He Is Risen

This week was good! We've been trying some more creative street contacting approaches. Nobody is really outside because the temperature is in the high 30s still. So we've been asking businesses if it's OK for us to proselytize on the premises or leave some literature. Most people aren't OK with the preaching, but they'll take a pamphlet, which is cool. I want to start holding street meetings where we stand on a box and preach but my companion isn't quite comfortable with that yet ;). We've been meeting with a few inactive or part member families. It's pretty tough for me. Sometimes they'll sign up to feed us, and I have no clue what they are wanting from us. I want to just ask people point blank why they're not coming to church or why they aren't baptized. It's hard to be a missionary covering a whole ward because I only have maybe 2 or 3 interactions with families. My first visit I'm just trying to build trust enough to get them to open up. It's a hard balance-- let me know if you have any advice. One of the most amazing things about being a member of the restored church is how high our knowledge of the Gospel is because of restored truths. I remember growing up and just assuming everyone understood the role of Gethsemane in the atonement. I realized pretty quickly that my understanding of the atonement was predicated mostly on teachings and not on the scriptures. It is so critical to close the gap from what we know and where it comes from. Not only do we share the good news that Jesus lives, but we understand what that enables us to do. The greatest truth restored is that God is our father! The purpose of this mortal sphere is to become like Him. I love you guys! 

-Elder Dahl

The Road Less Traveled

I got transferred this week to Apple Valley, it's pretty famous as being the only area in the mission with a Costa Vida. The ward is chill but not quite as amazing as Elk River. I'm still meeting people though. My new companion is Elder Blanco from Hawaii. He is a living testimony that everyone should go on a mission. It doesn't matter what you've done, get worthy and go! I always thought that growing up in Hawaii would be a dream, but we've talked a lot about how hard it is to make it there. All the wealthy people are mainlanders who have come and started businesses, usually in tourism. Because of so much outside money, it's almost impossible to change social classes if you stay on the island. 

I feel like that same principle applies to your testimony. It is very difficult to create significant change in either direction when you are stuck in the same environment. You may start out in middle class, but when your environment changes, it is likely you will either become spiritually stronger or weaker. The opportunity of a mission is the opportunity to develop your testimony into something strong enough to withstand the strongest winds. I think that is one of the reasons why we have transfers and new companions-- to keep putting yourself in new situations that give you the chance to grow. The mission is special because there is hopefully an expectation to grow. You can go to college and have the desire to grow, but you don't have nearly as much support or structure. It's like having a personal trainer vs a gym membership. The hardest part of being a missionary is going home. Going back to that old environment and testing your growth. Elder Blanco told me about when he went home after being at college. His friends were still doing the exact same things. They work at their jobs, and then go fishing and surfing. It's so tempting to fall into familiarity and cease progressing. I'm grateful I've had such formative experiences here. I love the gospel and the covenants I've made. I love you guys! Keep progressing!

-Elder Dahl

Like a Fire is Burning

This week Jacob got baptized! So proud of him. I don't have very much time to write, but this was the last week before transfers. I think I'll probably leave, but hopefully I stay. I love it here. Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! I'm grateful to have lived so long. My birthday is April 3 which is the day Elijah and Moses and Elias appeared and gave keys to Joseph and others, and the Kirtland temple was accepted by Jesus Christ after the spirit was poured out upon the saints at the dedication a few days earlier.  

Remember your families this week as we prepare for Easter! The turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers to the children is right now! 

Love you guys! Happy Easter! He is risen! 

Hold to the Rod

What a week! So grateful for conference! Maybe it's just because I'm a missionary, but I felt like a lot of the talks were about missionary work. If you didn't watch conference please take time to do so. 

One of the larger themes I noticed was the discussion of Lehi's dream specifically as Nephi interprets the iron rod to be the word of God. In the dream there are numberless concourses of people pressing forward towards the tree of life, through a powerful mist of darkness. Their only reference point, a rod of iron. The vision states that "they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree." And another group "continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." I love the juxtaposition here. Some clung and then partook but others continually held fast and fell down and partook of the tree. Nephi, in praying to understand the vision, learns that the iron rod is the word of God. With this knowledge, the vision details that those who continually hold fast to their scripture study don't just end up partaking of the love of God, they fall down in awe of the gift it is because they have come to understand Him. Those that merely cling, however, taste the love of God and say, "huh, this is it?" And then "cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed." Why are they ashamed? Because they "know not the dealings of that God who has created them." Because they have a "form of godliness but deny the power thereof." This is scary stuff! These are the other five of the ten virgins who prepared their lamps but didn't have enough oil. They went through the motions but fell short of the goal. 

General conference is when we get to check in on how we view the word of God. Do we sleep through it? Or do we hold fast? What good is a prophet if we don't listen? It is so easy to be like those who "tasted of the fruit (and) they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost" (1 Nephi 8:28.) 

If you're not going to church, come back. If you aren't reading your scriptures, start. If you haven't watched conference, do it. There are no backup singers on the celestial stage. We learn that we will be judged according to our works and our desires. It is imperative to find out what your desires are and what you want them to be. If those are unified, wonderful! If they are not, be sure that you are taking steps to make them so! Otherwise, you deprive yourself of joy. The spiritual dissonance that occurs when the person we want to become is not the person that we're becoming is horrific. It is the cause of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is damnation. I've felt it, I've been there. Yet just as exquisite as my pain was the joy in realizing that I could change! That's the power of the atonement. That's the gospel of Jesus Christ. In order to avoid this, I urge you to choose this day. Asking deep probing questions of yourself and confirming them with the Lord is a great place to start. Learn what is required to obtain your goal and start working! I don't think there is much paid time off in the heavenly economy. I'm so grateful that I made the choice to change, and for the savior who allowed me to do so! I love you guys! 

-Elder Dahl

Lovest Thou Me?

I'm realizing that it's important to make an effort to develop relationships. I'm super interested in how people perceive me when they first meet and get to know me so let me know what you thought of me when we met! I feel like my whole life I've always wanted to be around people who I feel like added value to my life, and therefore my work to develop relationships was pretty much effortless. The mission is different, you get thrust into situations all the time where you are forced to develop relationships with people that you may think will add nothing to your life. However, I've realized that every human has something that you can learn from and grow from. I'm so grateful for all of you and all the experiences we've had together!

This week Jacob decided to be baptized! Super excited for him, we're shooting for April 9 because he's ready. I've been thinking a lot about the power of covenants and the gift of the Holy ghost. A few of our other friends attend another church, and they invited us to barf weekend (bring a real friend). I was on exchanges with Elder O'Neill, and it was awesome. It's basically just a concert followed by a motivational sermon that happened to have some anti Joseph Smith sentiments sprinkled in. When we first met our friends who attend there, we were blown away by their commitment to that church and their total ignorance in what they believe and the Bible as a whole. After attending church, we understood why. These people love God and his son Jesus Christ, and they love how they feel when they worship Him and sing praises to him. They love feeling the spirit. I had a chance to talk to the pastor for about an hour after the service, and he gave me a book he wrote called "grace on tap" with a picture of a keg on the front labeled grace. I realized that that is so true! They are treating the spirit as if it were a drug. It sustains them for that week and then they come back and feel it again. They cannot have the presence of the Holy ghost with them all the time, because they haven't made a covenant or received baptism by proper authority. The church has had 78 baptisms in 2022 already, which is more than our mission has baptized in the past year. They don't have any requirements for baptism, but it's still pretty impressive to me! Their membership is very involved in sharing the gospel. They invite their friends, and try to bring everybody to Jesus even with their limited knowledge.

We have been blessed with so much! It hurts my heart to think about all the people that have been kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it. I love the Savior's teachings,

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14.)

That's why we make covenants. That's why God requires more. Because he doesn't care about how well we sing songs or how many times we say amen. He wants us to become like Him! I'm so excited for general conference. The genesis of scripture is always powerful to me. Please choose to help feed His sheep this week! The field is white! Invite someone to watch conference. Our God lives, and his words never cease. I love you guys!

-Elder Dahl

That We May Be One

What a week! I had my first mission leadership conference which was really cool, President is a great teacher and the missionaries are great examples to me. With Covid restrictions lifted, we learned a lot about how to effectively interact in person with God's children. I realized that I have been a little too dominant in our teaching interactions so far-- mostly because my previous companions weren't big on teaching. Communication is so important! When there's a problem in your life, please let the person causing it know, because they may be totally oblivious. When I've had problems with people on my mission, they have historically been major ones-- specifically disobedience. It's very hard to fulfill your missionary purpose when your companion just doesn't want to. As I've progressed on my mission, I've realized that some people's major problems are focused on the way the work is approached-- it's a very privileged problem to have. When your comp refuses to get out of bed until dinner, you don't even think about what type of message you are going to share at dinner, you're focused on a much larger issue. Now that my quality of companion has increased, I've realized that a massive problem to others is tiny to me in comparison to the experiences I've had. It's a gift and a curse I guess. One of my favorite psalms says,

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.

This is something that I have a huge testimony of. Learn to love the law, and you will feel peace and learn to not be offended, and you will grow. I think the most important discipline is emotional discipline. It allows you to develop every other aspect of your life unfettered by anger, jealousy, or hopelessness. When feelings are hurt, there is no consistent remedy, nothing an outside force can do to make it better. Apologies are nice, but soothing a bruised heart is almost impossible. Ultimately, it requires the offended person to let go of those feelings. Holding grudges is a burden. It does nothing good for you. I'm working on not judging people too early. I think it's important to assume everyone you interact with knows something you don't that is of value. Most of the time you're probably wrong, but it increases the value of your interactions as you choose to listen to them and treat them the way the Savior did. I love the scriptural phrase, "the condescension of God." Jesus' most impressive attribute to me is long-suffering. To have such power and yet still choose to live a mortal life and exercise restraint from all those who crucified Him is incomprehensible to me. In order to create a successful relationship, I think both persons need to either voice their feelings or forgive them that know not what they are doing. Choose to not be offended and you will be blessed eternally. I love you guys! 

-Elder Dahl

1. Bishop's wife after my haircut

2. Haircut

3. Jeffrey repping the Y

4-5. Tire shenanigans 

6-7. Mai's baptism

A Life Well Lived

This week was revolutionary! My mission president decided that enough is enough! So now we can eat with members and don't have to wear masks and we can go street contacting. Unfortunately these restrictions have been in place for so long that nobody really wants to change, which makes life a little difficult for me. Elder Jenkins is going to learn how to talk to people by the end of this transfer! 

The work has been going good-- our deaf friend Mai is ready for baptism on Saturday! She reminds me of a phrase the Savior used,

"Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Mai's ears don't hear. They haven't worked her whole life. But she understands the Savior and his teachings far better than our other hearing friends. I've been thinking a lot about how it's funny that the blessed ones have the most curses. This is an incredible time to be alive! We have access to so much with the internet and technology and ears. Yet sometimes I feel like our senses are bombarded to the point where we become desensitized to all but the extreme. I chatted with some members of our ward who just returned from Ireland. They told us that there are these walls all over the countryside that were built during the potato famine. The upper class required work of the working class in order to rationalize feeding them so they would make them construct walls for miles on end. They would work all day and earn enough money to buy bread to feed themselves and then do it all again the next day. The walls had no purpose, just to keep the laborers busy and distracted. I was quite shocked at this and humbled. How grateful I am that my life has allowed me to pretty freely exercise my agency. I was then struck by the fact that many people still choose to be a poor Irishman. I have met so many people that are just "building walls," even in the land of the free. Social media is a big wall, addiction another. TV and video games, the ability to hear. We sometimes are carefully ensnared by the forces of opposition through our ability to choose. I have often thought, "it doesn't matter if nothing gets done today because I'm choosing to just chill." I think that because I'm choosing to do it that somehow makes the action more respectable. The Irish chose to build those walls in order to obtain food. But at the end of it all, all they had were heaps of stone that didn't matter. I hope we all can be better at making sure our time is spent purposefully. Many people do not hearken unto Jacob, 

"Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." 

I see many missionaries who also don't understand this principle. Your time is yours, no one else's. One day you will be accountable for it. Choose to be more than you were, to go forward and not backward. Elder Uchtdorfs talk, "Daily Restoration," is a useful guide on how to refocus and get on the path of progress. 

I love you guys! 

-Elder Dahl

1. Elder Jenkins helping with a move

2. The last supper

3. The walls, you can see one going all the way up the mountain

4-6. The cliffs of insanity

7. Me with the Holkers