Week #62 - Getting Ready for a Transfer!

Hey Mom and Dad,

Well this week has been another busy one trying to get ready for the new Recorder to come and packing up all my stuff (I am getting REALLY good at packing). Unfortunately I am not really going to be able to email more than a couple sentences because I just got back from Dagupan to get my new apartment ready and such. But I did get at least a little bit of a P-Day because I was able to get a haircut (FINALLY) and eat at a nice resturante.

Anyways honestly that is all I can manage this week because I am all out of time:( I promise my P-Days next transfer will be much longer and I will get more than 30 min to email. I love you, have a good week!

Your son
Elder Dahle

Family Home Evening we had at John Michaels house. Maraming bata. 

Heres a monkey we found. The owner named him tagapagmuni-muni which means Heavy thinker haha cuz he always has a thinking face haha

Some balute egg I ate! 

2015 Christmas Call

Memories of Alex’s 2015 Christmas call

Despite MANY technical difficulties, lots of frustration & tears we did get to talk to the boy!!! Here are our favorite memories:

· Advised his siblings to do homework and work hard at school!

· He was actually excited to leave the music performing behind in the mission field so he can focus more on the missionary work and teaching.

· Favorite place in the mission was the Mountains he climbed in his first area with Elder Skinner

· Had no favorite Tagalog word – loved the language.

· Favorite food is fresh pineapple.

· Is excited to be traveling on a boat to get this his area in Dagupan where he is transferring to.

· Excited to be teaching in the field again and not in the office partly because he never got much of a P-Day.

· Needed a HAIRCUT!

· He was shocked by Josh’s deep voice and how tall everyone was!

· He did ask if we had seen Star Wars and was so sad that he wasn’t getting to see it!

· He seemed happy!

· Loves his mission!

· Loves President Deyro

Week #61 - Baptisms, Singing performances & a Transfer as a Trainer to Start the New Year!

Elder Dahle & Elder Dromey

Hello,

Yes! The baptisms happened!!!

Well, this week was a really really really hard week. Our second TV performance was SOOOO COOL. Four of us men did an a capella arrangement of O Holy Night and it was really hard but we pulled it off pretty well. That was the first time I have really had to hold my own part by myself a capella, so it was a good learning experience. We could tell the people in the TV station felt something really special.

On a humorous note. They had a second camera facing our chorister (Elder McBride) and they had a green screen behind him. on the green screen they layered the footage of the choir singing so it looked like he was conducting in front of us facing the camera. That sounds pretty cool right? Well, Elder McBride's neck tie was green which meant that when they layered our images, he had a big whole in his body through which you could see the alto section haha. Everyone in the whole studio got the giggles from that haha.
It was all pretty stressful overall with the schedule and getting ready for the other performances that Elder Dromey and I have on the 24th at the CB Mall Event Center (which we are soooo excited for), and the last TV Choir Performance on the 25th, as well as a few other shows.

"Urdaneta Zone Missionaries will be Presenting a Christmas Concert at CB Mall on December 24, from 11AM until 3PM. The Mall has donated the use of the venue on the 3rd floor. All the restaurants in the mall are placing one of these cards with each person who visits their restaurant to help publicize the Christmas Concert. Elder Dromey and Elder Dahle will be singing and the rest of the zone will have booths setup to teach about our Savior Jesus Christ." Flyer being handed out by the Urdaneta Stake

However, last night I was informed by President that I am training again this next transfer. I am really excited for that, but it is definitely tough to say goodbye to the office and my current comp and all the other people I have worked shoulder to shoulder with. To be honest, it was a shock because I thought I was going to be here till the end of next transfer. But I suppose President's revelation was different than my personal plan and I have to be submissive to that. So here comes another open area (being my 4th). I think I am going to Dagupan, which is kind of like the promised land of the mission, so maybe there is greener grass over there for me. And there I can pick up Pangasinan again since I have forgotten a lot after being in Ilocano areas for the past 6 months. I don't know. I will be honest. I really really dont want to leave this area and calling. But I suppose I dont have much of a choice, and I have to trust that that will be best. 

I am excited to meet my kid. I have seen pictures of all of the new batch, but I dont know which one is my trainee yet. I will be honest. I want to train a foreigner so bad haha. Teaching them Tagalog is way fun.

Anyway. Singing on T.V. has proven to be incredibly effective. We literally walk don the street and people ask "hey were you singing on my TV last week?" haha then its a nice segue into bringing up a gospel conversation.

Anyway, YES I GOT MY PACKAGE! Haha the little flip calendar made me trunky for a little bit when I got it. And all the little notes I got from all of you were really special. My companion and I are saving a bunch of the candy for our curfew night so we can pig out while we watch church movies haha. Anyway I love you all so much. Maligayang Pasko!!!!

Love Elder Dahle

P.S. I FORGOT! Dec. 26th at 9:30-10 am (my time) I will call. I love you!!!

Week #60 - He Trusts You

Hello family and friends,

Well, this week certainly proved to be as busy as anticipated. Just got back from Dagupan after performing on TV!! We sang on the morning show at like 6:30 so we had to get up at 3:00 am (yeah singing at that hour of the morning was hard). Evidently, I am EXHAUSTED right now, but it will forever be a memory of my mission that I hold dear. There will be a video soon posted to the blog which I have recently started for the mission! here is the link. You can give it to all the other parents so they can see pictures of their kids up there when I post them!

here is the link- http://urdanetamission.blogspot.com/

The most recent post is a video that Pres. Deyro's son-in-law made with his super nice DSLR camera. There is a lot of footage of me with my last companion Elder Ansuban, and with Elder Dromey (the red haired one that I have been doing music with). Hopefully it works on your computer because I am having a hard time getting it to load on my computer.

Another thing that happened this week was our Christmas Conference that we in the office have been working so hard to prepare for. It is both sad and relieving that my 1st and last Christmas Con. is now finished (my batched didn't get here in time for last December's). The messages shared by President Deyro and his wife were inspiring and motivating. I think overall we as a mission feel close to them and trust them a lot.

2015 Christmas Conference

Urdaneta Mission Office Staff

John Michael and Imelda have now been interviewed and passed AND came to church!! They will be baptized on Saturday Dec. 19th at the Urdaneta Stake Baptism where all the units in Urdaneta Stake (including San Manuel, my 1st area) will have their baptisms all in one meeting! Its going to be really exciting to see all those baptisms, and see the San Manuel Saints.

The whole idea of baptism has honestly changed a lot in my mind since I have been on my mission. There is a fairly wide range of views and opinions concerning the act of baptism in churches throughout the world. Some people may believe it is what we do simply to increase our members. Others may believe that is the end all be all purpose of missionary work. But I have learned that it is much much much more than that. We do not baptize to make us bigger or better or more populated than anyone else, nor are those that are baptized simply left by missionaries saying "well, the job is done". We dont do it for any other reason other than the fact that in order for people to prepare for that "outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual, divine grace" (definition of ordinance), they all undergo a change of their hearts. A change that gives them hope for their eternal existence. It formally introduces them to God and establishes their relationship with Him as His son or daughter. It is symbolic of a new life. Not a new life where you dont make mistakes. But a new life where you don't have to be where or who you have been before, and you can change.

In the comedy As You Like It, written by Shakespeare, the story depicts a dramatic change in a character’s life. An older brother attempts to have his younger brother killed. Even knowing this, the younger brother saves his wicked brother from certain death. When the older brother learns of this undeserved compassion, he is totally and forever changed and has what he calls a “conversion.” Later several women approach the older brother and ask, “Was’t you that did so oft contrive to kill?” The older brother answers, “’Twas I; but ’tis not I: I do not shame to tell you what I was, since my conversion so sweetly tastes, being the thing I am.”

As stated by Jeffery R. Holland "These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have." They too, like Shakespeare's character feel and learn of that "undeserved compassion" wrought by the Son of God in the Garden of Gethsemane, and they too felt that conversion. I know with every fiber of my body and with all the energy of my soul that God loves us. And we don't ever need to or should doubt that. The evidence of his love is around us everywhere and manifests itself in the feeling we get when we take sincere steps to know him and show our reciprocal love. He rejoices in the smallest steps we take to follow the example of his son.

So to all those who read this, especially to those dear friends of mine who do not share the same beliefs or faith as me and are maybe unsure about the existence of a God. I give you my testimony of personal experience, spiritual, logical, and heartfelt searching that you are loved by a Father in Heaven who has given his only Son for you. It may at times appear to you that he isn't "there" or that he remains quiet despite your fervent attempts to make that contact. The answer to such a dilemma is so simple and I sum it up in this small three word sermon.

He Trusts You.

He knows he does not need to come down in a lightning bolt or send a heavenly being to you to for you to figure it out. And if you follow your gut and doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith, he will slowly overtime manifest himself to you in a way that will sink in deeper to your heart than any vision, or revelation that he could give you. Be sensitive to yourself and spiritual things. You will find that naturally we as human beings have a craving for such things as real and tangible and hunger or thirst. I love you all so dearly and I pray for you daily by name. Just keep on keepin' on.

Your dear friend,
Elder Alexander Lynn Dahle

Week#59 - BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!!

Urdaneta Zone

Hey Mom and Dad,

(Sorry, I have literally no time so this will be short)

Dad, that sounds like a really great idea. Basketball is wayyyy bigger than soccer here. I will check some prices next week. I dont get a P-day this week because we in the office are SO BUSY preparing for Christmas Conference. Its going to be great though.

John Michael and Imelda made it to church this week. It was so exciting to see them walk in with big smiles on their faces ready to take the sacrament and stay all three hours. Its hard to pick a favorite investigator, but they are way up on my list, even if they did have a hard time keeping all the commitments at first.

Well this week has been very very busy, as I predicted last week. BUT next week still may be worse ha. And to make things all that much more stressful, I have ENTIRELY lost my voice. It is GONE. Which made my performance this morning pretty tough. No, we have not yet performed on Television (ABS/CBN Dagupan, if you want to look it up. Dont worry we will get a copy of it), but this morning a church videographer came and filmed us, as well as someone from the Area Public Affairs to come check on us before we go sing to make sure we are up to par, considering the fact that we are representing the church on a widely broadcast station. The public affairs lady cried, so its safe to say we are either really bad or she really felt the spirit when we sang "The First Noel", either one, she gave us the thumbs up to go through with it.

Elder Dromey and I have about a billion shows coming up and our zone is going to come with us to OYM and contact people while we sing again. We are going crazy showing people the new church video "a savior is born". It is really powerful and I can see the spiritual effect it has on those that see it. It brings in all ages and really captures the importance of the birth of christ and the reason for Christmas, and it is all explained by children around the world.

Mom, the Christmas call will be anytime between the 24 and the 26th of Dec. Please tell me when is best for you. It will be nice and quiet here in the office and I have very excited to see you all:)

Anyway, I have been busy making ID's for all the missionaries in our mission and I need to get back to that so I can have them done by tomorrow, I love you so much:)

Elder Dahle