I hope that you (Mom) and my younger brother start feeling a lot better. I hope you can get over your sickness and enjoy everything.
No worries about transfers, I moved and I'm back in Mount Pleasant. I am now in the Mount Pleasant east area (I used to be in west). It's crazy being back in the branch again especially since it feels like I just left. I would share with you about my new area but it's all about the same, President Ortega, same chapel, same apartment, etc. My companion is Elder H and it's his 3rd transfer in the field. He is from Chicago but recently before his mission moved to North Dakota.
So in Mount Pleasant I'm back on bike and it's been hot and humid out here. We cover most of DC in the East Area (all of the east side of DC and a little bit of the west side). There are 3 companionships in the branch 2 Elders and 1 Sister. The branch seems to being doing well. We have some good investigators here and I've really enjoyed starting to get know them. It's fun being back which was definitely a surprise to me. Not sure what you want to know about here since I was in DC for 7 months already. We had 2 investigators and a less-active member come to church this week which was awesome. We brought one of our investigators to the VC this week and we had a great tour with her. In the end we watched the Joseph Smith Prophet of the restoration video which she really enjoyed. I've been working with Elder Haggard to get the area in a bit more order so we can work hard and get everything we need to done.
Tell Matthew I wish him the best of luck for tech week and his eagle project. Both should be great.
Yep. Same place. I just serve in a different area. Same apartment and everything I'm just in the other room
I hope you had a great week. For the 4th of July, my companion, Elder O and I met up with some of the Elders in Silver Spring ward and went to the Parade in DC just off the National Mall. We really enjoyed it but only ended up staying for about half of it because we went to a less-active/part-member family for lunch as a 4th of July BBQ. The wife cooks super good and made some amazing food and cheesecake dessert. We then hung out and played games with some other elders. After that all the Elders met up in the zone at the Institute Building at the University of Maryland. We played soccer and other games and then had another BBQ. We watched the fireworks on the drive home.
Well since you asked the workout question 3 times in your email I think I'll answer it. I go to a gym in the morning and usually do cardio for about 30-40 minutes then I work arms one day, then abs and back the next, and legs the third day. In total I work out 1.5 hours a day/5 days a week. If my brother doesn't like running; biking, walking, or hiking (he's got mountains in Utah) are good for some cardio. Fill milk jugs with water or small rocks to work out arms, sit ups or curl ups are good, do some jumping jacks, push ups, etc. the thing is no one likes starting to work out. You just have to start and then you get into it and enjoy yourself. Vary the exercise by changing the reps or do some thing different. Put your feet on a chair and do push ups, do tricep push ups, add weight, etc. check online for some great free, no equipment workout plans. It's all about what you want to do.
We've been working on starting home teaching in the ward with the new Elder's Quorum President. We have been going out with him and the Ward Mission Leader training them to help train others to do their home teaching. They came out with on Tuesday and we had a great time with them.
Wednesday we had our temple trip and it was another great day at the temple. It's always great being able to go especially since it will be closed in August and September. Thursday was the last Zone/District meeting for the transfer and we had fun and took a picture together as a zone and then as a district.
On Sunday, the Bishop had us over for lunch which was really nice. We have gotten really close to the bishop lately which is awesome. He's super awesome and it's crazy to think he's only been a member for just over 2 years. We also went over to a member's home who has been going through some great challenges. They are active members but due to some of the wife's health challenges they have not been able to attend church as of late. The husband confided in us that a couple of weeks ago they were discussing how they felt abandoned and prayed for help. That was the very night we knocked on their door and for the first time, despite several attempts, we were able to visit with them. We had tried in the past but we often never made it to their home due to one reason or another and when we did pass by, they were never home. We have seen them several times since then and they are always home when we knock at the door. The Lord truly answers others prayers through his servants and we must be founded in Christ to complete His work.
We met with out investigator who should be baptized soon and he feels really confident about getting baptized and wants one of his member friends to baptized him. It is something super exciting and I hope I'll be able to attend the baptism.
So you didn't ask about transfers; I'm leaving Glenmont Central and heading off to somewhere else. I have no idea where I'm going but I'll find out on Wednesday at the transfer meeting. Sorry if the suspense kills you all week until you find out next Monday where I'm at. That being said, I sent a package today of some of my stuff (mostly things I don't really use, old pants that don't fit, etc). There is an envelope in there for your birthday and you can probably guess what is inside but the rest is just stuff. The receipt says it should arrive on Wednesday. I hope you have another great week!
Well this week has been fun. Tuesday my companion (Elder O) and I went on splits with the Elder's Quorum President and the Ward Mission Leader to do some Home Teaching since the program kinda died in the ward and we have a new Elder's Quorum President. We were just helping them know what to do so that they can train the Elders in the ward and get the families assigned. I was with the Elder's Quorum President and we were able to visit 2 less-active member families that we are trying to reactivate in the church. We had awesome lessons and 1 of the families came to church this week and a few members of the other family came to church as well.
Thursday we had our Zone Conference which really was mostly explaining our new Tiwi systems. You might ask what a Tiwi is; a Tiwi is a computer installed in every mission vehicle to monitor our speed, location, and driving skills.
It gives alters on aggressive driving, speeding and not wearing seat-belts, etc. They take a bit of getting used to and figuring out logging in and out of the car but overall it's a great program that will help a lot and luckily I'm already a pretty good driver so I'm not getting any violations. It was a good zone conference and I enjoyed learning some new things.
Anyways, now to the part that will get you jealous; also on Thursday the Mission had the opportunity to go to the Strathmore Music Hall and
attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert. It was their opening concert for the 2015 Atlantic tour. The choir were accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square and guest singer Alex Boyé performed two solos during the concert. When we heard that we were going to this concert I was super excited naturally but I thought we'd probably be sitting in the nosebleed section since tickets for this tour range from $15-$200. To my shock when I got my ticket I was sitting in the Orchestra Section second row from the front in front of the 1st Chair Violin. It was awesome being so close to the performance and getting the surround sound feel of the choir and
orchestra. All the music was wonderful and the choir sounds like one voice. The music was wonderful and you could really feel the Holy Spirit testifying throughout the performance. We also were able to briefly talk wit the people sitting behind us who were not of our faith. We explained a little about what we believed in and out purpose as missionaries which was a great missionary experience right before seeing the choir. After the concert we were able to talk to a couple members in the choir and thank them for the performance.
Not all the missionaries were in the first two rows. Some were on the sides in the back of the orchestra seating, others were on the mezzanine level, and some were in the nosebleeds depending on when you picked up your ticket. But every missionary and senior couple went to the performance. The concert was great and it was cool to be so close to Mack Wilburg and Ryan Murphy conducting. Alex Boyé stood right in front of us and in between songs he whispered hi to all the missionaries in the front. The first chair violin was amazing and it was cool to watch her at times.
On Sunday, my companion, Elder O and I were able to go to the Young Men's class and talk to the boys about why we chose to serve a mission and what blessings a mission brings. Since this month is about Priesthood and Priesthood Duties the Young Men's President (who is a Returned Missionary of 2 years) asked us to help teach. A lot of the boys in the class have never thought about going on a mission and a couple were unsure. I think it was a great opportunity for us to help them out. There are some great guys in that class and a lot do have desires to serve a mission.
If you want to know what the weather here is like, imagine it getting up to the lower 90's with high humidity and then in the evening have huge clouds come in and dump rain and lightning. The weather here is basically bipolar and you get used to it quick. There is a lot of rain here and there have been a few flash flood warnings but nothing has happened here. Don't worry about me in the weather here because I'm doing just fine. Plus what are you doing anyways watching the weather in Maryland, the capital of Colombia (Washington D.C.) is closer.
As for the 4th of July, sorry I won't be getting any pics of the National Mall. President Cooke has felt impressed that it is too dangerous for us to be at the National Mall this year. We can be in DC until 6:30pm and then we have to start heading home. We found this out last night so we are still working on our plans for the 4th this year. It still should be fun just a bit different than last year. We can't see the fireworks in DC but the zone leaders are working on getting permission to see some around Silver Spring.
The ward here is pretty diverse there is a bit of everything here. Generally in the mission there are a lot of people from El Salvador.
I did get your mid week email and tell Grandpa thank you a ton for me. Tell him I'm working on Family History and have indexed around 300 records in Spanish (per request of my stake indexing coordinator--aka my Mom).
Dad, I'm glad that you had a good week and that everyone enjoyed the classes you taught on Sunday. It sounds like it was a really great Sunday with all the missionary farewells and tell everyone I say Hi back.
This week has been nice; my companion and I kept pretty busy. We've been working with a lot of people and trying to get them all to come to church (less-actives and investigators)
Dad, I want to wish you a happy early birthday! I hope you have a great birthday this week and a great 4th of July as well. I hope you can have a stress-free week and enjoy yourself.
Tell my oldest brother congratulations on getting his Patriarchal Blessing and to keep working on his Bird (Eagle Project).
Dad, I hope you had a great week and that all is going well. It has been a great week here. Today My companion and I went down to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival and we took a bunch of photos there. It's super beautiful this year and tons of blossoms. Spring has come in softer this year. The blossoms are a lot whiter this year than last year. It is still super pretty and it was great being here for the blossoms. There were a ton of people with all their huge cameras and gadgets that was fun to see.
Mom, It has been a great week as well and really busy. For the first time in forever, you didn't mention transfers but they are this Wednesday. I am staying in the area but my companion is going to be leaving. It was really great being his companion for a transfer (only 6 weeks) and I hope to have another great transfer with whomever I'm with.
I'm glad that everyone is doing well and that it's been fun with the family coming and going. Tell my oldest brother that I wish him the best of luck on his next performances.
This week has been crazy busy. We were teaching a ton and giving a lot of service helping a member paint and move. We found a few new investigators this week and had a ton of member support. We had a lot of members come out with us and help us reach lessons with investigators and less-active members. It has been an amazing week and an amazing transfer. It's been great working hard and seeing so many amazing things. You never know who is prepared to listen to the gospel. Some people are super prepared.
On Saturday we had a ward activity where we had "a flight to heaven" where we set the room up like the inside of a plane and the plane crashed. Then everyone depending on their ticket went to a kingdom of glory. It was fun and we decorated the rooms appropriately. The activity was great and everyone really enjoyed it.
Conference was super awesome. I'm glad you're enjoying your time with Aunt M and fam. Sounds like a ton of fun!
It's been a great week here and it's so amazing to see the work of the Lord here. Today was a nice fun day. We went down to Fort Washington (forever away) and had our Zone Activity with the neighboring zone. We had a sports day and saw briefly Fort Washington. It was nice and it's sunny and warm here. My companion and I got matching batman shirts for our group color just for some fun.
Fort Washington - Zone Activity: Silver Spring and ? Zones Can you find Elder Dahl and his companion in their matching Batman shirts? Hint...they are sitting down...just right of center...oh there they are!
It was been a wonderful week teaching the people here. My companion and I met a lot of new people and we knocked a lot of doors. We found several new investigators via our work and the work of members. We were able to teach a lot of people this week who are interested in learning more about the church. We had some amazing lessons and experiences with them. We have been able to have some great discussions between them where the Holy Spirit is strong. There were several times where I said things that definitely didn't come from me.
We're really trying to work on building a solid foundation for our area and are getting in the swing of things (now with transfers just around the corner). We are getting to know the members really well. We've met a lot of them and we have attempted to visit all of them. It's coming around and we're trying to help them all the best we can with the help of Heavenly Father.
Conference was great (as always). The time seems to pass by so fast when watching it. There were some really wonderful messages and a great spirit. There were many wonderful messages shared and a lot of great, edifying things I learned. I don't know if I can pick a favorite talk but I loved the conference.
I hope my youngest is doing better and feeling well. It's a bummer he got so sick. I hope my oldest brother survives his cue to cue today. Tell him congratulations on his college of choice. I'm glad he's got his decisions all down. I'm glad everyone has been having a lot of fun and doing well.
Dad, I'm certainly glad you missed the stomach bug this year and that everything is returning to normalcy. It sounds like you had a lot of fun on your recent excursions and I'm glad that you've had some fun times.
Great job on wanting to get healthier. It's a world of difference (and let me tell from experience). I'm not all the way there but it's great feeling better and better about yourself.
Mom, I'm glad that everything is going well and you've had a good past week. Sunday sounded like it was a lot of fun. However, I'm sure you are all loving spring break right now.
My companion and I are finally starting to get the area down and know how to get from one place to another with relative ease. We've also been trying to get to know all of the members and investigators we have in the area. This last week we were able to visit a ton of homes and see if the members still lived there or not and share a message with the ones still living there. We've passed by around 70% of the members. We had on a huge list of names that we received, a lot of them no longer live there. At the same time a ton of people still do, with several that haven't had contact with the church for a very long time (some have said they can't really remember the last time the missionaries came over). Our huge list of members is more manageable now (which is also a little sad too). We still have a good amount of people to find but they mostly live in the newly acquired part of the ward with the boundary change and it's difficult to find the time to go down that far to find them all. It's about a 30 minute drive down to that section of the area and then trying to find where everyone lives. We've been able to make a few excursions down there and find, and visit some of the people living there and invite them to their new ward. Most of the active members in that part of the area have callings and were going to be released before General Conference so that after General Conference they could attend their new ward. A couple members have begun to come to the Glenmont Ward and they are being warmly welcomed.
We also have been doing a lot of tracting over this last week to find some new investigators for our area. Unfortunately, usually when two new missionaries come into an area many of the existing investigators suddenly disappear. It's super sad and there have been several in our new area that we've had to drop because of lost contact. However, we still have a few investigators from the old companionships that covered our area which is really awesome! Still, our pool of people interested in the church was relatively small. So we've been out knocking doors in our area trying to find if there are people interested in our message of Jesus Christ. It has been really fun talking and teaching a lot of people this last week. We found two new people interested in learning more this week in our area that speak Spanish plus we found 4 people interested that speaks English and 1 person interested that speaks French.Thankfully I have a companion that speaks French because we have run into a lot of French speakers here (plus a few of other languages that neither of us can understand). We've been able to share the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ several times this week and teach other investigators of the church more about our beliefs.
It has been amazing that we have been able to teach so many people this week; both members and non-members of our church. The Lord is truly hastening his work here like it says in D&C 88:73.
"Behold, I will hasten my work in its time." Our area feels like it is on fire and we are just watching miracles occur several times each day.
I'm going to go back and forth between Dad & Mom's questions and Braden's answers. His letter makes more sense when you know what Dad & Mom asked him... Dad: I have a stomach bug outbreak and work with about 30 residents and 9 staff members. We are hoping to get a handle on it. It should be a busy week.
Dad, I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. I hope the stomach bug problem gets handled and over with quickly at work.
Dad: The ward is going to start a missionary training class for the adults. It is a program initiated by the Stake Sunday School. The ward Sunday School has asked that I attend the adult class and then teach the youth of our ward the information. I am actually excited about it. I think it will be fun.
It also sounds like the new missionary class should be really fun. I hope it all goes well. This week has been nice for me. It's been great getting to know everyone and finally starting to get the area all down.
Dad: It was also nice to get the picture the family sent mom. We assume that is from a family in your ward?
Oh, and that photo that was sent to Mom on Thursday, March 19th at 11:52am... It was from a senior sister missionary. I don't think you guys have seen Meet the Mormons as many times as I have because they have a certain Navy Football Coach and his wife from Annapolis, MD featured. Yeah it's them from Meet the Mormons because they went to the temple (DC being he closest to Annapolis) and we caught a pic with them when we were at the temple the same day.
Barbara & Ken Niumatalolo with Elder Mayta and Elder Braden Dahl. Ken is the Head Football Coach of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and was featured in the movie, "Meet the Mormons"
NCAAF head coach Ken Niumatalolo believes in teamwork on and off the field. Mom: Wow Braden! I can't believe you lost 6-8 suit sizes!! I was teasing with Dad saying that you are going to come home the 'crazy' missionary who will be whipping us into better spiritual shape and the 'crazy-exercising' missionary that will also be whipping us into better physical shape! I told Dad that you'll get home and have us up at 6am jogging -- in matching jogging suits for the whole family -- while reading our scriptures as we go! I hope you get the joke, it's a women/mom thing always trying to keep up with all those other perfect Mormon Moms thus the matching jogging suits, jogging & scripture reading all at once.
I'm not sure about matching jogging suits; I'm still not a huge jogging fan. I could get you all on bike though and I can get some matching reflective vests. Roseville isn't too-too bad so we could probably read scriptures while on bike, or Dad will just have everyone download the audio for the scriptures and play it on their iPod at the same time.
This past week has been great. Monday evening we started doing A Family Home Evening with a less-active member who is also a recent convert. She has gone through a lot of hard times but is super nice. We also having her home teachers come over and help us share a message.
My companion and I also helped move a less-active member in the other Elders' area. She used to be a member in an area I previously served in. It was a little short notice but we were glad to help and finish moving everything. It was a great opportunity to serve and they really appreciated it. This week we also went over to a member's home to fill up bike tires with the two small bike pumps I have so they could give it to another member for transportation. It's fun to see all the little things you can do to help. (Don't worry I still always offer to wash the dishes at everyone's home-they just never let us do it.)
We have the goal to meet all the members in our new area to better know them and help them. We started doing that this week and have been going around looking for the members. We have had good success already and have found and met with a lot of the active and less-active members. They all seem great and we are getting a better grasp on how to help each of them. So far we're probably about a third of the way through visiting all the members but we are hoping to visit with a lot of them this week.
We also are trying to visit all the investigators the Sisters and Elders gave to us when the area was created. We've been able to visit with a couple of them now but not as many as we'd like. However, in our searches for members and investigators we've found a lot of new and potential investigators that we are really excited about. The area has so much potential and the members in the ward are super willing to help with missionary work.
On Thursday, our Zone (Silver Spring) went to the temple to do baptisms, confirmations, and initiatories for our ancestors. I brought my 5 names and performed the ordinances for them. It was a great time at the temple and super fun. The senior missionary couple in charge told us that the mission had completed over 900 family file names!
On Sunday I got to quickly go back to the Mount Pleasant Branch in DC for the baptism of one the investigators I taught. We set his baptismal date a little after the transfer when I left and he was able to complete it. We arrived just before he was baptized and we had to leave shortly after because the member that brought us down was helping at the baptism of one of the primary kids in our ward the same day. It was great being there for a few minutes and congratulating him. It was awesome feeling seeing him be baptized and knowing that he is coming closer to Christ.
It snowed here for the first day of Spring. It's still cold here but it is supposed to warm up this week so we can finally have some real springtime weather.
Love,
Elder Braden Dahl
PS-Just so you know, on Saturday we all received our new iPad minis. So I have it now and it's all good.
