I AM HERE!!! (Allentown, PA)

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dear Family,

Well, I am here!! I am here in the bustling, lively community of Allentown, PA. JK It is sooooooo ghetto here. I love it. My companion is Elder Wright, from Taylorsville, UT. But a lot of you already knew that, somehow... Interesting.... Anyways, here is my new address. Post it on the blog and give it out to EVERYONE!!!!

Elder Mike Dial

Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission

129 South 8th St. #1A

Allentown, PA 18101

Anyways, we didn't get an opportunity to write until today because apparently, there was a HUGE hurricane named Sandy that decided to knock out our power on Monday night along with 2.5 million people. No biggie. But yeah it still has yet to come on so that will be a great day when that decides to come on. Until then our apartment is -28374312728 degrees Celsius, and we have no phone charge except in our car. Hopefully our milk will stay semi-cold in the freezer with the bit of cold in there. This is AWESOME!!!!!! It was weird we were driving and there was this HUGE tree that was uprooted, so that was kind of cool/scary. But that is A-OK

Ya so I thought I understood Spanish a little bit but I was dead wrong. Dominicans don't speak Spanish, they speak Dominican. Holy Crap. I can say what I need to say, but I understand casi nada. Elder Wright is basically my translator haha. He tells me what people say and then I respond. I was actually really surprised. People tell me that I have a really good Spanish accent, and people always ask if my Dad speaks Spanish, and stuff like that. I gave a prayer in Priesthood and people came up to me and asked if I already knew Spanish! Speaking isn't the problem for me. It is understanding people when they talk at like a million miles an hour. But that will come with lots of divine help and hard work on my part. Keep the prayers coming. I need every last one of them!!! Funny story. So I was calling this 3 year old girl crazy in Spanish, which is, " Tu estas loco!" But no, she corrected me, "Loca!" so ya, just chillin over here getting my Spanish corrected by 3 year olds. It is awesome.

Another cool story. A recently converted couple, like baptized a week and a half ago, gave us a referral of their friend, Fulvio. He is as golden and as prepared as they come. He was taught for a while by missionaries in Florida, has read the Book of Mormon, Gospel Principles, Jesus the Christ, and has a testimony. We were teaching the recently converted couple about the Priesthood, and he basically taught the lesson. He is basically a member, but he was like living with someone or something like that, but now all we have to do is quickly go over the lessons with him. He is on date for like the 25th of November or something.

Another funny story! So we were flying into Atlanta right? So I was sitting by the window, another Elder was to my right, and Elder Fawcett was sitting in the aisle. Elder Fawcett wasn't feeling too good, and right before we landed, he threw up All over the place!!!!!!! I felt bad, but he wasn't too distraught so then I started laughing!!! It was pretty funny. So in the Atlanta Airport he changed into a t-shirt and basketball shorts, and that's what he met the President in. Way funny story. Gotta love it.

Oh Mom, you do not have to worry for a second about us not getting enough to eat. Worry about me getting fat. Almost every single house we visit prepares like a 8 course meal for us I swear. I have eaten more rice in the last week than I have in my entire life! Dominicans love their rice! They make up like half of the branch and Allentown I swear. But ya the only lunches and dinners we have eaten at home have been when we have been instructed to be in our apartment because of the hurricane. So don't worry for a second about any of that. I will be just fine, just maybe un poco gordo over the next little bit.

Well that is the week in a nutshell! I hope that we have power when we get back to our house. It would be a way nice time if we did. Anyways, love you all! It was great to talk to you in the airport! too bad i don't have diabetes or something like the inferior Elder Dial so I could talk to you like every other day. Let me know where Mitch is going!!! The call is probably at his house! This work is true!!!! This is God's work and he is hastening it!!!! If you hear of any of my friends that are going on missions that I didn't know before, Tell me about them!!!!!! Christ died for each and every one of us!!

 Love you all, and the church is true!!!1

 -Elder Mike Dial