Having a Form of Godliness

This week I have learned to appreciate the opportunity to work. It's interesting that in all my life I never had a desire to put forth effort, I guess it took moving to Minnesota to teach me that. I know that it is by fulfilling the measure of our creation that we find joy. This week I had the opportunity to help someone clean their house. It was a startling view of what my future could be if I refuse to clean. 

I was so blessed to have stake conference this weekend and one of the seventy spoke to us. He reaffirmed that it is our right as God's children, who have made covenants with him, to receive revelation. Not just the prophets or apostles but all of us. I often don't see God's hand in my life until I reflect in these emails. My focus this week has been consecrating my desires until they are in harmony with our Father's. He has instructed me in a way that only He can. Prior to my mission, I often filled my time with all sorts of idle entertainment. When those distractions fall away then you are forced to make clear choices about your time instead of letting the excess just slip through the cracks. 

My root desire has been to become a better man, to grow and develop the attributes I feel I need to be a successful father and provider. One of those attributes is being willing to be firm in my obedience. It is very difficult to be obedient when you cannot directly connect it to your root desire. I admire King Benjamin, whose character was perceived to be so great that Amaleki saw it fit to deliver the plates unto him even though they shared no immediate blood. King Benjamin truly understood what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. He labored all his days in the service of his people, not just two years but his whole life. He was a man whose desires were in perfect harmony with the Father's. King Benjamin speaks about obedience:

And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

Not only has our father blessed us with redemption and therefore eternal life, the greatest of all gifts, but as we are obedient to his commandments he blesses us immediately, in a way that He sees fit to be most effective for our growth. I am eternally grateful for the nature of God and the character we learn through Jesus Christ. The knowledge we have been given is so vast, and we have need of it now more than ever. 

Seek to understand the mysteries of God because you will find that they are very pertinent to your eternal happiness and progression. Be willing to open your mind to glimpse the blessings of eternity. I have been amazed at the knowledge that has been revealed to me the second I became willing to ask. As I strive to become a better man, I invite you to choose to refine something in your life and ask the Lord to apply the power of the atonement to aid you. I know he will not leave you comfortless but that he will bear you up. I love you guys and wish you all greater happiness and peace.

- Elder Dahl

Thus Saith Our God

 

This week has been crazy! I left the MTC on Wednesday at 5:13 and flew to Minnesota! We had a pretty big travel group which was good but I was mostly sleeping. I met President and his wife right away, they were nice but I only talked to them for like 5 seconds. I met the assistants to the president and the sister training leaders and they were pretty amazing. We had kind of a kickoff training at the hotel and then I spent the night with Elder Enniss who was reassigned from Kobe Japan. We had about an hour to talk and he was super cool. He has a scholarship to play football at Utah but I told him to play for BYU and he says he always wanted to play for BYU so let's hope that works out. 

The hotel was super nice and I was beginning to relish the joys of stateside service. The next day we had some more training from President and then we drove to transfers. I met my trainer Elder Twardecki, who's from all over because his dad works for the government. He can't tell me what he does so we don't have a lot to talk about. We both worked at Subway though so we've gotten that twice so far. We drove 4 hours from Bloomington to Virginia and moved all my stuff in. Our apartment is very humble. There's at least 4 different colonies of mold growing in our bathroom so I try to shower when I'm tired and can't see that well. Ignorance is bliss. Apparently this is a tough area because we have zero investigators. We did some service and worked on Facebook finding. 

I had the opportunity to speak yesterday to the ward which was so fun! The median age of our ward is probably 70. It's hard for us to get people to invite us over and hard for people to share the gospel because their social circles are pretty small. Wish I'd known my audience a little better before I spoke about how members can be better missionaries. My favorite time of the day is personal study. The scriptures contain so much truth and as a missionary I feel like I learn much more than I ever have before. God gives us knowledge line upon line, which I think is why we are commanded to read the Book of Mormon every day. There is knowledge that you cannot obtain until you have read it several times already. The only music approved in the mission is what's on the sacred music app so I've started building a playlist to work out to. The tabernacle choir has some fantastic songs that easily fill the void of some of my premission favorites. 

The mission is quite a purifying experience and I get lots of time to ponder and feel the Holy Spirit. I love the gospel and its truths and I love becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ. Remember the end goal has always been eternal life with our Father in Heaven. 

- Elder Dahl

To This End Was I Born

This week I graduated from the MTC. I am so grateful for the people I met and the relationships I developed. These last two days have been kind of weird because we've had a lot of free time since there are no classes. I hurt my finger playing volleyball so I spent a lot of time in workshops and reading the scriptures. This week my study focused on Jesus Christ and his atonement. Christ is a fascinating person to study. What is most applicable to me right now is how certain Christ is of his purpose. 

Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice (John 18:37).

As a missionary my purpose is rather similar. I bear witness of the truth. Lately I've more practiced and learned the truth but I'm so excited to leave tomorrow and enter the field! Christ never forgets that this mortal experience is a tiny sliver of his eternal identity. I have come to know that viewing every decision through the lens of eternity is a surefire way to make sure your life is in line with the gospel. Being a missionary is hard. I want to purify my desires until they are in perfect harmony with God's. I love the story of Nephi who had consecrated his life to the extent that God gives him this blessing:

"behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will"

(Helamen 10:5).

This life is the time to become like God. That's it. The sole purpose of our existence. Choose to make covenants with Him and come to know His character. The battle has already been fought but the sides have not yet been finalized. The atonement is real, it has the power to change you no matter how far you feel you have fallen. The gospel is for everyone, and it holds the answer to every problem ever had. I love you guys and I hope you can always remember your divine potential. The veil over the earth is beginning to burst.

I love to hear from you! 

- Elder Dahl

Truth Shall Prevail

September 7, 2021

Week 2 at the MTC has been so fun. Learning English has been surprisingly easy, I am truly seeing the gift of tongues and the interpretation thereof blessing me. I'm starting to bond with my district more and enjoy spending time with them. We play a lot of Spikeball and Frisbee, and I've played a little bit of ping pong and chess. Classes have been hard, I feel like I need more practice teaching but we spend very little time on that. We've only learned two discussions and we've been here two weeks. That's kind of frustrating but I'm sure the teachers have a plan. My companion and I are getting really good at teaching together and that's been really good. I'm blessed with a companion who knows the gospel fairly well. Some of the district seems to be learning the doctrine for the first time which I think would make it difficult to teach. 

We had a devotional by Elder Callister and his wife about the atonement which was awesome. I love being a missionary, I want to consecrate my life and serve completely. I can't wait until I have real people to teach and get to see them progress. The plan of salvation boggles my mind every day. I'm so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the Gospel. As my study has increased I have felt God's love and his spirit wash over me. The MTC has a special atmosphere and I'll miss it while I'm gone. Remember your covenants and the promises you have received. 

Love you guys and I know God loves you,

Elder Dahl

Heart in Flight

I love the quote by Elizabeth Stone:

Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Today part of our hearts boarded a plane to share the light of Christ with others for the next two years. We love him so much! His purpose will be to teach people about Jesus Christ. Let me know if you'd like to hear a message from him. Harrison Dahl can teach remotely too!