August 22, 2016

Wow looks like you guys had fun :) I hope all goes okay with the house in Texas. I’m glad you followed the spirit dad! :) Josh looks just like gramps hehe;)

This week was awesome. We baptized again! :) The activity Nunca Voy Solo has been giving a lot of fruits :D I’ll send a pic. his name is David Garcia. His mom brought him to one of our activities and he saw a baptism we had to and decided he didn't want to go to the evangelical church anymore, better to be mormon hehe:) pilas. My comp and I have been teaching a ton of people that are about ready for baptism :) All of them are references from nunca voy solo. :)  If all goes well this week, I’m going to be super happy! hehe But I don't want to jinx myself again so I wont give details :)

I love you guys. 

Love,

Elder Dabel

July 25, 2016

This week was fantastic:) I constantly feel that we just aren't given enough time to work. Before I know it the day is gone and a week has past :( I feel good with my companion and in my area. We baptized Andrea this week. 11 years old, although young, is one of the most pilas (smartest) I’ve ever baptized. You would be proud to see her Book of Mormon marked like crazy. After the baptism she asked us for a few minuets to give her testimony, she is an inspiring young women.

This week the president sent home 8 more missionaries home. Apparently the two I sent home ratted out there friends. Our mission is getting smaller and smaller. The funny thing is that we are baptizing more then we ever have. It’s funny how big of a difference obedience makes in the mission. The president told us that we could be great members and bad missionaries. It’s sad but true. Please support your missionaries in their obedience!!

I really really like this quote of Jeffrey R Holland:  

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, (April 2016) "When there was a controversy in the early Church regarding who was entitled to heaven’s blessings and who wasn’t, the Lord declared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Verily I say unto you, [the gifts of God] are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep … my commandments, and [for them] that seeketh so to do.” Boy, aren’t we all thankful for that added provision “and … seeketh so to do”! That has been a lifesaver because sometimes that is all we can offer! We take some solace in the fact that if God were to reward only the perfectly faithful, He wouldn’t have much of a distribution list. Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them."

This week was absolutely crazy for me and my companion! We felt we should go over to the house of some elders in our zone in the morning to do a study. We got over and asked the owner of their house for keys to the house so we could surprise them hehe. What we found was one of the most disappointing scenes I have ever seen in my life. I don't want to give many details, but I'm positive they will be going home. My testimony of the words of the Lord "I the lord will not be mocked " is really strong. I don't doubt he planned that morning.

Now for the awesome news! My comp and I have been fasting and praying to see miracles in our area because we have been working really hard, but didn't really have anyone to baptize this change. Wednesday we had Oralia, an investigator of two weeks, ask us why she couldn't be baptized this Saturday because she felt 100% ready haha. Woohooo!!! We also had an investigator named Maria Jose that just needed permission from her Catholic mom. Maria has been waiting forever to be baptized, but has been denied continually by her mom. But on Thursday after a fast of faith and a lesson of super spirit and authority the mom couldn't say no:) So Maria asked to be baptized ASAP! haha Saturday night she was baptized with Oralia. It was so intense.

I know my comp and I were blessed for our obedience and diligence this change. We both have had to humble ourselves, change, and get along, but we did and we were blessed! :) I love my comp so much, I'm sad he has changes. This change was something different, every single night my dreams were about my investigators and the elders in my zone. Not even in my sleep did I stop teaching, contacting, and searching. I felt like my heart, might, mind, and strength were giving everything. I love obedient companions that I don't have to pull. :) If only they were all pullers the load would be so much lighter, the mission would be so much happier.

I love you guys so much. Remember miracles are real and the Lord won’t be mocked hehe ;)

April 25, 2016

So guess what!!! I’m zone leader in my first zone. The cool thing is that I already know my area a little bit and can do divisions in my 1st area! When I got the call saying I was going to La Brigada I was like, “Ooww... this area is the biggest mess ever!” It’s a huge labyrinth, the roads are all curved and don't connect. It looks like the people threw paint on the map and said, “Hey you see all those little spots? Build houses there!” hahaha... 

I literally have no idea how to get anywhere. I did divisions in my 1st area last week! It was awesome!! It turns out a lot of people that I found there ended up getting baptized with my second comp which is super cool. Looks like my fruits went farther than I thought. 

I went and showed the elders there a contact that I made when I was there that I always wanted to visit, but never had a member to help. We had such a cool lesson with her and her family, and even cooler is that she went to church Sunday haha!!! Looks like the Lord has been preparing these people for awhile and wanted me to know the contact.. Man he works in mysterious ways. When I went and talked to the lady she talked to me like she knew me and I was like you remember me!? She was like yeah, you pass by all the time and I saw you like a month or so ago. Why wouldn't I know you? I was like I talked to you like a year ago haha but that’s cool. It was awesome!

Being zone leader is cool, wayyy better than district leader in my opinion. It’s more responsibility, but more laid back too. I only have to make sure the district leaders are doing their job and worry about getting dats to the assistants. My companion and I both are zone leaders so we share the load too.

In my area we have quite a few people progressing that could be baptized here soon. We got a reference from the bishop of a guy that has been attending another ward really far away so we went and looked for him. He is a super awesome guy. He is about ready to get baptized, but we want to get the wife and daughter baptized to. They are Christians that go to a church called Evangelico. 

There are two main religions here, Catholic and Evangelico. You’re catholic when you don't live any law, and evangelico when you take it to the extreme and are basically a pharisee.. They hit people with the bible and scream and have rock bands that scare me! But we had an awesome lesson with the family. Our next visit the wife asked a ton of questions and at the end said she was confused because she felt we taught the truth, but it was all so different and new to her. power of the spirit man..

My new comp is Elder Galicia. He’s from El Salvador. He was in my zone when I was training so I know him a little bit already. He is chill and obedient so this change should be a good one:) I really hope those words don't come back to bite me! haha

Tell everyone I love them!