20???

Elder Dial and Pancho (Investigator)

 



1 Year Ceremonial Shirt Burning

Dear Family,

Definitely thought that I would be way more mature and older by the time I was 20, but boy am I wrong. Don't really feel any different than yesterday. But that's ok, I’m lovin' life anyways! The package hasn't gotten here yet, but that's just because the people at the post office don't want to deliver it before my birthday! They want to make it extra special! That's why it is going to be there when we get home tonight! I have complete confidence that my package will be there. Don't even worry. It isn't because it got lost and is probably in Wisconsin or something. They just wanted to make it special.

One of our investigators, Pedro Gonzales, likes what we teach and all, but sometimes he doesn't like it enough to read in the Book of Mormon and come to church. We just want him to receive his own personal revelation.... We taught him chastity because he and his "señora" are just that, just a man and a woman chilling together in the same house with a couple little kids running around. But they took it well..(the law of chastity lesson). They were surprised that we offered the chapel for use and the Branch President can marry them for free. But apparently she is hung up on a wedding ring. If they can't get the one she wants they can't get married.... Apparently that is her concern.... that's ok. We will just help them realize why the marriage covenant is sooooo important so that they will be begging to be married.

We visited some recent converts, Sandra (mother) and Valeria (daughter). Elder Wright baptized them. Valeria commented to us a dream she had that made her want to be baptized. In her dream, she was watching  TV or something. Her mom was in the other room. She heard a knock at the door, and it was Elder Wright and Elder Lopez. They were the previous elders here. But they weren't in missionary clothes. They were in normal street clothing. (This is significant because when Valeria was baptized, Elder Lopez has already finished his mission). They asked her if she wanted to go swimming. She said yes. They went to a pool, and a bunch of people were there. She said that she and the missionaries were separated from the other people though. After getting in, she looked down and saw that there were a bunch of crocodiles at the bottom. Elder Wright told her to go down. She said no. Elder Wright told her again to go down. She said no. Elder Wright asked if she had faith, and Valeria answered yes. Elder Wright said that if you have faith, the crocodiles won't do anything. So she went down. The crocodiles didn't do anything. Then, she began to fear and the crocodiles began to swim at her and overtake her. When she saw that, she began to pray to The Lord that He would protect her. When she did that, the crocodiles went away. After the dream, she realized that faith isn't to have a perfect knowledge of things. She knew that being baptized would be an amazing step in her life, and she wanted to please The Lord, she she decided to do it. It was an amazing testimony builder to me. Also Sandra shared her testimony as well about a revelation that she had when she decided to be baptized. Her mother told her "Well you can forget you have a mother if you join that church." But that didn't stop her. She knew it was true. And that's all that mattered. There was an amazing spirit present. It was one of those moments where you think, "how can this Gospel not be true?" That was the sentiment of the lesson today.

Well, I have completed one year, crazy stuff. One year ago, I spoke zero Spanish, was stoked out of my mind to be a missionary, and had so many emotions running through my mind it was unreal. I had no idea what was in store for me. What this short year has done for me is immeasurable. I cannot begin to describe how my personal testimony has grown. Before I left, I believed that the Gospel was true. I know it now. I still have a million questions, but I don't doubt the Gospel. I really do know it is true, for sure. I have changed so much, but even more importantly, I have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord in serving others. I have been the means of bringing the Gospel to others so that they can experience the same joy that I feel. I am so excited when people respond positively to the message. I am really sad when people don't, but I don't let it get me down. This has been the best year of my life. The next will be even better. I am so excited for what the future holds. I am ready to face it and conquer it. I know that I am doing The Lord's work here. I knew I was before, but I know better now, in a different way. I am a changed person for the better. I know that if I continue to put my trust in God always, He will take me in His hands and make me into what He knows  I am capable of being. I am the clay and He is the potter. Even though sometimes I am tough and hard to deal with, and sometimes He needs to pound me out to soften that heart of mine, I know that He loves me unconditionally. I have felt that for myself and I have felt that love manifest itself through me to other people. There is no better feeling. I am so grateful to God for this short year that has passed, I’m grateful for every day, the good ones and the hard ones. This year coming up will be even better, if I put my trust and confidence in Him. Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!!!!! Next one will be at home!! See you later!!

 Love you all,

-Elder Mike Dial

Service in Bridgeton New Jersey....

We are doing some cool things here in Bridgeton. This past week, Elder Wall and I started volunteering at the Library. We volunteer every Tuesday shelfing books, cleaning up outside, and whatever else there is to do. We had to do a little test to see how we could shelf books. So we did. The Libriarian was way impressed at our shelfing skills. Perhaps I was wrong, but I thought that it didn't require much intelligence to alphabetize books, but hey, I have been wrong before. She asked if we had worked in a Library before, and immediately put us to work haha. It is gonna be a good opportunity to talk to people and share the Gospel. If nothing else, we are showing them that, as missionaries, we try to help out everyone.

 

So on my first day here in Bridegton, we stopped by everyone's houses so that I could meet them. We stopped by this less-active's house, said hi, and talked to her and a friend that was over for a little bit. We couldn't go inside because there wasn't a man present. Had a cool experience Wednesday. We visit this less active, and she cooks for us and it is DELICIOUS!!! Even when Mexican's whip something together really fast because the missionaries are coming it is still good. Anyway, she told us that when we passed by and just talked to her, after we left, Sylva's (Less Active) fried mentioned to her that while we were at the door, she felt something "strange" that immediately left when we did. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THOSE STORIES!!!! I thank God that I was worthy to be a vessel of His Spirit. We are doing all that we can to try and teach her!

 

A member here got her mission call to Pittsburgh. That is always a cool thing to see someone open a mission call. Took a trip down memory lane. It was pretty neat.

 

Well, things are going well here. Couldn't ask for anything better. Except I could ask for a washer and dryer in the apartment. But I won't let the little things get in the way. This work really is true. It is simply true. I could not find any other logical answer. Love you all. Thanks for the week-early birthday wishes. I hit a year on Thursday!!!!

 

-Elder Dial

 

 

 

 

 

Best Tortillas of the Century made right here

The Garden State

Yup!  Turkeys in their backyard. 

New comp Elder Casey Wall from Davis High School (Utah)

Yeah, never realized why New Jersey is called the Garden State. Well now I do. It is ALL farming. Apparently it is famous for it's crop. That also explains all of the Mexicans here too haha. They all work in "el campo." The city where we live, Bridgeton, really is a mini-Mexico. Probably 90% of the town is Mexican. It is awesome. We are on Bikes too!!!!! I have been waiting forever for this. I need to lose some weight. Well that may not happen, because we eat like crazy here. Probably at least once a day we get fed. Usually more. Not the worst thing that has happened in the world. Mexican food sure is yummy. I love the tortillas, even though that is where most of my weight is coming from nowadays. But that's ok.

My companion is Elder Casey Wall! He went to Davis High school, and actually came out with Elder Minnich. He is a boss. We are working on his Spanish. He can understand kind of what people are saying to him, and can get his message across, but we are gonna perfect his Spanish. He is gonna be fluent in 5 more weeks. Just wait. It is gonna be awesome.

For a paragraph here, I want to return to my last area. On Wednesday, my first day here in Bridgeton, I got a Facebook Message from Romeris, an investigator from my last area. She told me that she decided to get baptized that week. She was baptized this past Saturday, and was confirmed yesterday. Sadly, I personally was not able to be there, but I was 100% there in Spirit. She has made those covenants with our Heavenly Father, and now begins the process of enduring to the end. Hopefully one year from now I will be able to see her in the temple right before I leave that would be an awesome cap to the mission for me. I will be able to go to the temple in November with Fulvio! So stoked!!! Cool fact. Fulvio is now the 2nd counselor in the Allentown branch. He is awesome.

Well here we do lots of walking and riding. It has been very humid. It rains a crap ton here. I sweat like crazy. It is awesome. The Branch here is run by President Miller. He speaks Spanish. His wife is Hispanic. He lives about 40 minutes away. Our chapel used to be a bank, but has been converted into a chapel. It is right in the middle of town which is AWESOME! Now nobody has the excuse that it is too far. But, as in true Hispanic culture, we committed like 12 people to come to church but nobody came. That's ok though. We did our part by inviting. We called them before, texted, stopped at a couple houses on our way to church, but nobody came. We are gonna get like 400 people to church this Sunday though. Look out.

I am excited. There is a restaurant here that apparently has legendary tortas. We will be going soon. I will report with a personal review along with pictures. Get excited everyone.

Well, that's it for today. The church is true. I love it here in South Jersey. The church is just as true here. These people better get excited to hear about the Gospel. The members are gonna give us hundreds of referrals and we are going to talk to thousands of people. This branch is gonna become a ward in like 2 weeks.  I can't believe that I hit a year next week….crazy stuff.

On the Road Again....

Ward Mission Leader in Valley Forge

Chick Fil A Day

Soon to be Sister Romeris

Dear Family,

Well, we got transfer calls on Friday and Elder Dial is outta here. Don't know where I am going. Tomorrow we have a huge transfer meeting and we all get our new companions and new areas. It is gonna be awesome. Kind of a bummer because Romeris is gonna get baptized this month and asked if I would baptize her, but hopefully I will be close enough that I can return for it. But that's ok! I have loved this area, sad to go, but excited to start a new adventure.

Cool things are happening here in this area. The members are being strengthened and inviting their friends. The bishop told me something cool yesterday. He told me that I made an impact on the ward. Positive one I hope. I needed to hear that. I didn't really have a baptism here in this area, and when he told me that, I remembered how in Chapter 1 of Preach My Gospel it says that our success isn't measured by how many baptisms we get or our numbers. It is measured by our desire to serve the Lord and if we work with all our "heart, might, mind, and strength." We're not expected to be perfect, but we are expected to try. This goes for all, not just missionaries. From the outside, we may not look like we are succeeding. It is always awesome to know that man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart. We need to do our best not to judge people by the outward appearance. We NEVER know who is ready to receive the Gospel. We don't see people from the inside out. I think of the verse

"Who am I to judge another, When I walk imperfectly.

In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see",

One of my favorite verses in the whole hymn book. Well sorry for that ramble. Hope someone needed that haha.

Well, don't know what much else to say. Elder Minnich is a boss. He speaks fetching Spanish. I recommended him for training to President Anderson. He has grown amazingly and will continue to be an awesome missionary.

I love serving the Lord. I hit my year mark this month. That's not ok. Going by way too fast! Being a missionary is the best thing ever. I love you all, and I hope that we all do the little things that the Lord asks us to do. It really is those little things that make the biggest difference in our lives. We sacrifice a little for the Lord, and He pays us back immediately. Go read Mosiah 3 and 4 about that, some of my favorite chapters. Love ya, and will let ya know a lot more info next week!

-Elder Mike Dial

A Song of the Righteous is a Prayer unto Me...

Dear Family,

Well Elder Minnich and I finally did a musical number yesterday in sacrament meeting. We did "Oh My Father." I sang the first and last verse in English, the middle two in Spanish. Not gonna lie, and without "being lifted up in the pride of our own eyes," we did an amazing job. We killed it. Elder Minnich did his own arrangement. He took that piano to pound town. He is a crazy good jazz pianist and can do all kinds of cool things on there. Well we delivered yesterday. We thought that it was a humid day BEFORE everybody started shedding tears. It was kind of cool. Several people came up to us and said, "My kids were being really loud and stuff but when you started singing, they stopped!" Well it was a good time. They want us to do it every Sunday... We will if we are still together, but I don't think the odds are in our favor. Transfers are next week, so we will see what happens. But I am SO thankful for the gifts that God gives to each one of us. They are given to us for the blessing of others.

We reviewed baptismal interview questions with Romeris this week. She knows what the church is teaching is true and that it is very good, but still is having problems completely accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet. She feels like she has to know it all. We heard her say that she believes that he is a prophet, but that she doesn't know 100%. She has a testimony and knows a lot more than she gives herself credit for. We tried to help her see that faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things. Sometimes we have to take a step into the darkness, but when the Lord is leading us by the hand, everything will be alright. She is set for a baptismal interview this week. I feel confident that even though she doesn't know everything, she knows enough. There will always be unanswered questions, but that doesn't matter. We walk by faith in this life. We get to the point where we stop doubting, but I still have a thousand questions. (How do the dinosaurs fit in? Excited to ask that one in the next life.) We should be set on a baptism this coming Sunday. I can't wait. She is ready!!!!!

We have been doing some solid finding. We found a couple people that are willing to hear the Gospel. That's always nice.

This one lady, Terravia, (She's black, not Hispanic) came to church yesterday. She is an investigator of the English Elders, but we found her. She has purple hair. I love it. She says she is a prophet, she kind of talks funny. But she is awesome. She has read in the Book of Mormon a little bit. She saw missionaries 20 years ago, but WE were the ones to finally get her to come to church. She is very against denominational religion, but that's ok. She is a sweet spirit. She interprets things very interestingly, but we are doing all we can to help her come unto Christ

Well, that is pretty much it. Love you all. Thanks for supporting me, loving and praying for me. This is the Lord's work. He is at the head of it. Love you all. Sorry, didn't take any pictures this week. Next week i PROMISE.

-Elder Mike Dial

So jealous of where you are. (We spent 10 days in Nauvoo area at Bevan family reunion while Grandma and Grandpa Bevan serve in the Nauvoo temple…also visited Adam ondi Ahman, Liberty, Independence, Farr West etc) It sounds like y'all are having a great time.