metro, a line change, and a few stops away they waited in anticipation. They emerged from the Metro at McFergerson Square. A pleasant walk through the plaza named L'Efant and there loomed in front the house that was white. A block and a half from Hamilton Place the mission gathered in front of the White House Visitor Center. They all arrived before 8:15am and chatted a little. Then all they lined up in alphabetical order, by last name of course. They marched to the side of the Visitors' Entrance and walked into the gardens where then then waited. Two ID checks, a dog in a box that sniffs, and  a metal detector; they finally were in. No cameras, no backpacks, no bags, no anything really. They entered inside the Executive Mansion. A self-guided tour as you walk through the hallways. Each room and hall and plenty of guards, all quite very friendly. On the bottom floor they only could look into the Library, Vermeil Room, and China Room of the White House. The Library consists of only American authors; decorated furniture of the federal period. The Vermeil room has an extensive collection of gilded Silver with portraits of recent First Ladies. The China room displays pieces of china and glass used by the presidents. Afterwards, up the stairs they went into the East room on the state floor. 'Tis the largest room in the White House used for receptions, ceremonies, and other events. Currently it has displays some Native American tapestries and clothing gifted to the Obamas. Also a famous portrait of Washington Decorates the Hall. The Blue Room is an ocular room where one president was married. It is decorated in Blue and has a breathtaking view of the gardens and balcony. The Red and Green Rooms are well decorated with plenty of portraits and artwork and much furniture. Each decorated in their respective color. The Dinning room can fit plenty of guests and has only one piece of artwork; a portrait of Abraham Lincoln gifted from his family with the request that it be the only artwork in the room it is displayed in. At the End is the Main Entrance, where the most recent presidents' portraits stand. The Staircase to the living areas also are located there. The portrait of JFK praying is the only permanent portrait in the area. A unused Grand Piano also graces the area. The missionaries then proceeded to leave where cameras are permitted and they took their two photos. Then they left back to their respective areas after a short regrouping at the White House Visitor Center. 

Yesterday Peruvian food was first Cirviche (raw fish "cooked" with lemon) which is quite tasty. The second plate was rice with hard-boiled egg, and (please ignore spelling) papa de la Juancallina (potato with a sauce over it) that is one of my favorite dishes. We drank Chicha Morada (boil purple corn filter it out and add pineapple and apple juice and a lot of sugar, then repeat several times). I also quite enjoy this drink. That kind of meal doesn't phase me in the least bit anymore and reminds me of Germantown.

Love,
Elder Braden Dahl