Week #41 Great news from my old area!

Hello!

Wow. This week was SO GOOD. Haha, First off

I just received news from my BML in Mangaldan that

Marilyn's son is getting baptized along with 6 of my other previous investigators

According to my Magladan BML, Marilyn is expecting another child and she is going to name him/her after me (as in Dahle) hahah isnt that SO COOL

In other news Elder Atun and I are having a blast and are working hard. We have 3 BAPTISMS THIS WEEK!! Salvador, Ferdinand, and Aipie. Honestly these three investigators are the most converted people I have ever met. Ferdinand finished the Book of Mormon in 1 month. Salvador dropped smoking, drinking, and coffee cold turkey, all gone and thrown out in 1 day. And Aipie has been going to church as a special case investigator for more than 3 years now and has suffered persecution and even abuse from a family member for her dedication to the church.

These people are walking miracles. Some people think its the healing and the moving mountains that define the word "miracle". I disagree. Conversion is the miracle of this Gospel. The fact that people can change. I know that these people pass Alma's repentance questionnaire in Alma chapter 5 and can "sing the song of redeeming love"

The joy I feel from this comes from personal conversion. I too have felt my own change of heart and it grows to "god-ward" (2 corinthians 1-6) every single second I spend serving God and others. I love you all so much.

Elder Dahle

Week #40 3 Baptisms Set, Spider fighting & Another funny Drug Sign

Hey mom,

I was really happy to sit down at my email and see so many emails from friends and siblings. I dont feel so alone out here when I get a few sentences from everyone. 

Anyway, this week could have easily been one of the hardest weeks of my mission. We may have broken the mission record for the least investigator lessons in 1 week. only 5 lessons with a member present which isnt even half of our goal. I am SO sick of open area. Especially because it was sisters last transfer here so the priesthood holders are not used to the new responsibility they have to work with us (because there are really strict rules about who can work with Elders/ sisters as far as age and sex are concerned ).

However despite the struggles with the lessons we are seeing the fruits of our effort. We have 3 Baptisms on the 15th!!!!! They are all so great and one of them was someone that Elder Skinner taught here two years ago in his training! She was a special case but we FINALLY got her father to sign a consent form for her Baptism! She cried and cried she was so happy.

Being the only American in the apartment is actually awesome, and I am learning so much! Like how to catch spiders and make them fight haha! I will have to teach you all when I get back, but it is actually a huge past time here in the Philippines and very competitive haha.

check this out

Anyway, I love you all so much!! PS Marilyns daughter was Baptized!!!!

Elder Dahle

Week # 39 - 9 MONTH MARK!!!!

Hey Mom & Dad,

Wow I have so much to say in new of this week that I dont know where to start,

1. Elder Atun and I are having a BLAST here and have some really really progressing investigators,

2. I have NO CLUE if Marilyns daughter got baptized or not this past week, but I will be anxiously awaiting news from the Mangaldan 2 branch mission leader

3. I am in a house with 3 other filipinos so basically I am have not spoken much english the past 2 weeks ha

Overally  I am really happy here in Sta. Maria and though I am really feeling the exhaustion of working in the Lords vinyard, it is also energizing and I am fuelled with motivation everytime i see one of our investigators keeping their commitments. The adjustment from the transfer is still giving me a hard time and I have not be sleeping well because of that, but I know I will be all settled in over the next few days. Right now we have 5 really really solid investigators that all have a baptismal date and they all came to church!! I am super excited for 2 of them (a father and a son) who will be baptized on the 15th of August. Anyway it feels so weird that the 9 month mark is now only 2 days away and then I will be going on a year. Keep on giving life the very best you have and it will do the same for you. Never forget that for every commandment there is a promise. And the blessings always far outweigh the cost. I love you mom. I am sorry that I forgot this simple principle of the gospel that I so often teach other people, thank you for your reminder to keep on track. I love you so much

Elder Dahle

Funny . . .  but TRUE Filipino PSA don't do drug signs!

Week # 38 -New area & New Companion!

Family,

Yes. I got transferred. It was so difficult and there were a lot of tearful goodbyes and a testimony meeting at our BML's (branch mission leader) house on the last night I was there. Now I am open area (AGAIN) in Sta. Maria, Rosales (Elder Skinners 1st area) and we are actually being blessed with a lot of success. My companion is Elder Atun from Bicol who just got back from the mission after going home for a few months. He is a really spectacular, fun, and happy missionary haahah and he is from Bicol so he can whip up some super tasty Bicol Express (my new favorite food here) He hasnt made it yet but other missionaries tell me its way good, so I am looking forward to that. This area was actually a sisters area but it because Elders (but they made it an area for Elders) because they had a stalker? But he didnt really seem that interested in us so when he saw it was (we were) Elders here (instead) we stopped seeing him around ha. Anyway. President asked us to do this survey thing so I dont have as much time as usual. I love you all. I am working hard. Mahal ko po kayong lahat

Elder Dahle

(Elder Dahle asked his Mom to edit this to correct his English because he was struggling but in the name of keeping it authentic for posterity, and it is really cute, my corrections are in parenthesis:-))

Week #37 -Rain, Rain & More Rain

Hey Family,

Wow, sounds like a week of fun, movies, scout camp, Whitneys running around our house, ice cream. Sounds like a pakikipagsapalaran. haha sorry, that means like "risky adventure" but it doesnt really translate that well, its a new word I learned this week and it sounds soooo cool, and its so useful you can even laugh at each other trying to say it; endless entertainment. Anyway, today was the first time we have seen the sun in about 9 days. Derek tells me they go pretty hammered by the typhoon. We have been experiencing a TON of flooding. I am going to try to send some pictures of me and my companion. My shoes are wet everyday from walking in the flood water to get to investigators. Sometimes up to upper thigh and waist. This is tough but it is honestly really really powerful for our investigators to see that we care about them and the work of the Lord so much that we would practically swim through dangerous and disgusting flood water to get to share with them for 20 min.

This week we were however a little disappointed by the fact that only 2 of our 11 investigators with a baptismal date cam to church because of the rain. But those few who had the faith to come despite of the rain will be blessed. We have a baptism this next Saturday!!! But transfer day is thursday! So because I am the trainer, chances are; I will be the one to transfer. This is sad because I LOVE Mangaldan 2 branch. Me and the BML are like bestfriends. He got back from his mission in Iloilo the same week I reported to the MTC. He was the AP there for like 10 months or something and he is the best. He is the reason I didnt fall apart with this whole open area training deal. Sad to say that Elder Baldove's training is now up. In about two days I will find out which of the two of us is transferring, and the next day we find out where. He says he has a strong feeling it is him, but I am pretty sure its me haha. But all is well no matter what. I trust the Lord to send me where I am needed and where I need to grow more as a disciple.

In other news the new Mission President; President Deyro is AWESOME. He is super fun and a spiritual giant and he is really personally close with the missionaries. I was happy I got a good 10 min to chat with him about the mission and my family and my intrests. It is truly inspired that he was called here.

Well the rain just started again and that 3 hours of sunlight is now gone. I love you all, and I hope you all continue to grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Just reading the emails from my little sister paints the picture of change that has been happening at home. She sounds like shes about 30 haha. I love you all so much. Stay safe, pray always.

Elder Dahle

Week #36 - WET and HAPPY!

Hello Family,

Well. It has been a very very very wet week. It has now rained for more than 48 hours straight. ALL of my clothes are wet. We havent seen the sun in about 4 days, and my area is flooding up to my knees from little accumulation if constant rain. I am having tons of fun though. This week all our IBD investigators came to church again! They are so great and I am going to be DEVASTATED if I transfer. Training Elder Baldove has been a blast and he is now leading the area for the last week of his training. I am proud of him. I am going to miss him.

The new Mission President, President Deyro, is here. I have yet to meet him, but my friend who is the AP right now says he is sooooo awesome. I am really excited to meet him this Thursday.

Anyway in other news a cat peed on my scriptures in the middle of a lesson:( so I need new ones. I may ask my BML to get me some when he goes to Manila this week.. and just send him with some money. I dont have much time left on email, so just know that I love you. I am happy here, I am working hard and becoming a more consecrated missionary every day.

Elder Dahle

The Calm BEFORE the Storm

The Beautiful Philippines AFTER the Storm

Week #35 - Tornadoes, Hail and Prayers! - 8 Months Down

Hello Mom,

Nice to hear Ohio is getting some intense rain as well, because it looks like we traded, this week we actually stayed remarkably dry, where all the rain and such was while we were sleeping, or in meetings haha. Although, I forgot to add a little detail from last week. IT HAILED here in Mangaldan!!!! Like, we are talking marble to as bid as quarter size hail. And a Tornado almost completely obliterated the house of one of our investigators. And they met together as a family in the middle of their home and prayed (which we had just taught them how to do the night before) that they would be safe from harm and danger, and they even prayed that we would be safe too. And the Tornado or ipon-ipon in Tagalog, just missed their house by 100 feet or so, only causing minor damage to their roof. This family now is on date for baptism on July 25th and came to church last sunday!

Speaking of which! We had 8 investigators come to church! And now all of them are on date! The work in our area is soooo great right now and we are making so much progress with some investigators that we have been teaching since I arrived in this area! It is amazing to see the journey they have taken from the first lesson till now. Some of them rejected us on sight, then had the slightest change of heart to listen and now are excited and preparing for baptism and membership in Jesus Christ's Church restored to the earth again.

In other news... I am in the same zone as Elder Tanner again!! He is doing so good and working so hard! I was especially impressed with his Tagalog and it was so cool to hold a conversation in the language we struggled with just 7 months before. And NO the transfer has not happened yet, but he was emergency transferred here just last week and is now in the other companionship in our branch!

Anyway, I love you all so very much and hope you are doing well. Please feel free to email me personally and tell me how your lives are going. I am really getting better at this whole email thing so I am sure that I will be able to respond to you every other week, if not every week. Please stay strong and faithful in all things that your Heavenly Father decides to send your way. Never forget that he loves you and wishes the best for you will never give you something you cant handle!

Elder Dahle