New Address in Bethlehem

Rita's...Mike says it is supposed to be good

The gang.

Mike loves cats!

Ok! It is finally official. We have finally moved to Bethlehem. Here
is our new address:

1755 Shimer Avenue Apartment #15
Bethlehem, PA 18018

Y'all only get a couple months left to write Elder Dial on his mission! This should be TONS of motivation to send him a letter. (Megan, I would not be opposed to you putting this on my Facebook page ;) LETTERS GALORE!!!)

Anyway, we are excited about this new apartment. It's kind of a bummer that we don't live in the serious ghetto anymore. Before, our front window was on a major street, and we heard some awesome conversations, most of which were not virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy,
but we still loved it anyways. We heard lots of homeless people singing, and parents yelling at their kids for no reason. Now we just get to hear noisy neighbors above and to the side of us. But we live
in a decent part of Bethlehem. We actually live in our area as opposed to living about two miles outside of it! Definitely excited for that. Elder Winegardner and I are super stoked to live closer to our friends that we are finding and teaching, and are excited to be able to hasten the work even more!

On Thursday I found out that Romeris Perez, one of my best friends that I had the opportunity to teach in Norristown got her Patriarchal Blessing. Remember, she got baptized the week after I left.  That made me so happy. I am so happy that she is sticking to the path of discipleship and isn't letting anyone get in the way of her salvation, as some do. She gets it. That's why she got baptized. She was baptized with a determination to be faithful. She still has her own struggles, but her testimony is sure. Super excited to see where she goes. Love her! It was a pay day for me! I am particularly grateful that I have the opportunity to use Facebook and keep in contact with her.

Met with Luis and Aida on Friday. They are both recovering from strokes. That is so sad. Kids, don't drink, smoke, or take anything into your bodies that will harm them. Some times it gives you strokes,
but 100% of the times it deprives you of the blessings of the Lord. We read in Alma 22 wher Aaron is teaching the king of the Lamanites. The king was willing to give all that he had, literally his whole kingdom to gain a testimony of the Gospel. We asked them what was keeping them from gaining a testimony. Luis drinks and Aida smokes. We are working with them to overcome those weaknesses. Luis had quit drinking when the missionaries were teaching him before, but he went to Puerto Rico on vacation for about two months and the temptation was just too strong, and he started the habit again. It is what his caused his stroke, and he wants to change. Aida asked why she needs to be baptized again. I have a sick lesson plan about priesthood authority planned out for when we go and visit them.... Gonna be awesome. The lesson we had with Luis and Aida made me think, what am I am not willing to give up that is inhibiting my testimony from growing into what it could be? What am I unwilling to give up or start doing? I think we all should do a self analysis often with that question in mind.

Here's what happened Saturday. To start out, we had a solid first lesson with a guy named Roberto and his son Sandro. We met Roberto a couple weeks ago on the street as we saw him lowering a couch out of a window into a truck and we concluded that he needed help. We finally got in today, and taught him and his son about the Restoration of the Gospel. Sandro lives in the halfway house so it's gonna be a little tough to coordinate his lessons because he doesn't have a set schedule, but we are gonna see what we can do.

I taught about faith yesterday in Gospel Principles. Our teacher didn't show up, but that's ok. I taught for basically my 6 months in Bridgeton because our Branch Mission Leader, who was supposed to teach that class, went less active, so I was prepared to pull a lesson out of nowhere. You learn to do that as a missionary... That class is usually boring, but I made it good. I felt the Spirit testifying to me
and everyone else in the room that faith is real and that The Lord expects us to have and develop faith in Him so that we can come to be like Him. We went through the process of increasing our faith right
out of Alma 32. That is probably my favorite chapter in the entire Book of Mormon. There is nowhere else in scripture where faith is outlined so clearly and beautifully. Go read it!

FINALLY saw Frances and Teodoro and their daughter Andrea. We have taught Teodoro a few times alone or with his daughter, but we finally got there when all three of them were home. They seem prepared. We taught them about how the Gospel blesses families and about the restoration. They understand. We made sure that they know that reading in the Book of Mormon and praying to God to know if it is true is the way to find out if all that we have taught is true or not. We told them not to believe what we say just because we believe it. They need to do their part and find out for themselves.  Andrea is seven and is the cutest little thing in the world. I love teaching kids. It forces me to teach in the most simple way possible, and that way the adults understand way better too! Just like John Taylor said, "It is true intelligence for a man to take a subject that is mysterious and great in itself, and to unfold and simplify it so that a child can understand it." That is what I strive to do everyday. God is the master of simplicity and Satan is the master of complexity and confusion. The Gospel is simple! We should teach it simply as well. Teodoro, Frances, and Andrea all committed to read and pray. Hopefully they keep doing this as a family! It will bring them a lot closer, which is what they are searching for. The Gospel will bind them together like nothing else will. It will literally "seal" them together, right? ;)

Well that pretty much covers it. Long letter today. Hope you appreciate the hard work and toil it required to make these stories happen! We taught the restoration a TON this week, which is the way it should be. It really did happen. As I learn more and more about it, I come to appreciate and love it more. I hope all of you do to. We have the greatest message in the world! We need to share it. If you have the opportunity to go on a full time mission, put aside your doubts and fears and just DO IT! What can you lose? If you have already done it, don't lose the missionary mentality. I know this Gospel is true. I have heard, seen, and felt too much to think otherwise. I know it. I love all of you!!

 Elder Dial

Blossoms are out. That means pollen....