October 26, 2014

So there is this saying here in the Philippines that they love and I love it too! 

"kapag gusto marami paraan. kapag Ayaw marami dahilan." (i hope I got that right I never really know, I just say what ever I hear) So translated to english, this means. If you want it there is a way, if you don't want it then there are excuses. So I really miss being competitive and even though salvation and exaltation is not a competition, I think Heavenly Father has given us competition to help us grow and push our selves. This week me and Sister Mencias wanted to achieve a goal of 50 new investigators. We told Heavenly Father our plan and then we went out and worked. And when we got home yesterday we were both so exhausted and laying on the ground, but guess what we achieved it!!I know that when we make a plan and if it is good and are willing to put in the effort heavenly father will help us accomplish that goal. 

So yesterday we ran into this women named Juliet, she was just leaving her house to to go the hospital where her son is that has an infection. She is going through a really hard time in her life and we asked her if we could teach her she invited us in and we started teaching her. Sometimes its hard for me when people start spilling out all of their life problems to us because I can't really understand all that they are saying yet because of the language. But it I can always feel the spirit and am able to feel how they feel. I may not be able to give any words of advice to them right now, but I can cry with them as my companion gives them help. 

I am so thankful for this opportunity to be in the Philippines serving a mission. I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon not a day goes by that I don't recieve a answer for my life or the life of our investigators from The Book of Mormon. I know that Christ lives and that his Church is living and growing. I feel so blessed to have this testimony of our Saviors Gospel. 

Mahal na mahal ko kayo! 

Sister Dahl

Zacks baptism

my feet, Im so proud hahaha 

exchages with sis Pilkington. love her shes the best!

October 19, 2014

So pretty much I found one of my best friends here in the Philippines....Sister Mencias! Someone once told me a quote that the people who are your companions are your companions for a reason because you once used to be best friend in heaven. I have no doubt that me and Sister Mencias where best friends in heaven. Me and her just click and we love, love, love working together. Before our training President Dahle made it very clear that we should love everyone and the person we should love the most is our companion. I love her so much! I can't tell you how many times throughout the day we crack up laughing for no reason. 

I look up to so many people here in the Philippines everyone's story is so unique and inspiring. Here is a little about he 3 sisters that I live with right now. 

Sister Mencias (my companion): Sister Mencias father is not a member and she is one of the only members in her family. She has only gotten one letter from her family while she has been on her mission. I admire her for so many qualites, but most of all for her happy personality. She will always be one of my best friends. 

Sister Panal: Sister Panal has been with me the whole time since I have been here in the Philippines. She is 3'7" but that has never stopped her once. I got to go on exchanges with her this week and I loved every second, because she works and works and works like there is no tomorrow. I have never met a more perfect individual. I may not ever be literally looking up to Sister Panal but I am always looking up to her. When little children or people point fingers at her for being different her response is this is the body god wanted to give me, so I love it! Sister Panal also found out after being on her mission for 4 months that her dad passed away. I asked her how she handled that and she said, "I know I have to stay here because that is what God needs me to do" I could go one about this beautiful person for days. There will never be another Sister Panal in my life. 

Sister Diosan: Sister Diosan was baptized about 3 years ago and was a devoted catholic before the missionaries taught her and she was baptized. Her parents kicked her out of the house when she was baptized and she had to fend for herself. When I ask her why she is such a passionate missionary her response is "I have to learn all that I can here so that I can teach it to my family when I get back, I want my family to be baptized" 

I am so thankful for this opportunity to be here on a mission with so many inspirational people. I look up to everyone because everyone in one way or another has gone through something hard, because that is what we signed up for when we came to earth. I love getting to teach the gospel in such simple truths. I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn the beauriful language of tagalog, learning a language has taught me things I would never be able to learn otherwise. Our Heavenly Father knows us perfectly. I know that Christ lives. There are so many times on the mission that I am tired and exhausted, but we just have to keep going. If Christ decided on his mission to give up because he was tired, then the plan would not have worked and we would all be lost. But because he loves us he did it, he overcame EVERYTHING. I know this gospel and church is true 

Sister Dahl

Our last time with the Ducut Family before Ronald goes to work on the cruse ship for 6 months. I love this family!

My dearest sister panel!

They have all of these little colored chicks everywhere here, I love them almost as much as all the children

October 12, 2014

Yay today is the 13th!!!! :) always a good day on the 13th! Once again I feel like my heart is going to burst with happiness! If someone would have given me a taste of this happiness I am feeling right now i would have been on a mission the second they made the age change! 

One of the talks in conference talked about being off by a few degrees. I realized that if I had not made the decision to come on a mission then I would have been off by just a few degrees in my life and would be headed down a road that was not in line with the blessings in my patriarchal blessing. I feel so blessed to be a missionary and to have this opportunity to grow and learn. I am also so grateful for this gospel. What I blessing it is to have a living prophet today who will not and can not lead us astray! I love president Thomas S. Monson, his councilors and the apostles. What a blessing it truly is to have a Prophet. When we teach we always say "because got loves us and he has given us a prophet to lead and guide us and teach us the gospel of Jesus Christ" Prophets are gift from our Heavenly Father! 

Ahh I love this gospel so much! And feel so blessed to have knowledge of this gospel. So after conference we went out and worked, many people weren't around because there is a fiesta happening here in Orani right now so they are all there. I was asking myself "why are so many people uninterested to hear our message when it is so happy" right at that moment the cutest old man 77 years old named Chris waved us down and said "hey come here, i want to hear your message. I am about to die soon and I want to know what I need to do before I meet God". :) :) :) :) I couldn't stop smiling!!!!!!!!!! he was so cute! "I told him we have the perfect message for him because it is Gods message! I can't wait to teach that man! 

Lastly one of my favorite quotes from conference was by Dallin H. Oaks "kindness is power!" What a true statement! I love love love this work and everyday I tell Heavenly Father how thankful I am to be here in the Philippines with so many of his beautiful children! 

I know that Christ lives and what sweet comfort that is!

mahal mahal ko kayo

Sister Dahl

October 5, 2014

I am so happy I feel like my heart might burst! This week has been so great because RONALD DUCUT was baptized!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY! Everyone always says that there is someone waiting for just you that only you will be able to help convert. I know Ronald is that person! From the moment that I met Ronald we became friends instantly probably because he loved speaking English so I could actually have a real conversation with him. I know without a doubt that Ronald is going to be a future leader in the church here and I can't wait to go through the temple with him and his wife and children in a year from now! Nothing makes me more happy then seeing a Ronald his wife Eliza and Zack sit next to each other on the couch and talk about how they have family prayer every night! Eliza is a member and has been so patient for so long as Ronald has been meeting with missionaries for 5 years! I could go on forever about his family I love them so much! And am so happy for their future! 

So this week I had a really cool experience reading in Jacob 5! The allegory of the olive tree! SOOOOO AMAZING!!!! I feel in love with this chapter! So I remember when I was about 17 years old and was sitting on the beach in st. agustin florida for a volleyball tournament reading this chapter and kind of thinking it was interesting. I felt the spirit as I read but didn't really understand it fully. As I read this the other day the spirit testified to me how true this allegory is. Everyone go and read and study this chapter! This chapter is 77 verses long and is all about the scattering and gathering of Isreal! The very last sentence of this chapter says "And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire" I thought wow that's a little harsh, but as I read this line the spirit shot through my whole body mind and heart and testified to me that these words are TRUE!!!! I know through the Holy Ghost that Christ lives and he will come again and I know that the time is right now, the season is now!  Christ is coming! This knowledge burns so true inside of me! As a missionary and Covenant people our job is to declare to the world and prepare the world of his coming. I look forward to the day of his coming with so much excitement.But I also know that Satan also has this knowledge and he will do everything in his power to keep us from not being prepared.

I love the Book of Mormon! I know it is the word of god and those words on the pages will stand as a whiteness against or for us at the judgement bar of God. I absolutely love the great plan of our Heavenly Father, it is truly a magnificent plan for us to become like him. I love the temple and know that the temple is the house of the lord and I know that there are people who have been taught the gospel in the spirit world who are waiting for us and their families to go to the temple to do their work. The Plan of God is so great! And lastly I know that Christ lives and he is CENTRAL to our Heavenly Fathers plan, it is ONLY through and by Christ that we can return and become like him. And I look forward to the day of his Coming, because I know that he will come again in all his Glory! 

I love this work!

Sister Dahl

yummy pork 

yummy chicken feet