So Long As Time Shall Last

Don't have a bunch of time but this week I've been thinking a lot about miracles. It's a term that's thrown around pretty casually out here and it's always bothered me. I guess I have a pretty high standard for intervention from God. It's taught very clearly that miracles are wrought by faith, which is a profound statement to me. Because wouldn't the miracle being wrought eliminate the faith of the individual? Because they now have a perfect knowledge of at least something. I want to experience breathtaking, unexplainable miracles. And I feel like I've seen a few, but I'm continuously striving for more faith. It is so important. A foreboding prophecy from Moroni: 

35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

"All is vain." It's not enough to just go through the motions. I pray that all is not vain and that we may develop the faith necessary to receive miracles and appearances of angels. Keep moving forward! I love you guys.


-Elder Dahl

Stripped of Pride

As we've been continuing to teach somewhat difficult people, I've been realizing once again how powerless I am. I can't move up God's timetable for these people. I just have to take them where they're at and show them the next step. I wish I could just give them the right things to read or watch and then they would be totally ready, but the Spirit does the converting. It's pretty difficult when I spend a bunch of time and energy on a lesson that is supposed to help them understand and apply a gospel principle, but they don't understand. Having an open mind is one of the most admirable traits a person can have I think. It's been good though. The days are fast; the weeks are faster. My new district is pretty rough, so Elder Christensen and I decided to just stay in our area and hang out with the members. They are pretty sweet. So we'll see how that goes today. We're going mountain biking and eating at Costa Vida with the elders quorum and then playing games with the youth. We get fed all the time and have plenty of joint teachers. I can't complain. There are a few things that could be better, but overall I'm feeling good. I'm proud of my friends who are serving in much more temporally difficult circumstances. It's nice to have the comforts of the states. I'm not excited for the winter again though. Lately I've been missing comedy shows, like Seinfeld and Nathan For You. I've been telling Elder Christensen what I can remember, but it's not a lot. Remember the Savior as you interact with those around you, pray for missionary experiences. God loves you and so do I!

-Elder Dahl

Poor in Spirit

We had transfers this week. I was pretty nervous that because I'd gotten along with elder Christensen so well, I was due for a more uncomfortable situation that would help me grow. I wrote to President and asked him to stay. I love the people here-- I finally feel like I'm able to be a force for good, in the members' lives and in the lives of those we're teaching. Our friend Ed is awesome. He's hopefully getting baptized the end of this month. I've never taught someone like him before. He's so earnest and humble-- he's willing to accept new ideas and see things in different ways. We haven't gone over the commandments yet, but I'm excited for him.

In the gospel of Luke, the Savior is recorded quoting Isaiah,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

He then says,

This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

I've been thinking about this a lot. I guess since I believe the gospel is for everyone that as a missionary, I'm called to teach everyone. But the Savior, in announcing his messianic role, specifically states that he is to preach the gospel to the poor. Whether that be poor in spirit or in temporal things, I am beginning to understand it is an essential qualifier to making covenants with God. If you are unwilling to listen or act on a missionary's invitation, you will be unwilling to respond to the gentle tutelage of the Holy Ghost. Until you are stripped of pride, you cannot cast off the chains that are hindering your progression, because these changes can't be done by our own power. It's impossible! We need the Savior. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Unfortunately, as a missionary, I come across relatively few people who are poor in spirit. To those who aren't, I've decided my role is to love, and hopefully, over the process of time, they open their hearts. It's hard to see people who are so certain of something that they blind themselves. I'm grateful for the light and knowledge that I've received as I've diligently sought. I love the scriptures and more importantly, I love the prophets. Seek to do good! The world badly needs goodness. I love you guys!

-Elder Dahl

Not One Whit

This week started out pretty slow because Elder Christensen was feeling a little sick, which in turn made me a little less focused. I felt like we were just kind of going through the motions, and I needed something to kick things back into high gear. I'm pretty argumentative by nature, so I decided to look through the people that elders have taught in the past that they labeled do not contact. This is a thrilling thing for me because sometimes people use that label just to write off people who ask too many difficult questions. I called one of them, and we ended up having a really good discussion! Questions are always good! We taught him two more times and helped him understand that if he wants to know, he needs to at least crack open the Book of Mormon. We encouraged him to read Alma chapter 42. It's one of my favorites. And to watch the church video "The Mediator." We are trying to help him understand that The Book of Mormon reveals powerful truths about the nature of God that are just not found in The Bible. He's super fun to teach but not super interested in progressing. He wants us to "become Christians." His job is much more difficult than ours, I think. My companion and I have been having a lot of chats about what our role is and who we're looking to teach. I want to teach people that don't just accept everything we say, but also are open minded enough to act and change. It's a tough balance. Most of the time we run into people who are super closed or not willing to read or pray. Is it our role to give them the steps they need to take to become ready to learn? Or just say they're not ready yet. I'm grateful for the plan of salvation and the peace that brings. I can't imagine how soul shattering a mission would be for missionaries who believe in a binary afterlife, without the justice of the spirit world. I love you guys! Missions are awesome! 

-Elder Dahl