October 31, 2016

This Week was hard but full of miracles too. :) My area has been a pain in the butt. We spend more time traveling, walking, and planing than we do working and teaching. My area is about as big as White City to Shady Cove and at night there aren't buses so we have to walk hours sometimes. The other night we were walking home in one of the areas farthest away from home and we were a little worried about making the 2 hour walk before 9 PM. I started to pray that someone would give us a ride. About 5 minuets later an old rigidity corolla pulled over and a family called us over. We got in and thanked them. On the way they said that their daughter was sick and they were bringing her to the doctor.

I felt inspired to ask if they were members but the father responded no. I remembered that our mission leader said their was a less active member in the area but had never met her. I felt inspired to ask again and asked the mother if she was a member and after a silent pause she said yes. She has been inactive for awhile and we were able to visit her Friday. :) Friday we were left with the same problem walking home and I prayed again for a ride. 5 minuets later a 4 runner pulled over and asked if we wanted a ride. I was so thankful!!! :)

My investigators, Douglas and Maria, that we found the first week are so golden!!! They both said that they feel so good during the lessons and at church and are almost positive they want to be baptized. After the lesson with Douglas in his prayer he said, "God I know you have been a little silent, but I'm sure it is all true. I believe you are with these two young men, they speak so clearly and explicitly, and are so happy. Please confirm all that I'm learning because I want to get baptized.

Maria pulled out a little progress paper we gave her that shows all you need to get baptized. She checked off the lesson and said, ''Well I only need a little bit more. I have a service project this week on Sunday so I don't know if I'll make it. Can I still be baptized on the 12th if I miss this Sunday?'' hehe :)Pilas

Thank you mom! I'm going to share your story with my recent converts. They really struggle getting to church. I love you all so much. See you soon!

October 24, 2016

This week was a week of absolute miracles!!!! We were walking along roads in the middle of nowhere looking for somewhere to contact and came across a few houses. We contacted one and a teen girl came out and said oh hey elders I'm one of your investigators... I was like umm 1st how off how do you know that!? And who are you? Turns out she went to church two Sundays ago with her boyfriend to watch conference and really liked it, haha, her name is Edina. Later we found a lady called Maria and before I even said hi she said come in! Come in!!! I have been waiting for you guys like 7 years! Why haven't you come by!? She explained that the missionaries visited her before but never got baptised because she had problems with coffee. She was excited to let us in and share a message. She even came to church on Sunday.

We walked out of the house and started off for another and I said to my companion, "How many miracles can you see in one day?" So we had a lesson with a guy named Douglas. He walked into the chapel last Sunday and started asking how he could become a member and the members there sent us his number. We visited him and he told us that for years he has felt the need to come to church here and wanted to learn more. He is secretly taking the lessons because he wants it to be a surprise to his 3 children and wife haha.. Sooo miracles this week!

My comp and I were walking and I could tell in his steps that he was tired. I asked what was wrong and he said, "Well I think I'm in love compa.... He was silent again, then said I just can't stop thinking bout her. I was like OH NO compa... with who!!!? Silence again..... with the baptismal font compa, with the baptismal font! hehe
Oh, and our other investigator that the other missionaries left accepted the invitation to be baptized next week!! He is pilas, but cross your fingers.

I love and miss you all so much! See you soon!!!"

Monday, October 10, 2016

Well this week was awesome. I always wanted to know what it would be like to serve in the USA. Ii think this area is the closest you can get toi it hehe. My area is the richest area in the mission, I love it! Although it does have its downfalls too.. The area is a highway that goes to El Salvador where all the richest people in Guatemala live. So it’s superrrr long and takes like 3 hours or more to walk from one end to the other. There are very few areas to knock doors, so most of our work is done with the members. Our area is mostly made up of residential colonies that have gates and guards with shotguns. If we want to enter we have to have the member call the guards to let us in. The houses of the members are mansions. Literally they are the houses only seen in movies, and they all have pitbulls and rottweilers.

A good portion of the members are ex members of the 70 and mission presidents. The first councilor of President Caffaro lives here too. So in the lessons sometimes we get a little nervous haha.. My favorite part is the food....... so long to rice and beans!!! The members this week gave us lasagna, brownies, crepes, and all the best things you can imagine. We live in the visitor's house of the family Malaga. Hermano Malaga has an interesting story. To be short with it his last wife was planning to murder him and steal all his money, but he felt something was up and had a programer put a program on his computer to listen to things when it was shut and heard his wife explain the whole plan. Then afterwards he asked his friend to send him the missionaries and got baptized.

So the first thing I did when I got to my new home was go to the bathroom... I about crapped myself when I saw the jacuzzi and two toilets and two sinks and a sauna. The first thing I did was go and look at the odd looking 2nd toilet. I could not figure out what it was for. There are levers on the back and I pulled one and a rocket stream of water shot me in the face. It was really gross to find out later that in this house we don't use toilet paper... the jet stream is to clean your butt hehe...I call it the enema-nator! The downfall to our house is that it is humid and all of our stuff has to stay in the suitcase or it will get damp. Our beds are always damp and it is super uncomfortable. I don’t understand why everything is so humid because my area is super cold. We live on top of the mountains and it gets super chilly here. I like it really :)

Our mission leader served in Provo Utah and speaks perfect english. Well to be honest the whole ward knows english because the schools here are in english. It’s awesome, his name is Jose Pablo and he drives us around in his car. This week we saw a ton of miracles. After church a guy walked in and said that he wanted to learn more about the church and know how he could become member. His name is Douglas and we put an appointment for Thursday.

I was buying in the little corner store and an old 80 year old man came and grabbed my arm and said, “I know your country and I went to your church.” I was like ooookayy... that’s cool bro. What’s your name? I’m Arnold, but not Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Castillo. He took us to his house and explained that he was a less active that wanted to come back to church. We invited him to come this last Sunday and he said he would. He showed up and I went and sat with him and we started listening to testimonies. He turned to me and said, I want to go talk, can I go talk? Will you take me to to talk? I supposed he knew what a testimony was and went up with him. This was literally the most embarrassing testimony meeting I have ever been in.

Arnold started talking about how he had a vision he needed to visit the President of Guatemala and that he did and his guards pulled out ak47s and Arnold lifted up his cane. He acted it all out and then said that he started talking to the guards in their own language and then said something that sounded like gibberish to me and got in position of karate kid with his arms extended and knee up. To be honest I can’t believe an old 80 year old man could do it but he did haha. Then fished up his testimony. I was so red sitting behind with the bishop. When Arnold finished he turned around and said thank you to this young American Elder I’m back home. It was a great first impression my first Sunday! Hahaha....

Monday, October 3, 2016

Hey mama,

That is such an exciting story of prayer and really truly inspired me.  Thanks for sharing it. I’ll keep Emma in my prayers, I pray a lot that the Lord will protect her while she is away from home. So this week was crazy awesome. I don't know how I could say all I want to say so I’ll just tell you when I get home. Know that I’m happy and all is well. I copied the letter my president sent me this morning, it looks like I have changes:

“You did a great job turning around the Nimajuyu Zone!! I am so thankful for your leadership. I need your help and leadership in Arrazola in the Don Justo Zone. I think it is a great area with wonderful members to help. The missionaries have not had a good attitude and it needs a pick me up. Please help me with this area and with Elder Rodriquez. He is a good young missionary that came into the mission with a lot of animo. I think you both can be a great team together. Thank you for all that you do! I am counting on you to turn this area around. Have a great week!”

With love,

President Caffaro

#dispuestoydigno para bautizar!

My email to President:

President,

After the mission council I was almost sure that I was going to train this change. I filled out a whole page in my journal Saturday night with goals and plans for this change. After reading the story of Hermana Flucher my head was spinning with ideas and ways we could use NVS better and win the members. To be honest I was kind of disappointed last night, I was so fired up to do everything with my kid, but felt like maybe I had let you down and didn't deserve to train. When Elder De Leon called to tell me this morning that I was being sent with a purpose I felt way better. After Reading your letter I feel even more excited. If we don't turn around the ward it’s because it’s simply not the will of God, I highly doubt it’s not his will. Let's do it :) #NVS #lovemorejudgeless

Thank you,

Elder Dabel

Tell everyone I love them and miss them and am doing great. I can't wait to see you on the 17th. BTW no one else in the mission has changes that day, just me and my group because the president wanted us to be home for christmas! :)

September 19, 2016

Thank you mom. I like your analogy of the laws. I think after all is said and done it’s funny that the first and great commandment is to love God with all thy heart and mind and soul.. To truly fulfill all the commandments we need to be consecrated. 

I’ve had a lot to be grateful for these last few months. I feel like the lord is blessing me for my efforts the first 16 months of my mission. I’ve been able to help a lot of my brothers and sisters in this area. I love them all and feel like I would do anything for them. After baptizing them you feel something very special. I imagine it’s similar to what you feel when you have a child. After so much work and struggle you see the happiness of another being and you are full of joy! 

So 3 weeks ago we asked our recent convert Elisabeth to participate in nunca voy solo and to fill out a list of people she thought were ready to hear our message and then pray to ask the Lord who we should visit. She did and brought us to her friends house. The granddaughter Jocelyn started listening and has come with us to church every Sunday. When we showed up the first time and gave the baptismal invitation Jocelyn ran to her room and brought out a book that the evangelical church gave her that said '''preparation for baptism.” She said, ”I want to be baptized and have been working on my own to do it in the church down the street.” After the first Sunday she came with us she went home and told her grandma.. ''Grandma I’m changing churches.''  Then our next visit she said she had read the pamphlet we left and prayed and felt she needed to be baptized! Her date is 24th of September. 

#lovethelord

#obedience.is.happiness

#willing.and.worthy